Disclaimer: I own nothing.

An: As of the moment this chapter has yet to be betaread, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes since I am not perfect!xP

Pieces of The Past

Blue.

It was the first thing I saw when I met you, do you remember?

I watched you in awe-though at the time I would never admit to it-between the graceful movements you gave, each reminding me of different things; the flowery winds of spring, or the heat of summer's embrace. The way the leaves danced in the wind as they fell from the trees in autumn. Your eyes were as beautiful and full of wonder as the pure white crystalline snow you so loved.

Everything about you was like a different representation of nature: the very seasons wrapped into one being. It was no wonder so many became captivated.

There were so many things left unsaid, so many more things I wanted to share with you, so very much more.

Can you ever forgive me, Asher?

Applause rippled through the crowd until it became deafening before the boy had even stopped moving. Giving one last purposely slow and graceful twirl he came to a halt facing the crowd, head lowered in the form of a bow. Strands of hair black as a raven's feathers were falling over one of his eyes before he re-opened them, raising his head and smiling warmly. It was then the leader of the troupe came rushing forward.

"Spectacular! Simply marvelous!" He cheered, receiving the whole-hearted agreement of the gathered crowd. "Now! Is there anyone in the audience..." both his eyes and Asher's roamed through the random faces, "who would like the honor of dancing with Sir Asher?"

The reaction was immediate. With everyone rushing forward.

"Me! Me!" A random woman yelled. Begged was more likely a better word really.

"Me too!" Another cried, shoving the first out of the way.

"Me! Pick me! "A third squealed.

"Hey! Aren't you a little old?" One of the ones being shoved snapped back. Earning a glare from a couple of the others, who had the decency to look offended. It wasn't long before most if not all the female population were at each other's throats.

Up on the stage the troupe leader sighed tiredly. "N-now ladies please, control yourselves..."

Asher's eyes were still searching the crowd, peering through the minor skirmish settling on a single figure hovering near the back; their face mostly hidden by the hood of their cloak. There was a boy talking beside them in a soft voice, with docile black eyes and pale skin.

Wordlessly Asher slowly raised his hand. Silence descended on the bantering women, realizing Asher had decided upon who would be his dance partner. All eyes were following to where his gaze had landed.

"Um...Natsumi." The mysterious girl's companion whispered, being the first to notice all the envious eyes on them.

"What?" The other said, rather waspishly, like someone had just woken them from a nap. They peered out from under the hood, showing one golden pupil, further piquing Asher's interest.

"Now then, would the lucky person who was chosen please come up onto the stage?" The troupe leader said, smiling, as he waved a hand from Natsumi's position towards Asher, who was still standing with his hand extended out towards her.

She scowled. Beside her, the black-haired boy seemed to edge away from the robust crowd, making Asher ponder if he had some kind of fear of people.

"Lucky her." Someone nearby muttered.

"I'd rather strangle myself." The girl retorted coldly, sounding repulsed by the very idea.

Asher's face settled on a small frown before lightly stepping off stage, weaving his way through the crowd, causing a few of the fangirls to swoon in the process while drawing confused looks from the rest of the troupe and audience. He stopped directly in front of the hooded girl and her companion, the two blinking curiously at the newcomer, each for different reasons.

"Come. Won't you dance with me?" Asher asked, smiling. The warmth that enveloped them felt like a warm summer's breeze. The black-haired member of the duo hadn't even realized he stopped trying to move away, the two watching as Asher's hands reached forward, gently closing around the girls and tugging her forward.

The cloak fell away instantly, causing a sudden breeze to rip the hood right out of his hands, grasping onto sharply pointed claws where hands should have been. Asher only blinked, eyes briefly widening a slight fraction of an inch, then returning back to normal fairly quickly. The surrounding bystanders screamed, overcome by panic at the horrific sight of the demon before them.

"Dammit...!" The girl hissed, glaring at Asher-silently cursing him to hell and back-jerking her hands back as though burned and turning around. "Zeref-nii, we're leaving." Was all she said. The boy nodded, seeing Asher extend his hand as though to stop her. "W-wait-!"

Before he could finish, one of those clawed hands was in front of his face. Dangerously close to his eyeballs. He didn't look as frightened as someone normal should have, in Zeref's opinion, rather he looked just plain confused and startled. Like he truly did not comprehend what the big deal about the other's appearance was.

"Back off." Natsumi said, her voice like ice. "Don't think I'll have any qualms over killing you, exhibitionist."

It was almost amusing, where if not for the screaming bystanders, watching the mysterious boy's face twist into one of offense and mild irritation at the given nickname.

"Excuse me?" He bit out slowly, no longer wearing the previous startled look. Now he just looked mad.

Without another word, the duo turned to leave.

But I can't go back.

The crackling of the flames were the only solace offered to Natsumi. She woke from the memory-her past-cold and so very disturbed. The demonic entity wasn't speaking to her at the moment either, most likely too focused on their current task. In her lap lay her own special sword, Apocalypse.

She stared into the flickering, ever-changing hues of bright orange and red watching the way they curled and fought like a beast straining to break free against the nighttime sky. Her eyes slowly bled into a rich golden color, her grip on the sword changing ever so subtly.

"Natsumi?"

Natsumi resisted the urge to look up. Instead she felt the tips of her fingers dig into the hard scabbard, a pang of regret worming its way onto the surface.

"What are you still doing up flame-brain?" Gray asked; his brows pinching in slight irritation, not missing how Natsumi wouldn't quite meet his gaze. She had been acting different since their fight with Lullaby, and Gray wanted to know why.

He took a quick peek to make sure Erza and Gramps were still sound asleep, 'They seemed curious about that sword. Is that maybe part of the reason?' Gray mused silently. His blue orbs gliding over the dark foreboding blade, feeling the chill of its aura even from where he lay.

"Natsumi? Something wrong?" He was just about to snap at her too, when a soft reply-one so very unlike Natsumi-was given.

"No. Just thinking.'"

"Oh." He mumbled, suddenly feeling at a loss for words. She didn't seem into their usual banter these last few times, even back at the conference hall when he'd tried goading her into it, she just shrugged it off. He also wasn't too keen on the idea of possibly waking Erza from her sleep, just thinking of the ensuing punishment made a slight shiver go up his spine.

"Are you all right?"

Gray blinked at Natsumi's question. He didn't think her eyes were that good to where she would see him in the dark-the fire's light was starting to dim-and react so...swiftly? Or maybe he was just still partly taken with the fact she cared enough to ask. Another part of him, probably the rival half, was a tad bit miffed at the suggestion of weakness on his part.

"Yeah, I'm just doing some thinking of my own." He responded just as swiftly.

Heaving a sigh Gray chose to forgo the makeshift bed he'd been laying on. When he stood the refreshing breeze that touched upon the bare skin of his torso left him with just a bit more energy, carrying the fresh scent of pine and leaves. He truly loved nature. Carefully sidestepping Lucy's own sleeping form, he flopped down on the log directly beside Natsumi oblivious to the slight stiffening of her joints.

A few empty seconds of silence ticked by between them, but Gray didn't mind too much. He leaned back, his eyes gazing up at the glittering stars blanketing the nighttime sky above them.

"It sure is nice out." Gray whispered, sounding wistful. "Don't you think, flame-brain?"

Beside him Natsumi was busy taking the small window of opportunity to look over the other, seeing and recognizing the immediate and oh-so obvious similarities she had unknowingly been oblivious to all these years; Asher's eyes were the same mysterious deep shade of blue. His hair also had the slightest touches of navy blue woven into the strands but his were spiked back some... even their skin tone was the same. And so were their voices. How could she have not noticed?

"-The same." Gray caught the last whispered word and jerked his head around only for Natsumi to turn back towards the now barely lit fire.

Gray stared at her, a tad perplexed. Hesitating for a split second he reached forward to touch her shoulder. "Hey Natsu-"

"I'm tired." She cut off, standing abruptly.

"Fire's going out too. We should both turn in for the night, besides," She started walking away, faking a yawn and stretching her arms out. "Erza will get mad if we're dragging our feet tomorrow. Gotta get back to the guild."

"….Yeah." Gray reluctantly agreed. 'Natsumi, just what is happening to you?'

Gray watched the pinkette lay herself on the ground, not turning once to look at him mumbling a 'goodnight' and covering herself up.

Lucy could tell something was off from the moment she woke up. Well, technically, Erza had smacked her awake, but of course she wasn't about to say such a thing out loud and to said redhead's face! Anyway, Lucy could see it in the way Natsumi would occasionally sneak a glance or two in Gray's direction; it was like her whole demeanor involving Gray had gone through a 180 turn-a-round.

Part of her had hoped things would be normal again by the time they were back in Magnolia, but now standing in front of the familiar guild doors, she realized that wouldn't be the case.

"We're baaack!"Master Makarov announced, surprisingly being the one to knock aside the double doors with a yell. Usually it was Natsumi.

'I wonder what's wrong with her? Maybe I'll ask the next time it's just the two of us...'Lucy thought, recalling her earlier reaction to Erza and the Master's suspicions.

'Come to think of it the only one she hasn't been somewhat hostile to in the last twenty-four hours is-'

"Lucy."Gray called out, nudging her softly.

"Huh?" Her cinnamon brown eyes snapped up to meet his deep blue ones. Lucy thought they were kind of pretty when first meeting Gray, the way they carried that unique shine to them and were so mysterious. "Oh sorry, did you need something?" She asked, snapping out of her reverie.

"You haven't said anything the entire way back." He commented matter-of-factly. "Just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Why were you spacing out?" He asked, sounding more curious than anything.

Subconsciously Lucy's eyes slid over to Natsumi who she noticed had seized the small window of opportunity to distance herself from the rest of the group. As if sensing her eyes, Natsumi's own snapped up to meet her gaze. Lucy had to withhold the urge to flinch, those warm onyx eyes that she previously felt comforted by seemed suddenly so foreign after their encounter with Lullaby, like some unfamiliar darkness was now present in them.

Lucy had forgotten Gray was still beside her. His own eyes following to where hers were staring so intensely. Unlike Lucy, Gray met Natsumi's dark eyes head on.

The ice mage frowning a bit at the sheer coldness he saw reflected in those-wait... I always thought Natsumi's eyes were an onyx color? He mused silently, blinking in confusion at the golden flecks currently present in his friends orbs.

"Natsumi. Gray. Lucy."

Gray and Lucy were both pulled from their brief reverie, their eyes shifting to meet the stern gaze of Erza. Natsumi glanced up as well, remaining slightly turned from the rest of the group.

"Master wishes to see us in his office."The redhead said, her eyes sliding over to Natsumi, lingering for a few seconds out of curiosity.

Then, without another word, she turned making her way towards the stairs.

"I think it would be best if we kept what happened with Lullaby under wraps for now."Makarov stated. His arms folded behind his back, regarding his four children before him. "While it will be impossible to dismiss the incident as a whole, at the very least, the council has suggested we distance ourselves-namely you Natsumi-"at this, said girl glanced back towards the elderly guild master"at least until things have calmed down somewhat."

Natsumi gave an indifferent 'Hn' turning her dark eyes elsewhere in the room.

"Master? What exactly do you mean?"Lucy asked taking a small step forward.

Makarov sighed.

"Need I remind you Lullaby is a form of dark magic. Created by Zeref, while it is indeed a remarkable feat to have bested it, that kind of power Natsumi displayed... it was unnatural." At this Makorov's face turned grim. "I am certain there are many guilds who would want such power."

"Natsumi wouldn't betray us!"Gray protested heatedly. Immediately Makorov shook his head, holding up a hand for silence.

"That is not what I am trying to say. For Natsumi's safety, as well as all of yours, for now we should keep quiet about what happened back in Clovertown is all I mean."

Understanding flashed in Natsumi's eyes, nodding. "Fine." She muttered, quickly turning on her heel to leave.

"Natsumi! The master didn't say he was finished yet."Erza scolded.

The words fell on deaf ears however, as Natsumi just shut the door behind her.

Silence filling the room where her three teammates now stood with Master Makorov, all of them wearing varying looks of concern at Natsumi's new behavior.

'Natsumi.'Gray thought.

Natsumi let the door click shut behind her. Her thoughts anywhere but on what happened to Lullaby at the moment, "for the time being we should focus on keeping an eye on the one you call Gray." The demonic entity within her suggested, and truthfully, a part of her really wasn't against the idea.

"What did the master have to say?"Happy asked, munching on a fish. He looked up once Natsumi stepped outside the room.

"He wants us to keep quiet about the whole Lullaby thing."She responded with a shrug.

"Oh...I guess you're pretty disappointed about that?"Happy asked. His wings popping out, floating up and plopping himself onto her shoulder while he talked. Natsumi didn't seem to mind.

"Not really. We got the job done, that's all there is to it."She said. "Long as no one was hurt, I really couldn't care less."

"Huh? Are you talking about Gray again?"Happy commented, a rather mischievous smile tugging at the cat's mouth. Natsumi seemed intent on ignoring Happy all of a sudden. "You liiiiiike him~!"The feline purred, sounding more delighted than he should.

Natsumi stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes suddenly flicking back up, locking with a familiar dark blue. It was Gray. The ice mage paused, having caught her stare for a moment, blinking in confusion at the serious look she was suddenly giving him.

"Is something wrong?"He asked, brows furrowing.

"Natsumi?"He tried again. His patience beginning to fray just a little more, realizing she wasn't looking directly at him anymore, but rather his necklace.

"No, it's nothing."Natsumi muttered. The seriousness in her eyes disappearing as quickly as it came. Sparring one last glance towards Gray she made her way towards the guild doors.

"Natsumi, wait a moment."

Natsumi stopped. Looking over her shoulder she saw Erza and Lucy stopping alongside Gray. "I think we need to talk. The four of us." Erza quickly clarified. The look in her eyes was leaving little room for argument, something neither Lucy nor Gray recognized immediately.

Natsumi, however, influenced partly by the demonic entity now dwelling within her merely scoffed.

"Oh really?"She said. The other three, along with a few other members of the guild-ones who picked up on the growing tension in the air-stared wide-eyed at the Dragon Slayer who only yesterday would've cowered with the rest of them under Erza's stare. "About what? Unless of course, it's in regards to the match you promised me?" Natsumi continued to say, crossing her arms.

"Oi Natsumi-"Gray began, taking a small step forward.

Erza, however, stopped him. "Fine."

A beat of silence passed. Erza smiled, though it was one of confidence.

"Erza!?"Lucy said, surprised.

"Gray. Go tell the master." The scarlet mage ordered softly, sending him off with a pointed look. "Let us take this outside in the meantime." She said, directing the statement at Natsumi, seeing her nod.

Two hours after Team Natsu's return from Clover town, the entirety of the Fairy Tail had gathered outside in a nearby open field, eagerly waiting for the battle between Natsumi and Erza to commence. The field was wide enough for them to fight without causing any serious property damage. The two fighters standing in the middle of an open space, their guildmates forming a circle around them along with a few townsfolk who had stopped to watch the spectacle as well. Both mages looked raring to go.

Off to the side a betting stand had been built, run by Cana Alberona, Fairy Tails resident card mage and drunkard. Already over half the gathered members had placed their bets on the outcome, with a majority of them going to Erza. Granted it was only natural given her rank as an S-class mage, not to mention being the youngest to receive the title in her generation. There were rare and few who could stand against her and her magic.

Nobody would have guessed things would end any different than usual. That Natsumi-hyperactive, dimwitted, always one to jump the gun-would have somehow grown strong enough to surpass her. How could she?

"Hmph, little idiot's just gonna get her ass kicked again..."Gray commented. A look of exasperation on his face.

"They both seem so serious."Lucy added. She was standing beside Gray, with Mirajane and Elfman close enough to hear. "Also..."She trailed off, her face falling seeing Happy plopped down atop Gray's head. "You do know about the hitchhiker on your head, right?"

Gray arched a quizzical brow before realizing she meant Happy. His face turned irritated. "And just what do you suppose you're doing, sitting up there?" He ground out, left brow twitching.

"Natsumi said this place was the safest to watch the match, and that if any of the wreckage came flying this way she would make sure to stop it."

"Wreckage?"Lucy questioned.

"Aye!...since Gray is standing here and all."Happy finished.

Immediately Gray's eyes narrowed at the subtle jab. "I can protect myself, thank you very much." The irritated mage bit out, plucking Happy off his head and tossing him without care for where he landed. "Besides I doubt things will go that far. Natsu's gonna lose like she always does."

"You really think so?"Lucy asked. "I mean sure she's strong, but..."

"Tch, you're surprisingly pure-hearted, aren't you?"Gray retorted calmly. Realizing the blonde wasn't one for picking sides amongst friends, even if with people like Erza and Natsumi, for him at least it had become pretty routine.

"It's been one of Natsumi's goals to surpass Erza."Mirajane explained at Lucy's own torn facial expression. "And Erza's never really been one to hold back much."

'Still,'Gray thought 'Natsumi was the one who defeated Lullaby. I wonder...'

"This is going to be a battle of men!"Elfman declared loudly. Happy sat perched on his head, chiming in with an equally loud 'Aye!'

"Though both Erza and Natsumi are women." Mirajane reminded.

"Erza's really more of a monster," Gray said with a shudder.

While everyone was starting to talk amongst themselves, Natsumi was busy having a kind of internal conflict of her own with the entity. 'This is it. Today's the day I finally beat Erza!' She thought, seeming to revert back into her usual, carefree self.

The entity sighed. "Don't get so cocky. While it's true a small portion of your physical prowess has returned, I'd say it should be sufficient enough to at least take down that of a small army. Still, you are not yet at the level you once were, your magic hasn't even begun to return just yet. Not to mention your curse powers."

'My what?'She asked.

The entity held its chin in thought, waving a dismissive hand. "Nevermind it for now. Anyway, just don't underestimate your opponent. Also remember that you still can't use your sword."

'What? How come!?'She snapped, annoyed by that little tidbit of information. Especially after hearing how awesome it was during the encounter with Lullaby. 'I used it before, didn't I?'

"You do not yet remember the weight it holds." The entity informed cryptically.

'W-what?'

"Look," The being started, exasperated with the others lack of understanding. "I will explain more later on. As I mentioned earlier your memories will help you in regaining the powers you have lost. That blade is not a weapon you can use at leisure, and if you try to force it's use; you and everyone and quite possibly a good chunk of this continent will all die."

Natsumi's face morphed into one of horror. She swallowed taking a moment and allowing the information to sink in.

"It's about to begin."

Sure enough Makarov stepped between the two mages. He looked at each of them with the same serious look before speaking. "This is a one-on-one match between Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet-"Boisterous cheers filled the air"-and Fairy Tail's Natsumi Dragneel!" More cheering. "The winner will be decided upon knockout of the other, or if one person is unable to battle. If both go down, it's a draw understand?"

The two fighters nodded.

"If I feel things are getting too out of hand, or going too far I will step in and stop the fight myself." Makarov said sternly.

"Alright then..."Makarov began, stepping back to a safe distance. "BEGIN!"

The instant the word left Makarov's mouth, Natsumi launched herself forward causing several members to gasp. A moment later the rosette appeared directly in front of Erza. Everyone was taken aback by the girls sudden boost in speed, including Erza herself. The armored mage didn't get over her surprise fast enough and Natsumi capitalized on it, landing a devastating punch to Erza's face.

The surrounding guild members scrambled to get out of the way fast as Erza was sent flying.

"W-where did that come from!?"Someone yelled, shocked.

Natsumi let out a low cackle, cracking her knuckles looking like a demon on some kind of high. "Where were you looking?"She yelled into the small dust cloud that formed where poor Erza finally landed, the surrounding pavement dug up from where the force of the impact sent her skidding.

Everyone looked between where Erza had crashed to Natsumi, then back to Erza. Their mouths hanging open. Theirs eyes wide in disbelief.

"W-whoa..."Elfman muttered, just as shell-shocked as the others.

From her spot, Natsumi was still looking completely at ease. Straightening and rolling her shoulder a bit while she waited for the retaliation she already guessed was coming. 'My body feels lighter somehow.' She thought. A confident smirk settled on her face picking up the sounds of movement from inside the dust cloud.

A pulse of magic rippled through the air. Erza came shooting out from under the cover of dust, going airborne when the dust began to clear away revealing long black wings similar to those of a bat, decked out in matching black armor with silver trimming. Plates flanked her hips reaching down to her waist guard, composed of very long, silver-edged plates shaped like feathers and decorated by silver crosses.

'Her Black Wing Armor.'Natsumi thought.

"Moon flash!"Erza yelled, immediately going on the offensive. She slashed with her sword, her magic power already increasing. Natsumi's smirk grew a bit wider, casually side-stepping the scarlet-haired mage.

"Wha-!?"

Erza was cut off. Her breath rushing out of her lungs when Natsumi followed up with another punch, this time twisting the closed fist deep into Erza's exposed gut. The redhead gasped, seeming to choke on the air rushing out of her lungs, getting knocked back yet again.

The stunned expression didn't last long however, in a blinding flash of light her armor changed.

The resounding echo of an impact-flesh hitting flesh, hard-leaving the spectators on edge once more.

"Photon Slicer!" Erza yelled seconds before the area Natsu stood was engulfed in a blinding blast of raw energy, courtesy her Morning Star armor; orange and yellow leather-like material, in the form of several orange wing-shaped pauldrons now covered her shoulders and waist. Brilliant white wings protruding from the center of the shoulder guard with the pauldrons surrounding Erza's waist, held up by a simple dark pink belt from the front. A plain white one-piece suit covering her torso with a matching pair of metal arm guards and large bolded knee guards over a pair of high-heeled armored greaves that covering her calves. Fishnet leggings over her exposed thighs, and her hair had switched from the high ponytail to two tangled buns atop her head.

"W-whoa!"Lucy yelped, going wide-eyed at the force of Erza's new armor. The swords looking to be made of pure magical energy.

Erza was quick to follow up with a kick, her focus entirely on her opponent. Her foot was blocked by one of Natsumi's hands, leading the redhead to improvise, changing her greaves for another set of swords and seeming to nail the pinkette with an unsuspecting blow from above.

"N-Natsumi...!"Lucy hollered, alarmed.

"Figures..."Someone from the crowd muttered, the previous shock from Natsumi's first blow wearing off finally.

"I knew she didn't stand a chance!"Droy chimed in, nodding along.

"Yeah, there's no way she could beat Erza!"Jet agreed.

'Still, that first attack of hers...it seemed different somehow...'Gray thought, arms folded across his chest frowning a moment when he noticed the dust starting to clear.

Back in the center of the crowd, Erza had taken the opportunity to give herself some distance sensing the fight was not yet over, putting a few feet between her and where she slammed Natsumi into the ground.

Sure enough the pinkette groaned, signaling she was still very much conscious, surprising some of the older members as after the first real blow she would usually be TKO'd right away. Makorov himself was one of the surprised ones, though he was better at hiding his surprise.

"Well now..."Natsumi began, the dust finally completely gone.

Erza gasped looking over her friends body, specifically where she had kicked and even blasted her square in the stomach only seconds ago. There was no bruise! It wasn't so much that Natsumi was completely unscathed, rather... for the amount of magic she used, for her to be so unharmed...

Erza tightened her grip on her swords, her greaves returning to her feet as she landed. She just barely missed the way Natsumi's eyes flashed to a brilliant gold for a split second.

"You've improved." Erza relented, smiling.

The gold dissipated from her eyes, Natsumi returning the smile with her own signature toothy one.

"Very well then..."Erza began, loosening her stance becoming engulfed in the same light as before. Magnificent large, silver-clad wings spreading out from behind her back. A small breastplate in the middle with feather-shaped plates pointing upwards, a large metal flower on the front extending along her hips.

Swords started materializing around her at a breakneck speed, swirling through the air as she gracefully lifted off the ground. "Circle Sword!" The swords shot forwards, one for every direction.

Natsumi hopped back dodging the first few with ease, the next two tearing off some bits of clothing and throwing her off balance a little bit. She skidded, flames sparking to life in her hand, poising herself for a counter-attack while the last three headed straight for her.

"Secret Dragon Slayer technique..."

The spectators grimaced watching the sharp gleaming blades draw closer and closer.

"EXPLODING FLAME EDGE!"

The blades were sent spiraling backwards away from the intended target, back onto Erza who swiftly dodged them only to be blown further back by the accompanied force of Natsu's fiery technique, effectively knocking the scarlet-haired mage off her feet. Erza groaned feeling small chunks of armor break off from the intense force. The swords disappearing into thin air.

"She-she hit her!Twice?!" Lucy said, astounded.

Beside her Gray was numb with shock.'I-is that...really Natsumi?'

Said girl was now frowning, looking even a little bored with the outcome of things thus far. In her hand she held Erza's sword, having grabbed the one just before she sent the redhead flying for the second time now. It's silver edge gleamed maliciously in the bright sun.

The scuff of Erza's shoes was the only kind of warning given next, accompanied by the flash of something resembling a cheetah-

CLANG!

"Urk-!"Erza swords were ripped from her grasp before she could fully understand how such a thing was even possible. Her two swords from her Flight Armor skittering along the pavement with the one from her Heaven's Wheel set, forgotten. Natsumi's knee making swift contact with her gut, causing her to stagger. Followed by a kick aimed at her head which she only just barely blocked.

'I-Impossible! How did she-how did Natsumi-'

Erza wasn't able to finish the thought. An intense growing heat drawing her attention in front of her.

"Fire Dragons-"

"N-no way..."Gray whispered.

"ROAR!"

Erza was unable to suppress the yell of agony that came bursting from her lips, too overcome by the intense heat; it was like she stepped into an oven! The ends of her hair were completely singed. She gasped, coughing every now and then, but refusing to go down.

"Not yet." Erza said quietly, all traces of humor gone from her expression regarding Natsumi with absolute resolve before launching herself once more at the pinkette.

The two clashed, furthering Erza's disbelief as with each swing of her sword, Natsumi seemed to become even faster. The pinkette struggled at first, her eyes darting around to try and locate the accelerated Erza. Erza pressed her advantage for the brief time it lasted, the tip of her blade just barely missing more serious areas of damage before she was halted. Her teeth grit in frustration when Natsumi-brash, reckless, never-one-for-thought-closed her fingers around the sharp steel edges, not caring for the blood that came as a result of it focusing instead on connecting her fist with Erza's cheek landing a good, solid hit.

"Ya know...this is turning out more neck and neck then I would've thought..."Cana admitted form the sidelines, sweat dropping a bit. A small part of her was reconsidering her bet on Erza.

"Natsumi's got a scary look on her face..."Happy muttered, plopping himself back on top of Gray's head.

Gray blinked, being the only one who bothered to pay the small feline's comment any heed. His brow arching in slight confusion glancing back over to his two childhood friends, blinking in surprise when he saw that Happy was right. The usual warm, carefree brown eyes were replaced by those same cold golden ones from before.

'Just like with Lullaby, and back on the stairs too.' The ice-make mage thought, recalling her rather vicious look when he tried to confront her on the stairs seeing her about to leave the guild.

'I'm going to finish this.'Natsumi thought to herself, a dark almost feral grin of glee forming on her face.

'Burn her!' A voice she didn't recognize yelled. She wrote it off as being part of the crowd.

'Kill her!' Another more feminine one shouted alongside the first.

Natsu drew in more air, the temperature rising again. Only this time there was something other than heat starting to surround the unsuspecting redhead. Makarov's brow knitted together, a crease of worry showing. Sensing the substantial increase in power like a wave in the air.

"Fire Dragon's..."

"Nastumi, wait -" The entity inside her began only to be droned out by Natsumi's vicious attack.

"ROAR!"

Everyone watching was awestruck. The resulting blast from Natsumi obliterating a good nearby chunk of the pavement and forestry. Even Makarov who had been able to hide his astonishment with the girls sudden growth until now, was overcome by absolute shock and awe.

"I...had no idea...Natsumi was so powerful..."Lucy said.

They watched the flames slowly dying out. Small little remaining embers evaporating into smoke revealing Erza-badly bruised, barely standing, the ends of her crimson hair singed-wearing the remnants of what appeared to be her Flame Empress armor, having changed just in the nick of time. It was heavily cracked, looking like the slightest amount of pressure would cause it to break apart completely. On top of that Erza's frame was trembling from the strain of holding herself up, looking ready to collapse at any given moment.

"Huff...huff...!N-not yet...!"Erza managed to get out. A fierce gleam shone in her eyes.

Upon seeing the redheads condition, however, Makarov knew the fight was over. "Enough." He called out, moving to stand between the two competitors once more, his gaze meeting that of Natsumi's as he spoke his next words. "The winner is Natsumi Dragneel!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth then a loud thud resonated through the air.

Erza had collapsed. Her armor disappearing, completely drained of energy.

"Reedus," the master called, "please take Erza to the infirmary." The Picto mage nodded, hurrying along to do as instructed. Wasting no time, and cautiously sidestepping around where Natsumi herself was still standing looking relatively unscathed by Erzas attacks, he scooped the redhead into his arms and hurried back towards the guild.

"D-do you think Erza will be okay...?"Lucy asked hesitantly.

When no one answered right away, the blonde grew more nervous.

"She'll be fine."Gray suddenly said. "She's only tired, that's all."

Lucy and the others blinked, the blonde noticing the look of brewing frustration etched into the ice make mage's face. His fists clenching at his sides unable to ignore the small pang of jealousy he was suddenly feeling. He didn't look at anyone though, not wanting his pettiness to show.

The rest of the guild was still busy staring at Natsumi with nothing short of amazement. They had just witness her clobber the strongest female wizard in the guild. And she was still capable of standing to boot! It was incredible!

Slowly becoming irritated with the constant silence, Natsumi finally snapped. "Well? What the hell's with you guys? Aren't you gonna say something!" She hollered.

All at once the guild broke out of their stupor, bursting into a series of cheers and laughter, rushing forward to congratulate the rosette. Happy giving the affirmative 'Aye!' to Natsumi's shouts. Though some were weeping over their lost cash, for the most part everyone's attention was on Natsumi. Only Natsumi's eyes were focused on a certain Ice make mage standing off to the side still, unbeknownst to him and the small group he was conversing with, except maybe a certain matchmaking barmaid. Natsumi found herself blushing, realizing Gray had been watching her fight, he saw her finally win against Erza!

Just when she was about to take a step forward, intent on talking to Gray-

"Attention!"A male voice suddenly yelled. A loud clap resounding through the air.

All the Fairy Tail mages turned looking in the direction of the voice, seeing an amphibian-like creature standing before them. He had spots and long webbed fingers, wearing an ensemble consisting of a wide collared dark jacket, with wide sleeves and edges and cuffs adorned by a series of light stripes over a light shirt held by a multitude of laces ending in a bow knot. He wore a long, skirt-like cloth over his legs.

Behind him was a small group of rune knights. Their weapons at the ready.

"I am here on behalf of the council."The amphibian man added after a lengthy pause.

"Hey, it's a messenger of the council!"Jet shouted.

"What the heck are they doing here?"Droy added, just as surprised.

"Greetings, and to what do we owe the pleasure of the councils presence?" Makarov questions, speaking in a polite yet business-like manner.

"I have come on orders from the council regarding the Eisenwald incident." Makarov nodded, expecting this."They have reached a verdict and do hereby charge a member of your guild, Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet, with eleven counts of property damage."

This declaration earned a shockwave of uproars from the surrounding guild members. Some yelling insults, hurling needless accusations and such, viewing the sentence as being ridiculous and unjust. This caused the small number of rune knights to tense, bracing themselves for a fight when a loud roar from Makarov silenced them.

"SILENCE!"The guild quieted. The look in the elder mans eyes showing he was in no mood for disobedience. Once the crowd fell into silence, Makarov turned his attention back towards the council messenger. "Erza will of course answer the request, however, I must ask that you be patient and wait for a while. You see, she has just been sent to our infirmary due to injuries sustained, and must rest. Given her level of stamina though, I doubt you will be left waiting for long." He explained.

The amphibian man frowned, seeming to contemplate this, no doubt having been told to return as quickly as possible. Still, if the accused was unable to move on their own, there was little that could be done.

"Very well then, but please, do hurry. Her trial is to be held as soon as possible."

"Of course."

With the matter settled for the time being, Makarov escorted the council's messenger and rune knights back towards the guild. Upon seeing this, the rest of the guild slowly began dispersing, most heading back towards the guild hall themselves. The recent chain of events causing quite the stir; the main topic of each conversation being either Erza's arrest, or the outcome of the match.

Gray, who had finished talking with Lucy, turned to follow everyone else back to the guild when Mirajane came back over. She was once again accompanied by Elfman, who now was holding an abnormally large brown bag in his beefy arms.

Elfman let the bag drop. It landed with a heavy thud!

"Here you are Gray."Mirajane said, smiling.

Gray and Lucy shared a look of confusion.

"W-what is this?"Lucy asked, walking over and taking a quick peek inside. She gasped, her eyes growing wider. "Whoa, look at all this cash!" She shouted, opening the bag a little more to reveal the hefty amount of jewel stashed inside.

'I could probably pay a years worth of rent with this!'Lucy thought.

"It's the betting money."Mira clarified at their confused faces. "Since you were the only one who wound up betting on Natsumi, all of the money goes to you."

To say Gray was baffled was an understatement, baffled and a little guilty. "But I didn't-"

"You bet on Natsumi!?"Lucy said, taken aback,"but... earlier you seemed so sure Erza would win...?"

"That's cuz I bet on Erza, not Natsumi." Gray muttered, suddenly feeling ashamed somehow.

"Oh? That's odd, considering the bag of jewels had your name on it and everything." Mira commented, a frown marring her beautiful face, holding her chin in thought. Her eyes suddenly lit up, a knowing gleam in them. "You know, now that I think about it, Natsumi herself might've placed the bag there to begin with."

"Really, Natsumi did? Doesn't seem like something she'd do..."Elfman commented from the side.

Grays own eyes went wider at this new bit of information. 'Natsumi did this? Why?'

"How sweet! Maybe she was trying to get your attention somehow." Mirajane was practically oozing hearts at the million different romantic thoughts running through her head. Meanwhile Gray was eyeing the large bag of money, the faintest hints of a blush on his face at the implications Mira was suggesting, eager to deny any sort of possible relationship between him and Natsumi. Though a small part of him couldn't deny it was a nice gesture on her part.

"Lucy...why don't you take it?" Gray finally said. The other three mages giving him an incredulous look. "I-I don't really need the cash to be honest, besides your rent's gonna be due soon, right?"

"W-well, yeah but-"

"It's fine. I'll just... tell Natsumi, and thank her for the trouble."Gray grumbled, already turning to take his leave. He wanted out of there for the time being, seeing the mischievous glint in Mira's eyes made him wary. Not bothering to hear anymore he decided maybe it would be best to head home for the day. All the while distracted by the actions of a certain rosette.

~oOo~

After the match, rather than returning to the guild, Natsumi had taken off in search of somewhere she could be alone. She wanted to at least say something to Gray, but at the appearance of the council, she ultimately decided it wasn't the best time. The entity's voice within her urging her to go somewhere more isolated overriding all other thoughts.

She finally stopped walking, standing about an hour outside of the city's borders. Nothing but trees and lush fields of grass in the distance.

'So what exactly are we doing all the way out here?'She asked the entity.

"There are a few things we need to go over."The entity said after a moment's pause. "Since it seems your powers are starting to return somewhat, no doubt a chain reaction from me sorting through the more powerful memories you possess, buried deep in your sub-conscious."

'A result of... my memories?'Natsumi said, holding her chin in thought. She was back in the pure white space from before. 'Oh! You mean like what happened with Erza during the fight, right? Yeah, I was actually real surprised by that. It was like... she wasn't even moving all that much.' Natsumi puzzled over how sluggish and slow The great Titania looked during towards the end of their fight, almost like she was moving in super slow motion.

'I mean I'm glad I won, but still... it was weird.'Natsumi added.

"As I stated before, you were once the strongest and most feared of all the dark wizard Zeref's creations. Your fighting prowess as well as enhanced senses could easily surpass that of a mere human. Even if it's not entirely back to what it was, bit by bit your strength and senses will eventually be returned to what they once were. That is why you were able to overpower her so easily towards the end. Understand?"

Natsumi nodded.

"Say, uh...what kind of magic did I have, you know, back then?"Natsumi asked, curious.

"You didn't have Dragon Slaying magic back then, if that's what you mean." The voice responded. "You did, however, still have powerful fire magic. You also had the power of several Curses-"

'Curses?'

"Yes. The beings known as Etheria, that is the name given to Zerefs most powerful demons, were often given the ability to wield the power of what is known as Curses, in addition to magic. Curses are fundamentally different than the magic used by humans and such. Rather than relying on the positive flow of emotions connecting to nature, such as joy, forgiveness, sincerity, etc. Curses rely on the negative aspect of things, for instance; Anger, hate, jealousy. And unlike magic, they cannot be nullified by any spell or charm."

'They sound powerful...'Natsumi commented.

"That is because they are. In addition to this power and your Fire magic, you also gained a bit of control over certain levels of Death magic, courtesy of your brother." The entity added.

'Wait, hold up! I...had a brother...?'The uncharacteristic softening of her voice was enough to halt any further explanations for the time being. The entity simply stared at her, expression neutral. Her reaction was to be expected after all, she had spent her whole life believing she was alone aside from her time with Igneel. The thought that she might actually now have a family, it was...indescribable.

'I-is he... still alive?'It was so far fetched to think that he might be, but then again maybe not if she herself was still alive, right? Maybe... it could be something that runs in the family, as strange as it may sound. 'Is he safe!?' She found herself asking, giving the entity little time to answer the first question.

"Alive, yes. Safe? That, I do not know."

All at once the small budding of hope she felt was squashed. A fresh bitter swell of heartache replacing it.

'Could you tell me a little more about him?'Natsumi asked.

"He was best friends with Asher."The entity said, making Natsumi's eyes widen in surprise. "And he cared about you very, very much." The entity added, sounding unusually sincere.

'My brother.'Natsumi thought. Her hand clenching the part of her vest where her heart was.

~oOo~

"So it was all just a sham?"Gray asked in disbelief as he, Lucy, and Happy all sat staring at Erza. Standing off to the side was Mirajane, who was placing a fresh slice of strawberry cake on the table for Erza. The rest of the guild was caught up in its usual antics.

"So it was all just for show, huh..."Lucy mumbled, flopping her head down onto the table. "To think I was all worked up over nothing." The blonde added, slightly depressed.

Meanwhile Erza looked to be in an unusually irritated mood, nodding. Gray frowned a bit at this, watching her shovel in the cake after returning from her one night in prison. What he didn't know about was Erza's encounter with her old acquaintance, Siegrain, the same guy who had so openly belittled her friends. This time, however, he decided to bring up her own traumatic past.

Needless to say, seeing him again was an ordeal in itself for her. She was now back with friends at the very least, and Mirajanes special strawberry cake was doing wonders to calm her frayed nerves. She wasn't even trying to stop the ongoing brawl between members after finishing her explanation of what happened to the rest of her team.

"Yes. It was all merely a ruse, a means of showing they still are capable of maintaining order with the wizards. That they would not tolerate anyone who breaks the law." She clarified, shoveling another forkful of cake into her mouth.

"Well, at least it was just the one night in prison right? Better that than a life sentence." Gray said unconsciously losing his shirt. He offered a reassuring smile, cooling the redheads drink for her.

Erza smiled back, already in a better mood than when she first returned this morning.

"Yes, I apologize for worrying you all." Erza said sincerely, reaching for her cooled down beverage only to flinch in pain suddenly. She wasn't in her normal heart kreuz armor, instead dressed in her normal white blouse and blue skirt. Fresh bandages were visible going along her arms and legs, and even though he couldn't see it, Gray was certain there were some covering her torso as well; all of it part of the aftermath from her spar with Natsumi.

"Does it still hurt?"Gray asked, sounding a little worried.

Erza immediately shook her head. "Only a little." She forced the words out, waiting for the pain to subside some before continuing. "Had I not re-quipped into the Flame Empress armor, I'd imagine things could have ended much worse."

"I'm still a little surprised you actually lost like that." Lucy commented, remembering how the redhead seemed barely even conscious at the end.

"Speaking of Natsumi, I wonder where she is?"Gray asked aloud, his eyes doing a quick sweep over the guild hall looking for a familiar head of pink hair.

"Come to think of it, after you were given the prize money Gray, Natsumi seemed to just vanish." Lucy said, drawing the attention of several other guild members with her statement.

"Whoa Gray, you actually bet on Natsumi!?" Wakaba yelled out.

"No way! How did you know she'd win?"Macao added.

Gray fought down the scowl threatening to crawl onto his face, avoiding everyone's stare suddenly looking like he wanted to disappear. He shot a small glare towards Lucy who had the decency to blush.

"I must admit, I too am rather surprised." Erza said from where she sat, looking at Gray with intense eyes. "If I recall, in every fight up until this one you have bet on me."

"I didn't bet on her alright!"Gray hollered, annoyed.

"It's true."Lucy piped up, trying to help her friend. "Mirajane even said Natsumi was the one who gave her the money, she just placed it under Gray's name."

"Lucy!"Gray snapped.

"S-sorry!"The blonde yelped.

"Now that I think about it, Natsumi has been acting rather odd around you Gray."Erza said thoughtfully. Recalling how even back in Clover Town, the rosette seemed especially protective of the Ice mage. "I wonder why that is?"

"C-couldn't it just be because we're teammates?"Lucy offered.

"I'd like to think so." Erza admitted."Still, she did seem to be acting strange once she got that blade of hers..."

"That's what I've been meaning to ask you three about." Makarov said. The short little guild master approaching the table, a stern look on his face.

"Is something wrong, Master?"Lucy asked.

"I just wanted to talk to Natsumi alone after everything that has happened. I'm a bit concerned since the council even sent a representative out to look into it personally." Makarov explained.

"You mean that Siegrain guy?"Gray asked, a small leak of irritation spilling into his voice at the memory.

"It's true, dark magic was involved in the incident, and I've no doubt they intend to keep it under wraps for the most part. Even so," his face turned grim "that man seemed to take a deep interest in Natsumi, as well as that sword she acquired." Makorov finished. "You as well, Gray." Makorov added, looking directly at the ice mage.

"Me?"Gray inquired.

"You were able to read those weird letters and stuff. Maybe that's why?" Lucy theorized.

"Come to think of it, Natusmi never showed any interest in wielding a sword before. I didn't even think she would know how." Mirajane added with a thoughtful look. The group shared a shudder at the memory of the strange blade, each recalling the ominous, deadly aura it gave off.

"Still, I don't think she came back to the guild following the fight with Erza." Lucy said.

"Aye! And she didn't come home at all yesterday either." Happy chimed in, all the while munching away happily on a fish.

Before more could be said on the matter, the guild doors swung open. Everyone in the guild hall stopping to look up now, seeing it was Natsumi. She appeared to have been put through the wringer, her hair was a bit messier than usual, and her clothes were tattered, torn and even burned in various places. There was dirt on her face. Still, she smiled, with the Apocalypse strapped on her back, giving a boisterous yell.

"Yo!"Natusmi greeted, as usual. Her tone was light and happy. Her eyes doing a quick sweep of the room, spotting her teammates and making her way towards them at a leisurely pace.

"N-Natsumi! What the heck happened to you!?"Lucy yelled, rising from her seat in alarm at the pinkettes appearance.

"Training." Natsumi said simply, taking a seat on the other side of Gray. "Good morning Gray." She then turned to Lucy and Erza. "Erza. Lucy."

"Uh...M-morning."Gray muttered.

Natsumi looked to the side, where Makarov and Mirajane were both standing, offering them the same smile. "Hey Mira, can I please have something to eat? I'm starving!"

"Sure Natsumi. I'll make your usual." Mirajane said, her tone cheerful. With that, she walked back towards the bar to prepare the dish, leaving Team Natsumi with Makarov.

Natsumi then turned to look over her team, oblivious to their odd starring. She spotted the bandages on Erza's arm. "Hey Erza, you seem to be doing well." She said.

Erza blinked, snapping out of her momentary stupor, offering a small smile. "Yes. Fortunately the burns weren't anything too terribly serious, though I must admit those were some ferocious flames you produced." She commented.

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I guess I did get a little carried away, huh?"Natsumi said, scratching her head looking rather sheepish all of a sudden.

The others blinked, shocked to hear the one and only Natsumi Dragneel apologize.

"I understand you gave the prize money to Gray afterward?" Erza added getting over her surprise.

At this Natsumi blushed just a little bit. "Well, I-I didn't really need the money..."She mumbled sneaking a glance towards the ice mage in question.

"Neither did I. I ended up giving it to Lucy actually." Gray said, avoiding the others stare.

"O-oh..."Natsumi mumbled.

Erza and Lucy frowned a bit, sharing a knowing look with Makarov. There was definitely something going on with Natsumi. They were sure of it. Finally snapping out of his own shock, Makarov decided now was as good a time as any to try and talk to the pinkette.

"Natsumi," he waited until he had her attention, "there was actually something I wanted to discuss with you. Regarding the incident at Clover Town-"

His sentence was cut off feeling an invisible pressure wash over him, making his eyelids grow heavier. Several yawns were heard throughout the guild as one by one, the mages started falling to the floor. A familiar pulse of magic saturated the air; Sleeping Magic. The ones sitting either toppled off their chairs, slouched in their seats, or their heads smacked down onto the table. Everyone was succumbing to the Sleep magic, even strong ones like Erza were no match for it.

"He's back..."Makarov managed to mumble, yawning himself. Turning he was just able to catch Mirajane who was returning with a plate of food meant for Natsumi, gently setting her down on the floor.

Turning Makarov expected to see everyone knocked out somewhere, but was surprised to see Natsumi still wide awake. The Dragon Slayer not looking the least bit affected at all! Instead she was preoccupied, having caught Gray when he began to fall off his seat, gently placing his head down onto the table while he snored quietly using her treasured muffler as a makeshift pillow for him. She ignored Lucy who fell flat, face-first on the floor and Erza whose face was smooshed down into her cake. The guild master noticed Natsumi's eyes linger a few seconds longer on the sleeping Ice mage, her fingers absently seeming to brush the hair out of his eyes making his gaze on them soften. 'Ah, young love...' he thought recognizing the look of longing in Natsumi's eyes all too well.

The guild doors opened. In walked a man wearing a dark blue cloak around him, his arms and legs covered mostly by bandages. He wore a dark blue bandana with a silver forehead protector, a green mask obscuring the bottom half of his face keeping his identity hidden for the most part. A dark green strap went across his body, holding his magic staves to his back for him.

He paid no attention to the sleeping mages around him, offering no words of apology. He was, however, careful not to step on anyone while making his way towards the master.

"Mystogan." Makarov greeted, watching the man turn making a beeline for the request board and ripping one off.

"I'm off then." Was all Mystogan said, showing the request to the master. He turned about to disappear when, much to his surprise, he spotted someone else still awake. He recognized the person as Natsumi Dragneel, with a sleeping Gray Fullbuster beside her.

Said girl was eating, not seeming to mind all the sleeping people around her, being careful so as not to get any food on Gray or carelessly bump into him. She paused, feeling eyes on her and turned.

"Hey Mystogan! Nice to finally meetcha!" She yelled. Her signature toothy grin showing.

'She was able to resist my Sleeping Magic. In fact, she doesn't look the least bit affected.' Mystogan thought, surprised by this development. "You as well Natsumi." Mystogan said, his voice betraying nothing. "I heard about your victory against Erza, congratulations. " He added politely.

"Thanks! Good luck on your job." Natsumi said returning to her meal.

Mystogan gave a courteous nod. With pleasantries exchanged he headed for the door once more, Makarov shouting out behind him. "Wait, aren't you going to undo the sleeping magic?"

"Five."Mystogan began counting down.

"Four."

With each step, he said a number.

"Three."

"Two."

He started to disappear once he reached the door, vanishing into the light from outside.

"One."

All at once, everyone shot awake.

"This feeling...was Mystogan here?" Jet said.

"That bastard! I hate it when he does that!" Droy yelled.

"He always uses such super powerful magic." Another guild member named Laki added.

"Mystogan...?"Lucy mumbled, still half-asleep from the effects of the sleeping magic.

"One of the strongest men in Fairy Tail." Elfman supplied.

From his spot at the table where he fell asleep, Gray was surprised to feel something soft underneath him. Blinking tiredly, his eyes focused on the object in question, surprised to see it was...a scarf? Odd.

'Wait a second, this is...Natsumi's scarf.' Gray thought, confused. He sat up, gently picking up the soft muffler and staring at it. "But why-?"

"Are you alright, Gray?"

Gray blinked, looking to the side and seeing Natsumi. Her dark eyes held a hint of concern.

"Y-yeah...thanks, I guess." He mumbled, a bit embarrassed. Natsumi nodded, taking back her scarf when Gray offered it to her, returning to her plate of food. Just then Gray picked up on the conversation between Elfman and Lucy. "He does this because he doesn't want anyone to see his face." Gray added. " Whenever he comes to take a job he always puts everyone to sleep beforehand.

"What's with that? It sounds way too suspicious!" Lucy said.

"No one other than the master knows what he even looks like." Gray finished.

"No. I know what he looks like." A deep baritone voice said aloud.

"Laxus!"Elfman exclaimed.

"You were here too?"Wakaba said.

"That's rare!"Macao added.

Everyone, minus Natsumi who was still eating, turned to look up towards the second floor. There they saw a familiar tall, muscular guy leaning against the railing. An arrogant smirk plastered on his face. His blonde hair was slicked back, the numerous spiky strands pointing backwards, some falling down in a small tuft on his forehead. On his face was a distinct lightning-shaped scar, and blue-grey eyes. He wore a pair of 'Magic Headphones', on his ears known as a Soundpod. His ensemble consisted of a leopard-print green shirt and dark red pants, with his signature fur coat hanging around his shoulders.

"Another contender for the strongest."Gray whispered to Lucy, seeing her lost look.

"Mystogan's a pretty shy guy. So keep your noses out of it!"Laxus roared with laughter. There were a few noises of indignant outrage at the comment, followed by a few measly threats Laxus had no problem brushing aside. "Besides, weaklings don't have the right to know such things." He added, purposely taunting them now. Even Erza looked a little peeved off at the snide remark.

As some of the more hotheaded ones began shouting more threats, looking like they might actually try and attack him Laxus' smirk dissolved into a frown. His eyes fell on a certain pinkette, still sitting at her table, ignoring the rising banter going on around her.

"Thought I gotta say, I'm surprised you of all people managed to stay awake through Mystogan's spell."Laxus finally said, the smirk returning. "Natsumi."

Those words made everyone pause, turning their attention from Laxus towards Natsumi.

"What? No way, Natsumi didn't fall asleep?" Macao said, astonished.

"I can't...believe it." Cana muttered.

"You really managed to stay awake?"Gray asked in a hushed tone. Natsumi looked at Gray, managing a smile through a mouthful of food, nodding happily.

"It's true."Makarov stated, sitting on top of the bar now. "The brat stayed wide awake the entire time, even said hi to Mystogan." Makarov chuckled a little at the end. Many people were shocked, some even jealous of Natsumi's sudden growth.

"It's an impressive feat, for someone like Natsumi I suppose." Laxus said again, his condescending tone making tempers flare. "Still if anything, that only means you're a cut above the rest of the trash pinkie. Nothing more than that!"

No one said anything. All of them stood waiting for the hotheaded rebuttal they were sure would come, only it never did. Laxus' boisterous laughter slowly died down. Then came the look of irritation, glaring daggers at the back of Natsumi's head, seeing the girl hadn't even bothered to stop eating.

"Yummy~! Gray, you gotta try some of this." Natsumi finally said, breaking the tense silence. Gray looked a bit flustered at being put on the spot, glancing down at the offered forkful of food. "Mira really does make some of the best food, ya know? Come on, just a little bite!"

"Uh, N-Natsumi..."Gray began, trying desperately to hide the barest traces of a blush on his face.

Somewhere in the sea of Guild members he swore he heard someone whistle-shit, it was probably Cana or something. Great, now she's gonna have all sorts of ideas- followed by various snickers of amusement before momentarily swallowing his pride and biting down on the offered fork. There were a few whistles rippling through the crowd accompanied by hushed whispers, all of which he mentally cursed them all out.

From her spot near the bar, Mira was practically overflowing with hearts popping out around her.

Up on the balcony of the second floor, Laxus, still pissed off over being ignored scowled in fury. Disappearing in a sudden flash of lightning and reappearing directly behind Natsumi, causing Gray to suddenly pale upon seeing the murderous look brewing in the lightning mage's eyes. "I'm talking to you, you stupid little piece of shit!" Laxus roared. Still, Natsumi didn't acknowledge him, not even a glance.

All the pinkette seemed focused on...was Gray.

"It's good, right?"Natsumi said, still talking about the food. Gray was looking at her like she was crazy.

"Quit acting so tough, the fact you were able to beat Erza doesn't mean a damn thing to me! I'm Still the strongest mage here, better than her, and certainly better than you!"

"Laxus, that's enough!"Makarov ordered.

Laxus ignored him. His rage clouding his judgment, looking ready to murder the pink-haired girl when he spotted the sword still strapped to her back, scoffing. "Heh, what's an idiot like you doing with a sword? I bet you don't even have a clue on how to use it!" Laxus laughed, reaching for the sword handle.

Just when it seemed his fingers were about to brush against the blade...the air around Natsumi shifted; her hand snapped, grabbing his in a hard hold. Gray could hear the cracking of bones. Her onyx eyes bleeding into a demonic looking gold, becoming colder, more unforgiving. Her voice sent a heavy chill resonating throughout the room, making everyone's eyes go wide.

"Do. Not. Touch. This. Sword."

"N-Na..."Lucy swallowed, suddenly feeling a tad fearful for her own life.

"N-Natsumi...?A-Are you okay?"Happy whimpered, clinging to Gray. The poor little feline looking close to tears at the sudden change in his best friends demeanor. Natsumi wasn't even looking at Laxus, still facing the opposite direction, with her pink hair covering her eyes.

"Huh?" Laxus said rudely, pushing aside the small budding of fear in his gut. The arrogant sneer returning. "Or what? You gonna cry? Throw a fit or something, trash?"

Natsumi didn't answer this time. Even so, Gray and the others could tell nothing good was going to come of things if Laxus kept pushing it.

"Laxus, just leave it alone..."Gray said, pleading a little on his rivals behalf. He had a bad feeling all of a sudden, similar to when they had their encounter with Lullaby. Laxus maybe a jerk, but he was still nakama.

Apparently that was a mistake on Gray's part.

"I'm sick of weaklings telling me what to do!"Laxus roared, even with one hand trapped. The sudden rise of magical energy was unmistakable, aimed directly at Gray.

"LAXUS!" Makarov yelled in outrage.

Everything happened so quickly after that. On minute Laxus was behind Natsumi, preparing to attack Gray, and the next...A loud crash. A huge chunk of the guild hall wall had been blown clean off, with the floorboards around the point of impact being uprooted and flung carelessly along the floor; the outcome looked like a mini tornado had just rolled through. And at the end of the destruction, laying sprawled on his back, gasping, was Laxus.

The S-class mage had been blown clear across from one end of the room to the other by an unknown and unseeable force, demolishing everything that stood in it's way.

"W-what in the..."Erza whispered, horrified.

"H-how did...Laxus...get all the way...over there?"Laki asked meekly.

Everyone turned, the tension in the air becoming so thick you could cut it with a knife. They saw Natsumi, now standing in front of Gray, her sword was still in it's scabbard. The chains still wound tightly around it showing it had not been drawn, and there was no evidence of magic coming from the girl. Still, somehow everyone just knew she did something.

"Y-You lousy little...!"Laxus started to rise, spewing the words out with vehemence. Just as he tried to stand back up, however, his legs buckled. He coughed, suddenly hacking up a stream of blood. Slowly he pulled his hand back from where he was gripping his chest, staring wide-eyed at it when he saw the same crimson substance he just coughed up.

"Whoa, Natsumi..."Cana started to say.

"...wounded Laxus!"Mirajane finished.

By that point everyone was looking at the pink-haired girl with something akin to awe, and maybe a little bit of fear for some of the weaker members.

Natsumi didn't say a word. A few seconds ticked by when she suddenly turned, very calmly walking towards the door, intent on leaving for the time being.

"N-Natsumi...?"Gray stammered as she started walking away.

"AND JUST WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, YOU TRASH!?"Laxus yelled, ignoring the throbbing pain in his torso and pushing himself off the ground, morphing into a streak of lightning aimed directly at Natsumi's back. He shot forward, intending to strike her down earning several gasps from the surrounding members.

"ENOUGH!" Makarov shouted. His enlarged hand slamming down on the ground, blocking Laxus' attack. Laxus smacked into the hand, trying to force his way through, but ultimately failed. He winced feeling the wound on his torso throb. By then Natsumi was already out the door and gone, leaving Laxus to throw an accusatory glare at the one responsible for stopping him: His own grandfather.

"What the hell old man!?You think I'm just going to let her get away with this?" He snarled, lightning crackling around him.

"It's your own fault for provoking her, Laxus, you let your arrogance and pride cloud your judgment." Makarov said sternly.

"You're taking her side!"

"I am not taking anyone's side, Laxus!" Makorov shot back. "I simply have no desire to watch guild members slaughter one another!"

Silence fell between them.

"You are supposed to be Nakama, I suggest you start acting like it."Makorov said. "Now, you are wounded. Go to the infirmary and get yourself checked out." His grandfather's tone softened a bit, but Laxus refused to listen.

"Just keep the trash out of my way!" Laxus snapped, disappearing in another flash of lightning.

After a few more awkward seconds of silence, people started returning to normal, some helping patch up the broken section of the wall. No brawls broke out this time, however, with people still a little in shock over what just happened. Makarov himself was left standing, a grim look on his face, staring at the door through which Natsumi left processing everything he had just witnessed.

"Master?"

Turning around Makarov was greeted by the sight of Team Natsumi, minus Natsumi of course, all standing before him with equal looks of worry showing in their eyes.

"Do you want us to bring back Natsumi?" Erza asked tentatively. Her reasons not stemming from the fact she had just witnessed said pinkette hurt a fellow guild member-she couldn't really point fingers in that regard-or even from a fondness of Laxus at the moment. Erza was simply worried for the younger female whom she had known since childhood.

Makarov shook his head and sighed. "No. I think it's best if we give her some time alone." He said, gratefully accepting a drink from Mirajane. "I will, however, make a point of speaking with her at a later date, for now perhaps some time to cool down is best."

"...If you say so, master." Erza said in response.

~oOo~

"Huff...huff...huff! What...what was that...?"Natsumi rasped, looking down at her shaking hands with wide eyes. The pinkette had fled to the outskirts of town as fast as her legs could carry her, beads of sweat pouring down her face like quicksilver.

"Those were memories." The entity inside her stated. It had been silent throughout the while exchange between her and Laxus.

'Memories? You mean, like...of how my life was back before...?' She felt like she couldn't breathe, like someone had just come and choked the life out of her.

'Was my past life so awful that I can't even withstand the memory of it?' She whispered aloud. The notion seeming to shake her more than she could have imagined. She had seen how destructive and cruel Lullaby was. The thought of her potentially acting just as horrible-no, worse. It made her head swirl and bile start to come up in her throat.

"It would have been worse if he had actually managed to touch the handle." The entity said, not that it really gave her any sense of real comfort.

'Did I...' Natsumi swallowed, focusing on keeping the tremor out of her voice for now. 'Did I ever...kill anyone?'

When the entity doesn't answer, Natsumi thinks she may have just reached her limit. She wasn't-couldn't have been a murderer of all things...could she?

"Things were complicated back then."

The voice fell quiet after that, leaving Natsumi alone and with her thoughts in turmoil. Even though it was still just the early afternoon, the events at the guild left her feeling so very tired all of a sudden. She welcomed the sweet embrace of nothingness sleep provided for her, feeling herself start to drift away into a different time.

A time when eyes that shone so impossibly blue, she had spent a good couple of months believing they held their own sky in them, were looking back at her. And a smile as warm as the sun was all that she knew.

"Asher..."

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