Chapter 38: Stand Against The Incoming Darkness 1/2

Chapter 38. Take a read and enjoy. I'm sure many of you have been waiting for the stuff in this for a while now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or Bleach. Shame, it would be great if I did.

Protector Of The Fairies

Stand Against The Incoming Darkness

"Hurry up Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

Natsu and Happy flew upwards, followed closely behind by Ichiya and Carla. It had been hard to make the cat agree to part from Wendy but they had done it. And as much as they trusted Natsu to fight, Brain was simply too strong. They couldn't send Natsu alone to fight someone of Brain's level.

Jura had wanted to go with him originally, but Ichiya had managed to persuade him in the end. He claimed that he would be a greater help as his Magic had some excellent support capabilities, abilities that would be sure to help tip the scales in their favour.

Carla flapped her wings faster, forcing her and Ichiya to rapidly try and close the distance between them and Natsu. Unfortunately Natsu was leaving them behind, Happy using a lot more of its Magic than Carla was willing to expend. They could catch up certainly but the problem came for getting them out of there if necessary.

"Natsu!"

Natsu didn't hear him, the two Fairy Tail members shooting off towards one of the other Gates the moment they left the top Gate. Carla sighed as she watched them fly off. "Idiots."

"Men… He's doing the same as before."

"Honestly, can't he wait? He's going to get himself killed at this rate."

Ichiya shook his head. "I can't blame him. Natsu is far more impulsive than most of us. I guess he gave into those urges. And if that young Shinigami is in trouble, then we have to help him. To Natsu, getting there sooner means saving the boy earlier."

"If you said so."

"I do, men. Now, if you wouldn't mind fair cat, please speed up."

Carla grumbled under her breath. "I won't be outdone by that He-Cat."

A sudden flap of her wings sent them rushing forward, speeding through the air. Ichiya could see the strain Carla was showing from the corner of his eye but he didn't say anything. She was a proud cat. Asking if she was alright right now would simply be insulting.

They slowly closed the gap, Happy glancing at them in confusion that they had managed to keep up, or that they had even tried. Most people never cared too much when Natsu ran ahead because he normally could handle anything he went after.

Natsu though just nodded at them. "Come on, we need to go faster."

"Do you even know where you are going?"

"Of course I do," snarled Natsu. "I wouldn't get Happy to go so fast if I didn't."

"Calm down," muttered Ichiya in annoyance. "Save your anger for the enemy."

For a few moments, Ichiya believed Natsu wasn't listening. Or maybe he was and was just ignoring him. Those doubts were laid to rest as Natsu finally opened his mouth to reply.

"Sorry." Natsu actually looked regretful at his attitude. "I… I can't help it. Fire's a very emotional Magic sometimes, and when your dad's a Dragon… I got a lot of his instincts when he trained me, and I guess I got his impatience too. Dragons don't exactly hang back and take things slowly when they could crush everything they came across."

"You're not a Dragon. You should remember that."

"I know. But I was still raised by one." Natsu sniffed the air quickly, turning his head to look at Happy. "Alter our path buddy. A bit to the left."

"Aye."

"So that's how you're tracking them."

"Never doubt a Dragon's noise."

"But-"

"It's part of the Magic alright."

Ichiya shrugged, or at least what was the best he could do as a shrug while Carla held him. "Sounds terrible when faced with something horrid."

Natsu shivered. "You have no idea."

The four crossed the last part of the barrier and found themselves over the forests that weren't captured in it. Even from this height, they could see something had happened. The ground was uneven in areas, and some trees had been ripped from the ground.

"Are we close?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. Happy, straight onwards."

They followed the path from above, soaring above the trees while they searched for their targets. A blast of energy shot upwards and the cats rolled to the side, pulling their passengers out of the way. Before Natsu could do anything, Carla released Ichiya, the man landing on one of the trees' branches and heading to the ground.

"ICHIYA!"

"Leave him," said Carla. "I'll make sure to bring him forward once he's done here. Let him handle the other Mages out here. He's not an S Class Mage for nothing."

Natsu glanced at the direction where Ichiya had gone, wanting to protest before ultimately giving up. "Let's go Happy."

"Aye..."

The two flew off, leaving Ichiya to deal with the Mages below. Ichiya frowned as he spotted the numbers there. That was a lot of Mages. That solved the mystery of where the missing guilds were. Now he had to deal with them all himself.

There were far too many. He wasn't the best combat Mage out there normally. His greatest strength had always been in support. He talked big sometimes but Natsu was physically stronger than he was.

And that was why Natsu had to go ahead. If either had a chance to win alone, Natsu had the greater chance. So he would have to trust Natsu could survive alone for now. He would focus on making sure none of the other Mages could interfere.

He reached for a test tube at his belt, bringing it to his nose and uncorking it. A faint aroma drifted from it and he slowly let it drift out around the area. If he was to win this, he would have to take it slowly.

No one said he had to fight fair after all.

Protector Of The Fairies

Jellal flew through the air, unaware of his tracker. He could practically sense her. This Erza person. The name sounded in his head so much. Who was Erza? Why was she so important? Why was her name all that he remembered? He had forgotten even himself, and yet he knew her name still?

He had to find her. She was the key to his past, he was sure of it. Jura made it sound like he did some bad things, but he still had to know more about who he was. Without knowing who he was, he was no one. Even if he had done bad stuff, he still wanted to know what he had done. Was destroying the Magic Council his only sin? Or were there more?

There wasn't far to go. He could feel her Magic. It was so close now. He put on a final burst of speed and landed close to her, the woman he could see turning abruptly to face him. She was missing an arm, something that seemed wrong to him, and there were piles of bodies lying at her feet. She must have been in a big fight, but she looked no worse for wear. His eyes observed every detail. How she spotted him, how she shrugged off her fatigue with such simple movements at his appearance, even how she raised her sword at him, even though he was certain she couldn't make him out in the darkness.

And it all seemed beautiful to him. But nothing stuck out more to him than her hair. It was lovely. A wonderful shade of... red? Crimson? No, it was more of a scarlet colour.

Scarlet. That word stuck in his mind, resonating with some memory he couldn't completely remember. No wait. He could remember it. A few words. A time when he was young. A dark cell with him and some others, with a small red haired girl.

"Who's there?" Called Erza. "Show yourself."

"Scarlet…" Jellal looked at her, not noticing the shock crossing her face as he slowly stepped into the light. "Erza Scarlet. It's the colour of your hair. No wonder I didn't forget it. Just like I promised."

He didn't know what he had expected to happen. One moment he had been standing there, and the next he had been pinned to the ground, a blade over his heart.

"Erza?"

"Shut up," she shouted. Was that a tear in her eye? A second later it was gone, as quickly as it had appeared. She pressed the blade further against him, drawing blood. "How can you be here? How can you be alive?"

"I don't know." There was nothing he could truly say to answer her. He must have wronged her in some terrible way to make her act like this towards him. And here he had felt such warmth from her name. Why was it all so confusing?

The sword vanished before she threw a fist at him, punching him in the face. She did it again and again, her anger not diminishing. "After everything you've done, why do you dare show your face to me again? Why? Why? WHY?"

"I'm sorry," Jellal whispered. "I don't know what I did to you, but I am truly sorry."

"You… YOU DARE!"

Erza grabbed him by his clothes, pulling him back up and slamming him against a tree. Even with one arm, she was still extremely strong.

"How dare you… To say that you don't remember what you did… Do you have no shame?"

Erza couldn't believe the man she was holding. She wanted to pass this off as Jellal trying to fool her. But something was off. Even back then, she had felt a sense of unease. But it wasn't there this time. She could feel he was genially confused, and that made her angry more than anything.

"I'm sorry. They didn't tell me who I was, only that I did some bad things to people. Will you tell me? I want to know who I am. Please. I'm begging you. Who am I?"

"They? Who else knows of you?"

Jellal tilted his head slightly. "Jura. There was that Ichiya person too, and someone called Hibiki. I also met and helped transport this Mage called Ichigo after rescuing Wendy."

"Rescue?"

Jellal nodded, taking her questioning gaze as a good sign. "She revived me. I couldn't leave her there when I saw she was in danger from them."

"I see." Erza's grip tightened. "So they knew did they? They lied. They told me it was Toushirou."

"Um… Could you let me go now please?"

Erza's took her full attention back to him, a furious glare on her face. "You want to know who you are? I once called you a friend."

Jellal smiled at that. "I see. So I was your friend." His smile dropped as he realised exactly what she had said. "Wait… Once?"

"You went mad," Erza snarled, her voice increasing with each word. "You desecrated the dead. You hurt those you called friends, manipulating them as nothing more than tools which you later discarded. You destroyed the Magic Council. You condemned hundred of innocent lives to death, all in the name of resurrecting a dead God. You killed Simon!"

Jellal could feel a prickling sensation in his eyes, even as Erza's tone became deafening. He had understood he had done some bad things, but hearing how terrible it had truly been from the only person his mind had managed to remember hurt more than he could express, especially with the death of this Simon person. And Erza wasn't done yet.

"If you are saying you've forgotten everything you did," she snarled, her grip releasing only to requip a sword and aim it at him, "Then I'll stab a blade straight through your heart and force you to remember!"

"I… I…"

Erza lowered her sword, walking away in disgust. "I can't stand to look at you. Get out of my sight."

Jellal collapsed to his knees, the tears falling freely from his eyes now. "What have I done? What kind of person was I, to do such things to people?"

"Did you not hear me? I told you to leave."

"Please… Tell me I can't be such a person."

Erza spun round, fury on her face. "That would be a lie. You were once good, but you became so twisted and rotten and should have remained dead. The world would have been a better place without Jellal in it."

"Jellal…" Jellal almost spat the name out as he said it.

"Yes. Your name. It seems the others told you at least that. Now get out of my sight Jellal."

"No."

Erza glared at him, her sword raised. "What was that?"

"I said no. Jellal? No. No, no, NO! I refuse."

"I'm sorry? What exactly are you refusing?"

"JELLAL!" Jellal forced himself to his feet, pushing himself slightly away from Erza. "If Jellal had been such a person, then I refuse to be him. Do you hear me? I REFUSE TO BE JELLAL!"

"YOU-" Erza cut herself off, lowering her sword in disgust. "You would run away from the truth Jellal? You would pretend your sins are worthless?"

Jellal's eyes locked were her own. "If it means denying this world a Jellal and to make it a safer place, then I'll abandon everything that makes me who I was. Don't call me Jellal, because I refuse to be him. I don't remember those sins. I don't remember anyone and only barely remembered your name."

A small smile started forming on Jellal's face as he spoke. "I can be someone else. I can be whoever I want. My memories don't ever need to return. I'll seal them all away. I'll start from here. Jellal can stay dead, and I'll live on. I can do whatever he couldn't. I can treasure my friends. I can protect those precious to me. I can do anything, be anyone. Just not him. Never him."

Erza turned away from him, walking away. "Then get out of my sight. I refuse to talk to such a coward like you."

Protector Of The Fairies

"Are we almost there Natsu?"

"Not long now Happy." Natsu sniffed the air, looking towards the distance and nodded. "We're very close now. Just a bit further."

"Aye…" Happy paused, his voice not being able to hide some of the fear in his voice. "Will Ichiya… Will that old guy be alright?"

Natsu turned his head, giving Happy a beaming smile. "Of course he'll be fine Happy. He may not look it but remember that Erza was scared of him. He's super strong."

The smile disappeared from Natsu's face as he turned away from his friend. There was no point in trying to make Happy worried. He was already worried himself but he couldn't afford to show it. Ichiya had shown his faith in him when the man had left to fight the other Mages, and so he had to have faith in him too. He had to believe that the man would come back alive from it all, and that he would have won too.

A blast of green energy suddenly shot forward, Happy rolling to the side. There! He could see Brain, and for an instance he could see Toushirou before the boy vanished. At the very least he had to allow the boy to get away. This barrier was meant to be important after all.

So he would do what he did best. He would fight.

"Drop me."

Happy released Natsu, letting the Dragon Slayer fall down to the ground from their height above the trees. Flames exploded around Natsu, his entire body setting alight as the flames rapidly circled him and created a cloak of flames to protect him.

Slowly the cloak of flames became more distinct. Around his feet and hands were claws of flames, just like the ones he could normally produce. However a trail of flames went out behind him, forming a tail of fire.

He knew the rough basics of using a tail. He had seen Igneel use his own plenty of times, and the Dragon had explained that it acted as easily as a limb did for a human. It was an extension of their bodies. It had taken a lot of practice, but he had found that same instinct for it.

He wasn't done yet as two set of flames shot out from his back. The flames twisted and spread out till they produced a single wing on each side of his back. They would follow the same instinctual use as a tail would, and this was his proudest achievement.

"Fire Drive!"

"Oh," said Brain with interest, eying the cloak for any particular weaknesses. "That is impressive. You're almost like a real Dragon, or at least as close as you can become right now. Do you have anything left though? You shouldn't reveal your hand right from the start."

Natsu ignored the taunts. It was fine and all for the man to say that, but he had no choice. He wasn't an idiot. Brain had beaten Erza before. He had to fight seriously from the very start to even have a chance.

He observed Brain, gaining a confused look that he quickly hid. Where was the man's staff? He was sure that Brain had one before. Where had it gone? There was also the matter of the marks on Brain. The strange lines that the man wore before were fewer now, barely any left. What exactly did they mean?

There was no more time for pondering stuff like this however. Now was the time to fight. "You're the boss of Oración Seis aren't you? I'm lucky I guess. It means I can beat you up myself."

"Big words from such worthless trash. Come on them. I see you have some hope. Allow me to crush it for you."

Natsu rushed forward, his feet leaving the ground as the wings on his back took over. Brain's eyes actually widened as he noticed that the Dragon Slayer was flying, which gave Natsu the moment he needed to close the gap.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Brain reached out and grabbed the flame coated fist. Both pushed against each other, knowing whoever managed to win this attack would get a temporary advantage. Intense flames burst from Natsu's elbow, sending his fist crashing forward, the strength behind it greater than Brain was capable of blocking. He ripped his hand away from Natsu's attack, leaning to the side for the blow to sail right past him.

Natsu had won that round however, and made use of that momentary advantage. He spun round before even hitting the ground, his hands by his mouth as he took a deep breath. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"