~*****~

It's as if someone drugged Natsu. His entire body feels like it weighs a ton, and I fear that maybe this new revelation from Zeref may have pushed Natsu into a shocked state of mind, where he's unable to process what we've heard. Hopefully, Wendy of Porlyusica can shed some light. "C'mon, Natsu, wake up, buddy," Happy murmurs sadly.

"He'll snap out of it, Happy, don't worry," I urge. To be frank, I didn't know if he'd ever snap out of it. "Take a deep breath, got it?" I order. Happy and Ballad staunch their tears and inhale deeply. My wings crease up and I angle my body down, nose diving towards the guild hall. I crash onto the cobblestone outside of the guild hall and urge Happy and Ballad to fly ahead of me to have someone prepare a bed.

I hear Happy rambling loudly as I stumble into the recovery room, still carting the unconscious Natsu.  "Somebody has to help him right now!" Happy sobbed loudly.

"Happy, breathe," I order sternly. 

"What's going on?!" Cana gasps as she and Porlyusica rush in.

"Certainly a lot of commotion." Porlyusica hums. It takes me a moment to realize one of the Spriggan Twelve is in the room. I just stare at her, heart pounding to take action, ready for that one drop of the pin to attack. And it takes another moment to notice Aquarius in the room, which was strange. I had begun construction of a new key, but with having only one eye that could open up a gateway to the celestial world, I doubted it would work. Apparently, it did.

"Natsu was in the middle of fighting Zeref, but then we had to pull him back." Happy sobbed. "We were trying to keep him safe, but the next thing we knew, he just went limp and quiet!"

"Hey, Natsu! What's the matter?" Lucy cries as she shakes at his shoulder. "Say something!"

"Hold on. What in the hell are you doing here?" Cana asks Aquarius.

"I don't have to explain it to you." Aquarius hummed before pinning her sights on me. "And you, just who do you think you are, using such a finite amount of magic to create a new key. I knew it was you the moment the celestial king told me about it." I couldn't respond. How could I? It was going to be a gift for Lucy, but it learned a new quirk. It could only be found by the one who Aquarius wants to wield it. Meaning, it was not going to reveal it's location to me.

Lucy palmed at Natsu's chest, and an unwilling snarl escaped my throat, my body suddenly lurching him away. "Aria-" Lucy stammered, eyes wide. "We need to check his-"

"Porlyusica, please, check him," I order through my teeth.

"Perhaps you should lie down," Porlyusica retorted harshly. "With all your injuries, I'm surprised you're still awake." I don't glance down. I know I'm covered in blisters and horrible burns.

"Forget about my injuries, I can't feel his heartbeat." I snap angrily.

"Natsu, please don't die," Happy whimpers.

"Then throw him on a bed, will you!" Porlyusica snapped at me. I bite back an argument and gingerly lay him across the first available bed- that strangely smells like another girl. It makes my skin crawl to lay him there, but I stuff it down. Now was not the time to let my instincts play. Pressing some weird prod on his face, and it began to sizzle hotly. "Of course he had to go off and do something as foolish as always. He's been overtaxing his magic power for years, resulting in an anti-Ether-nano tumor."

"What does that even mean?" I snap.

"A malignant mass is growing inside his body. And unless it's removed, he'll soon be dead." Porlyusica stated.

"Can't we get somebody to take it out?" Ballad sobs.

"Of all healers in Ishgar, none can do that." Porlyusica explained.

"Not even Wendy? Or Sheila?!" I shout.

"I'm afraid it's impossible." Porlyusica hummed.

"Then what the hell are we going to do?!" I bark aggressively.

"I'm sorry," Porlyusica urges patiently. Lucy begins sobbing as I grasp at his face, silently urging him to wake up. "Your wounds-"

"Hey, take these off," I hear the green haired girl hummed. I snapped my gaze over to her and narrow my eyes. "Relax, I'm not trying do anything funny. Let me use my magic. I can change the size of anything I want. So if I know the exact location of his tumor, I can make it small enough that it never poses any risk."

"You'd really do that?" Happy asks tearfully.

"If you can save him, I'll do whatever you want!" Lucy exclaims.

I remain silent as everyone's gazes land on me. "What's your name?" I ask in a softer tone.

The girl remains silent for a moment before answering. "Brandish."

"Thank you, Brandish." I hum softly. A shy expression flirts over her face before she nods at the gesture.

~*****~

I don't think I've left Natsu's side for a moment. After Brandish shrunk the tumor, his body began responding naturally to outside stimuli. I could vaguely see his eyes moving under his eyelids, and I began to wonder what he was dreaming about. Makarov lets out a sigh, bringing me back to the others in the room. "Leave it to Natsu to rush out on some fool's errand and come back in this condition." Makarov hums.

"Your crabbiness isn't making things any better," Porlyusica snaps.

"You wouldn't know anything about that, huh?" Makarov barks.

"I'm going to ignore that comment," Porlyusica retorts. "Natsu will recover, all thanks to that Western girl's magic."

"I never imagined we'd get a helping hand from the enemy," Makarov murmured.

"Is she really our enemy after this?" I ask lightly.

Makarov shakes his head. "Until the war is over, I can't answer that for sure. But it's rather odd, why would she volunteer to go back?"

"Now will you please let me look at your wounds?" Porlyusica snapped irritably. "Honestly, you're a smart girl, but lately you've been acting as foolhardy as the rest of this guild."

"Can it, you old hag!" I bark at her. Makarov snorts loudly and starts clearing his throat.

"I might need you to assist on the battlefield, so perhaps getting a once over might do you some good, my dear." Makarov mentioned. "Speaking of which, we should probably have Porlyusica evaluate your mental health."

"What the hell for?" I ask.

"You've been irritable since arriving with Natsu in tow, and I assure you I understand the feeling, due to Natsu being in such a condition, but I've never seen you recoil when someone put their hands on him." Makarov mentioned.

I waved my hand at him. "Oh, that? Don't worry about that. It's just my body adjusting to new hormones invading thanks to a mating bond. It'll pass once I get used to them." It was as if someone broke a vase over their heads. "Anyway, all I need is some ice and these wounds will right themselves. No need to overexert yourself over me."

"But how would Natsu fare waking up to seeing those blisters over your body?" Porlyusica asked. She did have a point. But it's not the worst injuries he's seen on me. I hum in thought, pinching my chin for a moment before nodding.

"Very well, then I accept medical attention. Just don't be rough like you usually are." I relent.

"I'M ONLY ROUGH BECAUSE YOU'RE A FOOL WHO RUSHES INTO DANGER!" Porlyusica snapped. Makarov suddenly snorts and starts sucking in his giggles at my grimace.

~*****~

Burn ointment smells awful. Every inhale I make nearly causes tears to brim in my eyes. Even the bandages are too itchy. Maybe she did that on purpose. I pick at the bandage stuck to my face irritably, earning a harsh smack to my hand. Ballad sits on the bed, slathering her paws with burn ointment while Happy peers at Natsu sullenly, his little paws still looking bad.

Lucy sits a few feet away. "You can move closer, Lucy," I mention softly. "Sorry if I was a little bitey earlier."

Lucy grimaces. "I just... you've never made that noise at me." She mentioned softly.

I hum in response. "I know... Just adjusting to some things..." I murmur. "Once this is all over, I'll explain in detail, okay?" Lucy brightens up, just a bit, and obliges, scooting closer. The need to snarl at her wells up inside, but I do manage to stuff it down.

"How's his condition?" Fried asks as he approaches.

"I dunno," I shrug softly. "He hasn't woken up yet. How're Bickslow and Evergreen?"

Fried smiles. "Yes, they're feeling much better."

I sigh and palm at my chest. "Thank goodness."

"If anyone's curious, I should recover, too," Ichiya's voice murmurs from somewhere in the room.

"Do you happen to know where Laxus is?" Fried asks.

"I think he left town with Erza's team. They're going to go liberate Hargeon." Lucy mentions. "Gray and Wendy went with them."

"I see. I hope he's not reckless," Fried sighs.

I snort. "I see you've forgotten who Laxus is," I mention lightly.

"Ah, yes, I know." Fried chuckles. "Caution? Not his style."

"Yes, but as foolhardy as Laxus can be, he'll get the job done, despite how injured he is." I hum fondly. "I'm just worried about the bane particles still in his system."

"You know?" Fried asked, astonished. "I'm surprised he told you."

"He didn't," I retort plainly as I tap my nose. "I could smell it as soon as you guys arrived on the Christina."

"What do Bane Particles smell like?" Lucy wondered.

"Rot." I hum. Lucy grimaces at the mention.

~*****~

Lucy snores peacefully against my shoulder, her head constantly flopping off and on my shoulder. Then, as if there's a prick behind my ear, I can't help but flinch upright, jostling Lucy awake. "What's wrong?" She asks tiredly.

"A bad feeling," I retort plainly.

"Somethin' about Natsu?" Happy asks worriedly.

I shake my head. "Natsu's gonna be fine. I can feel it in my gut." I retort softly as I rub at his head. Ballad awakens from her fitful slumber against Natsu's head and hums curiously. "Somethin' else. I can't help but shake the feeling maybe I'd be more useful on the battlefield."

Lucy smiles affectionately. "Probably, but you won't do anyone good if you suddenly keel over from your injuries. You fought and defeated one of the Spriggan Twelve, not to mention, you injured yourself getting Natsu to safety. I'd say that earns you a moment of rest."

I shake my head. "I don't deserve to be resting when everyone's out there giving it their all." I murmur softly as I brush a lock of hair away from Natsu's eye, admonishing myself for thinking about a haircut. I grimace and rub my nose irritably. "This damn ointment is killing my sense of smell."

A commotion rings out in the main hall, causing the two of us to hum in confusion. "What is that?" Lucy wondered.

A foul feeling filled the air, and I slammed Lucy and the cats over Natsu's body and shielded them Just when the foul magic burns at my skin, I'm suddenly feeling very vulnerable with someone's face squished in between my boobs. "It seems like I got here right in the nick of time, Miss Lucy." Horologium's voice rings out.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asks wildly as I feel my thighs twitch with the need to shut, which is impossible, now that I'm staring down at Natsu's naked body sandwiched against my naked body. I try and tilt my body away, only to get a face full of Lucy's boobs.

"Well, you see, I detected a major spatial distortion just now. But hold on, why am I naked? You might ask embarrassedly. Like it or not, it's simply part of this defensive spell. It's too cramped for five people! You might uncomfortably exclaim." Horologium hums.

"Wait a minute!" I bark as I snatch Natsu's hair and hold his head back when I feel his mouth reflexively move against my skin. "Quit it! If you're awake just say so!"

"Miss Aria, please try to remember that even though you act like a vagrant, you are a young lady." Horologium reminds me.

The giant clock spits us out and I snatch a blanket to curl around my body- seeing as how the bruises and new marks would seem suspicious to the untrained eye- especially the finger sized bruises cradling my hips. "Well, once again, I owe ya one." Lucy sighs as she wraps a blanket around herself.

"I won't be able to use this defensive spell for a while, so I ask that you exercise caution." Horologium mentions.

"Hey, Aria, check it out!" Happy chirped.

My gaze swung over, and I immediately slapped my hand over Lucy's eyes as she follows suit. "Goodness, Happy, that's not okay, Natsu's totally unaware of you getting people to peep at his-" I cut Ballad off with a slight wave of my hand, my eyes unable to look away.

"That monster was inside me?" I say aloud, and immediately slap my hands over my mouth. Lucy stares at me, dumbfounded before snickering and guffawing loudly. "Sh-Shut up!" I bark at her, tugging at her blanket.

We flinch and stop goofing around when we hear Mavis screaming outside in the main hall. "Was that the first master?!" Lucy cries.

"Let's go!" I order, leaping around to pull my pants on.

In the main hall, there's a strange looking man towering over Mavis. Transforming into her Taurus outfit, Lucy delivers a powerful kick to the back of the head with a mighty shout. I follow in, using her weight as leverage and slam both of my heels into his back, sending him farther through the hall. He gives a loud cry of either astonishment or pain- I couldn't decide. "Hey, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Lucy asks Mavis.

"Lucy! Aria! You're still here!" Mavis chirps.

"Don't forget the cats!" I comment as I hold them up in my palms.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheers.

"Where did everyone go?" Ballad asks as she peers around.

"He made them disappear and he's going to kill them!" Mavis exclaims. "We have to stop him!"

"That must've been the spatial magic from before." I comment.

"You'd better let our friends go, now!" Happy exclaims.

"Yeah! Ya big meanie!" Ballad chirps in response.

"Star Dress Change: Time for Leo Style!" Lucy exclaimed. Adorned in a pretty black dress, Lucy looks ready to kill.

"What bollocks!" The man growls. "I cast that spell on the entire guild hall, so how'd I miss them?"

Lucy, Happy, and Ballad giggle in response, meanwhile, I'm trying not to die of embarrassment from the comment I'd made earlier suddenly resurfacing. "The stars were lookin' out for us!" Lucy chirps.

"More like lookin' at us," Ballad retorted plainly.

The man stares irritably. "Well, if you'd vanished with the rest, you would've avoided what's about to happen. Listen up, ghost. I'm changin' the terms of the deal. I think it'd be more fun to tear these birds into pieces until you've made up your mind. When the feeling strikes you, I suggest you surrender. Otherwise, she might just be a pretty snowy head!"

"Aria! Get out of the way!" Mavis cries.

I move my hand up, readying to catch it, but at the last moment, a familiar figure slings in front of me, the scent of a frosted over forest burns in my nose and a sense of peace immediately washes over me. "If you touch her, it'll be your head torn off." Natsu snaps in a threatening tone. Happy and Ballad start sobbing loudly. "But since you threatened her like that, I'm gonna skip right to the burnin' you to ash!"

"I knew he'd be okay!" Happy cries happily.

I can't seem to speak as I stare at the back of his head. I snap out of it, shaking my head a bit. "I assume the nap was worth it?" I ask almost bitterly. I'm not really mad, just super relieved he's awake. And alive. It nearly brings tears to my eyes.

"Aw, yeah! Now I've got a fire in my belly!" Natsu nods. "Let's go!" He rockets forward, and it's astounding to see how much strength he still has after being so close to death. His foot crashes into the mans head, but it seems as if it's ineffective.

"Flames, eh?" The man hums. Bouncing Natsu back, he rears back his own fist. "I'm fired up!"

"Hey, man! Don't go stealin' my line!" Natsu barks just before he's slugged in the gut. He gives a grunt of pain before he uses the pillar behind him to vault back forward, tackling the man. The man grabs at Natsu's torso and slams down. "And would you stop tearin' up our damn guild!" Natsu shouts. "What the- He disappeared!"

"Uh oh- where'd he go?" Happy asks nervously.

"Can you guys not smell him anywhere?" Lucy asks.

Natsu inhales softly. "No, it's like he doesn't exist!"

I feel a subtle vibration along the floor. "Behind you!" I bark loudly as the man just manages to appear.

"Here I am," The man murmurs, bringing his elbow down onto Natsu's head. Once again, his image snaps out of sight.

"He's gone again?! Damn it!" Natsu barks.

"It's stealth magic." Mavis states tiredly. "He can make himself completely invisible." Just as she says it, she gives a grunt of pain.

"First master!" Natsu cries as he turns around. 

"But it's a bit more than that, innit?" The man hums. "I can also see things that are invisible. Your friendly ghost for example."

"Don't you dare touch her!" Natsu bellows.

The vision in my eye strains violently. "He ain't goin' nowhere!" I snap. "Doesn't matter the spell, I can see right through it!" A bright light fills the room in response to my need to counteract his camouflage spell. Lucy summons Loke and from within the light, he pins his sights on the man attacking Mavis.

"Now what?" The man grunts irritably.

"I see you!" Loke chirps before launching forward and landing an incredible hit on him.

"These two might be a problem," The man snaps. He slings his fist forward, a burst of air catching Loke in the chest and sending him tumbling backwards.

"Loke!" Lucy cries.

"That hurt. What'd you do?" Loke asked confusedly.

The man grins, and from his still stature, dark red whips of magic fling outwards, beating at our bodies. "Not good," Happy murmurs.

"His weapon's invisible." Mavis hums.

"I hide and see all." The man comments. "I send away and snuff out. Those are the things my magic can do."

He slings his arm out, causing Natsu to block himself. I give a shout of pain as I feel it slam into my torso, my arms curling over to try and block them. "Aria!" Natsu shouts.

"You blocked because you thought I was throwing something at you, right?" The man asked. "I was actually cracking me whip behind me."

"Well, you can watch me punch you!" Natsu shouts. The man disappears from sight, causing Natsu to hesitate.

The man reappears behind him, grasping at his pink locks with a sneer on his face. "If you wanna know what hell's like, I'd be happy to show you firsthand." With a rough shove, Natsu is forced to the ground, his arm being pinned behind him. "Now pay close attention to the lady in front of you." All of a sudden, my clothes feel lighter. I grunt irritably and lean my palm against my hip as Loke starts drooling. Lucy snaps her fist up and catches him in the chin. "How do you like that!? I made her clothes invisible!"

"You should probably know that I spend most of my free time naked." I mention lightly.

"It's a great way to spend the day," Loke suddenly agrees.

"I am closing your gate!" Lucy shouts.

"Now, this is hell, don't you think?" The mans asks.

"It is for Aria!" Lucy cries.

"I dunno, the breeze feels nice down here, never been naked in the guild hall before." I mention lightly as I peer around.

"You've got a pretty weird concept of hell, buddy." Natsu mentions.

"What do you mean by that, mate?" The man snaps. "There's a half naked girl squirming in front of you! Don't you feel tormented? Embarrassed? I mean, do you look away, or not look away? It has to be hellish."

"Listen, if I stare, Aria gets that mean look in her eye, so I only look when she lets me, okay? I know the rules and it ain't hellish. Totally worth it if you ask me." Natsu retorts casually.

"STOP TELLING PEOPLE MY RULES!" I bark at him.

"You're saying this doesn't bother you in the slightest?" The man asks.

A cruel smile slips onto my face. "Oh, goodness! Have you never seen a naked girl before?" I ask impishly as I slip my hands behind my back.

"Obviously not! I can't just look at you like that, can I?" The man stammers as he immediately juts his face into the air. "This technique is something like a double-edged sword, because it puts me and my target both through an incredible amount of anguish and torture!"

Natsu suddenly grins. "Oh no, anything but totally showing off you boobies!" Natsu exclaims in mock horror.

"No!" The man stammers. "My god, what kinda sick people are you? You'd really strip in front of us?!"

"Whoa! Aria, you're totally hot body is butt naked!" Natsu shouts, stuffing down laughter.

"So? Not like you complain," I comment impishly. "Weren't you the one who made these bruises?"

"You're super soft, so what?" Natsu retorts. Lucy is hiding her hands in her face as if we're actually making pillow talk. When in reality, we're trying hard not to laugh with the faces we're making. "You should shake 'em for me again!"

"Don't shut your eyes, or you'll miss it!"

"You're both so depraved and terribly lewd!" The man cries. "Enough! I'll just get straight to the killin'!" He raises his finger, but he doesn't realize that I'm inches away from slamming my leg into his face.

"Ice Dragon-"

"Fire Dragon-"

"Steam Engine!" We cry, slamming him with a direct hit, billowing steam into the air.

"You brats..." The man growls as the steam dissipates. "You've made this grown-up very angry!"

My body feels warm again and I take notice to my clothes back on my body. "Oh hey, my clothes are back," I hum uninterestedly. We go back to fighting the man, but he's obviously not messing around anymore.

"He also knows martial arts?" Lucy cries.

I rub at my jaw irritably as I sit up from the rubble of the table I'm in. "Nice moves," Natsu compliments with a sigh.

"I'm not done!" Jacob snaps.

The assault continues, and despite having the advantage of hearing where he's coming from, it's hard to react when all I hear is Natsu and Lucy crying out in pain. "Hey! No fair!" Happy cries.

"Where is he?!" Lucy asks loudly.

"C'mon! Show your face!" Natsu snaps.

"You punks!" The man snarls. "There's more pain in the world than you know."

My head snaps back with the force of a good slug against my cheek, sending me toppling to the ground. "I got one hundred and thirteen of your mates tucked away in a spot I made for 'em. And I think it's about time they start dying." The man snaps.

"No, stop!" Natsu barks.

"Don't hurt them, please!" Mavis cries out.

The man reappears finally. "We've crossed a line where violence the only option."

"Wait! Your friends!" Lucy barks.

"What?" The man hums. 

"You've accidentally sent one of your own away with them!" Lucy mentions. "Brandish was here, too!"

"Was she?" The man asks, tilting his head. A black orb appears over his hand and he peers into it. "Brandish! And that bloody wanker? Damn it! If I took her out with 'em, Dimeria would never let me hear the end of it. Right then-" Brandish and some creep pops out. "Stupid nobbers."

"You're here now?" Brandish asks as she sits up.

"Thanks, man! That place was so not chill!" The new guy mentions.

"Thanks, man! That place was so not chill!" Another new guy hums.

I cover up my giggles. What a dirty trick. "Wait! This dude is stealing my look!" The new guy shouts.

"A-plus style!" Gemini chirps.

"Gemini!" Lucy cheers.

"Piri-Piri!" Gemini chirps.

"Whoa!" Natsu coos.

"It's creepy-" The new guy murmurs. "F-Minus!"

"What?" The man asks.

"It would've been a better idea to turn into Brandish," Happy hums. "Cause that guy's weaker than her."

"Who the hell is he, anyway?" I ask as I jut my finger at him. "Or for that matter- the prudish one who's never seen boobs, who the hell is he?"

"No clue-" Natsu shrugs.

"Don't worry, Happy, I had a reason to turn Gemini into this guy." Lucy mentions.

Gemini spreads their hands out. "Law of Space! Activate!" Gemini beams. "Piri-Pikkiri!"

"But isn't this gonna make Gemini disappear?" Happy asks.

"And I'll lose this cute star dress. But I'm okay with that," Lucy hums.

"My transporter! No!" The man shouts.

"This spell nullifies all spatial magic. You know what that means, right?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, bollocks!" The man gasps as literally everyone begins popping up in the guild hall. 

"I can bring all my friends back." Lucy hums.

"Glad to be outta there!" Max beams.

"We're saved!" Warren sobs.

"Well done," Makarov hums.

"Need a hand, you guys?" Cana chirps.

"Yeah! Let's rock!" Romeo cheers.

"Damn-" The man gasps.

"Amazing! That was a brilliant move, Lucy!" Mavis chirps.

I clap Lucy on the back. "Great job, Lucy!" I beam.

"Enough of this bloody nonsense!" The man shouts angrily. "Off to the pits of hell with the lot of ya!" All of a sudden, Ballad lets out a cry of discomfort.

"Ow! Don't squeeze hard, I'm delicate!" Ballad starts wailing.

"Oi!" I bark out, storming up. "You got some nerve hurting the First Master, but when you start hurtin' my little buddy, that's when all bets are off, you hear me?" I feel my bones shift when my body raises in statue, scales and scutes pushing through my clothes and heavy horns resting on my brow line. Ballad is released and she flies up to my head with a childlike cheer while I hear the others murmur at my draconic form. "This is real hell, buddy! My fist!" Slamming it straight forward, the man goes crashing through the wall and skips along the water like a stone. "Come back here and apologize when you're done pickin' your bones outta your teeth!" I roar in a rampage.

"Hey! Don't trash our new guild hall!" Natsu shouts as he waves his hands around.

"Like you have any room to talk!" I bellow back and swat him forward with my tail, sending him hurtling after the man. I prop my hand on my brow as I stare after them as Natsu turns into a literal missle.

"Well, that's a nutty strategy." Warren comments.

"Can't have Natsu trying to fight at full strength inside," Max hums.

"Yeah, we just fixed this place," Romeo mentioned. "Don't want the thing to blow up already." The water outside evaporates.

"Whoa! He totally just made the lake totally evaporate!" Cana cried.

"That's crazy!" Romeo, Warren, and Max shout.

"Mode! Fire Dragon King!" Natsu roars. The man's clothes begin burning off due to the extreme heat and I vaguely wonder if he'll have horrible burns like I did. "Fire Dragon King... Destruction Fist!" With one strong punch, he sends the guy sailing without his clothes. We all begin cheering loudly.