~*****~

Gajeel is a tough opponent. Every punch from him feels like a thousand pounds of lead cracking against my body. But I don't give up. And I certainly don't relent. I don't know how many rooms we'd demolished with our fight, but I can vaguely hear Lucy and Ballad shouting at me to stop and run, but I don't listen. I ignore everything they say as the blood rushes through my body, pumping every fiber of my being with adrenaline as I fight desperately against Gajeel.

It's only when I start losing my strength that I start debating on running. My ice cracks against his body, and my breaths come out shorter and shorter until I'm gasping for breath, pinned to the ground with one of Gajeel's iron limbs. "That all you got--" Gajeel spits out a wad of blood from his mouth. "Ice dragon?" I gurgle as he presses harder against my chest, my nails scraping uselessly against the iron limb. "Guess so!" He rears his arm back and slams it down on me again. I choke on my breath, my gaze focusing in and out on his battered face. "You got some good hits on me, little dragon, but your magic is weak against mine!"

"Yeah?" I spit blood on his arm. "That won't make me stop--" I hiss as I start forcing my body to comply and push back against him.

"This will--" Gajeel barks as he lifts both arms. The downward momentum slows as I watch helplessly. My gaze snaps towards the two shouting from the outskirts of the room we're in, tears in their eyes. My body feels like lead as I swing my gaze back towards Gajeel's limbs closing in on crushing the last breath out of me.

Then I feel the heat washing over me. Gajeel is blasted back with a savage punch. I can't tell where he ended up, my head is so heavy. I grimace as someone places their searing hands against my arms and hauls me up, pressing me against a searing, hard chest.

I'm glad for the warmth, even if it does bring a little pain. I glance up and shudder. "Natsu..." I murmur delicately, my lips feeling like two bricks of ice that won't separate.

"Well, well-- thought I smelled you here!" Gajeel's voice boomed. My lazy gaze swerved towards him. "Guess it ain't that hard to catch a Salamander if you use the right bait!"

"Unlike you Phantom creeps, I watch out for my friends!" Natsu roars. "I won't let you lay a hand on either of them again!" The heat rises and I hiss for the first time in such heat. "Lucy. Take care of Aria for now." I feel like lead as he helps me hobble towards Lucy. Ballad is whimpering something against my neck once she has me in her grasp, but Lucy is holding me tight. "Stay back. This could get ugly." Natsu explains.

There's immediate destruction as Natsu beings to overwhelm Gajeel. "Are you all right?" I hear Happy chirp as I leaps onto my stomach.

"Happy," I murmur delicately, my shaky hand rubbing at his head. I let my gaze swerve back up to Natsu fighting Gajeel.

"Is something wrong?" Happy asks.

My face flushes as I stare at him. Since when did he start looking like that? "I've never seen Natsu like this..." I comment softly.

"Yeah, me neither..." Lucy says delicately.

"Aye, he's more fired up than ever before," Happy nods. "I wouldn't wanna be that other guy."

"For bein' Fairy Scum, you sure are cocky," Gajeel comments.

"You're the scum here, pal!" Natsu hisses. "As payback for what you did to Aria and Lucy, I'm gonna use my fire to melt your ugly iron face!"

Gajeel laughs. "Sounds like fun! So give it a shot!"

They begin to fight again, both seemingly equal on strength and skill.

"How is he doing that?!" Lucy whimpered as Gajeel's arm turns to a shredding sword.

"It's Iron Dragon Slayer Magic!" Happy exclaims. I hum in response, my brows sagging as a wave of pain shoots down my torso. I shove out of Lucy's arms. "You shouldn't move, Aria!" Happy exclaims lightly.

"Get back!" I snap at them and tackle Lucy to the ground as they both unleash a massive breath attack. We get blown against the wall. I suck in a pain filled shriek and squeeze an eye open as Natsu and Gajeel fight harder. This guy's a monster. He wasn't holding back against me, but he wasn't using his full power. Man, am I out of practice. I grumble irritably and stumble to my feet.

They sling into the air for a moment, fighting up there before landing on the roof of the giant and crashing inwards. "Is that kid beating Gajeel?" One of the Phantom members murmur.

"No, look! Salamanders out of breath, too!" The other exclaims.

There's a subtle crunching noise and I grimace from the sound. "What-- hang on, that's not fair, man! You're eating?!" Natsu bellows as I watch-- painfully, I might add-- Gajeel eating steel bits of the giant. My teeth are buzzing at the thought.

"So what?!" Gajeel says through a mouthful of metal.

"I can't believe he really eats Iron," Lucy whimpers.

"I literally chew on blocks of Ice, is it so strange?" I say irritably.

"I wonder if it tastes any good," Happy ponders.

"It probably tastes like building materials, there's so much around." Ballad says.

"Now I've got a fire in my belly!" Gajeel taunts Natsu.

"HEY, THAT'S MY LINE, PAL!" Natsu bellows.

Gajeel lets out a roar, magical energy billowing out of him. "Wait a minute, where did he get all this energy from?!" Lucy whimpers.

"It's cause he ate all that iron!" I say over his shouting. "When Dragon Slayers eat their element, we can replenish our magic energy and increase our power!"

"So Natsu needs to eat fire!" Lucy exclaims.

"That would help but he can't eat his own fire," Happy states. "It has to be from some kind of outside source!"

"Yeah, that's right, but how can we make that happen?" Lucy asks.

"Say good night, Fairy!" Gajeel taunts. "Iron Dragon Lance!"

I rip my jacket off and glance around desperately. "Lucy, I know you don't have your keys--" I stammer. "But do you have anything on you, anything at all that could start a fire?"

She glances down and roots through her pockets before producing Sagittarius' key. My eyes flicker to Gajeel, my eyes scanning over him for a moment before they got back to Lucy, who's now opening Sagittarius' gate.

I run around the battle as best as I could, gasping through the pain lancing through my ribs as Sagittarius appears. "Look, I'll explain later, but can you shoot fire?!" Lucy demands of Sagittarius in his horse suit. I'll laugh about that later.

"No can do, but I am quite proficient in Archery!" Sagittarius snorts.

"JUST FIRE AN ARROW, STRAIGHT AT ME!" I bellow at Lucy.

"JUST STAY BACK AND REST, ARIA!" Natsu shouts at me.

"DO IT!" I shout at Lucy. "NOW!" Gajeel laughs wildly as we watch our Guild Hall be destroyed by some large mass of shadows.

"Oh, now I understand!" Sagittarius commented as Natsu tries to fight back. "Prepare yourself young lady!" I toss up a slab of metal and as the arrow spits against it, sparks rain on the lining over my overcoat, easily catching it on fire.

"EAT IT!" I bellow at Natsu as the entire thing catches fire, burning my arms and body.

With a mighty inhale, Natsu sucks down all the flames covering me and the ground around me. "Just what I needed. Thanks a million, guys!" Natsu chirped.

I heave out a loud sigh as I slump to my knees, my hands grasping onto the last small bit of fabric my mother made me. I feel tears sting my eyes as I gaze down at it and unwillingly, my lips curve into a smile. "Eat all the fire you want, but you're still not gonna beat me!" Gajeel roars as he races towards Natsu.

"Oh, yeah! Natsu's fired up!" Happy cheers as I gaze at him fighting back with a new energy.

"Levy, Jet, Droy, Aria, Lucy, Gramps, all my friends. My guild, Fairy Tail." Natsu growls. Gajeel uses his Iron Dragon Roar, but Natsu blocks it with his bare hands. I'm once again gazing at him in this strange, new light. My cheeks feel so flushed, I can hardly understand it myself. "I don't know how many more people you need to hurt before you're satisfied, but it ends now."

"There's no way," Gajeel murmurs as he stares at Natsu. "I can't lose to him! It's impossible! He's nothin' but Fairy Scum!"

"I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to my friends!" Natsu roars. "Messin' with Fairy Tail is the biggest mistake you've ever made!" I swallow the lump in my throat.

Gajeel scoffs. "The only mistake I made was not killing you sooner!" Gajeel leaps into the air for an attack. "Iron Dragon Hard Fist!"

Natsu blocks the blow with his own punch that shatters Gajeel's Iron Armor. "You're through, Black Steel!" Natsu shouts. "Flame Lotus, Fire Dragon Fist!" He shouts, barrelling Gajeel with a serious of hard hits that completely decimates his entire defense, all while chanting the names of everyone hurt in the battle against him and Phantom Lords. I cover my head as the building crumbles around us. My legs refuse to work properly, but thanks to Ballad, I'm able to fly out of the wreckage.

"Over here!" Lucy shouts.

"Hey, it looks like he won!" Ballad chants as we swoop down.

Natsu pants as he speaks down to Gajeel. "Oh, yeah? I think I just did," Natsu states through his labored breathing.

"Natsu!" I shout as I stumble towards him, my feet slipping every which way until I collapse on my knees besides him.

Natsu groans as I cup his face, patting gently to try and wake him up. He just groans. "C'mon, your hands are cold!" Natsu complains. I hiss at him as he begins to laugh. "Well, that was fun, but I think I'm gonna rest a bit."

I snort at him and rub his head. "Go for it..." I murmur delicately. "You completely destroyed the entire place, and here I thought you promised not to cause so much damage." I laugh.

Natsu giggles again and sighs out in relaxation. "Man, you look rough."

I rub at my sore torso. "No kidding. And here I thought I was giving him a run for his money." I grumble irritably. "I need more training." I comment before slumping over his torso, sighing out in relaxation. "I'm gonna take a nap with you, if you don't mind."

"No problem, buddy," Natsu sighs softly. There's an explosion that shoots us off of the platform. "Are you all right?" Natsu asks quickly as I shout in pain.

"Yeah," I grumble, my hands cupping my ribs. "Is that Master Makarov?" I ask.

"Oh, yeah," Natsu laughs. "He's settling the score!"

I snort and laugh with him. "Of course, that old man has to keep up appearances!" A bright light shines overhead, causing me to wince and cover my eyes in response. "Fairy Law-- no way--" I stammer as it finally clears. I hear a roar of applause from the ground, and I sag against the ground again, cupping my ribs delicately. "Finally," I breathe out.

"Yeah, we couldn't have done it without him," Natsu sighs.

~*****~

"Hey, Gajeel, can you hear me?" Natsu calls out. I sit up and hiss before peering down at the Iron Dragon Slayer on a rocky outcrop below.

"Nah, I can't hear nothin'," Gajeel grumbles loud enough for us to hear.

"I just--" Natsu groans as he sits up and shuffles to the edge. "Wanna know where you learned Dragon Slayer Magic." Natsu says.

"I told ya, I can't hear ya!" Gajeel barks back.

"You and Natsu are the first wizards I've met who uses the same kind of magic I do." I comment dryly. "C'mon, tell us where you learned it!"

"Shut up..."

"AW DON'T BE LIKE THAT!" Natsu barks.

"Metalicana," Gajeel sighs after a moment. Natsu hums in response. "The Iron Dragon." Gajeel answers as he sits up.

"No way!" Natsu beams and shuffles too close.

"No, Natsu, wait!" I shout before we're both falling from the crumbling ledge. I groan loudly, my hands pressing against my chest. "That's gonna-- leave a mark."

"I thought you might've been taught by a dragon!" Natsu exclaims while I lay on the ground.

"Why?" Gajeel questions lowly. "Were you two?"

"Where's Metalicana now?" Natsu asks.

Gajeel huffs. "I don't know."

Natsu growls irritably. "TELL ME WHERE HE IS!" Natsu bellows as I finally get the strength to sit up.

"I SAID I DON'T KNOW!" Gajeel boomed right back. They head butt and groan in pain to rub at their heads. "God, I feel like I'm losin' brain cells just talking to you!" We were all silent for a moment before I spoke.

"So he disappeared, too?" I ask lightly.

Gajeel was silent for a moment. "Yeah... Just one day, he just up and left without sayin' a single word to me. Talk about a selfish jerk."

"Did he happen to disappear on July Seventh, seven years ago?" I ask as I crawl towards him. I perch on my knees, tilting my head as he whips his gaze around to me.

"Yeah, are you sayin' you know where Metalicana is?!" He asks wildly.

I snort. "Don't have a clue," I say as I wave my hand at him. "But I've been looking for an Ice Dragon. Her name is Everest. Natsu's been looking for a Fire Dragon by the name of Igneel. The last time I saw Everest was July Seventh, seven years ago." I explain.

"Yeah, same for me." Natsu nods.

Gajeel glances between us in shock. "So all three dragons vanished seven years ago. Year Seven-Seven-Seven. On the seventh day of the seventh month?" Gajeel confirms. My brow ticks irritably.

"QUIT WITH ALL THE SEVEN'S, YOU METAL FACED JERK!" I shout at him, a blast of ice conking him over the forehead.

"YOU WANNA LOSE AGAIN, YOU PUNK!" Gajeel roared at me.

"YOU ONLY WON CAUSE YOU HAD METAL TO EAT! I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING, SO TECHNICALLY, YOU CHEATED!" I shout at him.

Gajeel attempts to say something else but stops after a moment and scoffs. "I don't care what happened to him."

"Just get the heck out of here, already," Natsu snaps.

"YOU'RE ON OUR TURF, PUNK! IF ANYONE'S GONNA LEAVE, IT'S GONNA BE YOU BRATS!" Gajeel roars at us.

"Jeez, you don't gotta be so rude about it," Natsu complains. "Up you go," I let out a shrill yelp as I'm lifted into his arms, my legs kicking for a moment in mild panic.

"SCRAM, BEFORE I HURT YA!" Gajeel snaps.

"Let us know if you hear anything about Igneel or Everest, got it?" I call aloud as I settle down.

"Are you kidding me? Why would I ever do either of you any favors!?" Gajeel asked haughtily.

"'Cause, the three of us are fellow Dragon Slayers," Natsu says as he glances back at Gajeel.

"AW, SCREW YOU!" Gajeel barked. "NEXT TIME I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU'RE DEADMEAT! YOU'LL BE BEGGIN' FOR MERCY!"

"There's no need to be so brutal," I comment.

"Yeah, I was thinkin' about callin' a truce." Natsu grunts. "But after that outburst, I don't know!"

"I'M BRUTAL!? GIMMIE A BREAK! YOU JUST TOTALLED OUR GUILD HALL!" Gajeel screamed.

"THEY SHOULD CALL YOU THE BLACK KETTLE, CAUSE YOU DID IT FIRST!" I shout back. "Forget him, Natsu! We'll find the dragons ourselves and tell Metalicana that he didn't care and to forget about that salty old bastard!"

"YEAH!" Natsu shouts.