Rise Of Tartas (A Fairy Tail FF)

Chapter Two

~*Present Time*~

"Gildarts! Fight me!" Natsu shouted and Lucy watched in amusement as Gildarts simply and easily bonked Natsu on the head and sent him crashing into the ground. Smiling his devilish smirk, Gildarts raised his drink to his lips.

"Natsu, aren't you ever going to learn?" Lucy sighed as she rested her head against her hand. Natsu pried his face from the ground and smiled up at Gildarts.

"You're causing too much of a racket, Natsu," Cana said as she lifted her mug. Natsu huffed as he got up and fire erupted on his fist.

"Gray's not back yet. So I'm bored," Natsu pouted as he launched himself again at Gildarts, who twirled him around his arm and sent him crashing into the ceiling above.

"Now that you mention it, Gray has been gone for a long time," Lucy said as she looked towards the door, Natsu falling to the ground behind her. "It's not like Gray to dilly dally."

"Why don't you find something useful to do with your time?" Laxus asked who was sitting over near the Raijinshuu. Natsu growled angrily as he turned to him.

"You're next Laxus!" Natsu challenged and Laxus half-smiled at him, completely brushing him off.

Lucy looked over, ignoring Natsu's attempted rages towards Gildarts and saw Master Makarov walk over to the bar section, hop up onto the counter and starts to discuss something with Mira. Lucy sighed and rested her head on her hand again. The guilds doors suddenly slammed open and Lucy spun her head to the side to see Erza rush in with Juvia carrying an injured Gray.

"Wendy!! Master!" Erza yelled and Wendy came running over with Charle and Lily behind her. Lucy was following and she looked down at Gray, covering her mouth in shock. Gray had several cuts on his arms and his sides were severely bruised, as if someone had been kicking him constantly.

"Let me treat him!" Wendy stated as she pushed past the crowd that was gathering, fell to her knees and immediately started her treatment. Natsu came barreling over, his eyes wide with shock. He clenched his hands into fists as his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Who did this to Gray?" he asked, his voice shaking with anger. Erza stood up and looked at him.

"We don't know," she said evenly. "Juvia happened to spot him near the cake shop in town. He was trying to get here."

"Juvia had a bad feeling about his mission," Juvia said as she looked down at him, tears brimming the edges of her eyes. "And Juvia was right." The crowd parted as Master Makarov walked over, his eyes on Gray. Gray's eyes twitched and Erza looked at him.

"Gray!" she said, her voice rising. "Answer me Gray!"

"You're loud," Gray muttered as his eyes flickered opened. Juvia gave a sigh of relief, along with the rest of Fairy Tail who were watching Wendy heal him.

"Gray," Makarov said, his tone as deadly as a knife. "Who did this to you?"

Gray closed his eyes and then reopened them before speaking. "It was another guild," Gray mumbled as he squeezed his eyes close from the pain. "I haven't seen another guild mark like that."

"Let me at 'em!" Natsu shouted, fire erupting on his fists as he ran towards the door. Makarov's giant fist came down on him, squishing him to the floor.

"Tell me what the guild mark looked like, Gray," Makarov said calmly as Natsu struggled from underneath his fist. Gray closed his eyes again as he tried to recall his attacker.

"Dark red hair and her crest was on her left rib side or something like that. The guild mark looked like a dragon with its wings spread and its tail curled up," Gray said as his eyes remained closed. Makarov narrowed his eyes.