Vivian's P. O. V:
We gaze at the dark guild, preparing ourselves for battle.
Happy adds, "Are you two sure Gray's in there?"
I say, "Positive."
"Yup. I'd bet my scarf on it," Natsu adds, his right hand on his hip.
Lucy says, a hand on her hip, "We've gotta get Gray back to Juvia soon, so let's not waste anymore time."
"This place is creepy. So I'm all for that," Says Natsu.
"I'm getting really bad vibes, here," I murmur.
Happy asks, "Who'd build a church in the middle of the forest...?"
Lucy responds, "Somebody I'd rather not meet, to be honest with ya."
"Alright! Let's take it by storm!" Natsu shouts, beginning to charge ahead with Happy.
"Aye, aye, Sir!!" The blue furred Exceed chimes in agreement.
"Hold it right there, guys!!" Lucy and I shout as we grab Natsu's scarf, the blonde grabbing Happy. Due to the momentum, Lucy and I fall flat on our faces, while Natsu and Happy collapse on their backs.
"That's gonna leave a mark," Happy mutters in pain.
"Well, at least my head broke the fall," Says Natsu, rubbing the right side of his head as we sit up.
Lucy begins, "We have no idea who or what could be waiting for us in there."
Nodding my head in agreement, I finish for her, "She's right; we can't just charge in without any information."
"Tch! Well, all Viv-chan and I know is that Gray is in there, and we need to get him out."
I tell him, "Which is exactly why we can't afford to mess this up."
"Okay," Natsu grumbles, his arms crossed and a pouty expression on his face.
Holding up a gold key, Lucy suggests, "So I think we should give Virgo-san a ding-dong, and have her tunnel us in."
"Good idea," Natsu and I say in unison.
"Okay, let's go! Open, Gate of the Maiden, Vir... go...." Lucy begins, only to trail off when the pink haired celestial spirit appears on the ground on her side, bound in chains as her knees bend backward.
We all gape at Virgo, dumbfounded expressions on our faces as we're stunned by her predicament.
"I think she needs help," Happy says.
"Whoa! What happened?! Are you okay?" Lucy asks.
"Who do I beat up for this?!" Natsu demands to know, clenching a fist.
"Don't mind me," Says Virgo, assuringly.
"Uh...." Lucy utters, unsure of what to say.
"I wasn't busy, so I thought I'd punish myself," Explains Virgo as she gets to her feet, causing Lucy to sweat drop, deadpanning.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Lucy mutters as the ropes drop from the pinkette's body.
"Seriously," I sigh.
"There's a lot I don't know about celestial spirits," Natsu says.
"Aye," Happy agrees.
"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you gentlemen—and lady—are doing well," Virgo greets us.
"Great. Anyway, time to get back to work," Lucy sighs. Her body begins to glow gold. "Star Dress: Virgo Form!"
The light fades to reveal Lucy in a black and white maid outfit with her long blonde hair in twin ponytails. The sign of the Virgo zodiac on her right shoulder.
I blink my eyes a few times as the three of us stare at Lucy in surprise.
"Whoa, Lucy," I say in awe. "Nice Requip!"
"Whoa!! She transforms now?!" Natsu exclaims, his eyes wide with shock.
"I'm starting to get flashbacks of a scary armored wizard," Happy says fearfully.
I knew he means Erza, and it makes me wonder where she could be right now. I did keep in touch with her for awhile last year, through letters, but then, several months ago, she just suddenly stopped writing to me.
I'm sure it's nothing, but I can't help but hope she's alright.
Virgo explains, "That outfit grants her some of my abilities, boosts her magic power, and boosts her sex appeal."
"Alright, Virgo! Are you ready to rock?" Lucy asks.
The pink haired celestial spirit responds, "I live to serve, Princess! Let's go!"
🗡🗡🗡
With Lucy helping her, Virgo was able to dig us a way into the dark guild without us getting noticed—at the moment.
I'm squashed right behind Natsu, his butt basically in my face.
Virgo announces, gazing around, "And with that, we're in."
Lucy murmurs, "It looks like the basement to me."
"Great. Now, could you move your big ol' butt?" Natsu asks, his own face squashed up against Lucy's bum.
"Please, Lucy? We're kind of sick of seeing your undies," Happy feels the need to add.
"How do you think I feel?" I hiss out.
I feel Natsu stiffen, probably out of fear of what Rogue would do to him if he saw us like this. I may not see Natsu's underwear, but it's not comfortable being squashed up against him like this.
"I can't help but wonder what kind of stuff the Avatar guys do down here," Happy muses, once we were finally out of that cramped tunnel.
"Who knows," Natsu replies. "Probably just a bunch of farting around."
"I doubt it," I mumble, deadpanning at him.
Lucy says, "Let's just see if we can dig some stuff up on Gray before anyone even notices we're here."
My eyes jerk wide when Natsu suddenly roars, "GRAY!!! COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!"
We cry out at Natsu's abrupt shout.
I face palm as Lucy squeezes Natsu's cheeks and scolds him, a fearful look on her face, "You idiot!! Our plan was to move around, undetected. Not tell the entire world we broke into the place!"
"Princess! I believe this calls for punishment," Virgo says. She gestures to some kind of wooden contraption, a giddy look on her face. "If you use this on me, I swear I'll behave!"
"Now is not the time!!" Lucy snaps back, flustered.
"Ahhh! What did I do to deserve this?!!" Happy screams in pain after Virgo puts him on the wooden torture device.
Giggling, Virgo says, "Such delightful punishment!"
"Alright! That's enough, you two!" Lucy snaps.
I could sense Gray's magic power, just now. "Yeah, he's here. We know his scent," Natsu says seriously.
Natsu adds, "The place reeks of him."
"We can always trust your nose," Lucy says.
I state, "Well, there's no use in us trying to hide anymore."
"Heeeyyy!" A chirpy, male voice catches my and Natsu's attention. We see a kid sitting on a ledge while playing with a doll, his face covered in white and red paint. "I hope you came to play, 'cause that's my favourite thing in the world!"
I narrow my eyes suspiciously at the doll in his hands.
Lucy gasps, "Is that who we're fighting? Wait—I know that doll!"
Happy says, trembling in fear, "Cursy-san!"
Putting a hand to her cheek, Lucy murmurs nervously, "Awe, man! It's all coming back to me, now!"
I remember they'd told me about their fight with a Grimoire Heart wizard who'd used a voodoo doll for his dark magic during the battle on Tenrou Island 7 years ago.
"It belonged to that big, pasty guy we fought on Tenrou!"
"Yeah! You and him had a whole lot of fun with it!" Happy reminds her.
"I would never call that fun!"
The dark wizard says as he jumps down, "So you've already had a chance to play with Cursy-san? He's one of the best presents I've ever got, from the heavy weights of Grimoire Heart! His magic power is so awesome, it's scary!"
Trembling, the Heartfilia whimpers, "Just looking at that thing makes my skin crawl!"
Virgo warns her, "Be careful, Princess. He's small, but he's an extremely strong wizard."
The kid looks up as Natsu goes over to him and holds his hand above his head. Natsu suddenly punches him powerfully with flames around his hand, and we gape at him as the kid is immediately knocked out.
"Sorry, squirt. Bring me Gray or get out of my face," Natsu tells him plainly.
"Abel!!" A big guy screams in shock as he comes running into the chamber, dropping his wide, broad rimmed straw hat in the process.
"You fools have truly got my blood boiling with rage! None of you shall leave here, because in this room, I keep all my instruments of cruelty!"
Deadpanning, Lucy mutters, "Is he serious?"
Snickering, Happy says, "I bet he's talking about your novel, Lucy!"
Gesturing with his hands, the dark mage makes various utensils hover in the air, as he says, "Get ready to experience torture the likes of which you've never seen!"
Her blue eyes sparkling and hands on her face, Virgo chimes excitedly, "I'm festive for punishment!"
"That's not a good thing!" Lucy snaps.
The dark wizard throws weapon after weapon at Natsu, but he manages to dodge and avoid every single one.
Seeing Virgo's starry eyed look, Lucy mutters, deadpanning, "Don't let him give you any good ideas, please!" When Happy screams as a candle melts wax on his bum, Lucy adds, "Especially that one!"
"Triangle Dummy Dragon!" The wooden contraption shoots for Natsu but he braces his foot against it, halting its movements.
"Calling this thing a dragon is an insult!" Natsu scoffs.
"Well, if that's not your cup of tea, then try the Iron Maiden!" The man summons an iron coffin around Natsu.
"Natsu!" Lucy and I exclaim worriedly.
"This seems like the kind of thing Gajeel would be into," He mutters, trying to keep the coffin from closing on him. The doors eventually close, trapping Natsu within.
"Now stay tight," The Avatar member says.
"Oh, no!" Happy exclaims.
"That's brutal!" Lucy and I say in unison.
"The punishment is completed. To a t," The man says.
I notice a drop of molten fire dripping out of the maiden's eye, causing the dark wizard's eyes to snap open in shock. Lucy and I grin triumphantly, nodding our heads once.
"The iron is melting?! How?!" The man exclaims before Natsu punches him back into the wall behind him.
"That's two down!" Natsu says.
"You're mine!" An armored wizard jumps up behind the pinkette, but Natsu knocks him aside with his flames.
"That's three!"
"So, strong!" Virgo says in amazement.
"That's our Natsu!" Happy chimes.
"Always ready to serve up some punch!" Lucy adds, and I smirk.
I say, "You can say that again."
The second guy who Natsu attacked says, "What a miserable end. No! We're the top tiered wizards of Avatar..."
"It's obvious you were in too deep, Gomon," Says a familiar male voice from the stairs, causing us to jerk our heads toward him. Lucy and I gasp as Gray Fullbuster steps toward Natsu, a flat expression on his face. "Leave him to me."
Gray's black hair is spikier, with a strand dangling down his forehead, and black marks in a narrow stripe going up the right side of his face, through his eye, making it glow purple, while more marks cover his right arm, underneath his long sleeved black and grey coat with black pants and boots.
Natsu greets cheerfully, seemingly unfazed by the ice wizard's new appearance, "Hey, man! Long time no see!"
🗡🗡🗡
With cries of exertion, both Natsu and Gray throw punches at each other.
The others and I could only watch as the two males continue to exchange blow after blow. Dodging another punch, Natsu leaps back, grinning.
Lucy exclaims, "Stop it! Could you guys cut it out, already?!"
Ignoring her, Gray says, "You guys made a stupid mistake coming to this place." Encasing his fist in ice, Gray lunges at Natsu and punches at him, but Natsu blocks it, before returning it with his own flaming punch.
"That's funny! Because I was about to say the exact same thing to you!" Natsu retorts, the two bashing their foreheads together.
"I can do whatever the hell I want!" Gray snaps. They attack each other again.
When Gray blocks another flaming punch, Natsu tells him, "You're wrong! Juvia's waiting for you!" Gray doesn't say anything to that. "As a matter of fact, we all are!" Natsu swings a punch down and across as he adds, "We're going to Getz Fairy Tail back together, but we can't do it without you!"
Gray dodges his attacks and Natsu grunts in pain. Gray says, "You're such an idiot." Trapping Natsu in ice, Gray yells, "Don't you realise that Fairy Tail is gone?!"
Natsu easily melts the ice and stands before Gray as he replies, "No! It's not! All the memories we shared, and the friendships we've made, they haven't gone anywhere! Fairy Tail is still here—it lives on in our hearts!" Natsu thumps his hand against his chest as he says this.
Closing his eyes, Gray says uncaringly, "Sure, okay. If that works for you. But it seems to me like that should be enough, so leave me out of it. Let me follow my own path from now on."
A sad expression settles on my and Lucy's faces at that, and we avert our eyes.
"Gray, you can't possibly mean that," I murmur sadly.
"Fairy Tail is in my past, and that's where it's going to stay. We used to be friends, but everything's changed. I can't pretend that it hasn't," Gray states. I stare at him in shock for a moment, until my expression morphs into a furious glare, my hand curling into a fist at my side.
My eyes jerk wide when a loud slap echoes through the chamber. Lucy had gone up to the Fullbuster and slapped him.
"Nobody is pretending!" She says. "We're your friends, Gray! And we always will be! Whatever it is you're going through, we're here to help." Tears start pouring down her cheeks. "Hearing you say all this is breaking my heart. After all we've been through—!" Lucy is cut off with a gasp as she presses a hand to her stomach. "I don't... feel so good!"
"What's happening?" Natsu asks worriedly.
Hunching over, the blonde replies, pain in her voice, "All of a sudden, my stomach started hurting really bad! I can't..." Lucy trembles in pain as she drops to her knees.
Gray says nonchalantly, "It must be you, Mary."
"Oh, am I interrupting, Gray? It looks like you're catching up with some old friends. Probably from that guild that went belly up, aren't they?" A girl with short pink hair and gold eyes says as she stands behind Gray.
"Princess!" Virgo exclaims.
"What the hell are you doing with Lucy?" Natsu demands.
"Simmer down!" Gomon shouts as chains suddenly wrap around our wrists and waists, tripping Natsu up in the process.
I say, gasping, "I'm pretty sure these chains are made with Seal Stone!"
Virgo says, "I think you're correct, Viv-chan."
"I'll help you!" Happy cries as he runs toward us. He's suddenly halted and flipped backward.
"Cursy-san loves to play!" Abel says, bending the doll backwards.
Happy groans painfully, "Yeah, I know!"
"We were having a little difficul-t," Gomon says.
Mary says as she crouches beside Lucy, "Now, I wouldn't bother trying to fight away the pain, if I were you." Mary puts her hand on her cheek. "Because you're weak. I'm, like, so totally stronger than you. And my Blood Magic power wins them all!"
"Alright, Gray!" Natsu growls and begins charging forward, despite the chains.
"But these chains are blocking his magic power!" Gomon gasps.
"Stop right there!" A blonde haired guy orders as he points his sword down at Lucy. Natsu freezes and glares at him.
Lucy whimpers, "It hurts so bad!"
"Princess!" Virgo gasps as Happy is thrown about by Abel's Cursy-san.
"This is what happens when you don't mind your own business, Natsu," Gray says pointedly. I grit my teeth as I glare sharply at him.
"Damn you, Gray!" I seethe at him, hurt that he'd actually betray us.
"You're not yourself, man! It's obvious that some kind of demon's taken over you!" Natsu denies.
"No. I'm in control of myself," Gray replies, tugging of his black coat, revealing the same black pattern on the right side of his body. His Fairy Tail guild mark is gone, replaced by that of Avatar's. "My Fairy Tail emblem is gone. I made the choice to get rid of it so I can find my own answer," Gray says as he thumps his fist against his chest.
(The pic is of Avatar's symbol—->)
Lucy and I glare at him, unable to believe what we're seeing.
Happy says from the floor, "I can't believe he'd do that—he's erased his guild mark!"
"No way!" I breathe, hazel eyes wide.
Natsu growls, "You'll regret that!"
🗡🗡🗡
After that, my friends and I are put in a cell. Happy has Seal Stone shackles wrapped around his body, while Lucy, Natsu and I have shackles around our wrists.
"Yummy fish, yummy fish. Don't burn it to a crisp, Natsu. That's my fishy," Happy mumbles in his sleep, before his eyes flutter open. "Oh, wait..."
Lucy asks, "You okay, Happy?"
"Guess so. Does your tummy feel better?"
"Yeah. It doesn't hurt anymore," She replies, nodding once.
"Where's Virgo?" Happy questions.
"I think these Seal Stone chains forced her gate closed."
Sitting beside me, against the wall, Natsu grumbles, "Gray is such a jerk!"
I mutter, "I swear, when I get out of here, I'm going to make him regret ever thinking of betraying us! I won't hesitate to beat him to a pulp!"
"He looks stupid without his Fairy Tail guild mark," Happy mutters.
Lucy says, "As crazy as it sounds, I believe Natsu about his theory. Something's taken him over or he's being manipulated."
I say from beside her, glaring, "You're right. The real Gray would never betray us."
We fall silent, processing everything. A moment later, the sound of footsteps reach our ears.
"Hear that?" Lucy gasps as we look up.
Gomon appears outside the cell. He bows, facing away from us, startling me, Lucy, and Happy.
"What kind of lunatic bows to empty air?!" Lucy exclaims.
The Exceed shouts, "Scary!!"
Jumping up and running at the bars, Natsu growls as he bashes his head against them, "Where is Gray?! Bring him down here right now!!"
Gomon explains, "Gray and the other mighty ones had to leave to begin the mission we've been brewing up."
"What's that?" Natsu demands, getting to his feet.
"The Purification Plan for the unclean masses," Gomon replies as he turns back toward us. "Our exalted leader asked that I stay behind so I could snuff out who sent you here. Under strenuous and brutal torture."
I question, "What is this 'Purification Plan'?"
"The purification of souls. Only one thing will beckon the return of our dark lord, Zeref. The deaths of countless innocents."
Lucy denies, "There's no way Gray would be involved with some evil plan like that."
Gomon then rambles in about how Lucy didn't comment on his outfit, and that he's a huge fan of Zeref, which was why he got the face tattoo on his forehead which he believes means "Zeref rules." Lucy, however, corrects him in saying that it means "Powdered tea," stunning the dark wizard.
Annoyed, Gomon gestures with his fingers and Lucy is suddenly hanging from the ceiling.
Happy says in shock, "He can control the torture stuff without touching them?!"
"You've just noticed?"
"Let her go, Round Boy!" Natsu and I snap as we glare at him.
"You should realise that I have the power here." He flicks his fingers again, chaining Happy, Natsu and I to the wall, my and Natsu's arms spread outward. "Time to get started. And I will show no pity."
"How pathetic," I say harshly, causing everyone to freeze as they snap their heads to me. "You're seriously going to torture someone who can't even fight back? That's low, even for you. I guess you're just too scared to deal with Natsu and I. I'm rather disappointed."
A smug smirk stretches my lips. Normally, I wouldn't provoke the enemy like this, but if it means my friends could be spared, I'll do whatever it takes to protect them. Even at the cost of my own life.
Lucy stutters in confusion, "V-Viv-chan, what are you doing...?"
"You're annoying me, little girl," Gomon says with a red tick mark on his forehead, a dark expression on his face. With a flick of his fingers, he moves my shackles to the ceiling, so I'm dangling on the other side of the table. Gomon picks up a wicked looking axe and holds it beside my neck. I shift my neck away from it a little. "You're going to regret that, girl!"
"Vivian!!" Natsu shouts fearfully. "No, don't!!"
Gomon moves the blade away and prepares to slash my neck. I could also sense his magic power. I just continue to smirk smugly at him. Gomon swings the blade around to slice at my neck, but before he could, a huge gust of icy wind rushes through the cell, instantaneously freezing the Avatar member. I blink my eyes a couple of times when I notice the axe has stopped just inches from slicing my neck open.
As the icy wind dies down, we could see Gray standing there.
Lucy gasps in immense relief, "Gray!"
Ice coats the shackles and breaks them, freeing all of us. I land in a crouch before straightening up.
Rubbing the back of his head, Gray says in exasperation, "So typical. How could you guys always ruin everything?" I tilt my head slightly in curiosity when Gray takes out some weird, rectangle shaped device and taps the screen. It lights up and Gray taps it again before putting it to his ear.
He begins speaking into it. "Listen up, it's Code Blue. I just hit a snag, here. ..... No, no. Not that kind. ..... Hmhm. Hell if I know. You should probably ask her yourself," Gray adds, as the black patterns disappear from his body. The ice wizard flicks his deep blue eyes at me. "She's right here."
Happy observes, "All that stuff on him just faded away."
I blink my eyes in surprise as Gray chucks the device to me, but I catch it easily.
Gray tells me, "Hold it up to your ear, Viv-chan."
"What is it supposed to do?" I ask. Though I hold it up to my ear as instructed.
"Viv-chan, this is you, right?" I gasp at the familiar female voice and glance at Gray. He nods once in confirmation as he smirks.
I could hear a smile in her voice as Erza Scarlet chides me, "Congratulations. Your antics blew Gray's covert operation."