Slain Among Ice And Fire {Fairy Tail}

Chapter 12- Golden Azure

Chapter 12
Golden Azure

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Magic I create, and my own original Ideas

.:+:.

She didn't notice it, not what he had. She hadn't felt anything, not the slightest sense of anything racing toward her nor the immediate danger. For all her perception and her rather incredible reflexes and instincts- she didn't see it coming. Where she had been on par with Natsu when it came to sensing danger seconds before, this time she didn't sense it.

But he did, and not fast enough.

Pain flared through her body like flame, her eyes snapping away from him and toward that glitter of scarlet that suddenly painted the air in front of her.

The scent of blood hit her nose, and it was hers.

"Hora!!!!!"

.:+:.

She took a few short steps to catch herself, suddenly off balance and the breath catching in her throat as her gaze followed those drops of crimson through the air behind her, watching them splatter against the stone at her feet.

Natsu's onyx gaze flashed, face pulled into a slightly panicked frown from where he was- Hora bumping into his chest after having had him pull her roughly forward toward him. One of his hands held tightly around her wrist while the other instinctively moved to hold her hip as she ran into him, stiffening when he heard Hora hiss under her breath.

That glint of light that had caught his attention belonged to a long, sharp blade that had been thrown her way out of near nowhere. That wicked edge caught her shoulder-blade and the top of her back as Natsu pulled her toward him, sparing her getting stabbed, but a deep, angry red line cut across her shoulder blade, back, and over her spine- tearing a line through her shirt, skin and muscle with ease.

Hora growled, her eyes flashing in pain as her head turned around slightly, seeing a few more drops hit the ground at her feet and feeling the slick warmth of her own blood begin to trail down her back nearly instantly.

"H-Hora?!" Lucy and Happy gasped, eyes wide and glittering. Their gaze snapped quickly between Hora and that blade that had struck into the stone not a few feet from where she and Natsu were. Hora's eyes weren't on them though, nor was she looking toward that Fire Dragon Slayer who had grabbed hold of her. Her head turned to try and glace over her shoulder toward that wound, sweatdropping heavily as the sensation of fire over her skin flared brighter, and the black markings encasing her arm leapt forward at an accelerated rate, spreading up her shoulder and across her back to encase where the wound was now, leaving the pain and an icy burning sensation that was less pleasant than normal. Steam rose up from the wound a few moments, though it didn't close despite the markings attempting to do so, Hora swallowed.

".... Shit...." She hissed lowly, wincing slightly in between.

"Tch...." Natsu hissed, "You alright?" Hora nodded slightly, her eyes skipping over him as she glanced toward the blade. His eyes flicked from her face to glance over her shoulder slightly, swallowing as his eyes traced the wound and the considerable amount of blood beginning to fall from it,

Hora's eyes snapped toward him while he wasn't looking, and she halted- the breath catching in her throat and eyes flashing as her heart jumped in her chest.

W-what.... what the hell is with... N..Natsu....?

She paled slightly, her mind crumbling and failing to come up with any answer to what she saw as she looked at him- really looked at him, for the first time, and only for a split second did it remain.

... the.. h....hell.....? I swear... for a second there.... he didn't look.....

But it was gone so fast she had a hard time convincing herself she hadn't imagined it. So she shoved the thought and the sudden shock away,

".... move." Hora mumbled, catching Natsu's attention as he blinked, a little taken aback.

He felt a shiver run up his spine though, his eyes breaking away from the wound to finally meet hers, expecting to find those deep blue eyes that had become familiar the last few days- and not seeing them at all.

That dark blue had suddenly turned a startling, fiery gold, with a ring of crimson red circling through the gold at the center. Natsu felt the breath catch in his throat as his mind shuddered to a halt.

"W-what the...?" He stammered, those suddenly gold and red eyes snapped away from him and back toward where the blade had landed, her expression pulling in seriousness and slight panic.

"Move!" Hora said again, louder this time and the panic making it's way into her voice, faintly- but enough that Natsu realized immediately something was wrong.

But this time around Hora moved faster than he did, her hands snapping forward as she took hold of his shirt, roughly pulling him backward with her as she rushed to move. They both stumbled, Hora tripping over her feet in her haste and Natsu stunned enough he lost his balance, but there was a metallic shing of the air being cut- something silver rushing through the empty space that Natsu had previously been standing in just a second before, and nearly too late to avoid as the blade managed to cut off a few pieces of his pink hair before striking hard into the wall. Natsu's eyes widened, sweatdropping heavily as his eyes found the blade, before he was forced to look away- he and Hora locked together as they hit the ground with a painful thud. Natsu fell on top of Hora who's back hit the floor- sending agony racing through her body in an instant from the new wound, and enough she yelped- her hold on his shirt releasing with the pain and her eyes snapping shut against it. The back of her head banged against the stone floor with a painful jolt too, her jaw gritting and hissing as all track of the present was lost to the sudden throbbing, one hand moving to hold the back of her now painfully aching head.

"Natsu! Hora!" Lucy and Happy snapped in panic,

"Where the hell did those knives come from?!" Happy asked quickly,

Natsu hissed, his mind whirling as he quickly pushing himself off the Saber woman he had landed atop so roughly, his hands on either side of her and straddling her torso slightly as he saw the pain work it's way into her face ever deeper, he could see her cringing and see the blood welling on the floor underneath her where her back had hit it.

"Shit!" He snapped, agitation and worry rising with panic at how quickly things had turned and how quickly she had gotten hit- but where the hell had those blades come from?! And how did she see the second one coming when he didn't?!

"You ok?!" He snapped again, her suddenly golden gaze opened and landed on him, wincing under her breath as he kept his eyes on her, not budging an inch even from still being on top of her,

"... tch..... yeah, Salamander..." Hora grumbled lowly, wincing again and she looked up at him, her face neutral but he saw the pain flashing in her eyes still. "... but maybe do get off me, alright?" She grumbled, he blinked, nodding stiffly as he quickly climbed off, taking a knee beside her as Hora sat up, hissing in pain but ignoring it as she drew up to bend on one knee, her hands on either side of her and eyes glittering. The stone floor behind her was smeared red, but she hardly cared nor noticed- her eyes were on everything else.

"How did you know about the second one?" Natsu grumbled, looking serious now. ".... and what's with your eyes?" He asked, his voice dropping slightly as Hora shook her head a little as if too clear it of some haze.

".... This place is a huge trap." Hora grumbled lowly, Natsu blinked, though she didn't elaborate further than that- and didn't have time to question it as Lucy and Happy ran up beside them, looking slightly frantic.

"Are you guys ok?" Happy asked quickly,

"Hora, that wound looks serious!" Lucy breathed, her eyes glinting as she took in the blood and the injury.

"..... It's fine." Hora murmured lowly, her eyes catching Lucy and Happy's for a split second- both of them growing rigid and eyes widening to see the blue had altered to that eerie golden-red hue. Hora got to her feet stiffly, one eye shutting tight at the pain that came from moving even the slightest bit, she could feel her skin and muscle pulling uncomfortably under the markings trying to hold it all together and keep from letting the wound tear more. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from wincing,

".... y-your eyes..?"

Hora's gaze narrowed, trailing from the blades and across the room, moving upward along the wall and toward the balconies overhead.

"Well well, you avoided those better than I thought you could."

The eyes of the Fairy Tailers snapped up toward the voice again, their panic and worry dissipating as they remembered having heard it before, and that they had been trapped in with no way out.

There where Hora's eyes had found moments before, on the center balcony high over their heads, stood the owner of that voice- and the owner of those blades that had caused so much harm in so little time too.

It was a man, tall and lanky with dull, sickly yellow eyes and disheveled gray hair. His jaw was adorned by a beard just as messy, and streaked through by bits of white too. He stood on the edge of the railing with little a care, his fingers on his hands twitching incessantly at his sides, his fingernails painted in alternating black and green. He regarded them with a face full of neutrality that almost seemed bored, his eyes flicking across each of them in turn and landing finally on Natsu and Hora.

"Most people aren't quick enough, few can anticipate the danger- even Mages." He mumbled, his voice echoing strangely off the walls, his index finger on his left hand twitched, trailing lightly along the ring of keys hanging loosely from his belt.

".. my Keys..!" Lucy hissed under her breath, agitation and anger working it's way into her face.

"... that means he's the leader around here, right?" Happy mumbled lowly, his eyes moving tentatively from the strange man toward Hora, just in time to see her nod slightly, though her attention was fixed to the very thing that the Fairy Tailers could not see.

The room was a mess. Nearly every inch of available space was threaded across by hundreds, millions even- thin, pale white lines that resembled wire. They crossed one another, weaved through the walls and stuck fast to the ground in too many ways and too complicated patterns to even begin to see where they started, nor where they ended. It looked like something out of a story, of an old crypt that had been painted across by the webs of spiders for centuries upon counting, weaving so thickly and so numerous in all the delicate, yet strong threads that sections of the floor, walls and air were swallowed by nothing but dim, glowing white.

All around their feet, hanging in front of their noses, passing so close their skin they should have felt it- there wasn't a single place they could stand nor step were they weren't in contact with one of the threads, yet neither she nor the Fairy Tailers felt a thing- as was surely the point.

As it was she shouldn't have been able to see it, because while they looked like web and wire and string, they were most definitely nothing of the sort- the glow was telling, the ethereal way they seemed to bend and even move, like rippling waves to the point it was almost nauseating. Not wire, but lines of Magic running everywhere, in every way, every place... and though following the lines to the source was impossible, she knew where they lead.

The lines moved, bouncing lightly and swimming as the man's fingers moved incessantly from where he was, the vibrations moving out over the mass, directing them, almost like... puppet strings.

This place was a trap, and they were smack dab in the center of it, surrounded on all sides. And she was the only one of any of them who could see it at all.

Hora swallowed, her vision swimming a moment as image of the lines flickered before her, fading slightly from view as she felt pain flash across her back, and the icy burn grew stronger- she could feel the markings move up her neck again, threatening to swallow her whole. And then there came with it an agonizing jolt of pain through her core and her chest that had her lungs failing to take in air for a few long moments, lest she start coughing up blood again. She was losing enough of it already down her back.

'You've grown sloppy, you should have been able to see this without resorting to using the full extent of your Magic.'

Shut. The. Fuck. Up.

But that damned voice was right. She just hated it, and hated herself for not realizing what they had walked into sooner. Hating she had to use her Magic to pick apart the air and make the lines visible, hating she had to let her Magic flare high enough for it- she shouldn't have to, it should have been easy, immediate even... and yet it hadn't. She had to force it, bring the depths of her Magic to the surface and threaten to send her control spiraling away from her with it.

This on top of missing the Spell that had kept the real Jeihel from being seen? It was more than sloppiness.... it was like she'd lost her touch entirely.

Damn me

But why?

'You know why.'

The fire in her core raged brighter than ever at that. One name came to mind, one asshole, one person- she would love, ever so fucking love to tear to shreds, rip his body apart and melt the skin from-

"Oi! You Bastard!" Natsu snapped, breaking Hora's concentration and thoughts with his voice- the fire in her heart died down, again.

.... How does he keep doing that? When my mind goes so damn.. dark....? It's like.... he snaps reality back into place just by talking.

"Yer gonna pay for all of the shit you've pulled! And you had damn well better give Lucy her Keys back right now!!" Natsu yelled, his voice bouncing from the walls and fists clenched at his sides, looking quite ready to jump up toward the other man and start laying into him.

"How abrasively loud you are." The man grumbled, Hora's eyes narrowed to slits, her body tensing as she saw one of the Magic Strings near to Natsu shift, vibrating as if someone had plucked at it with a finger and let go- and the movement rippled out to hundreds of other Strings all around their little group. She could almost hear the vibrations on the air, though only in her head.

And who the hell knows what those things could do, she pieced together that somehow the Strings had sent the blades in motion- but with the millions there actually were?

And what the hell kind of Magic is this anyway?!

She hadn't a clue, and the voice in her head failed to speak up with any sort of answer- so it didn't matter really. All that mattered was that man was about to do something- whatever it was, and certainly nothing good- and she was the only one out of any of them that could see him preparing.

Think Hora, think!

Her body moved out of sheer instinct, her Magic flaring as the Markings took chance to spring forward without her wishing them too.

But there was no anger then, not true anger, not the burning hot rage and murderous intent she had had to contend with her entire life. The Markings didn't burn like they usually did- they were hot, enough to be icy across her skin, but it wasn't the same force that sent her mind spinning away into a chasm she couldn't pull free from. She didn't intend to harm that man because of how fun it would be, nor how good it would feel. She wasn't attacking him outright, she was-

- Protecting them. No matter what.

And the anger didn't turn to rage, she was just... resolute. Her Magic was resolute, her Magic was steady and calm and controlled like she had seldom felt it be, in so very, very long a time.

She was moving, her Magic was rising to the surface without her thinking about it, she'd moved herself in front of all three and she did it without hesitating a single moment. Her hands raised on either side of her, flames flickering as they circled her arms like serpents would, her hair moving as the wind and pressure picked up around her. The Markings stretched down both arms, stopping just shy of her jaw and crossing over her chest and shoulders where they were visible, the black shining warmly in the growing light of the fire.

Hora let out a low, slow breath- the air engulfed in a hazy cloud before her, all of their eyes reflecting the metallic sheen that bounced from the hundreds of blades and weapons that had seemed to materialize out of the stone walls around them. The Fairy Tailers looked between the blades and Hora in utter shock, eyes widening and jaws dropping at how quickly she had moved and where she placed herself.

Those golden-red eyes landed on the North Wind Lieutenant steadily, her expression resolute and unflinching, her attention never leaving him and never flicking for even a second toward the hundreds of incoming weapons and blades of all sizes and shapes- and all deadly in their own right.

Her hands swung forward, the flames dancing from her arms and springing through the air in a wave, whirling and spinning as if they were beasts and creatures in themselves.

The flames burned an incredible golden-azure color unlike anything any of them had ever seen, striking out across the ground and through the air in mere moments, Hora's voice clear and cold as the words bounced off the stone.

"Fire Devil's-" Hora growled lowly, too low for anyone to possibly hear normally, a waft of air rushing into the Fairy Tailers behind her, causing them to bring their hands up and cover their eyes, their faces washed against by a thick cloud of heat. A flickering visage of a Magic Circle flashed in front of Hora for a split second, before it imploded and air shook with it.

"Guardian Circle!!"

.:+:.

Just once... Only once before

They were hurt, badly. Worse than she had ever seen them be, and seeing the crimson drip from their bodies, their mouths, their noses- it was enough to break her heart, enough to hurt- even more than her own wounds.

They hadn't a clue what they walked into then, just like now. They'd started headfirst into that job, aware of the difficulty that was supposed to come with it- but unaware of just how dangerous it would be. And they very nearly paid dearly for it.

... no, she screwed up then, and she had screwed up now too.

It was the only thing she could do to try and fix it, save them.. guard them.

Rogue and Sting were shaking, struggling to stand up and face the large, bulky man that had them all pinned against a wall and with nowhere to go. A monster of a man, with much more Power and Magic more stifling than they, or Hora had ever come across- even from Jiemma.

They'd seldom come across someone too powerful to contend against individually, and rarely when they were working all together like this. But this man.... He was unbelievable.

Even for her

She knew they didn't remember it, not what she did, not how she'd jumped in front of them and let her Magic run wild where she never dared to before. They didn't remember the golden-blue hue her Fire had taken on that day, because by the time she'd used her Magic in such a way they had long since passed out from pain and wounds too many.

The Exceeds saw it though. Lector and Frosch saw it as they stood by their downed Partners, eyes wide and ears pressed against their heads as they watched Hora plant herself between an attack meant to kill them, and how she guarded against it. Their eyes reflecting the brilliant blue and gold glow, their fur washed back by the heat that had grown so intense it had felt nearly icy cold.

There had been such a loud boom of her Magic clashing with the other man's that they barely heard her say the words, and failed to hear anything but the last two.

"Guardian Circle."

And the sheer rise in power that had taken hold of her in the next minutes was something they had never seen before, and nothing that either Lector or Frosch had seen again.

They couldn't move, they just watched, rigid in awe and shock as Hora lay into that man and beat him. All on her own.

And they never seen her look so pissed either. And she had been angry, very much so- but like now it hadn't been that murderous rage she was so afraid of falling victim to.

She was just mad that they'd gotten so hurt and she's done so little to keep it from happening.

So even when Rogue and Sting finally came to, all their wounds already wrapped and treated by her, with the help of Lector and Frosch- she smiled brightly, hiding how awful she had felt and guilty that they'd gotten wounded like that.

They'd been stunned, to say the least- to go from passing out to waking up and the job was already done and over without them?

And they sure as hell couldn't wrap their heads around how she'd done it all by herself. And the explanation they received from Hora, Lector and Frosch alike were nowhere near helpful, or satisfying.

"What the hell do you mean gold and blue fire?"

"Is that even allowed?!"

It hasn't been this color since then.

'You haven't been so determined and willing to act in order to protect humans in that long a time.'

Guard them, you mean.

'.... That is a part of what your Magic is meant to do, after all.'

.:+:.

.... Maybe.... I started to forget that part though.

'That's because you've deemed your Magic evil.'

It is.

'.... Hmm... But that does not determine what you do with it to be evil. You decide your own action.'

.... That's... Kinda like.. What Natsu said...

"You do smell good.... And I don't feel tense around you either. You're Magic felt weird, but I don't think you're as dark a person as your Magic feels. It was like you weren't you or a split second... but you've been you since. Nice. Gentle. You're actually a really nice person, so I guess I'm just surprised you're Magic feels so different from how you really are..... is that why it's hard for you? Cause you're Magic's really freakin' strong, I mean- I haven't felt anyone's Fire as hot as yours before. If you're Magic is dark and you're not, do you have a hard time staying who you are because it's so powerful?"

I'm not as dark as my Magic.... I choose what I do with it. I'm.... Maybe I'm not a monster.

.... Maybe I can use it to do more than harm.

'You would be incapable of this Spell, if you did not have the will to do good, to protect.'

..... When the hell... Did you get so nice and helpful, hmm?

'Be quiet.'

She almost smirked, if not for her focus on the man and the sudden burning energy rushing through her body.

The glow of gold and blue lit up the room and bounced from the stone, heat wafting around through the air in wild waves as the weapons crashed against the sheer, near solid wall of flame that erupted around them in a circle, a line between Hora and the Fairy Tailers and the objects that would do them harm.

Below their feet a Magic Circle had appeared, the edges rung around by the wall of flame.

Hora's eyes flashed, the weapons melting immediately on contact with the fire and seeing the lines of Magic melting away inside the confines of her Spell just as quickly. What Lines tried to reattach themselves and break through the fire failed entirely, the North Wind Lieutenant scowled down at her, his fingers twitching away madly trying to break through- he wouldn't have any chance, she'd carved a circle to which nothing could step inside of if she didn't want it to.

"Y-you..." He growled, his hands raising in front of him, "... little... bitch....!"

Hora smirked, her lips twitching at the corner for a split second, before it faded into a softer smile.

She glanced over her shoulder toward the Fairy Tailers, her hands falling to her hips and the flames simmering down to an ember around the edge of the circle, glowing faintly. Even without the flames, the Magic Lines were still failing to cross over the line- as was sure to be pissing the North Wind Lieutenant off even more.

Lucy, Happy and Natsu all caught her eyes, attention snapping away from gazing at her Magic, looking stunned and completely in awe, their jaws dropped and sweatdropping. They blinked at the sudden soft smile she shot their way, her golden-red gaze glinting.

"... wh... what kind of Spell is this...?" Lucy asked hesitantly,

"Yeah... and what's with your eyes, Hora..?" Happy mumbled,

".... did you say.... Fire Devil...?" Natsu's voice had dropped so low neither Lucy nor Happy heard him say anything, but a part of him knew nearly instantly that Hora had- because she smiled nervously as her gaze flicked toward him in particular for a small moment.

"Ah, simple version, yeah?" Hora hummed, turning only slightly their way and completely ignorant of the seething North Wind Lieutenant still standing on that balcony above their heads. They blinked, quite unsure what had brought on such a lighthearted tone and smile so suddenly- how could she look that relaxed right now?

"To start, whatever Magic this guy's using involves hundreds of Strings made up a Magic that span every inch of this room." Hora waved her hand lightly in a gesture toward the walls, "Can't tell you the specifics, but he's connected to all the strings and is making the weapons appear and move with them." They blinked, looking taken aback and glancing around feverishly to try and see the 'Strings' for themselves.

"... b... but I don't see any 'Magic Strings', Hora." Lucy mumbled, Hora shook her head slightly,

"You won't." Hora replied lightly, "That's where the part about my eyes comes in." She tapped a hand lightly under her eye, smiling reassuringly. "Remember I said my Magic has a way of picking apart illusions, charms and stuff?" Lucy nodded slightly, "Well, I can also use it to see things that otherwise can't be seen- or are considered 'hidden'. Whatever Magic this guy uses is hiding the Magic Strings from regular view, so normally they are invisible- but if I use my Magic to focus enough, I can see them anyway. So even though you guys can't see them, trust me, they are definitely there."

"That's how you saw the second blade coming before me. And all those other weapons too." Natsu mumbled, Hora nodded.

"... That..... that is amazing." Lucy breathed, "You're Magic is really impressive, Hora!"

"But if you said the Strings are everywhere, wouldn't that mean we're in the middle of them right now?" Happy asked, Hora smiled again with a shake of her head.

"No, not anymore." She smiled lightly, tilting her head in the direction of the floor and the Magic Circle that still glowed faintly. "This Spell keeps everything unwanted out of the confines of the circle, so don't worry about any of the Strings getting through, or any other types of attacks for that matter. They won't make it passed the border as long as I keep the Spell going." All of their eyes widened at that, "So, in essence- this Circle is the only safe spot in the whole room." Hora explained lightly,

".... how long are you gonna be able to keep it going?" Natsu mumbled, his face still plastered in that seriousness that was much too unlike him- but it was called for at the present situation. Hora blinked at that, her smile fading for a moment, before it returned, though she looked rather nervous.

She was forcing herself not to show it outwardly- but somehow that Flame-Brain seemed to see it anyway. Apart from the throb and sting of the wound on her back, there was something sharper flaring in her chest, and getting worse the longer she kept the Spell going subconsciously.

Over-Drive was getting worse the longer they were here, and the longer she kept her Magic up too. 'Guardian Circle' was a ridiculously complicated Spell, and took up a lot of Magic Energy to cast in the first place, and even more to keep it going and working after that. She could already feel her Magic Energy Supply depleting, and quickly- if she didn't watch it she'd exhaust and strain herself too much- and that was just the perfect scenario to have her start coughing up blood again.

She just wondered how Natsu seemed to simply know she was putting herself in a heap of trouble.

".... ah.. not very long." She admitted quietly, "... this Spell is.... ah.... kinda hell, to keep up." Natsu nodded stiffly, Lucy and Happy seemed to swallow.

"Then we gotta finish this fast." He growled, cracking his knuckles in the palm of his hand.

"You can't see the Strings moving, Salamander." Hora mumbled, "Even at your fastest, there's no telling what else this guy can throw at you- or even if you can dodge it." Natsu grimaced slightly at that, his eyes flicking away from her.

"Yeah, but you can't take him out all on your own." He grumbled, "And hell if I'm sitting here doin' nothing." His eyes moved back toward Hora, only to halt, his serious expression falling slightly as he blinked.

Hora's face had fallen utterly neutral, her eyes settled on him with a deadpan stare. Natsu's head tilted slightly,

"What?" He mumbled, Lucy and Happy sighed silently to themselves, their faces falling and looking rather exasperated.

"I feel like I should be offended." Hora muttered levelly, Natsu stiffened slightly, blinking a few more times as the utterly stony response. He huffed slightly, his jaw clenching in agitation as he growled,

"Tch, come on I didn't mean it that way!" He said quickly,

"I think you did." Hora replied, her tone never wavering from neutrality, nor her expression with it. Natsu flinched at that, looking a little flustered.

"I meant you can't keep this Spell going at the same time as trying to find a way to beat this guy! You already said it's hard to keep up!" He huffed,

"And what do you plan to do?" Hora deadpanned again, looking no more amused nor appeased.

"We can't just sit here!" He snapped, "And there ain't nobody doing anything all by themselves! We're all here and we're gonna work together to get this job done, like we agreed to!" Hora blinked, swallowing slightly at the words.

"He's right, we need to do this together." Lucy piped up, "We can figure out how to get around his Magic, if we all pitch in." She smiled, nodding firmly as Hora's gaze moved toward the blonde slowly.

"Aye!" Happy smirked, "All four of us are sure to come up with something!"

Hora's eyes fell closed, her shoulders sagging slightly as she let out a long, low breath. She had a feeling they could keep arguing back and forth a long while if she was stubborn enough to try it, and honestly she wasn't looking forward to wasting that much time. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from wincing outwardly as a stab of pain ignited in her chest, snatching her breath away for a few moments.

She was a little offended though, that Pinky had even suggested she couldn't take this guy out on her own.

But they all seemed rather intent on doing this together, so she figured it was best to just... roll with it.

"....... it might be easier to focus on getting your Keys back first, then." Hora sighed, her eyes opening to settle on Lucy, who nodded slightly. "Maybe one of your Spirits can help us out with the Strings and whatever, but you're gonna need 'um back first for that."

"Yeah, sounds good to me." Lucy replied,

"Let's get 'um back then." Natsu murmured,

"..... how dare you prattle on like that?!"

All four of them blinked, jumping slightly at the shout of sheer fury that sounded out of near nowhere,

".... oh right." Happy said quietly,

"... I kinda forgot that guy was still waitin' up there." Natsu mumbled, Hora sweatdropped slightly, looking just as exasperated as Lucy did in the next instant.

"Forgot?!" The North Wind Lieutenant snapped, his eyes alight in anger and rage. "You insolent little brats!!"

"Oi, you don't gotta keep yellin' like that, we're still gonna kick your ass." Natsu replied flatly, "Now! Give Lucy's Keys back, they don't belong to you!"

"I have plenty of things that don't technically belong to me, brat!" The man snapped, "You've got a lot of big words, but how do you intend to get them back sitting in that nice little safe-spot of yours? The minute you set foot outside that circle I'm going to tear you to pieces!"

".... Salamander." Hora mumbled quietly, seeing the agitation and annoyance spark anew in the Fire Dragon Slayer. "Don't do something dumb."

"Then back me up." He shot back instantly, Hora blinked.

"... what do you want me to do? Tell you where to dodge?" She mumbled, only to earn a smirk in return.

"Hell yeah, I'm quick enough to avoid getting hit, if you're quick enough to tell me." He smiled, "And in the meantime we can both lay into this guy and keep him too busy to get any good hits in, yeah?"

Hora blinked, sweatdropping slightly at the words and what was quite frankly.... kinda a dumb plan. But he looked so sure of himself and so confident she couldn't bring herself to disagree with it, even though she probably should have.

She sighed,

".. fine. Let's work fast, then." She mumbled, he smiled wider at that, Hora paused long enough to glance Lucy and Happy's way. "...seems I'm gonna have my hands full keeping an eye on Natsu, so for the meantime it's probably better for you two to stay here, so you don't get hurt. Alright?"

They nodded stiffly, "Yeah, we'll hang back a bit. Maybe in the meantime, with the more I see of his Magic, I can figure out how to stop him." Lucy murmured steadily, Hora nodded back a little.

"Alright, let's go Salamander." Hora murmured, turning back toward Natsu who smiled, looking nearly ecstatic.

"Hell yeah!"

Lucy and Happy recoiled slightly, eyes wide and jaws dropping at what sheer speed both Hora and Natsu took off with in the next second, a wave of air rushing up to hit their faces and attention struggling to find their blurred forms high over their heads now- and heading straight for the North Wind Lieutenant, who by now looked even more miffed. But his lips curled, smiling wickedly as his hands shot forward, fingers twitching madly.

"Try your best, brats!" He snapped, his voice ringing painfully off the stone.

Hora growled under her breath, the Strings vibrating and shifting madly around them, hundreds all at once and burning an eerie pale glow that was painful to look at.

"Above you!" She snapped curtly, Natsu reacting immediately to the sound of her voice and jumping sideways to avoid the hail of daggers that rained down from where he had been but seconds before. Her eyes snapped away to avoid what next attack she saw preparing from the corner of her eye, her feet pushing off the stone hard enough to send her high into the air, twisting to avoid the long, thirty foot lances that tried to impale her- and instead lodged into the walls and floor. She winced lowly, her back stinging at the movement- but she didn't dare slow down, her golden-red hue continually flicked between her own surroundings, and toward Natsu- calling out warnings without end while simultaneously dodging the ones coming toward her, all on top of keeping the Circle going.

They were moving nearly too quickly for Happy and Lucy to keep track of their movements, both of them shocked at how well Natsu and Hora seemed to be doing- how well Hora instructed him where the next attack was coming from, and how well he listened to keep himself out of danger entirely. It was like they found it ridiculously easy to work with one another, and the North Wind Lieutenant wasn't even close to hitting them with any of the attacks he sent their way- and he was looking even angrier by the second.

"He's clearly never come across someone who could see his Strings..." Lucy mumbled under her breath, her chocolate brown gaze narrowed and incredibly keen as she watched the three moving around.

She and Lucy jumped slightly, their eyes wide and glittering as their eyes snapped from Hora and Natsu toward the sudden torrent of cannons that appeared in air around them on all sides, the sound of the weapons clicking came for only a split second before a torrent of cannonballs let loose toward them.

Happy instinctively latched to Lucy, who recoiled, almost ready to move- before the edges of the Circle burned bright and a wall of flame leapt forward from Hora's Spell to melt every single cannonball before it ever even got close. Lucy shuddered slightly, Happy looking around in awe,

"..... this Spell is seriously strong!" Happy breathed,

".... it didn't even falter under all that power being thrown at it. Or even with Hora busy like she is.." Lucy murmured, ".... it's amazing how well she's keeping it going, all on top of fighting and keeping an eye on Natsu." She stiffened, stepping back a few paces as a long line of razor sharp halberds appeared next, thrusting forward toward them and halting as the wall of Flame burned bright again, rendering them to piles of melted goo with ease.

".... I remember how much damage she did to that guy when we first met her, her Magic Energy was stifling. And she's got to be on par with Natsu," Lucy mumbled nearly to herself, "..... Hora is really a very powerful Mage."

"Aye,"

Time stretched into near fifteen minutes with Hora and Natsu working in tandem, dodging attacks and throwing their own toward the North Wind Mage- who avoided several of them, but not all. Little by little Hora and Natsu were wearing him down, making him move around and keep on his toes to avoid getting hit- and all the while with Hora making sure Natsu was warned with enough time to move, and then they were back to the offensive again. Their Fire springing up around the air and burning walls, melting weapons here and there and singing and bruising the North Wind man on and on.

They were actually a damn good team.

Hora's feet pressed against the wall for but a split second as she moved out of the way of more swords, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the room- for a split second the Strings went lax, a small window between being avoided and readying again. She clenched her fists at her sides, crimson flame erupting around her person. She spared a glance Natsu's way, catching his gaze for a split second, before he nodded slightly, his Magic flaring around him in tangent with hers.

"Fire Dragon's-"

"Fire Devil's-"

The floor and wall cracked under their feet as they launched themselves upward instantaneously, the room dancing in shadows sent up by the harsh glow of red and orange as both Hora and Natsu appeared above the balcony in which the North Wind Lieutenant stood- after having jumped back up toward it in hopes of respite from their unrelenting movement toward him. Their eyes locked to him and their arms raised above their heads, an orb of glittering red and orange appeared over Natsu's head while a white-hot orb appeared between Hora's hands,

"-Brilliant Flame!"

"-Infernium!"

The spheres clashed together and combined as Hora and Natsu swung their arms down, the glare burning brightly enough that Happy and Lucy had to shield their eyes from it. The waves of heat and pressure that washed against their faces sent shivers running down their spines, the room shaking with the incredible boom that echoed out soon after, all sight of the North Wind Lieutenant, Hora and Natsu lost to the cloud that sprung up from the explosion so suddenly.

"Did they get him?!" Happy hissed under his breath, Lucy shook her head slightly.

They jumped, hearts skipping a beat as something heavy crashed to the floor not far from them, sweatdropping heavily to see Natsu slowly picking himself up from the sudden rubble that was the floor- only to hit the floor again, jaw gritting and growling in pain as his eyes found what was pulling him back again.

A thin trail of blood seeped down the length of razor sharp wire that had wrapped itself so tightly around his forearms that the skin was cut through with ease. Flames circled around him, burning the wire away as he drew his hand across his chin to rid it of the blood dripping from his nose.

"Natsu!" Happy gasped, "What happened?! Didn't you guys hit him?!"

"Tch.... yeah, but he got us too." Natsu hissed, his eyes flashing angrily.

"Hora....?" Lucy breathed, her eyes snapping away from the pinkette toward where they had last seen the Saber Woman. She stiffened, her breath catching in her throat-

Hora hissed, her airway cut off and unable to take in any air- her fingers fumbling slightly at the silvery metallic sheen of the wire that had wrapped itself around her throat, preventing breathing- and would have probably cut her throat open, if not for the onyx Markings that had covered her skin a long while before. More wire pressed painfully against her ripcage, wrapped around her torso and chest and keeping her suspended just slightly off the floor of the nearly completely destroyed balcony,

The bastard must have taken their turn to throw a complicated attack his way to his advantage, and hit them when neither he nor Hora was looking for it- or expecting it. He'd set it up so they'd get caught by the wire when they least expected him to try it- and right when Hora's attention had turned away from watching what the Magic String's were doing.

S...shit..... this.... asshole.... is really..... annoying me... n... now....

She cringed, her heart beating frantically in her chest and suddenly a jolt of agony swept through her, her throat burning as she coughed up what little air she had left, a dribble of scarlet peeking it's way past her lips and falling down her chin. The golden-red hue of her eyes flashed, breaking back to her usual deep blue for a few seconds as she felt her Magic falter along with Over-Drive starting to kick up a few more notches- she could feel the Markings shrink back up her hands, the skin of her fingertips and palms tearing open as she tried to pull the wire off and lacking the protection they provided now.

Crap..... this is going... so well....

"Horatia!" She faintly heard them call her name from somewhere down below her, but her eyes locked forward, meeting those sickly yellow of the North Wind Lieutenant, bleeding now and skin burned and singed in several places, balancing lightly atop what was left of the balcony and his hands raised toward her, scowling profusely.

Her eyes flicked away from his face toward the glint of light that bounced off the ring of Keys hanging from his belt,

"Caught ya, little brat!" The man sneered, his fingers pulling inward toward his palm as the wire tightened, Hora's eyes snapped shut against it. "What the hell? Why isn't it cutting you?!"

"Let her go!"

The North Wind Lieutenant's head snapped sideways, Natsu appearing to his left and fire licking off his fist as he swung out toward his face, missing by barely a few inches as the man sidestepped in Hora's direction to avoid the hit. Natsu whirled around to face him, only to have the breath knocked out of him as a large, heavy log in the shape of a battering ram made contact with his stomach, pushing him off the balcony and winding him.

The man yelped, his body wrenched backward as Hora moved, her legs wrapping around his neck and shoulders tightly, trapping him in place as he struggled to gain his bearings-

Hora coughed, gasping and sputtering as the same battering ram turned on it's head and rammed into her hard enough to snap the wire from the roof, sending her spilling amongst the rubble and vision dotted in black- the wire around her throat never loosening and her lungs begging for air.

... h...how.... many times...... is this.... bastard... gonna hit me.....

But her Magic was faltering so badly now with Over-Drive kicking into sudden full gear, even the fire she managed around herself didn't get hot enough to melt the wire off.

'You've used too much of your Magic all at once, too soon after being injured by your 'Master'.'

She knew she hadn't been at full capacity starting this Mission, but she hadn't a choice. She had been doing fine, the entire time, one couldn't tell she was still hurting from time to time or even that anything wasn't quite right.... but just now she really regretted not taking time to heal all the way before starting in to North Wind.

.... c....crap.... I really can't breathe......

Gold light flooded the floor below as the sound of a bell ringing filled the air.

"Open! Gate of the Giant Crab!"

"Eh...?!" The North Wind Lieutenant snapped his head around, eyes wide and heart jumping as his hand instinctively fell to his belt- only to find the ring of Keys missing. "When the hell did you-?!!" His eyes snapped to where Hora was laying on her shoulder, her blue gaze flashing slightly as she shot him a strained smirk.

-The man yelped, his body wrenched backward as Hora moved, her legs wrapping around his neck and shoulders tightly, trapping him in place as he struggled to gain his bearings.

Hora's hand shot downward, letting go of the wire as her fingers curled around the keyring tightly, wrenching it free from the belt in seconds- tossing it quickly over the edge of the balcony long before he'd composed himself enough to knock her off of him, and completely with him none the wiser to what he'd done.

Happy had jumped forward the instant he saw Hora toss the keys in their direction. Aera flaring as he zoomed up through the air and caught the keys in his paws easily- passing them off to Lucy who pulled a single key from the loop without any hesitation, her gaze locked toward where she could see Hora struggling to pull the wire away.

The man blanched slightly, his face twisting in a scowl as he shot Hora a furious glare, "Y-you!!!!"

"Cancer!"

The man recoiled, he had started to spin toward Lucy's voice only to be halted as something sharp passed by him so quickly, and so closely, he felt the skin on his cheek split as a cut suddenly ran across it from near nowhere. His eyes never found Lucy though, because Natsu had moved to be right in front of him faster than he could notice, nor take note of how the Magic Strings bent and shook as Natsu passed through them with little a care- he'd been too distracted to notice, and he wasn't fast enough to react in time.

As was what Lucy had noticed, the more distractions there were and the more that man focused on one person- out of anger or whatever, the less he payed attention to anything else, least of all his Magic Strings. That's why even when he had ample opportunity to attack Happy once he left Hora's circle, or Natsu when he was focused on Hora- he didn't. He couldn't put his attention on all that much simultaneously, and his reaction time was actually really, really slow.

So she'd told Natsu to keep the man's attention for a little while- long enough to open Cancer's Gate and long enough to get to Hora.

"Too slow!" Natsu snapped, his leg swinging forward with little time and burning bright in the light of his fire, his leg making contact with the side of the man's jaw and sending him flying through air to crash into the wall hard enough to cave it in.

Hora coughed, the wires around her throat loosening as they were cut apart in instants, her lungs heaving as she sucked in air, spluttering slightly as she struggled to take control of her breathing- and ended up coughing roughly, flecks of blood spattering against the stone and she held her aching ribs. She groaned slightly, her chest aching painfully as she rolled over, swallowing hard against the metallic tang in her mouth and eyes halfway closed- her gaze meeting that of of a tall man with green-tinted sunglasses and..... crab legs, sticking out of his back. And snipping at the air with a pair of scissors in each hand.

... Cancer, huh....?

"You alright, ebi~?" He asked calmly, she blinked,

".... y... yeah..." She breathed lowly, wincing as she pushed herself up with her hands behind her, sighing slightly and swallowing the sensation to start coughing again. She grumbled, wiping her chin with the back of her hand and grimacing to herself.

.... this is pathetic.... I must have been in worse shape than I wanted to admit if I'm getting strung up like that.... and hit.... and cut... and.... grahhh....

'...... your 'Master' very nearly killed you not three weeks ago, do not forget. Few would be able to move now after what he did, less would be alive. It's a miracle you haven't fallen apart before now, and managed to keep on as you have.'

... don't call him that.

'Would you prefer 'owner'?'

..... just..... be quiet.

"... thank you." She mumbled quietly, casting a glance toward the Spirit and stilling her thoughts.

"You got it, ebi~" He replied, the sound of the scissors snipping a few times only caught her attention faintly as something silver glinted from the corner of her eye, down the small hallway that connected with the balcony.

"Hora!!" Her head turned away from the hallway to the hushed, frantic voices that came next.

Lucy jumped down onto the balcony as Happy let her go from having carried her up there, both of them looking panicked and eyes glittering in worry. Lucy ran straight up to Hora, bending down on her knees and her hands pressed against the ground as she leaned forward toward the Saber girl, Happy stumbling to a halt next to the blonde and looking breathless.

"Hora, are you ok?!" Lucy asked quickly, her brown gaze sweeping over every inch of Hora's person looking for injuries and missing the blink of surprise Hora let slip, her now normally blue gaze flashing a moment.

"Ahh! Are you bleeding?!" Happy asked quickly, finding the tears in Hora's hands and fingers from trying to pull the wire off.

"Is your neck ok? Did you break anything when he hit you?" Lucy asked breathlessly, her chocolate brown gaze glistening and sweatdropping heavily as her her hands curled into fists on the floor in front of her, lingering on the smear of crimson from her back on the floor behind her and the specks that had littered the floor when she was in the middle of coughing. Lucy seemed to stiffen at that,

..... she looks....

Lucy's gaze snapped up to land on Hora, who felt the breath catch in her throat, her face falling and her heart skipping a beat.

"Are you ok?" Lucy asked again, this time rather shakily, small flecks of moisture pecking at the corners of her eyes- the very sight that had Hora completely rigid.

.... she's..... she's nearly in tears...?

.... is..... is she that worried.....?

..... about....

............... me..........?

Hora found herself lost for words, or even proper thought. She had a hard time wrapping her head around the idea, they had only known each other a few days, they were from completely different Guilds.... and yet the Fairy Tailers had been treating her like she'd been a Fairy all her life.

But the concern? Genuine concern... she wasn't sure how to contend with that, or even what to feel either.

Was she supposed to be happy.... grateful....?

To be honest she just felt ridiculously flustered at it, her heart fluttered slightly in her chest in a sudden wash of sheer embarrassment, and nervousness.

Hora swallowed, sweatdropping slightly as she fumbled for a response for a few moments.

"...mmm... you're tiring.'

"... I... ah, I... I'm fine..." She managed to stammer oh so gracefully. "... really... I'm fine. My neck didn't get cut or anything, and the rest are super small." She forced a shaky, strained smile.

Though inwardly she had to wonder if maybe a few ribs had cracked from getting hit with that damned battering ram.

"Are you sure?" Happy asked tentatively,

"Yeah, I'm sure." Hora replied, her smile a little less strained as her embarrassment calmed down a bit. "You don't need to look so worried, promise." Lucy's shoulders sagged slightly, "After all, you guys saved me just in time." She added in lowly, tilting her head toward Lucy and Cancer alike.

"Of course." Lucy mumbled, "... it's the least we could do. You kept that Guardian Circle Spell going even when you couldn't breathe." Hora blinked,

"... oh, ah... I didn't even register I was doing that still." She admitted lightly, "Guess I was just doing it out of instinct, hehe..." Lucy smiled softly,

"...MMmmmmph.... a little help here...?!"

Lucy, Happy and Hora alike glanced up toward the sound of Natsu's voice, their eyes moving to find him struggling and bouncing in a web of wire that had him nearly completely immobilized, the North Wind Lieutenant below him looking worn and bloody, but no less angry.

"... ah..." Hora hummed, grimacing slightly as she shifted,

"Cancer, can you please?" Lucy asked quickly, the Spirit nodded solemnly.

"Of course, ebi~"

Hora pulled herself to her feet, stifling the wince that rose up her throat as Lucy stood up beside her, Cancer moving slightly, scissors snipping away in a flash as the wire holding Natsu captive was cut through with ease. The pinkette flipped in air to land on his feet, huffing slightly.

"Thanks Cancer!"

"I suppose we ought to finally finish this guy off." Hora grumbled, her eyes narrowing to slits as the deep blue flashed gold for a split second, before it faltered again and she let out a slightly strained breath. "...... I can't hardly see the Strings anymore though, so we'll have to be careful."

"Strings?" Cancer murmured,

"He controls objects through a series of Magic Strings that span the entire room." Hora replied, "... He also makes objects appear via the strings too.... I'm really not sure what sort of Magic this is, honestly."

Cancer blinked, his attention moving away from Hora as he lift a hand in the air in front of him, his index finger tapping against nothing- until a flash of white illuminated itself in the air before him, revealing a small section of... the Magic Strings?!

"... how in the hell....?" Hora mumbled,

"You can see the Strings, Cancer?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes shining as Cancer nodded.

"I would not have thought to look for them had you not mentioned it." The Spirit replied, "The Strings seem to exist in a reality that borders quite close to that of the Spirit Realm. It would be hidden from Mortal eyes that way, but if I concentrate enough I can certainly see them~" He smirked slightly, his scissors snipping. "I can cut them too, if you so wish it, ebi~"

Lucy's eyes shone, her expression brightening as she nodded happily.

"Please! Then we can beat this guy without worrying about getting caught or hit!" Lucy grinned, "You're the best, Cancer!"

"Of course, ebi~"

Hora blinked, her head tilting slightly as she glanced between Lucy, and how the blonde smiled up at her Spirit with such excitement and pride, even.

.... I've seen that expression in Yukino too...

She felt her lips twitch slightly at the corner,

... she's kinda cute, looking so excited like that.

Her smile faded again, her attention fixing to Cancer as the Spirit moved quickly, jumping down onto the main floor as Hora heard the air cut- the North Wind Lieutenant halting, and stumbling backward to see Cancer appear right in front of him, light bouncing from his scissors as he made a swift cut at the air in front of the man's hands. Light erupted in the form of Strings for a split second, before they crumbled away and out of sight- the North Wind Lieutenant's face growing dark in anger and near horror.

"M-My Puppeteer Strings...?!"

"Hehe, alright!" Natsu smiled, the swords that had been suspended in air around him clattered to the ground, no long being held aloft by the Man's Magic. "Way to go Luce! Cancer!" Natsu smirked, his fist slamming into his palm and looking quite thrilled. "Looks like your fancy Magic's all cut up!"

".... you... little shits....!" The man snapped, stepping back, before he sprinted to the side and snatched up one of the blades that had fallen to the ground, rounding on Natsu as he smiled, the blade suddenly lightning up with flickering blue and gold electricity. "You think that's the only Magic I know?! Try me!!"

"..... lightning too, hmm...?" Hora mumbled under her breath. She felt the icy hot around her neck and her arms lessen, the markings receding back to just barely cover her right shoulder, she could feel her heart beat unevenly as a sudden wash of lightheadedness rammed into her- though she didn't let it show outwardly.

She stepped forward, her foot trailing over the edge of the balcony, before halting- Lucy's voice calling her back.

"W-wait! You're hurt, Hora. You should probably just let Natsu and Cancer handle the rest." Lucy said quickly, Hora blinked, glancing back toward the blonde.

'You ought to listen, you're very near your limit.' The voice added in flatly, Hora sweatdropped slightly.

"..... hmmph....  don't tell me you don't think I can handle him too." Hora sighed slightly, earning a nervous look from Lucy as Natsu's earlier comment of Hora not being able to 'take him out all on her own'. Lucy shook her head slightly,

"No, it's not like that." She replied quickly, "But with his Magic destroyed, Natsu and Cancer can easily handle it. You don't need to work so hard anymore, you've been doing that the whole time." Hora quirked an eyebrow, "... apart from keeping Natsu safe, and using that Spell to keep Happy and I safe too, you even got my Keys back. And before that you saved us in the Cells too, and kept that creep from touching me. You've done a lot, and you got hurt in the process..." Lucy shook her head at herself, her gaze flashing in sudden steely determination. "I know you're a really powerful Mage Hora. And I don't doubt you could have beat this guy all on your own either! But you've done enough, and I don't want to risk you getting hurt again if you don't have to!" She took a step in Hora's direction, her hand moving forward to grab Hora's wrist lightly, Hora felt her heart jump and her nerves rise at the sudden unexpected contact. She would have pulled her arm back out of sheer instinct, but her gaze met Lucy's and she halted without really meaning to.

"Please." Lucy mumbled, "..... you've been doing so much. Let me have a turn and do something for you, alright?" Her eyes flashed and Hora felt her heart skip a beat, again. "... you're hurt, and you've used up so much energy already, you have got to be tired. Let me look at your wounds and help you, alright?" Hora swallowed slightly,

'.... it seems you've made quite the impression on her, haven't you?' The voice murmured, it sounded... amused.

'... I think you've made quite an impression on all three of them. They seem to genuinely care about you, even only having met you two days ago.' It was amused, it fucking laughed. '... how odd, to think you'd manage to go around making friends and stealing hearts so easily. Hehe.'

Hora went rigid, her eyes widening slightly and feeling her face heat up and burn almost as hot as the Markings did. Her face must have turned bright red, because Lucy's serious expression altered to a look of confusion, but Hora hardly cared nor noticed, her heart fluttered incessantly as no small amount of sheer embarrassment hit her in the next instant.

S-Stealing hearts....?!

She had half a mind to snap a few choice curses out loud, her nerves rising and flusterdness hitting an all time high at the comment and how ridiculous it was-

She never got to that part though,

What had she said before? About Over-Drive?

"It.... It gets set off when I go through a large amount of physical, or emotional strain all at once."

Emotional Strain, emotional influx... and on top of it, Magical Strain too

Her heart had started fluttering so much at the comment, the next breath she took in ended up being agony- her chest tightened up and she felt like someone had run a blade through it, Over-Drive kicking in on... over-drive, just at that one little comment, one little comment that was enough to send her spilling over the edge where she had been pushed toward it, teetering dangerously.

She cringed, her eyes snapping shut as she ended up letting out a strangled gasp, sputtering slightly as her free hand moved up to clench about her shirt over her chest, her knees shaking and shoulders hunching as she ended up coughing, every single one felt like fire and ice all at once, tearing her apart from the inside out. Her breathing stretched and pulled painfully at the tear across her back, and ached badly against those ribs she had been a little afraid had cracked not long before. Her hand moved to cover her mouth, her head spinning anew as her legs buckled underneath her.

You bastard... you did that on... purpose....

'I did say you were at your limit, foolish girl.'

"H-Hora..!!" Lucy gasped, her voice shaking as she moved forward, her hands falling on Hora's shoulders frantically, eyes wide and face pulled tight in concern and worry, especially so at how painful those coughs were to hear- let alone how painful they seemed to be for the Saber girl. "H-hey! What's wrong?! Why is this happening again...?!"

Hora's head bowed, her hands falling in front of her and pressing against the floor to hold herself up as the coughing came to a slow halt, her shoulders and back hunched as she panted, her eyes closed and feeling even exhausted all at once. She hardly heard Lucy say anything, or even the noise of Natsu and Cancer below them, all she could hear was how harsh her breathing was on her own ears. Lucy was settled on her heels in front of the heaving Saber girl, her hands resting lightly on Hora's upper arms and grimacing, her eyes flashing as she saw Hora's arms begin to tremble faintly,

".... Hora..." Lucy mumbled softly, "..... please, this isn't right. You've been doing so fine since.... It happened before, but you said....."

"... yeah, I'm alright, sorry." She murmured quietly,  "... it's nothing, promise."

".... you're not alright." Lucy mumbled, ".... are you sick or something? Can ... can I help...?"

.... she's so worried...

Hora swallowed, her breathing settling again as she forced it to.

... I hate it when people sound like that.... I've always hated.... being worried over....

...shit...

"...s...sorry..." Hora mumbled, Lucy blinked. ".... I'm.... good now. Really.... I wasn't trying......" she sighed, her head lifting slightly to meet Lucy's gaze tentatively, straightening up enough she wasn't holding her weight on her hands anymore.

"..... um.... sort of." She mumbled, Lucy blinked. "... sick.... I mean.... I've been that way for a few weeks... but I thought I'd gotten it over it by now." She smiled slightly, nervously almost. She shrugged a little, "... guess I'm not quite over it."

".... if you've been sick why are you out here working..?" Lucy mumbled,

"... cause I'm on a job. Feelin' a little bad ain't about to stop me." She replied softly,

"... is it really bad? You're looking a little pale, Hora...." Lucy murmured, Hora shook her head slightly,

"Nah, I'll be ok, promise." Hora replied lightly, "Nothin' a little sleep can't fix anyway, don't look so worried." Lucy frowned slightly,

".... you work too hard." Lucy mumbled softly, shaking her head slightly. "... you should have said something, we could have waited a few more days until you were feeling better, you know." Hora smiled slightly,

A few days would have probably helped, a few weeks more too... but she wouldn't dare admit to it.

"... hmmm... well we're almost finished, yeah?" Hora hummed, "We can take a break after we get out of here and find that necklace you guys came for." She smiled nervously, "... I'm... sorry," Hora mumbled, her voice dropping as Lucy blinked in slight surprise at the words. ".... really... I didn't want to worry you guys if I didn't have to... guess I mucked up on that anyway... so really... I'm sorry to worry you like this..." Her hand moved to rub the back of her neck a little self-consciously. ".... to be honest.... I didn't know you would be as worried as you are...."

"Of course I am!" Lucy snapped, catching Hora entirely off guard, and making her flinch backward at the sudden harshness in the blonde. "You're my friend! Of course I'm worried if you're feeling sick or getting hurt!"

"... friend...?" Hora breathed, the word appearing not on part of that damned voice, but in the blonde.

"Friends tell eachother when something's wrong, got it?!" Lucy hissed, looking agitated now. "Friend's keep an eye on eachother and always work to make sure the other is alright. Friends talk to eachother when something's bothering them, or isn't right, and friends always stick together- no matter what! And they don't keep secrets from eachother when those secrets can end up hurting you or someone else!" Lucy's brown gaze flashed, her expression pulling into something so steady and so serious. "Even if you're afraid of worrying someone else! Friends are supposed to worry about eachother, that keeps them alive! And if you let other people know how you're feeling that gives them a chance to help you! Friends are supposed to help eachother, no matter what, Hora!"

 Hora blinked, her face falling slack in shock as she simply held that burning brown gaze from the blonde, how... well, passionate she was about what had become something of a lecture. Or even scolding, and it caught her completely off guard. Because in reality it came out of near nowhere.

What the.....?

"Do you understand?" Lucy grumbled lowly, her eyes narrowed at Hora who let out a small, silent breath. 

"She's right ya know."

Lucy and Hora both jumped, their heads snapping around toward the voice and eyes wide as they landed on the figure of Natsu, who had appeared beside them along with Cancer with absolutely no warning at all. Below them the North Wind Lieutenant was knocked out cold, Hora could see some from leaning over the edge of the balcony a little- but she'd been so focused on Lucy she'd missed Pinky and Cancer finishing it.

When the hell...?!

Natsu stood with his hands on his hips, his expression neutral as he glanced down toward Hora steadily. "Friends gotta stick together and trust eachother."

...... they keep saying that word... like it's natural.... like It should be.... obvious...

"....heh...?" She huffed, words seemed apt to just fail. 

He smirked slightly, "Ah, come on don't give me that face. We're all friends, yeah?" Her breathing caught in her throat this time around, her eyes gleaming as she saw Lucy smiled slightly her way.

...... friends.....

".... even if I'm Saber....?" Hora mumbled, it being the only response she managed. Honestly, hearing them say it so easily... they'd only known eachother a few days, and certainly not long enough..... well....

"Of course!" Lucy said quickly,

"We got plenty of friends in other Guilds ya know, don't matter to us if your SaberTooth or not." Natsu smirked, "A Guild don't define what kind of person you are."

"That's right. We like you as a friend for who you are, not what Guild you're a part of." Lucy assured easily.

Hora glanced slowly between the both of them, her hands pressed lightly against the ground between her legs and her shoulders sagging slightly.

....... Brother.....

They just kept smiling, so content and so serious about it all.

....... Brother.... I remember the last time..... It felt like this......

She swallowed slightly, her eyes falling slightly.

..... it..... It happened just as quickly then as it did now..... I knew how I felt.... But that word never popped up so fast.....

.:+:.

".... Travel with me a few days then." She said at length, "Show me what you've got up your sleeves. We can get to know each other a little more, and test out your skills." She smirked slightly. "Make sure you've got what it takes to be SaberTooth Wizards, hmm?"

Rogue and Sting smiled at the words, finding it as a sort of challenge, feeling excitement well inside of them. Immersed in a new sense of adventure and even an inkling sense of... Hope, they failed to notice the fearful look in her dark blue eyes, and the clear apprehension to the idea in her gaze. They didn't see the look of worry and fear on her face as the grinned at her, following along behind her as she lead the way forward toward the north, they didn't see the haunted look on her face as she looked ahead, the clear unhappiness.

They just.. Wanted somewhere to go, to call home, to belong......

It had happened so fast, one minute they were strangers, the next... In those few days heading back toward the Guild, something changed. They grew closer, they became friends... True friends.

She cared for them, wanted them safe...... She loved them, without knowing she could ever love anyone like she loved those four. They were her family, she never thought family would be a part of her life again.

.:+:.

.... But she'd never dared call them friends out loud, not until weeks had passed, not until she was sure they had to have felt the same way. Because who would consider a total stranger 'friend' after no more than three days?

...... I thought..... I mean.... I think of them that way... I guess...... But I thought.... I always thought it took longer... Than that.... To count.....

And what Lucy said? And Natsu too...?

...... Brother..... Have I been.... Looking at it wrong the whole time....?

She bit the inside of her cheek, doubt swirling inside her stomach and her heart now where she hadn't expected it to.

...... Have I been thinking about it all wrong....?

But..... Even in doubt and worry now.... It felt better. It felt nice.

She smiled softly, nodding her head a little as she glanced to Natsu and Lucy both- familiar faces from here on out to be sure..... Friendly faces.

She never thought anyone could feel like friends in so little time, and it be real.

But this feeling in her chest was assuredly real.

.... They almost make me wish I'd ended up in Fairy Tail instead.

But just almost.

Her friends in Sabertooth were too important to her to wish she'd never been in Saber, they were too important even with how shitty things had gotten and how she'd become a slave to a tyrannical mad-man. Knowing them made it worth it.

"Yeah, friends." Hora smiled softly, her head tilting as Lucy, Cancer and Natsu alike smiled in return. "... And I will do my best, to listen to what you said, Lucy. Promise."

"Good to hear." Lucy smiled, Hora chuckled under her breath slightly.

Lucy blinked, her smile fading slightly for a split second at the calm and cheerful expression from the Saber Girl. She didn't know what caught her attention in that instant, but she faltered slightly trying to figure out what about that look stood out to her.

She shook her head slightly, banishing the thought and turning her head, smiling up at Cancer. "Thank you for all your help, Cancer. You did splendidly."

"Anytime, ebi~" the Spirit smiled, before he faded from sight and back into the Spirit World.

Hora's eyes cast to the right, her smile dropping as she blinked a few times.

"....ah.... Where's Happy?"

"Happy?" Natsu echoed, his hands falling from his hips.

Lucy blinked, her eyes following Hora's to see the space where Happy had previously been standing was empty and lacking the blue Exceed.

"... Where did he go...?!" Lucy stammered,

"Happy! Buddy where are ya?!" Natsu called quickly,

"Guys!! Come look at this!!"

Happy's voice echoed down the hallway that lead off the balcony they were on. He sounded fine though.

"...... Guess we oughta go see what's up." Hora mumbled, shrugging slightly only to wince as the wound on her back was pulled painfully. Lucy and Natsu alike stiffened at the sudden show of pain,

"We need to treat that wound, Hora." Lucy reminded, Hora nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I know. But let's worry about it once we figure a way out of here, okay?" Hora murmured, "I'm good for now. Really." Lucy looked skeptical, but she seemed to realize Hora was right- it would do better to get out of this place first before letting their guards down entirely.

"... alright, but please take it easy, ok?" Lucy sighed, Hora nodded.

"You got it." She smirked, her blue gaze casting Natsu's way as he held his hand out toward her. She blinked, before smiling softly and taking it, he pulled her to her feet with ease, nodding slightly at her, before helping Lucy up to.

Hora hooked her arms behind her back, waiting for Natsu and Lucy to start forward down the hallway, before trailing after them quietly.

The hallway ended in a large round room that was lit up by Lacrima hung from the walls, the band of the three of them coming to a halt in the doorway and eyes widening slightly at what sheer collection of objects had been piled away inside. They ranged from furniture to books, to odd little trinkets and jewelry and clothes- to weapons and money

"Woah, there's so much stuff in here!" Natsu breathed, hands on his hips and eyes sweeping the room to land on the small blue blob that was Happy- who was sifting through a chest on the opposite wall with the curiosity of- well, a cat. 

"I think that guy mentioned he had a lot of things that weren't 'technically his'." Lucy mumbled,

".. yeah, but this guy's like a hoarder." Hora mumbled softly, her arms unhooking from behind her back as she looked around, oblivious of Natsu moving farther in when her eyes found her shoes tosses away at the wall to her left. She stepped in that direction, letting out a sigh of relief as she bent down to pick them up, and found not just the boots, but the Calling Card she had made among them.

... I'm glad that didn't get lost....

She sweatdropped slightly,

".... I really hope they didn't try and call when I didn't have it on me.... man... they're gonna kill me...." she mumbled under her breath, grimacing to herself as she held the card to her chest, before placing it in her back pocket, and settling in to slipping her shoes back on.

"I bet ya that necklace we're looking for is in here somewhere!" Natsu smirked, leaning down to start pawing through another crate of items.

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed, "I bet ya there's a juicy fish to eat in here too~!"

"My stomach's rumbling now." Natsu smiled, though his digging into the box never ceased as Hora and Lucy began to move around and look through things too. After awhile of searching Natsu's voice broke the silence,

"Luce! You have that picture of the necklace with you still?" Natsu called, Lucy nodded slightly, producing a small, faded and folded photo from the small leather pouch attached to her key ring. The blonde moved toward Natsu to hand the photo over,

He glanced at it, before he pulled up a long, thin silver chain to which a a small locket inlaid with emerald and crimson stones along the edges hung.

"Look right to you?" He asked, Lucy glanced to the picture in his hand and smiled, nodding happily.

"I can't believe we found it so easily!" She sighed,

"I dunno, it looks like this guy collects a lot of stuff. He's probably got somethin' from every town North Wind's been hitting in here." Natsu replied, tucking the necklace away inside his shirt and he stood up again. "You said you were lookin' for a way to their Guild Hall, right Hora?"

"Yeah, Salamander." Hora replied, calling over her shoulder as she sifted through a box full of papers.

"I grabbed this off that guy down there. He was trying to stick it in the lock of the door." Hora blinked, her head tilting up as she turned Natsu's direction.

His hand stuffed itself inside his pocket as he tossed something her way, Hora's hand easily moving up to catch the long, thin black key he'd thrown her way. She tilted her head at it, eyes widening slightly, feeling the minute her hand made contact with the key that some small burst of Magic shocked her, not enough to hurt, but enough to let her know that there was some sort of Spell connected with it.

"I dunno why he was trying to unlock the door for if he's the one that shut it in the first place, but he seemed pretty freaked out. Like he was plannin' on running away." Natsu shrugged, "I ain't sure that key's got anything to do with finding their Guild Hall, but I figured you'd wanna check it out anyway."

"..... it's Magical." She mumbled, Lucy and Natsu blinked at the words. "...... you said he was trying to stick it in the door downstairs?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm...." Hora hummed under her breath, her eyes moving from observing the key to the papers she had previously been sifting through. They looked like a bunch of orders and inventory letters- lists of names of the people who had fallen into the trap as they had. But there were a few other things too, including something that looked like an evidence list swiped from the Rune Knights of one of the North Wind Mages that seemed to have been caught.

'-3 Magic Rings, of various caliber.

-Boots with a Speed Charm placed upon them

-467 Jewel

-Fragments of a metal key; purpose unknown *

-Silver daggers'

Hora's eyes narrowed to slits, her eyes trailing to the very end of the page toward what footnote had been placed there;

' *** As the suspect was apprehended, they took the time to destroy the key to which the fragments have been enclosed, rendering it useless. Questioning and interrogation of the subject has yielded no answers to it's use, or why it was sure to have been destroyed before being detained. '

Her eyes moved toward the key in hand, biting the inside of her cheek in thought.

..... why destroy a simple key before getting arrested? What is it supposed to open? Surely it couldn't have been the door downstairs, why would anyone want in here?

She blinked,

Wait.... what if it doesn't go to specific door? But to a specific place instead?

Her heart sped up, excitement and musings beginning to swirl through her head incessantly, all the small little rumors and details she'd been hearing, her own ideas- what it meant that the North Wind Lieutenant had been trying to use this key on a door he had locked without using any key the first time around.

It was a theory of course, and she would need to test it- but there was only one answer that sprung up in her mind that made any sort of sense, and she felt her heart speed up more- excitement, maybe.

Is this it? Is this how I get into North Wind's Main Building?

Her suddenly racing heart slammed to a halt though, something cold and heavy dropping into her stomach.

..... to face the Guild Master, and not just him.... but the Demon too.

Her grip on the key and the paper in front of her tightened a little. Her eyes fell closed, forcing herself to calm and relax though suddenly it was quite hard to do so.

..... I can't turn back. I'm out here and I have to... I have to face it. I have to win. I promised...

She sighed, the breath low and slow as she set the paper down, tucking the key away inside of her pocket and shooting Natsu a small nod.

"Thanks for giving this to me, Salamander. I'll have to mess with it a little to find out where it goes, but I'm sure it'll help out." Hora told him lightly, he nodded. "Seems you guys have finished your Job, hmm?"

"Nope!" Natsu smirked, she blinked, sweatdropping slightly at the suddenly.... evil smile that passed over his face.  "We ain't done till this place is ashes, hehe~!"

"Preferably only after  we've managed to get out, Natsu." Lucy reminded quietly, looking exasperated.

"Well yeah, duh." Natsu deadpanned, Lucy shrugged.

"Sometimes with you it's hard to guess." The blonde sighed, Natsu frowned slightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You're kind a wildcard, Natsu." Happy smiled, "Sorry to break it to ya, buddy. But it's true."

"Shut up!"

Hora chuckled, she could feel the sudden lump in her core lightening and her nerves settling to at what lightness the sudden arguing seemed to bring with it. They seemed to have a knack for lightening the mood, even if they weren't purposely trying to at times.

"Alternatively, Salamander." Hora broke in easily, stilling the argument quickly before it became too heated. "We can just call the Council to come in and arrest these guys. They might even be able to track down the people that got caught here, and maybe return other's property too." She explained with a light wave of her hand around the room, "We already derailed their operation, there's not much point in destroying evidence that could prove useful." Natsu blinked, his expression falling in slight wonder and surprise as he nodded slightly.

"That's right, you're working for the Council, huh?" He hummed, she nodded. He smiled, "Well, that sounds like a good plan to me!" He paused, "... how are you gonna get a hold of them though?" He mumbled in question,

"We gotta get out first. But any Communication Lacrima will do- I'm sure there's one around here somewhere I can take with us." Hora replied lightly, "Better get looking for the exit, yeah?"

They nodded, smiling her way and agreeing easily as they started back down the hallway.

"We'll let you do the talking with those Council guys, Horatia." Natsu called over his shoulder toward her, "They'll probably try to arrest us if we try to bud in, hehe~"

"That's because you're always destroying things wherever you go." Lucy piped in, Natsu sweatdropped, chuckling nervously but he didn't argue. Hora simply nodded in agreement to the idea, though inwardly she wasn't all that excited at the prospect of talking with anyone from the Council.

Hora let out a low breath, her eyes falling to the floor as she trailed along behind them silently. The Fairy Tailer's had found what they came for and that meant they were likely to be leaving soon, as expected, they likely had other things to get to. She'd known that, and she hadn't wanted them involved anymore than they already were.

Every step down that hallway felt heavier though, every step out of this place was another step closer to when she'd be on her own again. Alone and facing North Wind and that Demon all on her own..... and she couldn't tell them that. She'd have to smile and wave them off, assuring them she was only researching and she wasn't going to be anywhere near any of the big fighting... when in reality, she was going to be smack dab in the biggest, most dangerous fight of all- and likely very, very soon.

And she was walking into it willingly..... but not out of resignation, not anymore.

She'd left home feeling like she'd never be back there again, and she'd just accepted she might never come back, because she didn't see any other outcome. But now something had changed. She was scared as hell about it, terrified even, but she felt.... determined.

....I promised I would come back. And I swear, I will. I will win and I will see you four again.

I promise.

.:+:.

Hello! Thank you guys for reading! I hope you enjoy this Chapter (it was struggle to write for some reason, so I hope it isn't too sub par)

Thank you guys, love you all~

Please, vote and comment if you can! Thanks!