Fairy Tail: Natsu's Little Sister

Chapter 10: The Phantom Lord

Team Natsu is cheerfully returning from a mission, because it went very well. Lucy asks why the others came along, since the request was hers, and Natsu responds, saying that they were the strongest team. He however, forgets to mention Lucy in the strongest team roster, which makes her angry. 

On their way, a lot of the townspeople of Magnolia are looking at them empathetically, whispering that they probably haven't seen it  yet. When they finally reach the guild building, they find it torn apart by metal rods, surging out of the center. Mirajane meets them, and discloses it was Phantom Lord. 

"Where's Aika, is she ok?" Natsu asked quickly

"Follow me" Mira said

She directs them to the basement, once the storage room, where Natsu asks the Master why nothing was being done, and Erza agrees with Natsu, but Makarov brushes their words off. Mirajane says the attack happened in the middle of the night, so no one was hurt and Makarov uses this fact to make Phantom Lord look even punier that it is. Natsu isn't convinced, and Mirajane confesses the real reason why they aren't counterattacking; it is utterly forbidden by the Council.

"Where's Aika?" Natsu asked angry

"Natsu" Aika ran over from the back and hugged him

"Are you ok?" Natsu asked hugging her

"mhm, just a bit scared" Aika nodded

Natsu sighed in relief "thank goodness"

Lucy returns home, only to find the entire team in her house. They say that in this time of war, it's best to stay together, so she yields to the demand. She looks around, Aika wasn't there. She knows Aika isn't part of the team, but still she didn't think Natsu would leave Aika alone.

"Hey where's Aika?" Lucy asked concerned

"She didn't want to come" Erza said

"Aren't you worried about her Natsu?" Lucy asked

"of course I am, I don't want anything happening to her" Natsu said seriously

"But their's no need to worry because she's with Levi and the rest of team shadow gear" Grey said reassuringly

"thank goodness" Lucy said

They make themselves comfortable, and after some bickering, they settle down and chat. Erza proclaims that since they will be living together, she tells the boys to take a bath as she refuses to sleep in the same room with them sweating. The boys lazily refuse. Erza then decides, in a calm, happy and laid-back tone, that three of them could bathe together like they did when they were younger which embarrasses them.

Erza explains about the guilds' other skirmishes. She says however, that it never amounted to anything more, and after Gray's mention of them, Lucy inquires about the Ten Wizard Saints. Erza explains it is a title of great prestige, bestowed by the Council's Chairman. Makarov and Jose Porla, Phantom Lord's Master, are both considered such, and so is Siegrain. 

The discourse then turns to the guilds' brute force, with Erza saying that they are on par. The Masters are also approximately the same level, but Phantom has the Element 4, an elite team of four S-Class wizards and Gajeel Redfox, the Iron Dragon Slayer who is responsible for the destruction of the Guild headquarters. Lucy realizes that if he is an Iron Dragon Slayer, then similar to how Natsu eats fire, this Dragon Slayer can eat iron.

In the Phantom Lord's hall, Gajeel is eating iron when is interrupted by an ally, whom he punches away. Jose comes and congratulates Gajeel on his progress. Gajeel says that the "trash" won't react from just that, so he left an extra present. Jose is delighted, but remind him to keep "that person" alive. 

The next morning, at the South Gate Park, the team finds Levy, Jet, Droy, and Aika chained to a tree, beat up and signed with the Phantom mark. Upon his arrival, Makarov is beyond furious and declares war on Phantom Lord. They quickly get them off the tree, Natsu ran over and held Aika. He was beyond furious, he knew he should've kept Aika with him.

Lucy is left behind to tend to the wounded, and remembers the first time she met Levy. They click instantly, so much so that Lucy promises her to be the first to read her novel. Tears roll down her cheek and promises not to forgive whoever did this. Aika's eyes opened and she sat up.

"Aika" Lucy said going over to her

"where's Natsu" Aika asked

The guild arrives at Phantom Lord, Natsu blows up the door, and the battle officially begins. The Fairy Tail Mages quickly gain the upper hand, with Natsu, Erza, Gray, Elfman, Loke, Cana, Happy and especially the Master being in the first line of attack. Makarov soon leaves to fight Jose, and the fight seems to be in Fairy Tail's hand. 

Gajeel and the Element Four however, are nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, at Magnolia, Lucy is walking with Aika when rain starts to fall. Juvia and Sol appear in front of Lucy. She gets ready to fight, and is about to use her keys, but Juvia locks her, using her Water Lock spell.

Aika was shaking badly. Juvia created a water bubble around her head and she fell to the floor. Her vision darkened as her lungs filled with water. This was it, she was going to die. She thought of Natsu as everything went black.

Back at Phantom Lord, the battle rages and Fairy Tail still has the upper hand, but when Makarov is out of sight, Gajeel enters the fight, and Natsu was ready to fight. Nobody hurts his sister and gets away with it. But Natsu had no idea what was waiting for him back in Magnolia.