Chapter Text
Imitatia stared intensely at the group, probably trying to concoct some sort of plan. Natsu wasn’t willing to wait though and went straight for her, fist engulfed in flames. He was going to pummel her into the ground, let her become one with the dirt once he reduces her to ashes, and find the Goddess. He couldn’t stand any more things in his way.
Tenrou Island should’ve been his one and only obstacle, but humans always have to make things so hard . Though, humans shouldn’t be here… so who was Imitatia? Did it matter? When he pulls her apart, leaves her for dead, would her identity ever matter to him? He would question when he became so cold, but he knows when that happened. The irony in the fire dragon being cold is something he thinks his lost love would point out.
“ Fire Dragon Wing Attack !”
Imitatia shielded herself with a flower-shaped shield. She pushed Natsu off and away from her then pulled a rose sword from the shield. She pointed that sword at Natsu, but then chose to attack him with a spell instead.
“ Cilice !” Vine erupted from the ground, trying to trap Natsu. He moved back, trying to dodge them all and created more space in between him and Imitatia.
“ Water Slicer !”
The vines were cut down by Juvia’s magic, officially adding Juvia to the fight. In the corner of Natsu’s eye, he saw Erza requip. He didn’t know the names of her armors and didn’t really care to know either.
“Give up,” Erza said, pointing her sword at Imitatia, “there are more of us than there are of you. You can’t truly believe you’ll win against us, do you?”
“I can easily win,” Imitatia stated. She took her sword and cut off her own arm, startling the group and stunning them to silence. What was worrying was the lack of blood… or care she had regarding the whole thing. Well, it made sense because she picked up her arm and put it back on. “I’m a doll created by Heartfilia and a vessel used by her family to protect them. Do you think you all can stand a chance against something you can’t hurt? Something you can’t destroy?”
“I’ll make sure there’s nothing left of you!” Natsu cried out.
“Oh please, Fire Dragon, you made the same threat against your brother and look what happened—Heartfilia was taken from you and you were imprisoned. I’m not really all too worried about you, she seems more like a threat,” Imitatia said, then gestured towards Erza.
“Who the hell do ya think you are to talk to me like that?!” Natsu yelled, lunging at Imitatia and ready to prove that he was going to kill her and she would be nothing, like she already was. He had never met Imitatia so how dare she act like she knew him?!
“ Fire Dragon— !”
“ Heaven’s Wheel! ”
A barrage of swords rained down, forcing Natsu to move away from Imitatia and Imitatia away from Natsu. The perpetrator, emphasis on traitor , Erza, looked at both Natsu and Imitatia, as if she was against both of them. Was she? Had Natsu trusted them all too soon?
“Fighting is going to get us nowhere,” Erza stated simply and confidently, “Natsu and the rest of us are here to try to free Heartfilia— ” She was unsure if this was the Goddess or not, Imitatia seems to only reference her that way, “from wherever she is sealed. We just need your help.”
A silence fell over the battle, the only thing heard was Natsu’s harsh breathing which came from anger and not from the fight. Imitatia looked contemplative, as if she was thinking Erza’s words through. Erza hoped that she was, but she didn’t expect it.
“Natsu?” A hushed, surprised voice asked from behind the group, “is that you?”
Standing at the doorway of the manor was an average height, blonde woman who looked to be in her late 30s or early 40s. She wore an extravagant, pink dress and wore pearl jewelry.
“Layla?” Natsu asked, surprised. He turned to face the woman, his face lighting up. “ Layla! ”
“Gonzales, stand down,” the woman, Layla, said. She picked up the skirt of her dress and rushed over to Natsu, embracing him. “Oh my! It’s been all too long without you coming by every now and again,” she said, tears pricking her eyes. She let go of Natsu and looked at his face. “Oh, you look so tired. Please, come in—all of you, please come in!”
Erza eyed Imitatia, but she had switched outfits from the vines she wore to a pink dress and looked a lot more… docile . Erza faced forward, following the group inside.
“Ever since her disappearance, Gonzales has gained a human form. She’s been protecting the Konzern from outsiders for four hundred years. She never met you as is, so please don’t take her actions against you to heart,” Layla explained to Natsu as everyone walked through the Heartfilia Manor. It was absolutely gorgeous and Lisanna couldn’t help but be astounded.
“Gonzales was her doll, right?” Natsu asked to clarify.
“Yes. Though, Gonzales is trying to convince us that her name is Michelle now.”
“Michelle Lobster,” Imitatia piped up from behind the group, seeming like she was keeping an eye on all of them still.
They entered a sitting area and Layla gestured for them all to take a seat, which they did. Natsu stood.
“We’re not staying long,” Natsu said, “‘cause we’re gonna free Heartfilia.”
Layla looked at him quizzically.
“He refuses to tell us the Goddess’ name,” Lisanna piped in, assuming that she was confused about that.
“Ah, I see,” Layla said, “I can’t say that I blame him. It was you mortals that sealed my daughter away.”
A thick, uncomfortable silence laid on the shoulders of the group, who all shared some looks. Okay, they get it. Humans fucked up, but that was people from four hundred years ago… can’t this group be the exception? They’re trying to free her!
“I know what to do to free her,” Natsu said confidently, “I just need your keys.”
“Then I should call in Anna and Heartfilia’s acolytes. The three of us have golden keys—which I’m assuming is what you’re asking for.”
“Juvia has a question,” said none other than Juvia, “what are the point of the keys? Natsu said that they are the keys of the universe, but if Heartfilia is the universe, Juvia does not understand their importance.”
“The keys,” another woman said, walking in. She looked eerily similar to Layla, though seemingly a bit older, “are Heartfilia. If all twelve are together, then Heartfilia will appear. That’s why so many different people have her keys. I have Aquarius, Layla has Capricorn, and Yukino here,” she moved to the side and gestured to the young, white haired girl that stood behind her, “has Libra and Pisces.”
“Anna!” Natsu exclaimed excitedly, practically vibrating in his spot.
“Hello Natsu, it’s so great to see you again,” Anna responded, opening her arms for a hug, which he happily obliged. “How is my favorite student? It’s good to see that the scarf I made you has stayed in good condition.”
“I’m great now that I’m off that goddamn island!” Natsu exclaimed, voice kind of whiny. Gray was going to bring this up later. “Now I’m gonna save Heartfilia… so I need ya keys.”
“Not all the keys are here,” spoke Yukino timidly, “Sorano took Scorpio, Gemini, and Aries. We haven’t seen her in years.”
“Sorano?” Erza asked, sounding confused.
“What do you mean?! We need all the keys!” Natsu exclaimed.
“Even then, we’re still missing other keys. Leo, Sagittarius—” She began, but Natsu interjected.
“I have Leo! Sagittarius and Taurus too!” He exclaimed. Layla smiled.
“Even then, Virgo and Cancer are still missing,” Layla stated remorsefully, “Heartfilia did not leave all her keys with us.”
“Is there any idea who has them?” Gray asked.
“Juvia knows that the literary goddess, Levy, has Virgo,” Juvia stated. Anna looked surprised.
“You’re a friend of hers?” She asked.
“We share a… mutual friend,” Juvia said simply, “Juvia is friends with the iron dragon.”
“Oh Gajeel!” Anna exclaimed. Natsu pouted. Gray took note of that. “It’s been far too long without seeing him either. Do you know how he is doing?”
“He and Levy are married now!” Juvia exclaimed, “they live in the mountains near Magnolia. Last Juvia heard, they might be expecting a baby.”
“Poor Levy, her kid is gonna be ugly,” Natsu commented. Anna sighed.
“Still mean to Gajeel, I see?” Anna asked.
“It’s deserved.”
“Are you at least nice to the little ones? Wendy? Sting? Rogue?” Anna asked.
“I haven’t seen ‘em in like four hundred years, so I guess so?” Natsu replied. Anna sighed again.
“Well, we will give you our keys,” Anna decided, taking out her Aquarius key and handing it to Natsu, “the only key you will not know the owner of is Cancer, though I can’t imagine trying to find Sorano. I don’t know where that girl is…”
“We’ll find her,” Erza stated confidently, “we’ve already found Natsu, I’m sure that we’ll be able to find anyone else we need to find and I’m sure we’ll be able to find that missing key.”
Layla smiled, though her eyes were teary. “I have faith in you,” she said, voice wavering. She placed the key of Capricorn in Erza’s hand, closing Erza’s hand around it. “Please,” she seemed to whisper only to Erza. Maybe she could sense that Erza was the most battle competent in the group—other than Natsu, of course, “please bring back my daughter.”
Erza felt her eyes begin to water a bit too. A mother’s love never dies, she supposed. Even though Heartfilia was the strongest being in the universe, Layla only saw her as her daughter and wanted what any mother would want—her return and safety. Erza nodded.
“We will,” she promised, “or we will die trying.”
Erza and Gray started this quest because they were sick of seeing the suffering caused by King Ivan’s false promises and inability to keep the people of the kingdom safe. She saw firsthand his neglect and she refused to be an active participant in it, but also refused to sit by and do nothing. Even if the rest of the group were to die in this escapade, she would keep moving and keep going until she fulfilled her mission or she was relieved of it—by being killed. No sickness, no injury, nothing would stop her. The fates can do what they want, but they should know Erza’s fate, no matter what, is to do what she needs to do. If that goes against their plan, they will have to rewrite it.
“So now we have to go find Gajeel, right?” Natsu asked, “and take his wife’s key?”
“We can ask for her key,” Gray chastised, “do you have no manners?”
“Anna taught me manners, so you’re going to tell her that she did a bad job?” Natsu asked, an awful smirk on his face as he checkmated Gray. Gray wanted Natsu dead.
“Maybe I did,” Anna said, surprising both Gray and Natsu. Gray shot back the same smirk at Natsu, only for Natsu to cross his arms and grumble.
“Whatever!” He exclaimed. He punched into his own fist. “I’m getting all fired up!” Gray immediately looked at Erza, shooting her a look of really? Erza shrugged in response. “We’re getting close to freeing her and the sooner we get outta here, the sooner we get more keys!”
“Stay for the night, at least,” Layla offered, “since my daughter’s disappearance, monsters and demons spawn all over. It’s not safe for you all to venture out at night.”
“I can deal with ‘em! And so can all of these guys too! I gave ‘em the Fairy Tail mark!” Natsu exclaimed happily.
“Yes, but do you want to waste your energy on demons and monsters when you can spend that energy on Heartfilia?” Anna reasoned. Natsu seemed to relent. Gray was going to have to ask her for some advice on how to get Natsu to ease up. “Come on. We have the extra space. Yukino will show you all the rooms you can reside in. Think of this as our gratitude. The journey you all have ahead of you won’t have these luxuries.”
“Juvia wishes to stay,” Juvia commented.
“I second it,” Lisanna added.
“Alright, so it’s settled,” Erza said, crossing her arms over her chest, “we’ll stay. We’re leaving early for Magnolia tomorrow.”
Though Gray wouldn’t admit it, he kind of agreed with Natsu. The sooner they leave, the sooner they could get shit done. Whatever. He won’t bitch about a bed to sleep in. Who knows the next time he’ll get the chance to sleep in the manor of a goddess?