Sparking Love

Chapter 6: The last guardian

Before Natsu could respond to Lucy's question, a noise has come around them making them shiver.

"Who is it this time?"

Then the noise from the plants came again, so the two mage stood up and ready them self for any encounter with a strong mage.

"Natsu, this could be another guardian. We should be ready." Lucy then positioned herself for fighting

"I know, and stay close to me. I don't want you to get hurt."

After minutes of waiting, a huge man came being blind folded. He wore a long black coat with a hood on his head. As he stopped walking, he stood straight in front of the two mage and put down his hood. "I am the guardian of the lost journey, Nanju."

"Huh? What was his name? Ninja?" Natsu said as he tilted his head with confusion

"Natsu! His name was-"

"I SAID NANJU!" the guardian cut off the blonde as he was pissed for being called out name. Then the guardian continued, "You shall stop and never continue! You have lost your way and you shall never find what you seek for!"

"Why all of you guardians try to stop us and make us return back? Can't you at least be a guardian who helps us?" Natsu said trying to tease the huge man.

"Natsu! Quite it already! It's not helping!" Lucy then started to get made with the fire mage. After giving a little sermon, the fire mage then serious himself.

"All guardians here are not meant to help you… We exist to stop intruders like you."

"WELL THEN MAKE US STOP!" Natsu then jumped off as he was about to attack now the guardian. "FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST" the guardian then disappeared which makes Natsu fall on his feet. Then the guardian appeared behind him and buried Natsu with his huge hand.

"NATSU! Open! Gate of the golden Bull! TAURUS!" Lucy then responded quickly to help Natsu as he was now quite unconscious. "Taurus beat up this guardian!"

"MOOOOOOOOOO!" then Taurus came to attack the guardian but was able to dodge it again. Good thing Taurus sensed the man behind him and gave another attack. But still the guardian was able to stop the ax in front of him. Natsu then came back to himself and tried to stand up "You can't stop us so easy…" the fire mage said whispering it to himself then ignited another fire in his fist.

This time, the fire appeared different. The fire was now redder than before, hotter than before and Natsu was now serious ever than any mission before.

As Lucy see's her friend standing up and notice a different aura from him, she felt Goosebumps and whispered to herself "Natsu…"

The fire mage then gave another attack to the guardian while it was busy trying to stop the axe. And luckily, it hit the guardian at his back while disappearing. Lucy then thought of a unison attack "Taurus! Use Natsu's fire when you see him again!" The fire mage then gave a breath of fire as they try to perform the unison raid.

Nanju then appeared behind Lucy and choked her by locking his arms in Lucy's neck. "Try doing that unison raid, and I'll take her life."

"N-n-no, N-na-t-su. Do it" Lucy said trying to gasp some air

"LUCY!"

"LUCY-SAMA!" Taurus said shouting as he sees his master's condition

Before Natsu could ask Nanju to release Lucy, he saw a huge light appearing in front of him. His body just suddenly froze as he sees it and now he was unable to dodge it and got hit. And once again, he lost his conscious.

As Nanju then gave a strong hit to the fire mage, he then released the grip to Lucy's neck. The blonde then dropped to her knees as she tried to catch her breath. She then crawled to Natsu to check on him unconscious. She tried to shake him awake but he was really hurt.

The forest seemed to be filled with black aura by the guardian which causes them to have a hard time seeing. Lucy then tried to look for the guardian around but her vision was starting to blur. All she noticed was the voice of the guardian saying "Perhaps I am still saving your lives… Before I change my mind leave the mountain and never return to look for them…" Lucy still tried to find him but her vision has really failed her. Before she loses her conscious too, she suddenly saw something that caught her attention coming from the other side of the stream, "Is that a red scaled dragon?" she said as she was dropped next to Natsu and heard it say "Natsu"

The guardian has disappeared and the place has returned to its real color. The place has now blue sky, blue slow water moving and the sun was really up now. Erza and the rest has now arrived the meeting place. "Now where is that two? This walk is really long and I just want to rest with them."

"Natsu said to me, in the stream is where we'll all meet. And I know stream is not far away from here now." Happy said while floating at the back of the scarlet haired mage.

"Look! It's the stream!" Juvia then pointed straight ahead and ran ahead of the rest. She looked back to sign them to hurry "Come on! Where here!" She then ran farther reaching the stream. Suddenly a scream came, "LUCY! NATSU!"

Erza and the rest hurried as they heard Juvia scream coming from the meeting place. As soon as Erza, Gray and Happy came, they were shocked to see their friends unconscious and wounded like they went through some harsh battle.

"This can't happen?! Who can beat up Natsu just like this?!" Gray said as he was still in shock with his nakama's condition.

"We better bring them back now to the guild. We don't know when whoever attacked them might come after us again." Erza said as she tried to carry Lucy in her back

Erza and the rest now headed back to the carriage they used. Erza carried Lucy while Gray carried Natsu, and Happy and Juvia was behind assisting both. After a lot of walking they have reached their means of transportation, Erza and Gray put the two mage inside and was guarded by Erza and Happy. Juvia and Gray then started to make their carriage move.

In Juvia's mind she said to herself, Lucy, Natsu, please be okay. Soon you'll be healed so please stay strong.

-End of Chapter 6-