The Decision

The day turned to night as Lucy, Gajeel, Wendy, & Happy were placed in rooms inside the guild to recuperate. No one went home, it didn't feel right; leaving their friends alone in the state they were in didn't sit well with anyone.
Levy stayed with Gajeel, Mira and Carla stayed with Wendy, and Erza stayed with Lucy and Happy. She didn't sleep, she couldn't, all she could think about was her friends, but mostly she thought of Natsu.
What happened to him? Where is he? Is he okay? Is he…
She slapped herself in the face, hard. What is wrong with you? You should never underestimate him. He's ok…he has to be.
The silence in the room began to stifle her and her rampant thoughts didn't help settle her nerves. Soon enough she couldn't take it and headed outside to get some fresh air. When she reached the balcony however she was surprised to see that Gray was already standing there.
She thought about joining him…but hesitated. She began to turn around and go back to the room but then…
"I know you're there Erza, you can stop hiding."
Erza knew she was caught, she couldn't even deny it. She came out to the balcony and stood next to Gray.
"Sorry I didn't mean to pry, I just thought you preferred to be alone." She apologized.
"It's not a problem, I needed someone to talk to anyway." He replied.
"You couldn't sleep either?" she asked him.
"No, I was too busy calming down Juvia. She just went to sleep about an hour ago." He looked down at the lit city of Magnolia with a hollow smile. "Seeing Gajeel like that really tore her up, he was the only friend she had at Phantom Lord. Probably the only friends she had before joining Fairy Tail" Gray clenched his fist as he thought of Juvia crying. "When I find the guys that did this…"
Erza smiled at her friend and looked at the stars above them.
"You really care about her don't you?"
Gray blushed slightly, "What? I mean…yeah we're friends. I would do the same for anybody in Fairy Tail."
Erza giggled to herself, she started to feel better as she and Gray talked to one another as the night rolled on. After a few hours, Gray began to walk into the guild hall.
"Well I'm going to try and get some rest. Hopefully the guys will feel better tomorrow."
Erza nodded in agreement, "Yes, I'm sure they will."
Gray made it to the door before stopping. "Don't worry Erza…we'll find him."
She nodded again, "I know we will. Thank you Gray."
Gray simply waived his hand in the air, as if saying you're welcome and he went back downstairs. "You should be some rest too, you're no good to us if you're tired." He said, his voice trailing off as he continued walking.
"Don't worry I will." Erza replied. She decided to stay outside a little bit longer before going back to Lucy and Happy's room.
…
The morning came and Erza awoke in a chair back inside Lucy and Happy's room. She stood up and walked to Lucy's bedside and was slightly startled when the young girl began to stir.
"Mmmm…" she opened her eyes slightly and turned her head to the left, seeing Erza staring at her. "Erza? Where am I?" She looked around the room, "Am I back at Fairy Tail?"
Erza smiled softly and knelled next to Lucy's bed, rubbing her friend's forehead gently. "Yes, you're back. I'm glad you're awake."
Lucy smiled back at Erza and looked to her left, catching a glimpse of Happy in the bed next to her.
"Happy…" She said weakly, "Is he?"
"Don't worry." Erza looked behind her at Happy, sure enough the little blue Exceed was snoring and talking in his sleep.
"mmm…fisssh. You want some Car…la?" he continued to mumble in between snores with a goofy smile.
"He's fine." Erza looked back at Lucy, reassuring her.
"That's good." Lucy relaxed herself, "How did I get here? I don't remember much."
"Gajeel brought you and Wendy back, you three were gravely injured."
"Oh yea…I remember now, we were coming back from our job and…"
Erza and Lucy heard the sound slam from outside their room, the former standing up in a hurry. Lucy tried to get up, but Erza made her lie back down by placing her hands on the blonde's shoulders and pushing her back to her bed. "I'll go see what happened. You just get some rest."
"…alright." Lucy said reluctantly as she lie in her bed.
Erza opened Lucy's door and saw Gajeel, still heavily bandaged, trying to leave his room, Levy, Jet, & Droy were holding him back.
"Come on man you need to rest." Jet said pulling him back.
"Yeah you have to calm down." Droy said also trying to restrain Gajeel, who was surprisingly strong despite his numerous injuries.
"Gajeel please." Levy pleaded, her arms around his waist. "You have to get your rest. You're still not better. Your fever will return."
Gajeel protested angrily, "I don't give a damn about me, I have to go back. I gotta go back for Salamander!"
Erza, upon hearing Natsu's name, decided to interfere in the commotion.
Levy continued to hold Gajeel back, her shoulder pressing against his stomach when he suddenly he stopped. Levy opened her eyes and looked up behind to see that Erza was in front of Gajeel, her armored hand against his chest.
"Gajeel, you need to rest." Levy heard Erza's stern words, but she could tell that she was more angry than worried.
Gajeel tried to protest, but when he saw the fire in Erza's eyes, he knew it was a battle he couldn't win. "Tch. Dammit." He relented and let Levy walk him back to his bed, Erza following them in as Jet & Droy walked back downstairs.
After he settled back in bed Erza asked the question that had been burning in her mind since she heard the commotion. "Gajeel, what happened to Natsu?"
The three of them sat in an uncomfortable silence for what seemed like hours, but Erza didn't let up. She sat in a chair across from Gajeel & Levy. Her arms folded & her legs crossed, her left leg over her right.
"Erza maybe we should wait until-" Levy began.
"I was speaking to Gajeel." Erza replied sternly not looking at the bluenette.
"But Erza-" Levy began to protest but Gajeel held his arm in front of her to silence her.
"It's fine." He then looked back at Erza, "I'll tell ya what happened."
"We were on our way back from a job. All of us were spent from using too much of our energy when it happened.
"When what happened?" Erza asked.
"We were cutting through a forest a few miles outside of Magnolia…when we were attacked."
"Attacked by who?"
Levy tried to ease the tension after seeing the look in her eyes "Erza…" Gajeel held his arm in front of Levy once again and continued talking.
"I don't know who it was, probably some random Dark Guild. All I know is that there were hundreds of them. Normally we could have took them no problem, but with the condition we were in anyone could have took us out." Gajeel clenched his fist in anger as he recalled the events.
"We fought as long as we could but the numbers started catching up to us. Soon we were running through the forest like scared children just trying to survive long enough to get back."
Erza sat in her chair and squeezed her left bicep impatiently as she listened to Gajeel's story. "What, happened, to Natsu?"
Gajeel looked at her face and then looked down, placing his palm over his clenched fist. "We hid behind some trees for cover. Blondie was knocked out and the little dragon was barely hanging on. Salamander looked at me and told me to take the girls and run….then he ran out to face those guys."
Erza stood up enraged, her chair flying across the room as she stared a hole into Gajeel.
"AND YOU JUST LET HIM GO?!" she said in a rage as she grabbed Gajeel by the arm.
Her voice could be heard from downstairs, Gray was the first to rush up with Jet and Droy following close behind him.
"What the hell was I supposed to do?!" He yelled back at her, "I didn't want to leave him but before I could say anything the idiot ran off and lit the trees in front of us on fire. The other two were injured, I didn't have a choice!"
"YOU HAD A CHOICE!" She said her voice slightly quaking, "And you chose to be a coward! Now Natsu is out there on his own and he could be hurt or…" Erza's voice trailed off, trying not to think of the alternative to Natsu's fate as she and Gajeel continued to stare at each other.
Levy tried breaking the two up, but she wasn't strong enough.
"Gajeel, Erza, please. You two have to calm down. It's no one's fault what happened to Natsu." she said still struggling to loosen Erza's grip "We'll find him, but we can't help him if you two are at each other's throats."
Gray burst into the room. "What happened? I heard yelling and…" He saw Erza as she had a firm grip on Gajeel's arm.
"Erza what are you doing?"
"It's HIS fault." She said still looking at Gajeel. "He left Natsu there by himself. He could have helped him."
"Erza stop. I don't know what happened but I know Gajeel wouldn't leave Natsu on his own like that. We will go after him, but you have to calm down this isn't like you at all." He said placing his hand on Erza's shoulder which began to calm down as she loosened her grip on Gajeel.
His arm slipped from her hand and she looked down at him, ashamed at her outburst. "I'm sorry Gajeel. I…don't know what came over me, you made the right decision. I apologize." She walked out of the room sullenly, Gray following after her.
Gajeel reset himself in his bed and looked out the door.
"I'm sorry Gajeel, Erza didn't mean it. She's just worried about Natsu, we all are."
"I know, you don't gotta apologize. Dammit!" He punched the wall next to his bed "I should have stayed and helped him."
"Gajeel." Levy said his name sadly.
Gray walked with Erza back to where Lucy and Happy's room and the two sat down by Lucy's bedside.
"Erza, please don't blame Gajeel for what happened. He did the best he could." Lucy said she placing her hand on Erza's lap, she heard the entire thing from her bed. Although she was still ashamed of her actions, Erza managed to smile a little as she placed her hand atop Lucy's.
"So what are we going to do now?" Gray asked them.
"We're going to find Natsu." Erza said with a look of resolve in her eye.
"But we don't even know where he is." Gray began to protest.
"I do." A small voice said from behind them.
The trio turned around and saw Happy standing up in his bed.
"I was with Natsu when those guys took him. I know where he is."
Erza stood up from her chair, grabbed Happy, the Exceed more than a little afraid by the sudden action, and walked towards the door. "Let's go find him." she said confidently, Happy being strung along unwillingly.
"Wait Erza!" Gray called after her, "We don't how strong these guys are. I know you want save him but…"
"Gray!" Erza yelled his name, startling him "I don't care what the odds are, I've left him alone for too long. I'm not waiting anymore."
Gray looked at her back and sighed, he knew he couldn't dissuade her. "Fine, if you wanna go that bad I guess I gotta go with you. Let's go save that idiot." he smirked at Erza, the scarlet haired warrior replying with one of her own.
"Wait, I'll come to." Lucy said trying to get out of her bed but Gray stopped her.
"No, you and the others stay here and finish resting. We can handle this."
Lucy protested, "But…"
"He's right Lucy." Erza calmly said to her "You three need to focus on recovering. We will bring him home."
Lucy could hear the confidence in her voice and smiled, "Alright I'll stay, but don't come back without him ok?"
Erza turned to her and smiled "I don't intend to."
The three walked out of the room as Lucy sat in her bed and thought silently to herself,
Be safe you guys.
After a few minutes of preparation, the rescue team of Erza, Happy, Gray, Juvia, & Laxus were ready to head out.
"Are you all ready?" Erza asked the group sternly.
"Aye!" Happy exclaimed
"Yeah." Gray said confidently slamming his fist into his open palm.
"Yes." Juvia nodded. "This is for Gajeel & the others." she said holding the pendant around her neck.
"Let's show these bastards what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail." Laxus chimed in as lightning circulated and crackled around his body.
"Alright." Erza said turning towards the open doors. She looked out to the horizon with a look of fierce determination in her eyes.
"Come back safe you guys." Levy said.
"Be careful." Mirajane said.
"Bring the boy home will you?" Master Makarov added.
"Yes Master." Erza answered confidently as her group walked out of the guild hall.
Don't worry Natsu…we're coming to save you.