Hello, minna~!♥  Here is the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy this one!  I really like the flow of this chapter; I really do! c:  Man, it stinks the dedications aren't working, huh? :c  I hope they fix it soon!!✖ But, I shall still dedicated a chapter to someone, haha! So, I dedicate this chapter to LucyAshleyHeartfilia; I mean, come on, she's a great person! :D ♡  Well, I hope you all enjoy, and feedback is very much appreciated!!  Until next time, minna!

♛{я у - ¢ н α и}♚

===================================================================

In the rocky rubble, the dust began to subside, and the rumbling faded.  Abruptly, Natsu's clenched fist erupted from the rock, shooting upwards.  He pulled himself out, Happy slung over his arm.  Happy himself was panting slightly, a little bruised but unharmed.  Then emerged everyone else; Erza, Gray, and Wendy with Carla.

"Hey...Is everyone..alright?"  Erza asked, her elbows propped on the rocks as she tried to regain her breath.

"Aye.."  Happy mewed, pulling himself up onto his paws.

Natsu flinched.  "W-Where's-?!"

Realization dawned on everyone elses faces.

"Lucy?!"  They all exclaimed at once.

Looking around wildly, Natsu gasped when he spotted Lucy further down the corridor.  "Lucy!"  He exclaimed, and everyone turned to look in the direction Natsu was.

Lucy had her back to them, laying on her side bruised and rumpled.  She had her right arm up and beside her head, while she was laying on the other.  Then, her right leg was on top of her left, with her ankles slightly parted from each other.  Her mouth was slightly open as she layed there, unconscious and injured.

Natsu pulled himself out of the rubble, tripping over the debris and his own feet in the process as he scrambled to try and get over to Lucy.

However, Natsu made a surprised noise and stopped abruptly when Coven appeared next to her unconscious body with a flash of blackness, looking down at her with supremacy.

"Coven.."  Natsu growled, glaring at him.

Coven paid no mind to Natsu or the others, and summoned a black sword made of purple gell in his left hand.

Natsu's eyes widened, becoming black slits in shock.  He suddenly started racing forward.  

"Stop!"  He shouted, seeing Coven lift up the sword in his hand in preparation.

Damn, I won't make it in time!  Natsu exclaimed through his mind, clenching his teeth as he raced as fast as his bruised legs could carry him.

Coven swung his sword down; Natsu extended out his hand, the others following him and yelling their protests.

"Stop!!"  Natsu exclaimed, anger on his face.

________________________________________________________________________

Natsu had stopped, his eyes wide in surprise and shock.

The others had stopped, the same expression on their faces as they saw Lucy's savior using his own sword to block Coven's.  He was knelt over Lucy, one knee beside her as his face was neutral, taking pride in Coven's surprised face.

"T-That's-"  Happy started, his eyes also wide.

Natsu swallowed.  "Z-Zeke!"

Coven growled, getting over his shock quickly.  "You.."

Zeke looked different.  He had more calmer features and the darkness was gone fom his eyes, making them a perpetual brown.  His black shaggy hair was softer; more steady.  He had a black cloak on, with a high neckline and his previous clothes underneath.

This is when Lucy awoke.  She rubbed her eyes, leaning on one arm as she looked up at the person who had saved her.

But she didn't look surprised.

Instead, she looked relieved.

"I'm glad you decided to come,"  Lucy started, sitting up.  "Are you free now?"

Zeke smiled, his eyes swiveling back to her.  "Absolutely."

Then, Zeke thrust up against Coven, making him stumble back a few feet.

"What's going on...?"  Gray asked, confusion on his face along with the other's.  "I thought this guy was the enemy!"

"So, you broke free from my hold?"  Coven asked, his eyes narrowed.

Zeke looked determined, raising the sword in preparation of fighting.  "It was about time, too.  If it hadn't of been for Lucy, I think I wouldn't have ever been free from you."

Coven snarled.  "I thought they had killed you!"

Zeke smirked, triumph on his face.  "I guess you didn't know what you were up against."

Zeke advanced, charging after Coven as Lucy stood up with a flinch of pain.

"Lucy!"  Natsu exclaimed, running up to her along with the others.

"Natsu..everyone.."  Lucy replied, slightly surprised.

They stopped in front of her.  "What's going on?"  Natsu asked.  "I thought Zeke was an enemy!"

Lucy sighed, a sad look on her face.  "Yeah, I did too.  But do you remember when I used Star Mist on Zeke back in the Caballeen forest?"

"Y-Yeah."

Lucy looked over at Zeke, who was dodging Coven over and over again.  "Well, turns out I sent him to Rater in the Space Realm."

"Rater?"  Erza repeated, a bead of sweat on her forehead in shock.

Lucy nodded.  "Yep.  Rater freed him from Coven's control.  Turns out, this entire time Zeke was under control of one of Coven's spells; mind control."

"What?!"  Gray exclaimed, and everyone else flinched.

"No way!"  Natsu exclaimed, clenching his teeth.

"I didn't know I had done it, but when I had touched the second artifact, Rater told me what had happened to Zeke; so, I met the un-controlled Zeke, and Rater promised we could trust him."

"That's it?"  Natsu exclaimed, wary.  "Trust him?  How am I supposed to do that, when he made fun of the guild and threatened to hurt you!"

Lucy couldn't help but blush slightly at the last comment, but she looked defiant.  "That wasn't him, remember?!  He was being brain-washed!"

"Then what about Red?  Adamantalia?"  Wendy asked, clutching onto Carla once again.

Lucy looked solemn.  "They are the enemies.  They are members of Darkauroral, but went along with Zeke being the leader when really Coven was the master.  Tell me, have you ever seen a guild mark anywhere on Zeke's body?"

Everyone stopped.

"He..could've been hiding it.."  Natsu protested lightly, stressed.

Lucy shook her head.  "I trust Rater and what he said."  She turned to look back at Zeke, who was spinning in circles with Coven like a deadly dance.  "Zeke just saved me earlier, didn't he?"  She looked back at her friends, Natsu especially.  "I'm still wary of him too, but we've got no choice."

Natsu looked down, his face strained as he ran all of this through his mind.

"Huh?"  Lucy suddenly exclaimed, her hands hovering over her neck.

A necklace hung there.

And it hadn't been there before.

"W-Where did this necklace come from?"  Lucy asked, bewildered.  

"I-It's glowing!"  Carla exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Look!"  Erza exclaimed, and everyone turned to look at Coven and Zeke.

Coven had his hand outstretched towards Lucy, his palm shining.

"Lucy!"  Zeke exclaimed, realizing Coven had gotten the Caballeen Stone around her neck at some point in time.

Lucy was thrust forward, flying through the air and heading straight for Coven's hungry hands.  But Natsu grabbed her hand, pulling back as much as he could so Lucy wouldn't fly straight for Coven.  Gray grabbed his shoulders, while Erza then Wendy grabbed onto each other to help keep Natsu and Lucy from flying.

"I gotcha, Lucy!"  Natsu exclaimed, one eye shut in strain has he struggled to hang on.

"Hmpf."  Coven muttered, and swung his hand in a simple straight line.

The necklace shone brighter, and reflected red light against Natsu and Lucy's faces.  The pull became stronger, and Natsu was ripped from Gray's hold.  Natsu and Lucy exclaimed loudly as they flew forward, Natsu still hanging onto Lucy's wrist.

Zeke caught them, flying through the air and slamming against the ground in substitute of themselves.  He disengaged the necklace, and it stopped glowing, returning to normal.

Lucy sat up, rubbing her head.  "Ouch..."  She looked over at Natsu, who was cringing as he tried to sit up from the heavy blow of the collision.  "Natsu?!  Are you okay?"  She reached for his shoulders, helping him lean over as he coughed.  She looked back at Zeke, who had stood up and stepped in front of Lucy and Natsu.

"Thank you, Zeke."  Lucy replied, gratitude in her voice.

"Of course."  Zeke replied, grinning slightly for a moment until it turned serious again as he faced Coven once more.

"Zeke.."  Natsu muttered, conflicted.

Zeke smirked at him, though his eyes did not look at him.  "I don't care if you trust me or not, Salamander.  I don't care if you believe me.  All you need to know is that I was being controlled by Coven; my real mind nocked out and away from reach."  His eyes narrowed slightly.  "When I woke up, I was in front of Rater.  I promised to help, since I still had the information of Coven's plans."  This time Zeke did look at Natsu, their eyes locking.  "I promised to help Lucy; you promised to protect her, right?  Well, get off your butt and figure out what you're going to do about it."

Natsu looked slightly surprised; speechless, even.  But then, he lowered his head, shadows covering his eyes as he started to pull himself to his feet.

Lucy looked at him with surprise, watching as he stood and walked next to Zeke, facing Coven also.

Natsu rubbed the blood from his chin, smirking.  "Ah.  I'm going to protect Lucy; I already promised.  So if I have to deal with you in order to, then fine.  But.."  He turned to look at Zeke, and Zeke glanced at him with slight curiosity.  "..If you're being a filthy liar, know I will personally rip your head off and burn your body to a crisp."

Zeke smirked, nodding once.  "Understood."

Natsu looked back at Coven, a sly smirk on his face as he lit his palms on fire.  "Let's go!"

"Natsu..."  Lucy murmured, gratitude flashing through her shining eyes.

Natsu glanced behing him, grinning at her.  "Just watch, Lucy!  I'll take him out for you so you don't have to suffer anymore."

Lucy nodded, tears on the corners of her eyes.  "Right."  She replied softly.

"Let's go, Natsu Dragneel."  Zeke replied, smirking as well.  "My revenge is long overdue."

Natsu slammed his fists together.  "So is mine!"

===================================================================

Stay tuned for the next chapter, Chapter 29: The Stone of Caballeen!