WARNINGS: Yo! I'll explain more about this story in the AN at the bottom, but there are some things I want you to be mindful of before you make the decision to continue on reading. This fanfic is a Fairy Tail adaptation of the drama Save Me, which is about a religious cult, and if that bit of information alone doesn't give enough of an idea about some of the dark shiz that'll be happening, then let me give you some specifics:
-This fic includes dark themes, in addition to strong language, blood, violence, mentions of mental illnesses/disabilities, suicide, drug use (mostly just smoking), underage drinking, and some sexual themes (nothing explicit, so I don't think that we'll surpass a T rating, but if we do, I'll be sure to change the rating to m).
-Obviously, this fic deals heavily with religion, and since that can be a sensitive topic for some, I want to make you aware that the religion in this fic is completely fictional and wasn't inspired by any real religion. Some baseline religious beliefs that are common throughout many religions will be present, but the overall religion and its practices are entirely fiction. The presence of crosses will be explained later, and this religion isn't supposed to be a subdivision of Christianity. With that said, it wasn't my intention to offend anyone or anything else like that.
-There will be a few major character deaths as the story progresses. I won't be killing people left and right like I was in my fic Scarlet Heart, but there will still be some death (mostly at the beginning actually).
-This fic also deals with some rather controversial themes, like corruption in politics and just in regular society in general, as well as the display of how weak human nature is to succumb to blind faith because people chose to seek the easiest path possible when faced with adversity. If you can't handle those ideas, then read no further.
You've been warned, so if all of that isn't your cup of tea, don't feel like you have to keep reading.
Also, some other, less detrimental forewords:
-Before I have people screaming at me in the reviews, I'm fully aware that there is and will continue to be some major OOCness, particularly on Sting's part. Why he is the way he is in this fic will all be explained later and it has a purpose, I promise. All of the personality changes in other characters that I'm making will all serve a purpose, too. I'm adapting this story with the characters of FT, so there's only so much I can do to make them more 'in character' without changing any major events. I've done the best I can, but OOCness is definitely still a factor.
-I'm also going to be messing with people's relations and making them siblings again, just a heads up. In addition to that, prepare yourselves for some really shitty parents, but also for some kickass parents, too.
-Nalu is endgame, but this chapter is kind of all over the place in terms of hinting at ships, so just know that we'll get there eventually…after lots of other shiz happens.
With all of that in mind, here's the first chapter!
Chapter One
A Fateful Encounter
"You mustn't be afraid! The Almighty will always be with you!"
The preacher's words echoed throughout the small chapel as an old man was wheeled down the aisle on a hospital bed, his shirt missing and his ailing form left exposed for the congregation to see. The old man lingered somewhere between sleep and consciousness, his eyes squinting as he tried to pick out the fuzzy figures around him in the dark chapel, the space illuminated only by candlelight.
"Spiritual father!"
"Spiritual father!" the kneeling congregation echoed the cry of the dark haired woman on the stand as she praised the preacher's sermon, their hands clasped in front in their chests in a prayer-like pose.
"You mustn't doubt your faith! The Almighty will be your savior!" The preacher brought his hand down on the pulpit with every syllable of his speech, his pure white suit seeming to the glow in the dimly lit room.
"Our wishes will be fulfilled!" the dark haired woman beside the preacher cried.
The congregation followed suit from the floor in front of the stand, their hands reaching towards the heavens as they chanted in unison, "We believe it!"
The graying blonde man at the front of the room lifted his free hand to the sky, his other clutching around the mic as he resumed his empowered preaching, "Those who love the Almighty will be set free from disease and pain!"
"We believe it!"
The ailing man's bed was brought to a halt as he reached the front of the crowd, the preacher stepping down from the pulpit to stand at his side. He slowly rested his hand on the old man's shoulder, and the room went silent as he raised his mic to his lips once more, "Everyone. As all of you know, Mr. Yajima here…is in the last stages of stomach cancer."
Several sorrowful cries whispered through the room, numerous heads falling forward in despair.
"Even doctors at the top hospital in Crocus turned him away," the preacher solemnly continued, "They sent him back home, saying he has no chance of surviving." He circled around the old man's bed, "To a petrified patient who is faced with death…they turned him away without even trying to save him."
The room was filled with more quiet cries of anguish, hands clutched together and shaking in prayer.
The preacher ghosted the tips of his fingers along the old man's stomach, "However…Our Almighty is different. He will never turn away those who come seeking his help." As he lifted his hand above his head, his voice grew louder, "He will never turn his back and send those pour souls into the dark valley of death!"
"We believe it!"
"Our wishes be fulfilled!"
The white suited preacher extended his arm out in front of him, his fingers spreading apart from each other before he slammed his hand back down on the old man's stomach. He kept his palm pressed forcefully against Yajima's clammy skin, his deep voice quivering, not with weakness but with underlying power, "In the name of our savoir, the Almighty, I will draw out the evil disease festering within you, bringing you unimaginable pain." The preacher withdrew his hand only to slam it back down in the same place twice more, each strike growing stronger than the last, "With the burning fire of salvation," his hand came down again, his voice reaching a new level in volume, "this unclean and hideous piece of cancer that was born of the evil spirit will be cured by the Almighty and your body will become free again like fresh snow!"
When his hand slammed down once more, blood spurted from between his fingers.
"Spiritual Father!" the congregation had their eyes squeezed shut in prayer, wordless mumblings slipping from their lips.
Their mutterings fluttered between the walls of the chapel as the preacher passed his mic to his dark haired disciple, his gaze never straying from where his palm was pressed against the old man's stomach. His now free right hand became slick with blood as he slid it in between his left palm and Yajima's skin, and he pushed downwards, the fingers of his right hand digging for his goal.
All sound in the chapel ceased for a brief moment as the preacher's hands suddenly fisted and stilled. The blood on his fingers smeared across the old man's stomach as he pulled his hands back, but once his fists were out of the way, gasps filled the room as Yajima's skin was revealed to their gazes, looking just as it had before their Father had begun his extraction, with no indication as to what wound the blood had flown from.
His lack of any bodily harm only strengthened their belief in the man in the white suit, "Spiritual Father!"
In response to his believers' cries, the preacher raised his left fist into the air, his potent voice echoing throughout the dim chapel, "This piece of cancer belongs to the evil spirit."
"Our wishes be fulfilled!"
"Let us attribute this glory to our Almighty," the preacher extended his left arm in front of him and unfurled his fingers so all of his followers could pay witness to the bloodied, cancerous tumor resting in his palm.
At the sight, none in the congregation were still, some falling forward onto their hands in worship while others continued to cry and exclaim their faith to the heavens. Their bodies contorted as far as their joints and muscles would allow, their forms trembling and convulsing into twisted poses as they gave their entire bodies over to the influence of their beliefs.
'Welcome to the energetic city of Magnolia!'
Lucy tiredly stretched her hand through the car window to catch a few trickling rain drops, her sleeve ruffling in the wind as the van drove down the winding forest road.
So far, Magnolia wasn't living up to the reputation set by its welcome signs. The secluded, country town seemed more dark and dreary than anything else, its surrounding forest and the settling fog draping the valley in darkness.
The blonde tucked her hand back in the window when the rainfall began to grow heavier, turning from a light shower to a full on downpour in the matter of only a few moments. The silence in the car was broken by the pattering of the rain, her father flicking on the windshield wipers and further adding to the noise.
She rested her head against the now rolled up window, letting out a light sigh as she tiredly watched her breath puff against the cold glass. The chilly surface stole the heat from her skin, but she didn't pull back. She'd long since grown numb to the feeling of being drained of all things that provided comfort, and losing her warmth was just another, insignificant loss among the countless sacrifices she and her family had made as of late.
Magnolia was supposed to provide them with a new life, a new beginning to help them recover and leave behind all of the misfortune that had befallen them in Crocus. But as she looked out the window, the fog growing ever thicker and the road before them winding down into the darkness beyond the car's poor headlights, Lucy couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't free of their tribulations just yet, and instead they were traveling towards something much darker, something that would bring them more misfortune than they could have ever imagined.
Lucy let out a tiny scream when her seatbelt pulled painfully tight against her chest as the car suddenly jerked, her shoulder roughly jostling against her brother's. Her father slammed on the breaks in a panic, grappling with the steering wheel and bringing the car to a rough stop on the side of the road.
The sudden, jerky stop seemed to finally spur the Heartfilia family out of their state of solemn silence, words passing between them for the first time since they'd left their home in Crocus.
Jude was the first to speak, the blond man quickly performing a quick survey of his wife before turning over his shoulder towards his children in the back seat, "Everyone okay?"
Lucy and Layla both gave him small hums of affirmation in response, but his son remained silent, just like he always did as of late.
The blonde girl looked to her twin as their parents vacated the car to see what had happened, her gentle fingers coming to lightly rest on his knee, "Sting…you okay?"
He seemed to come out of some sort of daze when he felt the soft weight of her hand on his leg, his eyes quickly glancing at her from beneath his platinum blonde bangs as he quietly, shakily reassured, "Y-yeah."
Lucy withdrew her hand from his knee without another word, pressing her lips into a grim line and averting her gaze to the pouring rain pattering against the window to her left. She'd grown to hate his voice over the past few months, how he always sounded like he was on the verge of bursting into tears. But at the same time, she felt relief whenever he mustered up the courage to mumble even a single word, knowing that his stuttering was better than his silence.
She'd feared she would lose him completely after what had happened to and because of him four months ago, her mind continuously caught up in the what-ifs; haunted by the idea that maybe if she had gone with him that night like he'd asked of her and been the voice of reason, Sting would still be the same obnoxious, but genuinely good natured older twin brother she'd always known.
But the past was the past. It was fixed and immutable, and so she'd decided it was her turn to be the strong sibling for once while he recovered from his trauma. She'd vowed to be there for him always, whether she got the old him back or not, and she wasn't one to go back on her promises.
The door on the driver's side of the old, rented van creaked raucously as Jude stepped out into the downpour to observe the damage, his jacket quickly becoming heavy with the weight of the rain.
Layla rushed out of her side of the car with an umbrella, shielding herself and her husband as he crouched down next to the left, front tire, "Honey, what happened?"
He let out a heavy, distressed sigh as he straightened himself to his full height next to her, "The tire blew out." His hands dove into his pockets, rummaging for his phone.
The road was suddenly flooded with the brightness of two headlights that were much more luminous than the rickety van's, a pair of motorcycles turning the bend behind them and quickly speeding past.
The couple didn't pay them much mind until they were a good distance down the road in front of them, the bright headlights nearly blinding them as the bikes u-turned back towards their broken down car.
Jude stiffened and pushed his wife behind him as the motorcycles came to a stop only a short distance away, stepping beyond the cover of her umbrella and back out into the downpour.
"Jude?" Layla quietly questioned.
"Get back in the car," he commanded over his shoulder.
His wife's frame froze as she caught sight of four hooded figures dismounting from the two bikes, the edges of their silhouettes illuminated by the headlights of their rides as they approached the van.
Jude looked the advancing group over, the way their hoods concealed their faces from view setting him on edge, "Get inside the car and stay with the kids."
"Honey," Layla weakly protested as her husband stepped forward, his frame moving to protectively stand in front of the van as the four came to a stop a short distance away, their faces still hidden in the shadow of their hoods.
He stilled himself to counter whatever it was the sketchy looking group before him was planning on pulling. He used to be a man who believed there was good in everyone, but his family had faced too much misfortune at the hands of others for him to withhold that belief into the present. He wouldn't let any more harm befall his wife and children if he could prevent it, so he squared his shoulders and widened his stance to show his determination to protect the three who rested behind him.
Jude was slightly taken aback as one of the approaching group lifted their head from where it had been cast downwards to block the rain with their hood, and he was greeted by a bright smile, a tuft of vibrant salmon hair slipping free of the hood, "Wow…Looks like you're tire's completely blown out."
Another one of the four took a small step forward, a bespectacled, pale face framed with orange hair coming into view, "You okay, sir?"
Lucy warily eyed the four hooded figures from her seat in the back of the van, her gaze quickly sliding towards her twin and making eye contact with him for a brief moment before returning her focus to the scene in front of their car.
When she was young, she'd been taught not to trust strangers just like every other kid had, and everything her family had endured had only served to make her even warier of the rest of the world.
The salmon haired boy's grin made him seem friendly enough, but the fogged spectacles on the orange haired boy's face next to him left much of his expression hidden from her sight. The boy on the far left of the group looked intimidating enough without even having to lift his head, and she was certain the impossibly massive tanned forearms that slipped beyond the length of his rain poncho were nearly as thick as her neck, possibly even thicker. And when he did finally raise his head, she caught sight of the thin scar that ran in a line underneath his right eye, making him all the more imposing. The fourth boy on the right side of the salmon haired one hadn't lifted his head yet, or at least she assumed it was a male from what she could see of their build, namely his broad shoulders.
She couldn't hear a word of what was passing between them and her father, and not knowing whether they came offering their aid or a threat was getting on her nerves. As soon as their mouths started moving, she cranked her window down and leaned out as far as she could without unbuckling her seatbelt, uncaring as the rain slicked her bangs to her forehead, "Mom, is everything okay?"
Everyone's gazes snapped to her, including the fourth boy whose face she had yet to see. Her eyes slowly slid from her mother to him when she realized his face was finally free of the shadow cast by his hood and instead illuminated by the headlights of the van. He was just as pale as his orange haired acquaintance, and what she could see of his raven hair was just as wild.
At first glance, there wasn't anything that set him apart from what she'd seen of the rest. But then she made eye contact, his navy blue irises catching her gaze and holding it hostage for a brief moment. His tired eyes held a depth that she'd rarely seen in others, and she knew right then that he'd caught a glimpse of hell, too, just like she and her family had.
The writer within her suddenly sparked back to life after months of being shoved down, and she yearned to know what his story was; what trials he'd been through to make his eyes appear like they had seen a lifetime of suffering when he was probably around the same age as her.
And as the raven haired boy stared back at her, he seemed almost just as intrigued with her as she was with him. His head was slightly tilted to one side, his brows furrowed only a fraction as his eyes searched hers.
She wondered if he saw the same thing in her that she saw in him, though she wasn't exactly sure how to put it into words, even though she had authored countless stories through the years. A kindred spirit, maybe? But that made the whole situation sound too profound for her liking, much too similar to a fated encounter, something she believed to only exist in her stories.
The blonde barely heard her mother's quiet reply of, "Of course, dear. They're just here to help us."
Her eyes were finally pulled away from the raven haired boy's when the salmon haired one next to him raised his hand in greeting, directing his bright grin towards her, "Yo!"
She could see his eyes more clearly now, too, the onyx of his irises shining surprisingly bright in the dark, rainy night. Although his eyes were unique in color, for she'd never seen a pair of irises so dark, the endearing sense of mischief and genuine benevolence blazing in his gaze reminded her of what her brother's eyes used to look like before he'd fallen apart and become only a shell of his former self.
And just like that, the spark of her old self, the one who wound her experiences into stories, was extinguished. Eyes told stories about people's pasts, and her own past wasn't one she needed to be reminded of. Not right now. Not when her family was suffering.
Before the salmon haired boy's eyes, which were painfully reminiscent of her brother's own, could pull her back into bittersweet memories of better days, she tore her focus away.
She was supposed to focus only on the future, like her parents had told her. Moving on from all that had happened was the only way for things to get better.
"Sweetie, go back inside. You're getting all wet."
Lucy thoughtlessly obeyed her mother's commands, tucking her upper body back into the car and cranking the window up, but not all the way so she could hear the rest of the conversation. As soon as she was settled back in her seat again and her gaze naturally moved forward, she caught the raven haired boy's eyes once more. He was still staring at her, his expression bored but his eyes alight with something akin to curiosity.
Her father had resumed his conversation with the two boys in the middle of the group, his formerly firm expression and stance softening up a fraction once he realized the party of teens was here to help, "Do any of you know if there's a mechanic's shop nearby?"
The one with the glasses jumped slightly, and that's when Lucy realized he, just like his salmon and raven haired friends, had been staring at her since she'd made her presence known earlier. Her father's words seemed to finally snap him out of whatever scenario he'd been playing in his head as he gazed at her, an amiable grin gracing his features as he turned back to her father, "Ah, yes. I was just about to make a call."
As he began rummaging underneath his poncho for his phone, Layla ran forward to shield her husband from the downpour with her umbrella, giving the boys before her a gentle smile, "My goodness, I'm so sorry for making you go through all of this in the rain."
The blonde girl in the van strained to hear the rest of the conversation over the patter of the rain as the boy with the salmon hair brushed off her mother's concern, his bright grin never once fading, "Nah, it's okay. Most places around here close around eight. It'd be a pain to find one on your own without knowing which ones were still open. Plus, Elfman's family runs a mechanic shop," he gestured to large, tan boy at the right of the group, who looked incredibly proud about that fact.
Lucy had to admit, the salmon haired boy's ability to grin for as long as he had been, and with such genuine happiness and kindness no less, made her slightly jealous. It'd been a long time since she'd last been able to smile like that. Months, actually. Their burdens had been too heavy for her to lift the corners of her lips to their full extent.
"Someone will be here for you in about thirty minutes," the orange haired boy shoved his phone back under his poncho, a cheeky, proud expression on his face.
Lucy could hear her father's light smile in his voice as he ducked his head in a small bow, "Thank you."
Layla mimicked her husband's gesture, "How can we repay you?"
A smug grin tugged at the orange haired boy's lips, and Lucy clutched her fingers tightly around the edge of her seat as his focus slyly dashed to her before returning to her parents, "Well, you could introduce-"
"Hey," the salmon haired boy sharply jabbed his bespectacled friend in the ribs before he could finish his request, earning him a sour pout from the other boy as he clutched at his side. Lucy huffed out a light, barely audible, amused breath as the salmon haired boy brushed off his friend's obviously fake hiss of pain, his bright grin unceasing as he turned back to her parents, "You don't need to repay us. Someone will be here soon, so don't worry about it." He raised his hand in a carefree wave, "Take care."
Her parents offered one final sentiment of gratitude before the salmon haired boy turned his back on them, heading towards their motorcycles with the raven haired boy and the one he'd called 'Elfman' following in his stead. It was then that Lucy realized he must be the leader of their little pack, and she decided that the boy of mischief and bright grins fit the role perfectly.
He turned back over his shoulder as he reached his bike, annoyance flashing across his features as he called out to their lingering friend, "Loke! You coming?"
Just like before, the orange haired boy jumped as he snapped out of the trance he'd slipped into while staring at her. He gave her one last smug grin before he scurried after his friends, nearly face-planting when he came close to sliding off of the seat as he climbed onto the back of one of the motorcycles, behind the raven haired boy.
Now she was sure. Given the way the orange haired playboy had immediately responded, the salmon haired boy was definitely the leader. It was no surprise to her when he sat himself at the front of the other motorcycle, though it was quite a sight to behold as she watched the large tanned boy squeeze onto the rest of the seat behind him.
Her eyes turned to the raven haired boy, a new curiosity taking over her mind as she watched him slide a helmet onto his head over the hood of his rain poncho.
If the salmon haired boy was the leader, she wondered how her 'kindred spirit' fit into their little pack. He obviously stood apart from the rest, the atmosphere surrounding him a lot less vibrant and more subtle than the overpowering and outgoing auras of his friends. He seemed a lot more reserved, his bored expression letting her know he wanted to leave more than anything else during their short encounter.
If she had met him before the incident with Sting a few months ago, the story of how he'd become friends with a group of people who seemed so vastly different from him would've been one that she would've liked to hear in order to gather some inspiration for one of her stories.
Now though, she found herself yearning to hear that story for a different reason. She wanted to know how he did it. How he carried on after all that he'd been through and how he could handle being around those that didn't know the pain of having their world crash down around them.
She sucked in a light breath when he suddenly looked over his shoulder, as if sensing her lingering gaze. His eyes immediately found her through the haze of rain, and he did one last search of her face before he revved his motorcycle, his jaw clenching and gaze finally peeling from her face as he sped down the winding mountain road and out of sight, the salmon haired boy following close behind.
Lucy resigned to herself that his story was one she'd never get to hear.
A sharp exhale of breath to her right prevented her thoughts from lingering on the boy whom had caught her interest, and she turned to Sting when he finally seemed to start breathing again. As she looked over his pale, now sweaty face, she wondered if he'd been holding his breath the entire time the group of boys had been standing before them. Her brows furrowed in doubt at his earlier claim, "Sting, are you sure you're really okay?"
He swallowed heavily and quickly ran the tip of his tongue over his dry lips, his head bobbing in a quick nod as he hurriedly breathed out, "Yes. You…you don't need to worry."
Lucy slowly reached into his lap to retrieve his left hand and gently brought it to rest between both of her own, a soft smile on her face as she reassured her twin, "Nothing bad will happened to us here. I promise."
Gray huffed out a bored breath as he picked away at the old wood of their usual table of the Fairy Tail bar, his eyes lazily wandering from one of his friends to the next.
Loke was slouched in the corner of their booth, probably regretting his decision of who to sit next to since he was completely scrunched while his body battled against Elfman's for space on the small bench. His flushed cheeks gave him away, the orange haired playboy obviously already succumbing to the effects of the alcohol he'd consumed and worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as if deep in thought.
Elfman, on the other hand, was thoroughly invested in his meal, paying no mind to the shenanigans of his friends and the bar's other patrons. He didn't even seem to notice the suffering of the orange haired boy next to him as he dug in without restraint.
The raven haired boy's gaze indolently slid over to the last member of their group, his lips quirking in annoyance at what was taking place to his left. The salmon haired idiot seated next to him was busy plucking peanuts from the container in the center of their table and throwing them into air before catching them in his mouth, giving out tiny whoops of victory every time he succeeded, which was every damn time. God, Natsu was annoying.
Loke suddenly startled out of his dreamlike state, shooting forward to lean over the table, "Hey…don't you guys think that blonde we saw earlier was really pretty?" His cheeks grew even more flushed, "I'm pretty sure her hair was made of gold."
Natsu abandoned his game at the mention of the girl, a proud smile gracing his features and excitement alight in his eyes, "Didn't you see that stare she gave me?"
The raven haired boy tsked, a coy grin tugging at the right corner of his lips, "Why would she want to look at your ugly mug? She was obviously staring at me."
A tanned fist promptly swung at him from his left, but he was prepared for it, ducking in his seat and diving under the arm to fist his hands in the salmon haired boy's collar. They screamed in each other's faces for a bit, but no one in the bar moved to break them apart, having grown used to their shenanigans a long time ago.
"In your dreams, punks," Loke vainly chuckled to himself and pointed to his own face, his tone making the encounter seem much more dramatic than Gray remembered it being, "She was practically shooting lasers at my face. When I noticed, I gave her the look," he wiggled his eyebrows to accent his tale. "Our eyes locked. She was definitely interested."
Natsu and Gray were in sync as they reached forward to grab a handful of fries from the basket in the center of their table, pelting the salty strips at their orange haired friend with disapproving hollers and boos.
The raven haired boy vaguely noted that maybe Elfman was paying attention to them after all, his bulky frame leaning slightly to the left to escape the line of fire.
"Come on, guys," Loke protested from behind the shield he'd created with his hands, "I'm tellin' ya, it was electrifying. Sent a jolt straight down to my-"
Another fry smacked him in the face, accompanied by Natsu's disgusted groan of, "Fucking pervert."
Gray rolled his eyes at his orange haired friend's lewd thoughts, his gaze sliding away from his friends and a familiar black haired man with a gentle smile staring back at him catching his gaze. He quirked a brow at the poster on the nearby bulletin board. He hadn't realized it was election time again already. He'd been too caught up in other things, namely school and his shitty family situation.
His eyes didn't leave the propaganda poster as he questioned his salmon haired friend, "You think your brother will win again?"
Loke followed his gaze, a barely distinguishable twinge of disgust in his voice as he spat out, "Of course he'll win. No one else is qualified."
The smug, proud grin on Natsu's lips only widened in response to Loke's comment, and for a brief moment, Gray wondered what it'd be like to feel proud of his family instead of being ashamed of them. He guessed the salmon haired boy hadn't detected the distaste in their friend's tone as he talked about Zeref, and he figured that was probably a good thing.
There was a light slam as Loke let his head fall backwards onto the high back of his and Elfman's bench, his eyes squeezed shut as he hollered for a certain brunette, "Cana! Where's our drinks?"
Gray startled as the waitress seemingly appeared out of nowhere and slammed four beer glasses onto the table, her hands snapping to her hips and her eyes twitching in annoyance. He often wondered how she kept her job when she was always in such a resentful mood while at work, though he knew her demeanor was probably because she'd much rather be chugging the alcohol instead of serving it.
Loke's brows furrowed when he noticed how dark the drinks were, the fizzy, chocolate brown liquid clearly not the beer they'd ordered, "What are these? Why are they so dark?"
Her gaze jerked to him, her teeth clenched in irritation, "Do you shits want to end up at the police station again? I'm not dealing with your drunk asses anymore after what happened last time, so drink your cola like good little school boys and then get out of my bar."
The orange haired playboy chuckled to himself, pouring all of his characteristic charm into his voice as he waved his hand flippantly in the air in front of him, "Cana, Cana, listen. I was in a bad condition last time, so I made a small mistake-"
"'Bad condition?' 'Small mistake?'" an incredulous laugh burst from her lips, "Bullshit. Good luck finding somewhere else that'll serve your underage asses if you don't want these." She accented her threat to kick them out with a sharp turn on her heel, her long brown hair nearly swishing Gray in the face as she left.
And Loke nearly clambered out of the booth after her, ready to fight the brunette for his beer. But Elfman's strength held him back, the tanned man's fist closing around the collar of Loke's shirt and tugging him back into his seat without even raising his head from his meal while Natsu simultaneously ground out, "Forget it, dumbass."
The salmon haired boy moved to slide the drinks across the table and distribute them in front of his friends, Loke with an extra sour pout on his lips as his glass was placed in front of him.
"We've only got one more year, Loke," Gray halfheartedly comforted, thinking of their upcoming high school graduation at the end of spring, which was only six months away, "Then you'll finally be of age, and you can drink yourself silly." He wrapped his hand around his mug of cola, raising it in front of him, "For now, let's just drink this and pretend it's stout."
The playboy reluctantly grabbed his own glass, "Whatever."
Gray, Natsu, and Loke all moved to clink their glasses together, just like they would've if they were drinking booze. But a lack of the fourth hand that completed their group halted their advance, and all thoughts of merrymaking were slowly snuffed out as they turned to find Elfman already chugging his entire drink, the glass emptying in only a few gulps.
They all quietly placed their drinks back on the table, awkwardly coughing to themselves as numerous eyes turned to them upon the loud belch that rushed from Elfman's mouth.
Juvia warily eyed the blond man from where she was seated on the couch in her best friend's office, her nerves on edge as his eyes followed every movement her hands made. He was soaked to the bone, swallowing hungrily as he watched her remove a large pizza box from its fabric carrier. She'd seen his family on her way in, his wife and two children truly a sight to behold as they sat in the waiting room of her friend's mechanic shop, their posture absolutely impeccable and unflinching. They were obviously not from Magnolia, their clothing and mannerisms giving them away.
The blunette let out a small sigh of relief when Lisanna finally entered the room, grateful that she didn't have to be alone with the watchful blond man anymore.
Her white haired best friend was wiping the grease off of her hands with an old rag, her characteristic bright smile on her face as she politely informed her customer, "Your tire's all fixed, sir."
He gave her a small head nod in thanks, obviously not in the mood for a conversation as he took a step towards the door.
"Excuse me."
Lisanna's light voice had him halting in his steps, and he reluctantly turned to face her once more.
She gave him a warm grin, a spark of curiosity in her blue eyes, "I couldn't help but notice the license plate on the van. You're from Crocus?"
Juvia's eyes widened, unable to stop herself from blurting out, "God, why'd you move all the way from Crocus on a day like today?"
"I know," his gaze fell to the floor, his deep voice holding a heavy tone that Juvia deemed far too regretful for their topic of conversation. "It wasn't good planning on our part."
Juvia shared a glance with her friend, Lisanna obviously feeling the same way about the direction their conversation was going.
The blunette struggled to find something to say in response. Making conversation with customers was the norm among workers in Magnolia, along with the underlying expectation of insuring that their customers left with a smile. Although this guy was a customer of Lisanna's and not her own, Juvia still wanted to help her friend out. She glanced outside, a small smile on her face as she watched the rain patter against the window, "Well…they do say that it's good luck to move on a rainy day."
"Of course!" Lisanna chimed in.
Their pleasant demeanors had no effect, his lips pressed into a thin line as he quickly tried to end the conversation, "Bye, then."
"Have a safe trip!" Lisanna called after him with small wave, but he made no indication of having heard her farewell.
Juvia pursed her lips, shrugging the matter off and heading back towards the pizza she'd brought for her and her friend, intent on having it eaten before Lisanna's brother could get home and steal it from them.
'You have arrived at your destination. Ending voice navigation.'
Lucy furrowed her brows as she looked at the way the headlights of the old van shined on the rickety, wood fence in front of them, the gate hanging off of its hinges. Vines slithered their way through the wooden planks of the fence, nearly swallowing the entirety of the barrier in green.
"Dad?" she started quietly, her voice laced with doubt and slight fear of the answer she'd receive, "Are we really at the right place?"
"Well…" her father sounded hesitant, traces of doubt in his voice, "…it's the correct address."
The blonde swallowed, turning her gaze back to the decrepit building beyond the gate that was supposed to be their new home. Its windows were all completely shattered, the same vines that crawled through the fence climbing all the way up the sides of the house and disappearing through the windows. Cracks scaled the outer walls, and the wood of the porch was crumbling into decay.
It looked like something straight out of a horror film, and it was obvious that the home had been abandoned for quite some time, left to fall into disrepair and ruin by its previous owners.
Her father suddenly cleared his throat, and Lucy watched in the rear view mirror as his reflection filled with fury. His jaw was clenched as he shoved his door open, his voice full of tension and underlying anger as he quickly commanded, "Wait here for a minute." He slammed the door shut behind him and stormed off, disappearing through the gate of the house with his phone pressed to his ear, heatedly grumbling to himself as he walked away.
The reality of what had happened hit Lucy as her mother suddenly pressed her hand over her eyes, tears streaming down her face from beneath her palm. The blonde fought to restrain her own angry tears as she realized that her father's so-called 'dear friend' had scammed them. That last bit of money they'd used to pay for the house had been their everything, and now…they had nothing left but each other.
"Magnolia one-one, do you copy?"
Mira let out a small sigh as she retrieved her radio from its latch on the dash of her police car, her thin fingers quickly working over the buttons, "Magnolia one-one here. What's the problem?"
"We received a call about a drunk man in his forties causing a scene in front of the bus terminal on Third Street. Please report to the scene."
"Roger," she latched the radio back in its place, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance as she turned her focus to her partner in the passenger seat. His snores filled the car, his police uniform coat laid across his chest as he napped while on duty.
Mira tried to be amiable at first, her tone relatively respectful as she called for him to wake up, "Sergeant. Sergeant Dreyar." Her voice rose in volume when the lump beside her made no move, her hand whapping him across the shoulder repeatedly, "Laxus! Get up already!"
His head shot from his shoulder, sleepily and angrily squinting at her as he ground out, "What the hell, woman!"
She turned her keys in the ignition, paying his grouchy mood no mind, "We've received a call about a drunk."
Laxus scoffed, falling back in his seat and pulling his coat back over his shoulders, "There's a drunk right here. Shit, my head hurts."
With an angry groan, she elbowed him in the chest as she stepped on the gas, "Get up!"
"Do we really have to go home already?" Loke complained aloud as he trudged out of the bar in front of his friends, hands comfortably tucked into his pockets.
Natsu glanced down at his watch, pursing his lips, "Well, it's already past eleven, so-"
"So what?" the orange haired playboy cut him off. "Are you Cinderella? Why do you have to go home so early? It's the weekend, so we should go have some fun!" He lightly jabbed his elbows into his friends' sides. When his jabs received no response from Natsu and Elfman, he looked past the salmon haired boy on his right to give the last member of their group a pointed stare, "Aren't I right, Gray?"
The raven haired boy rolled his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh, "What do you want to do, then?"
Loke lips twisted in a small pout, his eyes scanning the damp pavement beneath them, "Well then…since it rained-"
He cut himself off and went rigid as police sirens sounded from down the alley, whooping only once as the flashing blue and red lights on the cop car moseying to a stop in front of them were turned off.
The orange haired playboy cursed under his breath, not just because the cops were there, but rather more because of who the cops were. He'd recognize their specific police car anywhere given that it was in his driveway many nights, and sure enough, when the passenger side window rolled down he was greeted by his brother's face.
"Hey, baby bro," Laxus addressed, two fingers raised as he gestured for his orange haired sibling to come closer.
After a moment of preparing himself for the chastisement he was about to receive from his older brother, Loke left his friends behind to watch on in silence as he approached the car reluctantly, praying that the blond cop wouldn't be able to smell on the alcohol on him. He knew he wouldn't get in any serious trouble with the law given Magnolia's somewhat general disregard for the country's drinking age, and if it were any other cop in the car before him, he was sure he'd probably be sent off with only a warning and a slap on the back of his hand.
But his brother was an entirely different story, and Loke wasn't keen on falling victim to his wrath again.
Laxus quirked a brow as he looked between his brother and his three friends, not oblivious to the fact that they'd just exited a bar. "You staying out of trouble?" his tone was harsh, but the content of his question conveyed his care for his younger brother.
A forced grin wormed its way onto Loke's features, though his teeth were still clenched tightly together, "Of course."
The blond cop gave his brother a knowing look, "You know what happens if you ride a motorcycle while drunk, right?"
Loke bobbed his head in a single nod, his hands clasped in front of him, "You said I'd die a terrible death."
Content with that answer, Laxus moved on with a heavy sigh, "Ya know, you should really call mom and let her know if you're going to be staying out this late." He reached through the window and whapped his brother on the chest for good measure.
"I was just about to call her," he rushed out, hurrying to save his skin when Laxus quirked a disbelieving brow, "Really, I swear I was."
The orange haired playboy tensed even further if possible when the driver of the car leaned over Laxus, another face that he was even more terrified of coming into view. Mira looked and acted sweet enough, but he was well aware of the calamity she could cause when she really lost it.
The white haired cop gave him a soft smile, though her voice was slightly reprimanding as she spoke. Loke was just glad that she seemed to be directing her words at his friends just as much as she was at him, her gaze lingering longer on her little brother in particular, "And it's the middle of the school year, you know. You guys should really be studying instead of out partying."
In a rush to get the pair's attention off of him and his friends for the sake of preventing the mood of their evening from being dampened like the pavement beneath them, Loke attempted to turn their thoughts elsewhere, "So…where are you headed?"
"Zentopia. We just picked up a drunk," Mira informed him. She let out a small sigh, "I feel bad for bothering them as often as we do."
Laxus huffed out a breath, "I don't really believe in their whole 'returning lost souls to the Almighty' premise, but they take in the destitute and the homeless. It really helps keep the streets of Magnolia clear."
As if he had been waiting for a cue, the drunk in the back seat of their car groaned, suddenly flailing forward between the passenger's and driver's seats and regurgitating the contents of his stomach across Laxus' lap.
The blond cop let out a deep groan and Mira cringed, her hand flying to plug her nose.
Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb in irritation, "Just…just go, Mira."
Loke smirked wickedly as they drove off, recalling the face Laxus had made as the vomit splattered across his lap, "Serves him right!"
With nowhere else to head, the Heartfilia family had sought refuge at Magnolia's public recreational center. The food there wasn't the best, but it was cheap. And cheap was exactly what they needed.
Lucy softly sniffled to herself as she slurped her cup of instant noodles, trying to clear her mind of any thoughts about the heavy weight that was only continuing to pile upon her shoulders, growing heavier with each passing moment.
Her mother was quietly seated across from her and her twin as they ate, her eyes downcast and slightly out of focus.
"Mom," Sting started softly, his voice tinged with worry, "aren't you going to eat?"
Layla gave both of her children a soft smile, her voice small as she fed them a lie in an attempt to ease their concerns, "No…I'm alright. My stomach's a bit upset, so...Make sure you two eat plenty though, okay?"
Lucy swallowed heavily at her mother's refusal to eat for their sake, but she didn't push the topic any further, knowing that increasing the tension between them, even by a small fraction, was the last thing they needed.
So instead, she brought up a different point, swallowing another mouthful of noodles before asking, "Where's dad?
"I'm not sure, dear," her mother lightly answered, "He said he had to make a call."
The blonde bit her lip, her ill feelings about being kept in the dark bubbling up inside of her once more. She admired and loved her parents dearly for everything they'd done for her and Sting, but Jude and Layla's constant need to hide things from their children with the belief that they were protecting them was starting to drive her insane. She'd always been irritated by their tendency to sugarcoat things, and now that their future was at stake, she'd grown to absolutely loath her parents' coping mechanism. She'd much rather prefer to face her battles head on and grow stronger by enduring them instead of being forced to let her parents face the danger while she was kept at a distance.
She let out a small sigh, desperately needing to get away from her mother and brother for a moment to vent out some of her frustration on her own. "I need to use the restroom. I'll be right back," she excused herself from the table, giving her mom a forced, barely there smile before she left.
Lucy headed towards the bathroom, planning on sitting in a stall, and possibly finally letting some of her tears loose, for a bit before splashing her face with a handful of water and heading back to her family with her fake 'I'm totally handling all of this just fine' persona intact once more.
Just as her hand moved to push the door to the ladies' room open, her ears picked up shouting from beyond a nearby door to a stairwell, her curiosity peeking when she recognized the voice as her father's.
A small part of her knew that it'd be best if she just ignored it, but she'd had enough of her parents pretending like everything was okay. Assuming that he was screaming over what she thought he was, she figured that if her father knew she'd overheard him, he'd finally be forced to admit everything to her and then they could work on fixing things together instead of him having to face their burdens alone.
So she quietly pressed the door opened and entered the dimly lit stairwell, flinching when her father's voice echoed through the small space, harsher than she'd ever heard before and full of more anger than she'd ever known him to possess.
Her gaze traveled up the stairwell, her eyes finding her father on the top landing, his back to her as he raged into his phone, "You didn't really do this to us, did you?! That money was all we had left!"
Lucy bit her lip, her assumptions on the topic of his call confirmed as he yelled, "Are…are you gambling right now, you bastard?! With our money?!"
She sucked in a breath, her fingers anxiously tangling in the material of her skirt. Things were worse than she'd thought, and tears gathered in her eyes when her very last smidgeon of hope threatened to go out.
They couldn't get their money back if it was already lost by the one who'd taken it.
Her eyes widened as a string of curse words suddenly burst from her father's mouth upon being hung up on, his fingers furiously redialing the same number. Her father never swore. She'd never heard such vulgar words slip from his tongue; he was normally too composed and well-mannered for such language.
The blonde swallowed heavily, her voice choked as she shakily breathed out, "D-dad?"
Her father turned over his shoulder, his eyes wide as he caught sight of her standing at the bottom of the stairwell. There were traces of fear in his features, too; fear that she'd overheard his conversation and fear as to how she would react.
His suspicions were confirmed when her lip began to quiver, having to fight against her rising sobs as she asked, "Dad…who…who was that?" She didn't want to fall apart in front of her father like this, but she couldn't stay strong anymore. Not when every last bit of hope she had was being stolen away.
Jude visibly struggled for words, his lips moving as if he wanted to speak, but no sound was issued forth.
Her tears finally slipped free in two small streams, "Was it Jose? He…he really did con us, d-didn't he?"
The stairwell was filled with sounds of hurried footfalls her father rushed to comfort her, the blonde admitting defeat and letting her sobs take over as he pulled her into a warm embrace. He was mumbling little nothings in an attempt to calm his daughter, but he wasn't able to keep his own fear and sorrow from slipping into his voice as he held her.
"Every...everything's going to turn out fine, right?" Lucy hopelessly asked, her fingers moving to fist in the back of her father's shirt.
He affectionately brushed his hand through her hair, his lips pressed into a thin line, "Of course, darling. We don't have anything to be afraid of. We're stronger than this, and we'll make it through. I promise."
The night was young, and just like the night, Natsu, Gray, Loke, and Elfman were still youthful at heart; their knees scrunched into their chest as they squeezed into the tiny chairs in front of the arcade machines at Magnolia's public recreational center. Popsicles were clenched between their lips as they zoned out during their gameplay, a line of children waiting behind them for the teens to be done so they could finally take their turn.
A swish of blonde hair brushed past Natsu's arm, and without even looking, the salmon haired boy jabbed his elbow into Elfman's side, each pair of eyes remaining glued to their individual screens as the conversation traveled down the line of four.
"You guys saw that, right?" Natsu started.
"Yep," Elfman answered simply.
"Was that really her?" Gray questioned.
"The pretty girl from Crocus," Loke hummed.
After his comment, the group was silent, finally peeling their eyes from screens of the arcade machines and sharing a quick glance with one another before starting from their seats in unison, quietly trailing behind the blonde and her father at a distance.
The group of four ducked behind the cover of the last row of bookshelves before the library gave way to the cafeteria, crouching down so that just their heads were peeking over the top.
"They had a shit ton of stuff in their truck earlier," Loke remarked, sucking on his popsicle as he watched the blonde head back towards her mother and brother. "It seemed like they were moving, didn't it?"
Gray quirked a brow, "Well then why the hell are they here?"
"Shit!" Natsu hissed as her head naturally turned in their direction as she took her seat at the table, forcefully sending his own body tumbling to the floor to avoid her gaze. His lips twisted in his a childish pout when the action detached the remainder of his frozen treat from its stick, the popsicle quickly turning into mush on the floor.
His three friends flopped to the floor in a similar manner simultaneously, Loke accidentally dragging a few books off the top shelf in his haste. He groaned as they knocked him on the head during their fall, cringing as he rubbed the new sore spot on his skull, "She couldn't' have seen us, right?"
A mischievous smirk suddenly spread across Gray's features, his eyes devious as he looked between his three friends.
They caught his drift without a single words having to slip from his lips.
The raven haired boy readied his hand, trying to catch his friends off guard as he quickly huffed out, "Rock, paper, scissors!"
Their hands all flew outwards, three fists and one pair of 'scissors.'
Natsu quietly chuckled as he followed the arm of the odd-one-out back its owner, his laughter deepening when he saw the despair on Loke's face.
A shit eating grin replaced Gray's smirk as he rested his elbow atop the orange haired playboy's shoulder, leaning in close to his friend as he jabbed, "Loke, a man should always stick with 'rock.'"
The playboy sucked in a deep breath, crawling past his friends to peek his head around the corner of the bookshelf and look for the blonde to see if she'd caught sight of them.
His friends weren't a fan of his hesitance, and the three simultaneously shoved him forward with a few hands, and even a foot, to his butt, roughly sending him tumbling out into the middle of the walkway. He scrambled to catch himself before his face could become well-acquainted with the bookshelf across the way, turning back to them with a glare that promised vengeance, hissing at them under his breath and cursing them all to hell; the usual insults that passed between them on the daily.
"Were you trying to break my face?!"
Natsu brushed his threats aside, knowing the playboy didn't have the heart to follow through with them, "Hurry up. Is she still there?"
Loke begrudgingly turned his focus back to the cafeteria, his childish pout dissolving and his brows quirking in confusion, "She's…she's gone."
AN
Hello again! I'm back with a new story! And another kdrama AU…I told myself I wasn't going to write another one so soon, but I received a lot support on Scarlet Heart and I'm facing major writer's block on the other fanfics I'm writing, so I decided to let those ideas fester for a bit more and write something else that I've been dying to write for ages! I'll be going about adapting the story of Save Me with the characters from Fairy Tail a bit differently than I did with Scarlet Heart however. I plan on adding in more characters so that we get to see all of our fav FT peeps, and with their additions to the story, I'll be tweaking a few of the subplots and further exploring a few ideas presented in Save Me that I feel they didn't have the time to fully develop. I'll also be cutting a crap ton of scenes out, mainly because I find them unnecessary in the overall plot.
I want to make sure that the plot advances in every chapter, so chapters will be longer than they were in SH. The trade-off is that I won't be able to update three times a week like I did with SH, so this fic will update every Friday. If I continue to put as much content into each chapter as I did with this one, then there should be about 36-40ish chapters in this fic. I'll let you know as we get closer to the end though.
If this is your first time reading one of my fics, know that I like to use my ANs to elaborate on my choices/answer your guys' questions/talk about other important things, so it's not necessary to read any further unless you'd like to know more. Normally my ANs aren't this long, but since this is a new story, I have quite a bit I'd like to get laid out right away to maybe answer some the questions you might have and let you know more about what you're getting yourself into by reading this fic.
The first six chapters of this fic take place three years before the rest, so chapter seven is where the real story begins. The events of these first chapters are kind of like a prologue and their main function is to set things up, but nevertheless, they're still super important for the sake of understanding the rest of the story.
I used the name Zentopia for our religious cult just because that's the only religion we really know about in the FT verse, and like I've said before, I'm not creative with names. However, none of the Zentopia peeps will be in this fic. You'll find out who the preacher and the dark haired woman were in the next chapter, though I'm sure you already have a few ideas.
In terms of relationships, this fic will centrally focus on the relationships between Natsu, Lucy, and Gray. There will eventually be some Nalu (because duh, they're my otp and I don't think I'll ever be able to write a fic without my fav piece of ship), but also know that romance isn't going to be the central focus of this story because there's going to be a crap ton of other shiz happening. There will also be some Graylu if you choose to interpret it that way, but I'm trying to give their interactions more of a brother/sister vibe instead of a romantic vibe since that's the type of relationship I prefer for them (they're my brotp). The whole 'kindred spirit' thing will be explained and come into play later. The bromance between Natsu and Gray will also be off the charts, so prepare yourselves.
In terms of other ships, Miraxus will probably be the next biggest ship, though we won't see it much in a romantic sense until the very end, and there will also be some very very very very very minor Gruvia and Jerza later on, but not loads of interactions. Like I said in the last paragraph, don't expect a ton of romantic moments.
While the choice is completely up to you, as an author, my preference is that you avoid watching the drama until I've finished this fic just so I can see your pure reactions to the events in this story. I just think it might be more enjoying and exciting for both me and you guys if you experience the story firsthand with characters of FT as opposed to already knowing what's coming. Again, though, the choice is completely up to you~
As always, thanks for taking the time to read my writing! I hope you enjoy the rest of this fic!