Content warning: this chapter deals with explicit mentions of violence.
Hours passed as Gray followed Bora's ship in the inky black waters of the open sea. The town of Hargeon was a small twinkle of light behind them, the stretch of water the only thing they could really see for miles. Gray kept his distance until he felt the time was right, leaving enough distance between their ships and any possible land to cut out the potential sound of their gunshots being carried over the waves. He shut off the engine, letting their ship cruise silently over to Bora's in the cover of the night.
"Natsu, get ready, we're heading in," Gray said as exited the interior of the ship once more, walking across the boats' deck towards a coil of rope that had a grappling hook attached to it. It was going to be difficult in the pitch blackness to attach their ships together without being noticed, but if he timed it just right he might be able to catch them off guard.
Back in the inside of the ship, Natsu felt a grin pull up the corners of his mouth. His stomach was rolling in agony, his mouth salivating as he warred with himself to not throw up. Reaching towards a pill bottle left out on the table, he turned the cap and shook out several pills before popping them into his mouth and swallowing them. He took four times the recommended dosage, a stupid and dangerous decision, but necessary for tonight's mission. He knew if old lady Porlyusica found out he pulled a stunt like that she'd have his head, but lucky for him she wasn't there to baby him.
Slowly, the pain in his stomach dissolved as the pills started to take effect. He rose to his feet, his legs no longer shaking even while their boat rocked through the choppy waters. Cracking his neck and knuckles, Natsu double checked he had all his weapons on him before joining his partner on the exterior of the ship. He could barely hear the sound of the waves crashing against their boat over the sound sound of his blood pumping in his ears. Adrenaline coursed through his body, his strength returning to him tenfold.
Gray glanced up as Natsu exited the ship, pulling a face at his partner. "How many did you take this time?"
Natsu shrugged, his grin never wavering. "Too many to count."
Gray sighed, shaking his head. "You've gotta stop overdosing man, you're going to wind up dead one day."
"I'm fine," Natsu argued, walking over towards Gray and reaching down to grab another coil of rope with a hook attached at the tip. "It's those girls we need to worry about, so I need to be in tip top shape tonight."
Gray sighed again but bit back an answer. He knew Natsu was endangering his life, but there was nothing he could do to stop him. If he wanted to get Natsu in trouble he could snitch to Doctor Porlyusica, but she'd just chew him out for not stopping Natsu himself.
Their boat cut through the water silently, aiming straight for Bora's ship. When they were close enough, Natsu and Gray nodded to each other and swung the grappling hooks high above their heads before releasing them and hooking them on the railing surrounding Bora's ship. Gray grabbed another one and rushed to the back of the ship, throwing it and pulling with all his strength so that their ship was able to curve and hit the side of Bora's ship with their side, instead of hitting them straight on. They wouldn't be able to make it back to shore, especially not with all of those girls, if both ships were damaged.
When their ship pulled up next to Bora's, they ended up hitting each other and caused both boats to rock. Natsu took the opportunity to jump ship immediately, pulling out a concealed knife and heading straight for the bodyguards that were stationed on the outside of the ship. Gray let him go, running back to the front of his ship and dropping the anchor before jumping from the side of his ship onto Bora's.
They had the upper hand for the moment, but it was obvious they were attacking. Gray didn't think Bora had a plan for moments like these, but he definitely had enough time to squirrel himself away in the bottom of the ship with a small army of armed bodyguards to protect him. None of those poor bastards stood a chance against Natsu, but it wasn't like they knew that.
Gray pulled a gun from one of the holsters in his chest, clicking off the safety and cocking the gun. He glanced around quickly, assessing the situation on the top of the ship. He knew he had to make it down to the lower level and locate the girls and make sure they were safe, but he would prefer to be able to do that with Natsu tagging along to distract the guards. As he canvassed the area, he counted four bodyguards all shooting at Natsu, who danced out of the way of their bullets with a cocky laugh.
Gray took aim and shot down two of the bodyguards, bullets cleanly lodging in their chests. They fell to the ground with muffled groans, Gray smirking at his handiwork. Behind him, the other two bodyguards let out agonized screams as Natsu cut them down.
"They couldn't have spent any more money on someone stronger?" Natsu complained, wiping the blood from his blades on his black shirt. "There's not even a Twilight here. How boring."
"Just count your blessings that we can get out of here quickly," Gray said, walking over to the ships anchor and dropping it into the ocean with a heavy splash.
He moved deftly towards the door that led to the lower level, crouching beside the side that opened and placed a hand on the handle. He jerked his head at Natsu, silently telling him to move forward. His partner rolled his eyes, shuffling to stand in front of the door, ready for any possible attacks as Gray opened it for him.
The heavy metal door pulled away from it's frame, and Natsu came face to face with three men pointing guns at him. He grinned again, jumping out of the way of their bullets as they all fired blindly at him from the entryway. As he moved, he threw his two blades at the heads of the two closest bodyguards. The drop point blades sunk deep in their skulls, and their gunfire ceased immediately as their bodies sank to the floor.
Natsu pulled another blade from a sheath attached to his thigh, the handle heavy in his hand. He welcomed the feeling, excitement bubbling within him as he darted back in front of the door and ran towards it. The final gunman was still shooting, though more recklessly this time as his eyes were wide in fear. Natsu darted out of the way, a single bullet grazing his arm in the process. He ran off to the left of the doorway, jumping on his right foot and bouncing off the wall with his left foot, flying over the mans head while he swung his blade down, sinking it deep in his neck.
When Gray was sure everyone was dead, he stood to his full height and walked around to the other side of the door. He watched as Natsu removed two of his knives from the skulls of two men, wincing at the sound they made as they were pulled. Natsu seemed to be unfazed, wiping all three of his blades clean on the shirt of one of the bodies lying at his feet.
"We should split up here," Gray said, staring down the expanse of the ships hallway. "I'm gonna look for those girls, you look for Bora."
"Sounds like a plan," Natsu said, standing to his full height, gripping two of his blades loosely in his hands. "Try not to get killed, I guess."
"You too," Gray snorted, knowing saying that was useless.
Natsu grinned in response, turning to walk down the hallway, footfalls almost silent against the carpet.
The sound of gunshots registered in Lucy's hearing, the popping followed by surprised and horrified screams. Her shoulders tense against the wall of the room she was propped up against, she turned to look at Juvia, who did not look surprised. Lucy wondered if this was all planned, and somehow someway she really was going to be able to get off of this ship and go home.
She had worked hard to regain feeling in her limbs again, having full control over her hands and arms back after a few short hours. She was working diligently on her legs, starting from her toes upwards. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to walk for another while, but each time she curled her toes her confidence grew stronger.
Juvia remained silently poised against the wall, tense and ready to spring into action whenever the door inevitably opened. They hadn't spoken in hours, often just glancing at each other and blinking at one another, a silent mutual understanding between them. Lucy had hundreds of questions for Juvia, but she knew they were all going to have to wait until they were off of the ship and safe.
There was a moment of silence as the gunfire ceased. Lucy tensed against the wall, unsure if that meant Bora's men were dead, or the ones who had attacked the ship were. She glanced at Juvia, who was staring at the door, a concerned look on her face.
When the gunfire picked up again, Juvia relaxed slightly. Lucy took that as a good sign, but didn't lower her guard. She had no idea who was attacking the ship, nor did she think that she could place her faith in them. For all she knew they could be pirates, and Lucy still would end up being sold by someone other than Bora. She tried to keep her thoughts positive, but after everything she's been through she couldn't help but be distrustful of people.
The newest round of gunfire only lasted a few short seconds before the silence returned. Lucy began counting backwards again in her head, finding the rhythmic numbness of the numbers relaxing her and steadying her breath. Her mind was still slightly cloudy, but she found her thoughts starting to form more clearly as she focused on a singular part of her body to try and get moving again. She curled her toes easily now, and spent time trying to roll her ankles while she lay in wait.
In the silence, she heard multiple doors opening. One across the hall, and one in the room to the right of theirs. The door across the hall closed almost immediately after it was opened, and gunshots rang out again.
Lucy waited silently, glancing at Juvia, who blinked at her. A moment later the handle to the door to their room turned.
Natsu had decided to take the doors on the right hand side of the hallway, leaving Gray behind to fend for himself. The adrenaline was still coursing through his body, and Natsu felt his heart beating heavily against his rib cage. The weight of the blades in his hands felt euphoric, like he was holding drugs instead of weapons. Each slice he made with them, cutting into flesh like it was paper, fuelled an insatiable lust for blood.
He stopped in front of a metal door, rusted peeling paint curling at the edges. He lifted his hand to his mouth and placed the handle of one of his blades between his teeth, biting down roughly on the leather. He then took his free hand and placed it on the handle to the door, turning it and tensing his body for any impending attacks.
The room that was revealed was small, with three armed men lying in wait. One was hidden behind an upturned table, the other two taking half-cover by a worn couch and lamp table respectively. They all had guns pointed in his direction, two pistols and a shotgun. Natsu knew the shotgun posed the biggest threat, and with a grin he stepped forward toward the wielder.
Gunshots sounded immediately, filling the room with the smell of gunpowder and the walls full of holes. Natsu did his best to jump out of the way, however a bullet nicked his waist, cutting through his shirt and drawing a line of blood down his skin. The pain never came, however, as his pain tolerance had disappeared when the drugs from Porlyusica took effect. A dangerous, albeit convenient side effect of overdosing.
He lunged at the man holding the shotgun, raising his blades high above his head as he neared. The mans body began to shake in fear as he pointed the shotgun at Natsu, closing his eyes as he pulled the trigger, the explosive sound deafening the room. He missed, having angled the gun just a hairsbreadth away from where Natsu had jumped, the bullets ricocheting off of the ceiling.
Natsu swung his blades down, the edges cutting smoothly through the skin of the mans neck. With a bit of force they cut right through, his head detaching from the spinal cord and falling in a lump onto the floor. A huge spray of blood erupted from the mans neck, coating Natsu's face in the ruby coloured liquid.
He turned towards the man hiding behind the table, reaching up slowly to brush some of the blood from his eyes. He smiled slowly, like a hungry wolf eyeing its' wounded prey. The man let out a squeal, aiming his gun at Natsu and shooting.
The first door Gray checked lead to an empty room, dimly lit with a card table set up and half empty bottles of beer standing wasted atop it. He assumed this was the room that the first group of men came from, the beer bottles still sweating with fresh condensation. He peered around, double checking no one else was in the room before closing the door and moving on.
He passed the room Natsu had gone into, the metal door closed tightly but only muffling the sound of gunfire. Gray sighed, readying his gun as he walked to the next room on his side of the hallway. He knew the girls were somewhere on the ship, but he had a fifty/fifty shot of opening the door and getting a gun pointed at him. He breathed in, steadying himself, reaching for the door handle and turning it slowly.
It was locked.
He sighed, returning his guns to their holsters after checking that the hallway was clear. Reaching into the pocket of his pants, he pulled out a small lock picking kit. It was slightly worn with age, the innumerable amount of times he put them to good use showing. Deftly, he fidgeted with the tools in the lock, pressing down on the tumblers delicately. When they were all down, the the handle announced it was unlocked with a simple click, and he return the tools back into their packaging and returned it to his pocket, reaching for his gun again.
He pushed open the door with his shoulder, pointing his gun in first before edging in. The first thing he saw was a bunch of women dressed in dirtied, tight-fitting clothes all laying around each other on the ground. Most looked to be asleep, and one or two had a glossy stare pointed up at the ceiling. Disgust swelled within him, his eyes widening as he took in the obvious signs of drug abuse.
Leaning up against a wall, hand pulling at the top of her tube-top, was a blonde girl who looked to be in and around his age. She smiled weakly, batting her doe-brown eyes at him as she fingered the hem of her top suggestively. He sighed in relief, lowering his gun slightly as he started to walk towards her.
"Hey, sweetheart, can you understand me?" He spoke slowly, his voice gentle despite how on edge he was.
"Oh I can hear you, handsome," she winked, her voice hoarse and rough as she spoke, fingers still playing with the material of her shirt.
"No-no you don't have to do that," he lowered the gun to his side, holding a hand up to stop her. He crouched in front of her, trying to inspect her face. "I'm not here to hurt you."
It was that exact moment that Gray realized that he only counted seven women upon entering the room, even though he knew he saw exactly eight women be brought aboard the ship. When he moved to spin around quickly, grabbing his gun and lifting it, a well aimed kick connected with his temple. He fell to the side, accidentally firing his gun as he was pushed back, a stray bullet connecting with the ceiling.
Lucy wanted to scream. She felt the sound bubble up in her throat, threatening to push its way out, but the sound never came. She watched in wide eyed horror as Juvia kicked the man that had entered the room in the temple, and he fell to the side, his gun going off and shooting the ceiling. Dust from the ceiling fell around her, coating her miniskirt in a white chalk like substance.
"Holy shit," she croaked out, the last of her brain fog disappearing in the silence.
"Stay back, Lucy," Juvia ordered, walking over to the man hesitantly and leaning down to grab his gun.
The man groaned, rolling onto his back and reaching up to place a hand against his temple. Lucy had no doubt in her mind that his vision was shaky and his sense of balance was royally fucked up. To have a grown man of his size get knocked over as hard as he did, Lucy could only assume how powerful Juvia must have been to be able to mess him up that badly.
"Fuck...me…" the man groaned out, blinking rapidly to get his sense of self back.
Juvia wasted no time, jumping atop him and straddling his chest. She kept one hand tightly on his neck to cut off his air supply, and used the other to punch his nose. His head snapped back at the force of the hit, the back of his skull connecting with the ground with a sickening crack. His fingers slackened on the grip of his gun, and Juvia used her free hand to wrestle it from him.
The man bucked wildly, grasping at the hand at his throat uselessly as his air supply was cut off. Juvia raised the gun above her hand, cocking it so it was pointing at the ceiling before attempting to thrust it down and hit him in the face with the butt of the handle. It was difficult for her, as his hips thrashed around vehemently, her tiny frame being jostled with each movement.
Her grasp on his throat must have slacked, and the man used all of his force to roll Juvia over so he was on top of her, and her back was to the floor. He grabbed at her hand around his throat and pulled it off, her nails raking his skin and drawing thin lines of blood as he ripped them away. He grunted in pain, forcing her wrist above her head and reaching for the other one.
When he had her pinned down he began to cough, the redness slowly subsiding from his face as the air returned to his lungs. Juvia squirmed under him, kicking his back repeatedly with the heels of her feet. Lucy saw him wince at the pain, his chest being forced closer and closer to Juvia's with every hit.
"Fuck! Stop!" He finally choked out, squeezing her hips with his thighs. "I'm not with them god dammit. Jellal sent me here! Stop fucking kicking me!"
Juvia stopped immediately, the one leg that was poised in the air dropped to the ground in an instant. The two of them glared at each other, Juvia reading his expression trying to gauge whether he was lying or not. Lucy had no idea who this Jellal person was, but she assumed he worked with Juvia, and that this was a good sign.
"Jellal did?" Juvia said quietly, tone hopeful but guarded. "He said he was sending men from my team, I don't know you. Who are you?"
"My name is Gray," the man, Gray, said, his voice gentler than it was before. "Jellal hired me and my partner to come here. I don't know why he didn't send members of your team, or whatever, but I'm sure he'll explain everything tomorrow. If you want to live and get these girls out of here safely, you're going to have to trust me, deal?"
"How can I trust someone I don't know," Juvia spat, wrenching the hand that was holding the gun free and pointing it directly at his face. Gray was so close that his breath bounced off of the tip of the gun, his eyes wide and alarmed.
"Fine, don't trust me," Gray relaxed, releasing her other wrist and slowly pulling away from her so he was in a seated position above her. He raised his hands up slowly, palms open and outward so that she knew he wasn't going to try anything. "But just so you know, there's a Twilight in the room across from here and if you kill me-well, let's just say you won't be getting back to Jellal in one piece."
"You think I can't handle one little Twilight?" Juvia scoffed, aiming down the barrel defiantly. "Also-that door was locked, how did you get in without a key? Lying to me isn't going to make me want to shoot you any less."
Juvia's confident comment forced a surprised look onto Grays face, but it was quickly replaced with a cocky grin. "I'm good with my hands," he said, wiggling his fingers suggestively and winking.
Before Juvia could reply, one of Bora's men came running into the room, a gun drawn. Lucy let out a scream, the words to warn them not coming fast enough. Gray reached for another of his guns that were in holsters hanging off his chest, but his reaction time was too slow. Juvia shifted the gun's aim from Gray to the new man and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
She got him right between the eyes with impeccable accuracy, his body dropping to the ground in a slump.
"Jesus christ," Lucy breathed out, watching with horrified eyes as blood pooled around the mans head, the viscous liquid seeping into the carpet.
"Nice shot," Gray said, sounding impressed as he looked over the body.
Juvia pointed the gun at him again, and his face contorted into an annoyed expression. He raised his hands halfheartedly, staring at her down the barrel.
"I don't trust you," Juvia said, levelling her voice. "But you seem to know what you're doing, and if you know Jellal by name that is either a very good or very bad sign. But I'm willing to wait to find out until after these girls are safe."
Gray released the breath he was holding, lowering his hands. "Does this mean I can have my gun back?"
"No," Juvia didn't lower the weapon. "It does mean you can get off of me now though."
He hesitated, looking like he wanted to say more, before ultimately forgetting about it and climbing off of her. Juvia pulled herself up onto her legs when she was freed, lowering the gun to a more relaxed position by her hips. They waited in silence for a moment, listening for any sign of footsteps approaching.
"Lucy," Juvia said, keeping her eyes on Gray wearily. "Can you stand yet?"
"I'm not sure," Lucy admitted weakly, curling her toes and flexing the muscles in her calves. "I haven't tried yet."
"Our boat is attached to this one," Gray spoke up, pulling a clip from a strap on his chest and handed it to Juvia. "You can take her there while Natsu and I finish up here. I'll watch your back."
Juvia eyed him up and down silently, mulling over his words in her head. He shook the clip impatiently, nudging with his chin at her gun. She hesitated, biting down on her lower lip for a moment before reaching out and snatching the clip from his hand.
"How do I know there's no one outside?" She asked, placing the clip in the lining of her bra between her breasts, her lack of pockets an obvious problem.
"You don't," Gray shrugged, pulling another gun from his holster and double checking that it was loaded before switching off the safety. "This is one of those moments where you're going to have to trust me."
"What about the other girls?" Juvia nodded her chin towards the ground where the six other girls lay, most unconscious but a few in semi-conscious wake.
"You can come back for them one at a time, or you can all wait here with one gun while Natsu and I finish up," Gray said, taking a step back to peek out the door, his gun held steadily in his hand as he looked for possible attackers. "I don't particularly care what you do but I need to know so I can build a plan around it."
"I'll stay," Juvia decided after a split second hesitation, releasing the gun clip in her gun to count how many bullets she had left. "I'd rather not leave these girls alone until they're all home safe."
"Alright, fair enough," Gray nodded, stepping deftly towards the door, raising his gun to rest near his head. "I'll be back soon."
He never managed to leave, however, as three men came rushing at him from the hallway.
Natsu stood in a room coated in blood. The blades held loosely in his hands were pointed at the floor, beads of crimson dripping off the tips and falling onto the carpet. He glanced around at his handiwork, thinking absently that he may have beat his personal best in terms of timing.
He heard bullets go off in the room across the hall and he grinned, hoping Gray was having as much fun as he was.
He walked over to the couch, the cushion closest to the door was one of the few things not coated in blood. He wiped his blades against the material, his grin deepening as he caught his reflection. He looked like shit, with blood covering his face and his hair sticking to his forehead in sweat. He loved every second of his job.
He opened the door just in time to see three men rush towards his partner, who was standing in the doorway to a room across the hall. Natsu watched them go, blinking in surprise as they all has their guns raised. The trio screamed in unison, like warriors trying to scare off an enemy. It didn't do anything to phase Gray, not that much did in terms of his partner.
Gray jumped back a step to gain some distance and shot twice at the first man. The bullets connected once in his chest and once in his head, the man toppling over where he once stood. The other two continued forward, the first one pulling the trigger on his gun.
Gray had enough time to move and dodge, but he only shifted his body to the side and took a bullet to his shoulder. A disembodied scream sounded out from inside the room, distinctly female. Gray grunted, lifting his free hand to hold the bullet wound as blood seeped through his fingers.
Natsu reached out and grabbed the third attacker by the collar of his shirt. He threw the man up against the wall of the hallway and buried one of his blades in his skull, leaving him looking like he was still standing up against the wall as he started for the remaining man. Anger burned deep inside him, the thought of his partner getting hurt forcing him into a blind rage. If anyone was going to hurt Gray, that self sacrificial idiot, it was going to be him.
Natsu threw his blade quickly, the long knife burying deeply in the mans back. He fell to his knees with a scream, fumbling for his gun. Before Natsu could finish the job, a bullet connected with the mans temple, blood and bits of brain and shards of skull exploded out the other side and splattering against the floor.
He growled lowly, the anger replaced by annoyance and disappointment. He was still riding the high from the drugs Porlyusica gave him, and he knew they heightened his emotions. Mentally speaking he was probably unstable from the overdose, but he was able to fight on a boat without getting sick, so he didn't care. He felt amazing.
"I know they shot you," Natsu said to Gray, sounding irritated as he pulled the knife from the dead mans back. "But that one was mine."
Gray scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I'm not the one who shot him, idiot."
Natsu blinked in confusion, stepping towards the door and peeking in. Standing towards the back was a girl with long blue hair, dressed like all the other girls lying on the floor, in something short, tight and promiscuous. In her hand was a gun, and she pointed it at him with a glare.
"I've known plenty of prostitutes who could shoot, but none as good as you, lady," he grinned at her, sounding impressed.
"And you probably never will," she remarked, eyeing him down the barrel and inhaling slowly.
"Was that a threat?" He quirked a brow, tensing in case he needed to jump out of the way of a bullet.
"No," Gray interrupted sharply, removing his hand from his bleeding shoulder and taking the gun from the other to put the safety back on and slip it back into its holster. "That doesn't matter right now, anyway. Where's Bora?"
"Who now?" Natsu blinked at him owlishly.
"Their boss, Bora!" Gray snapped at him, reaching up to put pressure on his shoulder. Natsu caught him wince, though it was almost imperceptible. "That ugly mother fucker with the blue hair and tattoo. He can't get away I want to talk to him before you kill him."
"Why would you-" his question was cut off as the sound of rushing feet slapped against the floor of the boat, heading towards him.
Natsu barely reacted in time to put up his arms to protect his face as one of the biggest men he had ever seen slammed his body into his. Natsu flew back in surprise, sliding against the carpet and losing his footing, falling onto his back. The man rushed forward, his breathing angry and in huffs as he panted out of his mouth. Vaguely, he reminded Natsu of a gorilla.
The man charged forward, thick, shiny brass knuckles glinting in the light as he raised a massive fist in the air, preparing to slam it into Natsu's skull. Natsu craned his neck away just in time, swiping up with his blade and catching it just across the mans nose. He howled, and reared his head back in pain. As he did, a necklace fell away from under his shirt, and Natsu caught sight of dog tags hanging off the end of it.
A wicked grin pulled at the corners of his mouth, excitement bubbling within him. He had been dying all night to fight a Twilight, and by the look of it this one was ranked pretty high.
This was going to be fun.
A/n : hello everyone! Thanks for sticking around for another chapter of crossfire ! This chapter gave me a bit of trouble in certain areas, but overall it was fun to write. If any of y'all are interest, I listened to ballroom blitz by sweet while writing this chapter, and it was a lot more fun imo.
I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who faved/followed this story! Y'all are awesome! As well as a very special thank you to those who reviewed, it really means a lot to me that you would take the time to do that! Your words have been so kind and positive, I was able to write two extra chapters just from the motivation ! Thank you!
also, just to note, Gray and Juvia are 27 in this story, Natsu 26 and Lucy 25. They are obviously much more older than their canon counterparts, so I'm trying to write them reacting to things differently/more mature than they necessarily might in canon. However, I will do my best to keep the heart of the character true, and I look forward to playing around with them!
If any of y'all are curious, I happen to have a tumblr under the same name as my ff account! If you wanna follow me, feel free! I love to talk, especially about ft!
Anyway, this was super long, sorry. Thank you for reading, please review and I'll see y'all next week! Have a good week guys!
