A/N Thank you so much Everyone who has followed and Favorited this story! I hope to be posting more since the holidays are here and I will have some wonderful time off of college!
Chapter Three: Phantom Lord Part 1
Zora woke with her head throbbing with pain and her ribs aching with every breath she took. She rose from the makeshift bed she was placed in at the guild. Zora took in her surrounding and saw that there was nobody was here except Mira who was working the downstairs bar.
"God fucking dammit! They left me behind the assholes!" Zora shouted in anger. Zora jerked the covers off of her and tried to get out of bed. With only her determination fueling her, she put her feet on the floor and stood up in a crouching and very hunched over position.
"Zora! You should be back in bed!" Mira said sweetly with her motherly voice.
Zora shook her head at Mira. "They need me there helping! Not to mention I have a score to settle with the Iron Bastard." Zora started taking baby steps, since her body wouldn't allow her to stomp towards the stairs to the outside world.
Mira ran over and put her arm under Zora and started to steer her towards the bed again. Zora tried to move in the other direction, but the tiredness in her body betrayed her. Zora soon found herself tucked into bed by mother Mira.
Zora grumbled and immediately began thinking of another plan to escape.
At that moment, Mira's magic lacrima began going off at the bar and she ran over to answer it. In that slim moment, Zora, once again, made her way out of bed and stood up. Zora felt it deep within her soul that she needed to be there. If she wasn't there, how could she prevent anyone dying or worse what if… She shook her head. She wouldn't think about that. Zora had to get to Phantom and help her guildmates!
"Oh hello Laxus!" Mira chirped.
Zora's head snapped to the bar.
"Hey Mira! I was just wondering if Zora was there yet?" Zora heard Laxus say through the lacrima.
"She arrived yesterday evening! She's here if you want to talk to her now."
Zora started waving her hands frequently at the take-over mage. If Laxus were to see her in her current condition, he would rush home and not finish whatever job he was on. Zora continued to frantically wave no to Mira, but did she listen, no she didn't. Mira turned the lacrima to Zora. That's where Laxus could see all of her injuries.
Zora watched his facial expression closely. His face went from surprise to sadness and then anger. In the reflection of the lacrima Zora could see herself. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, around her right arm, and all around her rib cage.
Laxus snarled, "Who did this to you?"
"Don't worry about it Laxus." Zora said.
Laxus's face pinched into one of even more fury on his face, "What do you mean 'don't worry about it?' You just came back and you can barely even stand up straight!" He yelled.
"Laxus, you know I will return the favor to whoever did this to me." Zora reasoned trying to tame the fire in Laxus.
Laxus let out a sigh and looked away from the lacrima and pinched the bridge of his nose. He let out another sign and then looked straight into Zora's eyes with vindication in his voice. "You better. I'll be there after this mission. The Thunder Legion and I will return to aid our guildmates against Phantom Lord."
Zora nodded at Laxus and he nodded back, then he ended the call.
Mira had been watching the entire conversation and stated, "He has always had a soft spot for you."
Zora looked at the ground and smiled and said, "Yeah."
Mira soon steered Zora towards the bed once again, and this time Zora didn't fight or think methods of escape. She looked into Mira's motherly gaze and said, "I'm gonna get this fucker once I heal."
Mira nodded and Zora drifted off to the dreamscape.
The next time that Zora woke up there was a loud screaming. She jerked out of bed and instantly regretted it. Her ribs protested in pain. After recovering from that, Zora got out of bed and noted that walking was a little bit better. She could now stand up straight without pain. Zora quickly made her way up the stairs trying to get to the source of the screaming.
After escaping into the outside world, Zora saw a cannon pointed straight at the guild.
"What the fuck is that?" Zora gasped out loud.
"Phantom Lord's secret weapon." Cana answered.
"That's man!" Elfman yelled at no one in particular.
Zora rolled her eyes at his antics and then looked at the moving guild with unwavering hatred.
"Hello puny fairies! I'm here to put an end to this little 'war'" Jose called out.
"Hey! You! You look like some fucking pedophile with a foot fetish!" Zora yelled at Jose.
"Gajeel told me about you, Zora." Jose chuckled menacingly. "You have no magic power. What is your insult going to do to me?" He laughed.
"You son of a bitch! I'll kick the shit out of you with my magic power!" Zora screamed in rage.
Fairy Tail soon started backing Zora up with cheers and insults of their own. Their actions were very sentimental to Zora as she never wanted this feeling of belonging gone again. She never wanted to leave her new family ever again. She was about to thank everyone with the ground shook and almost all the magic power in the air around them was sucked away like a vacuum.
"What the fuck is going on?" Zora muttered quizzically. The now walking guild hall was making a magic circle. This wasn't good. Many of the members cried out in fear. Loved ones grabbed one another and prepared for the worse… that this was their last day on Fiore.
In all the despair, Erza Scarlet came to everyone's rescue. Zora knew she needed to help but as soon as she ran towards Erza a hand on her shoulder held her back. Zora turned to see Mira was the culprit. Mira's eyes were filled with hope, "She's got this, and you need to rest."
Zora nodded at Mira, but couldn't help feeling angry at her inability to help to guild mate. She watched hopelessly as Erza reequipped in her strongest armor and shield. Erza stood her ground as the beam of magic energy flew towards her. Time seemed to slow down as the beam approached her shield.
The impact of the magic on her shield made the ground shake and the air whip around Erza. Hair was tossed in the wind as Erza fought for Fairy Tail. She held firm, but slowly as the beam beat at her shield and armor it all began to crack. Zora held her breath as she watched as almost all of Erza's armor cracked off as finally the beam stopped. Erza gave one final battle cry as the beam finished hitting her, then she fell and what little was left by her armor disappeared.
Mira rushed over and put Erza's unconscious body into the broken guild hall.
"Fairy Tail has fallen! Titania Erza can no longer stand!" Jose declared, victory evident in his voice, but he had another thing coming.
"We may be beaten, but we are not broken!" Zora proclaimed.
"That's right joseph!" Natsu yelled.
"One more blast from this cannon will have u saying otherwise you impudent brats!" Jose threatened. "Just hand over Lucy Heartfilia and we will leave Fairy Tail in piece."
"If you think we are going to hand her over just like that your fucking kidding yourself, pedophile." Zora shouted.
"She's a part of Fairy Tail and we will fight you till our last breath, because she is one of us and if you want her, you have to take all of us on!" Natsu yelled.
"You will never take Lucy from us!" Cana screamed.
As more and more members yelled their answer of no to Jose, Lucy began to cry. For she had never been accepted anywhere and this acceptance filled her heart with so much happiness her tears fell down her cheeks and she bawled, "Thank you, everyone!"
"There is no need to thank us Luce, You are one of us now!" Natsu answered her.
More and more of the members yelled and egged Jose to 'bring it on!'. Zora couldn't as to be a part of a better guild. As she continued to watch it all unfold around her, something caught her attention in the corner of her eye.
"Mira!" Zora yelled. "What the hell are you doing!"
Mira had just handed Lucy's limp body to Reedus, who was loading her up in a wagon.
She gave Zora a rare serious look and said, "He's taking her to the safe house. Jose wants her, but he won't get her, not as long as im around."
"Hot damn Mira!" Zora grinned. She liked the determination in Mira's eyes. The fire in them could've rivaled Natsu's when he was 'all fired up'.
As Zora thought about the situation as it was now, she knew that Erza would need Mira's healing expertise, otherwise known as her first aid. Lucy would need more protection than Reedus, but not a whole army. She needed to go with Lucy.
"I'm going with her." Zora announced to Mira and Reedus.
Mira looked like she was going to refuse Zora, but she didn't say anything, just nodded and handed Zora some bandages and told her to wrap extra around her ribs if the pain increased.
Zora held her ribs gingerly as she hopped into the wagon with Reedus. Reedus took off with a rush of air and Zora's hair flapping in the wind. The wind was rushing past Zora so fast she was having trouble breathing. For what seemed like 30 seconds was actually a half hour, they arrived at the warehouse Mira directed Reedus to.
Zora hopped out and followed behind Reedus as he carried Lucy inside. Zora made herself comfortable on some boxes and simply stared off into space thinking about the last two years. The sand, the assassination attempts against her, killing the mob boss, and yet couldn't find the water mage that killed her parents, and her whole tribe. She quickly shook her head, not today, not today.
Zora pushed those thoughts away and turned towards Reedus. He was painting, per usual, and as she watched, turns out he had painted a picture of her. He was focused on putting on the final touches. Reedus smiled and showed her his canvas. What she saw completely blew her mind.
It was herself painted sitting on a hill in the middle of a meadow; she was smiling, but the background portrayed a different story than what her expression showed. There were angry clouds with rain pouring from them all over Zora. They looked as if they were fighting and Zora were a civilian caught in the crossfire of a war she didn't belong in.
Zora was confused and looked to Reedus for an explanation with wide questioning eyes.
"On the outside, you would have us all believe everything is okay, but on the inside, you are hurting. There is great inner turmoil going on inside you. I painted what I saw." Reedus informed her.
Zora didn't give a witty curse filled response, nor an exclamation with extreme language. She just pondered on his view of her, of how perceptive artists can be.
Zora couldn't remember the last time someone had ever heard or seen someone be so perceptive of someone they just me, except Chief Yeenrio in the Sandlands last year. He said, "You left your strength in the trail of yesterday."
Zora smiled at the memory, and then turned her attention to the blonde that was waking up with a moan.
"hey sparkles!" Zora chirped to Lucy, "Have a good fucking nap?"
"Where am I?" she groggily asked Zora.
"Storage building for the guild." She answered. Lucy nodded her head and took a look around her. Reedus continued a new painting on the other side of the room. Zora watched Lucy with a serious expression. She knew that Lucy was the heiress to the Heartfilia family, but why leave? What happened? Soon her internal quandaries got the better of her. "Why did you run away?"
Lucy sighed and took a particular interest in her feet. "My mother past away when I was little, she got very sick and died. After that, my father became cold, and disinterested in me. I think I reminded him too much of my mother. My only friends for years were the celestial spirits my mom gave me. I was tired of being lonely and my father was about to marry me off to the highest bidder. He didn't care that I wanted to find love, and he didn't care that I didn't want that." Her breathing became ragged and she rasped out, "He didn't care!"
Zora didn't know what to say. She had loving parents and would do anything to have another day with them. She missed them so much. How her mother would teach her the tribal dances for the sun god, or how her father would constantly nag her to not want to kill everyone. She internally laughed at the memory.
"Zora?" Lucy called out breaking her from her memories.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about my own family." Zora sadly stated her eyes towards the window.
Lucy and Zora stayed in comfortable silence. Both were reminiscing about times past and gone, Lucy about her abusive father and her loving memories with her mother and spirits, and Zora about her family that she dearly missed.
Breaking them from their thoughts, the doors were blown right off the hinges of the storage facility. The three Fairy Tail mages jerked their eyes to the doors, seeing the one person they didn't want to see. Black Steel Gajeel, and a couple of his goons had finally come for Lucy. As soon as they stepped into the room, it went eerily silent. Gajeel's red eyes instantly found Zora's and stared her down, malice and pain promised in those depths.
However, instead of intimidating Zora, it just annoyed her. If they had come for Lucy, then why was Gajeel staring her down? What was his purpose?
"Hello there, Doe eyes." Gajeel taunted. "You have something of mine and I need it now."
"Hello, fucktard." She angrily stated. "You won't get her if I'm still kicking."
"If that's so, give it your best shot." He challenged, and then he charged.
Knowing full well what was going to happen, Zora turned over her shoulder and yelled to Lucy, "Run!"
Lucy nodded her head eyes wide and took off; an exhale of relief was heard from the siphon mage as she dodged another of Gajeel's ranged attacks.
Zora was trying to remember if she siphoned off of anyone when she felt a fire magic in her veins. She smiled creepily knowing full well this was her moment of payback.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" She yelled, the attack hitting Gajeel straight on. He flew through the wall and landed with a loud thud.
"You bitch!" he roared and charged at her with his arm transforming into a saw. She jumped and rolled out of the way.
Then it began, they would charge each other only for the other to dodge. Sometimes one would land a hit only to receive on from the other. Dodge, punch, dodge, kick, dodge, roar, was all Zora was thinking as she defended herself and protected her friend Lucy. Her heart was fueled by rage and revenge. Gajeel hurt her and she wanted to make him feel agony, to make him beg for mercy. She was not going to stop until she had that.
"Zora!"
A scream tore Zora from the fight and saw Lucy with a knife to her throat from one of Gajeel's goons.
"God fucking dammit!" Zora cursed.
Gajeel smiled a smile that promised pain and looked over to Lucy, "Jose said I get to have fun with you! I can't wait to watch you bleed girlie."
"Don't you dare lay a fucking finger on her!" Zora snarled at the Iron Dragon Slayer.
"Whose gonna stop me?" He grinned.
Before anyone even saw it coming, Zora punched Gajeel in the jaw with some of Natsu's fire on it. He flew back into the wall, but instead of satisfaction filling her, she heard screaming from Lucy.
The goon who was holding her captive pressed the knife closer and it began to bleed, not a stream, but steady droplets of her scarlet life force.
"Don't do it." The mage said as Zora was about to attack him.
"I'll kill you. You hurt my guild mate. That's a fucking promise." Zora promised.
The mage shivered as he saw her facial expression but nevertheless he didn't release Lucy.
Gajeel finally got himself off of the floor and walked over towards the siphon mage. "If Lucy can't entertain me on the way back to the guild, then will you take her place?"
Zora didn't even have to think twice. Trading her pain and suffering so that her guild mate didn't have to be something that she wouldn't even hesitate about. Plus, if her theory was right Laxus would be here in about 4 hours if he hasn't changed too much over the years.
"Yes, I will entertain you." Zora blankly sated mentally preparing herself for pain. She walked towards Gajeel and handed her wrists to him thinking that he would cuff her with his own Iron.
Suddenly, Zora felt a punch to the gut that knocked the wind out of her. Before she blacked out, Gajeel smiled at her and said, "Jose actually wanted to talk to you himself and he said I can't ruff you up. Thus, Lucy and I are going to have some fun."
"No." was the last word Lucy wheezed out before falling into the darkness.