Thank you all for your patience! As an update, I will be now posting every Wednesday - Thursday to do my busy schedule! Also, I loved reading all of your reviews~!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. It's Hiro Mashima's property.

Warnings: Torture and heartfelt moments.

I would like to thank Aiyoku Saotome for being such an amazing Beta~! Love you~!


The Pain You Feel

Everything was silent as Natsu slowly gained consciousness. The darkness disappeared while he finally opened his eyes. Emerald orbs tried to find the clear in his foggy vision. As the image around him grew clearer, a small part of him wanted to pass back out.

He was in a dungeon-like cell that seemed to only show light from the dimly lit hall. Steel bars indicated that he was a prisoner. He was propped up against the stone wall with his legs spread apart in front of him. The dragon noted the cuffs that were attached to his legs and arms. That wasn't even the worst of this situation he had found himself in. There was excruciating pain striking through his entire physique.

"Gah!" Natsu squinted his eyes as he tried not to think about the pain that manifested within him.

"Natsu…?"

"Gray…?" Natsu looked over to see the ice mage not even a foot away from him. It seemed they were in the same predicament. "Did they… harm you?" He tried letting out as he pretended he was feeling no pain.

"No. They just played a cheap trick on me and..." The ice mage looked over at Natsu as the memory of what happened to the dragon slayer and what might be his future clouded his thoughts. "Nothing… are you ok?"

The dragon slayer took his gaze away from those dark blue eyes. He didn't want to show the amount of pain he was in and how utterly disappointed he was in himself for being defeated so easily. Natsu didn't want to answer Gray's question.

"So, what's the plan?" The slayer asked instead, hoping the ice mage had an escape plan for them.

Gray could tell that Natsu was avoiding his question. This only made him wonder what had really happened. What did that Gnash character do to his comrade? He could only imagine. Though, the slayer looked perfectly fine, now. The raven let out a heavy sigh.

Leaving the fire mage alone about the topic, he reverted to thinking about a strategy to getting them out of this hellhole. "I'm not sure, exactly. We need to know what we're up against first."

Natsu's eyes narrowed as he tried dealing with a spontaneous burst of pain. While thinking over the situation and mulling about the enemy the slayer slowly pushed his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. Anxiety slowly settled in the pit of his stomach.

"Natsu?" Gray tried getting his friend's attention. It was slowly killing him seeing such agony upon the other's face. He could tell Natsu was hiding something from him. The ice mage didn't know how to comfort the dragon slayer. It wasn't normal to see his friend in such a state.

The pinkette gazed back up at the raven. Natsu could see worry in those dark orbs. He hated seeing Gray being concerned for him. The slayer would get over this feeling as soon as he was able to fight. This was nothing new. Just like Gildarts had once told him, fear only makes you stronger.

"I'm fine… seriously," Natsu insisted as he reached his arm out and gave the other male mage a friendly punch to the arm. "Stop you're worrying, ice princess! You're creeping me out." A small chuckle followed his words.

Once the slayer showed his wide grin, Gray felt a little better. Though, deep down he knew that Natsu was faking his expression.

"I could tell you what's not fine," Natsu was now trying to lighten up the mood, "My stomach has been growling this whole time. It's like I haven't eaten in days."

"Ha, there you go again. You and food, the number one relationship in all of Fairy Tail."

"I can't help the fact that I'm hungry all the time!"

"Maybe you're pregnant, fire-brain!"

"Then food's the father!" Natsu joked along. He completely forgot where they were in that one moment. That soon changed as his ears perked at the sound of the cell door sliding open.

The two mages looked up to see Gnash standing at the front of the cell. Behind him was Viktor. Natsu immediately froze as that fear he tried to hide earlier now resurfaced, his emerald hues not leaving the tall dark figure that approached them.

Gray noticed the fear that was now evident upon the slayer's expression. Something horrid had happened, and now he wanted answers. He quickly stood to his feet as he pulled at the chains that held him back. His anger now was aimed towards Gnash, who stood there in front of the raven with his arms crossed over his chest.

"What did you do to him?!" Gray snapped with clenched teeth.

Viktor strolled over to Natsu with a lustful smirk upon his pale lips. "The real question should be what are we going to do to him, Gehe!" The insane assassin chuckled as his bony fingers stroked down the slayer's cheek.

Natsu glared up at this stranger. Why was he touching him? The pinkette's eyebrows narrowed as he broke out of his trance. As those fingers traveled over his lips, Natsu took this chance and bit the man in front of him. Small drops of blood dribbled into his mouth before Viktor yelped and pulled his hand away.

"Feisty, this one is! Ge…" Viktor said unpleasantly as he rubbed over his now bloody fingers. He watched as the dragon slayer spit out the blood. "Yet so tempting."

"Don't mess with Grimm's toy. Only he's allowed to break him and you know that." Gnash glared over at his partner. "Our job is to bring them to Master." He said this while gripping a handful of Gray's hair, and then slammed his head against the stone wall behind.

Natsu caught this action from the corners of his eyes. Panic and anger started to settle within him. "Gray!" He shot right up and tried his best to get to the ice mage's aid. He could only get so far with the chains. The slayer soon found his gaze meeting those of the man he now despised.

"Tch, if you want to save him, then use your magic power. Those cuffs on you aren't anti-magic." Gnash explained while gripping one of Natsu's wrists. "Unlike Fullbuster here, you can use your magic. That is… if you're not scared of it by now."

The ice mage watched as his vision blacked in and out. His head really hurt. He could feel blood dripping down the back of his neck. "N-Natsu…?"

Now realizing this, the slayer glanced down to his hands in wonder. He clenched his fists as he began to shake. "K-k-karyū no-o-o… Gah!" The slayer fell to his knees while his hands cover his face. The pain he once felt before grew more intense as he tried drawing his magic.

Gnash just let the scene unfold before them. His main focus was gathering the two and bringing them to his Master like promised. Unchaining the ice mage from the wall but never letting the cuffs around his arms and legs unlock, he held the four chains while pulling them together and latching to a leash at the end.

Viktor did the same with Natsu, though while pulling the chains together, it forced Natsu to have his hands torn away from his visage revealing small tears streaming down his cheeks. Gray couldn't help himself from looking at his friend. Never had he seen such weakness in the slayer. That agonized expression, those tears, it reminded him of that illusion. Was this really their future?

"Walk." Gnash demanded.

All four of them reached the Assassin's guild main hall. It looked eerily similar to Fairy Tail's Guild hall, but this place was a lot darker and the people that hung around were a bit creepy. They all laughed and grunted, knowing full well what was going to happen.

"I wonder what Grimm has in store for these two," Gray over heard one of the male guild members say.

"I can't wait to hear what that pinky sounds like."

Natsu tried ignoring what everyone around them were saying. His dragon hearing wasn't letting him win. 'Unlike Fullbuster here, you can use your magic'. He kept replaying what Gnash had said to him in his head. Natsu could use his magic. He could get Gray and him out of this. Though… it was easier said than done. He couldn't even look at the ice mage right now. Who knows what Gray was thinking of him right now?

He failed them both.

"Welcome!"

Everything went silent. Natsu and Gray halted once they felt the chains being pulled by their captors. Everyone looked toward a man who stood in front of a throne made of stone. He stood about six feet tall with long, slicked back red hair. His left eye was covered by a black eye-patch as the skin around it was scarred. This man could be anywhere between his mid-forties to mid-fifties. He wore a fancy black tux with a red tie.

Above this man was a flag with their guild crest upon it. Death's Head Caucus, the dark assassin guild that could never be found. Nothing about this guild was known except for their name and the ex-members of Trinity Raven.

"Natsu Dragneel," the man had begun, "Gray Fullbuster. Welcome to Death's Head Caucus. I'm Master Bielznef Grimm," he introduced himself while bowing slightly. "It's such an honor to be in your presence!" Laughter could be heard from the men in the guild.

Gray wondered why the 'Grimm' he had seen in the illusion looked completely different from the one that stood in front of them. That was when someone else step onto the scene. This person stood next to Bielznef Grimm. Gray's eyes widened at the sight of this man.

It was him. Short red hair, and a red vest that over lapped a long sleeved white shirt. This time, the ice mage could see him clearer. There seemed to be a simple black tribal tattoo that wrapped around his neck. At the end of his right arm, there was a cluster of black bracelets. Some were leather and others metal.

"Nice of you to join us," Bielznef grinned, then turned towards Natsu and Gray. "Amarion Grimm" he said, introducing the man standing next to him.

The guildsmen hooted and hollered. Natsu turned slightly to glance over at Gray. This wasn't good at all. He needed some courage, though seeing the raven's visage scared him.

"How shall we start?" The master looked to his guild.

"Humiliation!" They all shouted.

Amarion smirked as he finally approached the two Fairy Tail mages. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a pack of cigarettes. The redhead took a single out of the package. After, Amarion held out the end to Natsu.

"Light it."

"W-what?" The slayer was confused by his simple demand.

"Did you not hear me correctly? I'm sorry, let me repeat for you!" Amarion then placed the cigarette between his lips. He let the cancer stick hang there while he suddenly grabbed a hand full of Natsu's hair, making the slayer tilt his head up. Now the redhead was closer to his face. "Light it!"

Natsu grinned his teeth as he glared into those dark red eyes. He wasn't going to do a damn thing for this bastard. He obviously didn't know who Natsu was.

"Tch, you'll regret not listening to me." Amarion whispered before letting go of Natsu's hair and stepping back. "Strip them!"

Natsu and Gray gawked as their hearts sank into the pits of their stomachs. Did he just say strip? They both shared eye contact right before the hoards of men surrounded them. Gray was used to stripping, but on his own terms. Not by anyone else and definitely not these men. Though, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Stop! Please, no!" Natsu's shouts echoed throughout the hall. Gray bit his lip at the sound. Damn, why was this happening to them?

"Leave him alone!" The ice-mage snapped, not giving a crap about what happened to his pants and boxers. Natsu was obviously taking this harder than him. If only he knew what exactly Gnash had done to his friend so he could understand why the dragon slayer could not use his power.

Once the men cleared and sat back down, Gray dared to glance over to his comrade. It looked as if his clothes were scattered around him, but his muffler. That was the only thing left.

Amarion lifted his arms in awe. The sight in front of him was absolutely beautiful. He had not seen such pray. In his mind, he was a luckiest man in the world, and he was about to play with his new toys.

"Thank you, father, for such beauty!" He chimed while walking back towards the slayer, who had his head down in embarrassment. "Aw, why the long face, little slayer? We're just about to start." The redhead smiled while gripping onto the muffler around Natsu's neck. "You don't need this, I'm sorry." He then pulled it completely off.

"No! Not that! Please!" Natsu pleaded. Tears threaten to spill from his orbs. "You can pull the cloths from my back, humiliate me in front of everyone here, but please don't destroy my muffler! Someone very precious gave that to me! It's the only thing I have to remember him by!"

Gray watched as Natsu pleaded. He felt sympathetic towards the slayer. He couldn't remember a time he didn't have his muffler wrapped around him. It was like Igneel gave him extra strength to lead him into battle. What would Natsu be like without it?

"Natsu…"

Amarion stood there debating in what he should do. Being caring of other's pleas, was not who he was. Another grin was placed upon his lips while he reached into his back pocket to pull out a switchblade.

"Sorry to tell you, I'm not one to give into pleas!" He then took the blade and slashed the scarf into pieces.

Natsu's world had stopped as he watch this scene in horror. His eyes couldn't have gotten wider. His entire body quivered until he finally collapsed onto his knees. He couldn't do anything. If he used his magic, it would have backfired before he would be able to break free. Everything was silent. All of those memories with Igneel flashed into his vision.

He had failed too many times in a row. How could he have let this happen on his watch? Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail failed himself, and even Gray.

"Natsu!" He could hear the ice mage shouting for him, but he was too lost in this horrific nightmare. That's when he finally broke. A loud scream emitted from deep inside him as he leaned forward. The pain in his heart soon became waterfalls of tears.

"What a pathetic display from one of Fiore's strongest guilds!" Bielznef bellowed in enjoyment. Amarion turned to his father before sprinkling the pieces of the scarf over Natsu's head.

Gray could not believe what he had witnessed at all. He couldn't stand by any longer and watch the dragon slayer suffer. He tugged at the chains that bound him. Gnash pulled even harder to keep the angered ice mage at bay.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Gray snarled at the black swordsman. "Natsu! Snap out of it!"

Everyone watched as the dragon slayer continued his pathetic wailing. Amarion swiftly lifted his left arm as if to signal something. A second after, the floor shook as two slabs of stone rose from the ground behind him. The stone stopped once it stood about six feet tall. Each stone possessed four hooks.

Gnash and Viktor nodded as if they knew what Amarion wanted them to do. They walked the prisoners over to the slabs and attached all four chains to the hooks. This forced the two mages to spread their legs and have their arms lifted above their heads. Natsu and Gray's naked backs were now completely exposed to the assassins' guild.

The ice mage looked over to the dragon slayer and kept his dark eyes focused on his friend. Natsu didn't want to open his eyes. He knew Gray was looking at him. How humiliating it was to show such weakness in front of a guy like him.

"G-Gray… please don't…" Natsu begged softly now opening his eyes to reveal those watery hues.

Gnash and Viktor stepped aside giving Amarion Grimm his space. The swordsman looked away from the redhead, not even giving him the satisfaction of acknowledgment. Viktor on the other hand, approach Grimm with a wide grin.

"If you ever get sick and tired of pinky over there, I'm fairly interested in him! Gehe!"

"Dually noted, but unfortunately, he's the one I've been waiting for." Amarion sneered while shooing away the insane assassin. "Get-get! It's time for the real fun to start!"

This was exciting the redhead too much, it seemed. One of the guildsman walked up to him and placed something in his hand. Oh, the party was getting started now. What he held in his hand was his favorite torture weapon. Grimm's own take on a whip. This whip was like no other. A leather hilt with sporadic leather braids. On each braid held bits of sharp metal and bone fragments from his past victims.

"Hear, hear! The fun is here! The fun shall start! I'll show you all how to break one who considers himself strong! It's sad to think these two just won the great Ol' Grand Magic Games! Seems almost pitiful seeing them like this!" Amarion stated while the roars of laugher echoed. "Watch them quiver and beg for mercy! Let's see how long they last with us before giving up!"

After saying such words, Grimm turned to his delicious victims. He smoothed the palm of his hand over Gray's back, and then to Natsu's. Next, he softly guided the ends of his whip up both backs.

Gray tried to stay calm. He knew what awaited them, now. The raven already wanted this to be over. Natsu, though, was the first to shiver at the feel of the whip.

"Whom shall I start with?" The redhead pondered to himself softly. His dark red hues glimpsed over the two naked mages in front of him, their bodies tied and completely helpless. Once his gaze strayed upon the pinkette, his mind was made up. He leaned in and gently caressed Natsu's guild mark. "Oh have I been waiting for this moment. You shall be mine." He whispered into the slayer's ear.

The dragon slayer whimpered once he heard Amarion step back. He knew it was coming. Grimm raised his arm, readying himself to crack the whip. Gray watched in horror as the whip finally made a cracking sound before clashing into Natsu's flesh.

The dragon flung his head back as the sudden stinging pain made his body shudder. He could already feel the warm liquid dribbling down his back. At first, he couldn't find his voice. The pain was too intense... and this was just the first strike.

"Let's hear those cries of agony, little slayer!" Amarion chuckled before he swung the whip again. This time, he hit the tan skin harder, and blood splattered. Natsu's tears covered his face. "I can't hear ya!"

"Natsu! Fight this! Don't give him the satisfaction!" Gray shouted while shaking the chains he was in. His fists were clenched tightly as he tried to pull at the hooks that held him up. If he could break them, maybe he could save them both before it was too late. Sadly, the hooks were strong enough to hold three heavyweight men and still not budge.

Natsu opened his eyes slightly to catch a glimpse of the raven through his tears. Pitiful. Disgusting. Weak. Useless. All these words ran through his mind as that whip slashed at his skin. Soon, he gave up, and squealed once that whip slashed at his backside. The sensitive cheeks instantly reacted to the excruciating pain.

Gray could watch this any longer. "Stop it! You've done enough to him! Torture me instead! Leave him alone, ya bastard!" He shouted while struggling with the chains trying to get Amarion's attention.

Grimm stopped whipping the slayer and watched as a pool of blood formed below his pinkette victim. To him, it was the most delectable sight. Though, the ice mage pulled him away from such a beautiful sight. He could only smile.

"So eager to be next? I'm sorry. I was too enchanted by your friend, here!" The redhead grimaced while walking over to Gray. "You're right, though. I should stop now before he dies on me and boy do I have plans for you two in the future."

"Bastard…"

"You're turn!" Grimm then cracked the whip and started to slash at the ice mage's back.

Gray gritted his teeth as the pain started to set in. He couldn't find himself tearing up as easily, though he could only imagine what the dragon slayer was going through. His dark orbs stayed open as he kept his gaze upon his slayer friend. Natsu didn't look in too good of shape. His back was now stained red.

How were they going to make it out of this? Natsu's mental state looked shattered. If Erza were here, or even Lucy, they would easily help the dragon out of his funk. How was he supposed to comfort the pinkette?

The slayer looked limp and weak. His breathing slowed as the blood kept pouring out of his wounds. Gray then completely ignored the pain he was in and focused solely upon his friend.

"Natsu! Don't you dare die on me now!"

The slashing stopped. Gray didn't receive as many slashes as the dragon had. He quickly looked behind him and saw Amarion grinning widely.

"Hey, Asshole! If you don't want him to die now, then get him off that damn wall!"

"Oh, Fullbuster. The little slayer will be fine. He's just taking a nap." The redhead walked over to Natsu and gripped his hair to pull his head forward showing Gray what he meant. "See! That's a face of sleep and exhaustion. We wore him right out. I guess the rest could wait until tomorrow." He complied and let go of the flame mage. "Take them down and send them back to their cells! But first..."

Gray watched as Amarion Grimm approached him and swiftly hit the back of his neck. Soon, everything went black. There was no telling what might happen to them next.

"Natsu…" He whispered one last time before completely blacking out.


A/N: If you cried, that's okay because I did while writing this. Doesn't help that I was listening to sad Fairy Tail OST's... Anyways, like always, please R&R! Share you're thoughts on how this chapter made you feel. I would love to read them~!