"They found something," Gajeel was told by an anxious Wendy when he entered the guildhall later that evening. He'd been out all day searching for hints and clues. He and Lily exchanged a look before approaching the area where Natsu, Gray, and Makarov stood with a Councilman and a couple members of the local officials.
His jaw clenched when he looked over Natsu's shoulder and found that several objects had been organized into piles - including a pile filled with Levy's headband, wallet, and other such possessions. Natsu had his hands placed on either side of another pile, his onyx eyes deadly. Gajeel recognized Lucy's keys and wallet.
"He took her whip," he said darkly without looking up. "I can't find her whip anywhere."
"We'll find Lucy, Natsu," Mirajane said softly as she came over, touching his shoulder, but he shrugged her touch off of him.
"Thank you for summoning us to look at this," the Councilman told he and Gray. "You found this in the canal, you said?"
"Near Lucy's place," Gray agreed. "Natsu saw it in the water. I didn't see anything, but since he's a dragon slayer-"
"Are you sure he didn't place it there?" a grouchy man suggested.
There was a moment of silence before Natsu suddenly launched himself over the table at the man, bursting promptly into furious flames. Gray swore and tackled him, dragging him back across the table and Gajeel grunted as he was kicked in the stomach. The iron mage grabbed Natsu by the scarf and helped Gray haul him back.
"Let me go," Natsu snarled. "I'm gonna-"
"Natsu," Makarov said sharply before turning an icy look on the officer. "My children will not be accused of murder, is that clear? Natsu has alibis. He's been in the guildhall every time a woman goes missing. His senses are keener due to his dragon slayer magic, and even more so than the other dragon slayers for a reason we know nothing of."
The Councilman nodded. Gajeel recognized him from somewhere, though he chose not to think too hard about it.
"Well," the iron mage grunted with a huff. "There ain't nothin' about what's goin' on among the thieves of the town. I got nothin' from the minor criminals."
"You hang out with minor criminals?" the same official that had accused Natsu of murder questioned, arching a brow.
"Nah, infiltrating 'em," Gajeel retorted, baring his teeth warningly. "With Council permission."
The Councilman added, "He does have our permission to do so, as well as Makarov's. Now, the question is, where do we go from here. While this confirms who the missing women are and where they are, we can't get much else from this. There was nothing to lead you to him, Mr. Dragneel?"
Natsu shook his head. "Nothing."
"Damn," another officer huffed, a woman. She was small, but Gajeel would bet she packed quite the punch. "We may need to start searching houses."
"That'll start riots," Gray disagreed. "We can't. I'd say Mira let herself get caught 'cause hell, I don't think Gildarts could stop her if she really wanted, but...I mean, how the hell does someone get around like this without being noticed? Six women are dead and no one's seen anything."
"That's the question we're all wondering," the woman sighed, shaking her head. She left with her partner soon after and the Councilman thanked them, taking everything but Levy and Lucy's belongings at Makarov's request. Without a word, Gajeel scooped up Levy's as Natsu and Gray picked up Lucy's.
Rubbing his temples, Makarov sighed, "Wherever they may be, I pray my children are safe."
Natsu brought Lucy's keys to his lips and whispered to them in a voice that only Gajeel could hear, "Be safe, Luce. We'll find ya somehow."
Gajeel grimaced and then glanced over his shoulder when Lily approached, tail flicking. "Has anyone thought of contacting Miss Auguria for information? Surely Sabertooth can help."
"I did," Gray told him, crossing his arms. "I talked to Yukino through a lacrima, but she said she can't summon another mage's Spirits without permission from their King, and even then it's near impossible. She's going to talk to Pisces or Libra though and figure out what happened. She said that Leo can relay what we want to know to them and she can get the information-"
"Natsu, Gray!" Mirajane cut in suddenly from behind the bar. "Yukino's gotten back to us!"
They exchanged a look and sprinted around the bar. Gajeel stalked behind them with Lily hurrying after him. When Gray gave him an odd look for joining them, Gajeel bared his teeth. "I'm helpin', ain't I?"
"Yeah, I guess. You'll focus more on Levy of course. Since Droy and Jet aren't here and don't know." He grimaced. "They left before we knew Levy was missing."
They focused all of their attention on the lacrima that Mirajane had offered to them, and Gajeel could see an anxious Yukino Auguria, her dark eyes troubled. Sting and Rogue were bickering in the background as Frosch called a greeting and Lector cheerfully copied. "Gray!" she called. "Natsu!" A pause. "Gajeel?"
He grunted as the other two said hello.
"Before we begin, Lector…"
"Happy and Charle are on their way home," the Exceed reported cheerfully. "They'll be back by this evening."
"Thanks, Lector," Natsu said honestly, pleased his little buddy was coming home. It would help him stay focused and not panic. Happy was good at that without meaning to be good at it.
"Onto more serious matters...I talked to Libra." Yukino appeared again, and this time the dragon slayers with her were quiet. Her lips pressed together, she told them, "Leo's healing after receiving a broken arm and he can't really say what happened. But," she continued hastily when Natsu swore. "He thinks Lucy was being stalked before it happened. He remembers seeing something odd in the shadows by her apartment before whatever it was attacked them. Libra says that Leo knows Lucy's alive at the very least. He said he'd appear on his own power near his key if something changed. They don't know where they are either."
"Shit," Gray swore, running a hand through his hair. "I'd ask Rogue or Sting to come and take a look around, but Natsu's got the best nose and has nothing."
"But I really think we should come look," Sting cut in, nudging Yukino out of the way despite Rogue claiming he was being rude. Rogue appeared beside him, annoyed. "Even if we don't have senses that are as good as his, they're still strong. And unlike you, we're not used to the area. We look at Magnolia differently. It would be good for us to come and sweep through for a day or two."
"He has a point," Gray admitted grudgingly. "I guess it isn't too bad an idea, but Yukino, you should stay in Crocus."
"I will," she promised. "I know it wouldn't be good if I was taken, too. I'll do the guildmaster's paperwork while he's away." She cast a sharp look at Sting, who suddenly looked sheepish as he slid out of view. "Not like I don't do it anyways."
"We'll be there by tomorrow," Rogue told them.
Gajeel rocked back on his heels with a grunt. "Well hurry up. 'Cause I don't want to find Bunny Girl or Shrimp dead in the street."
Rogue said no more as their faces vanished.
Sweat dripped down Levy's face as she fought to remain on one foot.
They'd been at the game for ages, and each action was harder than the last. The small dark-haired woman cried into her fingers where she'd gone down, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs.
She'd been the first to fall.
Levy, Lucy, Ayako, and another woman with platinum hair were still going strong - well, somewhat strong. And it was now just Lucy and Levy. Ayako toppled sideways, leg giving out. She gasped as she struck the ground and then simply curled into a ball.
Lucy looked horrified.
"Simon says…" Simon hummed, pacing in a circle around the three remaining women. "Hop once and catch your balance."
Lucy just narrowly avoided falling. Levy did it perfectly fine. The woman with platinum hair nearly tipped forward.
"Run!"
Levy froze, not daring to move as the platinum woman took of for the stairs, her blue eyes filling with tears when Simon stalked after her, delighted with this turn of events. "You lose," he sang, waving his hand. "Attach the manacles, the rest of you. I'll be back to make sure you did."
"Oh, god," the sobbing woman whispered at the center of the room. She shot to the wall, realizing she was going to live a day longer, and went to work on attaching the manacles. Lucy and Levy did as ordered as well, though Ayako faltered before following suit.
"She shouldn't have run," the purple-haired woman, one who'd introduced herself as Ivy, rasped mournfully. "She's only sixteen."
Click! went the manacle as Levy attached it to her wrist, shivering as her sweat went away and left her cold. She'd survived, for now.
"What'll he do?" Levy asked with a quivering voice, realizing that the girl wouldn't be coming back. "When? Where?"
"We're not entirely sure on where," Ayako admitted, murmuring quietly as she reattached her own manacles. "But it's not far from here and it's near the canal because he sometimes comes back wet. He brands their tongues and strangles them before tearing their eyes from their heads."
Lucy shuddered and Levy pressed her lips together.
"We can't lose," she told Lucy. The blonde murmured her agreement as she settled down, curling into a ball to preserve heat for the time being. She narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular as Levy settled down as well.
"He'll do the lashes when he comes back," Ayako said softly. "I don't think you two will get anything, but we will."
"And he'll bring a new victim soon," Ivy added dully.
The sobbing girl who was relieved to be alive, one missing Maria Rodriguez, whispered, "I want to go home."
"We all do," Lucy murmured. "We all do."
When Simon came back, Levy shuddered and tried to forget the blood that flaked his hands and face and stained his once-clean shirt. He looked proud of himself as he grabbed a whip that both Fairy Tail women recognized to belong to Lucy, horror in their eyes as they exchanged a look.
"Miss Rodriguez," he hummed, addressing Maria, "You'll have four for losing today. Don't fail again. The next time you do will be your last."
Maria nodded mutely, refusing to say a word in Simon's presence.
Lucy and Levy, as the others expected, didn't receive a single mark, but Simon viciously lay one lash upon Ayako and Ivy before tearing at Maria's naked back with a whip that Lucy had once used to defend herself.
Levy felt sick as Maria's back split beneath his onslaught of violence, her body shivering at the realization that she or Lucy would be subject to similar pain the next day if things didn't go as well as they had. Maria was left in silent tears, her body trembling with pain as he wound up his whip and strapped it to his belt. "I'll bring breakfast tomorrow," he hummed, sidling over to inspect Maria's back.
Levy took on a disgusted look as he swept a finger down a lash mark that had bled and popped the digit into his mouth with a hum of happiness before thundering up the stairs with a cheerful laugh.
"I thought I'd seen crazy when I saw Zancrow," Lucy said finally, pressing her lips together. "Or Natsu even. But this…"
"This is needing to be executed and beheaded kind of crazy," Ayako drawled, rubbing her back with trembling fingers. "I don't understand how you think those friends of yours will find us, but I hope they do."
"So do I," Levy admitted.
Ivy suddenly said softly, "If one of us was to leave a message in some way when we die, how much would it help Fairy Tail to find the rest of us?"
"It depends on the information," Lucy said slowly, her eyes narrowing in thought. "And I doubt there'd be much we could give the rest of them other than a 'We're living!' message, you know?"
"True," Ayako said slowly, "But even the slightest hint would get them here…"
Maria suddenly whispered, "Can we perhaps carve a word into our body? All of us? So that...so that the next one of us can help the rest?"
"That's a brilliant idea," Levy murmured. "Our dragon slayers will be able to use it to find us...what should we use to do this? What word, too?" She searched the area around her and grimaced when she found nothing.
Already scratching at the inside of her arm with shaky determination, Ivy waited a moment before answering. "Don't bother. I'll give myself up tomorrow." They stared at her and she smiled faintly, holding up her arm. Nullification, it read, bleeding bloody drips onto her legs. "I have no one, not like you mages and Maria...you have a baby."
"You don't have to," Levy said softly. "We're mages. Innocent lives come before our own, Ivy."
"I know. But I will. You guys are needed and I know that if I can get the word to your friends, I'll be at least useful to someone." Ivy gave a shaky grin, reassuring. "I'll do it."
No one disagreed again.
And so begins the violence. Poor Natsu, getting accused. On the bright side, there's a brief appearance of Sting and Rogue next chapter. ;)
Ethidium, your review cracked me up for some reason. Oh god, I can't breathe.
Thanks to reviewers (Soul-of-glass, ThatOneFriend-3, FireDragonPhia, Typhlosion8, quite-a-riot, Moon Stone Tiger Lily, Ethidium, JadeOccelot, PinkFireandGoldenStars, Searching for my Rushmore, yorusorra, Estella Hughes, FairyTailxFanGirl, TheTruthAboutThe WallfFlower, KewlFoxyKatt, Guest #1, Juju, ckc14, sarara18, PurpleandPink2005, and An Amber Pen!) as well as those who favorited and followed!