The Girls of Fairy Block
Chapter 7
Isolated
Giemma pushed Levy ahead of him down the long, dark corridors. The SCU or Solitary Confinement Unit was a small labyrinth of heavily barred doors. As they passed, occupants made catcalls and threats. This was not a nice place to be, and these were not nice people.
"No meat on that 'un, I'll tear her apart in minutes!" One shouted lustily. Levy gulped, but tried to steady her nerves. It was all talk. In the SCU, you didn't get put with someone else. She didn't have to worry about these people, she had to worry about the thoughts inside her own head.
Giemma threw open one of the heavy metal doors and pushed her harshly into the small chamber. She just managed to not lose her balance and fall flat on her face. The room was tiny, consisting of a single opaque window, a metal shelf for a bed, and a toilet with a single roll of toilet paper.
"You think about what you did," Giemma said smugly. "You've got plenty of time for it."
With that, he slammed the door, leaving Levy very alone.
===][===
"Owwwwwwww…"
"Stop moaning, you little brat!" The prisons on-hand medic was an elderly lady known as Porylusica. Apparently she was a lifelong friend of the warden, but it was hard to imagine anyone being friends with this old hag. She didn't seem to have any empathy at all.
"It hurts!" Lucy huffed in return. Porylusica had applied a lot of bandages and plasters to her, as well as a few stitches on her left forearm where Kyouka had really dug her claws in.
"None of your bones are broken."
"Still…"
"My word! In my day, we walked a hundred miles through the freezing snow just for the opportunity to break our bones! The youth of today have no idea how good they have it, I tell you."
"That… makes no sense," Lucy pointed out, causing Porylusica to slap her over the head. "OW! You're supposed to be fixing me up!"
"It doesn't have to make sense, I'm old. It's my job to ramble and your job to listen. Now, perhaps someone else would be curious as to how you got these injuries. I couldn't care less. That's for the prison guards to worry about. My only job is to make sure that you're still alive."
===][===
Lucy had only been out of the doctor's office for about five seconds before she was accosted by Erza, Juvia and Cana. They were asking a hundred questions between them.
"I'm okay, I'm okay," Lucy said, holding up her hands. "I'll mend."
"We're not asking if you're okay," Erza corrected sternly. "We're trying to figure out what happened. What happened to Levy? Why was she sent to the SCU?"
"Don't talk to me about Levy, she's dead to me now," Lucy replied angrily. It happened so fast, that she didn't quite understand it, but her back was to the wall, and Erza's fist was cocked, ready to punch her in the face. The look of fury on her features… it chilled Lucy's blood. Cana's hand went around Erza's fist.
"Calm down, she's new. She doesn't understand what Levy did for her yet." Cana's words seemed to reach Erza and she released Lucy, who was now trembling. She was suddenly very aware of where she was and how beyond the reach of the law she was.
"Listen. We don't know the details, but it all seems fairly easy to figure out. There's no way that the official story is true. Levy wouldn't attack a butterfly, and she's certainly incapable of causing you those injuries. So, that leaves one obvious possibility. A set-up."
"Someone attacks you, and pins the blame on Levy," Juvia said sadly. "They punish you both, and get away with the crime on top of it all."
"But despite appearances, the guards aren't idiots," Cana said in a low voice. "They know who is capable of what, and what our crimes are. There's no way that any right-thinking individual believes that Levy did this, so the guards are covering it up."
"Which leaves one very obvious culprit," Erza declared. Lucy looked away, hoping that she wouldn't say it, but Erza ploughed on heedless. "Minerva. And unless I've missed my guess, Kyouka too."
"I don't know why you're asking me anything," Lucy said bitterly. "It seems that you've got it all figured out already."
"It's you who hasn't got it figured out," Erza snarled. "Let me guess; Minerva offered you a choice of who took the beating, and Levy volunteered you for it, right?" Lucy didn't respond, answering Erza well enough. "Then you have to understand what Levy did for you, trying to protect you."
"Protect me!?" Lucy screamed. "She let me…"
Erza might be the master of shutting people up by expression alone. That anger… "Listen, newbie. You've suffered a few bumps and bruises. That's nothing compared to what Levy's going through right now."
===][===
Levy sat on the little metal platform. It was hard on her, for she didn't have a lot of meat on her bones for padding. But it was preferable to sitting on the concrete floor, because it had a little flex at least. She tried looking out of the window, but it was high up for her, and completely opaque anyway.
After that, she tried pacing, back and forth. She counted how many steps it was to each wall. Five. That might sound like a lot, but Levy didn't have long strides. She played the game for far too long. It was five, no matter how she tried. It was always five.
A bloody knife…
"No!" Levy pressed her hands against her head. "I am not going to start thinking about that. I have plenty of time to descend into madness later. I've only been here for five minutes. Or ten hours. It's sort of hard to tell. You're talking to yourself, Levy."
The blood was dripping…
"Lalalalalala! Wow, I have actually gone insane in five minutes. That has to be some sort of record. When I think about it, I guess I don't get to be alone much. There's always someone nearby. Even in the library, it's always noisy."
Dripping.
"Think about something else! Anything else!" Gajeel! Her heart suddenly slowed as the comforting thought came to mind. Her work with him had been so fulfilling. She'd loved writing for people to read. It was a connection to her humanity, long suppressed in this place. Ah! But if she was stuck in here, she wouldn't be able to post anything! Gajeel's writing would fail if she couldn't get out of here! But no one had mentioned a sentence! She had no idea how long she'd be stuck in here. Maybe just a couple of days if she was lucky.
She banged her small fists against the door in a futile display. She began to cry. "Please let me out."
===][===
Giemma and Ivan stood in Makarov's office. The old man sat behind his desk with a face like thunder. He threw a file onto the desk with a harsh slap.
"Tell me this is some kind of bad joke."
"You'll have to be more specific, father," Ivan replied.
"Levy McGarden in the SCU for violent assault. Now, I may be an old fool, but some things are impossible. This is one of them."
"With all due respect," Giemma said, "We were both there. As was Guard Fullbuster. We all saw the outcome. There was no one else at the scene."
"Do you want to explain to me how, without any weapon present, Levy could have possibly overpowered this new inmate? Let alone cause the injuries that she did? Even ignoring her personality, Levy lacks the physical strength to do this."
Ivan grinned. "Father, I have worked with the criminal element for a long time and they can always surprise you with their…"
"Levy is not a criminal!" Makarov shouted, jumping to his feet in anger.
"She is a murderer," Giemma said coldly. "She is capable of anything."
"She is not a murderer!" Makarov roared.
"My, my, father. Of all people, I never thought I'd see you deny the truth," Ivan wheedled. "I still remember the day that the Runt came to use. She'd murdered at the tender age of fifteen, so she'd been stuck in juvie for three years before she was transported here. I don't think I've seen anyone so young in for the time she is. She's a monster."
"We both know that's not the truth!" Makarov shouted angrily. "Levy was…"
"Shut up!" Ivan snapped, surprising both other men. "You know that decision is above your head. It's suicide to talk about it."
"Maybe," Makarov replied, sitting back down. "But I want Miss McGarden let out of the SCU at once. And before you start rattling on about evidence, you know that isn't how this god damn place operates. You put her in there on a whim, well I want her out on my whim, and I outrank you both."
"You know, there is one person you should speak to first," Ivan suggested.
===][===
"Blondie!" Ivan shouted as he walked back into the dorm, grabbing Lucy's attention. He marched across the hall, dragging interest from the other girls. "Warden Dreyar wants to see you about the events of last night." He leant in to whisper. "I hope you know what to say."
As Lucy followed him, she was caught by Erza. "Yes, I hope you know what to say."
Lucy gulped.
===][===
Lucy had never felt so scared as she sat before Makarov's desk. What was she supposed to say? Incriminate Minerva and get killed by either her or Kyouka while Giemma and Ivan made her life a living hell? Or put in Levy in it and live with the shame until Erza murdered her in her sleep?
Nah.
Erza would definitely murder her on her feet.
"Lucy. You're one of the newer residents here, so maybe this is the first time you've been in here," Makarov said gently. "I know that an awful thing has happened to you. I also know that you are scared, but please Lucy, I need to know what happened last night. I need to know who to punish."
Lucy looked at her feet, contemplating. What should she do? Even is she said Minerva and Kyouka, how long would a violent assault put them in the SCU? A month? And then what? She'd fear for her life at every turn. At least Erza wasn't a murderer… right?
…
Tears were in her eyes. She swallowed harshly. "Last night… I was attacked by Levy McGarden over a minor dispute. Nothing more. Please be lenient with her."
"Lucy… you're making this difficult."
"I'm sorry! But that's what happened! Please think no more of it!"
Makarov grumbled loudly. "Fine. I'll do everything that I can to reduce Levy's time in the SCU. I should be able to get it down to a week, but I hope you're willing to live with the consequences of your actions, Miss Heartphilia. This isn't something that will wash away easily."
===][===
"Where is she!?" The girls of C-block looked up in abject surprise as Erza strode into the hall alone. They quickly looked away. Erza in full fury was not something that most people tempted the attention of.
Most people.
"Looking for something?" Kyouka asked, swaggering into the centre of the hall to face Erza.
"I'm looking for the master, not the dog," Erza replied, making Kyouka scowl. "Where is Minerva? We need to… *talk* about last night."
"Minerva isn't here at the moment. But you want to talk about last night? It was so much fun! Lucy squealed real nice as I dug my nails in." It was Erza's turn to scowl and Kyouka grinned. "You know, there was such good reverb from my punches, too! You think that's cuz of her huge boobs? If it makes you feel any better, I wish it had been the other way around. I wanted to get my hands on the runt. You know, it feels so much better to hurt the helpless. I wanted to hear her scream real…"
Kyouka's head snapped backwards, blood spurting from her nose as Erza's fist connected.
===Flashback===
The bell rung, signalling the end of round five. On unsteady legs, Erza staggered back to her corner and flopped down on the stool. Jerral hurried into the ring, wiping blood from her swollen face. Five rounds of what had proven to be a one sided beat down had left Erza in tatters.
"Erza! What's wrong? Why can't you handle her?" Jerral looked back to the other corner where Izanagi looked incredibly smug. She was a southpaw – a left handed fighter. That was always troublesome, to learn the new rhythms, but Erza was the champion – she should have a grasp of it by now.
"She's… I just figured… she's right handed," Erza gasped, trying to catch her breath.
"A right handed southpaw?" Jerral exclaimed. He thought quickly. That meant she'd be leading with her dominant hand, making her jabs very powerful. No wonder she had been able to pin Erza down and foul her timing. What an unusual strategy. Jerral looked at his fighter. It was the job of the second to give advice. But how did he advise Erza in this situation? A long moment passed.
"It's alright… I'll figure it out." The bell rung and Erza stood. Jerral looked on hopelessly. Couldn't he do anything? He reached out and placed a hand on Erza's shoulder.
"I have faith in you." Erza smiled and nodded and went back to the ring's centre to meet Izanagi head on. Her ire peaked to see her opponent's smug expression. On her rise to champion, Erza had come across opponents from the very weak to the very strong. The humble to the arrogant. But Izanagi was proving to be the worst possible combination. Damn it! Erza rushed in, only to get a left jab to the face.
Damn it, why couldn't she get this rhythm down!? How difficult could it be to match a southpaw in…
Left jab!?
Erza blinked in confusion, but it was true. Izanagi now faced her in an orthodox pose, left hand forwards and right hand back. But she was supposed to be… right straight! Erza staggered, her knees weakening as she took the punch to her face. Wait, she was a switch hitter? How long had this been going on and she hadn't noticed!? No wonder she couldn't get the timing!
But if Izanagi was in an orthodox stance then the rules of boxing applied! Erza dashed in to be met by a right jab. Damn it… so fast? With her forward momentum, Erza staggered and clinched onto Izanagi, holding on to her to prevent herself falling.
"Separate!" The referee barked, Izanagi trying to push her off. But Erza had to hang on for as long as possible, to regain as much strength as she could.
"Too bad. If the trainer's pathetic, what can you expect from the boxer?"
Despite the roar of the crowd, everything seemed to go silent to Erza. What had she just said!? She staggered back from Izanagi, looking into that smug, arrogant, hateful expression. She'd said that Jerral was a bad trainer!? Erza was a thick skinned girl. She could take all of the insults hurled at her. But to insult Jerral!?
"Box!" The referee shouted. Smiling, Izanagi stepped in with a thunderous right. Erza knocked it aside as if it was nothing. Not letting up, Izanagi's left swept in low, aiming for Erza's ribs. The gloved fist stopped as it met Erza's elbow. Surprised, Izanagi looked up into Erza's face and for the first time in her life felt fear. Erza suddenly stepped in, using her shoulder to force Izanagi back to the ropes and then came in with a right hook.
Shit… Izanagi couldn't counter in this position, so she threw her arms up. The right hook slammed in painfully, but was deflected. Now she could counter! But… Erza wasn't done yet. The training she'd done every day with Jerral was ringing in her ears.
"You've run every day of your life, to build up the muscles in your legs. Strong punches don't come from the arms, they come from a solid foundation. Use the springs in your legs to sway left and right, and from that momentum…"
Erza came back up with a left hook, into Izanagi's weakened guard. And then back in with another right hook. And then a left. A right. A left. Erza's body traced the orbit of infinity as she cycled back and forth in an endless barrage of punches. And then, Izanagi's guard broke. She grimaced as Erza continued. Fine! You've taken my punches, now I'll show you that I can take yours!
Izanagi's head snapped right, blood spitting from her mouth.
Izanagi's head went left, her eyes rolling back.
Izanagi's head went right.
Kyouka's head snapped left, blood coming from her broken nose.
Izanagi's head went right.
Kyouka's head went left.
Right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, right, left, rightleft, rightleft, rightleft, rightleft!
Guards slammed Erza to the floor, struggling to cuff her. She didn't care. She knew beforehand what the outcome of this was. She'd already accepted that. But she looked over with triumph as Kyouka lay on the ground, still, blood pooling around her head.
"That's one."
===Author's Note===
She's not dead! I don't like giving away spoilers, but Erza didn't kill Kyouka here, okay!?
Sorry for all the boxing jargon. I hope you guys don't hate me for it.
No… you all hate me for being sick last week, right? Sorry. I chose to postpone a week because of being busy at work and having a really bad cold. Please forgive me.
===Replies to Reviews===
Playgod: Of course justice will be served!
Ulcaasi: I match your judging owl with my grumpy cat!
Lovergirl8602: About right, it's not a one to one mapping. It's just inspired by it.
Cuteandfierce99: You hate me, right? *cries*
Cloy552: Yep, that's the thing I've set up,
SakuraIchigoDark: It won't be Lucy.
.anime: Good, it means that I'm writing them correctly!
Tscarlet: Pervy Cana for the win.
Momo-chan: I have shipped Gale on occasion.
Spreadyourwingsxxx: Poor Levy-chan…
