-** AUTHOR'S NOTE **-
Yay chapter 7! Revised and Revealed! This is muuuuuuch better than it was, and the plotline will be slightly different than the original. If you think this is gonna be a GaLu, well then you'll just have to read to find out! Please read and enjoy! much love, cherry
p.s. as always, i do not own fairy tail or its characters, but i do lord over that world in my own head. thank the stars you all aren't there to see it.
CHAPTER 7
"Target has been killed." A concealed man reported into a communication Lacryma. He kicked the target's boots and gear, the last effects of a dead pile of ashes, and waited for the eruption that was bound to come.
"WHAT? YOU ALLOWED HIM TO BE KILLED?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GUARANTEE NO INTERFERENCE! I CANNOT BELIEVE..." the man's senior officer disciplined, causing him to wince.
"Sir, this may work in our favor. It seems the target's killer is none other than a Fairy Tail mage." he cut in, receiving a short break from the verbal abuse.
"Really... It could most definitely work in our favor. Do you have visual on who it is Praxa?" the deep voice asked. The man called Praxa grinned wickedly before he spat out the name.
"Lucy Heartfilia."
A very nauseous albeit hungry mage stepped off his one weakness- transportation- and breathed in the air of Red Peak, satisfied to find that Lucy's scent still lingered. Not far behind him was his blue exceed, begging for a break to catch some breakfast. But now that they were off the evil train, all that Natsu could focus on was finding Lucy and bringing her back home.
"Sorry Happy, just a little bit longer. I know she's- urgh- close." Natsu encouraged clutching his tummy. The dragonslayer trudged through the town, while Happy clung to his head in boredom, until his stomach stopped doing flips. When he finally broke from his nausea, he took off at full speed, knowing Lucy couldn't be far. He'd been traveling since early that morning as if the hounds of hell were at his heels. Maybe they were, he didn't know or care. All Natsu wanted was to make sure Lucy was safe. He ignored the pairing scent that seemed to follow hers around and focused solely on Lucy's. Did Natsu want to smell Gajeel's scent? NO. Did he have a choice? No. Did he want to punch his face in? Yes. Did he have any right to do so? No. Did he care? No. Natsu was on a one-track mind, and Happy seemed to understand that, so he put off complaining once more about the lack of fish that he could be munching on.
The scent trail led him down a rocky path, and soon enough Natsu picked up a third and fourth smell that he wasn't able to place with any faces. Someone had been stalking Gajeel and Lucy for that remainder of the trek, until Gajeel's trail branched off from Lucy's, heading around to the other side of a clearing. Fury rose up in Natsu as he realized that the iron dragonslayer abandoned his partner for a little, when he knew that Gajeel had to of smelled atleast one of the other people following them. One scent, strictly disinfectant and lime, was a stark contrast from the other. The darker signature reeked of death, tepid water, and a spiced cologne. This, Natsu figured, was the dark mage Lucy and Gajeel had been hunting.
How dare he leave Lucy when someone was following them! That guy is getting his ass kicked! Natsu growled at the thought, snapping Happy from his daze.
"We're super close Happy. Keep your eyes out for Luce kay?" Natsu whispered, fearful that any of the stalkers may still be around. Happy caught on to this and just tapped his hand on Natsu's head as an answer, eyes alert and ears perked. Where Gajeel's scent branched off, so did the clean scent, while the dark mages scent followed Lucy's off into a clearing now lit by the rising summer sun. Conflicted between securing the area and running blindly after Lucy, he chose the latter and took off quietly into the tall grass. As he walked, an unexpected scent assaulted his nose- Blood. He worried it may have been Lucy's, but something was off about the blood, it smelled rotten and dry. Dry? Rotten? How long ago could this battle have happened? Natsu also smelled freshly turned earth as well as singed grass and came to the conclusion that a battle had happened here. Gajeel couldn't use any fire or burning techniques, so Lucy must have summoned Loke into battle. The thought of Lucy possibly being wounded made a fire roar deep within Natsu and his pace sped up as he neared the far end of the clearing.
Along the way deep gashes scoured the earth, as well as small and large footprints, and Natsu suddenly came to something that confused him. The dirt in one spot seemed different, and as Natsu moved closer to it he realized it was ash. Human remains? LUCY! NO!... Panicking Natsu spun around to look at the clearing, fearful but refusing to come to any conclusions about who it could be. His world had stopped in that instant, and Natsu's biggest fear became realized.
"LUCYYYY!" He roared into the clearing, his scream echoing and coming back empty. He cupped his hands and yelled once more as tears streamed down his face, denying any likelihood that Lucy could be...
"Shut the hell up pinky! Ugh.." a voice growled from the farthest edge of the clearing. Gajeel...
"I swear to God Gajeel if you let Lucy get hurt I will enjoy ripping your fucking head off!" Natsu snarled with vehemence as he ran through the tall grass in Gajeel's direction. Making it there in record time, he collapsed to his knees when he saw a still sleeping Lucy clutching onto Gajeel's chest. He frowned at what that implied, but the thought was fleeting. She's alive. She's alive... And Natsu's world began spinning again. His best friend is still breathing, and some other sorry sucker is spread across the ground, not his beloved Lucy. The momentary relief of knowing she was ok made it possible for Natsu to breathe again, and instead of crying tears of fear and worry, crocodile tears of joy and relief spilled down his face. He ignored the exhausted face of the iron dragonslayer, and both Natsu and Happy rushed to clasp Lucy. But before they could reach her they felt a massive hand slam them back to the ground.
"What the hell Gajeel?!" Natsu reproached as he stood up into fighting position, a confused happy sitting on the ground. Gajeel just gestured for them to be quiet and follow him away from the sleeping girl, and Natsu hesitantly followed. Happy ignored Gajeel and quietly settled beside the sleeping celestial mage, knowing Natsu needed to get some things out of his system. Sooner than Gajeel could turn around to explain himself to the fire dragonslayer, he felt a flaming punch pound into his back and was flung into a nearby tree. He knew he deserved it, so instead of fighting back, he stood up calmly and waited.
"How dare you," and Natsu lit up both arms, "leave Lucy to fend for herself."
"It was part of the plan flamehead." and Gajeel didn't even see the punch Natsu landed on his gut, but he sure as hell felt it when his back slammed into the tree once again.
"You knew you were being followed," at this Natsu sent a round-about kick to Gajeel's side, "And you still sent her off alone." Gajeel didn't know how much more of this he could take after last night, and his throbbing shoulder reminded him of that. His body may feel like shit, but he knew it was nothing compared to how Lucy must have felt last night. Because when Gajeel woke, he was still alive.
"Natsu- fuckin a- stop and listen you moron!" Gajeel yelled in frustration as he shakily rose to his feet. He wasn't at 100% just yet, and Natsu's eyes widened when he saw the pain in Gajeel's. Now that he looked closer, Gajeel looked like shit. Iron Gajeel was hurt. Natsu, still glaring, strode over to where Gajeel stood and planted his feet firmly, ready to attack if need be.
"Hurry the fuck up and spill it. I want to get back to Lucy." Natsu barked in impatience. Slowly, Gajeel relayed the events of the past two weeks, careful to leave out the flirtation between he and Lucy, and he watched as Natsu went from impatient, to frustrated, to belligerent. Natsu crouched in the grass, his head in his hands, trying to wrap his mind around everything Gajeel just told him. Lucy's been tested in a lot of ways over the past 2 years, but this? How can she come back from this? And how the hell will I be able to help? How can I even look at her straight from now on? I should've been there to protect her from this! Fuck, Gajeel should've protected her from this! Gajeel, should've, Gajeel SHOULD HAVE... And Natsu stood up slowly, wrath apparent on his face as his body ignited in a fury of flames. Gajeel knew what was coming, and prepared himself for it.
"YOU. YOU SHOULD HAVE KEPT THIS FROM HAPPENING!" Natsu bellowed as he launched himself at the other dragonslayer. Flame met Iron as both fighters parlayed, neither refusing to give up ground.
"LIGHTNING FLAME DRAGON'S FIRING HAMMER!" Natsu roared as he brought his fist down on Gajeel's barely iron-transformed arm, and the iron dragonslayer growled as he was shoved back. The boy's rage fed his flames, and Gajeel realized his attacks were stronger. The iron arm absorbed most of the lightning but his body was heavily singed from the flames that enhanced it's power. Ugh I can't take another one of those.
"You fucking idiot! All this could've been avoided if both you and Bunny Girl put your damn feelings out there!" Gajeel yelled as he leapt away from a flaming fist. Natsu ignored Gajeel as he was lost in his fury and continued on with heavy attacks, whilst Gajeel tried once more talking sense into the berserk mage.
"You think I don't feel bad? I know it's my fault she was even forced into a spot like that! Oomph!" in his haste to talk to Natsu Gajeel left his right side open and received a reminding blow of the battle they were in. Time to end this.
"Iron dragon's Lance, Demon Logs!" Gajeel's arm extended into a thick pillar, forcing Natsu to black flip out of the way, then somersault quickly to avoid the smaller lances that shot out simultaneously. In Natsu's eagerness to stand and go on the offense, ignoring common sense for anger, Gajeel predicts the direction his somersault will lead Natsu and plans a final forceful blow to slow down, if not temporarily immobilize his opponent.
"KARMA DEMON: IRON GOD SWORD!" too late does Natsu see the large sword barreling down on him, and he tucks, hoping to take most of the blow on his backside and in an instant ripe pain erupts across his body. Natsu's world whirls as he's thrown head over heels into the thick canopy of trees lining the forest clearing. How the hell did he get that hit on me? Natsu's whole body throbbed with stiff pain, and exploded once more as he forced himself to drop from a tree limb and hit the hard ground. Uneven footsteps crashed through the brush in some foreign world, and Natsu knew Gajeel was coming for him. He groaned at the tenderness, but forced himself on all fours, if only to get a look at an equally beaten Gajeel.
"Now listen up you thick headed asshole- I ain't pointin fingers," Gajeel panted as he slumped to the ground in a lazy sitting position, "but if some idiot didn't go hurting our resident celestial mage, none of this would have happened. Yeah, I should've fought better, and never let that damned demon touch me, but shit happens. And I take blame for that. Point is- we can't change the past. All that we can do now is figure out how to help Lucy. That's all that we can do goin forward. Cause she's got a lot of weight on her shoulders now. And I personally don't want to cause her anymore stress." Gajeel finished, looking away from the silent pink haired mage across from him.
"You're right. I've been so blind. But I'm here to fix that, and work out what I can, "Natsu said, shooting an accusatory glare through slitted eyes, "I won't let anyone hurt my Luce again, including myself. I'm going to make things right even if it kills me." At his possessive words, Gajeel growled and stood slowly to tower over the younger man.
"Lucy's not some toy you can just pick up and put down when you please. She's a strong and amazing girl, and until you realize where you fall short, I'll be makin sure she's standing tall. I owe her at least that." Gajeel snarled in anger, before shuffling in the direction Lucy lay. Natsu was stunned to say the least. And when he recovered from his shock, he gathered his wits about him and felt jealousy creep up again.
"I know she's not some toy you idiot! You know what I meant!" Natsu yelled after Gajeel's receding form. You have no right Gajeel. She's my best friend. And could possibly be my mate. You sure as hell better hope you didn't lay a finger on her. He shakily stood up and plastered a smile on his face, ready to handle, well, he didn't know how Lucy would greet him. And that made him sad. But they'd work through it together. He'd be a pillar to hold her up and a friend to lean on. And when she's ready, if he ever figures out who he wants, he'd be ready to be what she needs- her lover. He waited long enough to see Lucy, so he started jogging to where he saw her last, only to be stopped by an upset Gajeel.
"Lucy's gone, as well as your cat."
...
Lucy knew what she had done was cowardly, but she wasn't sure how she'd face Gajeel after the battle, let alone Natsu. She was just as surprised as Gajeel was to learn the pink haired mage had come after them, and though she was woken up at first, she feigned sleep in order to forego the meeting that would have to happen eventually. (Although she didn't mind waking up with Gajeel's toned arms around her.) Lucy imagined that after their fighting Gajeel and Natsu had a chance to talk, and undoubtedly the conversation revolved around her, but she still hoped against all hope that it would all stay between Gajeel, Natsu, and she.
She was lost in thought as she finally opened the door to she and Gajeel's room. She hadn't wanted to confront Natsu, or talk to Gajeel, not yet. So while they thought she slept, she slipped away with Happy, promising him hotel banquets and a good catnap if only he didn't sound the alarm of her departure. She needed time to think, time to plan out her side of the conversation with both the dragonslayers. It was odd to her that Natsu had even half a mind to come after her, considering he'd been so busy with Lisanna lately. It'd only been 2 weeks, he was gone on missions longer than that with Lisanna. She frowned at the thought and sat on her bed while Happy snored in her arms. It still hurt, thinking of the two together, but what could she do? She'd taken a back seat to Lisanna, now that the lost girl had been found, and didn't know how things would go between she and Natsu since last they talked.
What will Natsu say? What will he think of me? He will never want me now that he knows what I've done, and I expect the guild will feel the same way. I've broken a cardinal Fairy Tail rule. What will Levy say? Will I lose my best friend? And what of Gajeel? Will he understand? I don't want to lose the little ground I've gained with him... She had finally broken past some of her walls with Gajeel, and over the past two weeks found herself enjoying the normally sour man's company. He had a different side to him when he was with genuine friends. He actually smiles, like sincerely smiles! And the way those red eyes follow me... They way he's looked at me lately... I don't want it to stop. She didn't want him to pull away. Not after the small touches, that night he saw her vulnerability, saw her half naked body. Guiltily Lucy wanted his hands on her hips, running his fingers down her side again. Dread possessed her when she imagined it all going away and an inevitable strained atmosphere distancing her from Gajeel.
Laying down she recalled their flirtatious conversations, how much fun they had let themselves have during training. They both opened up to each other when they realized it was easier being nice to the only person you'd have for company on a mission. Past missions were recounted, funny memories, and Lucy even tearfully told Gajeel about the complications of her damaging relationship with her father. Even if it'd only been two weeks, Lucy felt she could depend on Gajeel for anything. And when she caught him looking sideways at her, admiring her body from afar, she knew the attraction she felt for him was mutual. And she liked it. It didn't happen all the time- more often than not he was his usual gruff self- but when they did get along, and it did happen, it set Lucy's body aflame. Drowsily she recalled her feelings a couple nights before- she didn't want time with Gajeel to end. And now, she couldn't even throw a guess at what awaited her when they finally did talk. She hoped he'd understand, hoped he'd know it was all for him.Fear and anxiety at not knowing haunted Lucy until she fell into a restless sleep, with Happy already passed out her chest.
...
Both Gajeel and Natsu refused to exchange any words between them as they silently trudged through the town to the hotel Lucy had ran away to. It was an awkward and tense silence, and neither wanted to be the one to break it. Only when they finally reached their destination did Natsu say anything.
"Atleast she wasn't being tailed by anyone that we know of." Natsu muttered, shooting a glare at Gajeel. He was still ticked about Lucy and Gajeel's stupid plan. He looked at the humble entrance and his stomach dropped when he thought of the iron dragonslayer sharing a room with Lucy.
"She probably just wanted to get away from your loud ass." Gajeel grumbled to himself, before they walked into the lobby. The boy just didn't know when to call it quits.
"Whatever. Lucy loves me, she wasn't running away from me." Natsu responded and was rewarded with a shocked look from Gajeel.
"So you finally pulled your head outta your ass." Gajeel didn't like that Natsu finally knew about Lucy's secretive feelings. She was finally gettin along with her recovery, and with a flare of heat recalled how close they'd gotten because of it. Gajeel didn't like competition, and knew the stakes were higher now that Natsu had an idea of Lucy's feelings.
"Why the hell do you think I came running! Well- and because I was worried... Rightfully so!" Natsu gnashed his teeth at the irritated iron dragonslayer.
"You know, if you can't prove yourself to her, and you probably can't, someone else will. Don't forget that." Gajeel retorted, before he began to walk down the hall that led to the stairway.
"WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN? And where are you going!" Natsu roared, instantly becoming furious at the gall of Gajeel, and instead of receiving any immediate response from the man he instead got a loud 'SHUSH' from the nearby concierge. I'd like to see you try Gajeel... He began to follow the irritated man when Gajeel spun mid-step to face Natsu.
"You keep your loud ass down here." Gajeel ordered with a fierce glare of reproach.
"Who the hell are you to-" Natsu began.
"-Lucy had a horrible night, and we need to talk about it. Last thing she needs right now is the added stress of you comin to confess." Gajeel spat, the word confess making his face contort into that of disgust. Natsu didn't respond, but for once uncharacteristically thought on the man's words. How did he know I was here to do that?
"We need to approach things one at a time. Let me talk to her,get shit figured out, then when she wants to, she can come down and talk to you." Gajeel growled, offending Natsu. He stepped closer to the raven-haired mage and stared him down.
"Why you?!" He nearly yelled, his fists clenched. Gajeel just narrowed his eyes, barely controlling his temper at the boy's immaturity, and shoved Natsu back with a sharp jab.
"Because I was there! Now go fuckin wait, I'm done tryin to get you to understand. If I find you up there before Lucy says its ok, I don't care if I bring this whole hotel down around us, I will kick, your, ass." Natsu could see Gajeel was serious, the intense vehemence filling his eyes a red hot warning. Natsu's pride demanding he fight anything the other dragonslayer suggested, but knew it'd be in Lucy's best interest to let her come to him.
"Fine. But only because it's better for Lucy." Natsu spat, before squaring his shoulders and heading back to wait in the hotel's restaurant. He made it clear he wasn't necessarily listening to Gajeel, but his own heart's voice about what Lucy needed. So, he'd begrudgingly wait.
And Natsu did just that- well Natsu's version of waiting. More like pacing, lighting plants on fire, then getting escorted out of the hotel until Gajeel and Lucy decided to come back down. It was then that he was left with his thoughts, the one thing he wanted to avoid. Lucy killed a man. I mean it was in defense of Gajeel's life, kinda... Ugh, I wonder how she feels? There were times I've wanted to take someone's life, but thankfully never went through with it. Is she... different?... NEVER MIND! I don't care if she's changed! She's Luce! I will be there for her no matter what! Natsu thought staring at the ground with a determined look, as he sat on a nearby bench.
...
Lucy and Happy finally exited their train, and brief euphoria washed over the blonde girl. Home, finally away from that dreaded town. As she walked through the streets, she noticed something was odd. It was in the air, in the way things looked and sounded. It took her a second before she understood that the town was devoid of people. Not one person was walking through the cobblestone streets. Fear coursed through Lucy as she ran towards her guild, knowing that if anything horrible was going on, her family would be able to figure it out. With relief, she noticed the closer she got to it, the more she heard voices and shouts in the air. Fairy Tail must be throwing some kind of party. Lucy smiled at the thought of an already drunk Cana, Macao not far behind, Elfman declaring who is and isn't a man, Mirajane serving guild visitors drinks and Lisanna helping, whilst Gray and Erza put on a show of their magic. Happy at her side, they rushed through the winding streets and slammed to a halt in front of her guild.
"I'm back! Where's all the-" she began, and in horror tried not to gag at the sight before her. Bodies, everywhere, laying prostate before a large golden scale. Bound and gagged on one side of the scale were Laki, Max, Juvia, and Levy, whilst the other platform held Erza, Gray, Mira, and Evergreen. Standing atop a pile of bodies nearest to the large contraption stood a man Lucy thought she'd never see again. And she screamed before dropping to her knees facing the sight, Lisanna's bloodied corpse staring at her in what seemed like hate.
"Hello Lucy. Let's see if you can decide who to kill and not to kill once more. We love this game, don't we?" Petra said smiling as he gestured to her bound friends.
"A life for a life right?" Lucy watched as he took an identical dagger to hers and began to slit the throat of the nearest member, Erza, and her world tilted. Blood, bright red, deep red, blood was everywhere as it spilled from her pleading friend's gaping neck. Lucy couldn't watch anymore and her body slammed to the ground, clutching her head as screams were ripped from her throat. They didn't sound like hers, but a distorted distant keening. She sobbed, and pulled her hands from her face, and found they were wet with a brackish black blood. She whipped her hands back and forth, desperate to remove the accusing blood, and tried to sit up. With frustration she yelled at herself- the blood wasn't coming off. I have to fight! I have to kill him! I have to kill him! I have to kill him, I have to kill him... It became a mantra as she searched her body for her keys, and panicked. They weren't on her. She looked up, her tear clouded eyes landing on the one person she'd ever hated.
"YOU." She ground out, and shakily stood to her feet amidst the bodies. The scarlet haired mage had dropped from the golden scale with a sickening thud, and the bound guild members still atop it screamed in fear and anger as the scale teetered dangerously. She retched as she saw Erza's head lolling at an awkward angle, and began to sob once more. The air stank, the heat amplifying the smell of decay and gruesome death.
"I'll kill you!" Lucy screeched before realizing the object of her revulsion had disappeared from his perch atop her nakama's corpses. Petra had taken her friends from her, had taken her very sanity, and she wanted nothing more than to find him and send him straight to hell. But very slowly, and very painfully.
"Lucy, the scale is off. Let's even it out. We need to take from the other side, Lucy... Lucy... Lucy." A voice hissed next to her ear, and it rumbled through her body, shaking it violently. She screamed, and tried to fight the shaking as his voice echoed, growing louder with each throttle. Her world grew black, and Lucy took relief that she could no longer see her ghastly surroundings.
"Lucy! LUCY! Open your eyes!" It roared, and Lucy was confused. Gajeel? Was he shaking her?
"Open your eyes! Wake up!" Lucy did, and breathed in fresh air as she stared into worried red eyes. It was Gajeel. He had a firm grip on her arms, holding her still, yet saving her from the horrific dream that possessed her sleep. His eyes searched her face, rapidly bouncing from eye to eye, making sure she was okay. It was just a dream. Lucy sucked in a short breath before releasing a heavy sob. Just a dream. The fresh images began to fade from her mind with each falling tear and Lucy felt so worn out.
Pulling Lucy into his arms, Gajeel held the shaking blonde while she cried. He was glad she was awake, glad the screams had stopped, but was worried about her delicate mental state. He could only imagine Lucy's dream had something to do with the previous night, and felt helpless knowing he couldn't protect her from her own mind. So he wrapped his arms around her, and determined he'd protect her from everything else.
"Lucy, ssshhhh it's okay." He soothed, being as calm as he could for her. He didn't know what else to do. This was out of his element. Gajeel made it a habit to stay away from emotional conflict as comforting was never one of his strengths. He looked around for Happy, and found the little cat fearfully watching as Lucy sobbed.
"Lushy..." The exceed was confused about what he saw. Happy didn't know what confused him more though- Lucy's sleep terror, her looking for Gajeel's comfort, or Gajeel giving it. As far as he knew Gajeel and Lucy were only indifferent acquaintances. He'd never seen Gajeel handle anything as carefully as he was holding Lucy now. But instead of calling attention to the newfound relationship, he flew to sit behind Lucy and placed a warm paw on her back. The little contact made Lucy jump, and she pulled away to hesitantly smile at the cat.
"Sorry Happy. I didn't mean to scare you." Lucy apologized warmly as she pet the worried cat's head. The sleep terror had woken Happy from his peaceful sleep, and the feline hadn't known what to do to stop it.
"I'm sorry," Lucy murmured now looking at Gajeel, sheepishly wiping away her tears, "It was just a stupid nightmare. Thanks for waking me..." He just nodded knowingly as Lucy moved a little out of his embrace, and Gajeel blushed when he realized how close he had held her. But as Lucy reassured a still worried Happy, he felt her unconsciously pull one of his arms back around her waist. The small move ignited something primal within Gajeel and he felt pride and another emotion he couldn't name surge through him. Pride that she found solace in his embrace or pride that even her body proved she was drawn to him he didn't know. The feelings twisted his insides as he watched the murmuring blonde, and curled his fingers around her toned waist. She didn't even flinch and Gajeel smiled. He didn't know to what extent, but it seemed their relationship had molded, and it was the only positive thing that came from last night. He didn't question it, didn't try to figure it out, and didn't try to name it, but on a deeper level had come to the conclusion he wanted this girl for himself. They'd fight through the trauma together if she'd have him, and he'd lean against her and she him. He owed her his life, and now his heart as well. He just prayed she wouldn't block him out.
A/N: things have changed! What's goin on in Lucy's and Gajeel's heads? And what will happen in the next chapter when Lucy finally gets confronted by Natsu? Who knows! Stay tuned
