Time flies by way too quickly. I mean, it seemed like I last updated 'Letting Go' about 2 weeks ago, not nearly a month. I really need to start tracking the time I spend posting each chapters. It's becoming annoying to suddenly see that I haven't updated in ages.

Anyway, for some rant... I watched Toradora (if you love funny school love, I highly recommend) and Kuroshitsuji 2, which frankly, I want to erase from my memory. I didn't quite enjoy it and I think it just created a big blob of attention over the first series. Tell me what you think about those two because one I simply adore and the other quite the opposite. Or maybe it's just me who didn't really like the second season ¬_¬

Regarding this chapter, Erza and Jellal won't be as much here as they should, since it's jerza story. But the focus will be back to them in the next chapter. I do need to build up the problem and I need Lucy's POV for that purpose. They should make an appearance towards the end of the chapter, though, so rest assured.

Anyhow, anywho, anyway...

Let's get on with the story!


9 - Erebus makes it's move

Lucy blinked, her chocolate eyes roaming the grey ceiling as she tried to adjust her blurred vision to the darkness. She groaned, feeling immense pain at the back of her head, something dried and unpleasantly metallic in smell, mending her golden hair together. She hissed when she was sitting up, something heavy tugging at her wrists and ankles and when she glanced down she could only stare at the thick chains restricting her movement. She looked around, taking in the prison bars and the walls of of pure stone. A single candle on the wall outside of the dungeon cell was giving her some sort of guidance around the cell.

She looked down at her hands and noted that they were covered in dirt and a few scratches that were also decorating her arms and naked legs that her skirt didn't cover up. She snarled silently; this just showed how little respect the abductor held for her previous, fragile body while she was unconscious. It made her angry. Her newly bought boots were torn, her short sky blue skirt was ruined and her electric blue ribbon has gone missing. It made it all worse, the fact that she wore them for the very first time and now they were completely ruined because of some sick jerk who dared to lay a finger on her.

Lucy glanced down at her belt and gasped when she didn't see her keys anywhere, not that it would be surprising. Not to mention, she did feel kind of magic drained and when she lifted the chains that were binding her wrists she saw a faint moldy green line running along it, which she assumed was used to block Lucy's supply of magic. She tugged at the slightly, pouting when they enclosed tighter around her wrists and almost frowned when after a few seconds they didn't go back to their previous grasp. She kicked her leg out, huffing out annoyed and she noticed that the chains around her ankles also tightened unpleasantly.

Great, she thought, now it's chains that tighten for every single movement. She sighed, slumping against the stone wall behind her and flinching at the cold, rough surface that suddenly made contact with her skin.

Rustling and clinking of metal to her far left alerted her of someone else's presence and she craned her neck to look into the darkness. She was uncomfortable in the position but she really didn't want to risk having her blood flow cut off by some small movements. She needed her hands and feet. Small and slow movement made her blink in surprise but she quickly narrowed her eyes to sharpen her vision in order to see more clearly who was in the same dungeon as he.

There was a soft whine followed by much louder rustling of chains and then a silhouette of a small girl moved, panicked towards the light and a flicker of blue caught Lucy's eyes, which widened in shock. A soft thump echoed around the small dungeon cell when the chains pulled at the girls ankles and she fell to the hard ground.

"W-Wendy?" Lucy choked out in shock, crawling closer to the girl and ignoring the aching pain when the chains enclosed around her tightly, rubbing and bruising her skin. The named girl whipped around upon hearing her name and Lucy could see clear her distressed face, tears painting the chocolate brown eyes as her lips quivered and she suppressed a sob.

"Lucy-san?" Wendy's small voice reached the blonde and she nodded smiling softly and reassuringly in the direction of the new Fairy Tail family member. Her little sister, almost. Relief swept over Wendy's terrified face and she gave out a long and shaky sigh.

Wendy was in a bad shape, too. She had bruises - less serious than Lucy's - all over he body and hew knee length dress was reduced to shreds, leaving behind a short piece of cloth that hang on Wendy's fragile body. She was shivering, from fear or cold, Lucy couldn't tell but she was hugging her arms in a desperate attempt to draw in some warmth. Wendy moved her foot in order to crawl closer to Lucy but she raised her hand firmly in a sign to stop.

Wendy's questioning gaze bore into her eyes and she hurried to explain. "These chains..." She gestured to the chains around her wrists with her chin. "... tighten whenever we move and they don't loosen up again when we're still. On top of that, they have blocked our magic but I'm sure you've felt it already. Please, don't move. I'm pretty much sure that my blood flow was cut off from my feet." Lucy pleaded, feeling her hands and feet go slightly numb from the lack of blood getting to them. "The're no way to get out of here." She added quietly and pathetically.

Wendy nodded, drawing her knees to her chest and hugging them with her arms, flinching when the chains tightened slightly. "Lucy-san, why would someone bring us here? For what purpose?" The celestial wizard looked at Wendy with sadness that she tried to mask her best. After all, Wendy was still a child and she shouldn't be in a grave situation like that. Not that even Lucy should be in one, too.

"I'm not quite sure but it's probably not something we will want to know." Wendy had a terrified and distressed expression once again and Lucy scrambled to hurry up with a comforting sentence. "But, I'm sure the real reason it because you're just so cute and I'm just so sexy." Lucy fluttered her eyelashes in a suggestive manner and Wendy managed to choke out a giggle.

"Lucy-san, are you sure that's something appropriate to say in our situation?" Wendy asked through a fit of giggles and Lucy smiled gently. At least she managed to loosed up the gloomy and depressing atmosphere that rested upon them in the dungeon.

"Of course it is... I mean, this is the real reason we're in this situation, so why can't we say it out loud?" Lucy nodded, crossing her hands across her chest and ignoring the pain that was slowly becoming unbearable. "I'm sure that if we turned ugly hey'd kick us out in a matter of seconds!"

"Really?" Wendy asked, her eyes widening and showing interest. "Then we should get ugly so that we can get back to Fairy Tail and everyone." She agreed, nodding her head with gleaming eyes.

Lucy's smile faded at the dragon slayers words and she remained silent.

Of course, Fairy Tail. The obnoxious guild which will do whatever it takes to save a friend from harms way. They never looked at the consequences and that's why they always got scolded by the Magic Council, which wasn't exactly a fan of theirs. They were probably turning the world upside down, tearing through towns and cities, and it would be a matter of time before the found them, beat the hell out of their abductors and went to party in the guild as usual.

Lucy was more than sure that Natsu was raging at anything and everything while arguing with Gray on the sidelines, Erza keeping them in check and from actually fighting and prolonging the search but inwardly panicking herself. Jellal was there, too. Having to be the only calm one, or at least Lucy hoped he had a rational mind. She hoped he didn't turn out the have the biggest freak out, between all of them. He was still a mystery after all.

"Lucy-san?" Wendy asked cautiously after a few minutes of dead silence.

"They're on their way, we just have to have faith and wait for them patiently." Lucy hummed, her hands dropping to her side and brushing the cold ground/

"Mhm." Wendy hummed in agreement. "I'm sure they are. I mean, it's Fairy Tail."

"Yeah." Lucy nodded.

"Oh what a sweet conversation." A sugar-coated voice echoed through the dungeon, the high pitched tone making Lucy visibly cringe and glare at the ceiling. "It disgusts me how a filthy wizards like you can ever begin to believe you're worth saving."

"Irai, don't tease out little guests too much." A male voice snickered and Wendy shivered at his low and dangerous tone. "We don't want to scare our precious gems, do we now?"

"Tch." The female responded with an irritated growl. "I can do whatever I please. Don't get involved, you inferior piece of shit."

"My, my. What vulgar language have you learnt to use in my presence. You're almost like Leiko." The male voice chuckled and Lucy froze instantly. "By that way, what have you don with that white ball of fluff? She did have a pretty sharp tongue, saying all those sinister things to us."

"Carle? What did you do to Carla?" Wendy cried out, her voice trembling and she bit her lip to hide her fear.

"That cat? Oh, she's probably just rotting in one of the dungeons. I wouldn't be too surprised if she was dead by now." Irai answered, boredom coating her sweet voice and two seconds later two hooded figures appeared before them, towering and intimidating with presence alone.

"You-" Lucy started but the sudden kick to her lower abdomen made the air rush out of her lungs and she fell to the ground, hard and struggling to breathe through the pain that racked her body to it's very core. She wasn't expecting the foot to struck her so hard, well, she wasn't expecting to get kicked at all. She coughed, her eyes going blurry and she felt tears appear at the corner of her eyes.

"Lucy-san!" She could hear Wendy's desperate call.

"Careful, scum." The male sneered. "I don't think you should say anything unless I ask you to. Otherwise you'll go through hell and back." Lucy recognised his voice, although it was ringing alarm bells the first time she heard it, the feeling of his magic pressuring her own coming right back to her. It was the same man before her, the one who kidnapped her god knows when. It could've been a week for all she knew.

"What do you -guh- want?" Lucy wheezed out through the pain, flicking her eyes at the hooded wizards.

"Oh?" Irai sounded impressed. "You'll find out soon enough." The shorter hooded person moved playfully.

"Shall we reveal you our identities?" I mean, it's not like it matter any more. Right, Irai?"

"Sure as hell, it doesn't, Tadao."

Simultaneously, the two dark grey hoods were pulled from the heads and Lucy and Wendy could see the wizards in the dim light.

Lucy focused on the man who put her in the less than pleasant situation, remembering his high cheekbones and pointy nose, that she saw that night. He had terrifyingly pale skin, almost ghostly. Long purple hair was pulled into a high pony tail while two bangs fell down the side of his face and chest. His eye balls were creepily black and his iris was blood red and seemed to lust death. The narrowed eyes and the long tongue split into two was not helping erase the creepy demeanour. It created it.

His shorter companion was a girl and surprisingly a kind and innocent looking girl. She had big blue eyes that reminded Lucy of the sky during the summer days, that were surrounded by long and thick eyelashes untouched by the horrid mascara that many young girls seemed to had healthy peach coloured skin and her lips were full, tinted pink. She had long pink hair in waves, flowing down her back with a full fringe and two short braided bangs that fell on her , her hair wasn't exactly pink, Lucy noted when Irai turned her head to look at Tadao. The top was clearly pink but as it got further down her hair it started shifting to a golden yellow making her look pure and innocent.

But most of all, she just looked like a child - maybe a year or two older than Wendy.

"You seem surprised, to say the least." Irai spoke, raising a thin pink eyebrow.

"I sure am." You look too innocent to be with a bunch of dark wizard wannabe's." Lucy coughed out, knowing too well that she was stepping onto a dangerous territory but refusing to back down. "I'm sure that you could get so much further if you ditched them and perhaps, joined a legal guild?" Lucy knew that was impossible but she couldn't help but speak those words.

Irai narrowed her eyes dangerously and kicked Lucy, the kick landing on her thigh and she screamed in pain. The power behind that such small foot shouldn't even be real! "Don't underestimate me, you fool!" Irai snarled. "Looks don't matter, it's the magic, the ability to survive and live in the era where the weakling have no rights to step into!"

"Lucy-san!" Wendy shrieked, horrified when Irai grabbed a fistful of Lucy's hair and tugged painfully.

"I am not going to have some pitiful wizard like you, lecture me about my ways of a wizard. I chose my own path and I shall continue it's journey for the rest of my life, while you rot away without being able to see the greater future we will create for the wizards."

"Future? What future? Don't make me laugh!" Lucy huffed out. "I'm sure that this future of yours will be nothing but endless death and torture! Isn't it much better now? The thrill of having to hide and do everything from behind the curtains? Isn't it exciting? Or do you fear being caught? Do you just want to live peacefully in your own way?"

"You little-" Irai was more than ready to kill Lucy right there and then, she could see it in her eyes but Tadao placed a hand on her shoulder and shoved the shorter girl back. She just glared at him in response, slapping his hand off her and growling in frustration.

"You can't kill her, Irai." He warned. "Master will get mad and we shouldn't have to go finding a new celestial wizard because of your selfish reasons. She has the most keys after all." Tadao shook his head disappointingly and Irai rolled her eyes stomping out of the dungeon without a single word.

"We will see you both, soon." Tadao assured, bowing kindly and walking out after his companion. That sort of behaviour didn't suit him, Lucy cringed.

"Lucy-san, are you all right?"Wendy asked, worry about her friend all too obvious.

"Uh yeah. She sure can kick though." Lucy laughed bitterly.

"I don't like these people." The dragon slayer admitted quietly, as if afraid they'll come and slaughter her for voicing her opinion.

"Yeah, let's just wait for Natsu and the rest to find us."

Wendy hummed in agreement and they fell into comfortable silence.


The high double winged doors swung open and two people entered before kneeling down. A dark throne and a person sitting on it, gracing their presence.

"Master." They two said together. "The sacrifices have awakened."

"Good." Their master answered. "We will start preparing the ritual."

"Yes."

They stood up and headed to the door behind the throne, it was small, just letting them pass through and almost invisible. If one didn't know about the door located behind the throne, they would never see it. Irai and Tadao entered a small room with a couch and food placed on a long table made of oak.

"Irai-chan! Tadao-chan!" A boy of about 12 jumped happily to their side, two snakes resting around his arms as he embraced the awkwardly. The snakes hissed in annoyance but made no move to attack his fellow comrades. "It's good to finally see you!"

"Orochi, I see you finally arrived." Irai gave him a playful pinch to the cheek before grabbing an apple of the table. The boy grinned at her and nodded his head. He was shorter than her and she easily ruffled his green hair that fell over his forehead. His green eyes sparkled with excitement and his snakes hissed when registering his emotion.

"It was such a long journey but Kichi-kun was with me so I was perfectly fine! He even showed me some of his awesome take-overs!" Orochi said, his green eyes darting to the mentioned boy who shrugged in return.

"I'm sure Choukichi did his bets to make your journey enjoyable." Irai smiled glaring at Choukichi. He smirked back at her and she resisted the urge to rip his eyes out and feed them to their guests. She was more than sure that this would upset Orochi.

"You guys seem to be having fun." Leiko's smooth voice washed over them and they all shivered, turning to smile at the pale girl that entered form a different door. She held her lacrima ball in her hands and she sat down on the couch staring blankly at her comrades.

"Irai is." Choukichi snorted, brushing his red hair from his eyes. It was reaching his chin and he was forced to pin it back, but some of the strands broke loose annoying him to the max. His grey eyes seemed tired and his muscular body was hidden under his hooded cloak.

"She always has fun. Torture or not." Leiko stated, her voice flat. "I'm sure she'd be satisfied with watching me pick flowers on a field."

"That would be awesome, though!" Irai giggled. "You and flowers! That's just too beautiful!"

"Thank you for your harsh compliment." Leiko mused, stroking the crystal ball with her finger tips. "Orochi, would you like me to ease your dreams?"

"Huh, well I-"

"Don't you dare to step into his dreams with your filthy soul." Irai snapped, glaring at Leiko and gritting her teeth.

"Calm down." Tadao said, sitting on the couch and crossing his arms across his chest. "Arguing and bickering like that will just raise our Masters suspicious."

"Raise? Does he suspect us of something?" Kichi asked, surprised. Orochi trotted over to him with the look of pure adoration.

"I believe he is. Of treason." Tadao stated, his voice serious.

"But, we haven't done anything to make him suspect us." Irai groaned.

"Exactly." Leiko said. "That's why he is suspicious. We're young and yet we haven't questioned any of his decisions."

"That's bullshit." Irai snapped. "After all we've been through for him? He thinks we will betray him!?"

"Don't raise your voice, Irai." Tadao warned, giving a knowing glance towards the door leading to the throne room.

"Sorry." She mumbled. "But that's crazy!"

"Yeah, for now let's lay low with this information and pretend as if we don't know anything." Tadao suggested. "Fairy Tail will be upon us any minute now."

"Great, now the fairies get involved." Irai growled.

"Fairies exist?" Orochi asked, excitedly.

"Oh yes, they do. And we will cut of their wriggling tails." Irai's voice grew dark and she chuckled to herself as she headed for the back door in order to get away from her comrades.


"BRING IT ON, YOU FUCKERS!" Natsu roared, firing coming out from his mouth as he neared the mountain.

"Oi, torch, we don't need to let them know we're here." Gray rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT THEM?!" Natsu retorted.

"We go and sneak inside, take Lucy and Wendy to safety and then we strike at full power. Geez, such a dimwit, you are." Gray snapped back.

"YOU LITTLE-"

"Quiet." Erza snapped, appearing between the two of them. She had a distant sadness in her eyes that she tried to cover up with her fierce personality, but Gray and Natsu knew of it already. "Master already told us the plan. Gray and I go find the girls, the rest cause a distraction but first, we have to separate."

"Distraction is a man!" Elfman cheered.

"Man, I can't believe our cute newbie got involved in all of this." Cana sighed, waving around her bottle of sake. "We should've gave her a warning that this guild gets involved in everything single little problem."

"Cana, this is not our problem at the moment." Erza reminded her. "We have to find Lucy and Wendy and find out why their abductors took them in the first place."

"Let's get a move one!"


A/N:

This brings a conclusion to this chapter.

Can anyone guess why Erza was being sad?

Hmm?

I'll give you a cookie if you guess correctly ;3

Next time: SHIET GOES DOWN!