Evading Destiny Chapter 8
Erza felt like her entire world was crashing down around her as she watched her childhood friend rampaging around the city. The poor humans of Magnolia were used to Natsu's antics (and Gray's…) but this…this was something else entirely.
"We need to find a way to reach him," Jellal said calmly but still rather grimly as he stood beside her, the rest of their friends panicking as they all stood around, unsure of how to handle this crisis. Erza was about to respond when someone else took the opportunity from her.
"What do you mean?" Levy suddenly asked, turning towards the Valkyrie and angel behind her, "Why would we be unable to reach him? We just need Laxus or Gajeel to fly up next to him, right?"
"It's not that simple," Laxus said, taking charge of the conversation as Gajeel eyed Levy protectively, "Dragon shifters are very much like dragons. We are very territorial about what we consider to be ours and will go to any lengths to get our possessions back."
"Lucy is not a possession," Erza said very seriously and somewhat furiously as she turned to look Laxus in the eye. He simply shrugged before Gajeel decided to take over.
"We're not saying the Bunny Girl is that flaming idiot's possession. It's much more than something like being pissed someone took our favorite tankard," Gajeel said with a very serious glance at Levy, "Natsu considers that blonde to be under his protection. She is his, but he is also hers. If anything happens to her…this city is screwed."
"You do not want to interfere with a dragon and its mate," Jellal said very softly, not noticing that suddenly all eyes, and ears, were on him.
"Mate?" Levy said, her voice barely above a whisper as she not so subtly glanced at Gajeel, who blushed slightly and turned away from her, folding his arms across his chest.
"Is that really what she means to him, Laxus?" Mira asked, turning to her lightning dragon shifter with an uncharacteristically serious expression upon her face. Laxus stared at her for a moment, debating if he should answer his own mate truthfully or not, but figured, because of the circumstances, he had no other choice.
"He would not be responding this way if she was anything less, Mira," Laxus said somewhat uncomfortably. He didn't want to be "outing" Natsu, even if the younger man was seriously obnoxious, but none of the others could possibly understand what Natsu was going through in this moment without his and Gajeel's insight.
"Does this mean we cannot reason with him?" Erza interrupted the understanding happening between Mira and Laxus.
"It is Natsu…when have we ever been able to reason with him?" Gray mumbled as he shifted on his feet uncomfortably.
"There is no harm in trying," Juvia said with an uncharacteristic glare at Gray, "Erza should try to contact Warren. Juvia thinks telepathy may be the best way to try and reason with Natsu."
"That and Natsu's always been terrified of that crazy Valkyrie," Gajeel muttered under his breath, causing a slight smirk to grace Laxus's face before disappearing.
"I will do my best," Erza said passionately, "I will not fail Natsu."
"Better do it quick then," Laxus said quite seriously, scales beginning to appear on his exposed skin and his pupils changing to slits, "That idiot is trying to destroy the city in his race to get to her. Gajeel and I can only keep him occupied so long…"
"Oh come on, Miss Heartfilia…" the male voice chastised her, "It's no fun if you don't scream for me…"
Lucy grit her teeth as she felt the knife twist in her wound again. It was agony, pure and simple. But she wasn't about to let this psycho get any satisfaction from her crying out at the pain. She would be damned if she even let so much as a gasp escape her lips in his presence. She was stronger than this, stronger than him, and as soon as she figured out how to get out of her chains, this moron was in for a world of hurt.
Lucy almost let out a sigh of relief when the knife was pulled from her side. She had suffered numerable wounds since that disgusting excuse for a sentient being had first driven the knife into her thigh. And she was proud of herself for not letting out a single scream since that initial one and she would blame that one on the shock of suddenly having a foreign object thrust through her body. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing how badly she hurt.
"You're no fun…" the man grumbled as he seemed to withdraw briefly. Lucy couldn't contain the shuttering exhalation that left her. It was not quite a sigh, but not just a breath either. She was in so much pain…literally everything hurt.
How this man could possibly know exactly where to cut her and stab her to make her feel the worst pain without her accelerated regeneration kicking in threw her. Only other vampires knew so much about their anatomy…
"Porla," Lucy suddenly gasped as the realization hit her like a freight train, "You're Jose Porla." She knew she knew this man! Only another vampire would know so much about where to cut, where to stab, to make her bleed without letting her bleed completely out. And only Porla would be so vicious and evil as to not only kidnap a fellow vampire, but to put them through this sadistic torture. Oh when she got out of here…Porla would not know what hit him. How she wished, so badly, that her father had taken her advice when she had first told Jude about her terrible feeling about the man. If he had listened, maybe Porla never would have gotten a taste for power and she wouldn't even be in this stupid situation.
"Oh my dear you've finally realized!" as Porla spoke, flames came to life all around the room she was in, torches lighting up one after the other as Porla bowed mockingly to her.
Lucy ignored him as she stared around the room and breathed in and out shallowly. Her body just hurt; she couldn't get away from the pain. Because Porla was also a vampire, he knew exactly where to cut her, and how to cut her, to cause maximum pain and prevent her from regenerating as she should. But it would not prevent her from taking in her surroundings and finding some way to escape. She wasn't helpless; she may be hurt, but she certainly wasn't helpless. Not yet anyway…
"Do you know where you are, Princess?" Porla asked with a sneer as he straightened and gestured around the room. Lucy had no idea where the hell she was, and it seemed Porla knew that and was gloating about it. The room she was in looked totally generic, like some kind of stereotypical villain's lair. There really wasn't much to the room, several cardboard boxes scattered here and there, the torches on the walls, and a long steel table; although Lucy was not sure she could even consider it a room since it looked more like a warehouse. Where the hell was she? Why was Porla even in a warehouse? Didn't he have his own mansion he could have taken her to that would have made more sense? Who knew though…maybe this warehouse was located near his residence or on his property.
"I've been watching the news, Lucy my dear," Porla said with a purr as he kneeled down beside her once again and brushed some hair from her face. Lucy jerked away violently, not wanting Porla's hands on her, but only succeeded in landing back on her side with a stifled, pained groan. She still did not want to give Porla the satisfaction of knowing how badly injured she really was. She desperately, desperately needed some blood, and soon, if she were going to make it out of this experience alive, if not fully well.
"I am certain my father would not appreciate your treatment of me," Lucy said with a glare at the other vampire, completely ignoring Porla's statement about the news. It's not like that mattered anyway… He had greasy hair pulled back into a high ponytail and one of those ridiculous mustaches you think all villains would have; the kind where he would twirl it and tie some poor girl to railroad tracks as he monologued about his evil plans. Lucy felt sick knowing such a vile man had been touching her, even though he had not been touching her in any manner other than violently; she still felt sick to her stomach thinking of his hands anywhere near her.
"Your father doesn't give a shit about you," Porla sneered at her as he leaned back on the balls of his feet, "As long as you're still alive, no matter how barely, he'll reward me handsomely. Then he'll have you wed, most likely to the gentleman who brought you back to him, and since that man will be me, I'll make sure you aren't ever able to escape again." A mad light entered his eyes then, and Lucy felt another tendril of fear lick up her spine. So he not only wanted her father's money, he wanted her. She would die before she let that happen…
Natsu… Lucy thought with a silent whimper, Please…find me soon…
Warren, Erza thought as she watched Gajeel and Laxus transform into their dragon selves. She couldn't help but be momentarily awed by the transformation. All of the dragon shifters had different body types, both in their human and dragon forms, and Erza thought their dragon forms were beautiful, each in their own way.
Laxus and Gajeel both had bulkier bodies than Natsu or Wendy, in human and dragon form, but Laxus had an elegance about his dragon form that Natsu and Gajeel both lacked. In his dragon form, Laxus was a deep blue color with jagged stripes of deep yellow crisscrossing along his back, scales interlocking over his body and large smooth wings erupting from the middle of his back. On his head, he had rear facing horns and a frill of spines that surrounded his head and went down his back to stop right before his wings. Large fangs were hidden from view until he roared and when they revealed themselves, Erza couldn't stop the instinctual shudder at seeing the six-inch-long, dagger-like fangs. Long, graceful-looking claws tipped each of his extremities, but Erza knew that as beautiful as they were, they were just as dangerous as the rest of him. Electricity crackled in the air as Erza watched Laxus take off, moving swiftly towards where the great fire dragon roared his displeasure over the city.
Gajeel followed quickly after, using his own wings to launch himself into the sky after the older dragon shifter and Erza was impressed again by Gajeel's dragon form. Where Laxus had a smoother, somewhat more streamlined body, Gajeel's dragon form almost looked like it was thrown together haphazardly. The deep gray metal of his scales interlocked as Laxus's did, but the scales were larger and thicker. Craggy spines rose from around Gajeel's head and all over his body, down his back and on the joints of his legs. Gajeel's mouth, unlike Laxus's, did not hide his fangs. Instead he had a forest of sharp fangs that were revealed regardless of whether his mouth was closed or not. They were shorter and somewhat blunter than Laxus's, but just as deadly. A metallic scent rose in the air as Gajeel flew off, closely behind Laxus to help try and bring their pink-haired friend back to his senses.
Erza? came the tentative response moments after Erza had called out to Warren with her mind. Warren was a fellow member of Fairy Tail, one of the few fully human members they had, and was a gifted telepath, the likes of which any in Fairy Tail had ever seen before. He sounded surprised to be hearing from her, but Erza did not have time to ease Warren into the situation.
We have a serious situation in town, Warren. I need you to connect me to Natsu, immediately, Erza urgently thought to him. They did not have time for this; already, Laxus and Gajeel had reached Natsu, and he had lashed out at them violently, completely ignoring the grumbling, roaring, and growling the two other men were doing, obviously trying to communicate with Natsu somehow. Everyone else around her were looking on worriedly, although Gray was surprisingly taking charge and having everyone scatter to help the people of Magnolia as best they could. While they may not be able to fully reverse the damage Natsu had already done, they may be able to prevent any loss of life from his rampage or prevent anyone from getting hurt. It was the best idea they had.
"Erza," Jellal said seriously as he rose in the air beside her, his wings beating soundlessly to hold him aloft, "You must not chastise Natsu if Warren is able to get you in contact with him. This situation must be handled as delicately as possible if we want to bring Natsu back from the brink of the edge his dragon self is teetering on. You must be compassionate and understanding. He has suffered a great loss; it is as though his still beating heart has been cut from his chest. You must handle him as gently as you are able. If you do not, this effort may be for naught." Erza nodded, stunned, as she watched the angel she deeply cared for soar off into the sky, headed towards the great red dragon above them.
I can do that, Erza, Warren responded earnestly, This may be uncomfortable for you, even painful, seeing as how you have never made a telepathic connection with Natsu before. Normally I would never open this kind of connection, but I can see that what is happening urgently needs to be handled and I hope that you are able to get Natsu back. Fairy Tail just wouldn't be the same without him. Erza nodded and responded with a short Thank you before she felt the beginnings of the connection opening.
At first, the connection felt like a mild pulsing directly behind her eye. It was bizarre, but not uncomfortable and not painful either. But oh how quickly that changed. As the connection fully opened, Erza felt an explosion of pain at the base of her skull and behind both eyes. It was horrible and could be counted absolutely as one of the worst experiences she had ever had with pain, and she had a ridiculously high pain threshold. But she just grit her teeth and focused on deepening the connection as best she could, thinking soothing thoughts, thoughts about Fairy Tail, thoughts about things she thought would calm Natsu. Intelligently, she avoided thinking about the reason behind Natsu's rage; the missing vampire from their midst.
Natsu, she tried gently as Natsu's mind opened before her. It was like watching a flower bloom in rapid time as suddenly she could not just see the thoughts he was thinking, but felt overwhelmed by the rage coloring his thoughts. The breath from her lungs felt like it was stuck as she despairingly took in his emotions. His volatile emotions were like a physical being strangling her as she tried to rise above and speak to him. What should she say though? What do you say to someone who has lost the one thing that means more to them than anything else? How do you help that person deal with the amount of rage and grief they are feeling?
Natsu, Erza tried again, her mental voice breaking on his name as she felt another wave of the pink-haired man's anguish wash over her. Why had she ever agreed to this? Why did she think she was strong enough to get through to her friend?
In that moment, it seemed like all sound had drained from the world and like time itself were holding its breath, waiting for something Erza could not even begin to try and identify. Her eyes opened slowly as she felt the world seem to stop and suddenly, it felt like she and Natsu were the only beings in the universe as his wordless thought brushed against her mind like a gentle caress. Erza would not be able to articulate later the relief she felt in that moment when she felt Natsu's brotherly, affectionate brush against her mind reached her. That single gesture just related to her all at once how he had come back, fearing for her and the desperation he had recognized in her minds. He was not totally back to himself, Erza knew and could tell based on the nameless rage still flowing through his mind, but he was back enough.
Natsu please stop this, Erza basically pleaded mentally, her eyes riveted on the shimmering red dragon above her, beating his wings to hold himself aloft. I know…I know how much it hurts; Natsu I can feel it as though it were a physical being living in my heart. But what you are doing…Natsu that is not how to get her back. Erza shuddered involuntarily when Natsu sent a roar her direction, his rage flashing up again in an instance while Gajeel, Jellal, and Laxus eyed the other dragon shifter warily, Natsu's focus now intently, and solely, on Erza. The Valkyrie worried, briefly, if she had gone too far, but then shrugged off the fear and met Natsu's gaze, far above her. She would win this battle, just as she had won so many before. She would not lose one of the men she considered to be a brother to her just because some ridiculous bastards had decided they would kidnap their vampire.
Don't give me that, Natsu Dragneel, she said quite sternly to him in her thoughts, This is not how to find her. Change back, Natsu. Change back and we will help you find her. I will help you get her back. And I will help you tear apart those who took her from you. A very satisfied roar rolled over the city as Natsu finally landed in front of her, his great slit pupils focused still very intently on her.
Find her, Natsu's dragon self rumbled in Erza's mind as she stared at him in awe. It was just like with Gajeel and Laxus; she could not believe how incredibly powerful and beautiful Natsu was in his dragon form. For a moment, Erza wondered how Lucy would respond to Natsu's dragon self, if she would find him as beautiful and powerful as Erza found him, before she realized Natsu's statement had also been a directive and question rolled up into one.
You have my word, she replied, looking the large dragon in the eye. An understanding passed between them as the dragon Natsu nodded at her and then, almost as quickly as he had transformed before, transformed back into his human self with a low moan.
Erza didn't expect Natsu to suddenly transform back and had to rush forward to catch Natsu when he started to falter, falling forward still moaning lowly.
"Natsu?" Erza asked worriedly; he had never come out of a transformation like this.
"Lu-cy," Natsu moaned, clutching his head and seemingly completely unaware that he was naked as the day he was born, "T-took Lu-cy…"
"I know, Natsu," Erza said soothingly, brushing her brother's hair out of his face as she summoned a robe for him from the dimension she liked to hide her Valkyrie weapons in, nodding to the rest of their Fairy Tail family who had all, somewhat hesitantly for a few of them, gathered several feet away. "Don't worry…we'll get her back."
At Erza's fierce statement, Natsu's head shot up, his gaze meeting hers and Erza audibly gasped as she took in his gaze; his eyes were still slits and had a furious fire burning behind them.
"I will get her back," he said with a growl, sounding so uncharacteristic that Erza had to remind herself that this was indeed Natsu she was supporting, before he pushed away from her, barely keeping his grip on the robe she had given him. "I will get her back and I will make them pay dearly."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO sorry this took so long to get updated! I can't believe it took me so long but I can't guarantee either that I'll update sooner. My wedding is now literally less than a month away and I just…can't guarantee anything further than I WILL finish this. Just probably not in any kind of timely manner.
