I do not own Fairy Tail. Enjoy the chapter and thanks for the reviews!
Lyon had the knocked out form of no other than the young Natsu Dragneel slung over his shoulder, carrying the unconscious fire mage fireman style. After walking for what seemed like hours he and his brother had finally stumbled across a small town that was just big enough to have a train station. Bypassing any civilians that could be witness to either of the ice mage's presence they cautiously made their way around to sneak into the last compartment of the train. Only crates containing goods for transport were placed there, no one to see them, no conductor that would bother to look for them.
The older ice mage tossed the body he was carrying unceremoniously (and a bit roughly) against a wall of the train, right between two overly large containers. His brother slumped down next to the dragon slayer, sweat glistening on his brow. Lyon's mouth twitched into a frown. When he had asked what idiotic thought went thru Gray's head to make him think moving already was a good idea he wasn't being indifferent. If anyone would ask him if he loved his younger brother unconditionally and would even put his life on the line just to keep him safe he wouldn't hesitate even for a moment to reply 'yes.'
But that didn't mean he didn't think Gray could be dullard at times.
He kneeled down next to the sweating raven and ran a hand soothingly through the tangled dark hair. He pulled the younger male into his arms until his head was resting comfortably on the older's chest. Gray gave a few unsteady breaths before calming down and drifting to sleep. Exhaustiveness over taking him from the energy he wasn't ready to use.
"You really should take better care of yourself."
All he received in response was the soft sound of Gray snoring.
…
"That doesn't work!" Kagura yelled over the bickering of everyone else in the room. Ultear shot her an irked glare but that was all. Jura stood in the corner, rubbing his temples as everyone else refrained from tearing one another's head off. After arguing for what seemed like eternity the three general decided to call upon the tactics section of the agency. Of course once tactics got involved so did the colonels, followed by the majors, and eventually the captains. After the room became too crowded they kicked the captains out. Afterwards they decided the have the colonels leave. They were much better suited for this than the majors, but they needed someone in charge to run the agency while the three generals were in a meeting. At this point only five people hadn't been kicked out of the room.
Kagura and her major, Millianna (how the cat obsessed mage became of major rank was a mystery to all). Ultear and her major, Rufus (who she swore could take down Kagura's major). Lastly was General Jura, though since his major was Lyon it was a given his wasn't present.
"Then what do you propose?" Ultear gritted out through her teeth.
"If we attack from the west he can over take us in the east. We should go through the north to get to hi-"
"Then we are defenseless at the south end." Jura interrupted. "Going east is out best option."
"Then we allow him to escape by going northwest." Ultear warned.
Rufus cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "If we organize an offensive troop directly north we can follow a curved path and roundabout to the south."
"But then Igneel can have his men attack us at our southeastern front." Millianna purred, adding a meow at the end.
"Then we can move to the cove an-"
"No, the mountain."
"As I was sayin-"
Meredy let out a sigh as she heard rising voices coming from the conference room. By the sound of it you would think the generals and two of the majors were having a contest on who could yell the loudest. She sat patiently outside the door, waiting along with one of the privates by the name of Coco. Unlike Meredy the private was there to run any errands one of the general may call for, which they did require to go on quite often. As for Meredy, she was waiting for the massacre.
A loud crashing came from inside the room followed by more yells. A moment later the office door cracked open and the form of Millianna peeked out. "Umm, Coco, could you maybe get us another vision lacrima? Ours kind of…broke."
Coco gave a small salute to her superior. "Yes, Major."
"Thank yooouuuu," Millianna purred, flicking her tail back and forth. The young major went back in the room, closing the door behind her. Though Meredy saw a peek inside before the door slammed shut and saw the unmistakable scene of Ultear strangling a clawing Kagura.
Generals…
Coco made her way towards the exit.
"Hold on a sec."
The small, brown haired girl stopped at the sound of Meredy's voice. The pink hair higher up jumped up and walked closer to the door.
"I'll come with you. I don't want to be around when the apocalypse starts."
Coco gave the older a warm smile and together they made their way down the bland hallways of headquarters. A few agents were ambling around; others were rushing to and fro, trying desperately to finish assignments. Others didn't seem to have an obvious goal, just completing miscellaneous tasks. Meredy couldn't help but notice how the younger girl's eyes would sparkle whenever they pass a sergeant and others with a higher rank than herself.
"They really are something."
The small private looked up at the older agent in confusion. "What was that, Sergeant Meredy?"
"All the agents… It's no wonder you admire them so much. It's amazing how hard they work and their perseverance. Same goes for you. I just know you're going to go far someday."
A small blush adorned the younger's cheeks. "Thank you, Sergeant. I hope I can meet your expectations."
Meredy rolled her eyes. "You don't have to be so formal or modest. Besides, it's not like you came here hoping to be a private for the rest of your life. So tell me, what training have you done for moving up a rank?"
"Umm, well…" Coco hung her head down, not sure where to start. "Sergeant Gray is kind enough to work with me on fighting and such."
"Still with the formality." Meredy sighed. "Especially with Gray, you don't need to be so official. It's not like he cares anyway, plus he practically thinks of you as an adorable little sister. Not much reason to be serious with him."
"Does…does he really?"
"You bet!" Meredy flashed a reassuring smile. "Why else would he always be looking out for you? You respect him like a sister would brother too. Heck, I bet you even think he's the ideal sergeant."
"Of course!" Coco exclaimed, her previous nervousness evaporating. "He's one of the strongest mages I've ever seen! No one stands a chance against him."
"Oh," Meredy narrowed her eyes at a figure coming down the hallway towards them. "Is that why his slung over Lyon's shoulder like a sack of potatoes?"
"Huh?" Coco looked over to were Meredy was gazing. A tall figure with silver white hair was walking down with two bodies flung over each of his shoulders. One of them being the well-known form of Gray Fullbuster. The other being a teen with tan skin and rosy locks that she had never seen before.
Meredy waved over to the snowy haired approaching Major. "Hey Lyon, you're back sooner than I thou-"
"Take this." The major cut her off, throwing the unconscious body of the pink haired one to her. Meredy let out a small yelp but managed to more or less "catch" the boy, mostly less. The teen let out a low moan and stirred a bit, only to have Lyon hit him in the back of his neck and fall back into his previous state.
"Umm, Lyon, who is this?" Meredy glanced at the teen's tan face.
"I'll explain later. Coco, go tell Ultear to meet me in the medical wing."
"She's in a meeting with the other Generals, sir."
"Tell her there's been a change of plans."
Coco gave a small salute before rushing back in the direction she had just come from. "What about him?" Meredy gestured to the rosy haired teen.
"Throw him in a holding cell for now."
With that Lyon moved past her, heading towards the medical wing. Gray breathed harshly into his back. The younger ice mage hadn't been able to move after they arrived at their stop. He only managed to keep his eyes open for a while before falling back asleep.
Lyon made his way down the winding hallways before arriving in front of two double doors with the sign 'Medical Division' above them. He flung both open and strode in. A girl with dark pink hair looked up at him in surprise from his sudden entrance. A pink heart was stitched across the left side of her chest, indicating she was head medic. Lyon laid the younger male on an open bed on one side of the room and the girl immediately rushed over.
"What happened?"
Lyon let out a long breath. "Gray's an idiot."
The medic didn't say anything as she checked his pulse then began to undo the bandages wrapped around his wound. She let out a low whistle at the black and crimson mess on Gray's chest. She placed both of her hands over the wound and a faint purplish glow began to pulse. Lyon watched with mild curiosity as the young medic worked. Slowly, Gray's breathing began to even out and the wound started the heal itself.
A small smile formed on Lyon's lips at seeing his brother getting visibly better. "Thanks Chelia, you're a lifesaver. Literally."
The young medic gave him one of her casual bright smiles. "Don't mention it."
Lyon opened his mouth to say something but before he could the doors swung open with a loud bang and in walked Ultear, looking like she could strangle someone with just her glare.
"Lyon!"
Said person flinched as the angered General stormed up to him. "Hey, sis. It's been awhi-"
"You moron!" Ultear glowered at her younger brother. "Why the hell did you go off like that?"
Lyon narrowed his eyes at her. "You're the one who told me to if you weren't back in time."
Chelia sighed as the two continued their bickering. High ranking officials or not, siblings will be siblings. She finished her work on the wounded raven and cleared her throat, gaining the siblings attention. "He's going to be just fine, but I would like for him to spend the night in here just in case."
Ultear gave a short nod before focusing on her youngest brother. He looked a bit scuffed up but wasn't in too bad of shape thanks to Chelia. She turned her attention back to her white haired brother. "You have five seconds to explain why you brought Gray back and why he's unconscious. While you're at it you have to explain this 'change of plans' you had Coco tell us about."
"Right, I'll explain. But I think the other Generals might want to hear the last part."
Natsu let out a painful moan as he came to. His head hurt, as did his neck. His vision slowly went from blurry to clear. He blinked, unsure where he was. Four thick stone walls surrounded him. A faint dripping of water could be heard, the room was dark and musty. The floor felt damp, there obviously was a leak coming from somewhere. A single window cast barely a line of light on the floor. He could just make out the outline of a door with steps leading up to it. A scurrying noise came from somewhere, rats must have made their home here. He tried moving forwards only to hear a clinking sound and found himself unable to move. He glanced down, noticing a heavy shackle around his ankle chaining him to the wall.
Understanding finally dawned on him.
"THAT DAMN ICE BASTARD!"
Gray and that Lyon bastard really had taken him prisoner. Then had the nerve the throw him in a freaking dungeon. Who tosses someone in a dungeon? Doesn't that only happen in badly plotted stories?
Natsu summoned his flames into his hand and smashed them against the metal of the cuff. Instead of breaking like he had expected it to, a blue lightning shot out from the manacle and engulfed his body. His head fell back in a silent scream as the magic washed over him.
When the pain finally cleared Natsu gazed back at the restriction. Not even a scratched adorned the tough metal. The organic link magic had died down and the cuff seemed like an ordinary piece of metal. Natsu muttered a curse before trying to break it once more, only to feel pain swallow him again.
The dragon slayer wasn't known for his ability to think things through.
The fire mage pulled away, letting out a heavy pant. It felt like he just felt the wrath of Erza's Blumenblatt attack. Yet the shackle appeared to be in perfect condition. Natsu mumbled every curse he could think of onto Gray. Gray just couldn't let him leave. He had to put the idea of taking him hostage into Lyon's head. Now he was stuck in a damn stone box of a room with only the rats as his friends.
"He is so going to pay for this."
His ears perked up as he sounds of footsteps came from outside the cell door. He heard the unmistakable sound of a key being inserted in a lock and the chamber door opened. Light flooded the dark cell and Natsu had to avert his gaze as his eyes got used to the surplus of light. When he did look back two figures were standing in the doorway, looking down on him. One had long black hair that fell to the middle of her back. She wore a white blazer with gold trim and red on her shoulders. A sheathed sword was strapped to her side. The other figure was a tall, muscular man with a bold head. A strong, powerful magic aura was coming from both of them. Something Natsu should have realized if he had the brains to pay attention.
"Natsu Dragneel," The female started. "For being an accessory for crimes against humanity we have placed under temporary ar-"
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
The woman narrowed her eyes at him, irritated at being interrupted. "As I was saying, you are under temporary arrest by the authority of-"
"You didn't answer my question!"
In two strides the annoyed woman crossed over to him and placed her hands around his throat. "I am one of the persons placed with the responsibility of making sure you remain an inactive prisoner. Now stop interrupting me." Natsu didn't reply, probably because the hand his around his throat prevented him from doing so. "You shall be placed on trial tomorrow and are subjected to us and other superiors until then. Afterwards you will be found guilty and imprisonment shall be carried out. Understood?"
Natsu managed a weak nod, the lack of oxygen beginning to affect him. The woman released her hold on him and he crumpled to his knees, gasping for air.
"You shall be constantly monitored at all times. Any attempts to escape will be exterminated and punishment will be dealt out. Any rebellion against guards and/or other beings shall result in severe penalty. Information in your possession will be handed over to our intelligence. Knowledge regarding bring harm to someone either directly or indirectly will either be exchanged or you face more charges being pressed against you."
Natsu saw the man behind her position himself on the outside of the door, taking a defensive stance.
"During your trial tomorrow you are expected to follow orders, show respect, and not speak unless spoken to. Till then you are to stay here until someone comes for you tomorrow. That is all."
The woman turned on her heels and exited the room. Natsu stared at her retreating back, wondering if everyone here was just as friendly as her. The door slammed shut behind her and a lock clicked into place. He had a feeling the man was waiting outside the door, designated guard for him for the time being.
The dragon slayer pulled his knees up to his chest and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night.
"He's going to be fine. You don't have to look so worried."
Ultear glanced up as a white haired man slid in the seat next to her. The two of them sat together next to Gray's bedside, waiting patiently for the youngest to wake up. "I know it's just…I still picture him as that little kid that always wanted someone to hold his hand, and now…"
"Now he's all grown up and goes off to have the shit beat out of him just so he seems tough." Lyon finished for her.
Ultear gave a small smile. "Just like someone else I know."
Lyon gave an indignant snort. "What are you implying?"
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about all the times you used to pull idiotic stunts when you were younger. Guess Gray's going thru that phase right now."
"You should listen to yourself. You sound like an old woman saying words like that."
"This coming from someone that acts like a mother hen more often than not."
Lyon opened his mouth to retort but a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. Gray shifted on the bed, changing positions. The two of them waited for him to open his dark blue eyes but a soft snore let them know the raven drifted back off. "Lazy." Lyon grumbled.
Ultear let out a short laugh. "He always did prefer sleeping over dealing with us."
"He always preferred me over you too." Lyon grumbled, earning a punch in his arm from his sister. "Ow, this is why he never went to you when we were kids. You're a freaking demon."
"Really? Because I remember a number of times he came to me asking about ice making. Now I wonder why he didn't go to you…"
Lyon narrowed his eyes at her. "He asked me plenty of times to help him."
"True. But guess who he went to when asking about complicated spells. 'Because Lyon-nii didn't know how to do them,' as he would say."
"I was a little kid! Why Gray even asked about those spells was beyond me."
"Still couldn't do them."
"Whatever, at least he never thought I was terrifying like you."
"Hey, I'm the nice one. I was just waiting here for my precious little brother to wake up. Then you come in and ruin this perfect family moment."
"How did I ruin it? You started this whole argument."
"Will you two both shut up."
Lyon and Ultear glanced over to the bed where Gray had one eye cracked open.
"I swear, both of you talk sometimes just to hear your own voice."
Ultear reached out and ruffled Gray's dark hair. "Nice to see you awake, Sleeping Beauty."
Gray rolled his eyes. "How am I supposed to sleep with you two here? A bomb could go off and it would be quiet compared to you both."
"Sorry Gray, next time Ultear will keep her voice down." Lyon glared over at his sister.
"Oh, so I'm the irritating one. At least it's better than being a conceited bastard, and you," Ultear narrowed her eyes at the youngest. All her previous loving and caring thoughts disappeared. "What moron goes and gets the shit beat out of him that easily? Do you own a brain?"
"I missed you too, sis."
