bitches number 10! woot! enjoy.
"Should we just head back to the guild?" Cana asked nobody in particular while sipping her martini. Really, they needed to take her to an AA meeting or something. Freed sighed and ran a hand through his green locks.
"I don't know – I'll call Mira later and ask." They had sat at a different table from Natsu, because, let's face it, nobody wanted to be around that when you go out for lunch. But still, regardless of being two tables away from him, a chicken bone still landed on their table. Freed grimaced at it.
"Juvia sees no point in Freed-san waiting – the food won't be here for a while longer." The water mage said, sending him an imploring look with her azure eyes. Sighing yet again, he stood up and brushed invisible dust off his red coat.
"Then I shall be back, ladies." He said politely, walking away from the group. He stepped outside into the cool morning air, taking a deep breath before pulling out his lacrima and calling the guild. Mira answered immediately.
"Hey Freed!" She greeted enthusiastically, and he heard a faint sizzling sound – she must be cooking. Freed smiled.
"Good morning, Mira. I called to give you an update; we officially have no leads. And by no leads, I mean nothing. The scent was completely gone – almost as if it had been wiped clean magically." She raised a perfect white eyebrow and glanced at him with her sapphire eyes.
"That's interesting. I'll have to –," Freed heard a faint shout. "- I'll be there in a minute, Macao! Okay, I have to go, Freed, but just wait for now until I can get in contact with Erza's team." Her features clouded over for a moment and she bit her lip. The runes mage fought off a furious blush and coughed.
"What's up with Erza?" He asked curiously (albeit a little nervously because she just looked so pretty and –).
She frowned. "I don't know. Everyone else has contacted me – you, Laki, even Master has called me to say that Lucy was being questioned by the council, but no word from Erza or Gajeel or…" Mira bit her lip a little harder. "… Or Lisanna." Freed nodded understandingly.
"Your sister is strong, like her siblings. She'll be fine." He reassured her. She smiled, but that scared look wouldn't leave her eyes. Freed was positive it never would. "Speaking of Lucy – any luck with the council?" He asked, trying to get her mind off of her sister. When she thought about Lisanna she didn't think too straight. Mira smiled and redirected her attention to whatever she was cooking.
"Yes, yes. Apparently, Mika Marrow has been extremely helpful, along with some kid named Max-," Freed's eyes got wide and he interrupted Mira in an ungentlemanly way.
"Wait – Max Lore? Like, the historian?" He asked with wide eyes. Mira nodded. "Wow. She met somebody who has infinite knowledge of Fiore and doesn't do interviews! I would kill to meet him!" He hissed while staring into her eyes seriously. She laughed.
"I'll pass that along. But, I have to get going. For now…" She paused and her eyebrows scrunched together. "For now, head to Grajinshoo. That would be our best bet I guess. I'll tell Laki to head there once their done investigating Hargeon… Lucy is coming back to the guild for now and I'll have Levy start researching some things. Okay, well, good luck, Freed!" Another shout was heard and she smiled at Freed and waved before the lacrima went black. He tucked it in his pocket and walked back into the restaurant, only to stop at the doorway with his jaw on the ground. Some of the tables were burnt to a crisp and there was water damage due to Juvia's attempts to put out the apparent fire, and the manager was standing with a blank look behind the bar.
Freed's fist's clenched. "NATSU!"
Erza's head was pounding. She cracked open her honey-brown eyes only to quickly block out the offensive light.
W-what's going... going on?
She opened her eyes once more and glared through the stark pain that was pinching the inside of her head. The backs of her eyelids were sorely missed, but she pushed herself into a sitting position and hissed. She heard a small chuckle, and Erza whipped her head around to glare at the intruder.
Wait… intruder? Where a-am I?
Her eyes adjusted to the light – which happened to be coming from a roaring fire place (she only now noticed the crackling) – and she was surprised to see the man they had been looking for staring at her with amused, silver eyes.
"Where am I? Where is Alzack?" Even though the spots on her vision was blocking some of his face, she could clearly see the broad grin he was giving her.
"You are on Mount Grajinshoo, along with your little partner. Mister Redfox and Miss Strauss are currently mulling over the oddity that is 'Shadow People'." She frowned and rubbed her temple.
"How do you know what they're talking about?" She asked, not understanding. Her head was throbbing painfully with each pulse.
"Oh, does our little Titania have a headache?" He asked in a cooing, condescending voice, completely ignoring her question. She growled.
"Fuck off, Brok. Tell me – where is Alzack!" Erza yelled, jumping to her feet and sending him a rather impressive glare and ignoring the pounding in her skull. He raised his hands in mock-surrender.
"Your sweet Connell boy is beneath us, in the cellar. I believe he is sleeping, but I could be wrong. You are free to go look," He gestured to a small doorway with a rickety stair case leading down to a dark room. She shook her head. Brok cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? I see. Well, there is food right there if you'd like some. I am, after all, nothing if not a hospitable host." He said extravagantly. She just continued to glare, and then painfully pulled a sword out of the wooden wall slowly, wincing when her unresponsive (and gruesomely bent at a horrid angle) hand twitched. He just stared with his normal, cocky stare.
"I am not here to play games, Brok." She snarled, brandishing her broadsword and sending him an icy look. He sighed and set his hands on his lap.
"And I am not here to play games either, young lady. I am simply a normal mage who was being ambushed by the Titania and Mister Alzack Connell." He stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "I can play games though, if that's what you like." He waved his hand, and then her sword disappeared. Everything disappeared actually, and she was in a black, endless plane.
"Brok? BROK!" She screamed and started running. That empty, hollow feeling was spreading coldness throughout her chest; the feeling that told her that her magic reserves were depleted. Then she heard the small pitter-patter of feet after her, and then crying.
"Erza-san! Help me!" Erza whipped her head around, red hair flying, and she spotted a familiar face. Fear flooded her heart.
"Wendy! What are you doing here?!" She yelled, sprinting to the girl, who had collapsed to her knees. Blue locks were fanning around her face, blocking it from view and Erza was panicking. "Wendy! Wendy, are you hurt?!" The requip mage kneeled next to the crying dragon slayer.
"Erza-san… I'm hurt. You hurt me." Erza stared in shock. The younger girl raised her head slowly and the older mage's breath caught in her throat painfully.
"W-Wendy… I didn't do this…" She was staring at the fact that, just like her, one of her eyes was missing. Blood was dripping down her chin and tears were flowing freely out of the other, beautiful brown eye. "Wendy…" She reached out to the girl, but she jerked away, face contorted.
"YOU DID THIS!" She screamed. Erza blinked, uncomprehending. "You did this to me! You weren't strong enough to protect me!"
"W-Wendy… I-I'm so…"
"I have no daddy because of you." Erza's heart clenched and she spun around, only to see the sad, sad face of a toddler… Asuka. She was glaring angrily at the requip mage. "You weren't strong enough to protect him – he left me and mommy."
"N-no…" Erza stumbled back and landed on her tailbone, only to be greeted with the crying face of her best friend, Lucy.
"You made it so I couldn't be with the love of my life! You weren't strong enough to save me from this! Erza – you did this!"
"No… NO!" She yelled, clenching her brown eyes shut and grabbed the sides of her head. "No!"
"You did this, Erza Scarlet." Her blood ran cold at the voice.
No, not him, please, not him, not him, not him.
"You destroy everything – all because you're not strong enough." She opened her eyes, only to see the sneering face of… of Jellal. "You were never strong enough. You couldn't even protect me – even after I had saved your life." His beautiful eyes glared down at her, and a choked sob ripped through her throat.
"J-Jellal… I didn't…"
"STOP DENYING IT, ERZA! You're just weak! Too weak to protect your nakama – the ones who would die for you!" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Weak." He scoffed.
"Weak." She repeated with a broken voice. "I'm weak."
"She said to head to Grajinshoo." Laki murmured. Gray groaned, while Laxus just glared silently. Elfman nodded.
"As men, we will not complain!" He roared and the purple-haired girl just pressed her palm to her face.
"Yes, yes whatever. Apparently the team that went there hasn't responded, and according to what Mira said, the council is going to inform the other guilds and see if there are any guild member's they can spare." The ice mage went unusually silent for a few moments.
"Erza's team went there. I hope they're all right…" Gray muttered while staring at the grass with dark blue eyes.
The blonde man growled and stood up. "Idiot, they're fine. Like Titania will lose. She'll kick your ass for having so little faith in her." Translation: They're okay. Don't worry. Gray scowled at the burly man, but just turned to Laki. She was standing still with her eyes closed, almost as if she was searching for something. Gray raised an eyebrow.
Her brown orbs flashed open in the dim morning light. "If I recall correctly, there is an s-plug rental place here on the outskirts of town." Laxus sent her a glare.
"'If you recall?' Did you fuckin' study the place before we came?" He asked rhetorically. She turned to him and blinked innocently.
"Yes." He scoffed and muttered something about nerds. "It's about ten minutes north at a run. In fact, Laxus could probably smell the oil from here." She glanced at him expectantly.
"I smell the damn shit, okay? It was just overwhelmed by the salt-water earlier. Let's go, you slow-ass people." He stomped off without warning, and Laki struggled not to laugh at his childish antics. Everyone followed him to the now-abandoned rental place completely on guard. After a few tense moments of silence and glaring at the harmless shadows, Laxus cleared his throat.
"I don't sense anything." Gray nodded in agreement, but Laki just continued to glare suspiciously. The dragon slayer hopped onto the smallest car they could find and hooked his wrist onto the device that draws your magical energy out. Laki sat down next to him so she could navigate, Elfman climbed in the cab to sleep and since he took up the entire area, Gray sat on the roof.
"So where're we goin', kid?" He asked gruffly while grimacing at the steady drain on his power. The only girl there sent him a glare, but just pointed.
"We're going to go through Magnolia, then it's nearly a straight shot to Mount Grajinshoo. I'm assuming they're all at the little town where the last Lover's Remorse case was at… hmm…" Laxus shot her a glare, urging her to hurry up with her explanation. She sighed.
"Whatever, just go to Magnolia and we'll go from there." He didn't need any more prodding. Soon enough, they were flying down the bumpy dirt road to their home.
"Ugh…" Alzack lifted his throbbing head from the cold ground. "B-Bisca…?" He asked nobody in particular, because he knew there wouldn't be a response. With aching arms, he pushed himself up into a shaky sitting position, only to stop dead when he heard an earth-shattering shriek. With his eyes still adjusting to the eerie darkness, he stumbled to his feet and immediately fell against a cold, rough wall. He instantly recognized it as brick, but he still couldn't see anything. Glaring at the shadows, he pushed against the wall just as the scream broke off into a chilling silence, only broken by his shallow breaths. He found a doorway with a staircase leading up into a room with a warm light emanating from it. Alzack swore softly as the day's – or was it yesterday's? – events came crashing back to him.
Brok got to him. Cursing profusely under his breath, he started to painfully climb the stairs, and as he got closer to the top, he could hear a soft mewling.
Erza.
Every thought left him as a sudden energy coursed through his veins at the thought of a fallen nakama. There was no way he would lose if she was hurt – he couldn't. Glaring, he pulled a gun out of thin air and grimaced at the drop in his magic power. He reached the top of the stairs and blinked at the light – it really was quite bright in this room. A clap resounded through the rather… cozy looking room, if not for the passed-out Erza on the ground and a creepily smiling mage.
"Brok." He spat the name as if it was poison.
"Alzack! Oh, you joined the party. I'm so glad." The dark-skinned man looked far too chipper considering the circumstances. The guns mage glared.
"Can you really expect me to be happy about that?" He asked with a scathing tone. Brok blinked innocently for a moment (even looking like a child) before grinning maliciously.
"I suppose not, but I beg of you to cooperate. Wouldn't want you to go home only to find no one waiting for you, now would we?" He chirped, and Alzack repressed a shudder at the hidden meaning. Silently, he moved to crouch by the quietly-crying Titania.
"What did you do to her?" He asked with a soft authority – one that Brok chose to ignore.
"Oh – her? I just gave her a dream to remember me by." The silver-eyed man said with a wave of his hand. Alzack glared hard at the back of his bald head, but just turned back to the shivering mage on the floor, who was now murmuring 'I'm sorry' over and over. He brushed the hair out of her tightly shut eyes and squeezed the barrel of his gun. It disappeared. Brok whistled his appreciation.
"That was pretty impressive – not many people can hone their magic to the point of requipping. Honestly, Alzack, you're an interesting person – under different circumstances I might even ask you to, oh, what do kids do these days? Go out for a beer? Well then I'd ask you to have a beer with me." Noticing the guns' mage's droll stare, he waved a flippant hand. "I said under different circumstances – god, you and Titania are such party poopers."
Alzack dropped his head into his hands and sighed at this guy's weird personality and mood swings. "Can you take her out of this… this nightmare, please?" He asked, trying to help Erza in any way possible because right now, he really wasn't doing much on the helping aspect of things. Brok tapped his chin and cocked his head.
"No. This is much more interesting. It doesn't matter anyways, she'll pass out soon from exhaustion." Alzack's features twisted into something crossed between confusion and rage.
"She's already asleep…?"
Brok scoffed. "No, she's in a comatose state; captured in an endless dream. The only way to exit is to give up, and we both know that Erza Scarlet doesn't know when to admit defeat." Alzack stared in horror.
"T-that's terrible!" He exclaimed, glaring at the man who still wore a carefree smile.
"Oh Alzack, really, I would be less dramatic if I were you. And don't push my buttons – I think we both know what would happen if you angered me." His silver eyes flashed, and then he spun on his heel and dropped into an extravagant-looking chair and stared into a giant lacrima.
What am I going to do? I can't argue, otherwise he'll hurt my family, and I don't know what to do about Erza…
He glanced at her now-sweating form. She was twitching in her sleep and her lips were forming words, but no sounds were coming out. Sighing and staring at the younger girl with pity, he shifted so that her head was resting on his lap and stroked her hair, trying to bring her some comfort at least.
Please, somebody, come soon.
Lucy stared at the lacrima in shock as Makarov put it down slowly while grimacing. Her hands were shaking and Levy was looking as equally as shocked, while Wendy was barely holding back tears.
"They're all heading to Mount Grajinshoo." He informed the three girls while wearing a pensive expression. A tense silence followed for a few moments until the blonde girl suddenly stood up and ran away from camp they had set up to the horses and carriage.
"Lucy – what are you doing?!" Wendy shouted after her. Lucy glanced back with a sad expression.
"This has an s-plug setting, right Master?" She asked while slinging a saddle on Yumi, who just whinnied with a sort of annoyed expression (as annoyed as a horse could get, that is). He nodded gravely, already knowing what she was doing and not bothering to stop her; his children could make their own choices. "I'm going to the mountain – I would suggest that Levy and Wendy follow behind me on Cato, but I don't think they can ride. It'll be a two day's trip if I ride hard and fast." She was already mounted on the beige horse, who was just stamping her hooves.
"Lucy, you can't go alone!" Levy pleaded with tears in her beautiful brown eyes. Lucy smiled.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
The master cleared his throat. "You two can take the s-plug car to the mountain." He said, gesturing to the two mages who were looking uncomfortable and so not confident.
"That'd be the best decision, since you and I are the only ones who can ride a horse." Lucy murmured while grabbing onto the reigns with a slightly shaky hand. Makarov nodded.
"They'll be there – go, Lucy. Go and do what you have to." Lucy smiled through watery eyes and started galloping away from the group. Soon enough, they were on the road and at a full sprint. Her mind replayed the dream and she growled low in her throat as the wind whipped her pale face red.
I'm coming for you, Brok, and you'll regret ever messing with Fairy Tail.
so... yeah. idk what happened here, but i have a feeling that this story will be over soon. ; ; anyways, i actually wanted to ask you lovely readers something:
What the hell should I write next?
like i totes wanna try StiCy or RoLu or LaLu or even GaLu because I love those crack pairings so mucucucuhchchc!
oh and the reason that Lucy and teh other's were freaking out (in case this wasn't clear) is because Mira told them that Erza's peeps hadn't contacted them since they left, so you know, bitches be worryin'. and i made Brok like totally insane because like -insert spoilers about him here- lol you'll find out soon enough.
FrostDragonSlayer: yes you are.
Coolgal342: well lucky for you, next chapter (or maybe the one after lol - i dont plan well) we'll see the teams interacting.
JcL107: i'm happy you're liking him - he was a spur-of-the-moment character and i have to admit, i like him as well! even if he is insane.
SkyiiiLifeee: why thank you.
i love all of your face's by the way. just thought i'd say that.