Key:
writing-normal text
bold writing-Ghoul Speaking
italicized writing-thoughts/dreams/speaking to Ghoul; different languages
It was several weeks after Christmas and New Years; well into the month of January, when everything started to turn for the worst.
Camilla was walking through the streets of Magnolia, her boots crunching in the crisp snow as more danced down from the sky. She had abandoned her battle suit and trench coat in favor of a thick coat and some warmer clothing. She had her hands shoved in her pockets and her nose buried deep into her fluffy scarf. The cold nipped at her ears and exposed skin making a shiver run down her spine.
"You know eating would warm you up!" Ghoul taunted, her breath tickling Camilla's ear. She ground her teeth and tried to ignore the voice.
All thoughts halted abruptly when something small, cold, and wet hit the back of her neck. She froze(no pun intended) and slowly turned around. Natsu and Happy both held snowballs in their hand and looked utterly terrified as they realized the snowball they had thrown had hit her square in the neck.
Their terror was quickly diminished as Camilla began to laugh. She let her lips stretch into a bright grin. This experience was new as she had never partaken in activities that she deemed unworthy of her time as a child. She bent down and scooped up some snow.
Two snowballs hit Natsu and Happy both in the face, one after the other in quick succession. They fell back with a startled shout, the snow falling from their faces as they fell back first into a snow drift. They shot from the snow, Happy complaining loudly about the cold and the snow melting from Natsu's body. Camilla smiled at them and Natsu grinned back.
The snowball fight didn't go any farther as Camilla was returning home from a mini trip to the Magic Library in Fiore. She was doing some personal research and needed to get home in order to compare it to other notes she had taken. She had her notebook and such but some things are better done in the comfort of a home.
She was carrying her books and notes, walking up the street to the walkway to her house when she had the feeling something was wrong. It was that feeling you get when someone is watching you, or the split second before something bad happens. She stopped and frowned for a moment before shrugging and continuing forward. Natsu and Happy were on her right, arguing about something, any conversation they might've had with Camilla, forgotten. They were walking up to her door, Camilla getting out her key when she smelled it. It was a sickly sweet odor, the scent of a rotting burned corpse. She froze, bloody memories crossing her vision before she slid the key home into the lock, turning the knob.
Everything exploded.
There was the muffled sound of an explosion and then she felt the blast of the explosion as she flew backwards. Bits of woods and glass ripped through her clothing but bounced off her skin. Shrapnel that she had to assume was kagune based, tore the rest of her clothes to pieces and shredded her skin. She didn't even have time to raise her arms as the heat and fire of the blast. It caught the shredded end of her coat on fire when she heard the sound of slurping. The fire spiraled upwards and to something behind her that she couldn't see.
Numbness was the only thing she could feel, the only thing she could focus on. Her skin burned and was coated in familiar red liquid. She lay on her side, ears ringing as thick black smoke flooded the area and into the sky. Rubble lay everywhere, smoking ruins of her belongings lay in broken heaps around the yard.
Blackness tried to overtake her consciousness but she fought it, trying to get her limbs to respond and pick her up but failed. Collapsing back onto the smoking ground, she couldn't even get her body to cough. There was the crunching of feet against the ground and something was dropped by her side and the feet left. But for some reason she couldn't make out the person's features.
"Probably shock…" She thought to herself and the person who had driven the thing into her stomach left. She felt the thudding of multiple feet but couldn't see nor hear anything over the ringing in her ears.
A hand touched her side and suddenly the pain came crashing down onto her. Camilla let out a brutal scream as the agony made her back arch off the ground. She could barely make out the muffled shouts of people yelling at others to "call a medic!" and to "check for any others who are injured!" There was the clanking of armor, the jingle of keys, and the rustle of a necklace. She heard someone yelling
"She's our friend! Let us through!"(kudos to anyone who got the reference; I did change it a bit) and then felt a cool soothing sensation on her arm, was it a hand? She couldn't tell, the pain was horrible as she felt people lift her onto what she guessed was a stretcher. Everything hurt as she was carried to somewhere unknown. A small hand grasped her own and Camilla could hear the faint sound of someone trotting to keep up with the stretcher's pace.
Wendy was watching as Natsu paced outside the infirmary door. He was clenching his teeth, a vein bulging in his temple. Wendy desperately wished she could comfort him but knew any attempt would only make him angrier.
"I should've reacted faster!" He shouted and his fist was lit ablaze. She flinched and held Carla tighter to herself. Just as Erza stood to reprimand the older dragon slayer, the infirmary door clicked open quietly.
Everyone was on their feet in an instant, Wendy felt a slight hope that Camilla wasn't to injured but knew it was a hopeless request to ask. Porlyusica had a frown on her face as she finally spoke.
"You may see her, but only a few at a time. We mustn't crowd her." she said and beckoned Erza, Natsu and Happy inside.
It was quiet for a few moments, the sounds of muffled conversation being the only sound as the rest of the team waited outside the closed door. There was a silence and the silence let Wendy's thoughts wander back to when she first heard the explosion. She clenched her fists and fought bile rising in her throat as she remembered the sight of Camilla's battered and bruised body.
Her skin had been torn to shreds and her face was charred. Her eyes had been dull and nearly lifeless. But what had scared Wendy the most was the bloodspattered note by Camilla's side, the crimson blood mixing with the falling ash of Camilla's house. The note was wrapped in pure white ribbon but all the note was, was the letter 'P'. Said letter was currently clutched in Happy's paws.
There was a yell and the sound of something glass breaking on the other side of the infirmary door. That shattered Wendy's thoughts as she shot to her feet, Lucy and Gray following suit. They ignored Porlyusica's earlier warning and ran inside.
Camilla was sitting in her bed, completely free of bandages and her body was healed. Wendy gasped but not at the sight of Camilla's injury free body; no she gasped at the sight of utter rage twisting her friend's face into a terrifying snarl. Her golden eyes were ablaze with rage and another emotion that honestly terrified Wendy. She had the feeling that she had to run, had to hide and get away from the person in front of her.
The thing that had shattered was a glass of water that Wendy had to assume Camilla had thrown. Said girl was glaring at the paper in her hands, her teeth grinding and visibly shaking.
"Camilla? Are you alright?" Lucy asked quietly and the girl turned her scathing glare onto them. If Wendy didn't know any better, she could've sworn Camilla's irises turned blood red but in an instant they were back to the molten gold color.
"Must've been a trick of the light." She thought and unconsciously took a step to stand behind Gray.
Slowly, ever so slowly, Camilla relaxed her grip, her face falling to show utter exhaustion. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes closed.
"I'm fine Lucy," she said softly, that was the Camilla that Wendy recognized and knew. She stepped out from behind her friend and felt her shoulders relax. However, relaxation didn't completely calm Wendy, there was still the sense that told her to hide from Camilla; to get far away and hide forever.
For the split second when Camilla woke up, everything was fine. She felt comfortable and safe. Then the aching set in and she remembered. She remembered the explosion and then she remembered the pain. Gasping, she shot up into a sitting position and felt frantically over her body for any wounds. As she felt her stomach and remembered that she wouldn't have any visible wounds as she had probably healed while she was unconscious. As she came to realize where she was, she took in her surroundings.
Of course she was in the infirmary. The curtains shifted gently in the breeze and she sat upright in an all too familiar bed. The soft green fabric of hospital clothes replaced her shredded battlesuit and her hair had been washed and brushed clean of ash, blood, and debris.
There was the sound of Porlyusica talking to someone outside the door and the door clicked open to reveal Erza, Happy, and Natsu. The dragon slayer looked worried, angry, and disappointed in himself. Erza was as stone faced as ever but Camilla could pick out worry in her brown eyes. Happy was fluttering by Natsu's head, he held a piece of paper in his paws that he handed to Erza as she and Natsu sat on either side of her bed.
"Hey guys." Camilla said softly as she took in their worried state.
"How are you feeling? It looks like Porlyusica was able to heal you!" Happy chirped and Camilla smiled. Best let them think that it was Porlyusica doing rather than her own biology.
"I'm fine Happy and thank you Natsu…. For whatever you did back at my house. You honestly saved me from more damage that could've been caused by dealing with the fire." She replied to Happy then directed the next part of her words to Natsu who had his head bowed. He glanced up and ground his teeth.
"I wish I could've been faster." He growled and Camilla sighed. She patted his head, ruffling his salmon hair.
"No use crying over something that was out of your control, you saved me more than anyone else could have." She said and turned to Erza.
The crimson haired woman was holding the folded paper in her armored hands, staring down at the paper with anger. Camilla frowned and snatched the paper from her hands, curious as to why she would be so angry at a piece of paper. As she unfurled it, the familiar calligraphy letter "P" made her pause. Her hands started shaking and she clenched the paper tighter in her hands.
"Oooooooh looks like they want you to come back! Could've been a bit subtler 'bout it though. I quite liked that house." Ghoul mused as she clasped her hands together in delight.
A glass of water and some medicine was handed to her and someone tried to take the paper but she grabbed the glass and hurled it across the room with an angered and frustrated yell.
"That damned(sorry, please excuse my language) organization is going to pay." She snarled.
Whoever had given her medicine retract their presence quickly and she gritted her teeth. The infirmary door flew open but she paid them no mind. There was a few moments of silence before it was broken.
"Camilla? Are you alright?" It was Lucy, the Ghoul girl turned her glare that was previously on the paper to those in the doorway. Though later she hated it, now she felt a glimmer of joy at their frightened expressions. She felt Ghoul's influence seep into her mind and the skin on her back started to warm and burn with her Kagune, the predatory yearning to escape the confines of her skin.
Abruptly her mind cleared. She let out an inaudible gasp and looked up. Wendy was hiding behind Gray, the Ice Mage unconsciously holding his hands as if he was going to perform ice-make magic to defend him from something, from her.
The SS-Class ghoul slowly relaxed her grip, her shoulders slumping and eyes closing.
"I'm fine Lucy," she quietly, releasing her grip on the paper. Slumping back into her bed she clasped her hands together, her eyes still closed as she reigned in her emotions. She almost had fallen back asleep when Porlyusica came in, scolding the mages for coming in when they weren't supposed to.
The soft footsteps of Makarov entered Camilla's field of hearing. Opening her eyes, she caught his gaze and immediately looked down. All this fuss over a paper, it was almost funny.
"I assume from your expression and previous….. Eh… tantrum.. That you know what the paper means?" He said and she nodded, clenching her teeth. The fact that she had been attacked showed that they finally realized that "SS Rank Demon's Teeth" had disappeared. To bad they knew where she was, she was stupid for thinking she could come back to Magnolia with no consequences.
"The- the paper is from an organization called Purity." She said softly and avoided everyone's gaze.
"Could you please elaborate? What is 'Purity'? Why are they attacking you?" Erza asked and Camilla sighed.
"Purity is an organization that I joined when I was 11. They- they aren't the best. By Magic Council standards they would be considered a Dark Guild of sorts." She ignored the surprised gasps and continued on.
"I was foolish. I left my Teacher's tutelage and joined, they promised safety and that they could help me control my capabilities even more. I was young and it seemed like a great idea!" She let out a dry laugh and shook her head.
"They know everything about me, my status, my abilities, my background. I'm so high up in their ranks I could be considered higher than a Guild Master if I really wanted to be. They are shady I'll admit that and no one knows about them except for their members and the Black Market. When someone leaves their ranks they have only one option. Death." The silence was so thick Camilla could almost chew it.
"Guess they finally figured out that I left." She snorted, shaking her head at her stupidity, forgetting that single rule was the stupidest thing she could've done.
"What happens now? Are they just going to keep trying?" Wendy asked quietly and Camilla shrugged but then stopped.
"Oooo you know, I call you stupid but I have a feeling this is the stupidest idea yet." Ghoul snickered as Camilla glared at the paper. She wanted to throw a glare in her direction but didn't in favor of explaining her idea.
"I am going to go back to Purity." There was immediate protest. Natsu and Gray shouted, Erza's eyes going wide and she clenched her fists. Lucy and Wendy shouted their protest as well.
"SHUT UP!" She shouted and turned her glare on all of them. Makarov held up a hand to silence them all and then gestured for her to speak.
"Camilla isn't stupid, she has reason for this and we will listen." He said and looked back at his surrogate granddaughter. He looked skeptical but Camilla knew he would see her side in this even though he knew nothing of Purity. She took a deep breath.
"I with held information when I was explaining Purity. You can leave under the promise that you will tell no one. As you can see I have broken that rule. But they don't know that. Well, they could but I don't care. I'll go, make the promise and fight my way out if I have to." She shrugged as if it didn't bother her but it did worry her. She would have to talk to the Head of the Purity organization.
No one had ever even seen the Head of the Purity organization, let alone fought and survived them. It had even been rumored that he was SS or SSS rank which would pose a slight problem if it came down to fighting. That would mean the Head was either on par or above her strength.
"-an't let her die!" Natsu's voice broke her thoughts like a train derailing. She looked up and saw the Dragon Slayer facing Makarov with clenched fists and ground teeth. Camilla frowned before moving the blankets from her body and swinging her legs over the bed before standing.
"I won't die Natsu, I promise you that I'll come back." She said softly and he turned to face her with anger making his fist light ablaze.
"How do you expect us to let you go to this organization and risk death?! I can't let you do that! Let us come with you! We can-" Immediately Camilla's eyes widened and she interrupted him.
"No." She said and he stopped, when he met her gaze he actually flinched.
"But-"
"No Natsu. No one will follow me on my return. If you did….. Well then you'd be captured or sold." She snapped and walked to the door, passing a silent Porlyusica and her shocked guildmates. With her hand on the doorknob she turned back.
"I'll be back in a couple days. If anyone follows me….. I'll personally see that you're punished." Her tone was as cold as ice and she slammed the door with a bit too much force.
Lucy flinched as the door shut. She watched the door with wide eyes and felt a shiver run down her spine as she remembered the glare that Camilla had given them.
"Sold? Wh-what does she mean by that?" Wendy squeaked and Makarov sighed, standing and preparing to leave.
"I'm not sure my dear, it is best to let Camilla do as she says she will. She has more tricks and abilities that you don't know of. She will be fine." He said as he left the infirmary, leaving the team in stunned silence.
"We have to stop her!" Gray shouted and his sudden outburst made Lucy jump. Natsu for once agreed with him.
"We can't." Erza said and immediately they went silent. Lucy felt shock at the loyal Requip mage disagreeing at the idea of letting her friend go to this…. Death house. Lucy clenched her fists.
"What?! Why not?!" Lucy asked and Erza sighed, shaking her head.
"Makarov said we should let her do as she wishes. If we know anything, it's that Camilla is an S Class wizard and considered one of our most powerful. We should have faith in her abilities." she said calmly though that did nothing to calm anyone's nerves.
"I- I guess we should believe in her." Wendy said softly
"Her house was just blown up! You guys saw how bad she looked! We can't let her go alone!" Gray argued and clenched his fists.
"Yes, it was. But you saw her now. She was completely healed! Not so much as a scratch!" Erza replied, her hand going to the sword she had kept at her belt after the explosion at Camilla's house. Lucy wanted to argue but she found herself starting to agree with Erza.
"I think we should let her go." She spoke up and when everyone looked at her she explained.
"We did see her get hurt. But like Erza said, she was healed and Makarov even said that she'd be fine. I think we should let her be." She said softly. It was silent for a few moments before Natsu let out a yell and stormed out. Lucy felt her heart hurt at the sight of her friends in such a state but couldn't ignore the feeling that something would happen if they intervened.
It was dark by the time Camilla reached the station by train. She had gone to a clothing shop owned by a ghoul family she knew and had gotten a new battle suit and mask.
Said battle suit was a bit different than her old one. It was basically the same design with the exception of the coat being nonexistent and the leggings no longer being long and were now shorts. Her sleeves had been shortened to short sleeves but the suit was still made with the flexible tight material it had been. It still dipped low in the back so she didn't tear it with her Kagune. At her hip was a belt that held a money pouch that jingled with coins.
Her mask was the same. The familiar white mask and the sharp toothed smile adorning its features stared up at her with malice. She sighed and stepped into the shadows, slipping the mask onto her features as she searched for one of the many openings to the Purity headquarters.
The door and building looked the same. Wide double doors made from stone and iron, tall building looming with brightly lit windows hiding the horrors on the inside. As Camilla took a deep breath, her eyes met Ghoul's.
"I sometimes seriously question your sanity Lamby." Her ghoul self inspected her nails, Camilla cringed. The nickname 'lamby' had come from Ghoul calling her 'Cami Lami' when she was younger.
"Like you can talk." She snorted but let her back warm and crackle as she opened the doors.
She summoned her kagune for the first time in what seemed like forever. The familiar weapon unpeeled from her back like a flower blooming. Her Rinkaku twirled like fox or tiger tails, the Koukaku encasing her arms and shaping them into dangerous claws. The familiar warmth made her grimace but she entered the building nonetheless, her eyes turning into a nightmare of black and red.
The guards besides the door nearly stopped her but froze when they realized who exactly was walking through the doors.
"Take me to the Head." She demanded and the guards flinched away, taking a step back.
"M-my apologies Ma-madam Demon's Teeth bu-but an auction is in progress right now and after dinner shall be served. Please wait till then." One guard stammered, his eyes downcast and his stature portraying submission and fear. Camilla frowned and the guard noticed as he quickly spoke again.
"Th-there's still some open boxes Madam! We can offer you one until the auction is over!" He was sweating nervously and nearly shaking in his boots. Camilla tilted her head, thinking it over. Normally she would decline but now the idea seemed tempting. Maybe the Head would be there himself? She nodded in response to his words but it did nothing to relax him.
"You know… You're ideas are stupid, but seeing that expression on his face is deeeelicious!" Ghoul squealed, cupping her face in her hands like an excited school girl. Camilla glared but followed the two nervous guards to the extravagant auction and dining hall.
It was just as gorgeous as she remembered. Now don't get her wrong, the organization is horrible and corrupted but dang they knew architecture. The hall was tall, solid oak beams supporting the ceiling(imagine something like the Hogwarts dining hall but take away the stairs and tables). Candles illuminated the room and along all the walls were balconies that looked like small rooms. The rooms all had lavish wingback chairs and plush rugs.
Camilla was led to one of the empty rooms closest to the main floor. Currently there was a man dressed in complete black holding the chain of one of the 'prizes'. The 'prize' was a young child, a boy of the tender age of 6. He looked scared out of his mind, trembling so much his chains rattled.
"Last prize of the night!I'll take 10,000 jewel!" The tall man said, holding up the chain and the child squeaked.
His large eyes were watery and a dark purple, his hair ratty and red. In place of clothes, what looked like a burlap sack with ratty old holes cut out as arms. He wore tattered and patched shorts, his feet bare and swollen. The poor child looked in terrible shape, black eye and swollen neck, a multitude of other wounds crisscrossing his body and mixing with the dried blood and dirt. His whole body was tiny, smaller than average and malnourished. He honestly looked almost like a walking corpse.
No one spoke and the man frowned as Camilla sat in her seat. The child looked around frantically and Camilla bit her lip. If one wasn't sold then they were used for slaughter or as dinner. Purple eyes met Camilla's and the small boy let a small cry escape his lips.
"Anyone? The boy is bound to have some meat on his bones so the least you could use him for is scraps!" The auctioneer called and Camilla ground her teeth. She knew she could easily buy him but what use did she have for him? The inner turmoil battled on until the man raised his hand to bring it down on the boy's head and snap his neck, he wouldn't even be good for scraps at this point.
"I'll take it." Came Camilla's monotone voice before she stopped herself. The auctioneer stopped and everyone turned to look at her in shock, murmurs breaking out as they recognized the person who spoke.
"M-miss Demon's Teeth! Wh-what a surprise! Sur-surely we could interest you in something much more appetizing?" The auctioneer stammered but Camilla stood, one of her Kagune tentacles swirling as it extended towards the two of them in a 'give it here' motion.
"I said I'd take it. I'll give you 100,000 jewel." She said coldly and the man flinched at the glowing red tentacle. He nodded frantically and caught the money pouch thrown at him, shoving the boy towards Camilla. He cried out in pain and fear, trying to scramble backwards from her. Against her will, her heart ached for the little boy. He was so small, so innocent. If anything, he reminded her of herself; afraid and alone in the world.
The boy was shoved into Camilla's room by the auctioneer who quickly scuttled away to announce the auction was over. The tiny boy cowered, his chains rattling as he tried to wipe away his tears. Camilla knelt in front of him as everyone else filed out, some holding their 'prizes' in their clutches. The boy curled up in a ball as Camilla held out her hand, she let a sad smile grace her lips and retracted her Kagune, letting her eyes bleed back to their original molten gold. Reaching up, she removed her mask and then looked at the boy again.
"It's alright young boy." She said softly, trying to seem unthreatening.
The boy looked up through his fingers, seeing her face instead of the mask.
"Yo-you aren't gone eat me?" He stuttered and Camilla smiled sadly. He was probably one of the humans or ghouls that were bred and sold within Purity.
Before Camilla had even joined, Purity had experienced a shortage in humans and ghouls to eat and sell. As a result, they captured several of each and forced them all to breed, creating plenty of humans and or ghouls to sell and serve to their members.
"No boy, I simply bought you to keep you from death. Come." She held out her hand and this time the boy reached up with shaky hands.
The boy was light, so light that Camilla was genuinely concerned whether the boy would even survive. She carried him on her hip, the chains linking his hands together behind her neck as his arms wrapped around her neck. He was hiding his face, the tears staining his hollow cheeks. She had her mask on again, her Rinkaku trailing behind her like tails, her Koukaku in the confines of her back. Camilla's stride only stopped when she reached the guards.
"Give the Head a message." She demanded and they flinched, the boy stirred.
"Tell the Head I've taken the promise and will no longer be a part of this blasted organization." She snapped and strode past them, only stopping at the door to make sure they agreed to her request. They nodded and one scampered off to presumably give her message to the Head.
"I thought you were going to do that yourself Lamby." Ghoul cooed, pouting slightly and Camilla shrugged.
"I have more pressing matters Ghoul. Do me a favor and shut up." She said and left the building, still cradling the child in her arms.
Once they were on a train to Hargeon, Camilla set the boy down and gently shook him awake. He shot up in fear, looking around wildly.
"Calm down my boy. It's alright, you're safe." She said softly and he looked confused.
"Safe? What does that mean?" At this Camilla frowned,
"It means that nothing bad is going to happen and you won't be hurt." The boy's eyes widened, a sparkle of what seemed like happiness glimmered in his eyes.
"No more bad stuff? That can happen?" He whispered and Camilla nodded, it may not be the case for her but she certainly hoped he would. Safety for this boy was one of her first priorities now, he deserved it. After the living Hell he had just gone through, anyone would agree that he deserved the absolute epitome of safety.
I UPDATED EARLIER THAN EXPECTED! So I had a lot of fun with this chapter and I think it's my longest chapter yet! Hope you enjoy! ALSO! Thanks for all the comments, and favorites and such! I really appreciate it! Stay awesome!
Until next time!
FairyTailWzard Over and out!
*UPDATE!* Sorry guys, the format was all weird for me so I went through and changed it up a tiny bit, hopefully it works!