Looking on at the Fairy Tail story plot, I realised they made a character called Silver. -.- The coincidences~ Anyway, I just thought I'd point out that the Silver in this story was what I made up myself. Seriously though, what are the chances of that happening! -.-
Also, you guys looking forward to April 5th for the new season of FAIRY TAIL! WOO! Really can't wait /
Shadows
Chapter 11: Caged Part 2
"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, a wave of relief fluttered through him. "I think it's wearing off!"
Happy inched closer, big eyes staring at Lucy's face with timid curiosity. Happy doubted it was wearing off as quick as Natsu thought. Saying his name had become a second nature to Lucy. Once or twice he'd heard her mumble it in her sleep. Happy acknowledged that Natsu might be right. Recognition was slowly creeping up on her face. A little pink blush peaked on her cheeks as she began to slowly realize the embarrassment and self-consciousness of being looked at by everyone so close up.
"What did you give her?" Erza turned back on Issac, her voice as ice cold and sharp as frozen needles. The black, steady blade still hovered millimeters from Issac's throat. It may have just been Gray, but he was sure the sword was a little closer than before.
"Passion Flower -It's normally used on anxiety patients. It's a natural herb that neutralizes conscious thought." Issac stated bluntly with a matter-of-factually tone, as if everyone should know. Apparently, only the equip mage did.
"Passion Flower? That's highly addictive and the side effects are unknown." Erza exclaimed, letting her blade kiss the skin on his neck. A small bead of red blood dripped softly down his neck, careening into the dip of his collar bone. Silver seemed to barely notice. His eyes watched Lucy with a mild curiosity, fractionally aware of the fact he was still in a conversation with Erza.
"The only side-effect is a mild case of heightened emotions that last only up to two minutes." Issac's eyes slid over the red-haired mage. It's the first time since the prison visit that he'd shown any open hostility towards Erza.
"Wait." Gray's voice jumped up high in alert, finally noticing the super-obvious. "You're suppose to be in prison; A top security black-marked prison!" Gray exclaimed, his disbelief inching higher.
"Look at that," Silver sarcastically retorted, his jaw dropping with mock. "You do have a brain after all. And a pair of eyes to boot!" Gray shot him a narrowing stare, which Issac just shrugged off. "I broke out." He said with incredulous normality. "I thought you would have been informed."
"We was- I know- I mean-" Gray gave a heavy, disgruntled sigh. "I mean how?"
"Well that wasn't much of a question." Silver picked, obviously amused. "You-"
"How the hell did you break out of the highest security prison in Fiore?" Erza barked. Gray was beginning to get the feeling she liked Silver less than Gray did- quite the feat, looking at how much Gray disliked the irritating fox.
"I walked out." Issac replied once again with the same plaintive tone.
"You can't have just-" Erza began to retort.
"Oh, but I did." Issac purred. His stare stopped sharply on Erza. A horrible, disturbing smirk twisted on his lips. "Does that scare you, Titania?" The heavy atmosphere fell down on Gray like stone. It was a daunting thought considering if his legs would or wouldn't break under it's alarming mass.
A sharp squeal of fright and shock broke the silence. Everyone's eyes, even Silver's whirled round in surprise.
Lucy's body pinned itself back against the damp, wet wall. Pale red arms covered in scratches, blundered desperately up against the brick. Her feet pushed furiously against the floor, attempting to dig her heels in as hard as she could. She was trying her hardest to make as much distance as she could. Color drained from her face, leaving her skin a chalky-white. Big brown orbs were completely overtaken with fear. Lucy was so utterly frightened.
Gray's eyes jumped, following her frozen gaze. Unsurprisingly, it lead back to Silver. Gray stared with mild disbelief at his reaction. Shock peaked on Silver's face as he stared back at the girl with stiff dismay, his lips hardening into a straight line. Gray might have been mistaken, but those steeled eyes, looked just a little bit hurt. Emotion quickly retracted from his face into something cold and hard.
While Gray processed the situation, leaving behind Silver's unfathomable reaction, he realized Natsu was one step ahead of him. Two arms expanded to his sides, legs spread evenly apart, he placed his body directly between Lucy and Issac.
Warm brown eyes were filled with so much fear, it was almost impossible. Or so Natsu's heart told him. It was hard to ever imagine how Lucy had ended up ever feeling so scared. More than anything, it hurt. It hurt so bad that Natsu wasn't able to protect her from the past that frightened her so much. Raw tender pain seared through his body, echoing from somewhere deep inside him.
Natsu wasn't a god, he couldn't protect her from the past. But he could protect her now. Even if it was just a little, he could keep her safe. If that meant fighting a black-marked criminal who walked out of a top-security prison, he would do so until death.
Eventually, Gray, Happy and Erza blundered into the situation. They took up arms and quickly formed a barricade around the frozen blonde. Lucy was curled up in a whimpering ball, breathing short calming breaths. Happy moved by her side and tried to comfort her. Natsu could tell the affects of the syrum were still in effect in her system. When she was scared, no matter how much, Lucy would put on a mask and face her fear. That was one of the things that made her strong. But, at the same time, it hurt her inside. That was a painful admiration he felt.
Passion Flower's effects on her made her bare her emotions openly, and bit by bit she was trying to put her mask back together. Tears had already stopped falling from her ringed eyes. With Lucy this vulnerable, it gave Natsu a chance to show how he would protect her from harm. This time, Natsu could be her strength.
While Natsu hovered protectively close, Erza was already in full assault. Her striking blade pierced the air, grazing Issac's red smudge neck. Lucy's squeal had caught Erza by surprise, making her lower her blade. It had given Silver the opportunity to side-step it by at least a foot. Smooth agile movements took his body in a swift flow. Dodging her high speed flying black weapon seemed easy enough to him. Even so, his attention towards her was lacking on his face. It wasn't like he needed any at all. Erza had failed to land a blow on him earlier and once again, she wasn't able to. Her blade at his throat made him seem unfazed. At first, she thought he was persuasively trying to look impassive. She realized, he had no fear, tension or worry aimed at her at all. That much she should have expected. You don't get to be a black-marked criminal for nothing. Jellal had been close but Silver was on a whole new level.
Instead, his glaciated silver eyes were attentive on someone behind her. Erza didn't need more than one guess; she knew she was right. Lucy.
Erza, of all people, wasn't getting anywhere. Not even a flinch. Silver's body was like paper, gliding around the air of the slicing force of her sword with unreal weightless agility. Jumping in and out of different armors, swinging weapons and fists, all to be dodged. It was impossible. How strong was he? Gray didn't like what he didn't know. However, that wouldn't stop him from fighting. Maybe it needed both him and Erza to get a hit on the guy.
The ice torch slid between a chain link of the prison bed. Gray's fist pounded against his palm, drawing magic from inside. "Ice make:-" Gray roared, jumping into battle.
"Happy?" Lucy whimpered. Blonde hair plastered to the side of her face with cold sweat. Brown eyes looked up to the cat with bone-deep tiredness. Pale skin and blue lips were damp with tears. Lucy had stopped crying, wiping the tears away on the back of her hand. She had screamed, curled into a ball in fear, and cried, burning through the aftermath of the Passion Flower injection. Calming exhaustion settled in as she untangled her ball of limbs.
"Lucy are you okay?" Happy asked hesitantly. She looked up at him with a gentle smile that she knew looked fractured. She gave up and lifted a hand. Aching fingers ruffled the blue fur on top of his anxious face. Black, large eyes beaded with tears of relief. "I'm alright." She whispered back in a hoarse weak voice. A whirling ball of blue thudded against her chest, almost knocking her over. Her heart still pounded like a jackhammer inside her chest. She absently wondered if Happy could feel it.
At that moment, she saw a familiar back looming up ahead of her. Muscles ripple and twinged under his silk vest. White, scaled fabric fluttered in the draft that echoed in the cold. Shoulders flinched and jumped. Feet shuffled anxiously on the floor. Hands clasped and unclasped tensely -a rare nervous gesture of his when he was holding himself back from a fight, which was unusual for Natsu; Hence she knew he stood unmistakably in front of her. It felt good to hear his name echo in her thoughts again. It was weird not being able to when it was so frequently there. That, she realized, had only come to her a few moments ago. You don't notice what you have until you lose it, she thought. That saying, in some stripped-down-to-the-bone principle, kind of applied in the present situation. Still, she didn't find it all that relevant at the moment in time- Just an odd thought.
Ringing of metal managed to shake and splinter her thoughts. Lucy pushed onto the wall for support, lifting herself off the ground. To her oblivious surprise, her legs caved underneath her. Strength had been completely sapped out of them. Every time she tried to lift herself, she'd fall into a weak heap on the floor, letting out a growl of frustration.
"Natsu." She called. Even her voice sounded weak and faint. Not that it needed to be that loud anyway. She could have breathed his name, and he still would have heard it.
Dragon slayer's had good ears; Sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse, depending on her mood and situation. During the moment at hand, she was glad of it.
Natsu's body whirled towards her lightening quick. Onyx eyes took in everything about her in a second. Muscles in his shoulders went rigid as he met her gaze. Lucy watched him with a strange paralysis of shock. Natsu looked so...determined. Earlier, his soft gaze had traced the lines of her face. Looking at him like that made her feel so warm, so peaceful and calm. Even without thought, she knew he was safe. She also realized that she trusted him with her entire heart. But what was that trouble look? It seemed to have torn straight into her chest. Undeniable pain radiating like an ice wave down her spine. Why, hidden in those dark, gentle eyes, was there so much sadness?
Cold sorrow dissipated like melting snow. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he crouched down to her height, looking her directly in the eye. "Yo, Luce!" Natsu lifted a hand in greeting, giving his signature grin. That smile alone was magical, making all her worries seem trivial. A little stowaway butterfly fluttered in her stomach, causing her heart to squeeze a little bit. "You feelin' better?" A pink eyebrow arched up in a curve. He looked like a curious puppy, Lucy thought amusingly. A small giggle chuckled at the bottom of her chest. Lucy gave a weak smile, in reply. "Yeah, better." She whispered gently. Something heavy still pushed a crushing, panicked weight on her chest. Suppressing it was difficult, but she could manage. That blinding fear had completely overwhelmed her, so much so she couldn't think, just react. Issac Silver's face had become the medium of a nightmare for her after the first recurrence of her past in her dreams so many nights ago. Being frightened, making everyone protect her, even when it was her who dragged them here, was being selfish.
The injection was the same as that night in the landlady's kitchen, where she thought she saw the shackles clasped around her wrists. She had convinced herself she was here again; alone, in the room. She was scarred little Lucy Heartfilia again. Those shiny black stones that crawled out of the darkness, knowing pain would follow them. A pressure had crushed her mind on the inside, like trying to squeeze a boulder into her small skull. She didn't even feel the injection, she was so cut off. All her vision, the shackles, shoes and pain all melted away like running water. Then, she saw the faces. Her mind couldn't grasp thought. But seeing the dragon slayer's face was her sanctum. He was there again, to hold her steady.
"Help me up?" She asked, after realizing she wasn't going to lift her exhausted lump of flesh and bone off the ground alone. Hesitation crossed Natsu's face, but it sunk away into a partial sulk. Obviously, Natsu didn't think she should get up. Even so, he decided not to say anything. One arm swung over his shoulder and his went around her waist. Happy held her free hand for balance as she rose, leaning most of her weight onto the dragon slayer.
Erza and Gray were darting back and forth, launching attack at the silver-haired man. Lucy hadn't realized she flinched at the sight of him, but by Natsu's expression, it was obvious. It seemed like her two other mage friends, had failed to land a single hit. The steel hand gun in Silver's large palm was engraved with sword slash marks and ice chips, but he was otherwise unmarked. Issac didn't bother to lift a finger against them. All he did was dodge and break their advances. Strangely, Lucy hadn't expected them to be able to win against him, even though she had undying faith in both her friend's strengths, especially Erza's. Deep down, that was a sickening thought. There was also that feeling that contradicted that; One that was never really sure just how much her team mates were capable of.
"Silver." Lucy called, expecting them to stop. She forgot her voice had faded into a pitch just a little louder than a whisper. Natsu gave her a short glance with an uneasy and sympathetic smile.
"Silver." Natsu snapped. He didn't shout but his voice was firm. It resounded off the small walls of the cave, bringing everyone to an immediate, obedient stop.
Erza and Grays eyes registered Lucy first with surprise and underlying concern. She appreciated that they didn't say anything. Issac's eyes rolled over to her with a lazy glare. Somehow, Lucy suspected seeing her stood up wasn't much of a surprise. Issac's attention hadn't been completely focused on Erza and Gray. Part of it, had been on her. He ignored Natsu completely, staring directly at her. It was a little uncomfortable being under such a heavy stare. Lucy assumed he meant it that way. It could be worst if she pushed it so she decided against doing so.
"You're not here for no reason, right? Why did you come find us?" Lucy was surprised her voice was getting louder. Maybe it was just because of the silence. A smile twitched on Silver's lips and his gaze softened a fraction. The dirty grey eyes moved away, examining the wall in front of him with lacking interest.
"Nothing gets past you, Lucy Heartfilia." Silver admitted. Quick exchanged looks of surprise passed around the rest of Lucy's team's faces. As if they hadn't really thought about it until Lucy mentioned it. It seemed very plausible.
"You came here looking for us?" Gray repeated stupendously.
"Well done, boy, you an mimic words like a parrot." Issac grumbled with extra-sarcasm which wasn't necessary. After a second of considerations, he corrected his tone and added genuine seriousness "I'm quite impressed."
"Hey-!" Gray snapped back, opening his mouth to say something more. Lucy quickly intervened.
"What do you want, Silver?" Lucy said sharply. Natsu was impressed at how stern her voice was. Impatience was brimming, summoning her authoritative tone. Silver looked at her with slight surprise. For a long second, he regarded her with faint caution. It settled into a sad kind of relief. An old relief, Natsu recognized.
Finally, he replied. "I came to find you to offer my help."
Next Monday; Chapter 12; Questions
The truth about Silver's shocking offer revealed!
If you liked Shadows try checking out some of my other stories.
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-A-ccentric
