Alright everyone, this is the last of the 6 chapters I posted today. XD

Mason coughed himself awake. He sputtered several small coughs together, causing his chest to hurt. He cracked his eyes open slightly, finding himself in an unfamiliar place.

"I hate rediscovering my surrounding." He muttered, shuffling slightly. He was sitting down and leaning against a wall. He slowly ran his hand along the floor.

"Basic stone. Weathered, feels old." He muttered. He opened his eyes fully and his heart dropped.

He was behind bars in a prison cell.

He rushed to his feet and grabbed the bars, shaking them furiously.

"Dante! Natsu! Erza! Shit, where am I!" He shook the bars, although he knew they wouldn't give in.

"Quiet down, will you? The guards won't feed us if we cause a commotion." A familiar voice said. He whirled to his left, the source of the voice, to find an unfamiliar person.

His heart dropped again. Whoever it was, they sounded almost exactly like Dante, they even spoke the same way as him.

He was in a cell across form Mason, one down. He was cross-legged and wore only pants made out of a poor material, like a potato sack. He had shaggy, long brown hair that was nearly at his nipples.

"Natsu, Erza... Hmm." He lifted a hand from his knees and scratched his chin. "Fairy Tail mages. Those are some pretty important people you're calling out for. Would you happen to be part of Fairy Tail?"

"Yes, I am, not that it matters."Mason said, lowering his voice to a mutter by the end of the sentence. He slid down the bars and slumped down onto his knees.

"What is a Fairy Tail mage doing here?" The man turned towards him and shuffled towards him, interested. Mason couldn't blame him; they seemed to be the only ones here. He didn't know how long he had been here, but it must have been pretty lonely.

"They think I know where a magical item is, but I don't." Mason lied. He knew where the key was, but just in case they could hear him he said differently.

"Probably the Ursa Major key, that's all I hear them talking about nowadays." He nodded before returning to his old position. "It's a powerful item; in their hands it could be quite dangerous." He continued in a hushed voice.

"What's your name? How did you get here?' Mason asked rapidly, showing his want to change the subject.

"My name is Paro." He leaned back, looking towards the blocked sky. "I'm here because my father was a powerful wizard who fought Ragnarok."

"So you did nothing?" Mason asked with intrigue.

"Yup. Didn't lay a finger on hem. Hell I barely knew they existed before they captured me to use against my father."

"That's terrible! They can't-"

"They can." He interrupted. "I'm sentenced to life for the sin of being born, any son of Clive the Strong is apparently a sin to them. They are a strong dark guild; they can do alot of stuff without being noticed."

Mason nodded, rising from his knees. Without much else to do, he moved across the cell to the wall and slumped down it, thinking.

"Where are we?" Mason decided to ask.

"Hell if I know. I wasn't conscious for the ride here, and I'm guessing you weren't either." He told him. Mason nodded, finally out of things to ask. Except for one thing. It was itching at his mind, he couldn't not ask it.

"Do you think they'll torture me?" Mason asked in a hush tone. He was scared; he was still a boy at heart, now he had to deal with powerful criminal organizations and valuable information.

"I don't want to scare you, but yes. That information is worth the world to them, they don't care what they have to do to get it." Paro answered slowly.

Mason's eyes widened, he gulped audibly and brought his knees to his chest. He stuck his head in his knees and immediately sobbed.

He didn't know what to do; there was no way to prepare. Nobody knew here he was; nobody was coming to save him. He was only a boy, and now he was faced with torture for information.

He heard Paro curse under his breath, he walked to his bars and looked at Mason.

"Hey," He was in an awkward, soothing tone that didn't suit him. "It's alright. You can do this. They can't get that information. It's..." He stopped, he didn't want to frighten the mage anymore, but he needed to know. "Just, if they get that key, Magnolia is kaput. Not many mages can stand against that thing."

Mason choke-sobbed, even better. If he failed, everyone would die.

"C'mon man, everyone is depending on you. I'm depending on you! You're guild is! Do it for your friends! Your family!"

Mason waved away Paro's attempts with a snort. His family was in another dimension. His guild only thought of him as a beginner, nobody respected him. He had some friends, but not real friends. Maryanna was friendly to everyone, Dante poked fun at him more than he was actually a friend, Erza only talked to him because he was from Earth, and he was pretty neutral with Natsu and Lucy. If he had something he would have thrown it against the wall, nobody cared about him. He had no friends.

"Hey Paro," He forced a weak smile through the curtain of his depression. "Will you be my friend?"

"Sure kid, I'll be your friend. We're in this together now, eh?" He chuckled before smiling sadly, staring off into the not-so-distant distance.

Good. He had a friend. He had someone to care about, and someone to do the same for him.

The sound of a door unlatching dropped his spirits down back to zero. Sebastian entered with a burly man through a thick wooden door.

"Good, you are awake." He said simply, sickly joy in his voice. His eyes found Paro and they automatically lowered. "I see you have met the vermin." Paro shied away from his gaze and scuttled to the corner of his cell. Mason guessed he had felt Sebastian's hand more than once.

The large man stuck a large key into Mason's bars and shifted them aside, letting Sebastian enter.

"Donovan." He held out a hand and the large man set a hammer and a nail into it. The nail was overly large, like a railroad pulled out a dagger and knelt down, placing it against Mason's throat. Knowing he had no chance, Mason did not struggle.

"Where is the key?' Sebastian squatted and smiled at him.

"Inside your mother." Mason smiled broadly. The look on Sebastian's face was worth the groin-kick that came afterwards.

"I'm feeling nice today, so I'll ignore that. Where is the key?"

Mason remembered well the moment he had overheard it. He had sworn himself to secrecy...

What if somehow, he saw the Master again? Makarov wasn't that bad, he actually cared about everyone, he thought of them as his kids. What if he didn't tell anyone about the key, and he could tell the master that he stayed strong?

Yes, he wanted to tell Master he kept his word. This wasn't just for Paro, it was for Master.

"Never-never land!" Mason cried, sounding nonsensical to everyone else.

Before Mason could react, Donovan grabbed both of his hands and held them above his head on top of each other against a wooden support on the wall. Sebastian placed the nail point against his palm.

Mason uttered no cry as the ring of the hammer echoed through the stone room.

Donovan released his hold on his wrists, but they didn't fall to his sides. Mason tugged at his wrists, but they would not move away from the wall.

Mason screamed in shock as realization and pain came to him. The nail felt as if it was on fire, burning through his palms. Blood flowed freely down his wrists and onto his torso, staining his shirt. Of course, stains were the least of his worries. His vision was in red, large blotches covered his vision. He breathed at such a rapid pace he was nearly choking.

"I'll let you hang out for a bit, maybe it'll loosen you up." Sebastian smiled and left with Donovan, locking the door behind him.

"AHHHHH!" Mason breathing came in rapid gasps, he was hyperventilating. "AHHHHHH!"

He was panicking, he was in shock. A large nail rammed its way through his palm... no, no it couldn't have. He was dreaming, yeah he was dreaming. Dante was about to throw a towel on him, or maybe even use cold water on him and tell him to wake up. Toby would be hung around his shoulders; he would be wearing only black pants as usual, with bare feet.

The pain from his hands instantly brought him back to reality.

"AHHHHH! AHHHHH!" Mason leaned forward as far as he could and screamed at the top of his lungs. The pain only seemed to escalate. It was as if a thousand fire ants were attacking the inside of his palm, and he could only sit through it.

Maybe if he could grab the nail, he could pull it out. He flexed his fingers, but felt nearly nothing. He... he couldn't move his middle and index fingers.

He looked up and regretted it. His hands were filled with blood; splatter marks surrounded the wall around his hands. His wrists were completely crimson, the blood ending up at his torso. It was still warm and it slowly trickled, it made him uneasy. He returned his gaze to his fingers and found both middle and index fingers limp. He couldn't feel them; he couldn't move them, shit.

The pain suddenly peaked; Mason couldn't take any more and silently passed out from the pain.

000

Mason woke later; he couldn't guess how much time had passed. His eyes weren't open, but he could hear scuffling noises.

"Hey kid?" Paro leaned against his bars, a single arm slipping through and reaching out to him. "Are you okay? I heard you screaming before-" He cut himself off, seeing the nail.

"That's... sick, I can't believe..." A shudder went through Paro's body and he turned away, going back to his usual position but facing away from Mason.

Mason slowly opened his eyes. His sight was blurry and faded, his consciousness hadn't fully returned yet. He slowly slipped back into sleep.

000

Mason woke a second time more fully. His mind felt clearer. The pain finally faded, at least slightly.

He finally gained a little awareness of his surroundings. It was a little comforting, knowing the pain was subsiding slowly, that it wouldn't last forever. He was also gaining some awareness.

His entire chest was sticky and gross, as well as the entirety of his underarms. Paro was asleep in his cell, softly snoring. His hands no longer pained him, but they itched. It was a terrible feeling; every part of his inner hand that touched the nail itched terribly. They itched so much, they almost hurt. It felt like insects were crawling around inside his hands, it was sickening.

Mason grunted through the pain and looked around, trying to direct his attention somewhere else.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. It made him want to throw up now that he smelled it fully. It smelled like, he didn't even want to describe it. Sweat, dirt, rats, and other stink, not to mention lots of blood. Paro probably hadn't taken a shower in a long time, and he didn't want to know about the bathroom process in a prison.

"Hey Paro, you think Fairy Tail likes me?" He said it in a stupor, still over-thinking the subject.

"Mhmm aahh, huh?" Paro pulled himself out of sleep slowly.

"I dunno." Mason shrugged his shoulders. "Mirajane was cool, but now she's a man-eating demon. Erza only likes me-"he stopped, he needed to watch what he said. "Uh, cause I bought her a new sword."

"What are you talking about?" Paro grumbled, stretching.

"I don' think my guild likes me very much." He explained drunkenly.

"That's stupid. At least you have a guild. I've had nobody for the past four months. My parents are dead, work of Ragnarok. Everyone probably thinks I'm dead, so there goes my friends. There's no chance of getting out of here. All I've got left is the rats." He pointed towards the vermin scurrying along his legs. "Fairy Tail is a good gig. It's a family, people care about each other. I doubt anyone hates you, you're just paranoid."

He was... right. With the exception of Elfman, when had he been shown anything but kindness? Even people he had barely met, Lisanna for example, were polite and kind to him. They cared about him, he had friends.

No, they weren't friends. They were family.

"I hope my family finds me." Mason smiled slowly. "They don't know where I am, but..."

Could he really hold out? He was taken away to an unknown location, would they be able to find him before he let the information slip? The tortures were only going to get worse.

Mason clenched his jaw and looked straight ahead in sudden determination.

"They can break my body, but they won't break my spirit. I won't betray Fairy Tail."

000

The door opened and Sebastian entered, this time alone.

"Sebastian! The whale-washing dolphin!" (Shark Tale) Mason chanted nonsensically, keeping up his strange act. If Sebastian saw him in high, determined spirits, then he might torture him worse. If he saw him as a broken, crazy boy, he might be lighter in his misery.

"That I am not." He simply answered with a frown, entering his cell. "I won't hurt you anymore. I'll set you free and let you walk out of the gates a free man. Just tell me the one place that a simple key is kept. There is no point in being difficult."

Gates. Mason noted. Wherever they were, there were gates. It was unlikely to be a house in disguise as a hideout, more like an old castle or a large mansion.

"A key?" Mason suddenly furrowed his eyebrows; if he had his hands he would tap them against his chin.

"Yes, a key." Sebastian agreed impatiently.

"A key... hmm." Mason sat there, thinking. He contorted his face in strange thinking positions, stalling for as long as he dared.

"Underneath the welcome rug!" Mason yelled with fake realization.

"Not that key." Sebastian breathed through clenched teeth. He raised a fist and opened it, revealing a small orb of fire. "Maybe you need incentive!" He slammed his palm against Mason's chest.

The most sickening feeling in the world is feeling your skin being burnt off. The pain was unbearable, Mason screamed at the top of his lungs, keeping the note for a solid ten seconds.

Sebastian pulled his hand away with satisfaction. He had burnt through his clothes easily, revealing his entire chest and a sickly scorch mark between his pectorals.

"Sebastian..." Mason grunted, clenching his teeth hard. Tears took over his eyes and fell freely on the stone floor. "The whale washing... dolphin."

Sebastian frowned and kicked his chin, lurching his body sideways. His nail pulled at his hands, adding to his overall pain.

"Sebastian..." Mason stopped and breathed; trying to dull the pain he felt everywhere. "The whale... washing... dolphin..."

"I will come back one last time, and if you don't decide to loosen your tongue-" Sebastian aimed both hands at the ground and shot a blast of light at it, making the entire room rumble. Mason noticed that the floor was unscathed, Strange. Sebastian grunted and left.

Meanwhile, Mason's chest was on fire.

Raw skin surrounding the wound seethed with pain, red and enflamed. Sebastian burnt away the skin, revealing bits of white ribcage. His entire chest still sizzled quietly, still hot. The upturned, melted edges of his tunic were still flaring with the occasional flame. Mason sobbed once before passing out mercifully.

000

Unrivaled noise pulled Mason out of his trance. Mason let out a small wheeze, his chest flaring in pain when he did so.

Oh great, now it hurts to breathe.

Mason held his breath as he opened his eyes to a squint. He almost laughed at what he saw. He was probably dreaming, there was no chance it was real.

Synnova was visible through the open doorway, a shroud of darkness rising behind her. Her eyes were the epitome of anger, nearly blazing with hate. He watched as she snatched a man by the throat and hurled him against a wall.

"Where is he!?" She demanded, shadows reaching out and enveloping the man. He pointed in his direction with a shaky finger. She slammed a fist into his right eye before stomping off. Sebastian stepped in her way.

"Fairy Tail finally found their way here?" He asked absently, not caring about the answer. Light enveloped his hands, lighting up the room they were in.

"Don't stand in my way." She growled, Shadows doing likewise around her forearms.

Mason chuckled, despite the flaring pain it caused. The irony humored his hazy thoughts. Everything slowly seemed to slip, he closed his eyes softly.

He opened them just as slow, finding Synnova approaching him. She bent towards him, her white hair hanging down. She put a hand over her mouth, her red eyes glazing over his horrid appearance.

She did a little choke-sob-cough and wrapped her arms around him wordlessly. If Mason would have been more awake, he would have been very confused. Synnova sobbed once, a cold tear landed on Mason's shoulder and slowly trickled down his chest.

"Sssin-" Mason hissed, attempting her name.

"Shhh." Synnova continued to hug him. She might not have if she knew how much her body pushing against his chest pained him.

"You're going home May-May. I'm taking you home." She whispered softly in his ear.

I think a good theme for this chapter is I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin.