A/N: I return once again! Having recently updated Not Going Home, I thought I'd return my attention to one of my favorite fics. And if you thought Naruto was oddly calm last chapter...just wait 'till you see what I have next! Everything up until now has been tame compared to what lies in store for those who dare to mess with Lucy/Naruto! Death you say? Oh, no! Death is far too merciful. To quote a certain someone: "you ain't seen nothing yet. And with that being said, onward and upward!
...onto the next chapter of My Noble Mistress! It's absolutely epic! On another note, as someone pointed out, this story isn't nearly as violent as I'd intended it to be exempting last chapter. To that effect, I've changed the rating back to T-rated once more. And FINALLY we get to see what shall end on Galuna Island, as well as address the growing tension between Lucy and Naruto! And with that, Three...two...one...
...Cue playback! We're barreling headlong into the Phantom Lord arc! WARNING! THIS CHAPTER GETS...DARK. Lets also establish something here; Naruto and co. are arriving at night, which is, I do believe, right around when Levy and the rest of Team Shadow Gear was attacked. Hope that explains it.
Also, I am sicked and tired of cowardly flamers hiding behind anonymity. Take this annoying reviewer who recently flamed my popular fic "Not Going Home". No constructive criticism, just a bunch of hate, plain and simple:
"Christ...this is bad...most of your stories have a tendency to be bad, so it's sort of interesting to read them in a Uwe Boll how much worse can he get way. But this is just really horrible."
Seriously, bro? If you don't like it, then don't say it. That fic was written to be funny and SILLY, yet apparently you don't understand that. And if you're going to insult me, man up and USE AN ACCOUNT so I can reply and figure out why. Don't just flame and run away! I am still writing, despite the fact that I! AM! DYING! Does that make you feel like a man?! SNIPING at someone on their deathbed like that?!
DOES IT?!
Either way, he's been deleted. God, its crap like this that REALLY makes me want to quit this site, dealing with an immature bunch of retards like this guy...and as to the matter of my Illness, well, it isn't looking good right now, folks. Can't say anymore than that, at present. I feel deathly ill, and recovery may/may not be a possibility, I'm told. But I'm still living for now, still kicking about in spite of that...
...and to those who have supported me thus I am proud to present yet another chapter for Noble Mistress! Now...
...of we go!
"Why do I do this?! SIMPLE! BECAUSE ITS FUCKING FUUUUUUUUUN!"
~?
Her Butler, Bloody
"Something's burning."
"Ha?"
Lucy barely heard the comment as they stepped off the train and into Magnolia.
"Burning." he repeated distantly, increasing his stride. "Its burning...why is it burning...
In hindsight, the celestial mage probably should have paid better attention to her butler when he started sniffing at the air. Ordinarily, Naruto wasn't the sort to let his composure slip anywhere outside of combat, so she should have suspected something the moment he began walking ahead of her, leaving Ur and the others in the dust. Dimly, she became aware of their voices at her back, but she passed them by. Something was wrong she knew, could feel it in her bones.
"Hey."
He kept walking.
"Hey!"
No response.
"HEY! Wait a second!"
In the end she was forced to hurry after him, wondering what on earth had gotten into her devilish aide to make him act this way.
By the time she finally caught up to him, she knew why.
Naruto's reaction was nothing short of spectacular; one of the bags he'd been holding clattered to the floor in a heap, its contents spilling out amidst the cobblestones. Rage rose in his eyes, the flames of his fury kindled to a feverish pitch as he saw what had been done to Mavis's guild. His guild. Ruined. He felt his knees buckle, strength threatening to abandon him. The thin tether of his sanity threatened to snap altogether, leaving his mind awash in a sea of madness.
Because Fairy Tail lay in ruins.
Rigid metal rods stuck out in every direction, flames burned, licking across the roof and there, carved across their guild in black ink that symbol...
"PHANTOM!"
The word burst out of him a rush of noise, a furious howl that nearly deafened all of Magnolia on the spot.
"Uwah! What on earth?!" Lucy yelped in surprise as the street suddenly shattered underfoot, stone bursting beneath her shoes. Naruto roared again, and all the world seemed to cry out with him, bits of rubble rising into the sky around him, the very legions of hell threatening to rise up and march to war with him if someone didn't calm him down...!
When he looked at her, all trace of civility and decorum had been stripped away, exposing the beast beneath.
"I'LL KILL THEM!"
(A few blocks away...)
Ur gagged.
Shock overtook her in an instant, her body betraying her in a rush of angry heat and agony.
It felt as though her body were trying to tear itself apart, split in half and fall to pieces; like a giant had reached inside her and squeezed her heart. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't even see-everything was a sea of red and she was trapped at the bottom. Bit by bit, inch by inch, she felt herself slipping away, surrendering to the unholy bloodlust of her sire.
Piece by piece, she was fading...
"What the hell's going on...?!"
(Back at the ruins of Fairy Tail...)
Naruto wasn't quite sure when or why he came back to himself...
"Sh."
...only that he did.
"You'll be okay."
The blood rage faded, gradually, the scarlet waves of wrath gradually subsiding enough to allow him to think. Distantly, he became aware of slim arms enfolding him, a soft voice whispering in his ear. The white of those furious eyes faded, replaced by calm, gentle blue oceans. Stiffly, he moved his own limbs, returning the embrace. Her lips graced his softly, a balm to this rioting storm of emotions still clamoring within his chest. Nearly every instinct demanded that he push her away and seek out the ones responsible, but somehow, someway, she calmed him.
"Lucy...
"Calm down." the words were a naked whisper in his ear. "Just...calm down. Don't lose yourself again."
"But-
"It's alright," she soothed, stroking his hair. "Just calm down. We'll get the ones who did this, I promise...
In that instant, Lucy finally understood him.
His anger wasn't something he chose to be a part of; it simply was. But where were Master and the others? Were they here? Even aware, of what had happened? She wasn't entirely sure why Naruto was so attached to the guild and its well-being, but in this moment, she knew his anger. She wanted to find the ones responsible, tear them apart and oh dear sweet kami, he really was corrupting her, wasn't he...?
"I swear on my life, I'll hunt him down and-
"Gehehe...don't have to look far, there."
Aaaaaaaand just like that the rage was back.
In spades.
...so it was you..."
Gajeel Redfox of Phantom Lord didn't bat an eyelash.
Leaning almost leisurely against the wall, he actually dared to laugh.
"Yup. Strung up those three weaklings, too. Now, hand over the girl. Master Jose wants her."
...and why, pray tell, does he want my mistress?"
Gajeel fought down a shiver as the blond's eerie smile continued to grow.
"Oh, some crap about the Heartfilia fortune, I guess."
Those eyes, they were looking right through him, weren't they?
"In that case, would you kindly piss off?"
-HOKO!"
Lucy's eyes bugged as the slayer's head snapped back and spat.
His arm snapped up as Gajeel's roar cannoned into him, the maelstrom of steel gouging out great chunks of masonry and stone around them. All felt silent in the night; a few terrified townsfolk dared to peek out of their windows into the night. A snarl sent them shrieking back into the safety of their homes.
"Heh."
The Iron Dragon Slayer wasn't expecting the laugh, when it came.
Because it didn't come from him.
It came from Lucy.
A soft chuckle arose from the smoke; because there she stood, utterly unharmed behind the impenetrable shield of her butler.
"You know," she hummed, "...I think I get it now."
"Eh?"
The Heartfillia heiress sighed, pushing a strange of golden hair out of her eyes.
"How Naruto feels! Just a little bit, anyway. I can understand why he'd want to maim someone like you. But the funny thing is, despite all your threats...
...that you're still standing."
Gajeel blinked.
"Still standing? Of course I'm still staaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
"Oh, there we go!" she chirruped happily.
"Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitch!"
Those baffled words dissolved into senseless, hopeless gibberish as his right hand tumbled away from him-spurting blood. A gleam of light flashed in the night, silvery strands dripping with dragonslayer blood. Another flick of those fingers and a leg fell away, savagely sliced away at the knee. Naruto lowered a hand, strings still streaming from his fingertips. His smile was like flint, icy and cruel. His approach bespoke of pain, torment untold, and ultimately...death.
"Who wants daddy's belt?" he purred.
There was no defense against those strings; they cut right through his iron hide with ease, flaying skin and steel alike. Struggle as he might it was impossible to resist; already lacking an arm and leg, he could only cry out as the angry blue ribbons carved into him with ruthless abandon. Finally, just when he thought he could take it no more, when one could no longer tell the difference between flesh and blood, the assault finally came to a grinding hault.
"Now think about what you've done."
Gajeel gurgled wetly, twitching on the ground. He'd live. Maybe.
Lowering the unholy threads, Naruto waltzed over the dragon slayer's still-twitching body, stomping upon his stomach once as he passed him by. Gajeel gagged. The sound of his scream was like sweet, sweet music to the blond's ears, the purest of symphonies condensed in a singly cry of pain.
Without missing a beat, he kept right on walking.
"Where are you going?"
"I would think that obvious, ojou-sama." he never slowed, not once. "I'm going to kill the one responsible for this." His fingers flexed, knuckles cracking with menace. "Slowly, painfully, peel his skin away piece by piece, the muscle, then bone, ever so slowly, so painfully...make him wish for death...
"You come back to me." her hand turned his cheek back to her. Azure eyes bored into sapphire. "No matter what. Understood? Do whatever it takes."
His eyes lit up. "Oh? Is that an order? Are you telling me to kill?"
Lucy gulped.
Ah, but there it was again.
The crux of the matter, the impasse between them.
Naruto claimed to serve her in both body and misbegotten soul, to have nothing but her best interests at heart, but she'd always felt a subtle challenge from him. He was a loyal friend, partner, aide, and now ,lover, but even so, he seemed to delight in dealing death wherever he went. Perhaps...he was right? The only good enemy was a dead enemy, the sort who didn't rise up again and seek revenge. And Phantom Lord clearly seemed to want her for some misbegotten gains...
On that cold, burning night, she made her decision.
"That is an order, my servant! Search and destroy! Search and destroy!" she grabbed him by the collar, savagely forcing his mouth to hers, reveling in his shocked expression as she pulled away. "Any force that stands in your way is to be squashed! Don't run and hide! Walk through the front door and blow them away! Crush all opposition! Reduce them to smithereens!" Oh. Oh crap. I really did that. I actually...said it. It was the first and only time she'd spoken to him in such a way, and it immediately left her flush, embarassed, and strangely aroused all at once.
A beat of silence passed between them.
Then, almost demurely, Naruto took her hand in his, raised it to his lips, kissing it. His grin made the devil himself look tame.
"Yes, my master."
In a blink of shadow, he vanished.
(Miles away, as a gloved fist began knocking on a door...)
"Knock. Knock."
Aria of the Element Four fumbled upright from his bed in the guild hall, mumbling crossly. Who on earth could it be at this hour? He hadn't expected Gajeel back until the morning, least of all now. Had he accomplished his task and returned already? Grumbling, the rotund man reached for the doors handle. Something made him hesitate, though, just before opening the main gate.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming! Who is it-
"Oh, you know who it is." A muffled voice answered.
A booted foot shot out and shattered the door like wet driftwood, sending the portly man sailing.
"A REAL FUCKING MONSTER!"
A/N: Wow that was quick! AND THE SLAUGHTER BEGINS NEXT CHAPTER!
Ur isn't exactly as human as she appears, her little arguement with Naruto certainly construed that much. Why, you ask? Because he's a demon! Lucy is the one and only person for whom he cares, everything else is basically done on a whim. His dedicaition to Mavis is a very close second however, and as you've seen, he doesn't take kindly to any damages inflicted upon his former home. But enough about that!
PHANTOM LORD'S ABOUT TA FEEL DA PAIN! Naruto style at its finest! Read the preview below to get an idea of the epicness that is coming.
After all...
...he is one hell of a butler. If you got the TFS AND Kurohitsuji references, remember...
I OWN NOTHING! Once again we see Naruto softening towards Lucy, as well as divulging some very much wondered secrets as to his mysterious pasts. All in a day's work for Hell's favorite butler! I almost feel sorry for Lyon and his flunkies...but not that sorry! Deliora arc ends and Phantom Lord arc BEGINS next chappy! Poors bastards, they're gonna wish they were never born...
Naruto is quite blatant about what he'll do to anyone who messes with his mistress; he'll flay them to pieces and leave them drowning in a pool of their own blood. Pairing is still NarutoxLucy, for the moment! He's downright bloodthirsty when it comes to battle, but where she's concerned, he's as harmless as a puppy! Granted, an incredibly dangerous, and volatile puppy that would sooner EAT you then let you near his master, but a puppy still! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Translations:
Bakemono= Monster.
Ojou-sama= My lady.
Hime= Princess.
Jigoku no Banken= Hounds of Hell
Now that I've provided the translations and such, feel free to review.
So...in the immortal words of Atlas...
...Review...Would you Kindly?! And of course, enjoy the preview! Thar be two this time!
(Preview)
"That wasn't very nice, you know. I do believe you've ruined my favorite outfit."
"It was already in tatters. Just like your pride."
Naruto sighed, tugging off a glove. "That does it."
"What?"
His shadow twisted, warped, bending into something horrendous. Blood red eyes leered back at his foe.
"EVERYTHING DIES~!"
"It's funny, really." Jose cackled. "I didn't think you'd play your hand so soon. A murderer like you has no place in the guild world."
"Perhaps." A gloved hand rose, quietly adjusting his collar. "But I am a simple dog, here to serve my mistress. My only place is in her world, not this one."
"Funny you should say that...
...what?"
"Do you understand why it is that I never killed your little slut of a mistress outright?" Those dark, eerie eyes found his, sneering. "Despair. It was to show you despair. How would you feel to open your eyes and find your beloved guild and your beloved nakama all completely defeated? Ahahah...such sorrow you would feel. I will kill you only once I have made you see despair and sorrow! I cannot simply kill you! I must make you, you above all suffer, suffer, suffer to the very end for serving the Heartfillia family, for endorsing Fairy-
"I'm going to give you one chance. Kneel."
"You expect the number-one guild in the country to bow down to you?! TO ONE MAN?!" Jose snorted, standing over Naruto's eerily still form, scowling. "Bah! Demon or not you're no match for me now that I know your weakness! Now," A lecherous grin twisted his face, "I'll just take that bratty master of yours and do whatever I-
BA-KRAM!
Jose felt his jaw fracture as a mighty backhand sent him sprawling, his back kissing one wall then another and another and still another...until momentum had flown him through half the guild in its haste to escape the hellish creature trailing after in his wake. The blow had come from out of nowhere; one moment the butler had been down, the next he was on the ground and nursing his aching cheek. How was this possible?! He had the blackest of magics at his beck and call! How had the fool risen from that?!
"Jose, you suicidal bastard!"
Hellfire erupted all around him, caging him, hemming him in. He tried to counter it, as he had before. Nothing happened. If anything the blaze burned even brigther, an ever-narrowing circle of death that promised only death, and not a swift one.
"Nothing will save you from me." A low growl slithered through the shadows of the guild, trickling through those dreadful flames. "Not Gajeel, not your Element Four, not your men, not magic, not armour. I'm going to cut you...I'm going to mince you...I'm going to destroy you!"
"H-How?!" he gulped, clamoring back to his feet as the shadowy creature dragged itself through the hole after him. "How are you still alive?!"
The apparition did not respond, motionless and silent, standing prone, as if waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Ice ran up Jose's spine to the base of his skull. And still, nothing happened. Their standoff continued, the moments passing like decades, until Jose could no longer stomach the torture any longer. He shrieked:
"Why won't you fall?!"
Naruto stood woodenly, bleeding from a dozen wounds, each fatal in their own right.
"You...really don't get it...do you..." he scowled. "Why I keep getting back up again." He straightened solemnly, shadows stemming from his form, wires slick from his fingertips. "It doesn't have anything to do with you or your her soul, or even my own desires. It's because Lucy is...always has been...and always will be...yes...because...
"Dead Wave!"
The blond raised a hand, the violet wave dissipating harmlessly against his palm.
"BECAUSE SHE IS MY NOBLE MISTRESS!" Slitted eyes narrowed, judging him, and deeming him unworthy. "And you, little man...
...ARE DOG SHIT!"
He descended upon him like a wraith, fangs bared!
R&R!=D