Chapter 21 - Tea with a Demon

Hell – Seventeenth Level – Time Unknown

"Tea? Tea?!" Natsu fumed. No, like the barrels of gunpowder strewn outside the pyramid, he felt like exploding. "After all that…the torture — your disappearance — shit…I was worried—" He proceed in insert a couple more expletives, "Damn it Lucy! I escaped and came here to rescue you, and what, you're having tea?! With the enemy?"

Lucy had the decency to blush in embarrassment. "But it was good."

Anger and frustration overruled all reasoning. Natsu was about to set off another round of scolding, with his chest puffed and arms crossed, when one pull of his shoulder caused his back to flare in pain.

Her eyes dipped in worry at the sound of his hiss. "Natsu, you're hurt!"

"Of course I'm hurt!" Natsu exclaimed, mentally cursing some more. "What did you think I was doing? Taking a walk in the park?"

She flinched, ever so slightly, but quickly bounced back to her cheerful self. "Here, let me help." She got up and pulled him down towards the cushions. Natsu sat with a loud huff, planning on staying angry, but it was hard when Lucy materialized a set of first-aid supplies and started carefully dressing his wounds. "It's a good thing you bought these earlier, Natsu."

I did?

He didn't quite remember when, but it didn't matter. Natsu grumbled and turned away from Lucy as she dabbed a strange liquid onto his back with a small cotton ball. He didn't even know you could perform first-aid on a dead soul. "What are you doing anyways?"

"It's hell water," Lucy said, as she pressed against one of his open wounds. Natsu hissed. "Sorry. Hell water helps mend your soul body. It obviously won't save your soul from ultimate destruction, but it should help with small things like this."

Natsu nodded his head in understanding. He sat still, letting her do as she wished. His skin tingled wherever her fingers would brush against it. His fist clenched when he remembered someone was watching them with amusement. He narrowed his glance at their silent observer. "What are you doing with this guy anyways?"

"Oh, you mean Freed?"

His eye twitched. "Oh, so this guy has a name now?"

Freed chuckled, his black tail draping over his thigh. "I believe I had told you my name earlier as well, human. During our interrogation."

"Oh?" Lucy paused, leaning slightly over his shoulder. "How did that go? Was it fun?"

"Fun?!" Natsu hissed as he pulled on another cut.

"A-Ah. Sorry," Lucy quickly replied. She continued to dress his wounds."I forgot you don't enjoy those."

Natsu grumbled.

Freed coughed slightly, trying to hide another smirk. "Lucy here has been trying to negotiate your freedom, Natsu."

"You were?"

"Of course," Lucy said with a smile. "We're friends now right? That's what friends do…I think."

"O-Oh…" Natsu blushed. "Thanks, Lucy."

Freed smiled, leaning forward on his cushions. He sat cross legged and rested his chin on his open palm. "Yes, she was…quite the negotiator."

Something flashed across Lucy's face, but it was gone before Natsu could figure out what it was, replaced by her usual cheerful smile.

His eyes flickered towards the small wooden chest next to Freed's cushions, but before he could ask about it, Freed continued, "You are quite interesting yourself, Natsu. Lucy has been telling me all about you. I am quite curious to see how far you will reach."

Wait. "So…you won't stop us?"

"Us?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention that I was going too," Lucy added.

Freed frowned, leaning back. His eyes studied Lucy with an indecipherable tinge. "Now, not that I care much for it, but Hell is not going to appreciate a stray demon running amok."

"Don't worry. I'm sure I'll be fine."

Freed sighed, but made no more comments.

Natsu cleared his throat. "So, Freed, if you're here, does this mean you're the guardian for Seventeen?"

"Me? Guardian?" Freed laughed, light and airy. "No, no. I wouldn't do something so boring. To be honest, Lucy, I'm puzzled as to why you volunteered for the job in the first place. No, I am much more happy overseeing my prisoners here, even though someone just unleashed chaos over all of them."

Natsu slouched. That meant there was someone else. "Are we even close to the gate then?"

"Oh, you're here," Freed said, "that you've got correct." He pointed towards a torch-lit hallway to his left. "Head down there into the center of the pyramid. You will not miss it."

"Thanks, Freed!" Natsu exclaimed. "Maybe you're not as bad as I thought…"

Free shook his head in amusement. Before they left he had one last thing to say. "Lucy."

"Hmm?"

Freed's eyes flashed with warning. "I may not care for your presence, but mark my words. Other's wont be as…accommodating."

Her jaw tightened. "I know."

They headed off.

Magnolia – Present Day – Sixteen Days after Death

"Layla Heartfilia?"

Levy nodded. "Layla was from old money. A young socialite and the daughter of a Duke. I'm certain she was the one who backed Jude's venture."

"Heartfilia? So, he took her name, huh?"

Levy's voice took on a somewhat dangerous tone. "Something wrong with that?"

"N-No," Gray answered, laughing nervously. He tried to get them back on topic. "U-Uh so what made her so special?"

Levy sighed. She picked up another photograph. A black and white with the several young woman standing next to each other in a row. "Layla Heartfilia was the heart of society. Attended all the balls and socials. Her father wasn't pleased with her falling in love with a commoner, but eventually he let them do as they wished. Even lent money and staff to their operations."

"How did you find out all of this?"

"Even the fifties had gossip magazines you know. And contrary to belief, sometimes you find the juiciest bit of information in them."

"Ah, so the flameball definitely didn't get to this part."

"Of course not. He is...was Natsu after all."

A small silence filled the air after Levy's comment.

"So..." Gray attempted to continue. "What happened next?"

Levy frowned, her hands fisting into her jeans. "No one knows. One day, both Jude and Layla disappeared off the face of the earth. Stopped attending social gatherings and press conferences. Just poof gone. Some magazines thought they wanted to get away from the media…because they were having a child."

"But why hide? Wouldn't that have been a good thing?"

"Not after what happened to their first one." Levy picked up another article. This one had no pictures. Just words of condolences. "Apparently, Layla Heartfilia miscarried her first child. The doctors said it was from too much stress. Maybe, for the sake of their second child, they decided to keep away?"

"So, was she really pregnant?"

"…No one knows."