A/N: wow, it's almost 1 am. Did not know that. Guess time really does fly when you're having fun. No wonder why I'm so tired...
anyway, thanks for all the wonderful reviews, favorites, and follows. I know I sound like a broken record, saying the same thing over and over again, but I have to thank you every time. It's the only polite thing to do, the least I could give you guys, besides update as fast as I can. I try.
hope you like!
Natsu threw himself at Shigeru. The black haired man jumped In front of the king, wielding a longsword. Natsu grinned as their swords clashed. His eyes narrowed, and he licked his lips in anticipation. He's always been one who liked a good fight. Natsu lived for excitement.
You're done for, red eyes, Natsu thought triumphantly. The black haired man winced as Natsu's sword vibrated, making his own shake. With a hiss, he dropped his sword, and Natsu dived in for the kill.
Or, at least tried to. At the last second, the black haired man dodged to the side with uncanny speed, the tip of Natsu's blade just missing his head by inches. Natsu grinned. He's a quick one, that he is.
"Nice moves there, bud," Natsu said appreciatively. He swung his sword expertly and pointed it at the man, who was bending down to pick up his sword. Behind him stood Shigeru, looking on with hatred at Natsu. Natsu was vaguely aware of Lucy fumbling in her cloak for something, but he paid no mind. As long as she was safe under his protection, then he could focus on the problem at hand with ease. Sure, she could definitely take care of herself, but Natsu had had a fierce desire to make sure she stayed safe. Right now, she was.
The black haired man grinned fiercly. "I'd like to know your name, pinky." He picked up his sword and pointed it at Natsu.
"The name's Natsu Dragneel, not pinky. How 'bout you, blackie?" Natsu mocked. He hated being called pinky. It's not like he chose to to have pink hair.
The black haired man tipped his chin down. "Touche. The name's Rogue. Rogue Cheney, at your service."
Natsu smiled. "Very well, Rogue. Now, I hate to burst your bubble, but I have to get to that man behind you. No offense." With that, Natsu lunged forward, slamming into Rogue. Rogue snarled and twisted, slashing out at Natsu. The pinkette hissed with pain as the tip of Rogue's sword tore through the back of Natsu's shirt, slicing his back open. Natsu felt hot blood pour from the wound, and he hissed, but didn't falter. Natsu rolled away and twisted at the last minute, slashing out with his sword. Rogue had chased after him, and cried out as Natsu's blade whipped across his unprotected thigh, tearing his trousers and inflicting a devastating blow upon the limb.
Rogue collapsed, blood dripping out of his leg. Innhis moment of weakness, Natsu used it to his advantage. The pinkette slowly got up, glaring at Shigeru, who drew his sword in a panic. "So what, Shigeru, you lost that bravery from before? Scared? You should be. 'Cause when I'm done with you, you'll be begging for death."
Natsu threw himself forward, bringing his sword down at Shigeru's face. Out of nowhere, Rogue was between him and the king, his sword held up to block Natsu's strike. As soon as their blades connected, Rogue winced and dropped his sword from discomfort. You'd think he would learn from the first time, Natsu thought.
Natsu stopped midstrike, holding himself from finishing that final blow. He glared into Rogue's eyes. "Move," he hissed out through gritted teeth. He would give Rogue this one chance to step a snide and surrender. Natsu was giving him this one chance of mercy.
Rogue shook his head. He sagged momentarily, due to his leg wound, but stood firm. "No," he murmured, fierce determination lighting up in his red eyes. "I will protect my king to the death."
"And so you will," Shigeru said quietly. Natsu's eyes widened, the realization coming to late. Almost in slow motion, he watched, with wide eyes, as a shining blade erupted out of Rogue's chest. The black haired man coughed, his eyes widening in pain and disbelief. Blood streamed out of his mouth, and he sagged.
Pain erupted in Natsu's chest as that shining blade pierced his chest. He cried out in pain and collapsed. Shigeru pulled his blade away from Natsu and Rogue, the two of them collapsing to the ground in and thick pool of blood. Natsu grunted, feeling his blood pulse out of the wound, pain turning her edges of his sight red.
Natsu heard Lucy scream in pain and hatred. His eye sight dimmed, and the only thing he could comprehend was the pain.
"Let's go!"
Erza's blade slammed into Ultear's, her eyes burning with hatred. Ultear smiled evily and laughed, parrying Erza's strikes. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jellal and Zeref clashing, their exchange of blows almost too fast for the blind eye. Each man had a snarl on their face as they tried to get the upper hand.
Erza heard the subtle whoosh of air- the sound of a blade flying towards her- and threw herself to the side at the last moment. Ultear's blade sliced through her sleeve and grazed the skin, making Erza hiss.
Erza went on the defensive, backing up and deflecting blows Ultear threw at her. she hissed as Ultear nicked her arm, her thigh, her cheek. Erza was losing ground. She couldn't get a hold of herself.
Pay attention, Red, Erza scolded, giving herself a pep talk. She glared at the queen through narrowed eyes. She relaxed her muscles and cleared her mind.
Watch her movements. Look for weak spots, slower movements, anything vulnerable.
Ultear stormed towards Erza. The wound that Erza had given her earlier hindered the Queen's movements, causing her to have have a slight hitch in her throat, a faint tremble in her arm muscles as she hefted her sword.
Let her come to you. Bait her on. Have her come to you.
Ultear walked up to Erza. Erza backed up. She parried a few blows, dodged the rest. She let Ultear come in close, then back up again, leaving the queen frustrated and angry.
Get them angry. The more you get your enemy mad, the more careless they become.
There! Ultear stumbled and tripped, leaving herself vulnerable.
Erza took a deep breath in. A deep breath out. Her grip on Benizakura tightened.
She lunged forward, her mind lucid, her muscles relaxed, her concentration at its highest peak of clarity. She was ready.
She was Titania Erza, the Red Silence of Fairy Tail.
She was an assassin.
Jellal snarled in pain, his blood spurting out of his body as Zeref dragged his rapier's edge down Jellal's side. Jellal yanked himself away from Zeref and backed up slowly, never tearing his eyes away from the black haired man.
"What is it, King Jellal? Scared? Frightened? You should be." Zeref swung his rapier around with ease. "You're facing certain death, you know."
Jellal smirked. "On the contrary," he snarled. "I've never felt more alive."
He threw himself forward, no hesitation in his strike. He aimed for Zeref's neck, where the delicate pulse fueled on Zeref's life. Now that he no longer wielded Curtana, Jellal could fight to his full capacity. He didnt have to worry about granting his enemies mercy, especially those enemies who didn't deserve it. His feelings of mercy were suppressed for now, and at this point, he was overcome with anger towards the Veronican's for taking his country, and a fierce desire to protect Erza from harm. He was unstoppable.
He could see her out of the corner of his eye. She was pressing Ultear into a corner. Jellal could tell the queen was weakening. Now he had to take care of Zeref.
Zeref held up his sword, blocking Jellal's strike. The king grinned and twisted, drawing a dagger out from the confines of his cloak, and, with a triumphant shout, drove the dagger home, burying it up to the hilt in Zeref's side.
The man cried out in pain, sagging. Jellal kicked him away and whirled, pointing his sword at the man. Zeref went down to one knee, his hand going for the knife buried in his side. With and loud cry, he grabbed it's hilt and yanked it out of his body. With a squelching sound, the blade slid free, and was followed by a spurt of blood.
Zeref immediately threw the dagger away from him. His hand clasped onto his side, trying to prevent himself from losing too much blood. He spat out a globule of blood, and stood up slowly, grasping his sword.
"I think it's your time to be scared, Zeref," Jellal murmured coldly. He held his sword out in front of him. "Because I'm not showing mercy to you."
Jellal threw himself forward. Zeref dodged, swing his sword out at the last minute, catching Jellal in the side, in the same place where he had cut the king before. Jellal howled in pain, collapsing on the ground as excruciating pain laced through his body.
Zeref stood unshakily over him, his sword poised over Jellal's heart. "And neither am I," the black haired man hissed.
The sword fell.
Lucy's eyes widened in horror as she watched Shigeru stab his own man to hurt Natsu. Rogue coughed, spitting up blood, and Natsu cried out in pain as the tip of the sword entered his body. Behind the two of them, Shigeru cackled in a wicked and evil glee, sending shivers down Lucy's spine. Her heart pounded, her hands trembled, but she forced herself to focus. She almost broke when Natsu collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood forming under him, but she had to be strong. Like Erza would have.
She stepped forward. "Shigeru," she cried out. "How dare you hurt one of your own. Have you no sense of loyalty?"
Shigeru eyed her coldly, one of his eyes swollen shut and bloody, thanks to Lucy's incredible marksmanship. Kudos to Deadeye for insisting on teaching her. Who knew that training would pay off so well?
"I have no loyalties for anyone." Shigeru snarled. "My loyalties are to me and myself. That's all."
Lucy narrowed her eyes, and gestured to Rogue's limp form, occasionally twitching. His eyes were wide with pain and disbelief, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to take a breath. Behind him, Natsu tried to push himself up, a snarl on his face and a fiery light burning in his fierce, beautiful eyes. Even when he was terribly injured, the fire to keep going fueled him on. He was the most resilient man she ever lnew. He was a hero. Her hero.
"You're telling me you have no loyalty to this man who was willing to give up his life for you? What about your daughter? Don't you have loyalty towards your own child?"
Shigeru laughed heartuly, making Lucy's blood freeze. "What do I care? He's only about simple soldier, which are easily replaceable. And as for my daughter, well, she was going to be the first to die as soon as I gained complete and total control of this country."
Lucy felt her blood boil. "How dare you," she hissed, pulling both fists out of her cloak. She looked hard at Shigeru. "She's you're own daughter! Do you have no love for your family?"
"That does not matter. What mattered was the slight chance that she could've taken the throne away from me. I can't let that happen-"
"I've had enough," Lucy interrupted. She glared at Shigeru. "Why don't you tell this to your daughter for yourself? Let her hear it for herself."
She flung out her hands, sending eight senbon flying towards shigeru. The king tried to dodge, but his attempt was short lived. Two slammed into his rib cage, one in his right bicep, another in his thigh, another in his hand, and another missed. But the final one, the one Lucy was counting on, hit her target right where she wanted it to.
Shigeru screamed out in utter agony as the senbon pierced his other good eye. The sliver of metal slid in cleanly, piercing the pupil. He wss blind instantly, blood already pouring from the wound. The pain was no doubt excruciating and unbearable, but Shigeru deserved so much more than that. He deserved to burn in hell for the rest of eternity, bearing the weight of his sins for the rest of his days.
The king collapsed, holding his head and crying in pain. Lucy stood over him, her face stoic. She reigned in her emotions, otherwise she'd have killed him right then and there. And to be honest, even though Ultear was just as corrupt, she deserved to hear her father's words. Then maybe she'd change. It was a far cry, Lucy would give it a shot.
"You don't deserve to live," she hissed.
"Lucy…" a quiet voice whispered, and she turned to see Natsu crouching, blood pouring from his chest. Lucy raced over, well aware that Shigeru would be incapacitated for quite some time.
"Natsu," she whispered, reaching out to him. He grasped on to her hand.
She smiled at him. "I came up with your Fairy Tail nickname," she murmured. His eyes brightened. "Oh really?" He murmured. "What is it then?"
She pointed at his eyes. "Salamander, due to the bright fire in your eyes. According to legend, a salamander was was a huge fire breathing dragon that went on rampages so terrible that no one could stand up to them. You have the spirit of a salamander. Such endurance. I can see it in your eyes. You're a fighter."
Natsu smiled slightly, pressing a hand to his wound. He nodded towards Shigeru. "Well, your Salamander is asking you what else should do with that one."
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "My Salamander, huh?" She raised an eyebrow.
Natsu nodded. He pressed his forehead against hers. "Yours. Forever."
Lucy blushed and looked away. To distract herself, she tried to figure out where Erza was. "Erza was probably going to go after Ultear. We have to find them both, and get that one-" Lucy gestured over to the writhing ball of annoyances that was Shigeru- "to confess to Ultear what he told us."
Natsu nodded. "Sounds like a plan. But what do we do with him?" Natsu asked, gesturing to Rogue, who was still alive, but just. Even as Natsu was speaking, Lucy could see the rise and fall of Rogue's chest grow weaker and weaker due to the substantial amount of blood he was losing. If he didn't get his wounds patched up, he'd die.
Lucy bent down and rolled Rogue over onto his back. "Shirt," she ordered, reaching out to Natsu and gesturing for him to take his shirt off. In confusion, Natsu did as he was told , and handed her the article of clothing. Lucy took his shirt and wordless tore it into strips, then efficiently bound Rogue's wounds. Once she was done, she stood up, and picked up Rogue's fallen sword, slashing the hem of her cloak until she came up with a decent sized piece.
"Up," she ordered to Natsu. He stood, wincing a bit as he jarred his wound, but sighed in relief when Lucy dressed his wounds. Her fingers lingered on his skin, tracing the contours of his chisled chest. Natsu smiled and grabbed her wandering hand. "I think we have to find someone before we get to the naughty stuff, don't you think?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Lucy rolled her eyes, and walked over to Shigeru.
"Come on. We've got a confession to deliver."
Erza narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare!" She screamed out, ramming into Ultear, sending her flying into Zeref, eh was just about to take Jellal's head. The three of them fell, crashing down in a pile of entangled limbs.
Erza struggled to rise, pushing herself away from Ultear. She felt a hand grab her arm and haul her away from Zeref and Ultear. It was Jellal, and he quickly helped her up. His eyes were narrowd, and he held his sword out in front of him, protectively shielding Erza with his body.
Ultear struggled to get up. But strangely, Zeref didn't get up. And then Erza saw it.
The small point of a dagger poked out of Zeref's throat, blood pouring out of his jugular. A stead stream of blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth, and his red eyes stared sightlessly at the ceiling.
Jellal sucked in a breath. "That was my dagger I used to stab him," he breathed, his eyes wide with shock. Erza immediately put two and two together: when she had tackled Ultear, she had sent them all flying into Zerefl. They had fallen on the knife, and during during the struggle to get free of eachother, he got impaled on the the blade.
Ultear screamed out in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Zeref's body. "N-No!" She wailed. Erza picked up Benizakura and pointed it at Ultear. "It's over, Ultear," she said. "You've lost."
"I haven't lost," Ultear snarled. "Not when my father is still supporting me."
"Actually," a clear voice said, full of malice. "It is."
Erza turned in the direction of the voice, her eyes widening as she took in the sight of Natsu and Lucy, each bloody but alive, dragging a limp and bloody Shigeru behind them.
Lucy stopped, and Natsu dumped Shigeru next to Ultear. Erza's eyes narrowed as she took in the senbon sticking out of Shigeru's body, including the one in his eye. Lucy's handiwork. That was one of Lucy's specialties as The Siren: seduce, get close, blind, kill. Shigeru trembled, fear in his body language, but there was also an hint of pure animosity in him.
"Now, Shigeru," Lucy spat out. "Why don't you tell your daughter what you so kindly told us?"
Jellal walked over to Erza and rubbed her shoulder. His eyes narrowed on Shigeru's form. The dark green orbs darkened with hatred and disgust as he looked at the man he'd come to hate so much. Discreetly, Erza reached down and squeezed his hand, as if to say, "don't worry, I'm here for you." Jellal squeezed her hand in return, the tension going out of his shoulders.
Ultear took her father's hand in hers. "Father," she whispered. "What are you not telling me?" He voice trembled. "You do love me father, don't you?"
Shigeru raised his head. Even with his blindness, Erza could still feel the same sense of malice running through his veins. He turned to his daughter.
"You were such a stupid girl," he hissed. Ultear froze. "You actually thought I loved you? You're so naive, Ultear. Too naive to see that I was using you to do the dirty work. Too stupid to see that I wss going to kill you as soon as I took over this kingdom." He cackled gleefully.
Erza narrowed her eyes, and Jellal sucked in a breath. Natsu and Lucy looked on with eyes full of contempt.
Ultear's eyes welled up with tears, and she fell over to sit on her heels. Her eyes were full of disbelief and confusion. "Father.."
Shigeru snarled. "I'd be so better off without you. And I still can. I can still rid myself of you."
Shigeru suddenly whirled, grabbing for Natsu, somehow managing to incapacitate the pinkette and draw his sword. Erza lunged forward, but Shigeru swung the sword, and Erza was forced to jump out of the way, making her drop Benizakura. In the process, she twisted her ankle, making her fall down onto the floor with a heavy thump. She hissed in pain. "God damnit!" She cried out, looking at Shigeru, who was holding the sword over Ultear, who wss sitting froze with shock, on the ground. Her eyes looked at her father towering over her, but she made no move towering protect herself.
"Goodbye, my precious Ultear." Shigeru snarled, opening his bloody, unseeing eyes. It was an unnerving sight.
Jellal raced forward, but Shigeru wad already bringing the sword down. He wouldn't get there in time.
Suddenly, a blonde flash appeared behind Shigeru, holding Benizakura. She slashed once, a perfect blow, quick and easy, and Shigeru's head toppled off his shoulders. Ultear's eyes widened as she was spattered with her father's blood. She gave one loud scream of anguish, and collapsed in full faint.
Lucy turned, holding Benizakura, the length of the blade dripping with Shigeru's blood. She smiled at Erza and swung the blade, letting an arc of blood fly into the air.
"Today marks the end of an era." She murmured.
A/N: so, I'm thinking of having a few lemons coming up in the next few chapters. How do you guys feel about that? Definitely Jerza, maybe Nalu? Not sure about Gruvia or Miraxus, since I haven't exactly made their relationships really concrete yet. I'm not quite done yet, we've got at least 5 more chapters. I just hope it doesn't seem like I'm dragging this story on and on. Please tell me if It seems like it.
thank you for all the support (broken record again) and positive coments! I love you guys!
See ya soon!
-Wolf