Chapter 21

Naberius flew as fast as she could, but even then, it wasn't fast enough for Lucy. She scrambled to call back the nameless messenger, but received no response. With each second that passed, her heart dropped further into her stomach. Her body grew numb and her mind weak as she waited, unable to do anything.

The moment Lucy's feet touched the ground she ran as fast as she could. She shoved people out of the way, scrambling towards that one place. That one place she had finally accepted as the closest thing she had to a home.

When Lucy finally reached the club's entrance she bounded up its stairs two steps at a time. Without even planning, or thinking about the dangers on the other side, she threw open the door. Gone was her usual greeting 'Welcome to Mama's'. What welcomed her now was the overwhelming scent of blood. Strong enough that she could taste the iron inside her mouth. Anyone else would've gagged at the stench, but she wasn't just anyone.

It was still fresh.

No.

Caution finally caught up to her as Lucy walked down the hallway. What used to be a familiar blue was now dyed a crimson red, dripping down the walls. She hadn't taken ten steps before she came across her first body. Face slashed, clothes torn to shreds and body stabbed too many times to count. Her beautiful blonde hair was now a matted mess resting along the floor. Her eyes screamed at her for help, but Lucy could do nothing.

Kitty.

Lucy gritted her teeth, but continued to walk. Anger bubbled inside the pit of her stomach with each step she took and each new girl she saw. Dead. All of them. And when her shaking hands threw open the doors to the main lounge, her breath vanished.

Blood dripped down the walls like thick human paint. Bodies draped over the couches, many collapsed on their front as if caught in mid crawl. Others lied on their backs, mouths open in a silent scream. The dim lights cast an eerie shadow across the collection of men and women, but she only cared for the latter of the two.

Anger boiled and bubbled out of her every pore. But the moment she saw that one body, lying in the middle of them all, time stopped.

Mama.

Breath knocked out of her, Lucy fell to her knees next to Mama's broken body. Even with her throat slit, her eyes were still wide with determination. A sob bubbled in Lucy's throat, but she choked it back. Mama's eyes stared straight into her soul as she reached forward and closed them with one hand. Mama's arm was stretched out in front of her, reaching out for something that was but a foot away.

The blood-soaked fan. Unmoved and no different than the photo sitting in that goddamned phone.

Lucy's blood settled with an eerie calm and her body chilled. Her breaths came out slow and even. Her thoughts and her emotions receded into her mind, closing themselves off. She closed her eyes, but the image remained branded inside her brain.

They opened. She sighed.

"And this is why I don't have nice things," Lucille said, emotionless.

A sharp sound had Lucille straightening up. It originated from further inside the club. Her ears focused as she walked towards the disturbance. She heard the dull whir of the bar fridge and the slick pull of her daggers as they left their holsters.

Her breath slowed as she continued down the familiar hallway towards her room. Her eyes focused on its open door.

Her only warning was change in the winds before a knife flew towards her head. Lucille twisted to avoid its blade only to turn at the advance of another. But there was no attacker, simply knives.

A mage. That was no surprise.

She parred the next, never stopping in her advance towards paradise. When she crossed the threshold, five floating knives greeted her. Their sharp tips were geared towards her every move.

Their owner was not impressed.

"I was told that there would only mage here." He sounded afraid.

He should be.

Her eyes flickered across the room. The white wall was branded with one bloody sigil. Finally, one she recognized. Devil's Tongue. A child guild of Tartaros.

"Who are you?" The man shouted. His knives shook along with his voice.

Lucille smiled, but it felt crooked, "It doesn't matter anymore." She lifted her daggers.

She had never thought the sweet choke of death could be melodious until now.

She told herself, he deserved it.

Lucille returned to the lounge after calmly washing her hands. She scanned around, trying to plan her next move.

That's quite the mess you've got here, missy.

Lucille's breath hitched. The voice echoed inside her head. Was she asleep? The strong scent of blood said otherwise. She was awake. This was new.

Include me next time will ya?

She spoke out loud, though only the corpses would hear her. "Who are you?" A sharp pain shot through her head.

Demanding. I like it.

My name?

Khora.

Another demon? From what Gaia had told her, that voice must belong to one of the Twins. Lucille smiled. For once, she was excited to welcome it.

Walking across the lounge, she picked up Mama's fan. Carrying it back to her hidden side room, she was pleasantly surprised to find it unscathed. Opening the fan, blood still trailing down the flowered pattern like heavy rain, she leaned it against the wall on top of her book drawer.

A reminder of what happened that fateful night.

Natsu turned towards the direction Lucy had run. Where was she going? That direction was towards the beach. He moved to follow, but was unable to catch up when Lucy took to the skies. What was happening?

Natsu turned back towards the grounds, running into Lucy's cabin. When he arrived, he found that Lucy had taken most of her things.

"Natsu? What are you doing here?"

Natsu spun around to the doorway and found Levy standing there with her hands on her hips. From the looks of it, she had just gone for a run. "Levy, did you know where Lucy went?" Maybe she'd have more information.

Levy shook her head. "No…actually I didn't see her when I woke up this morning either." She looked around the room. "That's odd…"

Natsu furrowed his brows. He wasn't sure who to ask after Levy. He left and was heading towards the cafeteria when he saw a flash of blonde in the corner of his eye. Turning in a panic, Natsu let out a sigh of frustration when all he saw was Laxus. But wait…he was heading in the direction that Lucy went. Natsu followed, trailing Laxus into the woods.

But it wasn't long before he was caught.

"What are you doing?" Laxus asked, coming to a stop.

The leaves crunched below his feet as Natsu halted. "Where are you going?"

"That's none of your business," Laxus said.

Natsu didn't want to argue. "You're looking for Lucy." He could tell that Laxus was following her scent.

Laxus looked away.

"Why?" Natsu asked. How did he know she was missing already?

"Something doesn't feel right."

Natsu frowned. What did Laxus mean by that? He wanted to ask more, but a small feeling in his gut told him that he didn't have the time. "She left."

Laxus turned back to him abruptly. "Where?"

"I'm not sure…she flew off the island."

Laxus growled low in frustration. "Let's go." He quickly continued down the pathway and Natsu scrambled to follow.

"What's going on?!" Natsu pushed.

Laxus looked up at the sky. "I have a bad feeling about this…"

Lucille ran a hand through her hair before stalking out of the club and down the street. The cold chill had nothing on the temperature of her blood as she walked deeper into the dark side of the city. She made no pause even as she crossed over into Tartaros territory.

She lost track of time, but it was long enough that her heels protested in pain. She stopped when she reached the dark mansion. Housed in the middle of the country side. Child guilds of Tartaros weren't the type to flaunt their presence like other guilds. Especially not with the type of work they usually dealt with. But these kinds of people tended to be arrogant.

She glanced down at the two bloody guards at her feet.

Too arrogant.

There was nothing nearby. Crickets chirped, and gentle winds brushed across the grass. No one would hear their screams.

Lucille was about to step inside the mansion when a sharp pain shot through her brain.

Care to let me play?

Lucille scowled, noting afterwards that she had done that to thin air. "They're mine."

Then let me help you ensure they don't escape.

Lucille raised a brow. "How?"

Summon me and you'll find out.

"…Fine." Lucille took a deep breath before pressing hard on her wrist cuffs. Her pulse pounded against the material.

You're going to need more than that missy.

Lucille gritted her teeth, the hammering in her head growing impatient. "You'll get the rest in a few moments." Her surroundings grew blurry. A distorted image, a gate, taller than the ones that belonged to elementals, appeared in front of her. Warped and wavering, its essence continued to change in front of her eyes, as if it couldn't decide what or where it wanted to be. Focusing, she pressed her hands against the gate, grinding her teeth as she pushed. She felt the blood drain from her wrists.

The words ripped out of her throat.

"Arise! Fifth Demon Gate of the Dimensions! Khora!"

The space in front of her twisted and warped as a humanoid male figure walked through. It took a few seconds for Lucille to make out the image in front of her. Two sets of pierced horns peaked out of wild spiked hair, followed by dark eyes that gleamed in the moonlight.

"What? Expecting something else?" Khora grinned wide. "I don't need a scary figure to be terrifying."

"I'll keep that in mind," Lucille said. "Now," she turned back towards the door, "show me."

Khora pouted, "So bossy." He turned towards the mansion and snapped his fingers.

The entire mansion disappeared right in front of her eyes, leaving only the fields of grass in its wake.

Lucille gasped, "What did you do?" She whipped around, eyes blazing.

Khora raised his hands up in mock defense. "Don't worry missy. Just somewhere where you won't be disturbed. Somewhere they won't be able to run away."

Lucille raised a brow before realization sunk in. "Take me there."

"At your command." He did a quick glance over her figure. "Judging by your magic levels, I'd give you fifteen minutes. Keep in mind the longer you spend in there the less magic you'll be able to use."

"You don't need to worry about that," Lucille said. She pulled out her two daggers and sharpened them against one another. They gleamed bright underneath the pale moonlight. "I'm not using it."

"Savage. But I like it," Khora said, licking his lips. He walked behind Lucille and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Ready?"

Lucille nodded and closed her eyes. She felt warm breath against her right ear.

"Have fun."

Lucille felt a strange twist in her gut and the cold breeze against her body disappeared. The hairs on her arms raised. A few seconds later, everything calmed.

She opened her eyes to more than a dozen weapons pointed in her direction. Guns, knives, rifles to name a few. And feeling the magic pressure in the air, they were all but ready to be fired. She looked up at the banner hanging over the double staircase at the end of the foyer. A familiar symbol was painted in ink instead of blood.

Devil's Tongue.

Lucille cracked her neck. "Well isn't this familiar." She lifted her daggers. "Let's have some fun."

Laxus scented the ugly stench of blood before he even entered the club. His heart beat faster when he caught Lucy's scent along with it. He had a bad feeling the moment Natsu had told him Lucy left. He knew it had something to do with that strange device. It was a split second, but he swore he had seen a fan. A very familiar one.

He would've taken the Raijinshuu with him, but he had no idea what to expect. So he took Erza and Mira instead. Natsu, being as stubborn as he was, refused to stay behind.

Laxus threw open the door and was instantly greeted with the horrid sight of bloody corpses, littered across the ground.

Behind him, Natsu gagged at the sight and stench of the dead. Laxus growled at him to keep it together and ventured further in. The doors to the lounge were already thrown open.

Laxus's hands clenched into tight fists.

"Who could do something like this…" Natsu asked, his voice laced with horror. Laxus frowned. He shouldn't be here. This wasn't something he should have to see.

Though, eventually, you see it all.

Laxus followed Lucy's scent as best he could, but it was hard given the overwhelming stench of copper and iron. He made his way through the lounge and down the back hallway towards a room he knew well. Throwing open the door, his eyes widened at the scene. Right in front of him, dangling from the ceiling fixture by his hands was a dead man. He couldn't tell which one of his stab wounds were the killing blow, but what froze him to the spot was the sigil carved straight into his chest.

Tartaros.

Laxus growled. Did they find her? No that wouldn't make sense. What connection would this man have had? He raced for the bathroom. The hidden room was locked. A spark of his electricity tricked the lock into opening. He slowly walked inside, not knowing what he hoped to find inside.

But it was calm, no sign of struggle anywhere. This room didn't fit in with the rest of the club. Lucy's scent was strong. She must have been here not too long ago. But where could she have gone? Did they take her? No she would've struggled that's for sure.

The fact that everything was still in tact sent a strange chill down his spine. Even more chilling were the set of bloody footprints that lead towards the bookshelf. And on that bookshelf was one bloody fan.

Shit.

Laxus immediately stalked out of her room, closing the hidden door behind him. By the time he walked out of the bathroom, someone had already walked in.

Erza's lips pressed together in a flat line. "This is…excessive. Even for a dark guild." She walked closer, but then she looked past the man. Laxus followed her line of vision until he saw the bloody sigil on the wall. How did he miss that the first time?

It wasn't the same sigil as the one on the man's body. There was a darker crimson line drawn through it, but based on the Council's records he had a feeling he knew who's guild that sigil belonged to.

"Devil's Tongue," Erza supplied the answer. "Branch of Tartaros. This wasn't the first time they've been this…flashy. The killings were even in the mundane papers."

Natsu burst into the room. "Lucy's not anywhere here!"

Laxus looked at Erza, and he could see the grim look in her eyes. He turned towards Natsu. "I know where she is. Natsu, go back to the guild, we'll handle it from here."

"No," Natsu said firmly. "I'm coming."

Erza stared at him. "Then you better be mentally prepared."

Natsu's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded.

They walked out, finding Mira still in the middle of the lounge, shaking her head.

"Call my Gramps, Mira," Laxus said. "Tell her we're going to find Lucy."

Mira nodded.

Laxus turned to them all. "Let's go. We don't have time to waste."

Mira gave them directions as they drove in the magic vehicle deeper into the dark side of the city. Turns out Fairy Tail kept track any known dark guild locations. Natsu had never been this far past the tracks before; he didn't know what to expect. Dark and dirty streets soon turned into dirt roads that headed into the countryside.

The vehicle screeched to a halt next to an empty valley.

"Why are we stopping?" Natsu asked. He thought they didn't have time to waste.

"We're here," Mira said. Her brows furrowed and her lips curled downwards. "This is where their guild is supposed to be."

Natsu squinted into the darkness, but all he saw was grass. "Where is it?"

Laxus stepped out of the car. "Time to find out."

The rest of them followed and they headed into the fields. They didn't walk far until Natsu caught sight of a figure standing in the middle of the field. He growled.

"What is it?" Erza asked.

"There's someone standing in the field," Laxus answered.

They advanced further, all of them alert and ready for combat. The silhouette of a man grew clearer amidst the moonlight. He stood there, staring up at the stairs before looking straight at them.

"Fancy seeing people here so late at night," the man smiled. His smile was eerily bright. "Did you get lost?"

Laxus stepped forward. "You're one of hers aren't you. The stench of demon is all over you. Where is she?"

"Would it kill ya to be a little nicer?" The man pouted. At Laxus's growl, the man raised his hands up.

"Tick tock goes the clock," the man grinned. "I'm not a big teller of time, but I say the missy has about two minutes left. Have a little patience no?"

"Where is she?" Natsu growled.

The man was about to speak, but suddenly he clicked his tongue. His expression darkened, no longer keeping the playful tone he had before. He turned to face the empty space behind him.

"Someone budded into my playground."

Lucille wasn't supposed to get angry. She was supposed to stay calm and composed, like she had always done. But for some reason, as time passed, the rage built up inside of her. With each slice of her dagger, an image of the girls flashed inside her mind. They'd shout, cry and beg for mercy, but it would fall on deaf ears.

Kitty's face would be stained with tears before blood painted her face. Ruby's hair would no longer be the fiery-red she was used to.

Each flash of their faces fueled her anger.

Lucille cried out as she stabbed into another nameless man. She leapt over his body before she threw her dagger into the woman aiming at her with a magic particle gun. Running straight for her corpse, she flipped over the woman's body, grabbing her dagger in the process before slicing the throat of another.

Their numbers dwindled as fast as they had come at her. Pretty soon, there was but one left. She gave him credit. He didn't cower in fear like the men she was used to killing. No, child guilds of Tartaros had pride. They wouldn't show fear because they knew death would only come faster if they did.

Her dagger rested against his throat. A split moment later, her ears cherished the sound of the blade slicing into his flesh. His body dropped to the ground, blood draining onto the dark marble floors.

Lucille's breath came out in heavy bursts. Slick wetness trailed down her face. Out of energy, she dropped to her knees in the foyer. Her body shook uncontrollably.

It's over.

She glanced around the entire foyer. What have I done?

A single slow clap cut through the silence, progressing louder as it echoed throughout the halls.

"It always amazes me to see you in action."

Lucille looked up to the second floor balcony at the top of the staircase.

"Silver."

She never was allowed to have much contact with the man. They always said that he'd corrupt her. Now she knew that they meant he would humanize her. He wasn't like the rest. He was human. From what she knew about him, he was just like her, in some aspects. He was tied to Tartaros by debt, but unlike her, he had more at stake. A family. Something she…no longer had.

He, was also the polar opposite of her in another aspect.

He was a demon hunter.

Irony at it's best.

She figured he was kept to keep the others in line, just in case they try to…divert like she had. And here he was doing his job. By taking her back.

Silver glanced down at her, his arms crossed and resting against the banister. The mark of Tartaros can be seen from his left arm.

"Why now?" Lucille asked. She knew if they had wanted her, they would've done this sooner. What made now so special?

Silver's lips flattened. "It's that special time again. It's our turn to host."

Lucille hissed. "That's why you want me back."

"Can't run the show without our star attraction," Silver shrugged. "I heard that Jackal tried to ask you nicely, but you didn't listen. This was just a warning."

"Liar," Lucille said. "This was simply you hitting two birds with one stone. I remember this guild now. It's been too flashy in the news lately, bragging about their conquests. Tartaros didn't like that, so you simply sent me here to finish the job for you."

Silver smiled, but it didn't reach his dark eyes. "It's nice seeing you grow up to be a smart woman."

Lucille couldn't tell whether there was sarcasm in that deep voice of his. Silver reached into his pocket and tossed something at her.

Lucille grabbed the object out of the air and opened her palm. It was stained from the blood on her hands, but she would recognize this from anywhere.

Her glamour ring.

"It pains me to say this to you," – and Lucille really wanted to believe the sympathy in his voice – "but you know what to do. I would hate for another incident to occur with your new friends."

She looked back up, but he was no longer there. Her fist closed tightly over the ring.

"Y-Yes." But her voice cracked, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

She lost. Her little game of freedom was simply what it was. A game. She wondered if Mard Geer had thought her a child for running off. Cold dread filled her bones.

She gave up.

Moisture welled in her eyes, but she didn't dare let them fall. Tears were for the weak, and despite having fallen to the lowest, she refused to be considered such.

She vaguely registered the rapping at the door, before it became heavy slams. She quickly placed the ring on her finger, but did not touch it after that. She turned to face the entrance just as Natsu broke down the door, her eyes immediately locking onto his.

His eyes widened with horror, just like she'd expected them to.

Natsu could only comprehend the scene before his eyes as a morbid painting. Splashes of crimson filled the canvas, dripping down its sides until it ran off the ends. Frozen corpses were scattered across the portrait, artfully positioned like fallen marionettes. And in the middle sat a broken doll, empty, covered head to toe in dark red.

Dark eyes pierced straight into his soul, lifeless.

Lucy never moved from her position from the middle of the foyer. She stayed still, sitting back against her heels, hands clutched around her daggers like it was her lifeline. Were it not for the rise and fall of her chest, he would have deemed her frozen.

Erza's voice broke their trance. "What have you done?"

Lucy merely blinked at them.

They were interrupted by a small rustling among the corpses before a woman's head poked out from the mess. Her eyes were blazing with fear and anger. In her hands she held a gun. Blood dripped down her forehead, but even then, she managed to gain enough composure to aim. "You crazy-"

The moment the woman's finger pulled the trigger, Natsu knew he wouldn't be able to make it on time. "Lucy watch out!"

The shot was deafening and it was almost as if he was watching it in slow motion. But then, as fast as the concentrated magic bullet left the chamber, it disappeared. And reappeared. Right behind the very woman who shot it. Her choked cry was all he heard before she collapsed onto the pile of corpses below her.

"Oh dear, you missed one missy."

Natsu turned back around to the mysterious man who had made the mansion reappear out of thin air. He casually strolled past them towards Lucy.

"Khora."

The man, put his hands on Lucy's shoulders. "I don't have the power to take you away from here."

Immediately Erza tensed up beside him.

Lucy shook her head stiffly. "It's fine."

'Khora' bowed his head and gave them a lopsided grin before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Erza already had her sword pointed towards Lucy. "Lucy, you've violated the anti-violence code against mages. Even though they were dark mages you shouldn't have used magic."

Lucille blinked. "I didn't use magic."

That fact hit Natsu like a bag of bricks. She did all this…without magic? He looked to the twin daggers in her hands. How?

Mira shook her head. She wasn't as harsh as Erza, but Natsu knew she didn't approve of this either. "I'm sorry Lucy, it doesn't change the fact that you killed them in cold blood."

Lucy's lack of a response confirmed that statement.

Erza's grip on her sword handle tightened. She took a step forward, but Natsu stopped her with one outstretched arm. "Wait."

Natsu took a step forward. Lucy flinched. By the time he stood in front of her, her dagger was up and pointed at him. It hurt him a little, but he realized that right now, Lucy wasn't herself. Her eyes screamed at him for help. They revealed her pain and suffering. The others may not be able to see it, but he did. He didn't' know what any of tonight's events had meant, but one thing to him was certain.

Lucy was broken.

Natsu placed a gentle hand on top of the one holding the dagger facing him, slowly lowering it. He took the final step towards her, dropped down to his knees and pulled her straight into his chest.

She was stiff against him.

He leaned down and whispered into her hair, the scent of blood filling his nostrils. "You can cry."

"Tears are for the weak," she whispered into his shirt.

"No one can see you here."

There was a short pause, but then her strangled sob shot straight into him.

"They killed them…they killed them…" She repeated those words as Natsu felt the moisture soaking into his shirt. He knew it wasn't just blood. "They deserved it."

Natsu couldn't answer that. He simply pulled her tighter until her tears and dried up. When he pulled her body away from his, even the whites of her eyes had gone bloodshot. By that time, Erza was already standing behind him, carrying a pair of cuffs. Her eyes had softened, but only by a smidge.

Lucy didn't protest or struggle when the magic restraining cuffs were placed around her wrists. He helped her stand and limp towards the exit. They passed by Laxus, who had remained silent throughout the entire affair. Lucy and Laxus shared a long look before she walked past him.

Natsu had no idea what had happened tonight.

And he hated his ignorance for it.

Dark, damp and cold.

The bars to Lucy's cell were made of rusted iron and looked to be a century old. The musky scent of mold and mildew filled her nose and her ears were bombarded by the endless irritating drops of water that fell from the ceiling.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

It was driving her insane.

Lucy pulled on her binds, but they were on tight. They cancelled her magic leaving her practically defenseless. The metal chair she was sitting on made her entire backside numb. It was the epitome of uncomfortable.

Lucy didn't know how long she was in the cell for; there was no clock to tell. But eventually she heard footsteps against the stone floor, getting closer and closer. She lifted her head to greet the visitor when they stopped.

"Natsu."

"Hey Lucy." He stayed behind the bars, staring inside. He looked nervous, as if unsure as to what to say. "…Are you okay?"

Lucy laughed, painfully. Her wounds had been taken care of by Wendy before they tossed her into the cell, but they still ached. "That's a loaded question."

Natsu clearly looked upset. His usual grin had all but disappeared. "Why didn't you ask us for help Lucy?"

Lucy flinched. Not once did it cross her mind that she could. "I didn't want you getting caught in my mess."

"That's not how it works at Fairy Tail. We take care of everyone."

Lucy shook her head. "You don't understand." She couldn't involve him. He wasn't meant to witness that kind of darkness.

"Then make me understand," Natsu urged. He looked frustrated. His hands gripped against the bars until his knuckles were white. She could tell that he wanted to come inside.

What was the point of telling him? It's too late now. She had no path left but the one Tartaros laid out of her. They didn't take no for an answer. She had given up.

"Lucy?" Natsu called her name out in concern. He leaned further against the bars.

But she wanted to tell him so badly. She wanted so badly to believe that he could help her. The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. "They want me back Natsu." She was shocked at how much her voice trembled in terror. It's been a while since she's been this afraid.

"They?" It took Natsu a second to piece everything together, but when he did, his low growl penetrated the air. "They aren't getting anywhere near you Lucy, I promise."

Lucy shook her head. "No, I'm going to go to them. Just like they wanted." She didn't need anymore bloodshed.

"No. You're not."

"You can't stop me Natsu."

"Try me," Natsu said. His dark eyes stared straight into her own, pained and confused. She didn't like seeing him like this. "Why are you giving up so fast?"

"Because I have no choice!"

Natsu shook his head, unconvinced. "Yes you do. You're not in this alone. I promised that I'd protect you."

Lucy turned away.

"This isn't the Lucy I know," Natsu continued. "The Lucy I know would fight tooth and nail before she did something she didn't want to do."

Natsu always had a strange effect over her. He had the power to pull her back from the darkness that wanted to drown her. And right then, he completely dragged her out of the water before dumping her head back in to wake her up from the idiotic thoughts she's been having. His words hit her to the core. The woman she knew herself to be would never give up this soon.

Lucy threw her head backwards and groaned in frustration. "Why do you always have to be right, Natsu?" She felt as though she were breathing air again.

She could practically feel his cocky grin from across the prison bars. His energy was back. "Well it is me."

Lucy rolled her eyes. It was then that she remembered something. Something she wanted to show him. "Natsu come here."

Natsu cocked his head in confusion but stepped as close as he could. Lucy scooted forward in her chair, the chains rattling against the floor.

"Reach into my chest."

Lucy didn't know Natsu was capable of being reduced to a red-faced babbling idiot. "W-What?"

"Just do it."

Natsu's face lit up even more, but he listened to what she said. He slowly reached across the prison bars and into the valley of her breasts. His hands trembled. They felt warmer than usual against her skin and for a second a slow flush settled in her chest. But it disappeared the moment he fished out a crumpled, blood-stained letter. She had found that in the hands of one of the people she slaughtered in that guild. They would be needing it anymore.

"Open it."

When Natsu flipped open the letter, all that was written on it was one word in perfect calligraphy. 'Welcome.'

"What is this?" Natsu asked, turning the card.

Lucy didn't know much that went on with Tartaros, but this was one of the few things she did know about. It was one of the best kept secrets of the Baram Alliance.

Lucy grinned. "An invitation to the Tri-Baram Tournament."

"Are you sure about this?" Makarov asked. He frowned at the bloody letter placed on his desk.

Natsu nodded. "I believe in Lucy."

Makarov sighed, "I'm not sure that we should."

"Master, I know what Lucy did was wrong, but-"

"I know. It angers me just as much knowing what they did." He looked to the invitation and then to Natsu. "Alright, we'll give this a chance. Gather the others."

Natsu nodded and stepped out of Makarov's office. After he did, he turned to his grandson who was leaning against the wall.

"Laxus. What do you think about all this?"

Laxus snorted. "Unfortunately, I gotta agree with the brat here. This is our best chance at any information on the dark guilds."

"It'll be dangerous."

"When has it ever been otherwise?"

Makarov scanned the room after the others gathered. Laxus, Erza, Mira. All S-Class mages. Natsu, Gajeel and Gray. It was a dangerous combination, their strength was required. The only one he wasn't sure of was Wendy. She was still so young, but after having explained the circumstances to them all, Wendy was all but begging to go. She knew they'd need her healing powers.

"Do each and every one of you understand?"

They nodded. It was simple. Infiltrate the tournament and gain intelligence. They weren't supposed to cause any commotion in order to protect their identities. Once they've got enough, they leave. No exceptions.

"Good. Then there's one more person we need."

The door creaked open and Lucy walked in.

Lucy was ready for the onslaught of protests. Whether it was because she was too dangerous or volatile, or whether she would be vulnerable being around dark guilds. She didn't care. Even though she knew little about the rest of the Baram Alliance, she was sure it was more than anyone else in the room knew. And they'd need her once they were inside. It's a whole different world.

The protests calmed after Makarov explained their circumstances. He was placing a lot of trust on Lucy. Trust that she wasn't sure he should be placing. But this was Lucy's chance at revenge.

If Tartaros wanted her to participate than so be it. But she refused to be a show piece.

This time it'll be on her terms and her terms alone.

Tartaros, I'm coming for you.

A/N. I'm so sorry this took so long. I completely lost the muse to write for a while and then I went on vacation. Finally forced myself to buckle down to write this chapter. Took me a bit to make sure that I wanted to go in this direction. Thanks everyone for sticking with me. All your reviews and messages have not gone unread and have encouraged me to continue!

Until the next chapter!