She is Everything to Us
"I think we've just about gotten rid of them all," Macao leaned on his knees and panted.
Wakaba lit a new cigarette, leaning heavily on the trunk of the oak tree. "Levy's started tying up the bodies," he said and coughed. "If those fuckers wake up, I don't want to have to knock 'em out all over again."
"Any casualties?"
"Alzack was hit pretty hard. Bisca dragged him into the school with Erza. Think he's gonna be fine."
Macao let out a deep breath, "That's good to hear…"
Cana jogged up, shovel resting against her shoulder, "You old guys alright?"
"Parched," Wakaba said, cigarette clamped between his teeth. "Give me a swig of your whiskey, would ya?"
Cana pulled her battered flask from her pocket and handed it over. She slapped Macao on the back, "You okay? You took a few hits from that last guy."
"Fine," he straightened and groaned. "I'm not so old that I could be knocked out of a fight with some petty thugs!"
Cana laughed and took her flask back from Wakaba, "Glad to hear it!"
The sound of the front door of the school opening drew all three's attention.
"Erza!" Wakaba exclaimed as the redhead limped out into the courtyard, hugging her battered arm to her chest.
"What are you doing up?" Cana rushed to her side. "You should be resting!"
"I'm fine," Erza avoided the girl's grasp. She straightened, "I will fight alongside my comrades."
"Well," Macao looked out across the courtyard, "Pretty much everyone in here has been taken care of. I think two of the tanks have been defeated too. All that's left is Natsu's and the fourth."
"The fourth," Erza strode across the courtyard, eyes shadowing under her bangs, "That one is mine."
Natsu grabbed the rim of the hatch and lifted his body over Totomaru's kick. His feet stretched across the compartment and smashed into the boy's face.
Totomaru let out a growl and wrapped his hands around Natsu's ankles. He yanked and the boy's grip slid off of the hatch. Natsu slammed down to the floor of the tank, crying out as his head connected with the sturdy steel plating.
"I said give it up!" Totomaru twisted and Natsu flipped onto his stomach. The Phantom Lord lackey shoved the Fairy Tail student's leg up and forward, stretching it impossibly over his body.
Natsu let out a shout of pain, hands clenching into fists.
Totomaru grinned and stomped down on his lower back. "A fairy will never defeat a phantom! Get it through your thick skull!"
Natsu gritted his teeth and groaned into the floor. "I'll never give up," his voice was muffled.
Totomaru pressed harder on his back and leaned forward, twisting his leg painfully, "What was that, Fairy boy?"
Natsu slammed his fists down into the floor and pushed up, letting out a roar.
Totomaru pulled his foot from his back to avoid being thrown off balance and gave another hard wrench of his leg.
Natsu fell back down from the pain and then let out a growl, "You people made Lucy cry… you hurt my friends and threatened my home! There's no way I'll ever give up!" He shoved against the floor and twisted his body, whipping his free leg under and then swept out, knocking Totomaru's feet out from under him. The boy's body hit the floor with a tremendous thunk. Natsu rolled to his knees and then stood.
He glared down at the boy, rubbing the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
"It was because of you and your family that Lucy quit Fairy Tail. You scared her and made her cry. For that…" he crushed his foot into Totomaru's chest and leaned over him, golden eyes glowing with a furious fire, "I won't forgive you."
Leo's gut was churning. He revved the motorcycle harder as he sped down the empty street. What was the reason behind this uneasy feeling deep in the pit of his stomach? The last time he had felt this… he gulped.
Please be alright… he prayed as he slowed to swing a left turn down another street. As he crested the corner, his eyes went wide at what he saw ahead of him. A car was flipped on its roof on the sidewalk in front of a closed drug store. A large black truck was pulled up to the side of the crashed car and…
"Lucy!" The motorcycle's tires squealed as he slammed to a halt. He leapt from the vehicle, not even bothering to prop up the kickstand. The motorcycle smashed onto its side as Leo sprinted towards Lucy and the black haired boy that had her around the throat. He pulled his Glock from its holster and whipped it up.
Gajeel noted the redhead's appearance and quickly yanked the blonde up and held her in front of his body. Leo slowed as the pierced boy held up a gun of his own and pressed it to her temple.
"Slow down there, pretty boy," he called. "You wouldn't want me to blow this little girl's brains straight out of her head now, would you?"
"Let her go!" Leo stood still, gun trained on the boy's head. "If you think I won't kill you…" his eyes darkened, "you're dead wrong."
"I hope you have perfect aim," Gajeel grinned, sliding his hand up Lucy's throat to her chin. He pulled her head up until it covered half of his and his red eyes gleamed just beyond her honey colored hair.
Leo's hands shook. Goddamn it! If Sagittarius was here…
"That's what I like to see," Gajeel chuckled when Leo's gun wavered. "Now… how about you put that down on the ground, eh?"
"Jose sent you, didn't he?" Leo asked, stalling.
"Shut the fuck up and do as I say or else the girl gets capped."
Lucy's eyes were fluttering. Her legs quivered underneath her bruised and bloody body. She let out a small whimper.
Leo gulped and held his hands up, "Alright! Alright… I'll put it down… see?" he slowly crouched and then tossed the gun to the street. He stood again, hands still raised. "Now…" his voice trembled. "Now tell me what you plan to do with her."
"Gi hi," Gajeel dropped his arm around Lucy's waist once more. She slumped over, hair pouring down around her face. "I should probably let you say goodbye," he said, shaking her roughly. "This is the last you'll ever see her alive, after all."
Rage flared up Leo's body and he took a step forward, "YOU TAKE YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HER RIGHT NOW BEFORE I—"
Something hard slammed into his temple and Leo crashed to the ground.
"Oops," a dark skinned girl moved in front of the redhead, tapping a steel pipe against her shoulder with a grin. "Did I do that?" she laughed.
"Go on and get the bitch back to Jose, Gajeel," a similar looking boy joined the girl, cleaning a knife with a handkerchief nonchalantly. "We'll take care of this one."
Blood trickled into Leo's eyes.
Lucy stirred as Gajeel started walking, carrying her with him around the upside down car. She lifted her head slowly, hazy eyes peering down the street. Her gaze met Leo's and she immediately started struggling.
"L-Loke…" she elbowed Gajeel, kicking her feet weakly. "LOKE!"
"Lucy—" Leo pushed to his knees unsteadily. "LUCY!"
"God you're annoying!" Gajeel slammed his gun into the back of Lucy's head and Leo watched the consciousness flee her eyes and she slumped over once more.
"LUCY!" Leo climbed to his feet and lunged forward. "LUCY!"
"None of that," The boy stepped in front of him, knife flashing out.
Leo froze, hand reaching out over the boy's shoulder as the blade sunk deep into his stomach.
The girl snickered, "Shoulda listened."
Leo's eyes moved slowly over to meet the gloating gaze of the dark skinned boy. He stared deep into his black eyes for a few prolonged moments before his hand whipped out. His fingers clamped around the boy's neck, cutting off his oxygen in a second.
"Boze!" the girl lunged forward, swinging her lead pipe towards Leo's head. His other hand flashed out and caught the weapon before it could make contact on his skull. He turned his burning eyes towards her.
"Fucking maniac…" Boze gasped and ripped his knife from the redheaded man's stomach. He pulled back and prepared to stab it in again, but Leo was faster. He wrenched the pipe from the girl's hands and cracked it against Boze's wrist, shattering the bones with one easy blow. He shoved the boy's body away and turned to the girl. Under the flap of his suit jacket, she could see the dark blood that stained his white shirt, but he ignored it as he drew nearer.
She took a step back, cold sweat dripping down her temples.
"Sh-shit…" she whispered. "Gajeel!" she called frantically as Leo advanced on her, fury etched into his face, veins bulging in his forehead and neck. "Gajeel I could use some help here!"
"Fuck that," the black haired boy carried Lucy to the truck and tossed her into the passenger seat. "Take care of it yourself."
"Gajeel!"
The boy ignored her cries for help and jumped into the cab of the truck, slamming the door behind him.
Leo's eyes flashed towards the vehicle and widened. He quickly faced the girl again, brandishing the lead pipe. She jumped backwards, heel catching on the curb. She crashed onto her back, staring up at the man that loomed over her. He raised the pipe and an image flew past her eyes.
A lion, teeth bared, claws flashing out as he lunged in for the kill…
Leo cracked the pipe against the girl's ribs, blinding her as white hot pain shot through her torso. She let out a single scream before he slammed the heel of his boot into her face and knocked her unconscious.
The truck roared to life and Gajeel jerked the wheel to the left. Leo tossed the lead pipe to the side and dove for his discarded Glock in the middle of the street. The truck leapt forward, engine roaring as it drove a straight line for the redheaded man. Leo's fingers wrapped around the handle of the gun and he rolled out of the path of the charging vehicle just as it barreled by. Leo whipped the gun up and unloaded the magazine into the side of the truck.
Unfazed by the attack, Gajeel slammed on the gas and sped down the street, tires squealing as he made a sharp turn to the right and disappeared from sight.
"Lucy," Leo pushed to his feet and took two long strides towards his motorcycle. It was then that his body gave out. His eyes fluttered back in his head and he collapsed to the ground. The gun clattered out of his hand and he lay there, unmoving as his blood leaked out and formed a puddle on the dark asphalt.
Natsu climbed out of the tank, hauling Totomaru's unconscious body with him under his arm. He grunted as he shoved him over the side. Totomaru slid and rolled off of the tank, landing in the street in a heap.
"Uwah," Natsu sat on the treads and massaged his shoulders. "This fucker sure did a number on me…"
"Natsu."
He looked towards the front of the tank. Erza stood there, legs braced.
"Erza… what are you doing up already? You should be restin'—"
"There's only two minutes left," she said, climbing the tank.
"Oh shit," he stood and turned towards the fourth tank. "We've still gotta take out that one…"
"That one is mine," she said as she walked up the length of the tank and then climbed inside of the hatch he had just vacated.
"What do you plan to do?" he asked curiously as her red hair disappeared past the opening.
"Isn't that obvious?" her voice floated up.
He cocked an eyebrow.
A moment later, there was a clunk, and the long barrel of the turret started to move. Natsu's mouth dropped open as the entire top compartment of the tank spun, taking its aim off of Fairy Tail and instead leveling towards the fourth tank.
"Hold up," Natsu squeaked. "Wait a second…" His eyes widened and he quickly dove off of the side of the tank just as the gun went off, causing an enormous CRACK to fill the air, followed closely by the explosion of the shell making contact with the fourth tank, knocking the massive thing over onto its side for a short moment before it came crashing down on the roof.
"Oohhhhh," Natsu writhed on the street, hands over his ringing ears.
Erza climbed out of the hatch, calm as ever. She slid off of the side of the tank and walked confidently up to the smoking vehicle she had just unloaded a missile into. A hatch on the belly of the tank opened up and a large man in a long coat tumbled out of it.
He rolled off of the machine and collapsed onto the ground in front of Erza. She stared down at his face for long seconds, but he didn't stir.
Natsu ran around the side of the tank and joined her.
"Damn!" he scratched the top of his head. "That was easy! Way to take all of the fun out of it, Erza!"
"I'm glad we made it in time," she said, turning towards the van with the speaker on the roof.
Elfman, Mirajane, and Gray joined them.
"Erza, where did you learn how to operate a tank?" Mirajane asked sweetly.
"You mean you don't know how to use one?"
Gray shook his head, "Normal people wouldn't, no."
Natsu cackled and slapped the redhead on the back, "You gotta teach me sometime, Erza! Having a tank would make blowing things up way easier!"
"How could you drive a tank?" Elfman asked. "You get sick on a skateboard!"
There was a crackle from the speaker and everyone quieted, turning their attention to the van once more.
"It would seem my men were defeated," Jose's cheerful voice blasted through the brightening morning air. "Oh well…"
Gray scowled, "Is it just me… or does he not sound all that concerned about that?"
"I suppose I'll have to wait for another day to destroy Fairy Tail," he continued calmly. "That's quite alright. I have received what I came for after all. Come on… say hi to your friends…"
A bloodcurdling scream exploded from the speaker. Everyone froze as the sound cut through the air.
"Oh come now… that's not a proper greeting for your friends now is it? Say hello!"
There was a crash and then Lucy's cry sounded again, followed by gasping coughs.
Natsu's hands clenched into tight fists and his teeth cracked as he gritted them.
Jose's laughter filled the air, "Would you like to tell them the good news or should I?"
There was another cough and then Lucy's low voice growled, "Fuck you."
"Alright," there was another crack and Lucy cried out.
Gray grabbed Natsu's wrist as the boy took a hard step towards the van, vein in his temple pulsing.
"I'll tell then," Jose chuckled darkly. "I've decided not to kill Miss Heartfilia after all. No… the cunt doesn't deserve such an easy release. Instead… I've decided to send her to a whole different hell. I wonder just how long the prude will survive in the sex trade…"
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Natsu roared. His entire body was shaking with all-encompassing fury.
Jose chuckled, "Say goodbye, fairies."
Natsu's ears perked as another sound hummed in the background of the broadcast, barely audible over the Phantom Lord leader's words.
"You'll never be seeing your princess ever again."
There was a slight pause and then Lucy cried out, "NATSU! I—"
The speaker fell silent.
Natsu took in a long, shaky breath. "Tch," he lunged forward and sprinted down the road at a breakneck speed in the direction of the rising sun.
"Elfman," Erza snapped. "Go with him."
"I'm on it!" Elfman took off after Natsu.
"Mirajane," she said, "Collect anyone still able to fight from the courtyard."
"Got it," she turned and ran towards the school.
"Gray, come with me," Erza climbed the tank.
"What's the plan?" he asked, following.
"I'm going to teach you how to drive a tank," she announced as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Lucy was laughing.
Jose glared down at where she was sprawled on the wooden floor. "Have you finally lost your mind then?" he asked.
She shook her head and then stared up at him. "I just find it hilarious that you called me a prude. Puh-lease," she sneered, "I could teach you things."
Jose gasped as she started laughing again. "Well…" he turned his nose up at her. "Then you will fit in well in the sex business!" he kicked her in the stomach and then turned away. He brushed off the front of his jacket.
Jose looked to Gajeel, who leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
"I'm off to finish off the rest of those pesky cops at the bridge," he said. "Stay here and watch the whore while I'm gone." He turned towards the door and waved a hand over his shoulder, "And try not to rough her up too much. She needs to look good for her showing. If she's too broken, no one will buy her."
Jose left the room and they were alone. Gajeel watched silently as she rolled onto her stomach and panted into the floor, body trembling.
The bitch had bite. Gajeel respected that. Especially given that she was a rich little princess that never had to struggle for anything in her life. She fought like animal and didn't give in easily. Hell, he had yet to see her even shed a tear. Anyone else in this situation would be sobbing like a goddamn baby in a pool of their own piss.
But not Lucy Heartfilia. The bitch was metal as fuck.
Lucy crawled to her knees and leaned on one arm heavily as she clutched her midsection with the other, eyes closed as she attempted to calm her breathing.
Sex trade, Gajeel looked away, scowl etched firmly on his hard lips. Jose was crossing the line with this decision. He should just kill her. It was the merciful choice. Then again… that was the point, wasn't it? Jose wanted Lucy Heartfilia to suffer a fate worse than death.
Even though he understood the reasoning behind it… Gajeel didn't like it. He glared at the window on the wall adjacent to his. The sun was finally rising, turning the sky orange and pink.
If she's too broken, no one will buy her.
Gajeel turned back to Lucy. Her brown eyes were open and traveling across the room, no doubt searching for anything she could use to escape.
Too broken, huh? He pushed away from the wall and approached the blonde. Well then… let's see just how broken she can get.
"Hold up, Natsu! Look!" Elfman grabbed ahold of Natsu's scarf and yanked him back.
They both froze and stared to the left down the road they were crossing.
Natsu's eyes went wide, "Shit…" he bolted down the street to where the man in the suit lie face down in the asphalt, surrounded by a pool of blood.
"That's Reedus's car!" Elfman passed him and ran to the upside down car.
Natsu knelt beside the man on the ground and gently turned him over. He gaped when he recognized the face before him.
"Cat guy!" he grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Leo! Wake up!"
Leo's eyelids tightened and then slowly peeled open, revealing bloodshot green eyes.
"N-Natsu…" he croaked.
"Shit…" Natsu pushed the man's suit jacket aside to stare down at the bloodstained shirt. "What happened to you?" he glanced over and noticed the unconscious boy and girl a few meters away. "Phantom Lord…"
"Natsu," Leo grabbed his wrist and squeezed with surprising strength. "They took her. They took Lucy," his voice was panicked, breath short. His body started to quake and he grabbed Natsu's shoulder, trying to pull himself up into a sitting position. "I have to save her. I have to find her. I have to—"
"Cool it," Natsu gently pushed him back down to the ground. "You're not going anywhere in this condition." He glanced up to see Elfman pulling Reedus through the shattered windshield of the car.
"Lucy… Lucy…" Leo coughed blood. "I need… I—"
Natsu patted his shoulder, "Don't worry. You just lie here and rest."
"Natsu please…" Leo gripped the end of his scarf.
He met his gaze.
"Please… you have to save her. She… she is everything to us…"
He hesitated for a moment and then clasped hands with the man. He smiled brightly, "Yeah… I know what you mean." He gave a firm nod, "I promise I'll save her. You have my word as a student of Fairy Tail."
Leo stared up at him for a prolonged second and then nodded softly. He lowered his head to the asphalt, eyes sliding shut.
"Good…" he murmured. "I trust you…"
Natsu released his hand when it went slack. He lost a lot of blood… but it didn't look like the wound had hit anything vital. He pulled his shirt up over his head and wadded it up. He pressed it to the hole in Leo's stomach and then propped the man's hand up against it to hold it in place.
A meow drew his attention over his shoulder.
Happy limped up, favoring his front left paw, meowing frantically.
"Happy!" Natsu turned to him. "Oh am I glad to see you…" he lifted the cat and crushed him against his chest in a tight hug. "Sorry I left you alone for a few days. You find food to eat?"
Happy purred loudly in his ear, rubbing his face affectionately against his throat.
Down the street, Elfman helped Reedus to the curb and sat him down.
"Just rest here for a bit," Elfman suggested. He glanced towards Natsu, who was staring down at Happy quietly. "Man…" he sighed. "This whole mess is totally not manly."
"We must save Lucy," Reedus said. "Phantom Lord took her somewhere."
"Yeah, we already know. That's where we were headed before we found you guys."
"Where were you headed?"
Elfman paused, "You know… I have no idea. I was just following Natsu. He's usually got a good sense of direction when it comes to a fight."
Natsu jogged up, holding Happy in his arms.
"Elfman! I need you to get these guys back to the school. Leo's bleeding pretty bad. He needs to get to the hospital as soon as possible."
"But the hospital is on the other side of the bridge and it's blockaded!"
"I know. You're going to have to call her."
Reedus and Elfman both blanched.
"But…" Elfman gulped. "This early in the morning? She'll have our heads for waking her up!"
"Oui," Reedus agreed.
"Can't be helped. It's an emergency. Tell her I'll let her kick my ass later to make up for it," he turned down the street. "I'm going to go save Lucy."
"But how do you know where she is?" Elfman called as he ran off.
He didn't answer and soon he disappeared around the corner.
"Shit…" Elfman looked to Reedus. "Just thinkin' about callin' her is makin' me feel super not manly."
"Oui."
"Tanks like these usually have about a four to five man crew, not including the ones walking alongside it," Levy said. "And they're all highly trained and practiced in driving and operating the machine. In the past, these vehicles had a poor history for breaking down on the way to the battlefield and would need to be repaired several times before ever seeing any action—"
"Listen, Levy," Gray interrupted. "It's not that this stuff isn't interesting…" he pressed down on the pedal at the floor of the driver's cockpit of the tank. "But… I'm kinda trying to concentrate. I just learned to drive this thing ten minutes ago, after all."
"Sorry," she crossed her legs underneath her body where she sat next to his open hatch as the tank rumbled down the street. "I guess I'm just a little nervous is all."
Gray glanced up at her, "It'll probably be safest for you in the gun with Erza."
"I'll just get in the way," she said quietly. "I'm too weak to lift the shells and don't know how to fire it so I'd be of no use. Besides… I want to fight with everyone else."
Gray looked forward again, pulling the levers to maneuver the machine around a pothole in the street.
"So…" she gulped. "Where are we even going?"
"We're going to the blockade to help the cops."
"Do you think Lucy is there?"
"No," he admitted. "Jose probably has her hidden away somewhere."
Levy hugged her knees to her chest, "I hope she's alright…"
Gray glanced up at her, "Hey… don't worry. Natsu will save her. That guy always delivers when we need it the most."
She smiled weakly, "Yeah… you're right…" She closed her eyes, I just hope he gets there before anything bad happens to her…
Author's Note: So I've basically decided that Loke and Lucy are my BrOTP in this fanfic. Although... okay. To be honest, Lucy and Natsu are my BrOTP, because I think it's absolutely imperative that you need to be best friends with your lover. It's completely required. But BESIDES Natsu... Loke all da way. Also, as someone who loves brother/sister relationships, I'm super excited to try to create that between these two.
I stayed up until five am last night writing this chapter. I hope you people are grateful. I'm actually pretty pleased with it. I think I've gotten a good flow going now. Next chapter is the big battle! Natsu vs Gajeel! DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN. This is a fight scene that I'm a little excited for.
Anyway, it's good whether over here so I think I'll try to actually get out of the house for once. *fears the unknown* Although that means putting on clothes and brushing my hair so... it's a bit daunting. Oh well. I'll manage. Maybe me and The MOTH will go for a walk. Get some good ol' fashioned exercise!
I've got a couple of songs for this chapter.
"Coat of Armour" by George Ezra- Even though this song is written about two brothers, the lines that are like, "We'll drive slower around the corner, hoping all this will change. I'm your brother, your coat of armour, hoping all this will change" just make me think so much of Loke and Lucy. In fact... most of the lyrics kinda signify their relationship. Especially as of late with the whole merger thing going on. Such as the lines, "Is it not clear where it all went wrong, I can't purify, can't make it right."
"For My Brother" by Blue October- "But I just wanna be happy again, until it all falls down. And where does that leave me? With things, things... I've got so many things to say. And with a broken heart, and a straight face, I'm sayin' Brother... help me." C'mon guys. Blue October is perfect in every single way possible. *loves to death* "And remember I love you the same, and I'll strangle your pain, and he tells me to sing, so I sing, and I sing. For my brother who keeps me sane, and tells me everything will be okay."
"Brother" by Matt Corby- "Somebody call out to your brother. He's calling out your name. Hiding under the covers, with no one else to blame. Oh, you couldn't help out your own neighbor. You couldn't tell it to his face. You were fucked up by the blame."
Okay! I hope you all enjoy the chapter! I love you all! Thank you so much for all of your kind words and support! It brightens my life every time I receive a new email from you all! Thanks so much!
Oh, and Sophpop, that you suggested was awesome! I loved it! (For everyone else, the AMV was 'Fairy Tail AMV War Paint') You should check out '[Fairy Tail/2014 AMV] Hope of Morning' by the youtuber Amber Travie. It's soooooooooo amazing.
Love-Moo