Chapter 28: Devil's Swindle
Gray paced around the dim, dank room. It had been about an hour since he and his three fellow "prisoners" had learned of Fairy Tail's probable rescue team, but still, nothing was happening.
"Gray-sama..."
He moved to where Juvia was sitting, hugging her knees, against a wall.
"Do you think they really came? Maybe we thought wrong," Juvia said worriedly.
He hugged her.
"Don't worry. Fairy Tail won't give up on us. So we shouldn't give up either."
"...To be honest, I really don't know, Juvia. I'm... scared," Gray whispered slowly. Then he chuckled. "What am I saying? I'm supposed to be a man. The hero."
"You are. At least to me," Juvia said, smiling. She snuggled closer. "Anyway, it's alright. I am too. And we still have hope. We can be scared but brave at the same time, right?"
"Right."
Gray smiled back. He was scared, but yes, he was brave. He would make sure that Juvia was safe. They would get out.
He got up and walked over to Edo-Gray and Edo-Juvia, who had fallen asleep hugging each other.
"Wake up!" he hissed, shaking them both.
"Huh...?" the bluenette from Edolas mumbled sleepily.
"What's going on?" Edo-Gray muttered, lifting a hand to shadow his face from the glare of the dim light overhead.
Gray grinned at them. "We're escaping."
-backtrack-
Before Erza beat Ran...
Mira took a deep breath, then turned and faced Hiroto, who was waiting at the far end of the Arena. With a few hundred metres between them, they stared, each quietly sizing up their opponent.
"So..." Hiroto began, shocking Mira, who hadn't expected him to speak.
"Yes?"
Hiroto grinned that creepy grin of his. "You think you can take me down, uhm?"
Mira bit back the load of retorts piling up in her mind.
"I don't think, I know," she said finally.
Hiroto snickered. "The Demon. I hardly think you could beat me, but... let's begin, shall we?"
"It's about time," Mira muttered. She closed her eyes and briefly thought of the Grays and the Juvias.
She opened her eyes again and smiled, the air around her beginning to crackle with demonic magic.
Hiroto lifted his head slightly, almost amused.
This should be interesting, he thought.
Mei gripped the armrests on her chair, leaning close to the screen.
"Oh. My. Fudgin. Cupcake!" she squealed. "Mira verses Hiroto-san? There's no way Mira will win."
I will wait patiently. When HIroto wins he will definitely see the loser that Strauss girl is.
She sat back with a smile on her face.
"Plate? Check. Broken glass? Check. Well... I'd say we've got everything we need," Gray said triumphantly.
They'd scoured for random useful items scattered around the dungeon room and had come up with a piece of broken glass, a few strips of tattered cloth that was probably coloured white a long time ago, and a long piece of wood that had probably belonged to the leg of a table before it was discarded in a pile in the corner of the room.
"Hey, I hear footsteps!" hissed Edo-Juvia. "Get in your positions, everyone."
Edo-Gray moved into the place behind where the door would be if the door was opened. Edo-Juvia stood in the centre of the room. Gray and Juvia scooted over to huddled together a corner of the room, with Gray holding Juvia in his arms.
"Ready?" Gray whispered to Juvia.
Juvia swallowed and nodded bravely.
"I don't want to do this to you," Gray said.
"It's alright. Hurry up before I change my mind," Juvia said nervously.
Gray took a deep breath, then lifted the shard of glass and cut Juvia on the palm of her left hand. "Oww!" Juvia exclaimed. Almost immediately, blood spilled from her palm.
Gray squeezed her hand. More blood.
The door clanged open. A young girl, about fifteen years old, walked in with a tray in her hands.
"Ohayo, prisoners! I have brought some food for-EH?!" The tray in her hands dropped to the ground with a loud, clatter.
Edo-Juvia was squeezing her tightly. "Oh, sweet maiden, please come to our aid! My kindred spirit has been wounded and may die from the injury if you don't help...!"
"What the heck are you talking about? And GET OFF ME!" screamed the girl, frantically pushing Edo-Juvia away.
Gray sighed. He got up and moved toward the girl.
"I apologize, my friend here is a little bit ecstatic. I..." Gray blushed a little and gazed at the girl, on full romantic mode. "I'm sorry to bother you but, the one I love accidentally cut herself and she has something like haemophilia. She... she could die if she isn't treated right," Gray dropped to a quiet, hesitant whisper.
"Ah..."
Gray looked up and grasped the girl by the hands. "Please! Help her! I beg you..."
The girl blushed furiously. "Y-yes, of course! Please follow me!"
She waited for all four of them to stand up and then walked out into the corridor. Gray was right behind her, carrying Juvia bride-style.
Edo-Juvia winked at Edo-Gray. "So far, so good!"
Edo-Gray grinned at her.
As soon as they were up on the main floor, Edo-Gray made his move. In a split second, he was holding the girl in a strangling position.
"Don't move or shout or I will strangle you. Now, where are the Fairy Tail people?" he growled in a rather creepy voice that Juvia and Gray didn't even know he could do. Edo-Juvia just smirked proudly.
The girl's eyes were wide and full of fear. "Th-the A-a-arena... please d-don't hurt me!" she squealed.
Edo-Gray glanced up at Gray. Gray nodded.
"Where's the Arena?" Edo-Gray continued in his bad-boy voice.
"That way," the girl said, lifting one trembling finger to point. "Straight ahead."
"Thanks!" Edo-Gray said cheerfully. Then he quickly jabbed her in the back of her neck with his index finger. The girl collapsed on the floor with a sleepy look on her face.
"C'mon, let's get a move on," Edo-Gray said.
The foursome ran through the hallways.
Blood ran down her face. Panting, Mira winced as a sharp pulse of pain kept coming back, repeating with every heartbeat. A rest... I need a rest...
No. I can't give up. I... need to keep fighting...!
Hiroto laughed. It was a crazed, victorious sound.
He turned suddenly serious, eyes dark and emotionless, black-and-purple strands of hair falling across his face as he began to walk, slowly, toward Mira.
"Demon. Someone once told me it was the bringer of death," he said softly. A flicker of a smile. "Now the ice dragon will take its place." He stopped a few feet away from her.
"Hiroto the demon. Suits you," Mira retorted, wiping blood off her face.
"Still insisting on being tough?" Hiroto muttered. He raised a hand and instantly a hand made of cold, clear ice wrapped itself around her neck.
"Agh...!" Mira struggled and finally pried the hand off her neck using a dissolving demonic magic solution.
"Ice dragon's roar!" Hiroto yelled.
Darnit... right after I lost my breath, too...!
Mira could only feel her body lifted from the impact and thrown backwards. Cold air and icy tornadoes died down.
"Satan Soul!" she muttered, but nothing happened. In the name of Fiore-
"Run out of magic already?" Hiroto snickered.
What the- seriously!?
Oh. Fudgeit, he was right. There wasn't any time to recover after the string of attacks Hiroto had used when she was still trying to breathe. If only...
Of course! If there isn't any time then I'll just make time...!
It had been over a decade since she'd used this little trick since she'd beaten almost all her opponents ever since then.
"Devil's Swindle!" she murmured, grinning madly.
"What the heck does that mean?" Hiroto laughed, confident and taunting. "Some kind of magic trick?"
"How did you know?" Mira said cheerfully, feeling a delicious, powerful, overwhelming sensation clearing her mind and strengthening her body. The pain washed away, the cuts and bruises healed. She could feel the magic flooding her senses. She and her demonic, magical side were one. She closed her eyes and felt at the power stirring up inside her.
"Mmm, you really think you stand a chance against a demon?" she said softly.
"What?!" Hiroto said, aghast. "What the heck happened?"
I can feel that magic swirling around her, attracted like magnets. She's definitely stronger than before, and all the marks I made are gone...?!
Mira opened her eyes.
Another figure joined her side, clothes tattered but strong nevertheless.
"Hey, Mira," Erza said, grinning despite the injuries.
"It's about time," Mira answered with a sunshine smile, totally comfortable with her demonic form.
Darnit...!
"Fine," Hiroto said with a sigh, but inside, his heart stirred with excitement. A smile crept onto his face, even darker than the demon's. "If it's like this, I guess I'll have to take them both down."
ano~ hiroto is so evil ...but i sorta like it
un special thanks to:
AliceCullen3
bobobear2657
Bob Bandicoot
AurelieBonhoffen
and all you readers! please keep reviewing!
