Hey everyone!

Finally, the next chapter for sound pod. I hope this makes up for the delay in updates.

Thank GemNika for inspiring me to be dark later on in the chapter. She brings out the best in me, always

The chapter song is Battlefield by Lea Michele. The you tube link is watch?v=rM0sPHSAtq8

As always, I don't own Fairy Tail or the song. Just the plot is all mine.

But, on to the reading!

Chapter 36 – Battlefield

"It's easy to fall in love but it's so hard to break somebody's heart"

Levy heard the kitchen table chair scrape against the floor and came around the corner in time to see the blonde rushing off to the bathroom. Again. Another week had passed and the "stress bug," as Lucy had named it, only seemed to cling on harder. She had given into her friend's self-diagnosis at first but doubts had festered. Despite the fact that the blonde's body wanted to reject any and everything in sight, her appetite was almost as ravenous as Levy's mate. And that was saying something given the big guy could easily clear the pantry without blinking an eye. She cast a quick glance at Gajeel as she passed through the living room. She knew he was worried, they all were. But if her suspicions were right, this may be what the Alphas needed to fix this mess.

She raised her hand and gave a light tap on the door before she slowly opened it to find Lucy washing her pale face. She loved her friend but she knew how stubborn she was. It didn't help that Loke had, for reasons still unknown, potentially poisoned the woman's mind. She refused to talk about it to either her or Gajeel, always saying she was weighing things on her own. Levy stepped inside the room and quietly closed the door before moving to rub the blonde's back. "Breakfast not agreeing with you again Lu?"

The celestial mage gave a weak smile in the mirrored reflection. "Yea, my head got away with me again."

Levy let out a heavy sigh and leaned against the wall. She studied her Alpha's face, noting the slight glow to her skin despite the circles and bags under her eyes. There was a marginal roundness to her face that wasn't there a couple of weeks ago. "I…" She paused, trying to steady her own nervousness in this. The topic could go one of two ways, complete melt down or a spark of hope. She could only pray it was the latter. "Lu, when was your last menstrual cycle?"

The blonde's eyebrows pulled down in thought. "I. Well…" She paused as if contemplating it before a look of shock came over her face. "M-mid December…"

The blunette pushed down the twinge of jealousy that pinched at her heart. It wasn't Lucy's fault and she'd been there for her so many times. It was time for her to be there for her. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she pushed up from the wall and moved over to open the cabinet. "It's January Thirty-first Lu," she said as she pulled one of the pregnancy test kits down from the top shelf. They'd been trying again, to no avail so it was better than sitting up there collecting dust. She was sure the others probably would as well. "I think you might need this," she whispered as she handed the box over.

"What seemed like a good idea has turned into a battlefield"

Lucy glanced down at the box before giving her a nervous frown. "W-will you…would you stay in here with me?"

Levy gave a nod and turned the lock on the bathroom door. She helped Lucy by opening the box and turned her back while she did what she had to do. This wasn't exactly the best of times for this to happen. It was even morose in a way. She knew Laxus and Lucy had been trying for months with no luck. Leave it to cruel fate to thrust this upon them at a time like this. They were struggling as a couple, there were sick fucks out there that would love nothing more than to see them wiped out. The Tatsu hadn't been able to protect themselves this far, how the hell were they going to protect Lucy if she was? There was too much to contemplate, the weight of everything making her head pound. The toilet flushed and she turned to find Lucy very carefully setting the stick down on the bathroom counter.

Those three minutes seemed to crawl by as they both took a seat on the bathroom floor. Lucy fidgeted every couple of seconds while she had to force herself to stop looking at the time. She felt nervous and scared yet knew it was nothing compared to what her friend must have been feeling. "No matter what," she smiled as she grabbed the blonde's hand to squeeze it reassuringly. "You know we're all here for you. It will work out like it should, you'll see." She wasn't sure if it was more for her own sake or that of her friend but it needed to be said.

The celestial mage gave a small nod of her head as tears slipped down her cheeks. "Yea. I know."

"Once lust has turned to dust and all that's left's held breath"

After what seemed like an eternity, the watch on her wrist beeped and they both jumped up from the floor. Levy's breath caught as she stared at the bright, twin blue lines that was displayed in the result window. Now came the reality. She felt the woman beside her start to tremble and looked over to find rivets of tears streaming down her cheeks. The frown and desolate look in those usually lively wide, chocolate eyes spoke louder than any words. Those tears were not born of happiness. "Lu…"

"I…it could be wrong. Right?"

The pleading look she got broke her heart. There was a fraction of a percentage that it could be a false positive but all the signs pointed to the accuracy of the test. She truly detested all of her book knowledge in that moment. There was no way she could lie to her best friend but she hated to steal what seemed to be the last ray of hope she was clinging to. Maybe this will push her to at least accept his calls. The blonde had rejected every single one for the last two weeks, unable to face him yet. "It's…a false positive is possible," she whispered nervously. "B-but I doubt that is the case." She saw the panic begin to set in for Lucy and it gave birth to tears in her own eyes.

"Wh-what…what am I going to do?"

Levy's shoulders slumped and she moved in to wrap her arms around her dear friend. One would think she'd grown immune to the tears and sobs but she hadn't. They only served as reminders that there was nothing she could do to take this pain away. She couldn't wave her pen and make it better. She couldn't carry it for her. All she could do was just be there and even that was sometimes hard to bear. Words, for the first time in her life, failed her. So she did the only thing she could do. Her hand smoothed over the sleep-mussed blonde hair, her own tears falling in time to Lucy's.

"Forgotten who we first met, what seemed like a good idea has turned into a battlefield"

Loke glanced nervously at the pinkette beside him before looking back up at the throne. He knew he'd seriously stepped in it when Gajeel had punched him. But then to be summoned by the King himself the second he arrived back in the Celestial Realm. He'd truly meant well and thought he was doing what was best for Lucy. It wasn't that he didn't like Laxus, he did. The guy was a good guy and a true Fairy at heart. He loved the guild and yea, he loved Lucy. But their whole relationship seemed too fast, too…perfect. Despite the hardships the Tatsu had faced, they were beautiful together. But Laxus had a past that was questionable and it made him question his ability to stay faithful. Then there was Lucy. He knew her better than he knew himself. She was stubborn, so forgiving, so accepting. She'd had her life literally turned on its ear from the get go. He needed her to see that she doesn't have to easily forgive, needed her to know she doesn't have to just accept the chalice forced in her face. Even if it meant giving up his life, he'd find a way to end this for her if that's what she chose. He loved her above all else.

"Leo, my old friend…"

He swallowed hard at the unusual icy tone. The king had only ever taken it once with him and it had resulted in his ass being banished, fated to die. How ironic that he'd just used that with Lucy only to be standing there, facing that very possibility again. Well, it's time to man up and face the music. He wouldn't regret it. Not when it came to caring for Lucy. His posture straightened as she adjusted his tie and smoothed the front of his jacket. He would face his punishment head on. "Yes Sir?" He questioned as if oblivious as his emerald eyes met the angry, glowing red eyes of Stache Face himself.

The Celestial King rose from his chair and slowly made his way down the steps to where Loke was standing. "You have been a very good friend and faithful spirit to our Princess for many years now, have you not?"

Loke resisted the flinch that threatened when he found himself toe to toe with the overly large man. He knew the King well, knew what his power was like. It radiated off of him in torrential, never ending pulse waves. Maybe he intends to end me, not banish. The thought frightened him because it would mean he'd be given zero chances to tell his fair Princess goodbye. "Yes Sir," he proclaimed in a solid voice that defied the quaking inside of him. "I love our Princess and will do anything for her."

"We both know it's coming…"

The King sighed and shook his head in blatant disappointment. "Of that I have no doubts. None at all."

"May I ju-" The Lion Spirit tried to interject, wanting to explain his actions. But the King quickly cut him off.

"No. You may not."

Loke gave a sigh of frustration. His side deserved to be heard. He felt he had only done his duty as her spirit. "But-"

"But what old friend?" The king questioned in a mocking tone. "But you were just trying to spare her heart ache? But you were just trying to protect her? But you were butting you nose in where it doesn't belong?"

The Lion Spirit's Eyes widen as the volume of the King's voice rose to a thundering pitch that shook the very foundation they stood on. The man's usually ghostly pale face had brightened to the shade of a cherry. He'd only thought he'd angered him with what happened in the past with Karen. That hadn't been his fault, but this…this was all him. "She deserves more than this."

"Deserves more than what?" The king bellowed, a large finger rising to poke Loke square in the chest. "She is celestial royalty! She has a mate who loves her irrevocably and is now carrying the future leader of their tatsu! She-"

"Wait," Loke interrupted. He could not give a single shit that he'd just cut the King off, surely he had not heard that right. Lucy was sick, her illness brought on by the stress that Laxus had put her under. Stress that she was only compounding with the million thoughts she kept running through her head. "She's…she's pregnant?"

"Does illusion count for something we hide?"

The Celestial King pulled away only to storm over to the viewing pool. He angrily waved his hand across the pristine water and glared at the ginger spirit. "Yes Old Friend she is. See for yourself given you seem not to take my word for it."

Loke stumbled over, dread setting into the pit of his stomach. He gazed into the water to see his princess, in tears on the bathroom floor and clinging to her best friend. His heart ached for her but it pained him more to see the small stick lying on the counter. Two blue lines confirmed the King's words and gave birth to a new set of fears. She, nor the baby would survive being separated from Laxus. And I might have put the nail in the coffin. "I…I didn't know," he whispered with a tremble. "I-I only meant to help her."

"She accepted this path when she accepted him Leo," The spirit king sighed. "In ALL of your protecting, did you once stop to consider the damage them being separated will cause? She is mated with a slayer, she cannot survive without him. Already you can see the effects of separation on her. If she and that child perishes, I will ha-"

"No your Majesty. It will be me who ends his immortality."

Loke felt a tremble of fear spread as the deep voice practically vibrated through the room, effectively cutting the King's words off. He didn't need to turn to know the voice's owner. He didn't need to see those piercing ice blue eyes or feel the overly warm breath that reached him even from the doorway. This was the one that set this all in motion, he was who put Lucy in harm's way. "If you hadn't cho-" His words were cut off as he was knocked from his feet. I grunt escaped his lips as he hit the ground face first, the rest of the oxygen in his lungs practically forced out by the seemingly dead weight that sat on his back.

"The surface tension's gotta break, one drop is all it takes to flood out this lie"

"She would not exist if it were not for me you pesky little house cat!" That earth-quaking voice exclaimed. "She was chosen by me to carry out the Tatsu's legacy. She was chosen to help Marux's son protect and lead that Tatsu, to protect the next generation of our kind you stupid little piss ant! And they are not just in the middle of a fight for their lives but that of all of Earthland! Because you HAD to go sticking your nosey little ass in and playing Devil's Advocate or trying to be her goddamn Savior, that may all be in ruin! I'll be her fucking savior when she needs one, NOT YOU!"

"Old friend," The celestial spirit king pleaded softly.

"Excuse me," Virgo's voice cut in. "May I leave? The Princess is in need of assistance."

"Yes. Go because something tells me it has to do with this moron here."

Loke closed his eyes and wait for the crushing blow to come. He deserved it and deserved everything that had just been told to him. It wasn't too harsh, it was just. He'd allowed his fealty and love for her to blind him to not only what was best for her but for that of the bigger picture. I'm a damn idiot and I've failed her… "Do as you wish to me," he whispered in defeat only to find himself abruptly rolled over. His eyes opened to find himself face to face with a frighteningly large mouth lined with long, jagged teeth. It would only take a simple bite to end his existence. The creature's tongue snaked out to swipe against those pointed teeth and he struggled to swallow the fear that lodged into his throat.

"I will not end your miserable life just yet, Lion. She and Laxus will need you before this is all over," The creature sneered. "But mark my words. If they fail, you will be the first one I destroy. Do you understand me?"

The Lion Spirit had never been any surer of anything in his life. Those words were not just that, they were a truth he could only pray did not come to pass. Stepping in it had been putting it mildly. He'd effectively jumped, head first into that gigantic steaming pile of shit. Dragon shit no less. Way to go Loke. "Y-yes Draco," he stuttered. "I-I understand. Completely even."

"You and I, We have to let each other go"

Well, it's confirmed.

Lucy trudged down the guild steps, trying to focus on each step instead of the million other things in her head. She should be happy, elated. This was what she and Laxus had been trying for. But she wasn't. The entire dreaded walk over had given her more time to think. More time to toss her decision over in her head. She'd pushed him for this. She'd ignored what he had wanted and pushed him into just accepting her, accepting them. She'd chosen to ignore the past for her own benefit. The thought that she'd used him as a rebound snuck in and try as she might, she couldn't help but think that perhaps that was true. It was her fault that she was now stuck with more heartache than she'd ever had with Natsu. Pregnant or not, she couldn't keep thrusting her own wants on him. This would only hurt them both more in the long run. She needed to step up, take responsibility for her actions and do what one did for someone they loved. Set him free.

She lifted her gaze from the guild floor in search of Gajeel and Levy only to have her heart stop. She'd been ignoring his calls all week and wasn't quite prepared to face him just yet. But the Kosmos seemed to be against her. Walking towards her was the one person she loved more than life itself yet had wrong the most. Falling in love with him had been so easy, simple and unhindered. He'd quickly filled every part of who she was until she didn't know who she was or what she was supposed to be. Love wasn't supposed to be that consuming was it? She cursed the way her pulse quickened and her mouth went dry at just the sight of him. After being away for two weeks, the waning ability to feel him through their shared connection slammed against her. She didn't need to see the spark in his storm blue eyes or the way he paused ever so briefly in his step to know he was happy to see her. I can't do this. Not now. Just get yourself together first. He moved past her and her mouth moved faster than her brain. "Laxus?"

"We keep holding on but we both know, what seemed like a good idea has turned into a battlefield

The tall, blonde Dragon Slayer stopped abruptly and turned back. "Static?"

She forced herself to ignore the pull that came with the sound of his voice. He looked a little thinner, tired even with the faint circles under his eyes. That was her fault. It didn't matter that all she wanted in that moment was to press her face against his black t-shirt, just to pull the scent of him in. No, she couldn't. It would only feed needlessly into the vicious cycle. I could walk away, tell him nevermind and come back when I'm ready. But would she ever be ready to say what needed to be said? She shifted nervously and glanced back at the guild doors. It would be so easy to run. Her stomach gave a roll and her hand came up unconsciously to press against it as if that alone would calm the queasy feeling. "C-can we…" She paused to glance up at him, her teeth worrying her bottom lip for a moment. "Can we talk? In your office?"

Laxus' eyes widened a little in what seemed to be surprise, the light of hope bursting into a flame. "S-sure, yea." He stuttered as he gestured for her to go first up the flight of stairs. "Lead the way Static."

Lucy hesitated for a moment. Was she really doing this now? She gave a stiff nod and made a wider berth than normal around him. The climb and steps towards the solitude of his office were taken in uncomfortable silence between them. The only sound she could hear was the heavy pounding of her heart and her blood rushing through her veins. Every step was harder than the one before as the weight of what she had to say settled on her. How was she supposed to tell him they were expecting but she couldn't look at him because it hurt? Confusion clouded her mind, stealing her breath and words. She was a writer, words were her domain. The door closing sounded unpropitiously behind her, cutting off her chance of escape. "H-how are you?" She questioned uneasily as she looked back to find him fidgeting behind her. At least he was as nervous as she was.

"Ok I guess," he said balefully as he moved past her towards his desk. "How are you feeling? I've been calling and Gaj said you've been sick."

"Peace will come when one of us puts down the gun"

She gave a small nod as she moved to take a seat on the chair in front of his desk. It was the most she'd been out of bed in two weeks and she wasn't sure if it was that or her fear that threatened to buckle her knees. "Um. A little bit," she replied meekly. "I… I actually just came from letting Wendy do a checkup to be honest." She was glad of the barrier his desk provided. Seeing him sitting there, she could easily recall the number of times she'd crawled into his lap in the very chair he was sat upon. It now felt like forever ago, those happy times torn away by everything that had happened to them.

A frown took up residence on his handsome face, concern clearly evident in his voice when he spoke. "Oh? It…it's nothing serious is it?"

A soft, sarcastic sounding chuckle slipped from her lips before she could rein it in. While she wasn't terminal, the fact that she was pregnant at this point was pretty serious. She looked down at her hands in her lap as she searched for the right way to say it. "I. Well the thing is… Um…"

"Static? Whatever it is, you can tell me and we'll face it together."

Lucy felt the burning prick of tears and inwardly cursed herself and her weakness. She didn't want to cry. She just couldn't, not in front of him but damn him to hell. "I'm pregnant," she said in barely a whisper.

"You…you're," He stumbled before the sound of his chair made her look up only to find him quickly moving around the desk. He rushed over to pull her up from the chair, his arms slipping around her in a loving embrace. "We finally did it."

Lucy hated the sound of the smile and relief in his voice. She hated it because she knew he expected this to just fix everything. She hated the way his arms felt so safe around her and hated the fact that his smell settled the rolling in her stomach. All of it only muddied the waters in her mind more. "Laxus," she said as she pushed against his chest to pull away. The confusion that settled on his face and the hurt she felt in his chest only made what she had to say worse. "I…This doesn't mean I'm coming home."

"What?" He questioned in a whisper.

"Be strong for both of us. No please, don't run, don't run"

She turned away from him, unable to bear the pain she saw in his eyes. Not when she could feel it washing over her like a Tsunami. She gathered every ounce of strength she had left and shut the pain out. Her back straightened as she pulled from everything she'd learned growing up, everything her father had taught her about shutting away her emotions. She hated it but there was no other way she could do what she had to do. "I promise I won't keep the baby from you but-"

"You're kidding me right? Are…Are you really saying you aren't coming home?"

His angered tone made her flinch and she gave a nod of her head. "Laxus, I can't. Not right now."

He came around to stand in front of her again, his hands coming up to grip her shoulders. "You can Static. I need you and we can't fix this apart. We can get over this, please just come home."

Lucy felt the first few tears slip down her cheeks but didn't bother to wipe them away. "I…" She felt herself waiver and Loke's words sounded in her head.

"He's a ladies man. Always was, that was never a big secret. Hell, he pushed you away because he knew it too. He loves you but I can't say for certain just you will be enough for the rest of your lives."

Those words still hurt because she could so easily see the truth in them. Her head dropped and she tried to breathe in to stave the flow of tears. "Laxus, I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

The pain in his voice cut through her like a knife. "A little of both." Her voice cracked, her ability to hold her sobs at bay shredding. "I…all of this," she whispered as she forced herself to look him in the eye. He deserved that. "Us, I bullied you into it and I truly thought I could make it work. But…But I'm clearly not enough."

"Eye to eye, we face our fears unarmed on the battlefield…"

Tears filled Laxus' eyes as his hands tighten on her shoulders. "You are Static, you've always been more than I deserve. I love you so fucking much, more than my own stupid ass life. I can't live without you or the baby. You're my whole life, everything that matters. Please…please just come home and let me prove it to you."

Lucy had once thought that losing her mother would be the hardest thing she'd ever have to face. How wrong had she been, such a childish fool. The hardest thing she'd ever had to do was pull away and reject the one person that meant everything to her. She pulled away, stumbling back a little as she wiped at her cheeks. She needed to stop crying, save it for when she was alone. "I love you too, more than you will ever know and part of me always will. But this…" She paused to swallow another sob as she gestured between them. "With the past… I can't trust you or myself and that hurts more than I care to admit. And the fucked up thing is I don't know when or if that pain will ever stop."

He advanced on her again only to fall to his knees at her feet. His hand captured hers as he looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Then let me take the pain away. We're strong together, we've proven that. This…this can't be over. Y-you can't give up on me Lucy." He paused to press his lips to her hand before pressing it to his cheek, a whimper slipping from his lips as he leaned forward to press his forehead to her stomach. "P-please don't give up on me. Please Static," he choked as his shoulders began to shake with silent sobs.

"We seemed like a good idea"

Lucy stared down at him, whatever was left of her heart shattered with that inconsolable whimper. She wanted nothing more than to fall his arms and never let go. "Spark Plug," she whispered. She raised her other hand and it trembled as it stopped just shy of touching his hair.

"It's been your decision but Lucy a tiger can't change their stripes. So some dragons a really long time ago decided you two should be together. They didn't foresee him being who he is or that he would cheat. You've changed fate in the past, hell Fairy Tail is home to the masters of change."

Her eyes closed at the sound Loke's voice. He was right and this was the right thing to do. She forced herself to pull her hand away and turned for the door once more. She needed to break his heart so he could be free. "I don't want our child to grow up seeing two people fake it Laxus."

Without another word or waiting for him to reply, she fled the room. Her feet carried her down the stairs and she blatantly ignored the sound of Cobra and Gajeel calling out to her. She needed to get away, needed to be on her own. She burst out of the guild hall doors and nearly slipped on a patch of ice that covered the stoned walkway. But that didn't stop her as she raced through the streets, her feet finally stopping once she hit the vacant park. Her knees gave out and she sunk into the snow that blanketed the ground. She didn't feel the cold. All she felt was what was left of her heart and soul shattering to pieces. Uncaring as to who would hear her, she let out an ear piercing scream before the torrential downpour of tears drowned her.

"No blood will spill if we both get out now"

Ishiko heard the door to her room open but didn't need to look up to know her Father had come for her. He allowed her almost a week of being locked in her room, just waiting. It was like sitting on pins and needles. Every footstep she'd heard outside the door, she just knew it was him coming to end her miserable existence. Countless hours of running though ways that he would do it, each one worse than the last until she made herself physically ill. At first, she'd prayed for a swift ending but knew that would never happen. And to add insult to injury, Iwao hadn't come to see her or said anything to her since he'd drug her by her hair from that fated patch of grass.

"What's wrong? Are you so ungrateful that you can't be bothered to touch your food?"

She knew he was goading her. He knew her jaw was wired shut, knew that any reply she could muster would be nothing but a series of unintelligible mumbled words. The liquid food was disgusting. She'd barely managed to choke it down the first couple of days. But with death looming in front of her, she didn't see the need. Why eat when it wouldn't save her in the end? No, it was better to starve. She prayed the hunger pangs would take her before he decided to come in to cut her down. Like the other prayers she'd offered up, it too went unanswered. There was no escaping paying for what she'd done. She pushed up from the bed she was sitting on and stood to await the life stealing blow.

"Indignant as ever I see. Iwao, my boy. How do you think I should punish her?"

He was in the room? Her head snapped up, her eyes locking on her brother. And her heart shattered when she took in his appearance. His back was rigid, his fingers curled into his fist. He had ditched his usual dark clothing for garb that almost mirrored Ivan's flamboyant style. His long hair had been cut, the ends barely touching his collar. But his eyes killed her. While they refused to land on her, instead of the lively onyx eyes she loved, they were hard and cold. The light that had once been in them now extinguished. She'd pushed him too far. She'd let her greed kill the love she knew he had for her, in turn ending the one person in all of this that could possibly be saved.

"Still it's hard to put the fire out"

"She's praying for death but I think that would be far too kind Father."

Her head dropped at his words and she didn't even flinch when a hand came up to smooth her hair. Death was what she craved. It would allow her to escape this miserable existence. No more longing for a man that did not want her. No more hurting the one who did. No more Father to punish when he was disobeyed. She would go to hell, of that she was sure. She'd never been truly innocent. Her mother, a whore by trade, who taught her at a young age that there was value in spreading one's legs. She'd tortured and experimented on innocent creatures as her magic began to develop without a second glance. There was never any right or wrong for her, it was do or die. She'd inherited that malicious side of herself from the highest paying customer her mother had. But she would gladly take the eternal flames of the netherworld over Ivan and his torture any day. She grunted at him to just end her and was rewarded with a bell ringing slap to her face.

"I had such high hopes for you girl. You were not weak or influenced by the morals of society. You were like me. Uncaring, unfeeling, blind to the laws of justice," Ivan practically cooed as he reached to grip her chin. His fingers bit down painfully into her now throbbing jaw. "But you were weaker than that whore you called Mama. I had but one rule and you broke it because you listened to that sniveling little cunt of yours. Was it worth it? Was your older brother's cock all you hoped it would be? Was it worth dying for?"

"Feelings are shifting like the tide and I think too much about the future."

Ishiko refused to give into the fear that nipped at the corners of her mind. She would not give him the satisfaction of letting him see her tremble. She refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her plea for her life. That would make him happy. He would smile the same sadistic grin he wore when he killed her mother. She would not let him see how disappointed she was that in the end Laxus had not been worth it. She didn't get what she wanted. It was all for naught. Instead, she turned her face and locked her eyes on her brother who still refused to meet her gaze.

"I can see you still need to be taught some manners," Ivan chuckled sinisterly. "Yes. No death for you. I can still make you see the error of your ways. We just need to fuck the whore out of you."

Her head snapped back, her eyes glaring as she screamed for him to go fuck himself. Her garbled words seemed to only egg him on as his hand released her jaw only to grip a massive section of her hair. She kicked, pulled and screamed for him to let her go to no avail. His massive size alone was uncontested by her much smaller frame when she was healthy. Being malnourished, by her own hand no less, and the magic cancelling cuffs that were locked on her wrists left her utterly defenseless. She tried screaming for Iwao to help her but it was like her words fell on deaf ears. Her body was tossed over the side of the small dining table that had been placed in her room and true fear began to set in. He wouldn't be killing her, giving her the death she prayed for.

"My dear son," Ivan grunted as he slammed her head against the rough wooden surface to hold her there. "Would you be a good boy and tie her hands to legs? For her own safety of course."

Tears burned at her eyes and panic rose into her throat, strangling the flow of oxygen when she heard the cold, even toned of her brother's voice.

"What seemed like a good idea has turned into a battlefield"

"Yes Sir but may I offer a suggestion?"

"Of course my boy," Ivan practically squealed with pride.

Iwao came into her view and for once, his gaze met hers but what she found there terrified her. He was always the tender heart. She'd gone above and beyond to keep his innocence. But that was gone, replaced by a look she was all too familiar with. It was one she'd seen every day when she looked in the mirror. Sick, twisted sadism mixed with a Devil May Care grin that held all the warmth of a thousand year old corpse. No…not him. He wasn't supposed to be like this… Tears spilled over her cheeks.

"Being one who's used her pussy," Iwao said callously as he bound her wrists with rope. "I would suggest a…different alternative. Something she's doesn't let anyone use."

She immediately began to scream as if someone would hear and save her. The pain of her brother's betrayal destroyed her. How could he? He was the only one who knew her secret. Her fear of that. It was the only fear she'd had growing up. And that was only because it had happened. She could remember her uncle's rough and dirty hands touching her there. The pain that he'd inflicted. Her ass had bled for days afterwards and her mother's only consolation was "Well you should know better than to run around in your skivvies around a man." She'd only been eight at the time. She tried to pull her wrists away only to have Iwao roughly jerk the rope back and anchor it on the other side of the table.

"Oh you spoil me Son." Ivan's cold laughter echoed in the room as he pushed up the bed gown she wore. "I do believe I will enjoy that. Your mother always liked it and our little Ishiko here is so much like her." He leaned over her body as cool metal slipped beneath the band of her panties, gliding menacingly against her skin. His sickeningly warm breath blew over her ear. "Isn't he so thoughtful? Be sure to scream now. Your mother was quite the loud one and I miss that."

"We both know it's coming, does illusion count for something we hide?"

"Only the best for you Father, only the best."

Ishiko clamped her eyes closed, unable to look at the devil that had once been her dear sweet twin. She tried crossing her legs in a feeble attempt to save herself. But this was to be her punishment and there was no escape. A heavy boot wedged its way between her weak legs and brutally kicked them apart. Bile rose into her throat, the acrid taste burning her mouth. When the first drops of saliva landed on her backside, she felt her stomach retch. She tried to force her mind to leave, to find that safe place where nothing could harm her. But even her mind betrayed her, staying in the present and forcing her to face what was to come. When she felt the thick, fleshy tip press against her ass, she tried to pull herself further up onto the table only to be forcefully pulled back.

A near-blinding white hot pain seared through her as he forced his way inside of her with a sickening grunt. The muffled scream that left her dry, chapped lips left her throat raw. Her fingernails clawed at the taught rope, tears streamed down her face and she prayed they'd drown her. Anything to take away the pain brought by each crude thrust into her.

"How does it feel Sister? How does it feel to truly be treated like a whore, to be used by someone you loved?"

Iwao's words offered her no comfort nor salvation. She could hear his utter contempt for her and it was more than she deserved. The thought to pray entered her mind but she knew there was no god who would offer her redemption. Her prayers for dead, for something to be left behind when they were finished so that she could end her life would fall on deaf ears. All she could do was fight every cry of pain that tried to make it past the wires that held her mouth shut. It was her only means to fight back but with it came rougher treatment. She let her tears be her solace from the pain when her body became too weak to fight back and she was left lying boneless on the table surface.

"Son," Ivan grunted as he snapped his hips against her. "She's so fucking tight." His words made her skin crawl. "You…should…give her a go…when I'm done."

A dark laugh rang out, echoing off the walls before her brother gave his reply. "No Sir. I've had my fill of her."

"What seemed like a good idea has turned into a battlefield"

She wasn't sure how long it lasted. Only that it felt like an eternity until the psychotic sperm donor that was her father emptied himself inside of her. When his sweaty body fell against her, she lost the fight with her stomach. Unfortunately, due to the lack of eating and water, the fluid she hoped would choke her and end her life never came. All she was left with was dry heaves as the horrid rank of cheap aftershave and sweat filled her nose.

"Gods," Ivan finally groaned as he managed to pull himself from her. "I needed that. You sure you don't want a go?"

Ivan gave her a grin that left ice on her skin. "No thanks. I've had my fill of this whore but we can always leave her for the guards to use. They deserve a little entertainment."

She shivered against the table but couldn't muster a response. She was officially alone.

"You make an old man Proud," Ivan said as she heard the sound of a zipper. "Have her guard strip the bed and let him know not to release her from her bonds until they are done and she's passed out."

She couldn't even lift her head to watch them leave. She heard their footsteps draw further away and muffled voices came from the hallway. They left her. Iwao left her, expressly stating he wanted nothing from her anymore. Perhaps that was the death she had waited for her. Or perhaps his gift had been allowing her to be used by the guards. She could only pray one of them would get too rough and end her…

"Peace will come when one of us puts down the gun... Eye to eye, we face our fears unarmed on the battlefield"

And…there we are. *hides under the bed to avoid being hit* Please don't hate me! Plot points! I swear. But this did make me cry, writing it with the chapter song on repeat up until Ishiko's part.

A huge thank you to all of the reviews. I've been trying to get to them all but gah! With time being short…it's been hard. I will say I thoroughly enjoy each and every one and thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I will warn that the updates will continue to be a bit slow. Our volleyball games have finally started and I have to admit, I am enjoying being a coach! But, I will also need to get started on my BixLu and MidLu weeks for you guys. So I will be working on the next chapter in between

And on that note, Don't forget!

~MidLu Week, October 2015~

GemNika and I have decided that it's high time Midnight gets some love. So, we've created MidLu Week. The dates are from October 25, 2015 – October 31, 2015. And here are the prompts:

Day 1: Birthday

Day 2: Clock

Day 3: Pin-Up

Day 4: Copy

Day 5: Silence

Day 6: Makeup

Day 7: Halloween

There was such a great turnout for CoLu week (hosted by Dragon'sHost and Eien ni Touko) that we wanted to see if we could get the same affection for our favorite Narcoleptic Reflector mage.

~BixLu Week, November 2015~

GemNika and I have officially lost our goddamn minds. So, we've created BixLu Week, and decided that it should begin on All Souls Day. What better day to give our favorite Seith mage some lovin'? The dates are from November 1, 2015 – November 7, 2015. And here are the prompts:

Day 1: Fix

Day 2: Hidden

Day 3: Home

Day 4: Doctor

Day 5: Vendetta

Day 6: Fluffy

Day 7: Space

Please let me know if you're planning on writing for either of these pairing weeks, so I can make sure to check out your stories! Get those fingers to the keyboard and get to work! I know I'm extremely excited to see what you all write!

As always, please R & R!

Until next time...

Big hugs!

Princess Nana