Light: Whew! I didn't think I'd be able to get this up in time.
Tegan: Nothing like being sick for two and a half weeks, huh? How'd did that even happen? You never get sick!
Light: Heck if I know. I'm just glad I'm not loopy off of that stupid cold medicine.
Salem: Impulse control never was one of your strong suits. I guess I had to get it from somewhere, didn't I?
Tegan: Seems like it. Well, Light doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, or Fairy Tail. Both of those properties belong to their respective, proper owners. She just owns this fanfic and the voices in her head-I mean, us.
Salem: Read, review, and enjoy, ladies and gents!
Angelique sped down the hallway, snowy white hair streaming out behind her like a banner. Quite fittingly, a few of her Dream Eaters followed close behind. They were her own little army, her dear friends that fought off the waves of Nightmares while she cleared them all a path. The starlight magic she employed in her arsenal did wonders to send the dark Dream Eaters scurrying away.
Cerra Terrors. Tama Sheep. Swarms of Komory Bats and Halbirds flew above their heads, diving down on everyone with barely a moment's notice. The floor practically crawled with the horrid things. Nightmares were everywhere. There were even some larger ones, like those awful skeletal Skelterwilds. Angelique tried her best to ignore the bony rattle of their massive legs pounding into the stone floor and the sharp snap of teeth as they tried to bite at her and her friends.
Awful, horrible, nasty bone creatures! Leave me be!
Normally, she would have taken time and care in dispatching the horrid little creatures. With so many of them set loose upon the area, Angelique's first instinct screamed at her to make certain that they were destroying each and every one of them. Like an uncomfortable rash crawling along the surface of her skin, she itched to rid herself of them.
But as much as it bother her, she simply did not have the time for such a luxury. She and Lucy had to find that lacrima and destroy it before their time was up.
Twenty minutes.
Easy in theory, but much harder in practice. Without a doubt, Angelique was grateful to Hibiki for coming up with such a plan. Truly, his plan was lovely. She never would have been able to come up with something so brilliant. But the fact of the matter was that the execution just wasn't that simple. Not with the company awaiting them.
Angelique knew what waited her for at the end of this tunnel. Or rather, she knew who was waiting. And how could she not? Even if the Nightmares had not been on patrol, the witch would still know.
Dante was at the end of this tunnel, waiting for her. She could feel the traces of his magic hanging heavy in the air. Just like a rush of cold air pouring down her back, cold seeped down all the way to the core of her bones. And if she weren't mistaken, Angelique could hear his laughter trickling down the hallway. Although faint, her finely tuned ears were able to pick up on the familiar sounds. Angelique didn't think she'd ever be able to misplace her brother's laughter.
Dante is a clever boy. I must be prepared for anything to 'appen.
After all, her brother was supposed to be protecting this lacrima, was he not? Angelique would have to get through him in order to achieve her own objective. Sadly, there was no room for error here.
Of course, that in of itself was a problem of an entirely different nature…
She felt a comforting squeeze around her hand. Lucy picked up her pace ever so slightly, so she could run shoulder-to-shoulder with the witch. "We're going to win this, Angie. Don't worry."
Oh, positivity was a wonderful thing. Yes. They would win because they had to. Angelique knew this, but she still felt apprehensive. In order to destroy Nirvana, she would have to face her brother. She didn't know if she could do that.
Angelique had never felt so cowardly before. Truthfully, she just wanted to curl up into a corner and hide until it was all over. Was Nirvana to blame for this, or was it just her own lack of conviction? Angelique had no idea. Either way, she felt terrible.
"I just do not…"
"We'll do it together," Lucy insisted, exuding an air of confidence. "I know this isn't easy, but you've got to try. For Wendy and Carla, for our friends, and for all the people out there who'll be in danger if we fail." The blonde patted her ring of keys hanging from the loop in her skirt. "Your brother might have his Nightmares, but we've got your Dream Eaters and my Celestial spirits. There's no way that he can beat us!"
Her confidence was uplifting and rather infectious. Angelique found a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, despite her apprehension. In the back of her mind, she could hear similar words of encouragement from her own darling Dream Eaters. Their voices rang like bells in her ears, loud and clear. They assured her that, no matter what, they would support her in any way they could.
Angelique loved them for that.
"Oui." She held her other hand out, calling forth her lance. "Let's go!"
…
…
He was waiting for them in the chamber housing the lacrima.
Lounging up on the edge of the crystal's pedestal, Dante leaned back, a leg kicked up over one knee. Curled up around the boy was his Familiar. Leo sat contently grooming his feathers while his master played idly with the end of his tail. An air of boredom surrounded the pair.
The boy eyed lethargically Angelique and her entourage as they charged in. Seemingly disappointed with their appearance, he blew a short puff of air past his teeth, almost like a disgruntled whistle. "Of course it would be you. Why am I not surprised?"
"Perhaps because you left a trail of breadcrumbs for the dear lady, Young Master mine?" Leo twittered gaily, his ears perking up as Angelique and Lucy carefully drew closer. "Bonjour, mademoiselles! Lady Angelique, it is so good to see you again. Come to play with us, have we?"
Angelique gripped her staff close to her chest. As much as Dante loved his bewildering Familiar, she had always found him distressing. For all his riddles and rhymes, his love of games and playful teasing, this was a predatory Dream Eater. Much like the actual gryphons he was modeled after, Leo was powerful and dangerous. Deviously cunning. She'd seen instances of it before.
Should he find Dante's safety in question, Leo would be swift and merciless. Razor sharp feathers and claws were his weapons of choice. His beak was strong enough to split marble clean in half. And thanks to his massive wings, Leo could call up powerful gusts of wind with a single beat. The Dream Eater had been known to uproot trees on their property that were a hundred years old at the very least.
Incredibly strong and unbelievably fast, Leo was a Dream Eater to be reckoned with. And under the power of her enemies…
Angelique steeled herself, gripping her lance tight between her fingers. As she spoke, she made sure to keep her voice even and steady. "Zis is no game. And I am not 'ere to play. Leave zis place at once!"
"No can do, Sis." Dante leaned forward and tapped the heel of his boot against the marble pedestal. "Can't let you destroy Nirvana. Not when we've got use for it, you know?"
"Zero's going to use this place to kill people," Lucy argued, not even bothering to hide her outrage. "You don't see any problems with that?"
He shrugged rather unashamedly. Despicably unabashed. "What that nutcase does here has nothing to do with me. As long as we get Nirvana once he's done with it, I don't care."
"You…You monster!"
A slow, dry laugh built up from inside Angelique's brother, a haunting echo that bounced from the cavernous walls. It was a sinister, bone-chilling sound. Dante's small frame shook as he braced himself against the edge of the pedestal and laughed himself silly.
"Okay, sure," he managed between chuckles. "Whatever floats your boat, I guess. It's not like you're the first person to call me that, Blondie. And you definitely won't be the last." Drawing himself up to his feet, Dante spread his arms out wide. Behind him, Leo crouched like a prowling lion.
"A rock and a hard place," the Dream Eater cackled. "Scylla and Charybdis. The collision of an unstoppable force and an immoveable object."
"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, look." Dante waved his hand lazily in front of his Familiar's face, pushing the beak away from his ear. "You guys want Nirvana reduced to a pile of rubble. I don't intend on letting that happen so…"
Stepping off the platform, Dante fell down to the ground. He landed square on his feet, cushioned by a small cloud of dark purple smoke around his heels. And as he looked up, his eyes glowed.
"We doing this or what?"
Angelique was torn. Gut-churning dread and disgust. Anxiety and chilling terror. How was she supposed to feel? She didn't want to fight her brother. Dante was too young to be doing this to himself. He was a child, and he was her family. It wouldn't be right. Goodness, not a single thing about this was right and it tore her up inside!
But if she didn't do this, they wouldn't stand a chance of stopping Nirvana. Zero would unleash darkness and destruction over this world. So many people would be put in grave danger with a power like this in the hands of a demon like the Oracion Seis' guild master.
And if the Organization got control over the city…
How could Dante stand there and allow it to happen? She couldn't wrap her head around it. Her brother was not evil. Dante had never been a cruel person. He was kind, not callous. The Dante Angelique knew would never put anyone's life in such peril.
Xehanort is to blame for zis. If not for 'im and 'is Organization, zis would 'ave never 'appened to my brother! I will not forgive 'im!
"Dante, mon frère. You must…You must stop zis," she pleaded, begged him. "Zis is not you. You are not a monster and zis is not who you are. I know it is not! Please, Dante! Please just come 'ome…I—!"
"Angie!"
She felt the sting of Lucy's whip as it coiled around her wrist. And just as she was pulled to the ground, Angelique watched a dark shape fly overhead. With scythe in hand, her brother hit the ground and slid across the smooth surface. The screech of metal against stone as he tried to slow his momentum was painful to her ears. Every biting shriek like a blow to her skull. Her heart raced, pounding harder than it ever had before. Panic and adrenaline surged with every frenzied beat.
The hard, unforgiving floor scraped at her palms, leaving her hands pink and stinging. She felt the jarring impact all the way up through her arms and into her shoulders.
Lucy scrambled up to the witch, placing herself between Angelique and her brother. Keys in one hand and whip gripped tightly in the other, her brown eyes stared the young Seeker down with frightening intensity. Her normally cheerful expression had been transformed into a terrifying, stormy look of fury.
"What is wrong with you?!" she screamed. Lucy shook violently, just barely containing her rage. "Angie's not some rival guild wizard; she's your sister! She's trying her hardest to save you, and this is how you repay that?!"
"Oh, spare me the melodrama," Dante scoffed. "'Save' me? I don't need to be saved. And in case you haven't noticed, human, this is a war." The boy shook his head loftily, as if he were lecturing a small child. "We're not talking about some stupid rivalry between your stupid guilds. You're my enemies and I am yours. Simple as that. Anything else is just trivial nonsense."
"You brat!" Lucy gave her whip a crack, hoping to knock him back with a direct hit to the chest. But Dante kicked his scythe up with the toe of his boot, effectively blocking the strike and nearly ripping the whip out of Lucy's hand with a simple twirl.
The Fairy Tail wizard kept her grip. Lucy held herself so rigidly, her fists clenched so tightly, that her knuckles turned bone white. "Nothing about this is 'trivial'. Our friends are risking their lives to do what's right. Because if we don't, a lot of people are going to get hurt."
Stooping, she helped Angelique get back on her feet. Slightly unsteady, Angelique braced herself against Lucy's shoulder. "You might not think this is important," Lucy exclaimed, "but we do! And for you to mock that is unforgivable!"
Dante cocked his head to the side, his eyes owlish and unblinking. He grinned at them, but it was a malicious expression. Even a little taunting. "What are you going to do about it," he demanded, holding his scythe up in challenge.
Faced with this adversary, Lucy held Angelique's hand tight. "Angie, I know this is your brother and all. I understand that you don't want to fight him. But the safety of my guild—my friends—depends on us beating him. Even if he's your family, he's still my enemy."
A painful weight settled in her chest. Angelique tensed, assaulted by an overwhelming sense of guilt. I know zat. Goodness knows, I do.
There was no doubt that Lucy was going to give it her all in this. Angelique only wished that she had a fraction of that bravery. It felt to her that she was holding everyone back and she felt terrible because of it.
Dante laughed riotously, doubling over as he clutched his stomach. "You think that you can beat me? Dream on."
Giving his scythe a spin, he opened some kind of portal by cutting through the open air above his head. Like the flood gates of a dam bursting open, a flood of Nightmares poured through. They all gathered close around him. Hackles were raised and teeth were bared in fanged, hissing snarls. Feathers ruffled and bunched as they crowded in close. Fur stood on end. Claws scraped and scratched, pawing the ground. They were like a pack of wild dogs ready to rip into their prey.
Angelique recognized a few familiar faces among them. They were the Dream Eaters her brother had spent years raising, the ones he had thrown his everything into creating. Before all of this, it had been nearly impossible to find Dante walking around without at least one of his friends following at his heels; they were all practically attached at the hip. Angelique had grown up with these little dears running around her home.
These were supposed to be darling little Spirits. Not the vicious monsters she saw standing in front of her. It broke her heart to see them here just as much as it pained her to be facing off with Dante.
So much was on the line. Not only did she have to save her brother and the people of Earthland, but all of her brother's Dream Eaters as well. If Dante went feral, so would the other members of his team. They'd all lose their reasoning and their sanity.
What a horrid waste of life it would be…
I can not do zis alone…But then again, I am not alone, am I?
Angelique tried to steady herself with a shaky breath. Withdrawing her hand from Lucy's, she spread her arms out in front of her, sketching a line of stardust into a series of glyphs meant to bridge the gap between this world in the Waking Realm to her home back in the Sleeping Realm. Once the connection was made, she summoned as many of her other Spirits as her dwindling magic reserves could allow.
The turnout was far greater than she expected. Having used up so much magic in such a short span of time, with no chance to replenish what she'd lost, Angelique only expected maybe a handful of her friends to appear.
Perhaps it was the dire circumstances that had tipped them off. Having been born from her magic, Angelique's Dream Eaters all shared the same mental connection to her. It was a bond that not even the distances between Realms could diminish.
Maybe they had just sensed her unease and had come to support her. Much like her brother's mass summoning, her glyphs cut a hole through the air. Angelique watched as her friends all poured through to stand by her side. Katra and her brother, Henri, flanked her sides, placing their heads under her palms. Remi flicked his tongue while carrying Lily and Moss—Angelique's Majik Lapin and Me Me Bunny, respectively—on his back. All three stood ready to attack. Claire and Estelle backed Lucy as Gabrielle and Flare hovered behind the girls, with Odette and Coppélia stretching their long legs.
Even Angelique's most reclusive Dream Eater, Jeanette, had shown up for the fight. As a Chevalier d'Fleur, she was a unique breed of Spirit that could only be created by members of her mother's family. But unlike the others, Jeanette was usually non-combative; she preferred to laze about in the gardens all across their property instead, avoiding people outside of the Versailles family.
For her to come to Angelique's aid at a time like this…
We are on your side, dear Angelique. No matter what you choose, we will be your sword and shield.
Give us your orders, my lady!
We'll save Master Dante and all the others!
Don't worry. We can do it!
We've got your back, Miss!
Gabrielle fluttered forward. Leaning over, the Dream Familiar pressed her cheek up to her master's in a gesture of comfort. We will not lose Master Dante, Angelique. No matter what, we will save him. But for the time being, you must prioritize. Nirvana must be toppled. To leave such a thing to the wizard beside you would be far too heartless.
She was right, of course. Angelique didn't want to admit it, but Gabrielle was right. Nirvana had to take top priority in this. Enough time had already been wasted, time that should have been spent securing the crystal. But because of her weakness…
"Lucy…" The blond perked up at the sound of her name. "I still do not know 'ow well I can fight against my brother. But I…I still wish to try. I only need your assistance…Please, will you 'elp me?"
Angelique was weak on her own. There was no sugar-coating this. In this battle, she was at the disadvantage. All because she was unable to commit herself to facing her brother. But her Spirits were ready to give it their all, so she would do her best to try and match their efforts as well. To not try at all would be an insult to their willingness to help. As their master, Angelique couldn't insult them like that.
Lucy smiled widely, twirling her ring until a specific key rested between her fingers. Made of shinning gold, the teeth made it resemble more of a battle axe rather than an actual key.
"No worries," she proclaimed confidently. "I've got your back, Angie!"
Across from them, Dante heaved a long, exasperated sigh. "Are you done then? Can we finally get to the butt-kicking? Seriously, you two are boring me." He flicked his hand at the Nightmares surrounding him. "My team, you're all with me. The rest of you stragglers, protect the lacrima. Do not fail me."
An inky purple haze surrounded the young Seeker. The stray Nightmares gave startled shrieks and flew off as he spun his scythe around him, spreading his feet wide and sinking into a low battle stance. Meanwhile, his personal team gathered round, all preparing for battle. Leo crouched low at one side while a Tama Sheep and white, leopard-looking Dream Eater flanked the other.
"Bring it!" he shouted. A cacophonous din of war cries rose up behind him as they prepared to charge forward.
Answering their challenge, Angelique split her team up as well. She kept her heavy-hitting Spirits by her side while sending the other, swifter Dream Eaters to the lacrima. The quickest of her darlings were as clever as they were fast on their feet. With any luck, one of them would be able to dart in and destroy the lacrima just in the nick of time.
As Lucy held her key up in the air, the Celestial wizard was surrounded by a strong, golden glow.
"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" A shinning spell circle manifested in front of her. The sound of bells echoed violently throughout the room as the circle exploded, belching out a cloud of thick smoke. A tall, imposing figure emerged, bellowing furiously.
Easily towering over both of the girls, this particular Celestial Spirit was peculiar in that his appearance was rather strange. While he possessed the body of a man, his skin and other features resembled that of a cow. Spotted, black-and-white skin; a bovine face with a gleaming ring pierced in his nose, horns, and flopping ears; and a tail all added to his strange appearance. His only bit of clothing was a pair of small, tight-fitting shorts held up by a heft belt and a pair of boots. And balanced up on his shoulder was a massive labrys, or double-bladed axe.
The Spirit threw his head back with a deep, mooing bellow that caused the entire room to shake. "How can I help you, my bodacious Contractor?" he asked, eyes fixed adoringly on Lucy.
The blonde pointed out the enemies in front of them. "We need your help dealing with these guys, Taurus!"
The Zodiac Spirit bellowed once more, assuring Lucy that he'd wipe the floor with that "scrawny, little calf". As a result, Dante—who already appeared slightly repulsed by the sudden appearance of a cow/man hybrid clad in nothing but a pair of small shorts—seethed.
"Oh, you are going down," he growled. "Let's get 'em, guys!"
Dante led the charge as his Nightmares surged forward. Angelique's Aura Lions went out with Jeanette and Gabrielle to intercept that strange leopard and the skeletal Fin Fatale and Skelterwild that tried to rush the witch.
Taurus, in the meantime, went after Leo while Lucy kept the Galephon at bay with her whip, keeping his beak and claws from ripping her Celestial Spirit apart. Their teamwork was incredible, synchronized and precise to a fault. Despite a lack of combative magic like the kind her guild mates employed, Lucy's skill with a whip and her quick footwork helped her avoid getting bowled over by that Tama Sheep. Taurus was exceptionally quick on his feet as well, manipulating his weapon in just a way that he was able to lob Leo's attacks back at him while covering himself and his Contractor. The few times Angelique could spare a glance their way left her impressed by what she saw.
But she didn't have time to spare for watching. Angelique kept her focus on keeping her brother from targeting Lucy or her Dream Eaters. The boy was fast and light on his feet, darting in and out of the battles consuming the chamber. No rhyme or reason to it, he seemed to move all according to passing whims or wherever he thought he might cause the most trouble. This left Angelique following closely behind and often meant that she had to throw herself in between and whatever targets he had on mind.
Fortunately, Angelique found just the trick to keep him at bay.
"Sparkraga!" She thrust her lance forward, hurling a ball of light at Dante before he could bring his scythe down on Gabrielle. The ball exploded, producing a brilliant flash. Her brother hissed and pulled back.
The key, as it turned out, was Light magic. Angelique noticed how her brother drew back from them whenever she used magic comprised of starlight or her Spark spells. He flinched and hid his face and ran off, crying out as if in pain.
She observed the strange phenomenon and couldn't help but wonder if the light itself was actually hurting him.
Her mind went back to that battle with Angel. Dante had fled the battle just before Lucy had finished casting Urano Metria, a spell that utilized light and the power of the cosmos. Even Angelique had been temporarily blinded by the spell, but it had been just the trick to defeating that massive Heartless.
Could it be that, by becoming one of these "Seekers of Darkness", Dante had taken on the same elemental weaknesses as the other creatures under the Organization's control?
This could be advantageous for me. Forgive me, Brother…
"Claire, to me!"
As a Lupus Lune—a one-of-a-kind Dream Eater that she had created a while back—the dear and darling Claire had the ability to produce Light magic on her own without having to draw on Angelique's own magic reserves. Out of all of her Dream Eaters, Claire was one of the swiftest. But she was a powerhouse of magic and strong to boot. And unlike Gabrielle, her smaller size meant that she could dart in for an attack and rush back out.
The wolf appeared by her side at once, pale blue fur giving off a soft, silvery glow that complimented her pale yellow eyes and swirling white markings. Her silver belled collar jingled, as did the bells tied at her front paws. Claire pressed her nose against Angelique's palm and barked.
"Merci. I need to borrow your power, my dear. Will you 'elp?" Claire barked once again and wagged her tail, glowing brighter. She took off like a comet, weaving through the chaos on a direct course for Dante.
Angelique nodded and transformed her lance back into its staff form to better conduct her magic. The bell fixed to the top of her staff rung as she moved, resonating with Claire's howling. Angelique threw herself back into the fray, leaping over the purple-spotted leopard as it dove for her ankles. The Nightmare's claws gouged gaping holes into the marble, secreting this viscous, vividly green liquid that ate away at the stone. Angelique gulped audibly. She'd have to be careful around that one…
"Théo, watch your back," Dante ordered. "Keep your distance!"
The leopard hissed and pulled back. But as Angelique tried to close the gap between them, it bared its fangs and struck back with its tail. Growing in length, a multitude of spike popped out from the spots running along the tail. It caught her by the wrist, sinking those spikes into her arm. The stretchy material making up her sleeves seemed to save her from injury, but oh did it sting!
"Comet Chaser!" A burst of starlight exploded from the end of her lance. It hit the Nightmare dead on in the face. The leopard yowled and took off hissing. Jeanette gave chase, throwing wave after wave of thorny briars at it.
"Angelique!" His furious howl came as a warning sign. Dante leapt at her and Angelique twisted out of reach, narrowly avoiding a direct hit that would have cut into her stomach. Bending into a cartwheel, she put enough distance between her and her brother to bring her staff up to block his next swing.
She swung it in a wide arc, catching the blade of her brother's weapon at the base of the shaft before he could lob off her leg. At the same time, Claire rushed in and sank her teeth into the back of his jacket and pulled, ripping him away and tossing the boy away.
She began a dangerous dance with her brother, a game of cat and mouse as they chased each other around the lacrima chamber. Block for blow. Strike after strike. Every swing. Every spell matched with an equally strong one.
"Thundaga!"
"Glimmer Lily!"
"Black Guillotine!"
Angelique braced herself against the wave of dark energy, digging in her heels as she called up a barrier around herself. The dark spell crashed up against her barrier like a black tidal wave. "You will not defeat us, Dante!"
Her brother laughed and rushed forward, hacking away at the barrier separating them. "And I'm really supposed to believe that? Get real, Angelique."
With one, final slice, he shattered her spell. The barrier dissolved and Dante struck low, forcing Angelique to jump up and over his scythe. But before she could land back on the ground, he slide under her swung the back part of his weapon upwards, striking Angelique in the shoulder with the little curved blade at the end. And then using his momentum and an absurd burst of strength, he turned and pinned her against the ground.
"Ah-AHH!" The pain was intense. Both her ribs ached from hitting the ground, as did her shoulder socket from the blade. Angelique squirmed, reaching for her staff. But Dante kicked it out of reach and added a Gravity spell on top of his own weight. She was trapped.
"Angie!" Lucy tried to move in to free her but was blocked by Leo, who struck the wizard in the stomach with his tail. Lucy went flying back into the arms of her Celestial Spirit, who bellowed indignantly and went after the Nightmare with a vengeful intent.
Claire growled low, baring her teeth. Her fur stood on end and she pawed at the ground agitatedly. With Angelique pinned, a blade stuck in her shoulder, there wasn't much that the Dream Eater could do. Angelique knew that—the blade was in deep, so if Claire tried to tackle Dante and knock him off of her Master, they would risk further injury that no one could afford.
Dante pressed the heel of his boot into her opposite shoulder as Angelique squirmed. "Just give up and go home already," he grumbled. "You're wasting your time and more likely than not, it's going to get you killed."
Angelique ground her teeth, trying to push the searing pain aside.
"Non," she shouted defiantly. "It will not 'appen. I will not allow it! I will bring you 'ome, Dante!"
She would not give up. Angelique would rather die than give up on her brother!
His eyes were dull and emotionless for the most part as he stared down at her, but Angelique swore that she saw a brief flash of disappointment in his face before his features melded themselves into something more reminiscent of a scowl.
"Then you are a fool."
Dante yanked the bladed counter weight from his sister's shoulder, dragging an agonized whimper out from the witch as it wrenched through muscle. Pivoting, he spun his scythe around, knocking Claire away with the flat of the blade when she tried to rush in for a fanged, tearing tackle. The wolf yelped as she hit the ground with a thud.
"Claire!"
That crimson blade gleamed in the pale light of the lacrima chamber. Dante held his scythe high over his head. A dark power surged from the large gem set at the base of its blade that ran down the shaft in waves of red-tinted electricity. Angelique felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand straight up.
The spell that held her in place only intensified, pressing her down into the floor with crushing force. Angelique's shoulder throbbed. She could feel her body straining to repair itself. The muscles and tendons burned and she could feel a chill settle into her skin.
While the pain was something fierce, the actual damage done to her wasn't too severe, miraculously. Angelique didn't feel the slightest bit sleepy, so it must have just hurt a lot worse than it actually was. If the injury had been too deep, she would have felt a powerful drowsiness come over her.
Chimeras like herself recovered from injury and magic exhaustion through sleep. The worse the injury, the greater the need to sleep. If her shoulder truly was as bad as it felt, Angelique didn't doubt that she would have immediately sunken into a deep sleep right here in the middle of the battle.
So her injuries were too terrible as they were. But how was she supposed to get herself out of this mess?
Lucy wheezed breathlessly through aching ribs. Stars swam in the corners of her eyes as she pushed herself up onto her knees. All the chaos of the various battles going on around her played havoc in her ears, making her wonder if this was what it was like for Dragon Slayers like Natsu and Gajeel, with their extra sensitive hearing.
She could hear Angie's Dream Eaters all fighting against the ones that brat brother of hers owned. She heard Taurus too, yelling and boasting about his strength as he plowed through his opponents. Summoning him really had been the right way to go. Last thing Lucy needed was to set Virgo loose so she could start putting holes everywhere. Loke still needed time to recharge, and after the whole thing with Scorpio, who knew if Aquarius would even help her out?
Taurus, however, was a great Celestial Spirit for things like combat. He could keep up the fighting with very little drain on his Contractor.
I need to…to get a grip. We don't have much time left. Get up, Lucy. Get up!
Thankfully, after getting knocked around by that oddly-colored gryphon, her whip was still in arm's reach. Lucy snatched it up and got back onto her feet, wobbling at first. As she tilted towards the side, the Fairy Tail wizard fell into one of Angelique's lion Dream Eaters, the blue and green one named Henri. It yowled anxiously, pawing the ground and thumping its tail against her leg.
"What's wrong…?" Something was bothering it. Lucy looked around.
The chamber was in complete chaos. Between the ridiculous amount of Dream Eaters running around, as well as Taurus hacking into everything he could swing his axe at, the chamber was an absolute mess. The floor was full of holes and pits, the walls were all torn up. Everything looked like a disaster. If she didn't know better, Lucy might have guessed that her guild had come through and had a party or something.
But still Henri continued to push against her leg, roaring and making all kinds of impatient noises. Lucy frowned.
"I don't understand, what are you so—Oh no!"
After getting pushed to the left, Lucy finally saw what Henri was trying to show her. Angie. It was Angelique!
She was lying flat on the ground, stomach-side down. There was this weird stuff coming out of her shoulder. Puffy, rose-colored trails of smoke lifted up from a jagged hole cut into the fabric around her shoulder blade. The witch's face was twisted in pain, her face paler than normal, making her red eyes look enormous. Angelique squirmed, seemingly unable to move. And standing over her was that awful brother of hers.
That scythe of his was gone. But in its place was a slim black cane. There was a shiny silver cap fixed to the bottom half of the cane. A heavy red crystal balanced out the other end.
Dante stood over his sister, foot planted firmly in the middle of her back, as he held the staff high over his head.
"Goodbye, Sister." Even through all the noise, his voice carried through to Lucy's ears, filling her up to her neck with dread.
"Angie!"
She took off running without any clear plan in mind. After all, even though Lucy liked to credit herself as being one of her guild's saner wizards, she still was a member of Fairy Tail. They were wizards that thrived off of instinct, and they never did anything halfway. Before she knew what she was doing, Lucy took a leap.
As Dante went to bring his staff down over his sister's head, Lucy's foot connected with his back. The two of them went flying, but Lucy tucked herself into a roll just in the nick of time. One of Angelique's Dream Eaters caught her by the end of her skirt and kept her from crashing into the pillar holding that damn lacrima. Dante wasn't so lucky.
The boy groaned, holding the back of his head where it had connected with the unforgiving marble. His mismatched eyes were half-lidded and unfocused, dazed. Sitting like that, half slumped over and grumbling, Lucy did feel a little bit of pity for him. He was a kid, after all.
He really doesn't look that much older than Wendy.
But in thinking of the Cait Shelter Dragon Slayer, that pity soon turned to fury. Lucy rose to her feet and stormed over to where the boy sat. Her hands snatched up great fistfuls of his jacket as she pulled him up. She held him at eye-level, leaving his feet to dangle in the air.
"What is wrong with you?!" Lucy demanded. "Are you trying to kill her or something?"
"What," Dante snapped angrily as Lucy shook him back and forth. "Did our earlier conversation go right through that empty head of yours?"
Oh, that tone of his made her want to throttle the smug little brat. Lucy gripped his jacket tighter until her nails bit into her palms. His callousness brought hot, angry tears to the corners of her eyes. A steady, throbbing pain settled in her jaw from clenching it.
"Is this like some…Some kind of game to you," she demanded. "I don't care if this is war or whatever. You and Angie, you're family aren't you?!"
She stopped shaking him and Dante hung there, tense in her grip. But he made no move to free himself. If anything, he was defiantly bearing her fury. His hands were tiny fists hanging at his sides. Brows pulled low over his gold- and crimson-eyed gaze. A curled lip flash a bit of a pointed fang at her.
"As far as I'm concerned," he snarled venomously, "I don't have family. I don't need it. I don't want it. If anything, it only holds me back." His gaze slid sideways, glaring over at his sister's body sprawled out on the ground. Those eyes were cold and uncaring.
Lucy saw red. Tensing her shoulder, she released the boy, only to drive him to the ground with a savage fist to the chest. "You make me sick," she cried. "You just—I can't believe something like you exists! After everything Angie's done to get this far, and with everything she's willing to risk, it's all for a monster like you!"
From his spot on the ground, Dante coughed and clutched at his chest, spitting into the dust. "Yeah, sure," he spat. "The pampered, perfect little princess is really putting her neck out on the line. She can't even fight on her own. Too pathetic and self-centered, always thinks she knows what right. I'm sure she really knows true suffering!"
"She does!" Lucy cried furiously, unable to believe what she was hearing. "And if she can't save your miserable skin, she'll suffer a lot more! You brat, you don't have any idea what Angie's risking for you!"
Pathetic? Angelique? Hardly. That girl was stronger than she liked to give herself credit for, even Lucy could see that. And her devotion to saving her brother, even if he didn't deserve it, was amazing. She was too kind for her own good, but there was plenty to admire in that.
But still, this brat before her continued to insult Angelique. Lucy wouldn't stand for it. Even if she couldn't fight like the rest of her friends, even if she wasn't as strong as the rest of her guild, Lucy would fight to defend Angelique's ideals.
"I bet the only thing my stupid sister's risking is her standing back home," Dante sneered. "I can see it, you know? The people of Faire un Rêve are the most arrogant, conceited jerks in the universe. If Angelique can't manage to drag me back, they'll look down their noses at her. And we can't have that, now can we? Their precious little prodigy. Their precious little Sorciére des Rêves—"
Lucy had heard enough. This arrogant child, who understood nothing. She couldn't stomach it any longer.
"Angelique will die if she can't save you."
Dante didn't hear her the first time. He kept going on and on with his rambling tirade until Lucy stamped her foot into the ground, the click of her heel against marble cutting sharply through the air like a bullet from a gun.
"Angelique will die if she can't save you!"
The chaos around them came to a standstill. The Dream Eaters all ceased their fighting. Startled by the volume of Lucy's shout, they all fell silent. Still. The battles just stopped right in the middle of everything.
From her spot away from them, Angelique pressed her face into the tear-soaked floor under her. The witch's heart ached, bitterly stabbed through by her brother's words. Was that why he had left home? Had he come to hate her because he believed that she cared more about some meaningless reputation than him?
Dante, you have it all wrong…
The young Seeker of Darkness stared up at the Celestial wizard, his face frozen in a state of shock. He blinked slowly, as if he didn't quite comprehend the words Lucy had spoken.
"What did you say?" His voice was quiet. Just barely above a whisper. Brows furrowed, not with rage, but with genuine confusion.
"Yes," Lucy said hoarsely, her own voice thick with emotion. Already, she felt the grips of guilt clawing at her chest.
She had promised Angelique not to say a word of it. And she really hadn't meant to, but it just slipped out. Lucy had just been so angry with that boy, mouthing off about one of her friends without knowing a damn thing about what he was talking about. It made her furious!
Angelique's secret had been something Lucy had discovered back when they were watching over Erza with Hibiki. After talking about her brother, Lucy had tried to figure out why Angelique was so desperate and so single-minded in trying to bring her brother home. It went beyond just trying to save her family, and Lucy noticed that as the witch talked about her troubling situation, there had been some underlying issue that had caused Angelique a considerate amount of terror.
"It was foolish of me, but at ze time, it was ze only thing I could think of to keep Dante safe from the other Chimera…"
Angelique had traded her life for her brother's. Lucy wasn't exactly one hundred percent clear about how it worked, but she understood the basics. If she couldn't convince her brother to change his ways and stop using those Nightmares, their people would have to take him down. Angelique had explained that it meant, at the very least, they'd strip him of his magic and his Dream Eaters and lock him away. But worst case?
Lucy didn't quite understand it, but whatever might happen would turn Dante into some kind of monster. If that happened, he'd have to be killed.
But before that could happen, Angelique was determined to try her hardest to get him to come back with her. And if she couldn't, and he did turn into a monster…
"Angie said that if you go over the edge, she'd take all that evil out of you and put it into herself." Lucy gulped down the lump in her throat.
"She'll give her life so you don't have to."
Dante: *perched up on Light's shoulder, shaking her head around* Just give us Nirvana, dang it!
Light: Are you kidding? No!
Dante: But I want it!
Light: You can't have it, you little snot! Where in the nine circles of Hell would you even store something that big?!
Dante: I'd find room! Give it to me!
Light: No!
