Bonds, Part 4

After pushing Lucy, Yukino, Alicia, Amelia, Jason and Yegor into a small cavern, C.C. Tokoyami and Archer step out of it and several large vines emerge from the ground. The vines serve as bars that enclosed the cavern, turning it into a makeshift prison for Lucy and the others.

"C.C., stay here and keep an eye on the prisoners." Tokoyami said to her.

"Yes." C.C. responded as she nods her head. Archer and Tokoyami turn to the direction of Mala's location and run off while C.C. places herself beside the entrance of the cavern with her arms folded.

After gazing at C.C. for a few seconds, Yukino turns around and whispered to the other prisoners as she walks her way to the back of the cavern, "Follow me."

Lucy, Alicia and Amelia obliged and follow Yukino from behind. But Jason and Yegor however choose not to mingle with their enemies and they go over to the side of the cavern and sat down against the wall instead. When the four girls reach the very end of the cavern, they sat down and huddle in a circle. Yukino looks over her shoulder for a moment to make sure C.C. is still standing at the side of the cavern with her back facing them.

"Alright. Let's start planning on how to get ourselves out of here." Yukino said softly as she looks back at the other girls.

"No duh, ya drongos! Any of you got any bright ideas?" Amelia asked everyone around her in annoyance. Her eyes soon land on Lucy who seemingly looked like she is staring into space. "What are you looking at?!"

"Oh, I was staring at C.C." Lucy replied to Amelia.

"Well quit doing that! We have other important things to attend to, ya know?!" Amelia said irritably.

"Actually, I was wondering if we can negotiate with C.C." Lucy said.

"Huh? Why?" Amelia asked with an arched eyebrow. "Has it flown over your head that she and her mates were the ones who kidnapped us?!"

"But do you remember when Laurent said that C.C. was unwilling to fight against Mei Li even though she was completely defenceless?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah. Not only I get knocked out cold by that woman, but that wuss Mei Li was too flat out being scared that she bailed on us over trying to save me! Tch, what a day!" Amelia scoffed as she rolls her eyes. Alicia and Lucy frowned at her.

"As I was saying, that would mean she isn't completely loyal towards Laurent than we think. That's why I believe she can be negotiated with." Lucy said.

"Not to mention, we also need to understand why she is working for Laurent." Alicia added. "Both C.C. and Archer are humans and yet their master hates their kind."

"True." Yukino nodded in agreement. "We have to know why he would spare their lives and why are they working for him."

"And also, we need to know how they are able to find our location in the first place. Perhaps C.C. will provide us the answer." Lucy said.

"Hello! We can play The Tonight Show with Hizashi Yamada some other time! But do you seriously think that it is so easy to escape from here just by negotiating one of our kidnappers, which would be a 50-50 chance that she will cooperate anyway?! Wake the hell up!" Amelia cried irritably.

"Will you calm down, Amelia?" Alicia chided. "Thinking negatively isn't going to-"

"Oh great! There you go!" Amelia rolls her eyes back as she throws her hands into the air. She clasps her hands together as she imitates Alicia's voice. "Lecturing and taking lead in that sweet charming voice of yours."

"Why are you so irritable?!" Alicia cried in annoyance.

"Our lives are on the line, that's why!" Amelia barked at her. "So how the hell can we be calm?"

"What is wrong with you, Amelia?!" Alicia argued. "You seem to act like this even when we are trying to help you and having a normal conversation with each other. Why do you have a problem with everything?!"

"Because everything in reality is never what you want it to be!" Amelia responded.

"What makes you think that way?! Why do you always think of the bad stuff instead of trying to find the positives?! Do you think everything in your life is so hard and painful?!" Alicia asked.

"I just…I…" As if Alicia's last question had struck her with great force, Amelia breathed heavily as her anger and frustration is starting to die down. "I'm just not like you! You think I'm worthy of having friends, and capable of doing anything like any of you?! You all have teammates working alongside each other! Alicia knows how to navigate through a forest while Lucy and Yukino know how to fight with magic! But me?! I…I just don't know what to do out here!"

Amelia slams her fists on the ground as she finally broke down into tears and sobbed in front of the girls.

"Amelia…" Alicia uttered in concern as she, Lucy and Yukino stare wordlessly at her.

"You r-reminded me of all the popular girls back in my p-primary school, Alicia. The ones who can attract friends b-because they are s-smart…rich…strong and beautiful. B-But they are also the ones who ruined my life." Amelia whimpered as tears kept rolling down her cheeks. "D-During my first year in primary school, I was a-alone, frightened, and wasn't g-good in playing sports and doing arts and crafts. But…there was another girl…in my class…who is j-just like me, and we decided to become mates s-so that we have someone in our lives to rely on. I was so happy back then…because I f-felt like she m-made my life so much better. But when we entered Year 6, there was a rich and smart girl in our class who would bully us…because of what we are." Amelia sniffed for a moment. Unbeknownst to the girls, Jason and Yegor are listening to her as well as they watch them.

"And one day…not wanting to be a victim any longer, my friend for 5 years…suddenly ditched me and become that girl's friend instead!" Amelia cried angrily. "She joined them in bullying me and making my life miserable, just to make hers more comfortable!" Amelia paused again as she closes her eyes, allowing more tears to cascade down her cheeks. "I felt betrayed and heartbroken, realizing that our friendship actually meant nothing to her during all those years. And when I try to tell my parents and teachers about it, they just don't care because they are too busy with their work." After wiping away her tears, Amelia looks back up at Alicia, Lucy and Yukino with puffy red eyes. "That was when I started hating everybody around me. My former friend made me feel like everybody in the world is my enemy, and that whoever tries to be my mate is only going to use me as a tool. So when I entered secondary school, I became a jerk, making use of my family's fortune and good grades as a way to prevent people from being my friend, and mock others who are poorer and unpopular than me. And…I enjoyed it. I knew I was acting like a wanker, but I can't help it. I thought it is the only way to make people fear and respect me. But now…when I'm out here in the wild, in a place outside of my comfort zone, all my negative thoughts about myself came back to me! I am completely hopeless all over again!" Amelia finished by letting out a miserable wail.

"Amelia, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Alicia said softly to Amelia as she continues to cry. After managing to bring her sobs to a halt, Amelia sniffed again as she removes her glasses and wipes away her tears.

"Mei Li is the only person I can rely on when I first arrived here." Amelia whimpered as she puts her glasses back on. "She cares for me so much…something I've never experienced before in my life. And yet, I distanced myself from her by continuing to act like a smeg-head. And when I see and hear Mei Li interacting with all of you, it felt like history is repeating itself again. Seeing you guys working together alongside Sting, Natsu, Darren and Happy made me feel so jealous of all of you…because I've never had a friend who actually cares and understands me…and would never go out of their way to turn their back on me. Even now, I'm still the odd one out." Amelia paused for a moment to suppress a harsh sob trying to escape from her throat. "I'm…I'm just sick and tired of all of this…I just want to go home to Australia."

Lucy sighed inwardly and said comfortingly, "I know how you feel, Amelia."

"W-what?" Amelia croaked as she looks up at Lucy with tearstained eyes.

"Sometimes, I do think I'm the odd one out within Team Natsu." Lucy said. "Natsu and Wendy had Dragon Slayer magic, Happy and Carla provide so much support for them despite the risks, and Gray and Erza are such amazing fighters. I on the other hand, am the mage who is mostly known for her good looks. I don't fight as well as the others and I'm only capable of casting magic with Celestial keys. I am also the one who usually gets kidnapped, the only member of Team Natsu who lost all her fights in the Grand Magic Games and have the lamest name for an attack ever. I can never live up to the expectations of everyone around me. But you know who else also can't? Everybody else in Fairy Tail. They made me realize that no matter how strong and powerful you are, you will always have flaws. Natsu knows he is less civilized and intelligible than the other members of Fairy Tail, but he still lives his life happily because he fully accepts that he isn't completely perfect. I've learnt to accept my flaws and weaknesses too, and so should you."

"Lucy." Alicia said as she and Yukino smiled at her.

Lucy places her hand on Amelia's shoulder and said to her soothingly, "So stop thinking negatively about yourself. Stop acting like a hothead and start learning to work with others again. We all want to go home too. So wouldn't it be easier if we work together?"

Amelia stares silently at Lucy for a moment before she places her hand on top of hers and replied, "I never thought you were that bad of a mage, Lucy."

"And I never thought you were that bad of a person, Amelia." Lucy flashes a smirk at her. Amelia chuckled and smiles back at her.

"Thank you." She said to her.

"Guys?"

Lucy, Alicia, Amelia and Yukino turn their heads as soon as they heard Jason's voice. They see him and Yegor walking towards them.

"Did you just mention Australia?" Jason asked.

"Y-Yes, I did." Amelia replied.

"Australia…" Jason uttered. "That happens to be a country…back in our world." The girls gasped.

"Where are you from?" Alicia asked. "I'm from New Zealand."

"I'm from Alaska. Ya know? The US State above the lower 48? And Yegor here is from Saint Petersburg, Russia." Jason replied while Yegor silently nods to the girls.

"You guys…you're from the same world as ours!" Amelia said in astonishment with her eyes widened.

"So you two are unfortunate enough to be captured by the Abbey first before we could reach you." Lucy said.

"Wait, what?" Yukino asked Lucy, startled by what she said.

"These praetors we were fighting all along. Some of them were the magicless people who have been appearing all over Fiore. Others were from towns conquered by the Abbey." Lucy explained to her.

"I didn't know." Yukino said in awe.

"So that's why you guys were after me and Mei Li." Amelia said to Jason and Yegor.

"At the time, we all thought our goal in life is to restore peace to Fiore by eliminating the guilds and the current Magic Council. But one day, during a live-fire exercise, me, Jason and the rest of our expedition were hit in the heads by the opposing team. That was when we suddenly remembered our respective hometowns." Yegor said.

"I'm from America, Yegor is from Russia, our squad leader Brenda is from Germany, you get the idea." Jason said. "We all couldn't recognize the world we are currently in, so our previous squad leader tried questioning our superiors on where we are and how do we end up here. But we never see him again afterwards."

"That is when we decided to stay quiet and continue serving the Abbey, hoping that if we're able to win the war, we can all go home. But now, we realize that we aren't the only ones from Earth who are stranded here." Yegor said.

"I would advise you to defect the Abbey right now while you still can. They cannot be trusted." Alicia said to them.

"Trust us, we know." Lucy said solemnly.

"So will you guys switch sides and join forces with us? We promise, when we get out of this situation, we'll take you to the Magic Council where they will keep you safe until we defeat the Abbey and find a way to bring you all home." Yukino said before extending a hand to Jason and Yegor. The two men glance at each other and nod their heads.

"We're happy to join you." Yegor said as he and Jason smile at Yukino. He grabs her hand and the two gave each other a handshake. After releasing each other's hands, Yukino glances at C.C., who is still standing beside the entrance of the cavern, before looking back at the other girls.

"Alright. Let's try to talk to her." Yukino said.


Natsu yells furiously as he throws a punch at Road, who swiftly dodges the attack by moving to the side. Natsu's fist ended up punching through the centre of the flower that was behind her. After grabbing onto its centre, Natsu pulls the flower out from the trunk of the tree and throws it onto the ground.

"That's another one down." Road said as Natsu wipes off the goo from his hand.

"No more flowers around this perimeter too, Lero." Lero said as he and Road looked around.

"Then let's keep moving." Road said.

"How much longer do we have to do this?!" Natsu yelled in frustration as he stomps his foot. "If we don't hurry, Lucy and the others should become mindless servants to Laurent right now!"

"Calm down, Natsu!" Sting chided.

"How can I when time isn't on our side?!" Natsu yelled back at him.

"Natsu!" Darren shouted at him, getting the Fire Dragon Slayer's attention. "We all care about the others too. But we still need to be careful as we make our way there. It's better to rescue them stealthily rather than getting caught ourselves."

"I know that!" Natsu responded to him angrily. He took a moment to take a deep breath to calm himself down. "I just don't want anything horrible to happen to Lucy. She is the closest person I ever had in my life since the day I thought Lisanna died. I still remember how heartbroken I was when I thought we lost a friend of ours. How much I regret not tagging along with her and her siblings even when her older brother stop me from doing so." Natsu clenches his fists and glares at Darren. "I will not let that happen to me all over again."

"I want to save the others too. Because ever since the day I lost Wahid and my father, you guys have become the closest people I ever had in my life. You…Lucy…Alicia…Sheena…all of you…you all make me feel whole again." Darren said solemnly and he holds out his hand to Natsu. "I will never again do anything stupid to the ones I care the most."

Natsu grabs Darren's hand and the two of them nod their heads as they stare boldly at each other. Road gazes at the both of them in silence.

"Road?" Lero asked her concernedly. Road shakes her head as she snaps out of her thoughts.

"If you guys are done talking, we have to keep moving." Road said to Darren and Natsu.

"Right." Natsu said as he and Darren turn to her. Road turns around and continues walking through the forest while the others follow her from behind.

"How are you able to navigate your way through the forest? When we try to do it, we feel like we are just wandering aimlessly or returning to the same spot we originally came from." Darren inquired.

"My master creates an invisible dome all over the West Forest." Road explained. "It's hard to describe but let's say that you think you know the right way to get out of this forest. But as you keep going towards that certain direction, the magic created from the dome turns the area into an endless labyrinth, giving you the illusion that there is no end in sight. Sometimes, it even takes you back to the same spot that you have already been in without making you even realizing it."

"So that's why no matter how far I fly, I could never find the boundaries of the forest." Happy said.

"That's right, Lero!" Lero replied to him.

"So basically, once we're in this forest, we are stuck here forever." Sting said.

"Until you take out the one responsible for creating this dome in the first place, yes." Road said. "Fortunately, the magic doesn't affect me, a loyal servant to Laurent, so I am able to navigate through this forest for all of you." Darren, Natsu, Happy, Sting, Aries and Libra turn their heads to Mei Li when they heard her shivering.

"Trying to comprehend all of that makes me feel like I'm in some sort of horror film." Mei Li said timidly. "I guess despite how overprotective my parents are, they're still right about one thing. The outside world can be pretty scary."

"Get used to it, Mei Li." Sting said to her.

"But, I'm glad that I'm not alone right now." Mei Li said, looking up at her friends with a small smile on her face. As Darren, Natsu, Happy, Sting, Aries and Libra smile back at her, Road's face however distorts into a disheartened frown as she kept walking and looking forward.


C.C. lets out a yawn as she leans against the side of the cavern with her arms folded. She kept staring at the clouds without a care in the world. But her moment of silence is finally interrupted when Amelia walks up to the vines and whispers to her.

"Psst! Oi mate! Over here!"

C.C. turns to her left to see Amelia giving her a forced smile as she slides her arm through the vines and waves her hand at her. C.C. groans as she gets off from the wall and looks back at Amelia. As she does, she also noticed Alicia, Lucy, Yukino, Jason and Yegor walking up to Amelia from behind.

"What is it?" C.C. asked flatly.

"Ya know, that Laurent bloke really treated you poorly back there, didn't he? So, we were wondering, why don't you stop working yourself for a jerk like him and help set us free?" Amelia asked. C.C. snorted in response.

"You seriously think I'll listen to you within an instant?" C.C. said with a sly grin as she snaps her fingers. Her face quickly distorts into a scowl and she said coldly to them, "Dream on. I vow to my master that I will serve him until the day I die and I'm sticking with it."

"Why do you serve him in the first place?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah, I mean you're a human and your master clearly states that he hates your kind. So how did you and your silver-haired mate end up working for him?" Amelia asked.

"It is something that I'm not allowed to share with you and it's none of your concern." C.C. replied icily.

"Do you even hear what your master is planning to do with us? Not only does he want to brainwash us, but also invade the town of Petunia. Hundreds of innocent humans will either die or become homeless!" Yukino cried.

"You think I don't know? I originally came from that town too. Just like my master, I was treated by the people over there as trash. But within time, they will get what they deserve." C.C. said.

"I don't know what happened in the past that made the people of Petunia turn you into a wreck. But invading the town will only justify what they did to you. You got to be better than that." Alicia said sternly to her.

"Damn right I'm better than them!" C.C. snapped at her. "I'm not someone who made fun of others just because the only type of magic they're good at is making people go to sleep. But Laurent accepted me and the others when we were all rejected by society."

"And for what end? To kill innocent civilians alongside him?" Lucy scolded.

"How is anybody in that town innocent?" C.C. hissed at her.

"I know you want to get back on the people who mocked you, but you can't get other people who weren't responsible for what happen to you get involved in this." Alicia said.

"Then I'll…" C.C. paused for a moment to think. "I'll just exterminate the ones who don't deserve to live!"

"But your master doesn't seem like he will spare anyone regardless if they are innocent or not." Yukino quickly replied. "Regardless of who you kill, you'll still be responsible for their deaths because you willingly worked for him."

"Also, your master punished you when you refused to attack my friend who is unable to fight back at the time. Surely, he will punish you again when he realizes you didn't kill as many people as you can. Who knows? Maybe this time he will really get rid of you since we won't be around to help you anymore." Amelia said, rubbing her chin with a smirk on her face.

C.C. stared at the girls dumbfounded. "I…I…" She struggled to find a response.

"I know you won't commit murder, C.C. Unlike your master or the people who mocked you, you have a moral compass. Show them that you're stronger." Lucy said.

C.C. looks down at her hands and ponders for a moment. "You're right. I don't ever want to get my hands dirtied." She said before looking back at the prisoners. "But if we turn our backs on Laurent now, where can we go?"

"That is for you to decide on your own." Lucy said. "But consider this, if Laurent were to fulfil his purpose in destroying Petunia, where will all of you go from there?"

C.C. remains silent to contemplate again. "Nowhere. Judging by his hatred for humans and the way he treated the soldiers we have captured; he will probably disregard me and Archer after he retakes his former home. I ran away from Petunia because I was humiliated by its people. I doubt Laurent will give me a better treatment than that." She replied. "Now stand back."

After the prisoners did what she said, C.C. closes her eyes and places her hands on the vines. The vines move back down into the holes they originally emerge from, reopening the cavern for everyone to get out.

"We did it." Yukino said as she and the other prisoners smile.

"Holy mother of God." Amelia uttered as she adjusts her glasses.

"I still don't know about this…but I trust you all enough." C.C. said to Lucy and the others. Yukino walks up to her and places her hand on her shoulder.

"Trust us. You did the right thing." Yukino said.

"Wow. These girls just did what no politician could ever do back in our world." Yegor commented as he and Jason look at each other.

"Yeah." Jason chuckled. "If only our world has more people like them."


After collapsing onto the ground, Tokoyami yells in pain as Tal stomps his foot on top of the side of his head and pins him down. Nearby, Archer groans as he struggles to get up from the ground while Mala stood in front of him, clenching onto his double-sided naginata.

Brenda and Hodaka stood nearby, staring at the display in awe. Both praetors didn't even land a single hit on Archer and Tokoyami throughout the fight as Mala and Tal did most of it by themselves. While their previous fight with Archer and Tokoyami felt like a battle for survival, their latest couldn't be categorized as one when they had their superiors on their side.

"T-That's…impossible…" Archer coughed. "You're as fast as me?" Mala briefly kneels down, grabs Archer by the metal plate on his collar and roughly pulls him up to his level.

"You never should have underestimate the Abbey." Mala said coldly at Archer, who gasps in pain as the praetor tightens his grip around his collar. "Now…tell us where you have taken the girls with blonde hair."

Archer glances at Tokoyami who is groaning in pain as Tal adds more pressure to his foot on top of his head. The man looks back at Mala and grits his teeth. He didn't want to tell Mala the location of his master. He would rather die than give away any information to his enemy, and after failing to protect the lives of his fellow Mizuhans, death is the appropriate punishment for him. But…Tokoyami doesn't deserve to die. He is only 19 years old and still have so much to live for. And unlike him, he didn't cost the lives of any civilians prior to becoming a servant of Laurent. If he remains silent, Tokoyami will die due to his arrogance and selfishness.

Archer closes his eyes and pursed his lips. He couldn't believe he is doing this. First, he couldn't protect the lives of his fellow Mizuhans, and now he couldn't protect his new master. He hated himself for being a failure once again.

"Alright. I'll tell you…and show you the way."


Sovereign: I would like to thank AquaBluey, Amanny and Shaula78 for reviewing and following, and Crimson-Tuna-Sub for checking out my story and helping me out with Amelia's dialogue. Thanks!

Chapter Revised on 6th March 2020