This chapter is a little all over the place in the timeline, so hopefully it will make sense. In essence, we're looking at the strategic planning of the dragon slayers in their quest.
Enjoy!
Several hours earlier - Sabertooth
Yukino quietly closed the door behind her, and regarded her guildmates. The hotel room she was sharing with Rufus, while a decent size, felt small with all six of them in there. The memory-make mage gave her an encouraging smile from his position in the chair at the desk, and the dragon slayers were sitting on his bed, Exceeds next to their respective partners. Moving to sit on her own bed, she met Sting's intense gaze.
"Report." He ordered, and she perched on the edge of her bed.
"I've located Lucy's apartment. A rune barrier has been put in place to prevent any of the dragon slayers from passing through, and Cobra tested it from outside the window. The barrier held. The mage who created it said she was not as good as another guild member, so it may be weaker or more easily modified." She told them, and Rogue looked thoughtful. Sting glanced over his shoulder at Rufus.
"Can you adjust the barrier so I can pass through it?" He asked, and Rogue cut him with a glare.
"So we can pass through it." The dark haired man stressed, and Rufus nodded.
"As soon as Yukino shows me where it is, I'll begin the modifications. We should do that at night, to attract less attention." He proposed, and Sting nodded his agreement.
"Get it done." He ordered, and his eyes cut sideways to his human best friend. Blue and red clashed, and their eyes narrowed.
"We need to discuss strategy." Rogue calmly declared, and Sting blinked at him. "We are already at a disadvantage. Two of them are already in her guild, the other belongs to an independent guild, and is likely to join Fairy Tail should he be successful. We do not have that luxury." He continued, watching his partner as the blond shifted from antagonistic to thoughtful.
"So? She can just join Sabertooth, we're better anyway." Lector cut in, climbing up on Sting's knee to look up at Rogue. Frosch mirrored the movement, so he could see his fellow Exceed, and cheered his agreement. Rogue automatically steadied the green cat as he wobbled on shifting fabric.
"It's not going to be that easy, Lector." Yukino insisted. "Lucy is very dedicated to her guild, and will not leave unless she has no other option." She frowned at her words, and Rufus steepled his fingers in thought.
"What if one of you marks her? Surely she will have no choice then." He offered, and Sting shook his head.
"It doesn't work like that. Even after marking, she could refuse the bond, and whoever marked her would go mad or die." He replied absently, mind working overtime.
"Lucy won't do that, she's very kind-hearted, and would never put anyone through that much pain and suffering." Yukino insisted. Rogue opened his mouth, hesitated, and closed it again.
"What?" Sting demanded, blue eyes focused on the Shadow dragon slayer.
"I had a thought, and it could possibly work." The dark-haired man said slowly, turning the idea over in his mind. It certainly wasn't his first choice, but it was the pathway with the most likely chance of success. Frosch patted his knee reassuringly, and he quirked a smile down at the Exceed. Raising his head, he met Sting's gaze full force.
"What if we work together on this? We've shared things before." He said quietly, and the blond next to him froze, eyes hard.
"Are you serious?! We just share her, like she's a hotel room, or a knife?" Sting sneered as he jumped up from his seat, and stalked across to the window, blue eyes unfocused.
"She is far more precious than a mere thing, and if there's anyone who I trust with what is precious to me, it's you." Rogue reasoned. "Between us, she would be protected, safe, and, dare I say, satisfied." Sting whirled around in shock, and took in the dark form of his best friend.
"We'll get jealous. We'll end up fighting, and nobody knows how that will turn out, but it will absolutely kill the guild." The blond warned, and his fist clenched. Rogue eyed him calmly.
"We know exactly how it would turn out, we saw the result of it at the end of the Games a few years ago." His statement was quiet in the silence of the room, but the words rang deafeningly loud.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Sting shouted, anger and disbelief warring on his face, and light began to swirl around his clenched fists. Yukino shot to her feet.
"Enough!" She cried out. "Enough. Look what this is already doing to you both! You can't make it work when you're so disjointed, and the guild needs you! Both of you!" She looked between them, the light dying down, and regret crossed Rogue's face.
"I've run through the calculations, and Rogue is right, Master Sting. There is such a small percentage of either of you successfully mating with her separately, but a much larger chance if you work together. Higher still, if you use dirty tactics." Rufus interrupted, mentally going through the scenarios, and Sting's eyes slid shut.
"You're sick, all of you." He fumed, and stormed out the door, slamming it behind him. Lector jumped off the bed and ran after him, calling Sting's name.
"He'll come around to the idea eventually. I just hope it won't be too late." Rogue murmured, and Frosch hugged him comfortingly. The Shadow dragon slayer hugged him back and stood, quietly leaving the room.
It wasn't until well into the night Sting and Lector returned, the Light dragon slayer flinging himself down onto his bed. Everything was still for a few seconds, before he blew out a long sigh.
"Fine, we'll seduce her together." He said quietly, and Rogue gave the room at large a tiny smile.
"All of Fiore and their mother think Blondie and the Salamander are together, and snatching her from under his nose would be sweet victory." Sting stared into the darkness, imagining what it would be like before turning his eyes on his partner.
"Then we'd best start working on our strategy." Rogue replied, turning his head to view his friend. Sting was already looking at him, and in the faint light of the room, he could see the blond's lips curl into a predatory grin.
A few hours ago - Team Natsu
Natsu stopped dead as he opened the door to his house, eyebrows drawing together in confusion as he saw Gray and Erza sitting on his little couch. Happy had been chattering away beside him, looking up at his partner, before turning confused eyes to the room.
"Gray, Erza, what are you guys doing here? Doncha think hanging around inside my house is a little creepy?" Natsu asked, grinning. Gray scoffed at him.
"No creepier than whatever's growing on the dishes on your table." He shot back, and Natsu held up a fire-filled fist.
"You wanna go?" He asked, and the budding fight was interrupted by Erza standing up.
"As much as I would enjoy making you scrub the dishes and floors, we came with news." She said firmly, casting a reproving look at Gray, who shoved his hands in his pockets and slouched. "It's about Lucy." She continued, uncertain how to start. Natsu's expression brightened.
"She's back? Does this mean we're going on a job? C'mon Erza, what kind of job did you pick out for us? Is it an S class?" He asked, excited as his eyes searched her hands for the request. He blinked as he found one of Lucy's sleeves instead. Dark eyes met brown as his smile fell.
"Is she okay? Did she get hurt on the job?" He asked seriously, relieved when Erza shook her head.
"No, nothing like that, she returned safely. I'm sorry, I just don't know where to begin." She replied.
"Did Igneel ever tell you about scent changes in people?" Gray asked, and Natsu frowned at him.
"Why are you asking? And what does it have to do with Lucy?" Happy asked curiously, tail flicking as he walked further into the house.
"Lucy's scent changed, and Gajeel says it's to do with dragon slayers. And… mating." The ice mage mumbled the last part, a light flush settling across his cheeks. Natsu squinted at Gray, then moved forward to take the sleeve from the re-quip mage. He brought the fabric to his face and inhaled, body going rigid.
"Natsu?" Erza asked cautiously, and took a step backwards as he looked up with slitted eyes.
"When?" He managed to ask, closing his eyes in bliss as he buried his nose back into the sleeve.
"She arrived at the guild hall this morning. It appears her scent changed sometime while she was in Crocus." The redhead told him, brown eyes assessing his movements. If he bolted, she would have to chase him down.
"Where is she?"
"Before you go rushing off, we need to discuss how to manage this situation." Erza scolded, hands coming to a rest on her hips.
"Erza, you've just told me my mate is out in town somewhere, and it just happens to be Lucy. What's there to talk about? I just need to go see her, is all." He replied, and brought the fabric back up to his face.
"Geez, you look like an addict or something." Gray commented scornfully, and Natsu shot him a glare.
"I am biologically wired to find this scent irresistible, Gray." He said slowly, punctuating every word.
"How do you know a word like 'biologically'?" The ice mage asked, bewildered. Natsu rolled his eyes at him.
"I'm not a complete idiot."
"No, only mostly an idiot."
"Shut up and fight me, frosty!"
"Enough!" Erza shouted, face foreboding and promising a painful short-term future. By habit, the two men threw their arms around each other, panicked grins stretched across their faces in parody of happiness, utterly terrified of what she might do to them. Happy snickered at them.
"Natsu, you cannot just run off and assume everything will work out the way you're hoping. You are not the only dragon slayer in Magnolia, in fact all seven are here, centred around Fairy Tail. The only one who has not yet caught Lucy's new scent is Laxus, and he will be made aware of the situation as soon as he returns." She lectured.
"What do you mean all seven? The Sabertooth slayers can't be here, and Cobra should be out with his guild." Natsu frowned in confusion.
"Crime Sorciere arrived this morning to check in with Master, and Sabertooth sent some people in the name of 'inter-guild relations'. Rogue and Sting caught her scent this afternoon at the guild hall." Gray said quietly, dark eyes steady as Natsu turned to face him.
"Seriously? I get to fight them all again? This is awesome!" He cheered, and Happy responded with an enthusiastic "Aye, sir!"
"Remember, this is all centred around Lucy." Erza sighed.
"How could I forget? We all fight, I beat them all, and then Lucy lets me mark her. We all live happily ever after, the end." Natsu grinned at them both. "Now, where is she?"
"She's at home, but Levy put up a barrier so no dragon slayers can get into her apartment. You can see her, but you won't be able to do anything." Gray told him, and sighed. Natsu's grin was fierce.
"Nah, she'll let me in. It's me, after all. Happy, let's go!"
"Aye, sir!" The Exceed responded in determination, and grabbed the back of Natsu's jacket, flying them both out of the little house and into the sky.
"Well, we've done all we can. The rest is up to him, now." Erza commented, crossing her arms.
"Is it enough, though?" Gray mused, and the two silently made their way out of the house, closing the door behind them.
Crime Sorciere
Erik could hear the others in his shared room as he made his way back to the hotel, and after being run off by Salamander, he was in a foul mood. With a face like thunder, he threw open the door to the room, making Sawyer and Meredy jump. Greeting his guild with a "Get the fuck out," he stalked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. The others were still staring at the bathroom door when the shower started, and Sorano made a gagging noise. Meredy turned to look at her.
"What? What's going on?" She asked curiously, then looked around the room. Macbeth cracked an eye from where he was lying on one of the beds, but said nothing.
"He's having some private time. Guess little miss sunshine got him all kinds of riled up." Sorano snickered. Meredy's eyes travelled back to the bathroom door.
"Oh. Ew." She said faintly, and turned her back on the door, sitting on the edge of the bed Macbeth was on. Sawyer cackled, and Richard wiped a tear away from his face.
"That's love! Oh yeah!" He cried out, and Jellal turned faintly green. The reflector mage yawned and stood up, meandering over to the packs leaning against the wall. Rummaging through one of them, he pulled out some clothes and tossed them into the bathroom, quickly shutting the door, but not quickly enough to avoid hearing Erik let out a desperate moan. Macbeth shuddered, and made his way back to his bed, stretching out again. Sorano snickered again.
"He's heard all of us do the exact same thing, no matter how discreetly. Don't tease him about this." Jellal warned, and the white-haired mage rolled her eyes and huffed.
After getting dressed, Erik walked out of the bathroom, distinctly calmer than when he went in.
"You know about the barrier." He stated, violet eye intent on the blue-haired man. "Can you write in an exception for me?" He asked, satisfied when the other man nodded.
"I'll do it in the early hours of the morning, to avoid being seen." Jellal confirmed, and crossed his arms. "Have you put any thought into a strategy? Macbeth tells us you're serious about pursuing Lucy." Erik glared at him, then at his friend lying on the bed. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, and dropped into the empty chair at the desk.
"The cupcakes were a hit. She had a very physical reaction to them, and if Salamander hadn't interrupted, I would've marked her by now." Just thinking about the salmon-haired fire mage had him clenching his teeth, ignoring Richard as he cried about love somewhere to his left.
"She gets turned on by cake?" Sorano laughed, and Erik entertained the idea of poisoning her.
"More like she enjoys people doing things for her, without the expectation of anything in return." He growled at her.
"So she's a freeloader." She shot back, and he bared his teeth at her.
"Don't call Bright Eyes a freeloader!" He snarled, and Meredy shifted uncomfortably.
"She's pushing your buttons, Erik. Sorano, apologise." Jellal broke in, and the two glanced at him. The white-haired woman muttered an apology at him, and Erik sighed.
"Lucy is… complicated. At this stage, and with the compulsion, I would do anything for her. It's not even an option to walk away now, not until she's chosen. If she doesn't choose me, we go back to normal. If she does, I do everything in my power to make her happy. That will likely involve me leaving Crime Sorciere and joining Fairy Tail." He raked a hand through his hair again, and Jellal nodded.
"I assumed that would be the case. We've established that this is something you're unable to avoid, so we'll support you however we can." He said, pausing as Meredy bounced where she was sitting, disturbing Macbeth, and he grumbled at her.
"I can link you together!" She announced, excited. Sawyer frowned at her.
"I'm pretty sure he knows how your magic works." He commented, and the pink-haired mage rolled her eyes at him.
"If I link them together, Jellal writes the exception into the barrier, then Lucy will be so overwhelmed by Erik's emotions and love for her that she'll be begging him to mark her!" She squealed, and clapped her hands together. Richard burst into happy tears, and Sawyer patted him absently on the arm.
"That could work." The speedster said thoughtfully, and looked up at Jellal, then over to Erik. The Poison dragon slayer was eyeing Meredy with a faintly disgusted expression.
"What, you don't like my idea?" She asked, pouting at Erik.
"Your idea is fine, but I don't need the visual images and commentary that came with it." He drawled, and she rolled her eyes, tossing her hair playfully. Looking over at Macbeth who was watching him with a narrowed eye, Erik tilted his head in question. The sleepy reflector mage yawned and sat up. Considering the half plan they'd concocted, he nodded slowly.
"Alternatively, the night after the barrier is modified, I give her nightmares." His lips raised into a sinister smile at the thought, and ruby eyes met furious violet. "You 'hear' her nightmare and go in to comfort her, work your charm like you somehow manage to do even though you're asexual, and she's yours." He let out a quiet noise of amusement, already sifting through the different types of nightmares he could give her.
"If you harm her, I'll rip you apart." Erik's tone was conversational, but the deadly look in his eye had the entire team reassessing his mental state. Macbeth considered his friend, and hummed his agreement.
"I'd expect nothing less." He responded with an amused lilt to his voice, lips twitching up into a small smile.
"We have a plan, then. We try Meredy's way first, then after serious consideration, we may try Macbeth's." Jellal's tone was final, and closed the meeting.
"Good. Now, like I said earlier, get the fuck out." Erik growled, and the others filed out, already thinking about dinner.
Team Dreyar
The sun had long since set, but Makarov was still working in his office, reading through one of the last reports on his desk. Humming his approval, he added it to a different stack, looking up when the door to his office opened. Hmm? Laxus was leaning against the doorframe, and Makarov waved him in.
"Come in, and close the door behind you, my boy." He told him, and the door closed with a snick behind the hulking frame of his grandson.
"You wanted to see me? Laki said it was urgent." Laxus asked, and dropped into one of the chairs in front of the desk. Eyeing the blond critically, Makarov could tell he was tired. The slump of his shoulders and the slight pinched look to his face, complete with the purple smudges under his eyes screamed that he'd been pushing himself too hard again.
"I do. Have you been pushing yourself again?" The guild master asked, concerned. Laxus made a dismissive gesture.
"What do you want, old man?" He asked, but the words lacked the bite they usually had. Makarov sighed.
"On the bookshelf to your right you'll find a sleeve. I want to know what the scent tells you." He gestured to the blue fabric, and Laxus raised an eyebrow at him.
"Seriously?" He asked in disbelief, and rolled his eyes when he received a firm nod. Pushing himself to his feet, he walked over and snatched the fabric off the shelf, bringing it to his face. He sniffed, and froze, muscles tensing as the scent registered. It was heavenly, and shot through him like a bolt of lightning, warming his insides. He needed more of it. He turned to face his grandfather, eyes intense.
"Who's is this?" He demanded, shaking the cloth lightly. Makarov nodded as if he expected the answer, and gestured to the seat again.
"I'm not playing around, old man, who's is this?" Laxus raised his voice, fury flashing through him.
"SIT." Makarov thundered, and the blond growled, but dropped back into the chair.
"It belongs to Lucy Heartfilia." The guild master told him, after a few seconds of tense silence. The Lightning dragon slayer's eyes widened, and he looked down at the sleeve, reassessing where he'd last seen it.
"Her scent changed sometime in the last week, and Gajeel was kind enough to explain what it meant." At the mention of the Iron dragon slayer, Laxus looked up.
"Did he touch her?" He demanded, ready to go find the black-haired mage and shove a lightning bolt down his throat. The old man quirked a smile.
"Gajeel is already mated to another." He told his grandson gently, and the blond visibly relaxed.
"What's going on, exactly?" He asked, and brought the fabric to his nose again. Makarov leaned back in his chair, and began recounting the day, and Gajeel's explanations. Laxus was silent as he listened, occasionally raising his eyebrows.
The office was finally silent again, and Laxus absently ran a hand through his hair, processing the information.
"Now what?" He asked quietly.
"Now we plan a strategy for you to win her heart. Or at least, put her in such a lustful state it overrides her common sense." Makarov snickered, waving off the glare coming from the man in front of him.
"Dirty old man." Laxus grumbled at him.
"One other thing, my boy. Levy has constructed a barrier to keep out any dragon slayers from Lucy's apartment, so you're not able to just walk in." Makarov warned, and the blonde shot him a sharp glance.
"You're not gonna tell me to forbid Freed from taking it down?" He asked, and his grandfather gave him an innocent look.
"Do I need to do something like that?" The old man mused, and smoothed his moustache down innocently. Laxus chuckled.
"Loud and clear, Gramps." He murmured, and leaned back in his chair. "I need to sit and talk with her, I think. We haven't really spoken a lot, and even Bickslow knows her better than I do. Besides, I'm pretty sure she's scared of me. I did threaten to kill her, once." He frowned, running the events back through his mind. Makarov dismissed his concerns with a gesture.
"Other dragon slayers have done far worse. Cobra tried to kill her, and sacrifice her to the Infinity Clock, from what the child has told me, Rogue's future self murdered her future self, and we all saw Master Sting laugh during her torture at the hands of his guildmate." The old man frowned, and tapped a finger on the desk.
"Huh. She gets beat up a lot. Wait, what about Flame Brain?" Laxus demanded.
"As far as I know he's never deliberately hurt her. From the reports I've read, her team tends to use her as bait, however." Makarov replied, and the blond scoffed.
"Not gonna happen with me." He rumbled decisively, and the old man nodded in approval. "Okay, so the plan is to catch her long enough to have a conversation, get to know her, and find out if there's interest on her side." Laxus said slowly, turning over the plan in his mind.
"The other dragon slayers are likely to play dirty, so don't hesitate to do the same." Makarov warned, satisfied when the younger man nodded.
"Gather your team, discuss this with them, and go home and rest." The old man ordered, and the blond's lips twisted into a wry smile.
"Alright, Gramps, I'll get going. Thanks for everything." He stood, and made his way out of the office, the cast-off sleeve still in his grasp.
He was waylaid by his team nearly immediately after leaving the office, and he jerked his head towards the main doors.
"My place, as soon as you can." He told them, and strode out down the stairs towards the exit. He had plans to make, after all. The Thunder Legion would make sure he was successful.
I hope you all enjoyed their thought patterns and plans for conquest. Leave a review to let me know what you think!