~Two Hours To Go~
Saturday, October 31st, 2020
-Magnolia City-
-10 PM-
Levy glanced at her phone, checking the time. She knocked on their bathroom door softly.
"Hey, Lu-chan? Almost ready?" she asked politely and heard a string of cursing in reply.
"Just wanted to let you know it's ten! But no rush! I'm not in a hurry to get down there. Plus, haven't heard from Natsu or Gray yet, so I don't know if they're ready! They might have lost track of time…"
Levy was now wondering if it had been dangerous to put the two troublemakers in the same hotel room together. It'd felt like a good decision when first assigning rooms, but now… what if their room was already destroyed, reduced to smithereens from the boys incessant fighting? Oh gosh, maybe they'd be paying fees for damages by the end of this trip…
Another worry for another time, she supposed.
Levy glanced at the floor-length mirror that was attached to the wall of their hotel room, running her hands down her skirt, tugging at the hem slightly. She smiled to herself reassuringly.
She was dressed to look like Maka Albarn, one of the main characters in the anime Soul Eater. She had on a white collared shirt, tucked in to the red and black plaid mini skirt she and Lucy had found the other day. Around her neck she sported a neat green and white tie, and over this, she wore a black cloak that reached almost to her ankles, with long sleeves and a hood. The hood wasn't actually a perfect match to Maka's cloak, but it was the best they could find.
The cloak buttoned in the front, with the buttons stopping at her waist, allowing it to flare out around her and show off the front of the skirt underneath. The skirt itself was still a little too short for Levy's liking, but she was happy she could always pull the cloak more tightly around herself if she needed.
To complete the look, she'd pulled her hair into pigtails and slipped on a pair of black sandals. Once again, neither her natural hair color nor the shoes matched Maka's, but she shrugged, figuring it was good enough. It wasn't like they were entering into any kind of costume contest. Levy was sure their group would still look great, regardless of a couple variations.
The bathroom door swung open and Levy looked up to see her blonde friend…
Wait, what?!
Her black-haired friend?!
Lucy strode out of the bathroom with midnight black hair swept up into a dramatic high ponytail, several strands framing her face. She laughed when she saw the look of blatant shock on Levy's face.
"What do you think?" she asked, a little nervously.
"What do I think? Oh my god Lucy, it looks great! Just like Tsubaki! That has to be a wig, right?!"
Lucy nodded vigorously. "Yes! Just a wig. Oh gosh, I could never dye my hair this color. But it took me forever to get the wig on correctly! And even now, I hope it will stay. It's already starting to get a little itchy. But I thought it would tie the costume together!"
And boy did it, Levy thought, as she looked at her beaming friend.
Lucy was wearing a sleeveless, collared white dress that wrapped in the front and buttoned at her right. Long slits starting from just below her waist showed off her long legs on either side and she had a gray studded belt buckling the whole thing together. The dress had a yellow star-shaped patch on the right side of the chest, and Levy noticed that Lucy's natural build filled the dress in quite nicely, in all the right places.
To accessorize, she had one thigh high black sock on her right leg, long striped detachable sleeves along her arms, and a black scarf snug around her neck.
She looked like a perfect replica of Tsubaki from the show, especially with the jet black hair. It was a far cry from Lucy's normal hair color, but it actually looked quite good on her.
Levy couldn't help from smiling when she saw that Lucy was in white tennis shoes, not the white boots Tsubaki wore in the show. It looked like both of them had been unable to match the shoes.
"Damn, Lucy! You look incredible! You're going to blow everyone away!" Levy said sincerely, and Lucy smiled back.
"Thanks Levy-chan! Now, let's go! I'm dying to get down there and see Cana and Lisanna! And everyone else's costumes!" and Levy nodded in agreement.
They'd been too tired from the train to meet up with Cana and Lisanna earlier, and Levy knew the two girls were already waiting downstairs in the Casino.
"We should probably go check on Gray and Natsu," Levy said, as she gathered up her things. "I don't even want to know what they've been up to."
Lucy hummed in agreement, rolling her eyes at the thought.
"You got the room key, Levy?" she asked as they reached the door, and Levy held it up.
"Yep! I can keep it, my cloak has great pockets."
And with that the two girls slipped out of the darkened hotel room, letting it lock behind them, and strode down the hall to get Natsu and Gray.
The dark bar was packed, heaving bodies jostling against each other to yell drink orders, or to get good spots for viewing. Gajeel pushed his way through, his massive bulk and intimidating presence forcing most people to yield to him or jump out of his path, with little concern for the drinks that they held.
He made his way towards the end of the bar, a spot slightly elevated from the rest of the room and tucked back into a dark corner. A man was already seated there, and he met Gajeel's eyes with a challenge in his own, unwilling at first to back down. But Gajeel's dark glare quickly made the man rethink his intentions, and after a moment's hesitation he slipped off from the stool and melted back into the crowd.
Gajeel grunted, setting himself down on his newly acquired barstool, and looked out over the space from this vantage point. He leaned back, elbows on the bar, as he observed the ever shifting crowd of people, yelling and laughing boisterously.
It was a fairly large space, with multiple bars along each wall, ready to ply the mob with overpriced alcohol all evening. It was more crowded than it should have been, considering the main event taking place here tonight would be illegal. Obviously the criminal nature of it meant nothing, as more people than ever had turned up, and Gajeel snorted at the hypocrisy of it all. So much for law and order.
The police force in Magnolia City claimed to be an unbiased, unaffiliated organization. They presented themselves as beacons of righteousness, defenders of the people. But beneath this heroic façade, Sabertooth was pulling the strings.
Sabertooth was one of the three main Guilds that ran the city. They actually had a substantial amount of control in local government, having sunk their teeth into more branches of power than just the police. Ironically, they also had involvement in some of the criminal underworld, and that paradox was what had allowed the underground fighting scene to flourish as it had these past several years.
As Gajeel glanced around the room, he noted several people who he knew to be members of Sabertooth, and his glare darkened. That was why the police wouldn't be coming tonight to break this up, even though it was one of the largest illegal events of the year. They were monitoring it, sure, but they wouldn't step in, not when they were involved themselves.
Instead, the police would be found breaking up innocent parties for noise complaints, or arresting trick-or-treaters for harmless pranks. The sliminess of it all made Gajeel's stomach churn.
"Gajeel," a cool voice behind the bar had him turning his head and meeting the dark blue eyes of one of the beautiful bartenders that worked there.
"Juvia," he grunted in greeting, and the bluenette smiled back at him.
Juvia had worked at the bar, and for Phantom Lord, for many years. It was how the two had met. Neither were inclined towards talking, both preferring to step back and observe, and their similar personalities had led to a comfortable companionship over the years. She was only the second person Gajeel had ever quite considered a friend.
Despite the dangers of working for Phantom Lord, Juvia could hold her own. She was stronger than she seemed, something that many entitled men had discovered when they'd tried forcing an unwanted advancement on the girl. This strength was what allowed her to work where she did and Gajeel respected her deeply for it.
The sight of her blue hair had him thinking back to another certain bluenette he knew. Juvia's hair was deeper blue, like the dark blue of the ocean, but it always made him think of Levy anyways. He found himself frowning slightly as he thought back to his visit to Hargeon the night before. It had gone smoothly, as planned, but despite this he wasn't pleased. Against his better judgement, he realized that a part of himself had still been hoping he'd run into Levy, just one more time. It was probably for the best that he hadn't.
"Juvia is glad to see you, Gajeel. Would you like a drink?" she asked, already reaching for a glass behind the bar, but Gajeel shook his head gruffly.
"Nah, gotta stay sober. In case I'm needed," he said, and Juvia raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You'll be fighting?" she asked, concern evident in her voice and Gajeel chuckled slightly at how similar it was to Lily's earlier that day. This was the trouble with friends, they got nosy and had too many opinions.
"Not officially," he said, and she frowned briefly before understanding came over her expression.
"Ah, I see. Back-up," she said and Gajeel nodded.
Juvia poured him a glass of water instead, and set it before the man as he turned back to gaze out over the packed sea of people, moving like currents as they shifted, their movements revolving around the center of attention in the middle of the room: The Ring.
It was a slightly raised platform, only about half a foot up from the ground, with three ropes circled around it, one above the other, to keep out the grasping crowd. No one was in it yet, but the first fight was due to start at any minute and the building excitement created a feeling of intense energy throughout the room.
Gajeel sipped at his water as he waited for the first bout to start. He thought back to the list of people set to fight tonight. Many of the names he knew, belonging mostly to Phantom Lord, Sabertooth, or various other groups. He even thought he saw a member or two of Fairy Tail. They pretended that they were above it all, but it proved nothing if they too were involved in these fights.
But there were several names he hadn't seen before and he had to admit he was somewhat curious to see what these newcomers could do. It would certainly be an interesting night and he settled in on his perch at the bar, content to sit back and watch as long as he could.
Levy glanced at her phone, checking the time.
It was still early in the night and she smiled as she looked back up at her friends around her, standing in a group next to one of the bars, laughing and drinking bubbly orange mixed drinks with black straws.
After she and Lucy had gathered up Natsu and Gray, whose room happened to be just a couple doors down from their own, the four friends had made their way to the Casino below, the noise from the party there already echoing through the halls of the hotel.
The party had been in full swing and Levy had found herself newly awestruck as they made their way through the many grand rooms of the casino, more extravagant than the entrance hall had been. They passed by multiple bars, numerous green felted gambling tables surrounded by chattering guests, and rows upon rows of glittering and flashing slot machines.
The rooms were massive, ceilings vaulting high above, and they were packed. People were everywhere, talking, laughing, drinking, gambling, dancing. They were dressed in all number of stylish and flashy costumes. Halloween music blared out above the constant chatter, and the place was so massive, the type of music varied by room.
Finally, the four friends had managed to find the rest of their group. Cana and Lisanna had called out in excitement when they saw them and rushed forward, wearing matching red halter tops with mini white neckties, and cowboy hats atop their heads.
They were dressed as the Thompson sisters from the show, Lisanna as Patty and Cana as Liz. As such, Cana wore a pair of long flare cut blue jeans and Lisanna had on some jean shorts with tall black boots.
The friends greeted each other warmly, excited to be reunited for the first time since last school year, and the two Thompson sisters instantly started cooing over Lucy's black wig, shocked to see her with such a hair color. Everyone agreed that it looked great, perhaps with the exception of Natsu who didn't seem to care either way.
Jet and Droy were there as well, by the bar, and Levy couldn't help but snort with laughter as she saw the two boys for the first time that night, both dressed to look like Soul Evans, one of the show's protagonists.
They were wearing wigs too, white spiky ones, with gray headbands holding them in place. They also wore sports style jackets with yellow sleeves and long red pants. They looked… well they looked a little silly, and Levy had felt bad about it as she had gone over to greet them, long black cloak swishing by her ankles as she went. They'd hugged her and started complaining about how unfair it was that Natsu and Gray's room was so close to hers, but theirs was on the opposite end of the hotel. She'd simply laughed and reassured them that, despite the distance, they'd be sure to do plenty of things together throughout the weekend. It was early still, wasn't it? The night had only just started.
Their other friends had soon joined them at the bar and Lisanna had introduced them to a stunningly gorgeous woman who looked quite like her. It turned out that Mira was Lisanna's older sister, and she'd worked there at the Fairy Tail Casino for quite some time, both behind the bar and in the restaurant.
She'd smiled at them with the most beautiful pearly white smile Levy had ever seen, her luscious locks just as white as her teeth, and she'd made them these bubbly orange drinks they were now drinking, assuring them that they had a low alcohol content and would be the perfect way to start the night.
After all, they expected a long night lay ahead of them, especially with the Magic Hour, which would give them a whole extra hour when the clocks hit 2 AM and reset to 1 AM.
Levy was listening now as her friends were discussing how to spend their evening. Lisanna had suggested going to a bar named Fairy's Fate, where apparently there would be free drinks throughout the entire Magic Hour. She said something about her brother working there, and Levy realized she'd had no idea Lisanna had so many siblings living and working in Magnolia City.
She glanced around and saw Jet and Droy to her right, but frowned when she couldn't spot Natsu or Gray. The group had barely managed to get a group picture of their costume, Mira taking the shot for them, before both boys had slipped off and they hadn't been seen since. Levy wasn't sure where they'd gone, but she wasn't too worried about it. Knowing them, they'd probably gotten distracted by one of the games spread out through the Casino. They'd probably come back soon.
Lucy was on her way back from the bathroom, passing a particularly rowdy group of gamblers mobbed around a poker table. The sight made her smirk, their energy reminding her of Natsu, and she continued towards where she'd left her friends by the bar.
Speaking of Natsu, she glanced around looking for him, but a frown marred her brow when her search came up empty. How long had it been since she'd last seen him? She glanced at her phone and noted it was a little past 11 PM.
He'd been missing for more than thirty minutes at this point. Her frown deepened.
She supposed she wasn't too concerned. Natsu could be impulsive, but he could take care of himself, right? In any normal situation, he was certainly able to defend himself from other people, and she knew he was often more perceptive than he let on… Then again, Natsu wasn't someone to be found in normal situations. In fact, it was more likely that he'd be in an abnormal situation, in which case his hot head might get the best of him and who knew what might happen...
Either way, Lucy would be more comfortable knowing where he was and it was bothering her that she didn't. She checked her phone to see if he had replied to her text from twenty minutes ago, but there was still no reply.
Lucy walked over to Levy who was a little off to the side, smiling happily and listening to the boisterous conversation at the bar involving Lisanna, her sister Mira, and Jet. Levy noticed Lucy's arrival and turned her smile towards her friend, happy to see her.
"Lu-chan!" Levy chirped, greeting Lucy warmly, but she instantly sensed that something was bothering the newly dark-haired girl.
"Lu-chan? What's wrong?" she asked, concern in her voice. "Are you alright?"
Lucy was nodding but seemed distracted, constantly glancing around and staring at the people around them.
"Hey Levy, no, I'm alright, it's just… have you seen Natsu?"
Understanding washed over Levy as she realized the source of Lucy's concern and she smirked slightly to herself.
"No, I haven't. But Gray is with him, right? They'll probably be back soon. They haven't been gone that long, have they?"
Lucy was shaking her head.
"That's the thing, they've been gone over thirty minutes."
She glanced again at her phone and corrected herself. "Forty-five minutes, at this point."
Levy's eyes widened, surprised it had been so long.
"Wow, I didn't realize so much time had passsed. Have you tried texting him?"
Lucy nodded, "Yes, both him and Gray, I haven't heard from either of them. Hold on, I'll try calling him," and Levy waited as Lucy dialed Natsu's number, holding her phone to her ear, concern etched on her face as it rang.
After three rings, Lucy heard the familiar sound of his voicemail and she quickly ended the call, frowning more deeply and meeting Levy's gaze.
"No good," Lucy said.
"Maybe Gray?" Levy suggested. Lucy tried calling Gray too, but once again it went straight to voicemail. This was odd.
Lucy groaned, anxiously moving her head back up to look out and around them at the shifting groups of people.
"I'm just…" she began, eyes elsewhere. "I'm just really concerned, Levy. I don't know how to explain it, I just feel like something is wrong… Something doesn't feel right."
Levy was watching as her friend was growing increasingly concerned and she felt her own worries begin to form. It was entirely unlike Natsu and Gray to ignore a call, especially if it was from Lucy. Natsu especially wouldn't ignore her like this. He always picked up. The fact that they'd been missing for so long and that neither of them were picking up their phones was something to be worried about.
Levy found her eyes drifting around, trying to find the boys in the vast room, but it was impossible to see far with the many laughing faces and fantastical costumes drifting by. She shook her head, trying to focus, and she set her half-finished drink on the bar behind her, grabbing Lucy's hand in her own to bring the girl's attention back to herself.
"Lucy," she said, firmly meeting her friend's eyes. "Let's go look for him, okay? He's probably just in a different room, you know how he gets distracted. We can just go through some of the rooms and maybe we'll run into them."
Lucy nodded, wanting to be reassured, but that didn't mean that she was. She let Levy pull her forward into the crowd, towards one of the other rooms filled with slot machines.
They pushed their way past many large groups, Levy's small stature proving handy for squeezing through the throngs of party-goers when necessary. Lucy kept her eyes peeled for that familiar head of pink hair, anxiety building in her stomach the longer she couldn't find it.
On occasion she thought she'd spotted pink hair, but it'd always been a wig, her hopes dashed as quickly as they'd formed. In the anime, the character Black Star had blue hair, but she and Levy had quickly dismissed the idea of asking Natsu to wear a wig, or dye his hair. He just didn't have the patience for that.
They continued searching for several more minutes, but came up emptyhanded.
Frustrated, Levy stopped by one of the bars and turned towards Lucy, who was looking worse, anxiousness flitting across her face as she kept neurotically searching the room.
"He has to be here somewhere, Levy, right? Right?"
Levy shrugged, unsure. It was honestly a massive place, who knew if they'd even searched half of it so far?
"I just have a really bad feeling about this! I don't know why but I do! A really bad feeling, Levy, and I know he's probably fine but I just… I can't stop worrying about it… and I…"
Levy was once again looking around the room when suddenly a voice called out from by the bar, making both girls jump and spin towards it.
"You're looking for Natsu?"
Gajeel was still perched on his barstool, sipping his water, and glaring at the scene before him.
The fights had started a while ago, each one a short two to five minutes. The first rounds were quick, merely meant to narrow down the competition. Once half of the fighters had been eliminated, the matches became longer, requiring more hits for a man to move up.
It was a bracketed system, the winners of the previous rounds were set to fight each other in the next, and it would continue so on and so forth until only two fighters remained. The final fight would be the longest, three rounds of five minutes, and it was scheduled to start at midnight.
Gajeel was watching the current bout with keen eyes, noting the movements of the two fighters facing each other. Just by watching their stances, he was fairly certain he could predict who would win, and sure enough the man with vibrant green hair sent his opponent flying to the ground mere seconds later with a brutal uppercut.
Gajeel leaned back against the bar as the rowdy crowd went wild, a colliding force of noise as some shouted in approval while others jeered in disdain. As with any match, there were some people who had just won a lot of money, and there were some who had just lost.
Gajeel proffered his empty glass up, catching Juvia's eye, and she quickly navigated her way to the end of the bar towards him, grabbing his glass to refill it.
"What does Gajeel think so far?" she asked, a dark glint in her eyes as she set his newly filled cup of water before him.
Gajeel grunted, thinking.
"Dunno," he said, eyeing the crowd and the Ring beyond. "Might need ta step in if things continue the way they're goin'."
Juvia quirked an eyebrow at him.
"What makes Gajeel-san say that?" she asked.
"Pinkie," he said in gruff reply and Juvia looked out over the crowd herself, eyeing the group of fighters in the far corner, many of them glaring around at each other and stretching.
"You mean the Salamander?" she asked, and Gajeel grunted. Juvia hummed, thinking.
"Many people along the bar have started wagering in his favor," she said, "Most think he'll make it to the final round."
Gajeel didn't respond, simply glaring out at the crowded room around them, and Juvia was called down towards the other end of the bar.
Gajeel was deep in thought, thinking about the potential truth behind Juvia's words.
The pink-haired man had blown in at the last second and he was already causing waves throughout the establishment. He'd crushed his opponents quickly and taken few hits himself. He was obviously well trained and his fighting style was intense, causing even Gajeel to raise an eyebrow as he watched.
José was probably furious. He was one of those people who stood to gain a lot, or lose a lot, depending on the course this fight took. Pinkie, as Gajeel had dubbed the mysterious man, was a wildcard, and José hated things he couldn't control.
Gajeel wondered where this man had come from. He'd never seen nor heard of him before. It was like he'd shown up out of thin air, and this mysteriousness about him made his wins all the more intriguing. The crowd loved him.
If he kept up this win streak, Gajeel realized he might be meeting the man sooner than he would have liked.
"You're looking for Natsu, right?" Cana asked, slowly sipping at her mixed drink with a mischievous smirk as Lucy and Levy gaped at her.
Cana had been making her rounds, going to the various bars throughout the Casino, checking the place out. She'd only been to this particular establishment a few times and she was enjoying doing some reconnaissance. She'd been getting another drink at this bar when she'd seen her friends stumble over, both looking rather distracted.
"Yes!" Lucy cried, rushing over to Cana, who raised an eyebrow at her desperate tone.
"We can't find Natsu anywhere! Or Gray! Have you seen them? I'm getting really worried."
Maybe it was the alcohol coursing pleasantly through her veins, or the look on her friend's face, but Cana found herself smirking more before she made a split second decision and replied.
"Have you girls heard of… The Dragon's Den?"
Cana didn't go to college because she wanted to, more because her father wanted her to. She'd in fact grown up in Magnolia City, her father a successful businessman, among other things, and she'd been very happy with her life there.
When she had graduated from High School, she'd fully intended to simply work at a bar or join her father's business, but he'd urged her instead to get a degree.
With reluctance she had applied to Hargeon University, figuring that with its growing popularity in recent years, there would at least be a vibrant college party scene. And boy, had she been pleasantly surprised when this guess turned out to be true, leading to an enjoyable four years living with the other girls in their big blue house, attending rambunctious parties every weekend in the many houses along Hawthorne Street.
Getting the degree hadn't been the main goal for her, but she was happy now to have one anyways, and she enjoyed the many friendships she'd made in her college years.
Upon her graduation, it was the obvious choice to come back to Magnolia City, to rejoin her father and follow through with her original plans. She was used to a party lifestyle, it was one she thrived in. She had a supremely high alcohol tolerance and loved drinking men twice her size under the table, after placing bets with them when they'd been overconfident in themselves and hadn't known better. Thus she still intended to start her own bar or club, something she felt passionate about.
In the name of business, she'd made it her mission to explore every nook and cranny in Magnolia City that sold and distributed alcohol, even the little illegal places tucked away in private apartments. This quest meant that she was familiar with The Dragon's Den, a bar somewhat nearby, known for its involvement in underground activities. She'd been there before…
But she was realizing it had been a while. Maybe she shouldn't have mentioned it to her friends? It was too late now, judging by the look on Lucy's face. She'd already latched on to this piece of information, digesting it in her mind, reaching for what it could mean.
"The Dragon's Den?" Lucy was asking, curiously. "What is that? Is that a bar? A club? Is it nearby? Do you think Natsu is there? With Gray? How did they get there? How do you know this, Cana? Why…" but she couldn't continue as Cana started laughing and cut her off, shaking her head.
"Woah, woah! Slow down there, girly! One thing at a time, yes?"
Cana was almost hoping to change the topic, but Lucy obviously wasn't going to let it go. She was staring at Cana intently, making her laugh at how serious she looked. It was too late, might as well just tell the girl everything she knew.
"It's a bar, but also… a venue. Of sorts. It's nearby. I don't know if that's where Natsu and Gray are, but I did overhear them whispering about it, quite heatedly actually, when they were leaving after the group photo. I have no idea if they would actually go there though…" she trailed off, thoughtful finger to her chin, but Lucy's intensity had shifted off of her and the girl was no longer listening.
Lucy looked down at her phone one last time. No new notifications. She inhaled sharply, her mind made up, and she swiftly turned on her heel to stride back into the crowd, leaving a surprised Levy and a slightly amused Cana in her wake.
Levy wasn't sure what to make of what Cana had just said, but she couldn't let her friend storm off alone, so she said a quick thanks to Cana before quickly following her friend, slipping through the crowd behind her.
Cana was feeling a little conflicted. She wasn't sure if she should have told her friends about The Dragon's Den, but then again they were adults. They could take care of themselves. Cana didn't like babying her friends, she was confident they could make their own decisions.
With this in mind, she shrugged and downed the rest of her drink, turning towards the bar to order another one. They would probably be alright. They weren't dumb.
Levy was practically running to catch up with Lucy's long strides, only reaching her again in the main hall of the hotel as she continued towards the entrance to the place.
"Lucy!" Levy cried, panting. "Lucy, hang on! We should think this through first!"
Lucy was pushing through the front doors, cool air washing over them as they stepped onto the sidewalk outside. A couple other groups of people lingered here, cars rushing by on the road ahead.
"Lucy!" Levy cried once more, and this time Lucy turned towards her, pain clear on her face.
"I'm sorry, Levy! I just can't leave this be!" she cried, and Levy realized her friend was almost on the verge of tears. "If that's where Natsu is, then I need to be there, too! It's okay if you won't come with me, but I just… I need to be there, Levy. I know I've already said this, but I have a really bad feeling about this!"
Levy grasped at her friends arms, rubbing them, trying to calm Lucy down. Lucy was freaking out, clearly overwhelmed, and Levy met her eyes with her own.
"Lucy," she said, reassuringly. "Lucy, it's okay, calm down. Don't worry, I understand. Well, I don't know if I understand, but I've got your back, okay? Where you go, I go. I'm coming with you, okay? Let's go find Natsu and Gray."
Lucy looked back at Levy, seeing the firm resolve in her eyes and feeling warmth wash over her, welcome in the face of the sheering cold panic she's felt just a moment prior. She smiled wistfully at Levy, who smiled back with reassurance in her eyes.
Levy then stepped forward and waved down a cab, which pulled up to the sidewalk swiftly. Levy pulled the door open and glanced back at Lucy, who was still standing on the sidewalk behind her.
"You coming?" Levy asked, propping the door open, and Lucy met her eyes once more. How had she gotten so lucky, to have such a good friend? She smiled back at Levy with relief and gratitude, and Levy returned her smile with one full of love.
Lucy strode forward and hopped into the cab, Levy right behind her.
"Where to?" the cabbie sang, glancing in his rearview mirror at the two girls that had just slid into the backseat. He was having a wonderful evening so far and he was looking forward to the bountiful business the night was sure to provide.
"The Dragon's Den," Levy said confidently, and that made the cabbie turn fully to look at the two girls with surprise.
"You gals sure you wanna go there?" he asked skeptically. "There're plenty of other fun places to go to on a night like tonight. You look like you're all dressed up! What if I take ya to Fairy's Fate? Or Element Four?"
But Levy was shaking her head, meeting his eyes with her own, and he shuddered slightly at how fierce her gaze was.
"No thanks," she said, "We want to go to The Dragon's Den."
The cabbie shrugged.
"Alright! I'll take you where you wanna go!" he said, pulling the cab out into the road.
Levy looked over at Lucy again and reached for her hand, squeezing it softly.
"Don't worry, Lu-chan. Natsu will be alright, I'm sure of it. Plus, Gray is with him. What could go wrong?" she said.
Lucy only nodded, eyes forward. Her wig was really starting to bother her, its itchiness distracting. Without thinking she reached up to yank it off, no longer interested in the costume or the way she looked, her mind solely on finding Natsu and ensuring he was okay.
"Woah, woah, woah!" the cabbie yelled out. "Don't go leavin' your hair in my cab, ya hear?"
Natsu grunted as he was pushed backwards, falling into the rough rope that surrounded the Ring. Hands from the crowd reached out, grabbing at his shoulders and arms, but he shook them off roughly and jumped back towards the center, raising his fists as he met his opponent's eyes once more.
The man was tougher than the ones before him and for the first time, Natsu was starting to second-guess his decision to come tonight.
Natsu was a good fighter. He knew this, and it wasn't just his ego talking. Natsu had been forced to be good at this from a young age, but more than that his body was also built for it. He was a natural.
He'd never received much official training, so he knew his style was a bit unconventional, but that lent itself well to the world of underground and illegal fight clubs.
He'd heard about the Halloween match years ago, whispers of it even reaching the gyms of Hargeon. It'd been a bit of a dream of his to participate, so when the chance had arisen a couple weeks ago, to get on the list, he'd jumped for it before thinking through the decision fully. He'd always been like that, doing things impulsively. But he didn't regret it, his impulsive nature. After all that very trait had led to some of the best things in his life.
Natsu glared at the green-haired man before him. He'd been watching his fights earlier and felt like he had a feel for his fighting style, but the man was still quite talented, and it was taking Natsu several minutes to find the right opening.
The man had a tendency to favor his right side, as most people did. Natsu just needed to wait until he was… there!
Natsu sprung forward, swinging his right arm forward, feinting a hit to the man's exposed left side. The man turned abrupty, overextending to protect himself, and Natsu swung in with his left leg, sweeping the man off of his feet. He crashed to the ground and Natsu dove forward, getting a hit on both his chest and cheek, before the buzzer went off, declaring the victor.
"Salamander!" the deep voice of the commentator yelled, eliciting a great roar from the crowd around him.
Natsu stood up, reaching a hand down towards the green-haired man on the ground, but the man swatted his hand away viciously, snarling as he climbed to his feet by himself. He spat in Natsu's direction before stalking off to exit the Ring and Natsu simply shrugged, turning back towards the other direction.
He swiftly hopped the rope to where Gray was waiting for him, arms crossed over his now bare chest. At some point Gray had lost the shirt to his Death the Kid costume, but Natsu didn't bother to mention it, used to his friend's stripping habits.
As soon as Natsu was beside him, Gray slapped his back, meeting his dark eyes with him own.
"You know what this means, don't you?" Gray yelled above the noise around them, and Natsu nodded tersely, swallowing.
"Yeah…" he replied, voice barely legible in the din.
The crowd around them was almost overwhelming, several men patting Natsu on the back, others sneering at him. But Natsu stayed focused, thinking about the fight that lay ahead. He was almost there…
Levy and Lucy were standing on a street corner, shivering in the cold.
Lucy looked at her phone for the thousandth time that night, but there were still no new notifications from either Natsu or Gray. She glanced at the time and noticed it was ten minutes to midnight.
"What should we do?" Levy asked, rubbing her hands over her arms and looking back at her friend. She was happy she had a cloak on, but it was still quite chilly in the evening air.
The cabbie had just dropped them off, it had been a surprisingly short trip.
Now, they were standing on a dimly lit street, several people smoking cigarettes nearby. The dim streetlamps were widely spaced, and Levy found herself involuntarily thinking back to three years ago, the last time she'd been in a similarly shady part of town.
Nearby, an old neon sign flickered down at them from above a deep red door.
'The Dragon's Den'
It was a slime green sign, the font stylized such that the bottom part of the 'g' in 'Dragon' looked like a dragon's tail, curling underneath the words. Levy shuddered as she looked at it.
Well, they'd found the place they had been looking for, but neither girl was itching to go inside. Now that they were no longer racing to get here, Levy was starting to slow down and rethink the situation. Maybe it had been a bad idea to storm off, leaving their friends behind. Neither girl new Magnolia City well, Levy honestly had no idea where she was, and she certainly didn't know what kind of a place The Dragon's Den was, but going by the people smoking nearby and some of the other patrons who had sauntered inside, Levy didn't think it was the kind of place where she and Lucy would fit in.
Levy was about to ask Lucy what she thought about it all when a group of tall girls walked past, heading straight towards the dark red door. Their conversation was hushed, but they looked excited, and she heard something about a fight and a salamander.
She turned to Lucy and noticed the girl had frozen, staring at the girls now tugging the door open, letting a rush of noise swirl out into the street.
"Lucy…?" Levy asked, frowning at the look on Lucy's face. She looked… terrified.
Lucy didn't know much about Natsu's past. It was always a sore topic for him, so she never pushed. She figured he would tell her in his own time, and over the past three years there had been moments when he had divulged bits of it to her, in confidence. She didn't know much, but the name 'Salamander'… She knew that.
A new wave of fear washed over her as she watched the girls go inside, the door closing behind them. The sound of it slamming shut, cutting off the roar from within, had Lucy jumping to action. She had to go inside. Natsu was in there, she just knew it.
Levy was watching her with concern when Lucy suddenly jumped forward and walked up to the door, reaching for it's handle to follow the other girls inside.
"Lucy!" Levy cried, running after her, causing the girl to glance back.
"I'm going in, Levy," Lucy said. "I need to."
Levy gulped but knew she couldn't stop her. Instead, she reached a hand out and Lucy took it gratefully.
"Thank you," Lucy said, knowing what Levy meant. They exchanged a smile and then Lucy was yanking open the door, the noise engulfing them once more.
Levy gave Lucy a reassuring squeeze as the girl led them into The Dragon's Den.
The noise, obviously, was the first thing that hit them. It had been so loud, they could even hear it from the street, but inside the building itself the sounds of talking, yelling, laughing, and shouting made the tight space seem to bulge, pressing against the walls.
The second thing, that pushed against them like a physical barrier, was the heat. The heat of bodies packed together like sardines, pushing and shoving and pawing at each other, causing the crowd before them to wriggle and writhe, like it had a life of its own.
Lucy paused for only a second before she plunged forward into that crowd, eyes intently sweeping above it, trying to spot the head of pink hair she could feel was within. She didn't know where she was going, she just kept pushing, slipping between the jostling bodies, holding Levy's hand tightly as the small girl followed her deeper into the din.
The crowd was mostly men, tall men that sneered and leered down at her. She met their eyes with a cool gaze, refusing to look long, constantly scanning the crowd, anxiety building within her.
Levy was swallowing nervously. Everyone around them not only looked like they wanted to kill them, but also like they could kill them. This was certainly not her scene, and she wished she was taller so the people around her couldn't fence her in. If only she could see above their heads just a little bit better. She swallowed down claustrophobia as she held Lucy's hand tighter and followed her forward further. The last thing she wanted was to lose her friend, in a place like this.
Natsu was looking out over the crowd absentmindedly, focused more on Gray, who was gripping his arm reassuringly and shouting into his ear, than on the faces around him.
"Jura is taller than you!" Gray continued, Natsu's eyes narrowing as he thought about the strategies he might need to employ.
"Most of his strength is in his punches! Earlier, it looked like he focused on feints to the face, but attacks to the gut!"
Natsu nodded, eyes unfocused, when suddenly a flash of blonde made his eyes snap to attention, peering out in the direction he had seen it. The shade was all too familiar, but also incredibly out of place. Had that been...?
No way, there was no way Lucy could be here, not in this mob. He had been sure not to tell anyone other than Gray where they were going, he hadn't wanted her to come, knowing that if she found out she would insist on joining him. He'd been so careful, so surely…
He kept scanning the crowd intently and a spike of fear flared in his gut as the flash of blonde popped up again, a little to the right this time. Then it reappeared between two heads and he saw a worried Lucy, whipping her head around, looking out over the crowd.
Natsu felt his breath catch in his throat, eyes wide. No. No, no, no. What the hell was Lucy doing here?! What was she doing in a place like this?!
Before he could think, or even say a word to Gray, Natsu was surging forward into the crowd, headed towards the spot where Lucy's face had disappeared again behind a couple tall men. The look on his face caused people to shy away from him, his glare fearsome as he growled under his breath.
He couldn't think straight, emotions coursing through him. He was surprised and confused, but also suddenly incredibly scared. And angry. He needed to get to her now and fuck all the people in his way!
Lucy was still anxiously scanning the crowd around her, Levy's hand still firmly in her own, their palms increasingly sweaty as they were crushed in the heat of the bodies around them.
"NATSU!" she cried, hoping he might hear her over the ruckus of voices, but her yells only attracted the attention of those immediately around her, and they all turned to her with various levels of interest. She ignored them, looking past them, desperately searching for pink.
"NATSU!" she tried again, pushing past a particularly chubby man.
The anxiety inside of her was building again, becoming unbearable. Maybe this had been a terrible idea! Maybe Natsu wasn't even here, and she'd just led Levy and herself into a terrible place! What if they weren't able to get out? Or find the exit?! What if they got crushed in this crowd, this sea of sweaty bodies and unfamiliar men?!
Lucy felt fear throbbing through her when suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glance of the shade of pink she'd so desparately been seeking all night and waves of relief started to ebb the fear away. She turned towards it, standing on her tip toes to see better, straining her eyes in the direction she thought it had been.
"NATSU!" she yelled again, as loud as she could, making a man to her left glare at her sharply. She ignored him, anxiously looking for that pink again when... there he was!
"LUCE!"
She could hear him, faintly, above the surrounding chatter.
Lucy felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and with a renewed burst of strength she pushed forward, Levy following closely. She could see him! She could see his face, looking anxious and desperate, glaring at the people around him as he forced his way towards her.
Natsu could see the relief in Lucy's face as he neared her and with a burst he shoved the final people between them aside, ignoring their shouts of anger, and enveloping the girl into a tight hug.
Lucy gasped as Natsu embraced her tightly and she found herself suddenly crushed up against him, his warmth and his smell overpowering her senses. She sighed deeply as she wrapped her free arm around his waist and nuzzled her nose into his neck, humming with relief. He was here. She'd finally found him. Everything would be okay now.
Natsu continued to glare at the people around them, stunned to be holding Lucy here like this. What in the world was she doing here? He blinked as he noticed Levy, crushed up close to them, eyeing him with relief. It made him frown further and he pulled back slightly from Lucy, keeping one arm around her wasit but lifting the other to cup her cheek with his hand.
She closed her eyes, leaning into his hand, and a tear escaped to roll towards her chin. He brushed it away with his thumb, frowning down at the beautiful girl.
"Lucy, what are you doing here?" Natsu asked, speaking loud enough to be heard above the noise surrounding them. She opened her eyes and met his gaze with her own. He could see fear and confusion there, but also relief.
"We were looking for you!" Levy said back, yelling a bit so he'd hear.
Natsu shook his head in distress. This was all wrong, they shouldn't be there. Lucy met his eyes again, looking mournful.
"Don't leave me like that!" she yelled and he felt a deep burning guilt begin to take root in his gut.
But this was bad, he didn't have a lot of time...
As if the universe read his thoughts, a loud chime sounded over the crowd, causing the noise levels around them to increase with new shouts and yells of excitement, and Natsu cursed, whirling around to look at the Ring behind him.
The lights were slowly dimming, a spotlight forming on the Ring, and Lucy and Levy looked around themselves with new concern as the energy in the room increased, reaching a new frenzy.
"Ladies and Gentleman!" a deep voice boomed, that of the commentator standing with a mic by the back bar. "Goblins and Ghouls! Now's the chance to place those final bets! The time is two to midnight! Prepare yourselves for… The Final Fight!"
The crowd went wild, jostling against them, crushing them closer together as Natsu cursed, looking increasingly concerned.
"Lucy! Levy! I'm going to take you to Gray!" Natsu shouted at them and they frowned back, barely making his words out with the resounding roar around them.
"WHAT?" Levy screamed.
"I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU TO GRAY!" Natsu shouted, more loudly this time, and he grabbed Lucy's other hand, intertwining his fingers with hers tightly in a strong grip. He turned towards the Ring, the two girls following behind, and they gulped as they realized he was leading them deeper into the crowd.
Levy was watching the intensity around them, not liking it. And Gray was in here somewhere too? Her own anxiety was building as Natsu led them closer to a raised platform in the middle of the room, the crowd pulsing around her in excitement.
Gray was scanning the crowd with his eyes narrowed, trying to see where that blasted idiot had stormed off to. He better come back soon, the fight was about to start! He was straining to see in the dimming light when suddenly Natsu's distinctive head popped into view, bobbing as it came closer.
Gray sighed in relief, but his relief quickly soured as he noticed a certain blonde following after the boy.
Gray's jaw dropped as Natsu pushed through to where he was at the corner of the Ring, Lucy stumbling up close behind him. His eyes widened further as Levy tumbled forward too, practically running into him as the three people squeezed into the small pocket of space with him at the corner of the Ring. The two girls looked confused and disheveled, constantly glancing around at the riotous crowd.
"Lucy?!" Gray cried, "LEVY?! What the hell are you guys doing here?!"
Lucy met his eyes briefly and he could see her eyes swirling with confusion.
"We were worried about you!" Levy yelled back, straining to be heard. "You weren't picking up your phones!"
Gray swallowed guiltily as he remembered that yes, neither he nor Natsu had even thought to check their phones since arriving, the excitement of the event taking up their entire attention. But how the hell did the two girls even find them?!
He was opening his mouth to ask, but then shook his head. There would be plenty of time to talk later, for now Natsu needed to focus on the fight, and it was too hard to talk with the overpowering crush of bodies and noise.
"Natsu!" he yelled, meeting his eyes. "You're on any second!" and Natsu nodded, eyes dark as he looked at the Ring beyond the ropes, rolling his shoulders to stretch them out.
He looked back at Gray, meeting his eyes with a sharp intensity.
"Protect her," he growled and Gray nodded, eyes firm. He understood.
Natsu grunted and turned once more towards Lucy, her confused eyes searching his face, trying to understand the situation.
"Luce!" Natsu yelled, leaning in to speak into her ear. He put one hand against the side of her neck and she inhaled sharply at the heat, leaning into him to better hear his words.
"Stay with Gray!"
Then his hand was gone and he had turned back to the Ring, vaulting over the ropes into the space beyond where he started pacing, swinging his arms, stretching them out, the crowd on every side grasping towards him.
Lucy watched with wide eyes, glancing between Natsu in the Ring and the crowd around them, and suddenly it all clicked into place.
"You're… fighting?! He's FIGHTING?" she yelled, turning to Gray with newfound fury. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"
Gray met her eyes with guilt in his own, but he grabbed her by the shoulders, preventing her from surging forward into the Ring herself, and she struggled against him furiously.
"This is insane! What if he gets hurt?!"
"Relax!" Gray yelled, trying to calm the girl down. "Lucy! It's alright! Natsu has won every fight so far tonight! This is the last one! And we know who he will be up against! We've been watching Jura all night, Natsu knows what to do!"
Lucy's eyes widened when she heard that it wasn't Natsu's first match of the night. Her anger wasn't close to diminishing, but she stopped struggling against Gray, simply balling her hands into fists as she glared at the man stretching in the Ring, the crowd surging around them, straining against the ropes.
She turned to Gray and he held his breath at the intensity of her glare.
"He's going to be okay, right Gray?" and all he could do was nod, grim.
"Yeah, he should be."
Lucy nodded, realizing she had no control over the situation. She just had to watch as the love of her life participated in what she suspected was an illegal fight, and hope he didn't get crushed into the dirt before her eyes. She knew she'd had a bad feeling about this.
Levy rubbed Lucy's back, trying to calm her friend down as she stared at the scene wide-eyed. So Natsu was going to fight? And judging by the crowd around them, it was a much anticipated event. She gulped nervously as she continued to look around, uncertain about this entire situation.
"Ladies and Gentleman! It is time!" the commentator's deep voice rang out once more, eliciting an even louder response from the crowd, if that was even possible.
It surged forward, crushing Levy and Lucy up against the edge of the Ring, Gray trying to shield them as best he could.
"The Final Fight you've all been waiting for, at the midnight hour! Place your final bets for Salamander! Versus…. Kuroo-GANEEE!"
The crowd went wild and Gray's eyes shot open in shock. Kurogane? Who the fuck was Kurogane? What happened to Jura?! It was supposed to be Jura!
A dark figure was now jumping into the Ring from the other side, swinging easily over the ropes and landing solidly in front of Natsu. The tall man had long black hair pulled back at the nape of his neck, wearing only a pair of black shorts. He had folded his arms in front of his muscular chest, and they were rippling as he flexed them, studded with shining piercings. He smiled with sharp teeth down at Natsu from his impressive height, several inches taller than the other man.
Gray gulped, eyes wide. Who the fuck was this?!
As soon as Levy had seen the tall man in front of Natsu, a shocking chill had run through her, despite the oppressive heat all around.
Oh god, she thought, her eyes wide as she stared at him, as he grinned at Natsu with his familiar smirk. It was Gajeel.
Fuck.
Guess Lucy just won the bet.
A/N
AHHHHH! Can't wait to write more Gajeel x Levy next chapter!
Who will win?! Natsu? Gajeel?!
Muahaha! Looking forward to this next one.
Lmao, everytime I wrote "the Ring" I couldn't stop thinking about the horror movie xD that's what I get for writing this during Halloween!
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Thank you so much for the reviews!
rao hyuga 18 - So glad you looked up the song/liked the vibes! I know, this is getting hella drawn out, but I've got so many ~moments~ planned ;)
Amanny - lmao the bet is already won. so much pressure o.o there's more coming too, let's hope Levy and Gajeel will be able to keep up!
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Have a wonderful day, everyone! Cheers, and thanks again for reading!~