WARNING: Torture
Content warnings: Torture, cult, rituals, helplessness, desperation, imprisonment, childhood illness.
{-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-}
As the lady laid Aki down next to Zeref, Natsu, bound once again to the wall, demanded for what felt like the millionth time, "Who are you people?! What are you doing to them?!"
"We are reawakening their true selves, Natsu-sama." The lady stood and approached him. Putting a hand to his cheek, she whispered, "And we want to revive Deliora, who you and your Fairy friends destroyed."
Natsu shook his head in an attempt to get her hand off, but she only grinned, taking his face in both hands. He snarled. "The hell are you talking about, 'true selves?'"
The woman giggled, her voice sickly sweet. "You can't really think that the two Black Mages would care about you, right? If they were 'awake,' they would be happy to watch you suffer – along with the rest of your guildmates."
Natsu's eyes widened; she grinned victoriously. "See?" she purred, caressing his face, tracing her fingers down his neck, "You're realizing it now. They will kill you, once they're awakened, and with pleasure. I might even have the pleasure of watching them destroy your guild. They'll surely forgive us the pain we put them through as the only way to return them to their true-"
"You people really are stupid!" Natsu snorted, leaning forward in challenge, pressing his forehead against hers. "They 'came back' to their true selves a week ago! They'll never do what you want!"
The woman frowned, taking a step back. "You are lucky that Kami-sama think of you as a brother… For now, at least," she added with relish, an insane, hungry grin spreading over her face. "And what would you know about them? You've only just met them, no?"
He laughed mockingly. "I'm their brother, idiot! I knew them a long time ago! I was there when their curse'n-what's-it broke! They beat seven dragons to save people! They already came back to their 'true selves,' witch!"
The lady's grin had vanished; she was surveying him coldly, as though wondering how, exactly, to slice him open, mentally peeling him apart. "… Don't worry, Natsu-sama," she eventually sneered, "so long as we have the keys, they'll come back to us. They'll rule over us, and we will rule over the rest of the world. All will kneel before us chosen ones who-"
"Morons, all of you…"
The woman spun around to see Aki upright – if one could count leaning halfway up against a wall as upright – and examining the black fabric that covered her. "Kami-sama!"
"Is there some part of 'moron' that you don't understand?" Aki's voice was feeble and scratchy, but she was steady against the wall, and, despite her condition, she gave off a distinct air of control.
The woman dropped to her knees, head bowed. "No, Kami-sama."
Aki tilted her head up and to the side, looking at the prostrate woman with deep disdain. "What's your name?"
The woman looked up, and Natsu recoiled. Her expression of ecstasy disturbed him more than rage or intimidation could have. Her pupils had dilated to that of a cat's, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. She was beaming in such a grotesque, distorted way that it sent shivers down Natsu's spine; Aki merely sneered in disgust. "Lynda, Kami-sama."
"You're that woman from the village, no?"
Natsu stared. His sister, who was willingly being used for who knew what just to make absolutely certain that he was safe – who was treating the action like it was nothing, like it was a given – about whom he had been finding broken pieces of memory since they had been kidnapped – memories that, occurring to him at random, were teaching him about his past, about his siblings, about his life – his sister… was so calm.
It made him wonder: Why was she so indifferent? She was barely able to sit up, clearly teetering on the verge of consciousness, wincing at the slightest movement, yet she somehow seemed utterly unfazed – bored, even. How was she so… accustomed to it? So accustomed and disinterested that what should have been humiliating – being tortured, forced to hold the key to their own cage, called 'kami' by their captors – just, wasn't? What should have been demeaning – being called deities as they waited, helpless prisoners, to be dragged off again for some new horror, entirely at their captor's whims – was just, not, when inflicted upon her.
She really seemed not to care; she didn't lose any dignity for it. She clearly gave no mind to the pain no doubt raging through her body, even if her body couldn't help but flinch; she didn't hold the barest hint of fear.
How?
Natsu swallowed, realizing that he probably didn't want to know.
"Yes, Kami-sama," the woman – Lynda – was saying. "I am."
"How is Wendy?"
Natsu's eyes widened. Wendy. He hadn't thought to ask, he had been so preoccupied with his siblings' plight.
"Wendy, Kami-sama?" Lynda repeated questioningly, raising her head.
"Yes, fool, Wendy;" Aki said, sneering in disgust, "the blue haired little girl that is, of course, still in that village, probably as yet unconscious from the fall I gave her."
"Fall?!" Natsu shouted urgently. "What do you mean, fall!?"
Aki turned her gaze to him; her voice changed radically in a split second, instantaneously soft and apologetic. "I teleported her high into the air to keep her away from them. I meant to follow, so I sent her pretty high, but then I was knocked out." She glanced away, ashamed. "It wasn't a good decision; it was dumb – short-sighted."
"Is she okay?!"
"I don't know, ask this sorry excuse of a life," Aki snarled, tone reverting, as quickly as it had changed, to one of contempt as she looked at Lynda again.
Lynda – if Natsu had been expecting the normal response of taking offense – instead bowed her head again, reverently answering, "She is unconscious, resting. I did not interfere with the letter she sent to the Fairy Tail guild."
Aki's eyes widened momentarily before narrowing. "So that you could give us a game when we 'awaken?'" Sardonicism dripped from every word like sludge, and it was plain on Aki's face that she already knew the answer.
"Yes, Kami-sama."
"Morons," Aki repeated scathingly. "Get out."
"Yes, Kami-sama."
As the door swung shut behind her, she seemed to remember something, kneeling and saying, voice positively shaking with ecstasy, "Thank you for giving me, lowly and dumb, the honor of asking my name, Kami-sama."
Aki bared her teeth, eyes flashing red in the candlelight. As Lynda stood up, Aki ordered, "Bring some food for our brother."
"Of course, Kami-sama. Next time I come to get you, I shall bring food and drink fit for anyone you deem to receive it."
"Why is it always people like you that think up these nugatory plans?" Aki muttered witheringly, more to herself than the lady trembling with euphoria at her insults.
Lynda answered anyway. "I'm sure it's because-"
She was thrown backwards as if hit in the stomach, slapping into the stone behind her.
"I'm not asking you anything," Aki spat. "Leave already." Her voice rang, authority and command strong within it; her limbs trembled, straining to keep her upright.
Lynda struggled to her knees, seeming rather punch-drunk. "I-I am very sorry, Kami-sama." She stood, swaying, for a minute, unfocused. "At- at once," she finally mumbled, stumbling down the corridor.
Natsu looked back to his sister as Lynda's back disappeared. "I thought you couldn't use your magic?"
Aki shrugged slightly – almost imperceptibly, clearly unable to bring her shoulders any further up – saying in a dark growl, "So long as it doesn't get in the way of their goal, I'm allowed to hurt them all I like…" She blinked; her sinister gaze cleared a little; she looked down. "Sorry…"
The force holding him vanished, and Natsu apparated to her side. "Why are you apologizing?"
After a long minute, her face hidden by a curtain of hair, she mumbled, "I didn't want- I didn't think you'd see me like this, losing my temper and- and hurting someone…"
Natsu frowned, bewildered. "They're hurting you and keeping us prisoners!"
Aki shook her head. "Still… I'm not even- I have no excuse…"
"So you're human," he breezed, waving a dismissive hand. "That's not a bad thing."
She didn't respond, only gritting her teeth. After a minute, during which Natsu tried to think of something to say, she mumbled under her breath, "…even after… I'm still…"
Wanting to get her mind off… whatever it was stuck on – Natsu didn't know – he decided he had to speak, however awkward he felt bringing it up. "So…" he started brusquely, glancing away, "I remembered a bit about before; like, when we were kids…"
Aki instantly perked up, forgetting why she had been looking away. Fortunately, Natsu was looking away, himself, and didn't notice the tears on her face. Unable to lift her arms that high, she could only try to blink them away. "Well," she said thickly, "what- what can you remember?"
Natsu's hand jumped to the back of his head. "Well, I remembered… we called you Aki-ki, didn't we?"
"Mn! What else, what else!" she urged excitedly, her still wet eyes sparkling.
Natsu glanced back at her, wondering at how she could change attitudes at the drop of a hat; he found it endearing. "I remember one time we were going to…" —he frowned, trying to remember— "a library, I guess? I don't really remember, but we were going to get books for… with Zeref-ni- Zeref, I think…"
Aki seemed about to burst with excitement. "Actually, there were a lot of those times. We loved helping Zeref-oni-" She broke off, voice and face going blank. "… Zeref…o… Zeref… What… what was I saying?"
Natsu frowned. "Uhm, something about Zeref and books?"
Aki then beamed so brightly Natsu found himself half convinced he had imagined the previous moment. "Oh, right! We would go and steal books from the academy's library!"
Natsu burst out laughing. "I got the impression that Zeref-n-Zeref would be a goody-two-shoes."
She snickered, shaking her head centimeters to the side. "Not at all. We would usually distract them while Zeref-nii went to get the books. I wanted to go and get them, but I wasn't…" She shook her head again, stopping almost immediately for the extra wave of pain and nausea it gave her (she had enough of that already, thanks).
Natsu knew why she hadn't finished her sentence, knew that she hadn't been able to run or jump or do much of any activity at all, but didn't mention it.
Instead, he listened as she continued in a satisfied voice, "We'd bring them home and me and Zeref-nii would read them; well, we'd first argue over who got to read what first. I almost always won," she added, chortling. "You usually didn't want to read them at all, so then we'd go play somewhere; or you'd ask one of us to narrate it."
Natsu grinned. "I remember that you said something about wanting to learn magic. Did you learn it, then?"
"Well, no, not then. I have magic now, but didn't learn it before…" She stopped. After closing her eyes for a second, she opened them, resuming brusquely, "I didn't. I needed to build my stamina before being able to do more than study magic. That's why we would fight sometimes!" She giggled childishly, smiling up at him, eyes closed.
"But, weren't you… you know…" Natsu trailed off.
Aki didn't speak for a long minute. "… Yeah," she agreed quietly, "I am pretty wea-"
"You're not weak!" Natsu interrupted, hating to hear those words even now. "You're plenty strong!"
She chuckled. "You told me that all the time back then, too," she murmured fondly. Before he could comment, she prompted, "What else, what else? Is there anything else?"
"Uhm" —Natsu fidgeted, still more uncomfortable— "I remember that time you fell out of, ya know, the tree…"
"O-oh." Aki's smile shrank slightly. After a minute awkward silence, she said determinedly, "That's weird. I just had a dream about it, too. Strange you would remember it at the exact same time."
Natsu nodded. "Er, yeah. Weird… Look, I'm, uh, I'm really so-" —her eyes widened— "-r-" —don't say it— "-r-"
"Shut up!" she blurted, her arms flapping like a fish in response to her efforts to bring them to her ears. She didn't get to hear his response as the action made her heave. Her shout had been a catalyst, and she broke into cries of pain, convulsing.
"Aki-ki!" Natsu lunged forward as she slid sideways, catching her as gently as he could. She barely seemed to notice, biting on her sobs.
As he pulled her away from the wall to lean against him, he noted with fresh rage that she felt like ice.
Why didn't she just tell me that? I could have warmed her up!
He glanced at Zeref.
He is, too, I bet. But I can't move Aki-ki now.
He repressed his own shudder, wishing he hadn't thought—
She'd choke.
His brows furrowed as she continued to cough, each painful breath sounding wet and deep, as though it were coming from more than her lungs.
Shivering against him, it took a long time for her coughs to ease. Finally, her eyes tight shut, she was whining faintly as he patted her back, murmuring any soothing words he could think of, feeling horribly useless.
He would kill whoever did this to her- to them. Zeref was still unconscious, but most likely similarly injured. He wanted to see why their arms and legs had been covered, but didn't dare attempt to pull the cloth away lest it hurt them even more.
He swallowed a roar of frustration, quivering, and Aki flinched; he froze instantly. Stock still, taking long, deep breath after long, deep breath, he attempted to calm his need for action.
He had no choice but to think.
…Why the hell were they in this mess? What were they doing to them? Why couldn't he protect his siblings – why were they the ones protecting him? He remembered a time that he had looked to Zeref for comfort, but knew with an instinctive, absolute certainty, that it was his turn to take care of him, too, and he'd be tailed if he didn't.
They had gone through hell for four hundred years just for him. He hated the feeling that he had made them suffer. Even now, they were suffering for him. Not fighting, even though they could escape with their magic easily; not resisting, even though they could annihilate the whole group, if they chose to.
And all for him.
He had been more upset than anyone had realized when he had had to leave the younger Aki and Zeref in that far-flung field of the past, leaving them to live through that nightmare alone.
Now he was sitting, unable to do anything but cradle his sister as she endured hell for him again. He hated it. He hated it, he hated it, he hated it! He couldn't stand not being able to help them – couldn't stand being so powerless while his family was suffering.
He looked back down at Aki, who was finally managing to take in regular, though scratchy, breaths; she was still shivering. He inched over to Zeref, murmuring apologies as she whined, and moved his unconscious brother to lean against him, too.
He had been right; Zeref was frigid.
Barely containing his rage, holding it in only for his siblings, he wrapped his arms around them, lightly, delicately, so that they could feel him and gain some heat, but not so hard as to hurt – more than it comforted, at least.
"It's alright… I'm here…" Natsu continued to whisper to them, to himself. "I'll never leave you, Aki-ki…"
Aki shuddered particularly violently, turning her head against his chest. "…su…"
He twitched, the now familiar pull of memory itching the back of his mind. He welcomed it, desperate to know more, to learn more about his old life.
He was immediately drowned in a deluge of words and thoughts, sights, sensations – infinitely more. It wasn't like he was experiencing them again, rather, remembering a song he had once known every lyric to.
Terror that she wouldn't be able to see again. Relief when she regained her eyesight, then fear again when she passed out from exploring outside with him. Dismay that she wasn't going to be able to play like she used to. Hugging her, patting her head every night, reminding her through touch and gentle words that he wouldn't leave. Zeref joining them; she laid in the middle, Natsu on one side, hugging her, Zeref on the other, hugging them both close to his chest.
Her crying that she wasn't fragile or weak, that he didn't play with her the same anymore. He, determined that she not think that, rough housing seriously with her, even though he often got scolded for it. His admiration for her persistence, even though it hurt her so much just to run now. Her efforts paying off as she slowly gained back some strength, though never managing to be active for long.
She starting to stretch in an attempt to be agile since she couldn't be strong. He being unable to stretch nearly as far as her, and his saying that she was way stronger than him at that. She laughing strenuously and not meeting his eyes. He insisting she was amazing; she nodding, head still bowed, and he seeing a tear fall from behind her curtain of hair.
He knowing better than to mention it.
She sneaking off to the academy without telling anybody, desperate to do something for herself. She being found collapsed, unconscious and coughing up blood outside the library, a couple books next to her. Her being bedridden for two weeks afterwards, unable to see or hear. Her sheer terror when she had woken up for the first time to a dark, soundless world. Her clutching at him, Zeref, and their parents, afraid to let go of any, refusing to let go until at least one other could take their place.
She reaching as far as the doctor said she could to get better. She doggedly refusing their parents' assertion that she not be too active, that she be cautious and careful. Her indomitably repeating the arduous process of losing her sight and hearing for some time and being stuck in bed for longer in hopes of adding just a few more seconds to the amount of time she could move. Her accepting her terrifying days of blindness and deafness for the possibility of getting just the slightest bit better.
Her no longer getting better.
Her obsessively reading books that he and Zeref got for her. Her trying magic one time, doing it perfectly, but running out of strength straightaway and being bedridden for a solid two months, the longest time yet. Her laughing when one of her senses had finally returned; her smiling, tears of relief flooding from her already puffy, red eyes when both senses had come back; her tears when she woke up to being sick again.
She, one delirious night, apologizing for being a nuisance, begging, over and over, for them not to leave her; apologizing, again, again, again, not hearing their insistences that she needn't bother, that she wasn't bad, that it was okay, that they would always be there.
Natsu gasped as he came back to his surroundings. He felt them, hot and wet as they ran down his cheeks, but closed his eyes firmly. It was his turn to protect her again. It was his turn to protect Zeref, now, for the first time. He gave no credence to the fact that they were both four centuries older than him. They needed to be cared for – he knew it. They may have been alive for all that time, but they hadn't been living – hadn't been growing or changing, experiencing or learning, loving or being loved.
No, they had been alive and isolated, insane, 'living' a nightmare. They had been witness to innumerable deaths, told it was their fault – which Natsu vehemently denied by now. He had already denied it, but, after regaining some memories, his certainty had only become diamond-hard.
They weren't evil murderers; they were kind and loving and amazing and smart and he would destroy the people who were forcing them through hell again.
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Ermigersh. Natsu is such a big bro—not OOC, just, honestly, he would be the best big brother ever; I can totally see him doing super cute things and weweweweweweweeeee (v). Even when he didn't know about Aki during the Edolas arc he was extremely protective in a brotherly way of Wendy when Byro was extracting their Dragon Slayer magic power. Come on, I can't be the only who sees this!
Previous Question (VI)
Besides Fairy Tail, which guild would you most want to enter?
Wow, this is a hard one for me. See, my first thought is Crime Sorciere, but maybe Lamia Scale? Definitely not Blue Pegasus (if only I could remember as many names in my history class, I'd be a Stanford history scholar) because I'm not interested in flirting. At all. Not Quatro Cerberus because they're uh… Mermaid Heal is a no because I like hanging out with guys, too (yes, actually just as friends baka (￣ε(#￣) ╰╮o(￣∩￣/)) )
What else even is there? (^ v ^;) Hold on…
*Click click click tap tap click tap
WIKIPEDIA—THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA_Search Wikipedia [ Fairy TAil guilds ]
-and then- and… {wait, this is not well laid out at all you've got to be kidding me okay hold on.}
*Tap click tap tap
FANDOM | GAMES | MOVIES | TV | VIDEOS | WIKI_Search [GUilds]
{Here we go, a proper fandom layout. Lets see… wait, you aren't supposed to see this par t of the resercg–}
I can't believe I just, forgot, about Sabertooth. Yeah, they win. I'll join Sabertooth. Second place is Crime Sorciere.
Oh, and I have no interest in joining any dark guild.
New Question (VII)
What one magic mentioned in cannon would you most want? (Literally anything goes, except August's 'all' magic, Copy, since that is basically equivalent to not giving an answer. I wish I had it too, guys. No, actually I wish I had ANY MAGIC 'CAUSE THAT WOULD BE SO FLIPPING AWESOME WHY ARE WE EDOLAS)