GUYS! I'm so freaking excited about this part. I hope you love it as much as I do.
Thefluffiestwriter: His big thing is charming people, with and without magic, so I couldn't make him a complete asshole. I'm also a big fan of the villians that you kind of like, even though you're supposed to hate them.
***Remember, if you want the chance to make a request for something to be put in this story, please leave a review on Chapter 47.
As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!
Virgo pulled her legs close and crossed them. "We have to stop this, Taurus," she said quietly
Around them, the hybrids and Mao were beside themselves yelling and banging against the glass of their cages. Taurus nodded as he kneeled down so he could whisper back. "What's the plan?"
"We need to get to Natsu before he hurts the blue one. Once he's back in his right mind, he won't be able to forgive himself if he finds out he killed an ally." She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. "I'm going to do that spell."
"Which spell."
"The one I probably shouldn't do."
"You don't mean… that spell."
"Yes, I mean that spell."
Stier growled lowly. "You're not supposed to do that spell because it would kill you! Leo and Aquarius are the only ones who can perform that spell without dying, you know that!"
Virgo corrected him. "The king can do it, too."
"Because he is twice as powerful as them both combined!" Taurus leaned closer. "Let's come up with another plan. Please. I need you to help us get out of here! If you die, we're stuck. We need you if we're going to get out of the Dark."
"Then what do you think we should do?" Virgo asked.
"I think I can break out of here. It sounded like it's a huge drain on your magic to cast spells, so I've been trying to hold back, but now's as good a time as any to act."
In the large ring in front of them, Ova had made it to the middle of the ring. He had two swords in his hands held out to each side, just waiting to be used. The air was still, mostly silent, since Natsu appeared to still be hiding.
Suddenly, Ova's body began to contort and his weapons dropped to the ground. A scream was ripped from his throat as he clutched his head and curled up on himself in the sand.
"Do it now, Taurus. Now," Virgo whispered. She began to channel her magic as well. "I have something else I'd like to try while you do that." A blue light began to build up around her body, but the glow barely noticeable next to what the other angel was doing.
Taurus threw his arms out to the sides and began to channel a bright golden light. It blinded the others in their cages; so much so that they fell silent as they tried to protect their eyes.
When the light finally faded, Taurus was revealed in his full angelic form. His wings were so large, they took up half of his cage. His chest, now covered in a full layer of hair, was exposed and a short, kilt-like garment had appeared around his waist. Horns had sprouted from his head, which was now also covered in hair, and his nose was longer. His nose ring glinted in the light as he leaned down to pick up his axe, which began to grow even larger. He took a step back and then wound up before slamming his axe against the glass. After two more swings, he managed to crack it.
In the ring, the noise began to distract Natsu, who had finally come out of his shadows to stalk the screaming, writhing mess that was Ova. He turned and looked up to study the light that was still dimly glowing in Taurus's cage. To the relief of the others, Ova's screams dried up and he was left panting in the sand.
Hope began to blossom in Mao's chest as the demon hybrid below them turned his attention their way. The angels were doing it! They were distracting him!
Natsu growled as the shadows began to swirl around him again. Before he was completely covered, he reached over with one arm and slashed his claws across Ova's torso, splattering the sand with streaks of blood that soaked in to join the many other stains.
Mao's eyes widened as the beast disappeared once more, and then a heart wrenching scream filled the space around him. His mate! His Ova! The one who'd been with him his entire life, how could he! He could see the body in the ring jerk, once, twice, and then still.
It couldn't be. It couldn't. Ova couldn't die. He couldn't.
Mao looked across the space at Zalanoon, who appeared to be more interested in what the angels were doing and less in what was going on in the ring. He wasn't even sure the demon was aware that his new pet was missing again.
Mao reached out his hands and laid them against the glass. He had to get out. If he could just get out, he could do it. He could get revenge. He wouldn't let Zalanoon get away with this, he couldn't.
"I'm surprised I didn't recognize you," Zalanoon said, his voice somehow making it through the racket being made by the angel. "Taurus the bull. I should have known, with a name like Stier. And that axe! I admit it's been a while, but I really should have recognized it."
"Nothing can hold me back in my truuue form," Taurus said as he continued to swing. "Least of all these pathetic excuuuses for cages."
"Oh I don't know, they seem pretty sturdy to me." Zalanoon snapped his fingers and then a light purple smoke began to fill the glass box Taurus was in. The angel took a deep breath and increased the ferocity of his swings as he was slowly obscured by the fog. "Don't worry, it's not lethal, but I'm not sure you'll wake up again. I've never tested it on an angel before. I'm rather excited by the prospect."
Suddenly, the blue light surrounding Virgo flashed and the entire space around them, along with the colosseum and the space around Zalanoon was filled with the same blue light. I found her, Virgo thought with a grin. Into the space, loud enough for everyone to hear, her whispered word rang out. "Wake."
Suddenly, Natsu appeared before them, drawn to their cages by the ruckus Taurus was making. His swings had slowed, and as time went on, they became weaker and weaker. Natsu turned from him to glare at the angel in the clear glass. He hissed, exposing a large, gaping mouth with teeth that dripped red. His eyes were completely black, soulless, but filled with intensity as they stared Virgo down within her cage.
The angel moved to stand directly on the other side of the glass and then laid her hands against it. There was still a faint blue glow around her, but it was slowly fading.
"You can feel it, can't you?" As Virgo whispered to the beast in front of her, the others fell quiet as they moved to the back of their own enclosures. "You can feel her waiting for you, can't you? She's here. She's in danger and she needs you to help her. Go find Lucy. Save her, Natsu, and she can save you, too."
For the first time since he'd been separated from Gemini, Natsu felt something stir inside him. Something bright compared to the rest of the dark that filled him.
Find her.
Eat. Kill. Bend. Break.
Safety. Warmth.
Destroy. Hide. Eat. Fight.
Protect. Find.
Chase. Hunt. Kill.
Hold. Keep.
Kiiiiiilllllll.
Virgo saw the hesitation in his eyes. Saw the black lose some of its intensity. Suddenly, Natsu swung out and shattered the glass of three of the cages, cracking the rest. With a roar, he sank into his shadows once more and disappeared.
"Guards!" Zalanoon screamed.
Doors opened on either end of the empty room, but before they could even enter, the pair on the left were knocked off their feet by an invisible force.
"Not that way, you idiots!" Zalanoon stood, his anger palpable even from so far away, and the wall in front of him slid closed as he stormed off.
"I think it's time to move!" Virgo shouted as she continued to pull glass out of her skin. Mao and Rogue were still stuck, but the angels and Sting were free. Taurus wobbled as he tried to stay on his feet as the fog dispersed across the floor. Virgo moved to help him as Sting jumped free and charged the guards that were still standing.
Once she was sure Taurus could keep himself up, she moved forward to help Rogue break his glass. "Just a sliver and I can get out," he told her. Rather quickly, they managed to break open a small hole and he was able to escape using his shadows. By the time he reformed, Sting had finished with his guards, but the others had regained their feet.
"Go!" Rogue shoved Virgo towards Sting. "You two go find Lucy and Natsu. My guess is that's who knocked over the guards. I'll keep an eye on Taurus and help Mao get out, you two go."
"Are you sure?" Virgo asked.
"He's sure," Sting said as he grabbed her arm and pulled. It was no trouble at all for him to take out the other guards more permanently, and then the two were gone.
"Get me out!" Mao begged. "I have to get to Ova, get me out!"
Taurus shook his head a little and then raised his axe. "Stand back, I've got yooou."
Mao moved to the other side of his cage and then covered his head as the angel began to swing. Rogued moved to the edge of their viewing area and sent out his shadows. He carefully grabbed Ova's body to bring it up to them.
As he worked, more guards showed up so he moved to fight them as his shadows finished pulling the Leezar up and laid him on the floor. As he fought, he continued to run the same mantra through his head.
They're going to be alright. They're going to come back safe. We're going to get out of this alive.
"Which way?" Virgo asked.
"Why are you asking me?" The pair looked down the other hallways as they paused in the intersection.
"What is that dragon nose for if you can't even sniff Natsu out?"
"He doesn't smell the same right now," Sting countered. "And they still have that smell dampening stuff up."
"He's been through here recently. Try to find him. From what I heard, the small dampening stuff is powerful, but not instantaneous. Just try, see if you can smell anything."
Sting sighed but closed his eyes to do as he was asked. Virgo lifted her hand and saw that the blue light had completely vanished. She had been able to feel Lucy below them somewhere, but she wasn't sure exactly where, or how to get there. They needed Sting to find the scent in order to find Natsu and Lucy. Once they did, Sting's cleanse spell would be able to remove whatever was in Natsu's body and bring him back to his regular self.
"I think I've got something. It's not familiar, but it smells dark and hot, so it's our best chance. Come on."
He grabbed her hand again and yanked them down the left hallway.
Find. Warmth.
Hunt. Kill. Eat.
Bathe in their blood.
Keep close.
Chew on their bones.
Protect. Defend.
End them.
Save her.
His instincts drove him. Which ones he wasn't sure, but he knew which direction he wanted to go. He slid along the walls, across the minds of the people in the hallway, ignoring the screams he left behind. He didn't care about them.
He had to find it, the thing that called him.
He had to find her.
When he finally found where he needed to be, when he finally saw her, eyes wide with fear as she stared at him, something inside him cracked. He felt moisture begin to fall down his face and the darkness inside of him began to swirl in ways that made him dizzy.
He stumbled as he moved her way. She didn't move away from him, but she didn't come closer either. There were tubes all around her, some dripping onto the floor, others covered in blood. Blood that continued to ooze slowly from holes in her arms. He growled as he saw the marks on her body and his focus returned as looked around, seeking the one who had put them in her.
Lucy barely breathed as the beast in front of her began to search the room they were in. His claws were at least a foot long, and razor sharp. His skin was a mixture of black and red, mostly covered in scales, and his horns had small fires glowing at their tips. His black eyes were bottomless pools, and even though there was no way to know, she was certain she could tell when they were focused on her.
His wings, large, leathery, and intimidating as hell, were mostly folded up behind his large body. Even hunched, he was at least eight feet tall, and the red liquid dripping from his mouth couldn't be anything else but blood. His tail was curled up behind him, its tip lit and burning more brightly than his horns. When he moved around her, it seemed to vibrate like a rattlesnake's, although it made no noise.
The hair, though.
That was the only thing that kept Lucy from being truly afraid.
This monstrous being, no matter how terrifying, wouldn't hurt her, she was sure of it. Natsu was in there, somewhere, and no matter what they had done to him, she knew that the dragon in him would not allow him to hurt her. It was that certainty, that belief, that had her sliding slowly off the table she was on and moving towards him.
The creature turned her way and growled quietly in his throat. He looked confused as he studied her.
Lucy smiled as she slowed her steps. "Hey big guy." She raised her hand, palm held forward and her fingers slightly curled. "What's a big beasty like you doing in a place like this?" she asked, her voice low and calm.
The creature continued to face her, but his eyes roamed the space around her. Lucy knew she was alone, so she didn't bother looking over her shoulder. "There's no one else here, I already checked. Although I'm not sure where here is, I know that I'm alone. At least I was, until you got here."
She continued to move towards him, her hand steady. When she was only a step away, she stopped and waited. "Did you come to find me?"
He didn't wait for more than a moment before he took the last step forward and sniffed her hand. He closed his eyes as he drew in a deep breath, his body so warm that she felt her hand heating up despite the distance. When he let his breath out, smoke and purring followed. He moved forward and leaned into her hand before slipping passed it and then nuzzling against her neck. He moved closer and his tail wrapped around her leg.
"Hey now, watch out, you're going to knock me over." The tail around her leg tightened, and one of his wings moved to support her from behind. "Alright big guy, you need to loosen that tail. It's too tight." She reached down and tugged at the appendage wrapped around her. "Just like that, okay? Gotta let the blood flow."
He pulled back a ways to look around the room again. "I told you, we're alone. I wouldn't lie to you about that."
When he turned back, Lucy wasn't surprised to find the bright gold eyes shining back at her. "There he is. My big strong protector." She ran her hands under his chin, causing his eyes to close again and his purr to grow louder. As she did, the black of his skin receded some, exposing more of the red scales. The fires on his tail and horns went out and they shrank, as did the size of his wings, exposing a much more dragon like creature.
"What are these tears for?" she asked as she carefully wiped away the wet trails that ran from the corners of his eyes. "There we go, that's better." She patted his nose. "So, do you know where we are?" When he did nothing to answer, she nodded. "I thought not." She continued to rub her hands over his scales, absorbing his heat to warm up her somewhat numb body.
"You know, I'm not necessarily opposed to this side of you." His eyes flashed open and focused on her. His purring stopped and his entire being stilled as he focused on her. "I like this side, to be honest. You may keep coming out at inconvenient times, but I still like you."
The dragon lifted his head and rubbed the underside of his chin on her until she lifted her hands to rub it on her own.
"You know that, right? It's flattering, to be honest, that you like me so much. But you really should learn how to hold yourself back a bit."
He growled as he lowered his head and his other wing moved so that she was completely surrounded by him. The heat coming off his body was almost suffocating like this, but she didn't mind.
"I'm not saying you should do it forever, but I want the rest of Natsu to feel the same as you do. Do you think you could do me a favor and let the rest of him catch up? He has no idea what you want, and the more you interfere, the harder it is for him to figure everything out."
Lucy blinked a few times, surprised by her own words. Even though she wanted to take them back, she didn't think she could. She meant them. She already knew she wanted Natsu to like her, to want her, but realizing that she wanted him to care for her in the way his dragon did, as a mate, was a bit of a surprise. It seemed that she could be more honest with his dragon than she could with herself. The thought made her smile.
The beast stared down at her, his golden eyes warm. Lucy couldn't believe that she was actually having a conversation with Natsu's inner dragon, but who else would be looking at her in that way? It had to be the dragon, and since he was here, and listening, she was going to make sure she said her piece, before using him to get the hell out of wherever they were.
"Please? I need you to be patient and work with me. And him. I can't get the rest of him on the same page if you keep butting in, you understand? I need you to keep yourself out of the way or find a way to not take over when you visit me. Once the rest of him likes me as much as you do, then you can both have me, and that's what you want, right?"
The dragon rubbed against the side of her head a couple times, as he made a low noise in his throat. She decided to take that as a yes as she sighed and hugged his head to her. "So you're going to behave and give me some time to work things out with him, right?"
The beast whined a little and then curled around her so that every single inch of her was touching some part of him. When the whine stopped and became a purr, she knew she'd won.
"I appreciate that. Thank you." She rubbed at his scales with her somewhat free hand.
"Now that that's out of the way, do you think you can help me get out of here?"
