Chapter 9
Erza , Jellal and Gray with the mafia behind them stood at the entrance. "How did you find us?" demanded Evelyn. "It wasn't easy, but somebody caught your tracks after it took some time. Somebody on your team fucked up" said Jellal with a grin. "That doesn't matter, Y" Natsu paused as he saw Layla frantically trying to get his attention. "Daddy!, mommy!" she yelled pointing as his eyes followed her finger. The rage that quelled inside him knew no bounds as he saw Lucy naked, tied to a cross and looking at him with a desperate pleading expression as Gray said, "everyone move!" "Don't leave anybody alive" said Natsu listened as they all moved clear out of Natsu's way as he led out a cry that was almost inhuman. "Natsu" Zeref said cocky as he zoomed up before Zeref could blink and tossed him a clear ten feet across the room. "IM EITHEROUS NATSU DRAGNEEL AND YOUR GOING TO PAAAAY!he shouted as everyone scattered to the guards. "Should we help?" asked Jellal. "No" answered Gray firmly. "Stay the hell out of his way." He told everyone as they pulled out their guns. "YOU TORMENTED LUCY ENOUGH! YOU FUCKING PYSCHOPATH!" Natsu shouted angrily as he beat Zeref's face as Zeref managed to get a punch in and got a little ways before Natsu grabbed his foot sending him to the floor as Natsu dragged him across before he picked him up and threw him hard against the wall making him gasp and cough.
"Kill me then" said Zeref. "Oh no no. you aren't getting that off easy. I've got my own plans for you" he said without remorse. Seeing an opening, Evelyn made a run for the door when she was tripped. "You aren't going anywhere you fucking bitch" Evelyn looked up at a outraged Erza as she wrenched up Evelyn by her arm. "Natsu" Erza called as he whipped his head around. "What do you want to do with her?" "Sho..no , tie that fucking whore up" he ordered as Erza dragged Evelyn despite her attempts to get free over to where she saw rope. He turned back towards Zeref and shot his knee bringing Zeref to the ground screaming in agony as he held his knee. Jellal and Gray covered in some blood not of their own and beat up came up to Natsu. "Watch him" he ordered coldly as they nodded and went to where Zeref was. Natsu raced over to Layla and ripped the chains off as the cuffs loosened letting Layla slip her hands out as she threw herself at Natsu. "Daddy!" she cried rubbing her head against him as he hugged her. "Are you hurt Layla?" he asked concerned.
She rapidly shook her head as she instantly sat on her knees and pointed as she looked at Lucy. "Mommy!" she cried scared as Natsu went up quickly and untied the ropes as fast as he could when she collapsed to the ground. "Lucy!" he yelled going to her side and sitting her up. Erza, Jellal and Gray watched the anger melt away as she put her hands to his face. He saw the desperation in her eyes as she tried to say something but Natsu quickly said "don't, don't try to talk Lucy. God I am so sorry baby" said tenderly as he took off his trench coat and threw it over her shoulders as she put her arms into it. She grimaced as she moved. She fell into his chest as she cried into it. He could do nothing else as he put his arms around her as he gently reached down and pulled the jacket away where he could see some bleeding and bruising.
" …?" he asked trying very hard to keep his rage down as she sadly nodded her head as she raised her shaky hand towards Invel who a mafia member had caught trying to get away. "Fucking bitch" was all he said before a bullet his brain as Natsu fired his gun and set it back down stunning everyone. "You two, grab Zeref and start walking towards the door. Lucy, we need to get you out of here" he said gently as he helped her stand up slowly. He started walking them slowly as Lucy stopped dead staring at Evelyn and Erza. "Lucy?" Natsu said noticing she stopped then looked where she was staring. "What do you want to do?" he asked darkly getting what she was feeling as she took the gun out of his pants holster and aimed it towards Evelyn as Natsu signaled Erza to move. She gradually stepped away not wanting to go far incase Evelyn tried to run. Her clothes tattered, she glared at Lucy. "Do what you will you dumb slut. You were never worthy of" Lucy fired hitting Evelyns shoulder as she cried in pain grabbing at it as she knelt to the floor. With Natsu walking with her, they silently approached her as Natsu held no sympathy for her at all as Lucy raised the gun to her head. " Go to hell" he said as Lucy fired right through her head as Evelyn hit the floor dead.
"MOTHER!" Zeref screamed as the guys dragged him out the door kicking and screaming. Erza walked behind them as Layla walked with Natsu and Lucy who was slowly walking as she stumbled but Natsu caught her before she hit the ground. "Easy Lucy. Don't push yourself" he said kindly as they walked out leaving Evelyn and other bodies behind. They walked a few minutes until they got to the cars but all that was left was Erza's and Natsu's. "Come on Luce, let's get you to the hospital. Come on baby dragon , get in here" he told them as Lucy climbed into the back with Layla snuggled up against her as Natsu lightly shut the door. "Erza, your with me , Jellal and Gray. Take him to the safehouse. I'll meet you there in a bit" he told them blunt as they all said "yes sir" and got into the cars. Lucy was silent during the ride back worrying Natsu as he glanced through the mirror every so often to look at her.
"Daddy are we going home?" she asked. "Not yet baby girl. We need to check on mommy first" he explained as they got to the hospital and checked Lucy into a room. Erza went and found Wendy while Natsu and Layla were sitting on the bed with Lucy. "What the hell happened to her?" Wendy said concerned. "That bastard got a hold of her.. Don't worry after tonight, he's not going to be alive" he said incensed as Wendy carefully touched the bandage where her throat was cut as Lucy flinched grabbing at it shaking her head. "Lucy, Lucy relax . I promise I'm not going to hurt you" urged Wendy tenderly. "Lucy, baby she needs to make sure your alright" said Natsu as Lucy relaxed. Getting up off the bed, he said "Erza, stay here. I don't trust a damn person outside this room." He ordered as she nodded. "Layla, I need you to stay here with mommy and Erza." He said as she pulled at his hand causing him to turn around. "I'll be back baby girl. I promise" he said lovingly as she let go and he bent down kissing her on her forehead. "I've just got some business to take care of then I'll be back okay?" She nodded as he whispered, "I love you." "I love you too daddy" she replied as she snuggled back into Lucy who put a hand over her shoulder. "Where are you going?" Erza asked him as Natsu gave her a hard stare and said " to deal with something unpleasant" then he left leaving Erza and the girls there wondering what he was doing.
He drove to the far out reaches of town well beyond any civilization where he drove to what looked like a worn-out shack. He went inside and down a long flight of stairs till he reached the bottom where Jellal and Gray were standing next to a door. "Hey, how is she doing?" asked Gray. "She's not. Has everything been set up?" "Yes but what are you going to do?" Jellal asked as he turned towards them with a emotionless face and said "I'm going to make her nightmares go away" "Do you want us to stay?" Gray asked nervously. "No. go to the hospital. Lucy needs all the support she can get. I will join you when I'm done" he said as he opened the door and shut the door as they saw the slightest bit of his face that terrified them. "Umm, so do we stay here?" asked Jellal completely confused as Gray says snapping him out of confusion "hell no. The less we know , the better besides I don't want to hear the screaming" said Gray as they walked out. In the room, Zeref was strapped down to a metal table with his arms and legs tied down to it as Natsu went over to a side table where there was a cloth tied together and as he untied it, there were knives of all different shapes and sizes, bolt cutters. There were jumper cables nearby along with matches and gasoline cans. "I thought you were going to kill me?" said Zeref as Natsu pulled out a long knife as he turned towards Zeref with an evil grin on his face and said "Oh I am but your going to be in pain long before you die" as he sliced Zeref's leg making him cry out.
"I am going to make you feel every bit of pain you put her through, and I don't care how long it takes. You are going to experience a living hell you sick son of a bitch" he made another long cut down Zeref's leg as Zeref cried out trying to reach but his hands were bound tight. "You say you aren't like our mother, but this shows you are just like her" Angrily he sliced Zeref hard across the stomach as he screamed. "I am nothing like that cunt. That woman never had a heart or anything even close to a soul. I am doing this for the woman I love because the both of you destroyed her!" he yelled stabbing Zeref through his left leg as he didn't care for the screams Zeref made. "That's nothing compared to what you put her through" he thought as he switched out the long blade for a shorter one as he made a cut along Zeref's side to where it bled but wasn't life threatening. He made small shallow cuts all along Zeref's body including his cheeks as he made it all the way down to his feet. He stopped putting the knife down as Zeref looked to try to see what Natsu was grabbing next but couldn't see what he was holding. Natsu turned back towards him as Zeref's eyes widened as he saw the bolt cutters.
"Have I made yah nervous yet?" he said maliciously as he walked towards him grabbing one of his hands as Zeref tried ripping it away. But Natsu was not letting go as he slipped the bolt cutters around one of fingers and pressed hard cutting the bottom of it off as Zeref shrieked in pure agony. "I'M NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING DONE YET YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN" Natsu shouted as he went for another before putting the bolt cutters up. His phone went off as he stopped as Zeref was sweating and crying out. He stepped out of the room as he answered it. "What's up Jellal?" "Lucy is asleep, looks like the pain meds she gave might knock her out for a day or so" "Good. Give her time to rest" Natsu said relieved. "Do you think you'll make it back here? Layla might wonder where you are" Jellal asked curious. Looking back towards the door, he said "no I don't think that's going to happen today. I still have work to do. Just tell her daddy will be home soon as he's done" "Okay well I'll let you go and keep an eye on the girls." "Thanks" "Oh and Natsu," "What?" "Make that dirtbag pay" Jellal said bitterly as Natsu replied "he is" then hung up as he went back into the room.
Two days passed before Gray said "has anyone heard from Natsu at all?" "No, the last I heard from him was yesterday morning asking how Lucy and Layla were doing and then he said he would be in touch" explained Erza. "I would have thought he would have been done by now" said Jellal. "hmm, not sure about that" said Gray. "That bastard put Lucy through hell and did it multiple times. If Natsu is taking his time, I'm not surprised it's taking this long." "I didn't think Natsu was even capable of going that far" said Erza. "Unfortunately, it's not too surprising once you know what I know" Gray told them as he added "they will tell you eventually. It is not my place to tell you anything" Jellal and Erza looked at each other with slight concerned faces as they looked over at Lucy and Layla as Layla was napping next to Lucy. "Don't worry guys. Natsu will be back" assured Gray. "Yeah but will he still be himself?" questioned Jellal. "Jellal, don't start questioning him now. The only reason he is doing this is because of the hell Zeref put Lucy through. He isn't a cold-blooded murderer or psychopath. He is getting revenge for his family. Hell Erza, your lucky neither of them are dead or did you forget?" She shivered slightly as she said "of course not. And as I told him, I made the choice to save his life. If he had killed me because of the girls then I would have accepted it but that does not explain why he is acting like this" Smacking his head, Gray gave her a frustrated look.
"You were there! When he told us to go to the safe house. What the fuck else did you think he was going to do?!" "I..I'm not sure. I knew he was going to kill Zeref. I assumed that much. I did not expect him to be gone for two more days" "Ahh, alright look this is not the time for this. The simple fact of the matter is Natsu is making Zeref pay, that's all there is to it. We need to stay here and make sure Layla and Lucy are safe until he gets back" Gray said bluntly irritated. "Your right" agreed Jellal as they both looked at Erza who crossed her arms and gave them an unapproving stare but nodded her head understanding. She would protect the girls no matter what.
Walking into the room after a couple hours of letting Zeref's wounds settle, Natsu just glared at him. Over the span of the two days Zeref was cut in every part of his body .The only part of him that wasn't cut were the bottoms of his feet. He was missing a couple fingers off each hand and just looked defeated and pitiful but Natsu felt absolutely nothing. "Wwwwhhhere did you lllearn to do thissss?" Zeref asked very weakly . Having his back turned towards him, Natsu answered "my father" "Ig…Ignnnneel? …he wasn't the type" "Hmmphh" said Natsu amused as he chuckled and shook his head. "My father had a side nobody ever saw except me. Not even Lucy knows about this side of me nor does she ever need too. My father taught me how to use these incase I ever needed to go to extremes to protect Lucy. Evelyn had no clue just how lucky she was. Aside from being a mafia top boss, he could have easily sliced her throat or half the things I'm doing to you now. He was very good at hiding it." Zeref's eyes widened in shock and fear as Natsu had a grin on his face. Zeref began to pass out as Natsu shook him. "Oh no,no. You aren't done yet Zeref." "Ppplease" "No" he answered coldly. "Lucy begged you and you never once showed her mercy. I'm not going to either. "Just let me die"
"NO!" he shouted at him as he grabbed the long knife slicing his right leg and stabbing him through it. He screamed as Natsu just stood there angry. " you beg for mercy? not a chance you fucker. You didn't spare my wife any pain so I'm not going to on you" he thought. "Jeeze, how many days have gone by since I've even been in here" he said out loud as he pulled his phone out and turned it on. "Damn, two days. Then that would make this day number three." He said quietly to himself as he turned and grabbed the jumper cables. "Alright, I'm done fucking around" he said seriously as Zeref gave him a completely shocked face. "He's been playing this whole time?" Zeref thought panicked as he saw Natsu with the jumper cables attaching two of them to the metal table as he filled a bucket with water and dumped it all over the table making Zeref jump. "No, no. " he begged as Natsu gave him a glowering expression as he picked up the two ends of the cables.
"NnnoAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" he shrieked as the electricity went shooting through his body as Natsu stood there holding them together for another twenty seconds as he separated them. Zeref gasped as he twitched from the pain going through his body. He could barely move anymore or talk as he painfully moved his head to the side to see what Natsu was going. He managed to choke out "ww…..wha…mmore…are …g…doo? "Me?, nothing. After this. I'm going home and telling Lucy she doesn't have to worry about you anymore you son of a bitch" he replied callous as Natsu grabbed the gasoline cans and poured them all over the room and onto the table as Zeref looked at him puzzled. "Ha, my nick name's Pyro for a reason." He said darkly amused as he tossed the can aside and walked over to Zeref getting down to his face. "Go join your whore of a mother" he said quietly but ruthless as he walked to the exit. "NO, NO!" Zeref screamed with all his might as he fought hard against his ropes as Natsu coldly lit a match and threw it onto the table as the flames lit up around Zeref as he kicked as hard as he could to get the flames out, but it was useless.
Natsu stood there as the flames went up and around Zeref as his agonizing screams as he stared with horror at Natsu who had a expressionless face as he turned to leave. "NA..TSUUUUU..NA..AHHHHHHHHHH" he heard as he walked up the stairs taking his time but picked up his pace when he saw smoke. Running up the rest, he dove for his car as the safehouse went up in flames. "Rot in hell" he said as he got into his car and went back to his house to change and shower.