I didn't do any warnings last chapter like I normally did 'cause I had gotten used to the tags available on AO3 that informed you of what you are getting into. If I posted this story on there I would proudly add the tags body horror, psychological horror, vomiting and probably child endangerment :))))
Therefore…
Warnings: Usual violence, vomiting, body horror that is more psychological horror, swearing
It's still pretty tame compared to what I'd love to branch into (as I'm a horror nut), but I'm still keeping in mind that FF is more child-friendly and that many of my readers are probably still quite young. So please keep that in mind and skip any parts that you don't feel comfortable with!
(This chapter also known as revealing my kink for body horror classified as seems-perfectly-fine-at-first-glance-but-is-really-super-messed-up)
Being stuck in the guild hall with four frustrated Dragon Slayers is not the best setting for successfully concentrating on breaking high levels spells. Even through the aid of Gale-Force Reading Glasses and her in-depth knowledge of all manners of scripts, Levy still struggled to write down the final letters that would break Freed's barrier.
Her notes were scattered across the floor as she kneeled over the for a better vantage point, but at some point she had been given a glass of water and cushion for comfort. Levy was almost certain that these were gifts provided by the Iron Dragon Slayer sitting with his arms crossed on a bench nearby, but the thought barely formed before it was discarded as irrelevant to the situation at hand.
Nearby, Sting and Lector led a fidgety Natsu and Ryos through simple hand-clapping games they had picked up from other kids. While Natsu's lack of knowledge came from the fact that the games he had learnt in his youth were now outdated, it was sad to know that Ryos had no knowledge of these games due to not interacting with anyone his age through most of his years.
Granted, Romeo would occasionally play with the boys whenever his dad bought him to the guild, but the boy was still several years younger and had friends of his own from school. There was a severe level of disconnect between the two groups due to their past experiences that could never be bridged, but Ryos and Sting both enjoyed Romeos' company whenever he came.
The quiet of the guild was only interrupted by the occasional yell of protest from Natsu and Sting when they lost, or the crunch from Gajeel chewing on nails he pried from the tables. Suddenly, with a flick of her pen, Levy bolted up with a triumphant yell.
"It's done!"
"Holy shit," Natsu said, "really?" He quickly abandoned the circle on the ground he had made with the younger boys to scramble across to Levy. "We can finally leave?"
Beside her Gajeel looked over in interest, nails hanging out of his mouth as he finally stopped chewing. "So, I can finally crush this stupid Laxus guy?"
"Oi," Natsu said indignantly, "if anyone's taking down Laxus it's me!"
Ignoring their bickering, Levy jogged over to the entrance of the guild. With her Light Pen she began scrawling the runes she had formulated onto the air. As she did so, she felt a gentle weight press against her left hip. She didn't need to look down to know it was Ryos; the boy had always enjoyed watching Levy use her unique magic, and she had used it many times to entertain him when she was babysitting for Lucy.
It only took another minute or two for Levy to finish dismantling the barrier, but in that time Natsu had nearly worked himself into a frenzy. The manic energy had clearly begun to affect Sting as well, as the young boy was hopping excitedly on the spot. In his arms, Lector maintained an anticipating face of his own, unaffected by the jostling movement from Sting – he obviously had plenty of experience of dealing with Stings' high energy levels.
With a final pulse of energy, the barrier blocking off the front of the guild fell. Satisfied, Levy relaxed her shoulders, finally feeling the stress tightening her back and causing a dull ache at the front of her head. "The barrier is down – you guys are free to join the battle."
"Finally," growled Gajeel, standing up from the table. He had finished the nails and was now lazily stretching his arms to warm up. "I was getting tired of just sitting around."
A manic grin was pulling the corners of Natsu's mouth to ridiculous degrees, eyes backlit by a hunger for battle. "For once I agree with you. I'm all fired up!" He then punched his fists together, sparks flying out from between his clenched fingers. "Now I can go kick some sense into Laxus' head and stop this whole charade he's got going!"
With that he started running out the door, ignoring Gajeel's protests that he would be the one to defeat the S-class mage.
"Me too!" burst out Sting. He tucked Lector into his left arm so he could grab Ryos' hand with his right, tugging him away from Levy to head out the door. "I'm gonna punch this Laxus dude into his senses alongside Natsu! C'mon Ryos!"
"O-Okay," the other boy stammered out as he tripped after Sting. "Let's do it."
Before they could make it more than a few steps out of the doorway, Levy blocked their path with her body. She was not particularly intimidating, even with her arms crossed, what with her being only a head taller than the two young boys. However, the many days spent babysitting the boys, enforcing strict night curfews and teaching them general social manners had made the boys highly respectful of Levy and the no-nonsense attitude she could pull on.
"There's no way you two are going out there," Levy said with aforementioned attitude making her voice sharp as a cracking whip. "I couldn't let two kids go out there in good conscience with so many high-level battles going on. Also, Lucy would kill me if anything happened to you two!"
"But we wanna fight!" protested Sting angrily.
"To help!" Ryos added in, trying to make their indignation seem justified. "We're Fairy Tail mages, so we should be helping our nakama as well!"
"Happy's out there already!" Lector said forlornly. "He always gets to go out and fight – why can't I?"
The trio put on pleading faces, eyes watering and bottom lip trembling, in an attempt to soften Levy. While such acts worked with ease on the Strauss siblings and Lucy, their main babysitter was not so easily swayed.
Levy shook her head and placed a hand on each boys' shoulder to usher them back into the guild. "I said no, and I meant it. You two aren't going to fight at all today, it's simply too dangerous."
"That's final," she added when Ryos and Sting looked like they were going to continue talking. Her tone offered no room for any more protests and the boys did not even think about making a break for it; Levy would catch them with ease and punish them accordingly. Her punishments for bad behavior were often tedious and intended to hammer in life lessons – Sting and Ryos' hands ached in phantom pain of the time they had to write out the chapter of a precious book they had once destroyed at Levy's house with their roughhousing. There was no way they were going against Levy. No chance at all.
"Oi!"
The groups' attention was suddenly pulled back to the entrance behind them. There stood Natsu, still grinning manically with his hands on his hips.
"Don't worry about missing out on the battles!" Natsu bellowed at Sting, Ryos and Lector. "I'll make sure to win and come back to tell you about how awesome I was!" His grin softened slightly to an earnest look that filled the boys with confidence. "I'm also sure that Luce is already out there kicking ass; who knows if she's even left any for me!"
Natsu then threw his head back and cackled, the sound echoing in the halls. "Like Levy said! Luce would kill me if anything happened to you two and Lector, so I'll make sure to punch Laxus for you guys! Wish me luck," he finally said as he turned with a wave, "even if I don't need it!"
As he turned a jogged away, a figure in the shadows of the guild peeled off and fell into step with him. Natsu knocked an irritated fist against Gajeel's shoulders before running off in what could only be an attempt to beat the other Dragon Slayer to Laxus.
Before Gajeel bolted after him, the stoic man turned back to give the group waiting at the guild entrance a firm nod. His eyes caught on Levy's, and despite their toxic past, the girl could only smile proudly at Gajeel, confident that he would fight as well as any of her nakama to win.
With that, Gajeel raced after Natsu, yelling that he would find Laxus first.
Watching the two disappear into the glare of the early afternoon sun, Sting and Ryos could feel their frustration at being treated like children warring with their pride in their fellow Slayers' winning in their name. For now they could only watch over Makarov with Levy and watch the battles break out on the projections Laxus had begun to remotely place in their guild.
Just as they wondered how Lucy was going with her evacuation of the civilians, a projection abruptly enlarged itself and all but thrust itself into their face.
At the appearance of their big sister figure on the projection, Ryos and Sting could only watch with open mouths as Lucy got sucked into a fight that would leave them and Lector and Levy gripped with anxiety.
The evacuated portions of Magnolia were sizeable enough that Lucy could run for several minutes before Bickslow caught up to her. All she wanted was to get farther away from the crowds on the outskirts of the town, and also ensure that she steered the battle far away from the toy store she knew that lay in the heart of the shopping district. As long as she stayed away from that area, her chances in winning without Bickslow transferring his captured souls to another container grew significantly.
Lucy's footsteps pounding against the cobbles echoed eerily in the wide streets. She had drawn her sword not long after she began fleeing, and her other hand fumbled against her side to touch her jangling keys.
While she was reluctant to summon her spirits, what with them being incredibly vulnerable to Bickslow's magic, she knew that she could not take on so many targets by herself. Even now she could sense Bickslow's puppets catching up to her now, the man perched on one of them and taunting her from afar.
The street ahead of Lucy opened up to an intersection that had plenty of space to fight. Recognizing this might be her only chance to choose where she could fight, Lucy drew to a stop in the center of the intersection and summoned her chosen spirit.
In a flash of golden light Sagittarius appeared next to her, bow already drawn in preparation of the battle.
"Moshi moshi," the spirit said. "We are to engage in battle, Lucy-san? Against a member of your own guild?"
"It's a long story," Lucy said shortly. "All you need to know is that this guy is trying to fight the entirety of the guild by the word of his stupid leader, and now we have to take him down." Her grip on her sword was slightly slippery with sweat, so before Bickslow could arrive Lucy wiped it away and took a preparing breath.
To underestimate her opponent now would spell the end of her. While there was some assurance that she could win what with the real Lucy having succeeded herself, this Lucy knew that overconfidence would leave her defenses weak and easily exploitable. Her reluctance to use her spirits also would affect the battle greatly, so all that Lucy could do now was fight her best and aim to win.
"Finally," Bickslow shouted as he and his puppets entered the open space, "you stopped running! Are you really that scared of me?" He leered at her from her position floating above. "That's really pathetic; you call yourself a Fairy Tail mage?"
"Piss off," Lucy said. "I don't have time for your bullshit. Let's hurry up and get this over with."
"Moshi moshi," Sagittarius said solemnly as he notched an arrow. Without warning the spirit fired off a shot at one of the puppets, the whistle of the arrow the only notice Bickslow got.
"Fuck," Bickslow spat as he turned to the targeted puppet. Luckily for him the barrel managed to duck mostly out of the way, the arrow merely leaving a long pale scratch near its right eye.
"Fuck, fuck!" chirped the puppets, but now there was a slight agitation to their movements. They began pressing down towards their opponents without a direction from Bickslow, only the one he was standing upon staying back. He had been too late in finding a new vessel for the puppet destroyed by Juvia earlier, so he had already lost one of his captured souls today. He was determined to finish this battle before he could lose another.
This aggressive approach prompted Sagittarius to notch several arrows and fire without discrimination. His bow dwarfed the more compact bow Cenas wielded, and the difference in their power and skills was apparent by the accuracy and speed of the arrows. Each narrowly missed the puppets when they began evasive manoeuvres, including Bickslow's puppet and the man himself.
After ducking after one of the arrows aimed at his chest, Bickslow turned to watch the mentioned arrows' trajectory. The wooden weapon whistled through the air before slamming into the residential brick building behind. The metal head dug several inches into the brick, with some of the shaft being swallowed up as well. Cracks spiderwebbed from the epicentre of the impact, several pieces of brick crumbling to the ground below.
"Holy shit," Bickslow muttered to himself as he turned back to face his opponents. "Don't underestimate the weird horse-man then."
"Try and herd them down to me," Lucy said quietly to Sagittarius as she dropped into a sword stance. "That way I can take them on with my sword. Otherwise I'm not going to be able to reach them in the air without exposing myself to easy retaliation."
Sagittarius nodded firmly as he loaded several more arrows. "Moshi moshi! You've got it, Lucy-san!"
With that he began firing once more, successfully beginning to crowd the three free-roaming puppets closer to the ground. In return the puppets fired a continuous barrage of lasers at Lucy and Sagittarius both, but Lucys' speed and Sagittarius' practiced footwork meant they managed to stay just out of reach.
Without Lucy needing to direct him, Sagittarius took notice of her stalking after a low-hanging puppet and began distracting that puppet and Bickslow with direct fire. The threat of power behind those arrows successfully pulled Bickslow's attention away from Lucy to her spirit, leaving the blonde the opportunity to attack her intended target.
With a heft of her sword overhead, Lucy leapt and swung down full force at the unsuspecting puppet she had chosen. At the last second the barrel-shaped puppet noticed the action and attempted to pull away. However, it was not fast enough and was met face first by a sword that had begun to glow with Lucy's magic.
The sword met the top of the barrel and Lucy followed through by bearing her whole weight on the hilt. When channelling her magic through her sword, Lucy could cut through stone like it was clay and chop trees in half. It was expected that she would split the puppet in half vertically with the sheer force she had put behind the swing – after all, it was merely an empty barrel inhabited by a soul.
Yet, the sword barely dug into the wood before it was glowing an acidic green. The blade met firm resistance, and Lucy felt the impact jar up her arms as she landed with a muffled yelp.
Her sword was stuck only a few inches into the puppets' top, and Lucy stared at it dumbfounded as she tried to figure out what had happened.
"Kyahaha!" Bickslow's customary cackle caused Lucy to whip her head to face him. He was floating closer to the ground now, drinking in Lucy's confounded expression.
"Did you really think that my babies are completely unprotected? That damn water chick might've surprised me earlier, but with the barest bit of my magic my babies here can strengthen their defences tenfold!" Bickslow laughed meanly again. "Your skills are useless here, warrior princess. Just give it up now before you embarrass yourself!"
Any attempt to pull her sword from the puppet stopped as Lucy registered his words. "Water chick…" she mumbled. "Juvia!" Her brown eyes darkened in rage as she glared at Bickslow. "What the hell did you do to Juvia?"
"Ah," Bickslow sighed, "she and Gray didn't put up that great a fight in the end. The damn bitch destroyed one of my babies and I couldn't let that stand." His smile was cruel as he looked down at Lucy. "Just like how I can't let you and this spirit here make me into a joke. I'm tired of playing around."
With this unspoken command, all the puppets turned to Sagittarius.
The sword was ripped from Lucy's hands as the puppet flew off to join the two other free puppets, and Lucy let out a shriek of horror as she realised what they were doing.
"Sagittarius!" she screamed as she stumbled towards her spirit. At that moment Lucy could not help but curse her weakness as she could not forcibly close the gate of her spirit. Instead, she had to watch as Sagittarius had holes ripped into his form by the barrage of shots from the surrounding puppets.
The spirits' face was twisted with surprise as he fell, arrows scattering on the street beneath him. He began to topple as well, but his form destabilised rapidly from the numerous holes and he fell apart in a shower of golden sparkles before he hit the ground.
The street where he had stood was now empty of anything but various pockmarks from missed shots, the arrows having disappeared with him.
Lucy stopped her futile run and simply stood for a moment in shock at how cruelly her friend had been gunned down. She knew that Bickslow was her enemy and would be facing her with all of his might, but she truly had not expected the Fairy Tail mage to go to such lengths to win.
"Oh," Lucy trembled out, eyes blank. "I've been so naïve."
Bickslow began to giggle again, revelling in how the girl in front of him was so distraught in the face of defeat. "That's right," he crowed. "You can't win, so how about you give up already?"
The horror on Lucy's face led Bickslow to believe that his words had finally gotten through. That the blonde would give up lest he destroy another one of her spirits. But, even as he watched, the horror on her face turned to one of absolute rage.
A shout burst out of Lucy's throat as her form burst into golden light. She dropped into a crouch before launching upwards with a heave of her muscled thighs. The force of the leap leant her plenty of speed as she burst past Bickslow to bounce of the wall and head back towards him.
The wall behind her cracked with the force of her legs, and the cracks joined up with those left previously by Sagittarius' arrow. A large portion of the wall crumbled off to join the deluge below, but for once Lucy could not find it in herself to care about the property damage she was creating. Her strong morals were crumbling in the wake of her cresting rage, and her body was a slave to this overwhelming emotion.
A swing of her right leg had Lucy's body twisting in the air. Her leg whipped towards a shocked Bickslow who barely had a chance to duck. The whistle of air beside his ear and the way his puppet bobbed wildly in the air let him know how close he was to a serious injury.
Hitting the ground below, Lucy cushioned herself with another burst of magic that hurtled her back up to Bickslow. She was burning through her magic using it so wildly, but she was not planning on summoning a spirit any time soon. Her rage was also fuelling her actions as much as her magic, and she managed to get up in Bickslow's face in short time.
The man was still off-balance from Lucy's initial attack, but he was not a part of the strongest team in Fairy Tail for nothing. His battle experience outranked the average mage by far, and the instincts he honed in these numerous battles allowed him to react to Lucy's face abruptly appearing so close to him.
As Lucy wound up for a punch powered by her magic, Bickslow managed to whip an arm in a ferocious backhand against Lucy's face. The impact sent her flying back from Bickslow, and she could not prepare for her impact back into the ground.
Lucy hit the ground with a crack of cobblestones, a shallow crater cradling her body. She struggled to pull herself up out of the crater, body aching fiercely from the impact.
With an angry flick of her wrist, Lucy smeared the blood that was trickling from her lips. Her lips had split with the power behind Bickslow's fist, and her vision was fuzzy at the edges like a poorly tuned television. She had mostly recovered from Laxus's previous attacks against her, but this hit brought her headache back full force.
"Fucker!" Lucy spat some blood onto the streets before struggling to pull herself up. She barely managed to get on her hands and knees on the street before two of Bickslow's puppets came swooping down in front of her.
Their grotesque faces seemed to taunt her, and Lucy weakly batted at them with an arm that trembled. They easily ducked out of the way before edging closer in a tight circle. From above came Bickslow's cocky voice once more, the man assured in his victory after seeing how Lucy's body was sprawled out.
"Tch, that was disappointing. After all I've heard about the so-called Celestial Maiden, warrior princess extreme, I was hoping for a better fight. Now," he sighed deeply, "I see that you're just a fake. You aren't worth any more of my effort." He lazily waved a hand as he dropped into a crouch on his puppet. "Finish her, my babies."
The two puppets that had been slowly circling Lucy then closed ranks and began advancing towards where Lucy's face was lowered to the ground. Their mouths glowed a now familiar green, and it was clear that this attack was to be their last.
Lucy would make certain of it.
Without warning, the blonde pressed her weight into her hands and lifted her hips up above her head. Flexing her abdominal muscles and ignoring how her shirt bunched into her armpits, Lucy brought her legs over her head to slam a glowing foot onto each puppet. The force behind Lucy's legs crushed the puppets into the ground and, without the reinforcement of Bickslow's magic, the bottom of each puppet splintered.
Above, Bickslow felt a shout of rage bubble in his throat, but he was too slow to stop Lucy from slinging the rest of her body up to stand upon the two puppets. Not wasting a moment, she transferred her weight to one puppet so she could charge her right fist with a tremendous amount of magic. With a wordless shout she drove her fist into the puppet she had stepped off, breaking through the wooden top to thrust her entire arm in.
The light that had been building in the puppet flickered out as the soul left its confines, and Lucy did not waste the time Bickslow spent crying out for his lost baby to slam the empty husk into the other barrel.
Both puppets splintered under the impact, with the one stuck on Lucy's arms clattering to the ground in chunks of wood. The puppet beneath her feet buckled, and with a final stomp of her feet Lucy caved that one in too.
"MY BABIES!" shrieked Bickslow, hands grasping at his visor in horror. "YOU DESTROYED MY BABIES!"
"And you destroyed my spirit," snarled Lucy as she climbed out of the mess of wood. "So, I guess we're even now."
Bicksloe had lowered his puppet so that he was now further away from Lucy, pressed back against the glass front of a nearby store. His other remaining puppet was huddled close to him, his hands going to pull it protectively against his side. "I thought you were finished! I thought I beat you!"
Lucy scoffed. "Subterfuge is an underappreciated battle tactic." She was still woozy from the head injuries, and sore from hitting the ground, but she made sure to stand strong as she faced down Bickslow. He was down to two puppets now, she could not afford to falter now. Not when victory was so close.
"Give it up, Bickslow," the blonde said as she began to stalk towards the man. "You underestimated me like you did to Gray and Juvia, and now you're paying the price. Surrender now and maybe the Master will go easy on you and possibly even the other members of your team."
"G-Give up?" Bickslow's voice hiccupped with supressed manic laughter. "I will never give up – especially not when Laxus's dream is going to be fulfilled so soon. The Thunder God Tribe is going to win, and there's nothing you weaklings are going to do to stop it."
Just as Lucy crouched to launch herself at Bickslow, the glass behind him shattered and two white shapes flew out either side of him to slam into Lucy. A shout of pain gurgled out of Lucy as she went tumbling backwards. She stopped in a crumple of limbs a couple of metres back, winded and chest now aching fiercely.
It hurt to draw breath, but Lucy gasped and retched against the dusty ground to try and suck in any oxygen for her screaming lungs. It took a minute for her breathing to level out once more, and bloody trails of saliva stretched from the ground as she raised her head to glare at Bickslow.
He had disembarked from his usual perch upon a barrel puppet, and now had the remaining two hovering right beside him. Now, however, two other shapes floated on the outside of each barrel.
The white figures that had attacked Lucy were the tall, stiff forms of mannequins, still donning casual wear from the clothing store they had escaped from. The one on the far right had a summer dress that drifted serenely in the breeze, while its partner on the left looked smart in a button-up and slacks. They looked almost humorous floating in the air, and Lucy could not help but wonder how they could attack with their rigid poses and smooth faces.
"I'm really fucking mad you destroyed two of my precious babies," Bickslow gritted out, "but I can still transfer them to new bodies at will. These new forms aren't so cute, but desperate times call for desperate measures."
Watching him warily, Lucy managed to pull herself to her feet once more. She was slightly hunched over in an effort to protect her sore ribs, but she still put up her fists, ready to fight. Her sword was still stuck in the wood of one of the remaining barrels floating beside Bickslow, so Lucy only had her body as a weapon.
Stars, this was going to be tough.
She had believed that being away from the toy store would ensure that Bickslow had no means of keeping his broken puppets in play. Her naivety had cost her, but this area was still predominantly residential and there were no more mannequins within the small store behind Bickslow. A quick survey of the area revealed that this store was the only clothing store bar a few accessory stores nearby, each lacking any display mannequins in their windows. It was most likely that the two mannequins Bickslow already had in play were the only ones around, so Lucy had to ensure they stayed in this area so Bickslow had no more back-ups available.
Focusing back on Bickslow and his puppets, Lucy prepared herself for his first attack. The mannequins had no opening for which to spit out the powerful lasers, so they would most likely attack physically. Therefore, she would focus more on the barrel-shaped puppets that had speed, mobility and sheer power to make them the more dangerous opponents.
Almost as if to spite her thoughts, Bickslow addressed his newest additions. "Now, my precious new babies, show this blondie what you can do! Attack!"
With a shudder, the mannequins' rigid plastic limbs began to twitch and move of their own volition. They were not smooth or particularly responsive, but as they advanced towards Lucy their ability to grapple became a higher threat. Then, as they drew closer, the two mannequins' faces also began to twitch and spasm.
With an audible screech, where the mannequins' previously perfect bow lips were pursed together, the plastic split. Their blank white eyes seemed to bore into Lucy as gaping maws opened where their mouths should be, revealing a pit of darkness. Their jaws almost seemed unhinged, and Lucy could not help but whimper slightly at the horrifying sight of these monsters reaching awkward arms towards her, almost as if to hug her.
Then the darkness within their mouths began glowing green, and Lucy threw herself aside as more bolts of green energy began flying at her once more.
A game of cat-and-mouse started as Lucy attempted to stay away from the mannequins chasing her. They were too large and powerful to face head on, so Lucy's mind raced as she pushed her body to stay ahead of each new attack.
How could she turn this around? How could she win? She could still summon a spirit, but only someone like Taurus, Cancer or Aquarius would be strong enough to stand against these many opponents. No water meant that Aquarius, the best for multiple enemies, could not be summoned, and Lucy was reluctant to summon another spirit that would instantly be shot. Plus, her rash use of her magic in her physical attacks meant that she barely had enough to keep her movements powered and summon maybe one more golden key.
Her panic was building, and Bickslow, still leaning against the shop with his two barrel puppets, noticed.
The previous apprehension and reluctant fear he had at facing Lucy was long since gone. Now, he could only feel pleased that he was so easily crushing the figure that had haunted him for so long.
Now, he could find the truth.
With a wave of his fingers he called his mannequins back to his side. They flew away from where they had cornered Lucy against a nearby wall and hovered patiently beside Bickslow. They had a few cracks in their plastic from where Lucy had managed to get a lucky hit or two in, but the girl was clearly worse off for it.
Uncurling herself from where she had pressed against the brick wall, Lucy warily looked back at Bickslow. Her ponytail was slightly singed in places from laser fire, and her clothes had several holes that often revealed beneath welts on her tanned skin. "Why did you stop?"
"Well," drawled Bickslow, "there's something I want to ask before I finish you off."
Lucy scowled, but continued listening as she knew that any break was better for her. "What is it then?"
"I wanted to know if anyone else knew you weren't of this world?"
The breath in Lucy's lungs whooshed out like she had been hit in the stomach once more. Saliva pooled rapidly in her open mouth, and the heave of her stomach had Lucy distantly wondering if she was going to be sick. There was also a faint ringing in her ears that she was almost certain did not come from her head injuries.
"W-What?" Lucy rasped as she stumbled forwards. "What are you talking about?"
"That expression," Bickslow said with no small amount of satisfaction, "means you know what I'm talking about. Did you think that you be able to keep such a thing secret forever?"
"I-I don't—" Lucy trailed off, a trembling hand pressing against her face. "I don't understa—"
"Don't lie!" Bickslow cut her off. "My eyes see the truth! These Figure Eyes of mine can see people's souls – why else would I be able to capture them to put in my babies?" His satisfaction was smeared into the grin stretching his face, teeth shining in the afternoon sun. "I can see your soul, and it. Doesn't. fit. You're a mistake. A parasite."
Lucy's gut heaved again, and her hands flew to her mouth almost as if to press down the bile building in her throat. The small of her back was burning, and Lucy was certain that if Bickslow took off his helmet now he would be able to see it treacherously glowing.
"Me and my team has been to the guild several times since you arrived," Bickslow confessed almost casually, one leg kicked back to press against the wall. "We stay out of sight most of the time, but sometimes I like taking free moments to watch the guild with my special eyes here. Lo and behold, one day I see you in the guild and I—"
Here, he faltered. Behind his visor, Bickslow's eyes squeezed shut, trying to block out the images of the past. They persisted, however, and he could not help but think back to the one and only time he had used his Figure Eyes to look upon Lucy.
There was always a palpable excitement in the guild when a new member joined Fairy Tail. It generally petered out in a few days when the new member had been greeted by everyone and integrated themselves into their chosen social circle. Although, members often found themselves leaving after only a day or two of experiencing the mania that was Fairy Tail, so new members that persisted were greatly treasured.
When Bickslow stealthily arrived with the rest of his team the first time after Lucy Heartifilia had joined, it had been several weeks and she was still a common topic.
Laxus had grown angry at the stories of Fairy Tail being destroyed by Phantom Lord, and so had returned with the Thunder God Tribe to see what had become of their guild. They had been expecting a destroyed husk but had been pleasantly surprised to see it almost completely rebuilt. The guild members themselves seemed cheerful, and only a few had clear remnants of the injuries they had gained during the attack.
Hidden on the railing above the guild, waiting for Laxus to finish discussing the Phantom lord manner with his grandfather, Bickslow found his gaze catching on what could only be the cause of the attack in the first place.
Glowing golden and red hair, with tanned skin and brown eyes; Lucy Heartifilia was unmistakable from the description that had been given by fellow members and the stories whispered in her wake. With the amount of time the Thunder God Tribe spent out on missions, Bickslow was almost surprised they had never encountered the girl when she was contracted with the Magic Council. They had not missed out on the stories of the Celestial Maiden, however, and paid particular attention when tales of her joining Fairy Tail began circling.
(These tales were so prominent as many were surprised that someone who had aligned so closely with the Magic Council, someone often viewed as polite and proper, had joined a disastrous guild openly loathed by the Council.)
Viewing the girl whose features were obscured by many bandages, but no less attractive, Bickslow could not help but feel satisfied they had snagged such a beautiful and powerful mage. Laxus would keep someone of her calibre, and maybe when Laxus created the new Fairy Tail they would be able to talk some.
Happy with this thought, Bickslow decided to slip off his visor and have a look at the soul that lay within Lucy; he was certain it would be as pretty and fragile as the smile on her face.
When he pulled off his visor, Bickslow had to blink several times to get used to the overwhelming shine that came from the countless souls gathered below. It was common for him to be overwhelmed for a moment when he took off his visor in a crowd, so he waited patiently for his eyes to adjust.
Bickslow squinted at the familiar figure of Natsu Dragneel that was not too far from Lucy to make sure his vision was coming through fine. The blinding bright soul that shone in the confines of Natsu's body confirmed his Figure Eyes were working perfectly, and Bickslow hurried to blink away the afterimages created by the flickering motion of Natsu's soul.
He focused on Lucy next, mouth curling up in preparation.
What met him was something horrifying.
Truth was what Bickslow saw through his eyes. He saw a human's soul, where the truth of their personality and morals were reflected. This was how he knew Loke was not a person as he claimed, but a Celestial Spirit that was slowly fading; his body was merely a construct of his magic, and his soul shone with a heavenly light that no human could hope to replicate.
No matter how a person portrayed themselves, their soul spoke the truth, and Bickslow read it.
Lucy Heartifilia looked like a beautiful young woman toughened by experience. She was strong and healthy, magic a clear asset to Fairy Tail.
Her soul said something different.
From afar, everything looked fine. Lucy's soul was golden with the heavenly power she wielded, soft sparkles cascading off her form with every flex of her magic. Yet, a closer look revealed that it did not—
It did not fit right.
Lucy's soul seemed to be on a similar frequency as her body, fluidly following her movements. Occasionally though, the soul shuddered gently and lagged behind her movements. Even when she was still, the edges of her soul seemed to slide around like it was constantly trying to get comfortable, gaps appearing when no soul should ever have gaps; souls were affixed to a person's body perfectly until they died, that was just how it was.
Feeling his mouth grow dry with mounting anxiety, Bickslow pressed his belly against the railing as he tried to get a closer look.
The previously golden glow of Lucy's soul Bickslow had perceived was not entirely true as he scrutinised her closer. There was a constant murky look at the core of her soul, with a main source of it coming from her abdomen.
There was a sickly purple that stretched across her hip and stomach. It spread poisonous tendrils across her body, reaching hungry fingers into her heart and head where it spread into dark clouds that weighed her soul down, but was not reflected physically. Bickslow could not help but wonder who or what had affected her so badly that even now she bore the scars of what they did on her very soul.
It was well-known that the eyes were the best way to fully understand a person's soul as they were windows to peek into, and Bickslow would never be able to look into Lucy's again after he saw what lay there. Usually a person's eyes were represented as gleaming lights in their soul, but on Lucy there were two holes with murky depths that steadily dripped out the dark taint that lingered in her head. The taint congealed into thick tar that slowly slid down Lucy's face before sluggishly slopping to the floor beneath her. The longer she stood still the larger the puddle grew.
The puddle was also enlarged by the thick liquid that came from behind her. At the base of Lucy's back was a gaping hole where bits of soul almost seemed to dribble out in gelatinous streams of discoloured bronze pooled at her feet and left a disturbing trail whenever she moved.
To Bickslow, who had seen many different types of souls across his years, including the depraved darkness of murders and maniacs, Lucy's broken, and ill-fitting soul scared him more than anything he'd ever seen before.
Souls were made for the body they were in. Souls were not meant to leave the body. Lucy's soul was not meant to be able to do the things it did.
Whatever was inhabiting Lucy's body was not something that belonged there. It had not been born in that body, but rather had perversely invaded it and claimed it as its own.
Slamming down his visor, Bickslow stumbled away from the railing to collide against the wall behind him. Using the structure as support, Bickslow slid down to the floor and tried not to be sick into his lap.
He was still slumped there when the rest of his team came back with a new mission.
Despite numerous questions from Freed and Evergreen, Bickslow brushed away their concerns and tried to discreetly wipe away the cold sweat that had pooled around his neck. His trembling hands were harder to hide, so he shoved them into his pockets and tried to pull on his usual grin as they headed out.
Just before he exited, Bickslow spared one last look over his shoulder.
Right then, Lucy Heartifilia looked like any other member of the guild as she laughed with Natsu and Gray, a young boy seated closely beside her. She looked like a good friend and a doting big sister.
To Bickslow, she looked like a monster.
Lurching back into the present, Bickslow opened his eyes to see Lucy still standing, hands clamped to her mouth as her body twitched with repressed heaves. The sound of bile gurgling in her throat made Bickslow's stomach lurch in sympathy, but he pushed that aside to focus on finally finishing her off.
He refused to use his Figure Eyes, regardless of how easy that would be to take control and defeat her. There was no way Bickslow could fight seeing those awful holes that swallowed up Lucy's face and dripped visceral fluid.
Instead, while Lucy was hunched over in her continued attempt to grasp the situation at hand, Bickslow directed his mannequin babies to rush forwards once more. The souls had become more comfortable in their new souls, and their arms were flexible to loop around each of Lucy's arms and pull them back.
The blonde was simultaneously yanked upright and hand her arms pulled back to expose herself entirely. The right side of her face was beginning to darken and swell from where Bickslow had hit her before, and blood had crusted around the corners of her mouth. The features were instantly obscured as Lucy lurched forwards and finally lost what lay in her stomach.
Bile splattered against the ground, flecking up against Lucy and the mannequins' shoes. The fact that Lucy was currently being restrained meant that she could lean forwards much, so much of her sick dribbled down her chin and stuck to her leather vest.
Her eyes were dazed as she looked up at Bickslow, such a sorry sight covered in her own blood and sick that Bickslow began to feel something of sympathy for the girl in front of her. Regardless of how he felt, Lucy was an enemy that was attempting to stop Laxus's plans.
Lucy was still a monster.
Looking at the barrel-shaped baby beside him that did not have Lucy's sword wedged in it, Bickslow quietly murmured for it to finish it. Finishing this fight was the kindest thing he could do to his opponent now, and it also ensured that Bickslow would defeat another powerful enemy that could have caused more trouble.
His baby chirped "Finish, finish" back at him before rushing headfirst towards the restrained form of Lucy. Her head was hung low, and she did not look up as his baby glowed brightly with its final attack.
The glow glimmered against the sick and Lucy's hair, before the shot was finally spat out at Lucy's exposed head. This was the end.
Then a golden flash blinded Bickslow, and he had to cover his eyes and turn away from Lucy to blink away the afterimages.
The puppets' shot was deflected skywards by a brightly glowing fist, and a strong voice made deep with anger called out "REGULUS BLAST!"
The tall figure of Loke stepped in front of Lucy, suit immaculate and right fist steaming slightly from the attack he had directed away from his summoner. Behind his shades his eyes blazed with fury, and Bickslow prepared himself for the barrage of words that were certain to be thrown at him.
Instead, Loke gave him one derisive look before rounding on Lucy, who was still slumped in the mannequins' grasps, but dazedly looking up at Loke in shock.
"You absolute idiot!" roared out Loke, hands gesturing at her beat up face. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"I-I don't—" slurred Lucy, "what are you talking about?" Her eyes were slightly unfocused before, but now they sharpened as Loke bore into her with his own heated gaze. There was something grounding about Loke's faintly glowing form and his ample body heat. His presence brought Lucy back to the present, making her aware of the aches of her body and the tacky sensation of sick drying against her skin, but also of how she was still alive.
She was not Tia. She was not dying. She was in Lucy's body and she was in a fight.
She was not Tia.
"Are you really my summoner?" Loke's voice cracked into her frantic thoughts. His canines were bared in a snarl, notably sharper than any humans should be. "Because the Lucy I know would never give up like this!"
"I'm sorry," muttered Lucy, "but he…He knows. I'm not meant to be here, I'm just a fake. I'm wrong."
Smooth, warm hands gripped either side of her face, and Lucy found herself being yanked up to look into Loke's eyes. He did not seem to care about the blood and sick pressing tackily against his hands, hazel eyes too focused on getting Lucy to look back at him. His gaze was too insistent, and Lucy found herself nearly getting lost in the gold that pulsed in the depths of his irises.
"Would you shut up and just listen for once," Loke hissed out, hands pressing harder. They almost seemed to warm up the angrier Loke got, reminding Lucy uncomfortably of Natsu at the moment – stars, what would Natsu think of her right now?
"I thought we got over this whole lone wolf bullshit," Loke said. "You have friends, Lucy. No matter what you seem to keep telling yourself, you can turn to your spirits for help; we want to help you. We love you, and we can't stand to watch you get hurt."
"Loke," breathed Lucy, "I—"
"No, listen!" Loke snapped. "Regardless of how vulnerable we are to Bickslow's gaze, you still should have summoned one of us to help you. Sagittarius is fretting in the Spirit World right now over the fact that he couldn't help you more, and the rest of us were ready for you to summon us. But you didn't."
"I couldn't," Lucy choked out, tears beginning to bubble up in her eyes. "Bickslow was going to destroy you guys in front of me and I couldn't stop him. He's right; I'm a monster that shouldn't even be alive right now!"
"TIANA!"
The cry of her real name had Lucy jerking to a stop, even as fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "L-Loke?"
"Your life is worth something!" Loke said. "You are not a monster, you are my beloved summoner! You are my angel that came from another world to save my life! Lucy…Tia…whoever you are, you deserve to be here, and I'm not going to let you or anyone else tell you otherwise."
"Loke," sobbed out Lucy, finally letting the tears flow without abandon. "I-I'm sorry!"
Behind them, Bickslow watched the scene play out with dawning shock and horror. "S-She's really not of this world," he whispered to himself. "She took someone else's body and…Oh my stars, what is she?"
So caught up in the shock that came from having such an outlandish theory being proven true, Bickslow did not take not of Loke moving towards the mannequins still holding Lucy. It was only the crack of breaking plastic that drew his attention from his head and looking back towards his opponents.
With his bare hands, Loke ripped off the arms holding Lucy so tightly. The blonde fell to the ground and scuttled away from the bright glow emanating from Loke's hands. The spirit took a fighting stance and launched himself and the mannequins bumbling about after losing their arms.
"Regulus Gattling Impact!"
Loke's arm blurred in a flurry of blows, blinding Lucy and Bickslow with the brightness of his magic. He let out a snarl of rage as he launched a final powerful punch, completely shattering the heads of both mannequins and leaving their broken husks piled on the ground.
"M-My babies," Bickslow mumbled. "He destroyed…" Quickly looking around, Bickslow attempted to find a new vessel for the two souls he still held in his magical grasp. If he did not find something to place the two spirits into within the next minute or so, he would not be able to hold onto them anymore.
Finally noticing the overwhelming residential district he had been corralled to, Bickslow cursed as he realised that Lucy's planning had caused him to move far away from the toy store he had as a back-up for this occasion. His magic could not reach that far, and there were no more mannequins nearby. He was screwed.
With a growl he turned to face his opponents once more, intending on finishing this and maybe finally getting some answers.
Loke was now bending down to where Lucy was sprawled out on the ground, hand held out to her. "Wake up, Lucy," he said softly. "You belong here; in Fairy Tail, by your spirits' sides, by my side. Together, we can win."
Tears were still shimmering in Lucy's eyes as she grabbed Loke's hand and was pulled up. With his strength, Loke pulled the girl straight into a firm hug, his warmth and familiar musk soothing Lucy's anxiety.
Nuzzling her face slightly against his chest, Lucy felt only mildly guilty that she was rubbing snot, blood and vomit against his crisp white shirt; it would be cleaned as soon as Loke went back to the Spirit World.
"Better?" Loke asked when she eventually leaned out of the embrace. Lucy did not go far, still pressed against his side with his left arm wrapped around her waist.
"Better," Lucy responded quietly, wiping away the last of her tears. Her right eye was nearly completely swollen shut now, but she still smiled sincerely with squinted eyes at Loke. "I'm ready to finish this."
Loke chuckled to himself as they turned to face Bickslow. "Good, because I'm ready to clean up this little mess as well."
Several emotions flitted across Bickslow's face as he looked back at his opponents, hand pressed against his final baby; horror, rage, hesitation, before finally settling on conflicted determination. He had a mission to finish, regardless of how messy the situation at hand was.
"I'm going to make you pay for making Lucy feel this way," Loke began as he raised his right fist once more. "I'm going to make you pay for making her cry."
"I always knew you were a spirit," retorted Bickslow, "but I didn't realise that meant you loaned yourself out to monsters."
"Fuck you," Loke spat, unconcerned with Bickslow knowing of his previous charade. "I don't want to deal with this anymore." Pulling Lucy closer to him, Loke used his free hand to turn her face into his chest again.
"Don't look," her murmured to her as his hand began glowing with a light more brilliant than his previous attack. "But be ready."
"Mmn," Lucy rumbled in agreement as squeezed her eyes shut. She knew what came next, and she did not want to be blinded when she finished Bickslow off.
Even through his visor Bickslow could tell the light coming from Loke's right hand was brighter than what he could handle, and he tried to move to cover his eyes. He was not fast enough in the end, however, as Loke swiftly called out his final attack.
"LION'S BRILLIANCE!"
A blinding light built up from Loke's fist before it swept across his entire body. Even with her eyes closed Lucy could tell looking directly at such light would blind someone as well as any stun bomb, and that is just what happened to Bickslow.
The flash of light that erupted from Loke's body left a glowing afterimage that took up Bickslow's entire vision, the shape of the spirit imprinted on his very eyes. They streamed with reflective tears, and he grasped helplessly at his remaining baby to stay grounded. "Shit!"
"Now, Lucy!" Loke called out.
At the signal, Lucy peeled herself away from Loke's side. She immediately lunged for the two hands waiting for her, grasping on to Loke's hands with complete trust. With his enhanced strength, Loke easily picked up the blonde and swung her around.
Picking up significant momentum, Loke waited until Lucy was practically weightless in his arms before launching her towards the blinded Bickslow.
Lucy connected with the hunched man with a vicious double kick that slammed into his face. He was knocked flat to the ground with the force of it, visor shattering into pieces that lay sprawled around him.
His vision was still spotty from Loke's attack and the approaching darkness of unconsciousness, but Bickslow still managed to catch sight of Lucy walking back to her spirit with his naked eyes. Somehow, Bickslow can tell that the darkness that had poisoned her soul had lessened, been better contained to the small of her back and abdomen.
Even as his eyes closed, and Lucy moved further away, Bickslow could see her soul growing slightly brighter, and some of the tendrils wrapped around her brain and heart wisping away.
Perhaps this right now was the 'power of nakama' that he had heard spoken of in the guild. The power that friendship and love had to heal even the deepest of wounds. Somehow, Bickslow could feel nothing by regret that he had never felt such power to heal himself, even when he stood beside Laxus and his team.
Maybe Bickslow was wrong. Lucy was not the monster, but rather she had been subjected to monsters in her life much like he had in his youth. However, she had opened herself up to Fairy Tail and found herself better for it.
It might be…that Laxus was wrong…
This Fairy Tail was not weak at all.
Me, frantically searching through previous chapters to figure out if Loke knew Tia's name WHY DON'T I KEEP NOTES?
Okay, so I promised the rest of the arc here but again it was WAY too long. I really only got through like 2 of the 10 scenes I had planned. Yikes.
Ah well, I hope you enjoy this angsty mess.