Summary: Times were rough when Lords sold their daughters for money and power. A contract was none negotiable once both parties signed. So what happens when Lucy finds herself amongst a group that will do anything for their beliefs? LaLu and other couples.
Authors note: I wanted to start this chapter off with a bang and of course a little romance chucked in, a bit of action. And well… a whole lot of stuff. I kind of let this chapter write itself, without giving myself a set idea of what I wanted to happen. So I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I, in no way, own Fairy Tail!
Previously:
"Why?" Lucy bunched her dress and ran from the building to the field outside, "Why won't you leave me alone!?"
The wind carried her voice and she glared at the mobile building, as if she could she it's master at its helm.
"Oh Mavis. He can move his whole guild..." Mira gasped, grabbing Lucy by the arm and trying to pull her away as the mechanical arm pulled apart more of the their home.
Chapter 9: Breaking Perceptions
Fear kept her rooted to the spot, her muscles locked up tight. The voice that had plagued her nightmares had finally manifested in her reality, and if it weren't for the screams rising from those around her she would have sworn she had finally gone insane.
"Little bird, little bird. IT's time to get back in your cage."
His words tore at her that same way the mechanical limbs tore through her new home, shredding everything to pieces, "No! I don't want to…" Blonde hair obscured her vision as she shook her head in denial, "I won't go back!"
The mobile guild lurched momentarily, almost as if it felt its Masters disappointment before it rallied, rising taller than it had been before, "Then you leave me no other option. Prepare the Jupiter Cannon!"
There was an instant flurry of activity around her, some of the guild members trying their best to protect the town and it's people while others started evacuation the area. More than once a hand landed on her to try pull her away, but they all gave up quickly when they realised she wouldn't budge. Defeat weighted heavily on her shoulders, listening to her family panic and scream, rallying themselves for an attack they obviously knew was coming. Even Lucy had heard the way Phantom spoke of their beloved cannon, strong enough to decimate towns and kill hundreds for miles around. Any not in the strike zone would be struck by the shock wave.
Guilt pooled in her gut, her hands clenching in her skirts so tightly that she heard the tell-tale tear of fabric echo in her ears. She looked around, watching those who had excepted her unconditionally heed the call of their guild. Lucy glanced at her mark, the pink winged fairy staining her skin, almost mocking her for her indecision. Almost instantly, a calm settled over her, fear left her almost boneless and she bit her cheek as she took the first step forward, forcing herself to place one foot in front of the other before she broke past the guild members rallying about.
Many called her name, others were forced to hold some back. A bitter sob left her throat as she cast a quick glance back at the group of people she had come to care for. Natsu was struggling against Erza while Juvia held Gray in her arms. Each person she looked at had a level of fear and desperation in their eyes and she tried to give them what she felt was a brave smile before she turned back to the mobile guild, the building growing eerier and far more daunting that she had anticipated the closer she walked to it.
"What's this? The little bird no longer runs? Had a change of heart darling?"
She shivered at his words, skin crawling as she remembered the way his hands had touched her, "No more running. I won't let you hurt anyone anymore!" A sudden wind blew, throwing her hair off her shoulders and shifting her skirts away from her hand, revealing the pink mark that stood proudly against her pale skin, "I won't let you hurt my family."
Lucy lifted her guild stamped hand, two keys clasped tightly, "Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius! Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"
In twin clouds of smoke, the two spirits heeded their master call, face serious as they faced off against the giant machine.
"My, my. The Little Bird has turned into a kitten. How precious. But your claws won't do anything against me!" One metal arm swung down and Lucy dodged as well as she could, determined to help those that had helped her. Her skirt caught in her shoes and the delicate fabric tore, leaving the lower part of her legs exposed.
"Virgo!" The silent command was all the pinkette needed before she disappeared into the ground while Sagittarius fired off arrow after arrow, trying to draw the fiend's attention from his master. One hit landed on one of the leg joints, making it shatter in a fiery explosion.
"Go Horse Head guy!" Natsu cheered as he barrelled past, inhaling the flames as he went before burping once the last of it was in his lungs, "Thanks for the meal! Now I'm all fired up!"
"Little bugs. You've been a thorn in my side for too long." Jose was getting angry, a magic rune starting to appear around the cannon head, more than a quarter of it already complete, "Time I got involved, hmm. Wouldn't you like that Lucy dear?"
Instantly there were dark shadows tearing through the horde of mages, dashing faster than some could track. Some dropped instantly, felled by a blow they couldn't see, and others, like Cana, were fighting back.
"You coward!" Lucy let her whip fly, having pulled it from it's strap on her leg. She struck the two closest Shadows, eyes glancing up at the cannon, "You aren't even down here yourself!"
Jose didn't like how she spoke and she realised her mistake the second she threw off another Shade. A heady thud shook the ground and she turned in time to see a clawed arm grab her, the mobile guild collecting her easily before making her level with the top chamber of the building, right were the cannon poked out of.
"You whore. You're not even worth all this trouble!" The guild shook and Jose snarled out loud, "Gajeel! You pathetic traitor. Once I deal with this pest I'll make you pay for eating part of my guild!"
"Shut up you old bag." Gajeel yelled up at his old 'false' Master before taking another bite out of the metal leg, "And for your information, your guild tastes like shit!"
Following the Iron Slayers tactic, Natsu started heating the metal of the other appendages that his flame could reach.
"Why you-!" Lucy cried out, feeling the metal bands tighten around her, making her chest constrict, "If you keep doing that I'll make sure she's squished before the cannon goes off. Can you guess which would be more painful for her?"
"Lucy!" The blonde wheezed, twisting her head as much as possible to stare down at her guild, tears blurred her vision when she saw Erza heading the rest of the members still able to fight, "Don't worry! We're Nakama! And we won't let you fall prey to this monster! Fairy Tail! ATTACK!"
"Airspace. Metsu!" The voice echoed through the cacophony of cheers and Mira, along with Elfman and a few other members of the guild dropped.
"Ice Make: Shield!" From above, Lucy watched as the two guilds went to war, facing off in a brutal fight.
"What do you think of their suffering? They can't possible win against my strongest mages!" Jose gloated, making sure to squeeze her tighter. She screamed both feeling the gates she'd open close and from the feeling of her ribs cracking. She was dizzy with pain, bleary eyes watching as the magic circle neared completion.
"It won't be long now. So how will you die Heartfillia? Crushed to death or blown to pieces?" His manic laughter sent a trill of terror down her spine and she could only image the horrifying grin that would be on his face, she could still remember it from the beatings he'd watched her endure, "I know. I'll squeeze you enough for you to suffer and then put you out of your misery. I'll leave you around long enough to watch your guild fall."
"Not gonna happen dickhead!" A boom of thunder deafened her and Lucy had to keep her eyes closed from the flash. Relief floated through her so quickly that the dizziness from the pain was forgotten, instead making her feel so light that she could almost ignore the constriction she suffered through. The sound of crackling lightning broke through the white noise and she blinked her eyes open, catching a glimpse of a familiar coat before it was consumed in white lightning, "Lightning Dragon's Heavenly Halbert!"
The boom was enough to shatter the metal arm that held her and Jose could be heard screaming from within his Guild. Everything moved in slow motion as she took a deep breath, her head spinning from the sudden intake of air to her oxygen deprived brain. Everything blew up in an array of white and yellow light, the mobile building disappearing into the hole that opened up under it before it exploded. Mages with defensive magic guarded those that needed protection from the sparks and falling metal. She could see the ground rushing to meet her and she closed her eyes, embracing everything she could in her final moments.
But just as she'd made her piece, she was jerked to a halt and she gasped, blinked away tears she hadn't noticed she was shedding. She was cradled against the same shirt she had seen in the morning before she'd stormed off to the guild and she sobbed, her hands clenching in the purple fabric in an effort to make her hands stop shaking.
"Lucy. You… Why would you do something so… You could have-" He huffed, landing on the ground in the middle of his destroyed guild. He knew those conscious were watching them, but he brushed them off, lifting Lucy higher in his arms so that her head resting in the crook of his neck, "Don't you ever worry me like that again."
He buried his nose in her hair and took a deep breath, letting the feel of her against him calm his racing heart. She just sobbed harder, the pain and worry of the day leaving her.
xXx Contracted xXx
There it is! Jose has been dealt with! I wasn't going to do so much action but I couldn't stop! In any case, I'm happy with the outcome and can now (considering the major hurdle is gone for now) I can work on their development! Yay! I hope you liked this chapter. Leave me a review and tell me what you thought!
A big, big thank you to the following people who reviewed the last chapter:
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