Lucy let Erza and Mira guide her out of the room, her thoughts hanging suspended around her as the world moved past, her actions disjointed when the duo guided her to a bench on the opposite side of the hall and made her sit.
She barely acknowledged the pair of hands guiding her, her mind a million miles away on fractured memories. She knew ultimately her path would lead back to the Seis, back to the people who started this whole mess.
But she hadn't expected to see one of them so soon, even if it was evident that the group was hanging out nearby, probably watching the guild to see how people reacted and how much they got in the way.
Racer was cocky, but he was nothing like the others.
Her thoughts froze, hinging on Angel for a moment before skating over her, recalling that although she wasn't as tyrannical as the others she never helped Lucy either.
"Breathe," Erza said, cutting into Lucy's thoughts. She blinked, realizing her hands were still shaking, and she had been set on a bench with Mira nearby and a few other guild members watching.
Eyes scanning the scene, she realized most were adverting their gaze, but the room was nearly silent. Everyone was listening for the argument bound to begin behind the closed door, and Lucy would be lying if she didn't say she was interested herself.
She wanted to listen, but was afraid of what she might end up hearing.
Clenching her hands into her knees, she stared at the door. She should be panicking, losing her mind like she did when she slipped into her memories and had a flashback. This time it wasn't just a flashback, but a real life horror. Instead she felt frightened but not to the point of panic quite yet, her body jittery but unable to run from what she was facing.
Racer knew where her friends were. He was the best chance she had of finding them and getting them back.
It didn't make her any calmer, but she felt an eerie sense of determination settling over her. Seeing him sent a jolt of fear coursing through her body, but it also brought about a new feeling too.
She had to know what he knew. And if she couldn't face him, she had to rely on Freed to do it.
Erza said something else, but she couldn't focus. Her eyes remained trained on the door, waiting to hear screaming. For two weeks she'd watched the hatred behind Freed's eyes grow, and she knew the anger was amplified and reflected in the eyes of each and every one of her guild mates.
Even if she couldn't face Racer, and seeing him made her heart beat erratically, someone in the guild could stand up to him. Someone, someone could find out where her friends were.
Her eyes swept over the guild, feeling a pang in her heart when she noticed Natsu and Gray's absence again. Of course they were outside, she already knew that. But not having them there by her side, even if they could be irrational, didn't feel right.
Lucy looked towards the door once more. Without a doubt, Freed, Laxus, and Makarov could handle Racer easy. She didn't feel comfortable having him so close, and looking into his eyes was a bit more than she could stomach right now, but she knew there was no way he was going to fight an entire guild. Right now, she was perfectly safe.
Pressing her lips together, she glanced at Erza sitting at her side, eyes downcast. She'd given up trying to talk to Lucy, acknowledging that she didn't want to chat. Feeling brave, she reached out and rested a hand atop Erza's, the redhead's neck immediately snapping up.
She gave her longtime friend a smile, feeling the weight of the last two weeks settle. It wasn't fair that she pushed her friends to the side while she came to terms with everything, not when they so desperately wanted to help. It was no one's fault that she took the easy job in Crocus and got caught. She thought she could handle it, and in the end she couldn't.
But it was no one's fault. No one made her take a job alone. And she had no reason to fear those who had been so close to her for so long.
"Thanks," she whispered, giving Erza's hand a soft squeeze.
Erza's eyes softened, squeezing Lucy's hand in return. Her shoulders slackened, the tension leaving her posture. "Of course. Whatever you need Lucy."
Wetting her lips, she glanced towards the door again. They could hear rising voices across the room, but she couldn't make out the words. "Maybe… maybe you should help them talk to Racer."
Her eyebrows shot up, surprise evident in her features. "Oh, I'm sure the others have it handled. I don't-"
"You should help," Lucy said again, hating how her voice sounded so soft. The last time she truly tried to speak to Erza it didn't end well, and she ended up panicking when Titania tried to hug her. It wasn't fair, and she knew if she didn't talk now before the panic set in again she wouldn't. "Freed… Freed's done so much for me. You should help him and Laxus and master. You…" she took a breath, feeling the lump in her throat. "You know more about my spirits than they do."
Her gaze softened, and Lucy knew she'd gotten through. Gray and Natsu might be too emotionally strung to be much help interrogating Racer right now, but Erza was much more level-headed than they were.
Besides, she'd seen the rage in Freed's eyes. He was going to snap at one point, and there would be no controlling or concealing it.
But it didn't need to happen with Racer. He was a jerk, and a creepy one at that, but she knew his true hate stemmed from Midnight and Rustyrose, who had yet to be discovered.
And for good reason.
"Please," she said again, glancing towards the front door. She smoothed her hands along her knees, ignoring the way they continuously shook. Being in the guild hall did give her a sense of comfort, but it didn't erase the panic still residing in her stomach. "Go help."
Erza frowned, glancing at Mira beside the blonde and back again. "You're sure?"
She nodded, standing up. Both S-class mages jumped up with her, and she couldn't fight down the pang of humiliation that coiled inside when she realized the two women didn't think she could handle even that. "Go help them… and make sure Freed doesn't kill Racer. I'm going to go o-outside."
The pair exchanged a glance. "Why?" Mira asked, remaining where she was.
Lucy sighed. "Because Natsu and Gray are out there… and I need to talk to them."
The takeover mage softened, nodding to Erza. "Okay, sure. Go on Erza. I'll take Lucy to them."
She hesitated just a moment, her obvious concern practically glowing in her eyes. "Okay. We could always go get them."
Forcing a smile, Lucy took a step towards the front as the voices behind the door rose once more. "No. I need some air."
Erza gave in, backing towards the other side of the room. "Okay." She smiled, bowing her head. "Natsu and Gray will be ecstatic that you want to talk."
Lucy nodded, forcing her legs to move towards the front. Mira followed a couple steps behind her, many of the guild members glancing up at her hurried escape. She tried not to meet anyone's gaze, feeling the same wave of shame washing over her as it had so many times before.
She just couldn't handle all of those eyes. Part of her wanted to panic, like the first time she went to the guild after Freed found her, but she couldn't do that. She'd been overcoming her fear, and if she digressed now she was afraid of how long it may take to get back to where she was now.
Lucy threw open the door, almost running outside to get fresh air. With Mira behind her she didn't feel like someone could attack them out of the blue, and if one of the Seis was hanging around then she expected to be attacked by now. Taking several deep breaths, her eyes sought her two best friends.
Unsurprisingly, they weren't too far off. Getting the pair to go away from the guild would be a feat in itself, and she half expected to find them standing behind a wall of guild mates facing off in a fight as per usual.
She stopped walking, surprised by the scene instead.
Juvia was sitting beside Natsu for one thing, which really had her mind spinning. Gray and Cana were talking a few paces away, and off to the other side were Meredy and Jellal, who must've shown up at some point since their arrival.
For several moments, her feet simply didn't move any further. Everything seemed upside down and a little… confused.
"Cana's been comforting Gray," Mira supplied, standing beside her. "Which upset Juvia, of course. And Natsu's been upset, and when Gray and Cana started talking more Juvia spent more time with Natsu."
Lucy continued to stare, the briefest sense of normalcy passing through her mind. Leave it to Mira to know exactly why uncommon couples were suddenly spending time together. "Oh."
"It's good for them," she continued, her voice chipper. "They've all… coped together well." She nudged Lucy with her shoulder, and she found herself surprised that she didn't end up flinching. "Erza must not realize that Jellal is here yet."
Despite everything, Lucy cracked a real smile. At least some things never changed. "Probably not."
She tilted her head, urging the blonde forward. "Come on."
Walking into the group was a little like walking into a jigsaw puzzle, pieces that didn't seem to go together melding into one image. Gray and Cana seemed calmer than she would've thought, and Juvia was actually holding Natsu's hand when they arrived.
Natsu retracted immediately, racing forward to stop just in front of her. She'd gotten used to his odd behavior since the attack, and this was no exception. Any other time, he would've run in for a hug. "Lucy."
But not this time.
She nodded, smiling softly at the group. Even Jellal and Meredy acknowledged her, though they seemed fairly out of place. "Hey."
She felt her walls collapsing, everything breaking apart at once. They had a Seis member with them, and inevitably they would find out where the others were. Her friends were coping as best they could, and new things were happening in their lives that she wasn't privy to because she secluded herself in Freed's home.
Lucy missed her friends, all their quirks and their traits.
"Natsu," she said, the beginning of tears rising in her eyes. Her mind thought back to the call from Sabertooth, the extra step he took to try and give her some piece of mind about her spirits. Instead of trying to mumble out some gargled apology she stepped forward, barely catching the surprise in his eyes before she slammed herself into his chest for a hug.
This felt right.
Her shoulders shook when she cried, Natsu's arms coming to wrap around her too. She wanted to thank him but the words hung in her throat, soffocated by tears. For now, hugging her best friend was enough.
She could feel it, just in the way he clung to her. He needed to know that she wasn't angry or afraid of him, and even with reservations she couldn't fight off the inherit need to seek comfort from someone who met so much. Freed was busy, and as her main source of comfort she needed someone else to cling to in that moment.
Someone like her best friends.
At one point, she wasn't entirely sure when, she must've turned and embraced Gray too, as she found herself clinging to the two men she'd depended on the most throughout her time in Fairy Tail. Now though, someone else shouldered her pain, and he was presently trying to get answers on her behalf.
She should be in there helping him, but she couldn't pull herself back from the duo hugging her tight. She'd missed her friends, and the impossible fears she'd held onto since Freed found her melted away as she clung to them. The fight wasn't over, but she felt a renewed sense of hope as she cried with her friends.
For the first time since Freed found her, she was starting to feel hopeful.
Freed pinched the bridge of his nose, ignoring whatever interrogation Erza was using to try to get Racer to talk. He'd already been shot down three times by Master Makarov (and once by Laxus) for his own ideas on how to get the Seis member to slip and reveal something. He was tired of playing games, and the room was disgustingly stuffy from all the pent up rage.
All they'd done was argue, and that was going nowhere fast.
He should've just beat him into the ground when they were at his house. He wasn't going to be granted the same liberties now, and Racer had shut his mouth the moment Lucy left. Without her, he apparently had nothing left to say aside from cutting remarks.
And it was really pissing Freed off.
They weren't getting anywhere. The more time they wasted trying to humor this bastard the more time the Seis had to enact whatever plan they had. Sending one of their own out was no mistake, though whether Racer was meant to be caught or not was still left to be seen.
All he wanted to know was where the other three were. He'd find them himself and take them out if he had to, but Racer had to talk to get that to happen.
"We're not going to get anywhere with him," Laxus muttered, doing nothing to calm Freed's anger. "He's not going to talk, and he hasn't since blonde – since Lucy left."
Freed shot his leader a glare, surprised he slipped up even now. He'd done well calling Lucy by name only since they learned she had a phobia to the nickname. He half wished Bickslow and Evergreen were in there; at least the Seith mage usually sided with him.
"She's not coming back in," he snapped. "Period."
"No one said she is," Makarov reminded, glaring at the pair. "But asking questions to Racer this way isn't working. He feels no obligation to tell us anything about his teammates."
Freed sneered. "Well if-"
"And if we stoop to the same level as them to get answers then we are no better," he continued, shaking his head. "Racer is here as a diversion at best. I'm sure the others are lying in wait."
His eyes widened, forgetting the Seis member for a moment. "Then why are we in-"
"I didn't kick Natsu and Gray out of the building for no damn reason," the master snapped, glaring at the three Fairy Tail members. Even Erza had stopped talking, her gaze focused solely on Makarov. "You must've realized that they would try to come back for Lucy. They've made their presence known several times now in town. And if we continue to shelter her, Lucy will not recover and be able to stand on her own again. You took her yourself to get a new whip, Freed. She is beginning to build her confidence up again. We cannot allow the Seis to hold her hostage with fear any longer."
Freed could feel his anger growing as his eyes shot back to Racer, glaring at the sneering man. "It was a trap."
"Three mages won't attack an entire guild," Makarov continued. "If the plan was to attack, they would've done so on your way here. Or they would've all come to your house to find her. You moved quickly with Lucy this morning, and such actions may have foiled their plans. Either way, he has not confirmed or denied anything since he got here. Racer's presence is meant to do nothing more than frighten her."
Clenching his teeth together, Freed refused to take his eyes off the man. "Then why do you think they would be preparing for an ambush?"
"We don't know that they are," Makarov continued, shrugging. "We can only assume such a risky move was a feeble attempt to capture Lucy once more. The Seis have never fought you before Freed, save for Angel. If Racer was sent ahead then there's no telling how he would interpret a fight with you. If he only needed to scope out her location, then he never would've hung around to be caught by you if he has such speed."
Freed looked away. Maybe there was some truth to these words. He was so intent on making sure someone paid for all the hurt Lucy experienced that he never fathomed that the other members might be lurking in the shadows. It didn't calm his nerves, and he could feel his control slipping once more. "You think the others are nearby?"
"They may not have even come this way," Makarov reasoned. "But there's no way to know for sure. Natsu and Gray may have been able to get something out of him, but they do not know as much about what happened as you do. You can interrogate Racer better if you can keep your head. And you should have nothing to worry about with Natsu, Gray, and Mirajane outside with Lucy. No one would be able to fight a trio like that."
Erza frowned, her sudden sadness capturing Freed's attention. "Why wasn't I sent outside to protect Lucy too?"
His expression softened a hair, taking in his children before him, "Lucy is an intuitive girl. If I sent all three of her best friends outside she would know something was up. Besides Erza, you have a better head about you when it comes to these things. Of the three of you I believe you are the best suited to handle speaking with Racer."
Freed remained quiet, at a loss for words. For over a week now he'd had tunnel vision, solely focused on the girl who'd become a prominent part of his life in less than a month. It was surreal to witness how much could change in the course of less than twenty days, and he'd been so enamored with Lucy and her wellbeing he'd never thought to look at the bigger picture.
Makarov looked at this scenario as a chance to re-abduct Lucy. He hadn't given much thought to the Seis being so close by, figuring they valued self-preservation above all else and simply sent a spy to check in or abduct her.
But a plan to grab her in commute or at the house was a frightening reality. How did he know when exactly they were closing in, and when to be more worried than not?
In the past almost three weeks, he hadn't thought much about the Seis's methodology and reasoning. It was all over the place. From the way they treated Lucy up to the point they abandoned her it was hard to imagine that they so carelessly left her to die in a basement. There was a strange fixation that couldn't be explained, one that ran deeper than simply needing to break her to get to her spirits.
There was no reason for things to become more aggressive after they got her keys away. If it was only about severing contracts, then the sexual fixation and the abuse only served as a vise to sate their anger. Unless she held purpose outside of simply harboring the so-called vessels that they Seis needed to be free, then the additional attacks were overkill.
Breaking her morale and confidence had nothing to do with severing her contracts with her spirits. He'd been so focused on being angry, he hadn't given a lot of thought to the other things that happened to her.
Give me another show, and I'll tell you whatever you want to know, darling.
"Why did you choose to attack Lucy?" he asked, fighting to hold his composure. He hadn't been very level-headed since she left the room, and he knew if he was baited even once by Racer he'd never get anything out of him. The man's earlier jab was the beginning of his loss of control, and even if he wasn't a main player Racer saw and experienced enough of Lucy's torment to make Freed hate him. "There are other celestial mages you could've sought out to enact the same plans, even Angel. Why bother with her?"
Racer shrugged, and now that his goggles had been removed earlier Freed could see the amusement dancing in his eyes. Whatever could be so amusing about torturing another person wasn't entirely clear to him, but the prospect was becoming more appealing the longer he had to deal with him. "Wrong place, wrong time. Angel told us about the plan a few days before blondie ended up in Crocus."
Freed's heart almost stopped. Finally, after almost a half hour of no progress, they were getting somewhere.
Now if only Makarov would allow him to take matters into his own hands. By now he was almost certain that even with his hesitation Laxus wouldn't argue, and Erza would probably join.
"But why not use Angel?" Freed asked again, stepping closer. "Or Sabertooth. They are closer to Crocus than Fairy Tail is, and they have their own resident celestial mage."
"Freed," Laxus grumbled, his eyes narrowing, "what are you talking about?"
He chose to ignore the lightning mage, aware that per Lucy's request he hadn't given a lot of members of the guild all the grizzly details Cobra unearthed during his visit, and he certainly hadn't told anyone the disgusting things they'd had Lucy do while they held her captive.
Not everyone knew about the plan the Seis had for her keys, and it was too long of a story to delve into right now.
He wanted to know, even more than he wanted to beat Racer's face in, why they went after her when there were two other prime options in closer range.
"Blondie had the most keys," Racer replied, shrugging. "It's not uncommon knowledge."
"But why hold her captive if you knew the contracts have to be severed," he pressed, stepping closer. "If its common knowledge that she has the most keys it's also well known that Lucy is devoted to her spirits. She would have never cut the contracts, and if you've all fought her before you should've known."
Racer grinned, leaning forward on the table. "Rusty wanted her. He said she was best."
Erza tensed, and he wondered how much she was putting together. "Why would he care?"
"Dunno. That's what he wanted. He only agreed to help us with the plan if we got him blondie."
Freed thought back to everything he'd heard about Rustyrose. The only time they'd fought Lucy was nowhere around, and he recalled that the Arc of Embodiment mage had a knack for a vivid imagination. Everything he'd conjured came right out of his mind –
Narrowing his eyes, something clicked in his mind. Imagination.
The rune magic he found back in that house had been amateurish until he located Lucy, and there the magic was sophisticated and well developed, well enough to keep her bound to the floor. He didn't know if she'd been left there for quite some time or if the residual magic was from the Seis making a hasty getaway, but he had noted the way the magic was thought out and powerful.
It was strong enough to withstand time, hours or even days. It wasn't like his own magic though. Powerful and tricky, but not as strong. Like a tricksters.
Or an embodiment mage.
Lucy made it sound like Midnight was the leader of this plan, but what if he wasn't? Rustyrose put a lot of work into something he may or may not get a big payout on, and it didn't make any sense to Freed. Why did she only seem to bring up Rusty later when he got her to reveal more of what happened?
He'd been the first to try anything sexual towards her, but the truth surfaced later and as less of an immediate fear than actually being beat. Freed had limited knowledge of how someone is supposed to react after going through an experience like that, but he thought it was a little… unorthodox.
Something didn't add up, and if he took it out on Racer now without an explanation he might not get an answer.
"Why did Rustyrose agree to help?" Freed asked, his voice heavy. "Did Midnight tell him the plan?"
Racer shrugged, refusing to say more.
"Or," Freed continued, pieces dancing into place in his head, "did Rustyrose come up with the plan, and recruit all of you because he needed help?"
"How would he come up with it?" Racer laughed, but his voice sounded hollow. "It was Angel's idea."
"One you couldn't execute the way you did without someone who could embody different variations of magic," Freed argued, pressing his hands into the table. "Like runic. It may have been Angel's idea, but I think Rustyrose pushed to execute it."
"He played his part," Racer agreed, eyes focused on Freed. He realized this man only intended to talk to him, but why exactly he wasn't certain. Something about Racer enjoyed how much anger his words could instill in Freed. He folded his hands, smiling at the mage. "And she played hers. Those spirits will cave soon."
"I doubt it," Freed replied, curling his fingers to fists on the tabletop. "You picked Lucy not because of the keys she possessed, but because Rustyrose called the shots, and he wanted her."
Racer smirked, but didn't reply. His eyes glanced off to the side, the amusement remaining in his eyes. Many moments passed before he spoke again. "Rusty would only help us out if we got Heartfilia. That was his requirement."
"He didn't want something else?" Laxus asked, piping up.
"Na," Racer sneered, his gaze remaining on Freed. He titled his head, smirking. "He already got everything he wanted out of her."
Frowning, he leaned a little closer. "I don't feel like that's true. I was in her bedroom with her. We saw the mess left behind."
Racer laughed, nodding. "Found that already, did you?" He shook his head, meeting Freed's gaze. "Don't worry, the next load-"
He didn't finish the sentence, Freed deciding he couldn't stomach whatever words were coming next. He jumped across the table, Racer's reflexes almost too fast for him to catch the man. Instead of landing him in a chokehold like he intended he ended up grabbing his ankle, catching him before he could try to bolt again.
Freed grunted when Racer struck out, kicking him at super speed. If he got away again he'd become a nuisance for everyone to catch, and there was absolutely no way he could be allowed to escape. Without thinking Freed reached for his sword, ignoring the way Racer's repetitive kicking was causing pain to blossom across his face,
Freed heard Erza and Laxus fighting with Racer, but he didn't focus on it. If he got distracted he'd lose grip on Racer's ankle, and he probably wouldn't get a chance like this again.
Bringing his arm back, he brought down the sword on the back of Racer's ankle, magic be damned.
Racer screamed, his other leg ceasing kicking, his hands flying down to the Achilles tendon Freed had severed. Without Wendy's magic to repair it, Racer wouldn't be able to properly use his magic again.
Couching, Freed let go of his ankle as he sat up, running a hand over his face. Pain blossomed from his nose and forehead where Racer kicked him, and he was almost certain that his nose was broken.
It didn't matter. Racer's main source of magic was now severely injured, and he wouldn't be able to run while in substantial pain. And if he expected any chance to seek the wind dragon slayer's help, he'd cooperate.
"Freed your face," Erza gasped, kneeling down in front of him. She swiped at his forehead and he gasped, pulling back from her fingers. "We need to get Wendy to treat you right away."
"What were you thinking my boy?" Makarov snapped, jumping down beside him. "You can't just beat him up! We're trying to negotiate!"
Behind them Laxus laughed, and without looking Freed knew he had followed the same trail of thought. "He will negotiate now. No way is someone like him going to chance never being able to run again. Ask Jet."
Freed nodded, a wave of nausea washing over him. He knew it was stupid to be goaded by the man in the first place, but he couldn't help it. He pushed too many buttons, and in the end Racer suffered the most.
If Freed had it his way, they'd never heal the tendon. He didn't deserve it.
A/n: I'm so-so about this chapter, I wrote it a couple times and this is the draft that I enjoyed the most. It's a lot of buildup to a couple of scenes, and I may have rambled a little in there. I'm hoping the next chapter flows better than this one. Also, shout out to Alesia Davis who gave me the idea to cut Racer's Achilles heel. Until next time!