Chapter Seven:
"Everyone out of the way!" one of the healers shouted as they rolled Juvia out of the hotel and into an ambulance. Storm followed alongside his mother, tears still running down his face as he hopped into the back of the vehicle with her.
"It's okay, Mommy," he whimpered, putting a hand on his mother's forehead. "I'm here."
Juvia, despite being in excruciating, smiled up at him and set her hand over his. "I'll be alright, sweet boy, I'll be alright."
As the doors closed behind them Wendy began looking about her.
"Where is Bianca?" she asked in a panicked voice. Everyone stopped and looked about. There was no sign of the little girl anywhere!
"Scratch that," A Rune Knight with telepathy said. "We've got two kids MIA!"
Wendy held a hand to her mouth as she clutched Isla close against her. Bianca must have slipped out while she was attending to Juvia. How could she have been so stupid!?
"You two," Wendy turned to find Hezim approaching her and Romeo. He looked angry, it made Wendy uncomfortable. Maybe he was just worried.
"Come with me." Hezim said as he roughly set a hand on Wendy's back and began leading her away, Romeo following along behind her.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"MMMM EEKKOO!" Gray screamed as he ran through the streets. "Meeko! Meeko! Where are you!?"
The streets of Crocus were empty for once, but he still could spot any sign of Meeko or the killer anywhere.
No, no, no! Gray thought to himself as he kept running. "MEEKO!"
It had all happened so fast! All he could remember was he and Juvia going to bed. Sometime in the night Meeko had a nightmare and crawled into bed with them. After that he awoke to Juvia screaming and turned just in time to see a figure dressed in all black grab Meeko by the scruff of his shirt and the two disappeared through the floor, leaving Juvia bleeding and screaming upon the bed.
"Meeko!" Gray called again. "Meeko! Say something! Meeko!"
Clink!
Gray stopped and looked down. A tiny penguin made entirely of ice looked up at him from where it was pinned under his foot.
Meeko! Gray thought. Meeko's favorite animals were penguins. The ice penguin began waving it's flippers frantically. Gray lifted his foot. The penguin hopped to his feet and began pointing to a direction with it's flippers and then waddling off as quickly as it could. Gray followed after it. The penguin raced along the street, rounding a corner. Gray followed. The penguin stood waiting for him near a sewer drain. Once It saw Gray approaching it hopped down the drain. Gray followed after it. He squinted to see through the dark.
Just up ahead was the penguin, pointing down a particular drain. Gray rushed towards it and looked around the corner. There they were. The figure dressed in black struggling to carry a kicking and screaming Meeko over her shoulder.
Gray gritted his teeth as he rounded the corner.
"Ice make cannon!" he shouted. A cannon appeared in his hand and he shot a ball of ice at the woman. She whirled about, changing her body's density so that the ball went right through her. Meeko kept wiggling and fighting.
"Daddy! Help me!"
Gray bolted forward.
"YOU LET MY BOY GO!" he shouted.
From behind her mask the woman's eyes grew side. Gray didn't stop running to look down at himself but he could feel the familiar surge of demon-slayer magic crawling down his arm and up his neck.
"Meeko, shield!" Gray called before slamming the side of his fist into his other palm. "Ice make knife rain!"
"Ice make shield!" Meeko called, a small ice shield protecting him from the rain of sharp, blade like pieces of ice rained down on the killer. She changed the density of her body again. However, this time when the ice went through her it left bits of frost inside her that then began to grow and spread.
"Augh!" the woman dropped Meeko, the little boy hit the ground with an "oof!" and began running towards his father.
"Daddy!" Meeko cried, holding his arms out to Gray.
Gray bent down to catch him.
The woman disappeared through the ground, then reappeared behind Meeko, grabbing him by the waist and scooping him back up.
"No you don't!" she hissed.
"Lemmee go!" Meeko began wriggling about again.
"Get you filthy hands off him!" Gray shouted, more black splotches covering his face and chest. The killer's eyes grew all the wider. Gray thought she could see a shudder course through her body as she began to step back.
Gray lifted his arms to cast another spell.
A bright light blinded him. He blinked his eyes rapidly to adjust them and he saw a small figure with flowing white hair and glowing white eyes, she was dressed in a white robe and had a pair of white feathery wings sprouting from her back. In her hand she carried a curved horn.
"Heavenly judgement!" the figure said as she put the horn to her mouth and blew into it. A blast of sparkling light that looked like a cascade of millions of tiny diamonds shot towards the woman. Still blinded by the light, the killer didn't see the blast coming. It hit her right in the stomach, knocking her onto her back. Now free, Meeko raced towards his father.
"Freeze!" Gray said. Ice encased the killer, trapping her in place. Meeko jumped int Gray's arms and clung to him.
"D-D-D-Daddy!" Meeko sobbed into his father's shoulder.
"It's okay," Gray sighed in relief as the black patches disappeared from his skin. He collapsed to his knees as he held his son close, cradling the back of his head, rocking him back and forth. The feeling of Meeko's tiny arms tightening around his neck sent waves of relief through Gray. He gave his son another squeeze. He had his boy. Meeko was okay.
"It's okay, I've got you," Gray whispered as he buried his face in Meeko's hair. "I've got you."
The bright light began to fade. Gray looked up. The angelic figure disappeared behind a puff of white smoke and Bianca appeared, still dressed in her nightgown.
"Bianca," Gray called, holding his arm out to his daughter. He wasn't sure when she'd slipped out of the hotel room, or how she got here, but he was both grateful and proud she had the courage to help. She ran to him, setting a hand on her brother's head.
"Are you okay, Meeko?" she asked.
"Uh-huh," Meeko nodded as he began shivering. "But I...I...uh…"
"Meeko, what's wrong?" Gray asked, sensing that something was off. What had this woman done to his little boy before he got to him?
Meeko sniffled as he lifted his shirt. Over where his Fairy Tail mark was on his chest (in the exact same place where Gray's was) another mark had been placed. A black mark in the shape of a rising sun. Gray felt a surge of multiple emotions rising through him.
Confusion as to what this mark mean. Anger that someone would defile his son's Fairy Tail mark in such a way. Grief that his son had gone through such an ordeal.
"A guild mark?" Bianca asked. "But you're in Fairy Tail, not...well...whatever that is!"
"I didn't want to!" Meeko lamented as he sniffled. "She held me down and made me."
The black splotches began appearing on Gray's skin again. How dare this-
Screech! Screech!
Gray turned just in time to see the killer disappear through the floor. Not sure what her next move would be, Gray scooped both of his children into his arms and took off running. He wanted to fight her, to teach her a lesson for what she'd done and tried to do. But without her restrained and with his two children close by he knew it wasn't safe. His priority was to get his children out of danger. He could get his revenge later.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"What else did you see?" Hezim asked Wendy as she sat in a room with Romeo and Isla. They were somewhere in the hospital, but Wendy wasn't sure where. They minute they'd arrived Hezim had whisked her and her family into a small room and had begun interrogating er about the incident.
"I already told you what I saw," Wendy said in a quiet, frightened voice. "She was wearing a mask. I couldn't see her face."
"Did she have anything on her? Any weapons or marks that we could use to identify her."
"Just a knife."
"What did the knife look at?"
Wendy sighed, this was about the fifth time they'd been through this. "Just a knife."
"What did the knife look like?"
"Bloody."
"Did it have a straight edge, a serrated edge, was it curved?"
"I don't know."
"You were right there, how can you not know?" Hezim raised his voice, causing Wendy to flinch.
"I don't know. I…" her bottom lip began to quiver. "I wasn't paying attention. I was just trying to get her away from me and my baby."
"Think, Mrs. Conbolt," Hezim ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "There must be something else you saw. Think."
"I'm sorry, I'm trying," Wendy whimpered. "I just...it all happened so fast..I didn't..I couldn't…"
"She's told you everything she knows, leave her be!" Romeo stated.
"This monster has attacked six people, killing three, and your wife is one of only two witnesses. I need information from her and now!"
"I'm sorry," Wendy began crying. "I'm trying to remember...but I...I...I just can't…"
"That's enough of that," a firm voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned and Romeo and Wendy gasped.
"Laxus?"
The indicated Guild Master walked into the room and knelt down in front of Wendy. "You okay, kid?"
Wendy smiled and nodded, relieved to see her guildmaster here and amused that even though she was grown and married with a daughter Laxus still called her "kid."
"I'm alright," she said.
"Do you mind?" Hezim asked in an annoyed voice. "I'm in the middle of an interview here-"
"Yeah, I'll take over," Laxus said as he stood up.
"You can't do that!" Hezim shouted.
"Why not?"
"I'm conducting an investigation!"
"Yeah, well so am I," Laxus said. "I'd like to get my hands on this freak too."
"That won't be necessary. This isn't any of your concern, Sir," Hezim stated in an annoyed voice.
"She attacked three of my guild members, injuring one of them. Officially my concern," Laxus stated.
Hezim frowned and balled his hands into fists.
"You're not going to get anyone ragging on my wife all night anyways," Romeo stated. "Now can we please just sit in peace while we wait for an update from Juvia?"
Hezim took a deep breath to calm himself. "I'll be back in the morning. Hopefully you've calmed down and remembered something."
Hezim left and Wendy let out a sigh of relief.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Laxus asked.
Wendy nodded and sniffled. "Yes. I'm fine, but...poor Juvia! And Meeko and Bianca are missing. And-"
"Easy," Laxus patted her shoulder. "They'll be okay. And we'll get this freak, just you wait."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Are you sure you want to do this?" the healer asked Storm as he hooked one end of the transfusion link to Juvia's arm. "It's going to hurt."
Storm nodded as he stared at his unconscious and shivering mother. "If it helps my Mommy."
The healer nodded as he hooked Storm up. He hated these transfusions, especially when children were involved. Worse yet was that this poor boy didn't seem to have anyone to comfort him. Not to mention the boy had kept casting Cleanse over his mother, despite the pain it had caused him, until they reached the hospital. His magic levels were already low and now he was about to drain what little was left to save the mother.
He was about to turn the transfusion on when the door creaked open. A very pregnant woman with white hair stepped in, a red-haired girl and a white-haired boy trailing along behind her. Storm turned to them and gasped.
"Aunt Mira? Farrah? Cato?"
Mirajane went straight to Storm, lowering herself to the floor despite her large belly, and pulling Storm into her arms. Storm buried his face in her shoulder and began sniffling.
"There, there," Mirajane began rocking him back and forth. "It's okay, Storm. It's okay. Sh."
The healer flipped the switch. The link began sucking magic energy out of Storm and into Juvia. Storm whimpered and clung tighter to Mirajane.
"I know, I know," she crooned as she smoothed his hair.
"Aunt Mira?" Storm asked, growing very tired.
"Yes?"
"Has my Daddy come back with-"
The door opened yet again. Gray walked in, Bianca and Meeko on either hip. At seeing his father, brother, and sister safe and sound Storm burst into tears. Gray set his two younger children down so that he could hold his firstborn.
"Storm," he whispered.
"Daddy…" Storm choked. "Daddy…"
"Sh, sh, sh," Gray crooned as he rocked his son back and forth.
"Is...Is Bianca and Meeko oka-" Storm cringed as the transfusion pulled more of his magic energy out of him. "Ouch!"
"They're okay," Gray said. "They're fine."
"Ouch," Storm whimpered again.
Gray patted the back of Storm's head. "You're alright," he assured him as Storm clung tighter around his neck.
Gray kept his eyes closed as he held Storm close. He wouldn't look at Juvia. He couldn't. Not while his children were in the room with him. He'd break down if he saw her now, he had to stay strong for the kids. Bianca and Meeko walked to their brother's side, hugging him as he continued crying in pain. Eventually he passed out from exhaustion from lack of magic energy. The healer took him off the link.
Mirajane took him, the two younger Fullbusters, and her own children out of the room, leaving Gray alone with his wife. Before she left. Mirajane gave Gray a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. The healer kept checking on Juvia as Grya finally found the courage to look at her.
She was pale, covered in a cold sweat, shivering, and unconscious. A strangled noise that sounded like someone getting the air punched out of him escaped Gray.
"We've put her into a medically induced coma to help her better rest and fight the poison," the healer explained. "Your son managed to work wonders, got rid of a good bit of the poison, but she's still got a rough road ahead."
Gray knew what 'rough road' meant. And he knew it cold lead one of two ways: life or death. He shakily stood to his feet and shuffled towards Juvia. He collapsed onto his knees once he reached her bedside. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face into her neck.
"Ju-Juvia…" he whispered. "Juvia...hold on, please. Please, hang on. Don't leave me. Don't leave the kids."
He kissed her cheek. "Hold on."
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
"Jellal?" Meredy asked as she watched her guild master race out of the room, two papers clasped in his hands.
Jellal didn't listen, he walked straight back to his own, private hotel room. He threw the door open, ran to his suitcase, threw it open and pulled out his communication lacrima. He activated it and nervously tapped his foot.
"Come on, come on, come on."
"Jellal?" Erza asked as she answer.
"Erza," Jellal answered.
"Jellal, I heard Laxus and Mirajane left for Crocus a few hours ago. How are thi-"
"Come to Crocus," Jellal said.
Erza frowned in confusion. "What?"
"Come to Crocus now, and bring the children with you."
"Why?" Erza's frown deepened. "What's going on."
Jellal sighed. There was no easy way to say this. "Beloved you and the children are in danger. And I need you close to me where Crime Sorciere and myself can keep you safe."
"In danger, how?" Ezra asked. "And why? What do you mean the children are danger?"
"There's a serial killer targeting mothers who are also wizards and kidnapping their children-"
"WHAT!?" Erza requipped into her purgatory armor. "I'd' like to see anyone try and take our little ones from me!"
"Erza, please," Jellal said. "Just come to Crocus. Myself and the others can keep you and the children safe, just come as soon as possible."
"Who is this killer?" Erza asked."And what does she want?"
Jellal looked at one of the two papers in his hands. "Her name Elena Alteria. AS for her motivation...We're still working on that one."
He looked at the other paper, a list of common traits all the victims had. Blond hair had been scratched out, and now S-Class. Neither Juvia nor Wendy were S-Class wizards, yet both had been attacked in the same night. And the killer had taken Meeko. But for what?
That was the question driving Jellal mental.
For what?