Chapter Fourteen:
"Halt!"
Nashi turned to find several Rune Knights running towards her and Elena. Rather than pointing their weapons at Elena, though, they pointed them at Nashi.
"Huh?" Nashi asked.
"Don't move a muscle!" one of the knights shouted at her.
Nashi gasped as they surrounded her. Why were they getting onto her? She didn't do anything wrong! And she'd used up all of her boost from Atlas in that last attack…
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"No funny ideas, you!"
"Huh?" Storm looked up from where he had been lying down on his back with his eyes closed. A circle of Rune knights stood over him, their weapons pointed at him.
"What's going on?" he asked as he tried to sit up.
"Don't move!" the leader of the group said as he poked Storm in the chest.
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"Sephy!" Koree called as she ran back to her sister. "I saw Roman, he's oka- what's happening?"
A group of Rune knights stood around Persephone, two holding her by either arm.
"Hey, she's not the bad guy, they are!" Koree called, pointing to Laertes and Samson.
"Don't even think about it," a voice from behind her stated as he grabbed her arm.
"Hey, let go of me!"
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"Put the shield down!"
Roman turned to find a group of Rune Knights running to him, weapons drawn.
"What's going on?" he wondered out loud.
"I said put the shield down! And put your hands in the air where I can see them!"
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"There's one!"
Cato looked up to find a group of Rune Knights walking towards him. He sighed in relief.
"I got one guys, he's right-" he called, only to be rudely interrupted by a-
"Stand down!" one of the knights pointed his weapon at Cato.
"Huh?" Cato took a step back, confused.
"Don't move! And put your hands up!"
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"BBBOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Nashi looked down as the crowd that had gathered around the hospital during the fights let out a loud chorus of-
"BBBBOOOOOOOOOO!"
"SILENCE!" an even louder voice called out from the crowd. Nashi jumped and turned to find-
"Hezim?" she squeaked, feeling uneasy under his judgemental gaze.
"I knew you'd do something like this," he seethed at her, causing her to cringe, before he amplified his voice for all to hear. "THESE CHILDREN HAVE INTERFERED IN AN OFFICIAL MAGIC COUNCIL INVESTIGATION, AS WELL AS CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO PUBLIC PROPERTY!"
Nashi looked about, realizing that the roof as well as the outer walls of the hospital were littered with cracks.
"Oh, yeah, we did kinda tear things up…" she said bashfully.
"THEREFORE!" Hezim continued. "WE ARE TAKING THEM INTO CUSTO-"
CRASH!
Dust and rubble burst into the air, followed by a burst of smoke.
Nashi coughed as the dust engulfed her, then squeaked when she felt someone grab her by the waist. A pair of strong, powerful arms held her close as whoever was holding her took off-
-into the air?
As they flew out of the cloud of dust, Nashi turned to see who exactly it was that had grabbed her. A strange creature with black markings all over his skin, a pair of twisted horns growing out of his head, and a set of black, bat like wings held her tight as he hovered over the roof, eyes blazing as he glared down at the Rune Knights on the roof below.
Still, Nashi didn't scream or even struggle to get away. Instead she softly asked-
"Daddy?"
E.N.D. put a clawed hand to the side of his daughter's head to protect her ears as he let forth a loud, concussive roar that blew the rest of the dust away as well as shook the entire roof.
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"Stay down!" the Rune Knight said again as he put a foot against Storm's chest and pushed him into the ground.
"But, I don't understand," Storm whimpered. "What did I do wro-"
Schwing!
A cold gust of wind blew over Storm, knocking all the Rune Knights on their back, but leaving Storm unharmed. Storm sat up and looked behind him, gasping at the sight.
Gray stomped forward, black marks covering the entire left side of his body. He walked to stand in front of Storm, separating him from the Rune Knights.
"You've got about five seconds to get out of here," he said in a menacing voice before slamming his hand against his palm. "Before I slay you like the demons you are!"
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CLUNK!
The Rune Knight holding Koree suddenly let go of her.
"Huh?" she wondered as she heard a-
CLINK! CLANK!
The two holding Persephone were smacked in the face by two metal poles and fell on their backs. The two clubs then turned to hooks, one grabbing Persephone by the waist, and the other grabbing Koree. Before they knew it both twins were in Gajeel's grasp, one girl tucked under each arm. His skin was dark as night, he had small iron spikes along his hairline, on his knuckles, and his shoulders and his eyes were steely gray.
"So you think you can just sweep in here and take my rugrats away from me, huh?" Gajeel thundered. "WELL JUST TRY AND TAKE 'EM OUT OF MY ARMS YA PUNKS!"
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"Last chance! Put the shield down or we'll-"
Roman only clutched his shield tighter, ready to fight, even though he was feeling very, very tired.
FWOOM!
A bright yellow light swooshed out of the hospital and stopped just in front of Roman. Roman blinked as the light seared through his eyes. As his vision restored he gasped when he saw-
"Daddy?"
"I don't wish to fight any of you," Jellal said to the Rune Knights as he held an arm in front of Roman. "But take one step closer to my son and I'll end all of you!"
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"But...but I'm not the bad guy!" Cato insisted.
"I didn't ask if you were, I told you to stand down!"
"But why?" Cato's bottom lip trembled.
"Stop asking questions and-"
ZAP!
"AUGH!" all of the Rune Knights shook and convulsed as a yellow lightning bolt struck all of them at the same time.
A loud STOMP came from behind Cato who gasped and turned with a smile of relief on his face.
"Papa!"
Laxus glowered at the Rune Knights, lightning still coursing through his body, which only amplified his voice as he shouted:
"BACK AWAY FROM MY SON!"
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E.N.D. let out another ear splitting roar. Even with her ears protected by her father's large hand, Nashi winced at the noise, causing E.N.D. to tighten his hold on her.
"You are interfering in official Magic Council-" Hezim began, but his eyes grew wide and he had to jump to the side, knocking several of his men over as a blast of fire shot right where he'd been standing.
"YOU AIN'T TAKING HER ANYWHERE!" E.N.D. bellowed, eyes narrowing, teeth gnashing. "NOW LAST CHANCE…"
The monster took in a deep breath before screaming, "LLLLEEEAAAVVVEEE!" sending shockwaves of fire bursting out in a circumference around him, shaking the Rune Knights watching right to their core.
"I'd do as he says if I were you," a warm voice said, catching everyone's attention.
"Councilman Warrod," Hezim gasped as the elder man made his way towards him, wind blowing through his leaf-like hair.
"Ever wonder why the term 'Fierce as a Mama Bear' is so popular, but you never hear anything about the Papa Bear?" Warrod asked.
"N...no," Hezim answered.
"Ha! Neither do I! But it's kinda funny, huh?"
"Eh…" Hezim could only arch an eyebrow in response. The Rune Knights all looked confusedly at each other. Even E.N.D. couldn't help but roll his eyes in annoyance.
"But, if I had to take a guess," Warrod continued. "I'd say it's because Papa Bears never leave anyone alive to tell the tale of just how terrifying they can be."
The Rune Knights all gave E.N.D. a wary look as he glared at them.
"That being said, I'd do as he says and leave," Warrod nodded as he turned to go back the way he came.
"Bu-bu-but! They interfered in my investigation! And look at all the damage they caused! Not to mention the danger they now present!"
"Oh, but can you blame them?" Warrod asked as he stopped to turn back towards Hezim. "Their parents and siblings were all in danger. Anyone in their situation would have done whatever it takes to save their loved ones. I'd hardly say their actions were a slight against you. And what do you mean dangerous?"
"LOOK AT WHAT THEY DID!" Hezim gestured to all the damage. "They're only young children! If they are capable of doing this now who knows what they'll do once they're older!"
"Ah, yes, exciting isn't it," Warrod smiled.
"Exciting!?" Hezim squeaked. "Children of this age should not possess this kind of power! They're not responsible enough to handle it!"
"Says who?" Warrod asked, arching an eyebrow.
"We-ech-well-there's a reason most children are not this powerful! They aren't meant to be!"
"Are you certain of that?" Warrod mused. "Maybe it's simply because they haven't been given the right environment."
Warrod placed his hand against the roof, a small sprout blooming under his touch.
"Tell me, Hezim, have you ever wondered why two trees of the same species can be planted in two different areas and one can come out a massive giant while the other remains a small sapling?"
"Er…" Hezim frowned, confused.
"Well, it's because of environment. Trees need several things to thrive. Sunlight, water, good soil with plenty of nutrients. Now they can get these things from just about anywhere, but there are certain areas that have more of it. These children are like those trees."
Warrod held his hand out, a seed in his palm. "Just as every seed already has the basic buildings blocks to grow into a large, magnificent tree, these children were all born with the potential and the talent to be powerful wizards. But they were also fortunate enough to be born to equally talented wizards, who are capable of giving them the training and guidance they needed to thrive at home. More importantly than that, though, their parents gave them love, acceptance, a safe place to call home. But it goes even farther than that. These children were also born into a guild that is also capable and willing to love, accept, train, and guide them. They have been encouraged to push the limits of their abilities and improve themselves their whole lives. I dare say that they know nothing else! It's just a part of the spirit their parents and guild have instilled in them. Going above and beyond is as second nature to them as ordering Rune Knights is to you."
"But...but...that still doesn't-"
"Hezim," Warrod grew uncharacteristically serious as he glared at the captain. "Leave them be. That's an order."
Hezim clenched his fists, but hung his head and gave the order:
"Stand down, men."
E.N.D. landed onto the roof and changed back to Natsu, still holding Nashi in his arms. The minute he did his legs gave out under him.
"Uh-oh!" He exclaimed, internally cursing himself for forgetting that his legs were broken as he leaned back so that he hit the roof first, breaking the fall so Nashi wouldn't get hurt. That, unfortunately, meant he felt the whole brunt of the fall.
"Ouch!"
"Daddy?" Nashi asked, worried.
"I'm okay, Firecracker," Natsu assured her, stroking her hair out of her face, cringing as he noticed the multitude of scrapes, bruises, and cuts littering his daughter's body. "You aren't though, are you?"
"I'm fine," Nashi answered, trying to cover her black and blue arms behind her back as Natsu pushed himself into a sitting position.
"Nashi!"
Nashi turned to find Lucy, Layla, and Igneel racing towards her. Lucy fell to her knees, snatching Nashi into her arms.
"Oof!" she grunted as her mother held her tight. "I'm okay, Mommy, really."
"I know," Lucy sighed, fighting back the tears of relief in her eyes.
"That was so cool!" Igneel declared as he raced to his big sister's side. "First the bad was like fwoom-fwoom-fwoom! And then you went KA-BOOM! And then you were both hyah-ha-ha! And you went KA-BOOM! Again! And the you were all slicey-dicey and...and...and...YEAH! NASHI YOU'RE THE COOLEST!"
"Are you okay?" Layla asked, eyes full of worry. "You look pretty beat up."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Nashi smiled just as Igneel tackle hugged her.
"Igneel!" Lucy scolded, but to no avail.
"Teach me how to fight like you! Please, please, please, PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE!"
"ACK! Not until you stop choking me your weirdo!" Nashi said as she shoved Igneel off herself.
"Oops!" Igneel said as he fell on his back.
"Why are you always so crazy?" Layla asked.
"I'm not crazy I'm overly-eager!" Igneel stated, arms crossed.
"What's that mean?" Layla cocked her head to one side.
"I dunno, but I heard Aunt Levy say it and it sounded good so I said it."
Natsu and Lucy both laughed as Natsu put an arm around his wife's shoulder. She smiled up at him and leaned her forehead against his.
"Ugh…" The Dragneel family all turned to find Elena huddled in a ball, both hands held against her stomach, tears in her eyes. "Do you know what you just did you little brat!?"
"Huh?" Nashi asked, a strange, cold feeling filling her gut.
"Boss, the others are getting away!" one of the Rune Knights shouted.
"Go get them! And lock her up!" Hezim pointed to Elena.
"Wait!" Elena shouted. "Take me to see a healer first. Please...the baby-"
"Baby!?" everyone shouted.
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"She's pregnant!?" both Natsu and Lucy shouted as Jellal explained Elena's situation to them.
"Yes, but not of the usual way," Jellal answered before explaining the spell Elena had developed to them.
"So she can steal unborn babies and make herself pregnant with them even though they aren't hers?" Natsu asked.
"Yes, and that's exactly the case here," Jellal answered. "She took the baby from Nalshe Mikagura's womb. After the beating Nashi gave her she was afraid she'd miscarry. She's fine now, but will stay in the hospital overnight just to be safe."
"Good," Natsu said. That was the last thing Nashi, who was sound asleep in the recovery room behind them, needed!
Jellal reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded wad of paper. "This was found in Elena's pocket. I debated showing you this, but I figured it was only fair to let you know why you were targeted."
He passed it to Lucy who unfolded it and opened it. "'Top Five Hot Magic Mamas?' Oh, I remember this! I did this interview for Sorcerer's Weekly months ago!"
"Yes, this is how Elena picked her victims, as you can see," Jellal said. "Clearly she felt as if she deserved a spot on that list."
Lucy read through the article, a chill going down her spine as she read all the notes Elena had scribbled in the margins:
Well, then, if I can't get what I want guess I should just take it. I need children for my family of a guild anyways!
Lucy Dragneel. She's pregnant. Steal the baby, kill the mom, take the older kids.
Lucy gasped and put a hand to her belly. Elena was planning on taking and carrying this child from her along with the older three!
Erza Scarlet-Fernandez, kill.
Mirajane Dreyar. Pregnant, but too far along for the spell to be of any use, wait until baby is born and then kill. Take the middle kid. Oldest is too old, leave her. If she gets in the way kill her.
"Kill Mira and Farrah?" Lucy squeaked. Murdering an adult was one thing, but killing a thirteen-year-old little girl?
Levy Redfox, kill and take kids.
Juvia Fullbuster, kill and take kids.
Wendy Conbolt, kill and take kids.
Evergreen Stauss, kill and take kid.
Minerva Cheney, wait until the baby is born, then kill. Or kill and cut the baby out, why not?
Lucy all but gagged at the thought of someone cutting a baby from their murdered mother's corpse. But was that any better than using magic to take them?
Yukino Eucliffe, kill and take kid.
Jenny Lates, wait for the baby then kill.
Sherry Akatsuki, kill and steal the baby.
Bisca Conell, her daughter is too old for me but, eh, kill her for the fun of it anyways.
Lucy frowned. Kill for fun? What kind of sick monster was Elena?
Reisha Whiteday, kill and take kid.
Bernicka Rilafille, kill and take kid.
Nalshe Mikagura, pregnant. Kill, take kid, and steal baby.
Next to the last three women in the article were three large check marks. Checks off the list, Elena had successfully killed them all. Now actually seeing their pictures, seeing their smiling faces as they held their children in their laps, Lucy couldn't keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She could have so easily been one of them. What had these poor women gone through in their last minutes? The fear of watching their children snatched from them. Especially Nalshe. Just something about watching your unborn baby being stolen from your own body was just…
...barbaric.
To lose even that sacred connection with your child, not getting the honor to carry them full term and birth them?
"Luce?" Natsu asked, setting a hand on her arm as he couldn't reach her shoulder from where he was seated in the wheelchair.
Lucy sniffled again.
"Have...have they found them?"
"Who, the children? Elena's guild mates? The children's fathers?"
"All of them," Lucy nodded.
"Well," Jellal sighed. "Because Samson was trapped in Persephone's cube he wasn't able to run away with his comrades. Erigor, Sina, Laertes, and Wilma are still missing though. As for the six children that were taken, well, they're still missing. Bernika and Reisha's husbands were contacted with the newest information, we'll continue doing what we can in Crime Sorciere to find those six little ones."
"As will we in Fairy Tail," Natsu promised.
"What about Nalshe, though?" Lucy asked. "We at least know where the baby she was pregnant with before she died is. Does her husband-"
"She has no husband," Jellal answered. "And the father of her eldest child is not the same as her youngest. That man has been contacted and, well, he seemed less than concerned. Apparently there was a good reason it didn't work out between him and Nalshe, and those reasons were not Nalshe's fault."
Natsu gritted his teeth as he glowered at the floor. This man's kid was missing and he didn't care! If-
-Natsu even shuddered to think about it-
-but if it had been Lucy that was killed and Nashi, Layla, and Igneel missing he'd be tearing all of Earthland apart to find them.
"And the baby's father?" Lucy asked.
Jellal reached into his pocket and pulled out a newspaper clipping. It was a report on Nalshe's murder.
"Read the end," Jellal said.
Lucy scanned to the bottom of the page.
"...Nalshe's boyfriend and father of her unborn baby was found dead in an alleyway hours later. Whether or not the two murders are connected has yet to be determined…"
"Neither Nalshe nor her boyfriend having any living relatives," Jellal said before Lucy could answer.
Lucy only hung her head as she passed the article to Natsu.
"So...that baby has no one…" Natsu said.
"No one except Elena, ironically," Jellal nodded.
Lucy sniffled again. It was just so sad! All of it! Even though Elena was now under lock and key, magic cancelling handcuffs included, four of her comrades were still on the loose, six children were still missing, three women and a man were dead, and there was now a baby with no family to go home to once it was born.
"Did you hear she's pregnant?" Natsu and Lucy turned as a group of Rune Knights walked in to swap guard shifts on Elena.
"Yeah, I heard all of it. Lousy way to start life, eh?"
"I know, that kids gonna get beat up everywhere it goes. Doesn't matter what orphanage it goes to, everyone will know that it was the one that was birthed by its mother's killer."
"Ugh! That's just creepy!"
"I know, can you imagine growing up with that following you everywhere you went?"
Lucy shuddered as she turned back to Natsu. She could tell he'd overheard as well. Of course he had, he was a dragon slayer.
"Is there anything we can do?" Natsu asked.
Jellal sighed. "Get better. Make sure Nashi gets better. Keep an eye and ear out for the rest of Alteria's children and those six missing children. There's not much else we can do."
Lucy sighed as she took the newspaper article back from Natsu. She stared at the pictures of Nalshe and her boyfriend. Nalshe looked a bit like her, which made this whole thing all the more eerie.
Golden blond hair, brown eyes.
Her boyfriend had jet black hair, blue eyes, and a lazy smile. He strangely reminded her of-
Lucy turned to glance at Natsu. Their eyes met and she knew he had the same thought she did.
"Hey, Jellal, do you know how far along Elena is?"
"About three and a half months," Jellal answered. "Why?"
"Hey," everyone turned at the sound of Gray's voice. "Why you all acting so glum for, c'mon, we've got a new nephew to meet!"
Despite the dire situation Lucy, Natsu, and Jellal couldn't help but smile. Lucy pushed Natsu in front of her as they made their way to Mirajane's room. Jellal held the door open for them so they could enter. Everyone else was already there, ooing and ahing at the tiny bundle in Mirajane's arms.
Lucy craned her neck to see. The baby had electric yellow hair like his father, but a heart shaped face like his mother.
"He's beautiful," Juvia squeed as Gray rejoined her at her side.
"He's gonna be a tough one, I can already tell," Gajeel smiled. "Look at that scowl."
Everyone laughed, for indeed the baby had a deep scowl on his tiny face. Mirajane smiled as she kissed his forehead, Laxus cradling the back of the baby's head.
"What's his name?" Lucy asked.
"Well, we actually wanted to talk to you about that," Mirajane smiled. "All of you."
All the adults turned to the Dreyars, curious.
"Well, as you know, we all, including this little guy, owe our lives to Cato, Roman, Storm, Nashi, Persephone, and Koree," Laxus said.
"Indeed," Erza smiled. "They've certainly made us proud today, our little Birthday Gang."
All the parents laughed at the cute little team name their children went by.
"Well, exactly," Laxus said. "They, as a group, are known as the Birthday Gang because they all have the same birthday."
"And since their birthday is in July, we wanted to honor them by naming our new son July," Mirajane explained.
"But we wanted to make sure it was okay with you guys first."
"'Course it is!" Natsu exclaimed, to which everyone heartily agreed. Natsu smiled and set his finger in the baby's palm. "Hey there, July. It's your uncle Natsu. You don't know me yet, but we're gonna be big buds!"
Lucy smiled as she ran her fingers through Natsu's hair. He's always been good with kids, especially theirs. Natsu glanced up at her. Without words, she asked him about what they'd silently agreed on only minutes earlier.
His face grew serious and he nodded.
She nodded back.