Chapter 27 – Worst Case Scenario
Zollzero Mansion, Autumn Time
Year X792
General Perspective
The Patriarch strode through the old hallways of the Zollzero Family's grandiose mansion. "How dare they defy me, my own children!" he barked, before using his Telekinesis to send a stray vase, that had been housed neatly in an alcove on display, shattering against the far wall. "They just don't seem to listen and learn, hmph" he added before spinning on his heel and taking a right turn down the labyrinth of corridors.
"Um… sir…" a weak voice piped up from somewhere behind the wiry, mustachio'd man. The Patriarch spun around in time to see his assistant hopping down the corridor towards him, his short body and legs making the simple task take longer than the man would have liked. "We've erm… received a report from one of your informants" the aide stated in his higher-than-average voice; a tone he only used when he was becoming acutely aware of his own mortality around the Patriarch.
The Patriarch for his part merely raised an eyebrow, his destructive glare and foul mood momentarily forgotten at the prospect of news. "Well, what is it? The children, or that other nuisance?" he demanded in a sharp tone.
The aide frowned, before producing a scrap of paper. "It's a little of both" he muttered, before scanning over the contents. "It seems your suspicions were correct sir, the children were aware of the movements of your nephews, and well… it doesn't look good. There isn't any information on their whereabouts, however there are rumours spreading about Arthur Zollzero seeking information on them" the aide stated, before handing the piece of paper to the patriarch to read directly.
The Patriarch accepted the note, before glancing over it dismissively. "Hmm… it seems Arthur at least shows some competence in gathering information. I suppose that is unsurprising since he somehow garners the popularity of his siblings despite his traitorous beliefs" the Patriarch mused, before crumpling up the paper scrap and, using his Telekinesis, sending it hurtling toward a window at the end of the corridor with enough force to shatter the glass. The aide watched the act impassively; as dangerous as his job he knew he was safe as the act was more to vent the built-up anger and frustration his boss displayed than to actually frighten him.
"What should we do? Send Zero Star out to locate them? Or perhaps put a stop to Arthur's search?" the aide offered a few ideas to the blond-haired elder.
The Patriarch shook his head. "It would be an unnecessary waste of effort to stop Arthur at this point… although, maybe we could use his search to our advantage and lure out my dear annoying nephews…" the Patriarch grinned at that thought.
The aide nodded, before smiling. "That seems a good plan, sir" he stated, nodding.
The Patriarch continued smirking, before turning back along the corridor to continue on his route. "Inform Zero Star that they are not to interfere with Arthur's search. Also, tell my informants to focus their information onto Arthur's actions, I will not stand for that brat to hide yet more of his plans from me" the Patriarch declared as he began prowling on his way once more. The aide nodded.
"I will do so… sir" he stated, waiting for when the man would be out of earshot before making another move. The Patriarch did not hear his reply, or at least did not bother to listen. Once the man turned another corner and was out of sight, the aide grinned wickedly. "You damned fool" he added in a bitter laugh.
A shadowed silhouette appeared beside the aide as he mocked the Zollzero boss. "You've done it?" the figure asked.
The aide nodded in confirmation. "Indeed, he even accepted it into his own hand without realising it!" the short man beamed mischievously, making the other stranger raise an eyebrow.
"The paper?" he questioned, to which the aide nodded.
"Ha ha, 'informant's report'… it was laced with that substance you gave me, and with just one touch it will enter his bloodstream through the skin… then you and your masters can retrieve him without danger" the aide stated. The figure nodded, before phasing into the corridor in their entirety.
"Yes, the young master's cannot be allowed to come to harm at this critical stage" Hugo said, lacrima in his hand fading from the bright glow that had allowed him to observe the assistant's actions and subsequently teleport to him from afar. The aide shrugged.
"Whatever" he stated, before glancing back towards the window, "I'm going to get my tail out of here now though, I don't want to be around if that guy figures out what happened" he added. Hugo smiled.
"You will be rewarded by the new Zollzero head for your services" he stated. The aide grinned.
"I expect I would be" he agreed, completely oblivious to the hand that had been placed on the hilt of Hugo's sword. "I mean, it's basically suicide to betray the Zollzero family in any other capacity… I've done you a great service in weakening our current leader in such a way" he added in a more boastful tone.
Hugo nodded in agreement. "Yes, I agree. It is suicide to betray the Zollzero's… that is why this is a fitting punishment for you, and all the other traitors who sided with that damnable Patriarch" Hugo stated, before brandishing his sabre blade.
The aide barely had time to widen his eyes before the cold steel cut deep into the flesh of the aide's neck, beheading the short man instantly. "N-ngh…" he cried out helplessly, as he watched his own body fall to the floor in a loud, thudding clump.
Hugo grinned with glee as he watched the aide fall, before frowning. "I… suppose I should clean this up" he sighed, realising that despite the satisfaction he gained from that action, he had also increased his work load. "All in the name of what is right though" he reasoned, as he hefted the man's corpse, along with the head, and hefted them into a conveniently close store cupboard.
A little while later, any other person on the mansion grounds might just have missed the Patriarch sleeping deeply at his desk in his study, and they most certainly would not have noticed his assistant enter grinning from ear to ear.
However, in a few hours' time, they would all be aware of one thing; the Patriarch was no longer their leader.
/
Fairy Tail Guild, Autumn Time
Year X792
Sting Eucliffe
"There's no way!" Gray cried out in both surprise and frustration as the third dart hit the board.
"That's it, fifteen consecutive scores of one hundred and eighty. Pay up!" Edric beamed as Haruki retrieved the darts from the board for the last time.
Gray sighed heavily. "You must've cheated" he complained.
Edric laughed, before winking at Haruki, who came to stand over beside the blond. "Well, Haru wouldn't ever let himself lose" he laughed with a little pride, tapping Haruki on the shoulder.
"Edric, you don't need to boast. I'm a marksman, hand to eye games are obviously my forte" Haruki stated, in a tone that sounded even more arrogant than Edric's. Gray scowled at him.
"Alright, I get it. Here" he handed a small bag of jewel to the Bullet Mage, who nodded back at the Ice Mage he had received it from.
"That seems to be all of it" Haruki stated after a brief glance into the bag. Edric grinned.
"I've got a brilliant idea on how to spend it too" he chuckled. Haruki raised an eyebrow uncertainly.
"What on? Sweets? Clothes? Some other random useless trinket?" he asked in a mildly mocking tone. Edric pouted, folding his arms over his chest.
"No, not any of those. And they aren't the only things I spend money on" he stated in a defensive tone. Haruki sighed and rolled his eyes, before Edric gave up his pouting and resumed grinning again. "I mean, I also like buying cool watches, rings, other jewellery… oh, and what about all those things we get" he winked at Haruki.
The Bullet Mage blushed slightly at Edric's hints. "S-shut it, Edric!" he barked in a suddenly embarrassed tone of voice. I watched the pair with vague amusement, Natsu beside me smiling and laughing, more so at Gray's defeat than at the two 'banished' boy's antics. It's been a week since they were banished, and whilst Arthur and Thomas always seem to be out places, and Kenji and Medea are only really hanging around town, these two are in here almost every day I noted to myself. They did always seem more at home here than the others… Thinking about home reminded me that Rogue would be coming over to the guild in a couple of days. With all the stuff that's been going on, even the Magic Council's been 'round to call a 'meeting' with both Makarov and me I frowned slightly as I remembered the sour-faced bureaucrats who had questioned us to the absolute nth degree about our dealings with the Zollzero's, and also about the apparent infighting amongst their group. Makarov had been wilier than me, avoiding or outright lying about some of the events; neither of us wanted to see anything happen to the siblings and we had agreed to continue assisting them, even if it meant deceiving the Council.
After a little more teasing Edric and Haruki left the guild to go and make the 'best' use of the jewel they had won, not just from Gray, but from various bets and wagers they had been making throughout the day. "You really lost there, Gray" Natsu smirked wickedly, as the Ice Mage slumped himself into the seat opposite us.
"Be quiet flame brain, I didn't think Haruki would be able to make so many accurate shots, that's all" he retorted, before sighing. "Unfortunately, that was my last bit of spare jewel though… ahh, I just finished a job and now it looks like I'm gonna have to take another one to make up for all the money I lost" he complained. I shrugged.
"If you didn't have the money, you shouldn't have bet it on some stupid wager with a couple of kids" I stated in a more reasonable tone than the one Natsu was using to mock Gray.
The Ice Mage nodded in agreement with me. "Yeah, I know…" he mumbled. I noticed the odd look that he gave, like he was angry at himself more than he was angry at Haruki or Edric.
"Ha ha…" I chuckled under my breath, earning an intrigued look from both Gray and Natsu.
"What's so funny?" Natsu asked me in a confused voice. I smiled gleefully at the pinkette for a moment, before gesturing towards Gray with a nod of my head. This caused the dark-haired male to furrow his brows.
"You laughing at how I lost that bet?" he questioned me. I shook my head.
"No, I'm laughing because I think it's cute that you're actually pissed off about the fact you're gonna have to go on a job when Rogue's coming over" I beamed mischievously. Gray gave an expression of shock as I revealed his true intentions, however his face quickly set into a weak smile.
"I guess I failed at both keeping my plan a secret, and keeping my jewel…" he sighed, "But what am I gonna do, Rogue's coming and I promised to go out to some nice restaurant with him since last time he was here in Magnolia we got… interrupted" Gray sent a slightly daggered looked towards Natsu and I. "He even lied to you, coming tonight instead of in a couple of days' time, so that we'd get two days alone before he officially 'arrived' to help" Gray added after a moment, groaning as he realised just how much he had screwed things up.
I smirked upon hearing this. "Well isn't that clever of you" I stated dryly, before chuckling, "However, you obviously make plans like you make bets… really fucking badly" I laughed in slight amusement, which earned another angry look from the Ice Mage. Before he could retort with something, though, I continued. "However, I don't think Rogue'll mind too much if you lost the money and couldn't do what you said… I mean, if it was me he'd go completely crazy, but if it's you…" I left the last bit unsaid. Gray pouted in thought for a moment before frowning.
"No, I think he'd still be pretty pissed. If I'd lost the money because it was stolen or something he'd probably be okay, but because I gambled it… he's gonna kill me" Gray thought aloud. I found myself sympathising with the Ice Mage; Rogue had attempted to 'kill me' on more than a dozen occasions because I'd stupidly lost money to bets or other tricks.
"Well if it's that much of a problem, why don't you come with us?" Natsu spoke up with surprising insight. I frowned at the pinkette.
"You don't mean tonight? I thought I already said that this place is really expensive, and that the only reason we got in was we were double-dating with Haruki and Edric" I stated to the Fire Dragon with a pout. Ever since we had sex in a storage cupboard a week earlier the pinkette had been bugging me to take him on his promised date, however as I was in meetings with the Council, and he was dragged on jobs, we hadn't found the time. It was only by Edric's intervention, when he overheard us planning one evening, that the teenage Card Mage had decided to step in and help us, riding on his family's name to get us a table at one of the most expensive restaurants in town alongside himself and Haruki. "Edric won't mind changing the reservation, will he?" Natsu pouted, not obviously considering the difficulty of the task.
Gray shook his head. "It's his fault I'm in this mess, I'm not gonna go asking him for help" the Ice Mage chimed in stubbornly. I sighed and rolled my eyes.
"Although I don't think he'd be able to get another couple into the restaurant unless he really pulls some strings, Edric would probably do it if you asked him Gray, especially if you point out that it's because of his betting that you lost the money you'd saved up to go out" I said, before furrowing my brows in thought. "Er, how much did you lose today anyways… I only saw you place a bet on that darts challenge" I added after a moment. Gray gave a large exhalation of breath, before replying.
"About fifty thousand jewel, if you include the money I lost on the bet I placed yesterday. I really thought I'd be able to outrun Edric, but the sneaky bastard used some kind of Card Magic enchantment to boost his speed" Gray stated in a low voice, like just mentioning it was painful.
My eyes went wide with surprise. "You lost how much?! That's like… a pretty good reward for a monster-hunting job" I exclaimed, looking to Natsu who was pulling a similar expression to me.
"Yeah, do you know how much food you could buy with that?" he added. Always thinking about food…
"Actually, how did Edric manage to trick you into betting that much?" I added after a moment. Gray shrugged.
"I was bored, since I didn't wanna go on another job until Rogue had been and left, and I thought if I made a couple of bets here and there when Edric was doing them I'd be able to make a little extra money to… well, that doesn't matter. But anyways… I ended up losing that much over several bets, rather than in one go…" Gray trailed off as he thought about how much money Edric and Haruki had managed to get off of him, and many others in the guild too.
"I think you might have a gambling problem" I stated, before patting him on the shoulder reassuringly, "But don't worry… if you don't feel like asking Edric yourself, I could always try slipping it into a conversation and seeing what he says…" I tried smiling to gain Gray's confidence. After a moment of thought, the Ice Mage finally nodded his head.
"Alright, if not… I'll go ask him… otherwise it looks like Rogue'll have to put up with a cheap date" Gray stated. I nodded in confirmation of this.
"Okay, if you're on board that's okay. Now, Natsu… let's go put your nose to work, and find Edric" I stated with a smile toward my boyfriend. Natsu pouted.
"Why do I have to find 'em?" he asked lazily. I chuckled, before prodding the pinkette in the side.
"Because you said to ask Edric, so it's your idea" I retorted, firmly taking a hold of his hand and dragging him up off the table. "We'll be back soon to tell you what happens" I shouted back over my shoulder to Gray, who nodded.
"Alright, I'll hang around here then" he said. I smiled, before giving another tug to Natsu's arm as I led him out of the guild.
"Come on. If we find them quickly, there's something else I want you to do for me" I stated to the pinkette.
"What?" he asked in an intrigued tone of voice. I smiled.
"You'll see later" I responded. Yeah, later… because if I tell him I wanna go out and buy a new waistcoat for him for this date there's no way he'll agree to come now I thought cunningly.
/
We found Edric and Haruki with little difficulty, Natsu tracking them down instantly despite the large numbers of people out in the market streets. The pair of teenage boys seemed to be enjoying a bit of fun at a clothing store, trying on different apparel and commenting on each other's choices. I smiled inwardly as we approached the store. Good, since they're here, I might be able to persuade Natsu to play along and try something on too…
"Hi guys, you're looking for a new outfit too?" Edric asked as he noticed us enter the boutique. I smiled at the blond-haired boy, before shrugging.
"Yeah, I figured that Natsu and me could do with a couple of new clothes, for this evening" I smirked, the pinkette beside me pouting.
"Aww, but Sting, I'm fine. You even said my other outfit looked alright" Natsu complained suddenly. I prodded him in the side.
"Play along" I whispered to him, before smiling back over at Edric, "As you can see he's a reluctant shopper, of clothes at least. I bet you wouldn't be complaining if this was a buffet, Natsu" I chuckled. Edric grinned over at me.
"If you two are gonna look for clothes for tonight mind if I help?" the blond asked, just as Haruki emerged from a side booth wearing a more casual set of clothes to his usual suit, shirt and tie.
"Edric, is this better?" Haruki asked the blond with a note of annoyance, before noticing my and Natsu's presences.
Edric clapped his hands. "Much better. If we're not gonna be on call for the family any more we don't need to hang about in those suits and stuff" Edric commented, before he heaved up his own choice selection of clothes; consisting of a pale-yellow polo shirt, light blue trousers, and a number of various assorted accessories, including a belt and a red wrist band. Haruki smiled.
"Alright, now that we've got that out of the way, what are you guys here for? Not stalking us, I hope" Haruki stated with a note of sarcasm. I rolled my eyes.
"No. We were just here to pick out some new clothes for tonight" I said, reiterating what I had just told Edric. Haruki just shrugged, before turning around and returning to the changing room, drawing the curtain as he did so with one swift movement. A minute or so later he drew back the curtain and padded out with the outfit he had just been wearing folded neatly in his arms; like Edric, he had a polo shirt, this time in a darker blue, with some matching dark blue trousers, and, quite interestingly, a matching red band, exactly identical to Edric's. They're actually kinda cute, wearing the same bands and stuff... I wonder if I could get Natsu to do something like that I thought to myself momentarily, before the pinkette tugged at my arm.
"Is it weird that they're wearing kinda the same clothes and stuff?" Natsu whispered to me. I frowned at him.
"No. I think it's kinda cute" I said back in response. Natsu pouted.
"Really?" he asked, to which I nodded. Before I could respond another voice chimed in.
"Don't read too much into it, we're just buying some clothes and happened to pick out stuff that was similar, that's all" Edric stated aloud, before gesturing with a nod toward Haruki. "We're just gonna go buy these, then we'll help you look for stuff for tonight" Edric added. I smiled at him, before nodding. He's got damned good hearing… almost as good as a Dragon Slayer's…
With the pair a little further away, paying for their clothes at the desk. I turned to Natsu. "Right, we need to find a way to slip into the conversation the fact that Gray needs money to go on a date tonight, and then see if we can persuade Edric to change tonight's plans to a triple date instead of a double" I stated. Natsu nodded, before folding his arms.
"Hey Sting, you don't really wanna buy clothes for tonight though, we're just gonna play along until we tell them, right?" Natsu looked like he was going to be difficult depending on how I responded to this next query. With a smile I winked at the pinkette.
"We're just gonna play along until we tell 'em, alright?" I lied. No way in hell I'm telling him that this was actually what I had in mind, although perhaps not as perfectly planned as this has turned out…
Natsu nodded in understanding. "Okay!" he grinned happily, just as Edric and Haruki returned.
"Right, let's go and pick some stuff out for you guys" Edric stated, excitement brimming in his voice.
/
About one and a half an hours later, Natsu and I felt well and truly exhausted. Edric, in all his excitement, had given us numerous different pieces of clothing, so many that I couldn't even keep track any more. In a brief interlude between changes, I slumped into a chair the store clerk, a nice, impeccably dressed, young man had given us to use. "I didn't know Edric would be so… energetic" I sighed, much to the amusement of Haruki, who stood beside me.
"Yeah, now you know how I feel whenever he drags me along on these little shopping trips. The only difference is I set a rule ages ago that he has to follow" Haruki laughed. I raised an eyebrow.
"Rule?" it intrigued me to think that the supposed underling of the Zollzero family had any power over the 'highly important' family members. Haruki grinned.
"When it comes to clothes, accessories or jewellery pieces, including watches, Edric can only make me try on at most five different things" Haruki stated, in a well-rehearsed voice. I smirked.
"So… I'm guessing he's put you through all of this before then, huh?" I asked, to which the blond-dyed boy nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, three or four times before I put my foot down. I'm all for wearing nice stuff, but it seems excessive to spend hours deciding on which ones to buy" Haruki stated with a smile. I nodded in agreement.
"I might sometimes spend a little longer picking stuff out and trying stuff on, but this… is something else. I don't even remember what I've tried on any more" I stated with fatigue in my voice. As I spoke, Natsu paraded out of the changing room with another set of clothes on, this time a light blue shirt, with a dark blue waistcoat and matching dark blue trousers.
"This is gonna be the last thing I try on" he complained bitterly, just as Edric reappeared from amongst the aisles of clothes with a silvery-blue waistcoat in his hand.
"Really, but I just saw this and thought it'd look great on you" he stated in a mildly disappointed tone. Natsu glared at the teen, defiance in his eyes.
"No. I only wanted to try a couple of things for Sting, I'm not gonna go and wear everything in this whole freakin' store" he responded flatly. Edric pouted, before shrugging.
"I guess we have seen most of the stuff now" he replied, before smiling, "Now we just need to pick out of the stuff we've seen to decide what you'll be wearing. I was thinking you might be best in that combo I gave you about three goes' back" Edric added. Natsu looked as if he was about to explode right there in the middle of the store. Ahh… I should probably step in… don't want him going and blowing the whole place sky-high I thought to myself, before quickly making a move out of the chair I was sat in and coming over to the pinkette's side.
"I think it's all right Edric. I didn't intend to go and get a whole new outfit today anyways… I kinda just hoped we might be able to get Natsu a new waistcoat and maybe get me a new shirt whilst I was at it" I intervened swiftly, my hand subtly going to around the pinkette's waist to pull him close, so I could whisper in his ear. "Don't freakin' destroy anything, just let me handle this" I said to him in a tone that was meant to be both soothing and authoritative at the same time.
Edric pouted in thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Well, if that's what you want…" he stated, before frowning. "This isn't because you can't afford to buy a new outfit, though, right? Because if that's the case I could always pay for it for you and then you could pay me ba-" I held my hand up before the blond could finish his sentence.
"I think we've had enough of paying your family back to last a lifetime" I said in a mildly amused tone. Edric smirked upon hearing this.
"I guess I can understand that. But really, this isn't some kind of money thing?" the teen raised an eyebrow suspiciously. I shook my head. No, but whilst we're on the subject…
"No, we're fine… financially" I commented, before casting my eye over the clothes' Natsu was currently standing in. "And speaking of fine, I think you look pretty fucking hot in that outfit Natsu… do you think, maybe you could go get changed and buy this?" I raised an eyebrow at the pinkette, whilst simultaneously applying pressure to his side with my grip around his waist. Natsu took the que to leave.
"Alright, if… if that's what you want, Sting" he said, before slipping out from beside me and moving back into the changing area to get back into his normal clothes.
"I'm surprised you picked that one, I thought you liked the other one better. You know, the pink one. You even said it matched Natsu's hair" Haruki mused, as he came to stand beside Edric. The blond boy nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. I thought that was your favourite" he said. I just shrugged.
"Even if I liked it, Natsu wasn't too keen. If he doesn't wanna wear it, I'm not gonna force him" I commented nonchalantly. Edric smirked upon hearing this.
"Really, you wouldn't force Natsu to wear stuff he doesn't want to?" he questioned me. I smiled.
"Obviously. Natsu's his own person, and I love him for that so…" I trailed off as I noticed that both Edric and Haruki were grinning at me. "What's so funny?" I asked the pair, a hint of suspicion in my voice.
Edric shrugged. "Oh, nothing… we just find it funny that you say you don't wanna force Natsu to do anything he doesn't want to, yet you forced him to play along with my 'fun' until you had an appropriate time to ask me if it was okay that Gray wanted to come along on our little double date later this evening" Edric stated in a voice that was barely managing to conceal his deep-chested laughter.
My jaw dropped at the teen. "You heard us?" I exclaimed in surprise. Edric nodded cockily.
"Of course, it wasn't like we were all that far away. You Dragon Slayers aren't the only ones with good hearing" the teen mused, before Haruki knocked him on the side of the head.
"Yeah, except it's me who has the better hearing, Edric, since you didn't even notice they were talking until I pointed it out" he butted in. I looked between the grinning pair for a moment, before shrugging my shoulders.
"Well, I guess we can't help it…" I sighed, just as Natsu reappeared.
"Hey guy's… what's up?" he asked, as he observed my expression for a moment, his brows furrowing in the most adorable expression ever.
I gave a flicker of a smirk at the pinkette's expression for a moment, before rubbing the back of my head. "Well… it looks like they already knew why we were here, Natsu" I stated, earning a further confused expression from the Fire Dragon Slayer that made me purr inside.
"So… what does that mean? I didn't need to try on all those clothes?" Natsu asked in a voice that was wavering somewhere between confused and angry. I chuckled lowly.
"Yeah, they played us" I stated in confirmation for the Fire Dragon. Natsu frowned, before directing his angry look toward Edric.
Edric held his hands up with palms flat facing the pink-haired male. "Don't look at me like that… look, if it makes it any better I've already sorted it so Gray and Rogue can come along with us, alright?" Natsu and I both gave a look of surprise. Edric, recognising our expressions, gave a loud laugh, before elaborating. "Whilst I was getting you both to try on a couple of outfits, I had Haruki run along to the place and 'discuss' our arrangements for tonight" he stated, before looking to the teen beside him.
Haruki gave a wicked smile, followed by a thumbs-up. "They were more than accommodating and changed the number to six... once I mentioned Edric's name at least" he smiled. I took in this information before nodding, a smile forming on my lips.
"Well, at least it worked out" I chuckled, looking to my boyfriend, who was wearing an annoyed pouting expression. "Sulking, Natsu?" I asked him.
Natsu folded his arms. "Of course, I am, idiot, they made me do all that stupid stuff…" he grumbled. I sighed, before edging slightly closer to the Fire Dragon Slayer.
"You know, I wasn't kidding about how sexy you looked in some of those outfits… maybe if we buy one I might not be able to wait for tonight" I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively at the pinkette. Natsu's pout dropped instantly, and was instead replaced with a wide grin.
"Really?" he asked with eager excitement. I chuckled darkly before shrugging.
"Buy what I tell you and then… we'll see" I stated in a low whisper, before looking back to the teens.
Edric and Haruki were not listening to us; they were busy discussing other clothing choices at another part of a store. With a little laugh I directed Natsu on what I wanted him to buy, and then we left, agreeing to meet Edric and Haruki at the guild later before we all go on the double, or rather triple, date.
Once we got to my house, however, all thoughts about the date quickly left us, as my joke promise to Natsu became increasingly close to reality when he tried on the waistcoat he had just purchased with his own clothes.
/
Fairy Tail Guild, Autumn Time
Year X792
Natsu Dragneel
Sting writhed beneath me, naked body hot to my touch. "Ah… N-Natsu…" he breathed, as I noisily continued what I was doing down by his crotch. With a grin I swirled my tongue around the tip of the White Dragon's cock, eliciting another delicious noise from the blond.
"Heh…" I laughed to myself; no matter what I did I couldn't love anything more than I loved sucking Sting's cock and hearing those beautiful noises coming from his mouth. Feeling my own cock throb below me, however, was getting annoying.
Sting seemed to notice my discomfort, as his hand, which had previously been pressing down on the back of my head, now was tangled in my hair and tugging for me to go up. "Natsu… ah… wait a m-minute" he stated in a shaky breath, holding back the moan that I had attempted to pull from his throat. I looked up at the blond with eyes clouded in confusion and lust.
"What's up? I thought it sounded like you were enjoying that" I stated. Sting smiled.
"I was… it's just, well it seems like you could be enjoying it too" he said, before looking down towards my own member that was still hidden beneath the cloth of my underwear. I shrugged, before bringing my mouth once again close to the other male's member.
"It's fine, I'm alright with this" I said, honesty clear in my voice. Sting pulled my head back up before I could continue to speak.
"But what if we both enjoy it?" he stated, earning another confused look from me. Sting seemed to respond to this by rolling his eyes. "Just take your pants off" he added after a moment. I frowned for a moment, before shrugging again and complying with his request. Completely naked I looked back toward the White Dragon Slayer.
"So, what now? You gonna try to get me off or something whilst I do it?" I asked Sting, who just grinned wickedly.
"Something like that, just… lie down" he replied, before sliding along on my bed to give me space beside him. Once more complying, I lay down beside Sting and then watched as the other Dragon Slayer got up. Is he gonna suck me off instead? I thought for a moment, before realisation dawned. Instead of going straight to my cock, Sting instead crawled over my body in a reverse crawl, so that his hardened member, still wet from my earlier action, was level with my face, and likewise my member was level with his own smiling mouth. "Get it now, Natsu?" Sting asked, observing me from upside down. I laughed.
"So, you wanted to do it this way, you perv" I answered, in a tone that was brimming with excitement. I never thought Sting'd want to do it like this…
"Well… maybe I wanted to see if this was better" he responded, before looking back to my cock. Before I could give a response, I felt the White Dragon's tongue trace the length from base to tip, making me moan indecently. I could hear the blond chuckling to himself as I made that noise, so I grinned as I licked a stripe along his cock in mirror. "Ha… your mouth's so hot" Sting commented heatedly. I chuckled at him.
"So is yours" I replied happily, before narrowing my gaze down onto the White Dragon's face. "But I'm gonna want more than just a little of your mouth" I added with a more commanding tone. Sting smiled, locking eyes with mine, then in tone-for-tone he nodded.
"Yeah, I want more now too" he added, before moving his mouth close to the tip of my member, eliciting small bursts of heat throughout my body from the delicious feel of his breath on my hardened cock. I mirrored his actions, before giving in and beginning to take the length into my mouth once more.
My sudden attack seemed to take Sting by surprise for a few moments, as I only began to feel Sting's mouth on my cock properly after a minute or two. Then, as we each began to suck the other off, we quickly lost ourselves in sensation. The feeling of having Sting take in my member was both familiar and amazing, however it was made even better by the moans he was giving from my own activity on his length. "Hah… so… good…" I breathed in a brief interlude between sucking and receiving. Sting gave a smothered noise as a reply which I took to mean 'me too' but it could very well have been something else. With a smile to myself, I continued sucking along Sting's cock; I could already feel myself getting close, and with my activity earlier I knew the blond would not be able to last much longer. Sure enough, after a few more minutes of pleasure Sting gave a particularly large moan, before removing my member from his mouth. "I'm gonna… come Natsu" he warned. I glanced down our bodies to lock eyes with him, showing him that I was already aware of this. Sting maintained his glance for a moment, before resuming his own oral activity. He's gonna keep going… I thought he wasn't going to when he came but… my train of thought was cut off as the most perfect sensation; Sting was both coming into my mouth and moaning at the same time.
Although I had prepared for this, or so I had thought, however the sheer pleasure of having Sting moaning around my cock, whilst also tasting the stream of his semen filling my mouth and throat pushed me over the edge myself. "Hack… agh…" I tried to warn the blond as I was about to release, however the fluid overflowing my lips prevented me from doing so. Sting, however, seemed to be able to tell what I was failing to express as he swallowed my cum without issue. I rode my orgasm out with removing Sting's wilting member from my mouth, then, as I finished I felt the White Dragon Slayer move about. "Well… that was… interesting" Sting stated with a bright grin on his face, as he flopped down beside me on the bed, wrapping an arm around me.
I raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the blond. "Just interesting?" I asked him. Sting chuckled.
"Okay, maybe it was more than just interesting. It was hot too" he mused. I laughed alongside him, before he wrapped an arm around my body comfortingly. We lay like this for a few minutes; naked but content. It was only when Sting began shivering a little that I spoke up.
"Are you cold?" I asked him in a caring tone of voice. He smiled kindly.
"A little… aren't you?" he replied, before glancing over my equally as naked a body. I shrugged, before sliding closer to him and wrapping my arms around his body.
"Not really. I'm used to the cold, besides… I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer, I've got fire in my blood and soul" I commented jokingly. Sting smirked down at me, before wrapping his other arm around my torso, drawing comforting circles into my back with his fingertips. In this position his mouth was near my ear and I could feel his breath fall softly onto the lobe.
"Your body's really warm, it feels… nice" he purred, before stroking a line down my spine, ending close to my butt.
I chuckled. "If you want, you could feel this body some more" I said in an inviting tone. Sting seemed to consider my offer for a moment, before pouting.
"I guess we shouldn't… since we do need to go down to the guild soon" he replied in a more reasonable voice.
I smiled, knowing that would be his response. With a sigh of contentment, I nuzzled my nose into his blond strands, before placing a kiss to the back of his head. "Alright, but… can we stay like this for a little while longer, it feels good to just be here with you" I asked the blond. Sting nodded faintly, before shifting his head and kissing sweetly into my neck.
"Yeah, we can. But in a little while we're gonna have to get ready to go. Edric and the others'll be waiting for us otherwise" he responded. I muttered a 'yes' before closing my eyes to rest.
We didn't wake until ten minutes before we were due to meet up with the others.
/
Fairy Tail Guild, Autumn Time
Year X792
Gray Fullbuster
"Why doesn't it surprise me that Natsu and Sting are the ones arriving late?" I complained in a sour tone, as I sat with Rogue, Edric and Haruki at a table in the guild hall.
"Hmph… Sting's useless at keeping to a schedule, when he's at the guild he never shows up for any meetings on time, even important ones like briefings by the Council" Rogue muttered in agreement. I looked apologetically toward the dark-haired Dragon Slayer. Damn it, they know how much I wanted to make this special, since we don't get to see each other very much, and then they go and do this… anger began to bubble up inside me, which I quickly suppressed; not least because it caused the Devil Slayer tattoo on my arm to begin creeping up my skin, and losing control was definitely not what I wanted on tonight of all nights.
"Don't worry, they'll be here soon… I don't think they'd have forgotten, it's probably more like they fell asleep and didn't wake up or something" Edric stated, attempting to reassure my and Rogue's restless forms. I didn't feel very reassured. If Natsu had gone to sleep, it would take a fucking volcanic eruption, or maybe a large-scale earthquake to get him awake enough o show up here soon… maybe I should go look for them…
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a new figure entering the guild took my interest; Juvia was running towards me completely and utterly flustered. "Gray…" she panted, making a move to reach for me. I dodged away from her grasping hands.
"What is it, Juvia?" I asked her; although I often despaired when the Water Mage showed up, something about her demeanour told me this flustered grasp wasn't her usual attempt to get close to me. Something's up…
"It's terrible… Gajeel… Laxus… look outside" she seemed somewhat shocked. Looking to Rogue and the other's, they each gave looks that were somewhere between intrigued, and concerned.
"What's going on?" Rogue asked me in a flat tone of voice. I shrugged.
"Don't know, something's going on outside though" I stated. Haruki looked to Edric, who then nodded, an unspoken command going between them. "Do you know what's going on?" I asked in an accusing tone of voice. Edric just smiled.
"Well, I can think of a few… worrying possibilities. Haru, go find Medea, I'll look after Juvia" he stated. Haruki nodded smartly, before rushing off as instructed to look for the second-eldest of the Zollzero siblings.
"I'm gonna go take a look outside, if someone's attacking us, they're gonna regret it pretty quickly" I stated. Edric pouted, before nodding.
"Alright, if something goes badly though, you need to come back here, and if it's… if it's the you know what then whatever you do, do not let them cut you" Edric instructed me in a commanding tone. I nodded in understanding, before looking to Rogue.
"You coming?" I asked him. The Shadow Dragon Slayer nodded.
"Yes, I wouldn't let our allies' guild be attack and just sit back now, would I?" he replied, before smiling. "And I wouldn't let you be attacked either" he whispered subtly, avoiding the detection of Juvia.
I nodded. "Yeah, I know. Now let's go!" I commented, moving off towards the entrance to the guildhall.
/
We exited the guild hall to a scene of pure devastation; there were craters in the floor, bricks laying shattered and broken from walls, and most disturbingly of all, Gajeel and Laxus badly injured and beaten on the ground. "What the hell happened here?!" I exclaimed as I surveyed the scene, as of that moment I could see no cause for such destruction.
"Wa-watch it… He's still around here" Laxus warned, struggling to stand up. I frowned.
"Who's here?" I asked the defeated Lightning Dragon Slayer.
Suddenly I felt a pressure on my back, which forced me to the ground, swivelling around I found Rogue staring down intently at me. Then I saw the figure, a familiar figure I had hoped I would never see again, standing behind him, between us and the guildhall. "I think he meant me" Hugo stated, as he stepped forward, sabre blade being sheathed in it's hip-loop. "Nice dodging by the way, Dragon Slayer" he added in his usual cocky tone.
I frowned, my eyes narrowing down on the blade-wielding warrior-wizard. "You… you did this?!" I questioned him angrily. Hugo shrugged.
"To be honest, they did most of this, I just dodged out of the way" he replied in his usual calm-yet-confident tone. "I was bored waiting in ambush for your Dragon Slayer friend, so I figured I may as well deal with these two interesting targets whilst I waited… but then that damned Water Mage showed up with her infuriating water body. The only Mage who can resist my blade's power, and all because of a little skill like her water-body" Hugo added, tone turning from jovial to bitter quite quickly. I processed what he said.
"You were waiting for Natsu?" I asked him. Hugo nodded, clapping his hands sarcastically.
"Oh well done, give that man a prize. Yes, I was waiting for the Fire Dragon Slayer, however he -rather annoyingly- seems to be running a little late" Hugo stated in a sour tone. I chuckled.
"Yeah, he's annoying like that" I agreed, before calling on my magic, an icy mist rising about my form. "However, as annoying as he is, Natsu's still a part of our guild, and I will not let you have him" I added, with a more aggressive tone. Hugo smirked, as he analysed my stance.
"You seem to think that you can stop me" he replied, before looking toward Rogue, "Even with the help of that other Dragon Slayer, you won't defeat me. Oh… and I hope you know I can already sense you, Miss Erza Scarlet" Hugo gave a vague hand gesture toward a pile of rubble and other debris, out of which stepped Ezra, in full Flight Armor, wielding her usual sword in her leopard-printed gauntlet.
"So, you could sense my approach," Erza commented, before brandishing her sword toward her foe "you are not just skilled at combat it seems, but at detection as well" she added. I glanced toward the red-head for a moment.
"Yeah, he's strong Erza. I've faced off against this guy and some other's once before… you can't let their swords so much as graze you because they're cursed or something" I explained for the Sword Mage's benefit; although I had full faith in her abilities as a Swordswoman, against a foe such as this, with his magic, curse-giving blade, even she would be at a disadvantage.
Hugo smiled towards me. "You seemed to have been told an annoying amount of detail about me, this makes thing's… problematic" he stated, before grasping the hilt of his sword. "Perhaps I should deal with you first, before I go on to do what I intended to here" he added, his voice laden with venomous threat. I smirked cockily towards the dark-haired swordsman.
"You could try, but we will stop you… or rather, they will" I replied, before nodding my head in the direction of the guildhall. Hugo followed my directions, and looked towards the building, in time to see Makarov standing with Thomas at the doorway.
"You have done a foolish thing in coming here" the old man stated, voice heavy with threat. Thomas nodded in agreement, his perpetually bored gaze looking down on the dark-haired man.
"Yes, although I must admit you've made my job a lot easier" he added. Hugo smirked.
"Ah, Thomas Zollzero. Youngest of the siblings, yet with probably the most annoying array of spells. However, I can state with great confidence that nothing will happen to me here, and I will most certainly not be coming with you and your group to have my memories picked clean of their information" Hugo stated. Makarov furrowed his brow.
"How so?" he asked. Thomas seemed to pout momentarily, before shaking his head.
"It's impossible for you to escape, I've tagged you so that should you even attempt any teleportation or other such tricks, I will make all the magic power in your body explode at once. You would just end up in a million pieces" the boy stated. Hugo laughed.
"Just what I would expect of you, Thomas, however… I will escape, and here's why…" with that Hugo drew from his pocket a small lacrima, before throwing it up into the air, where it hovered for a moment, glowing softly. With a click of his fingers, the crystal began shining more brightly, filling the air with numerous light screens, similar to those of Archive, each with a different image on them. One in particular caught my eyes, so too did it catch Thomas'.
It showed the Patriarch, the very man who only a week ago had banished his children after attacking our guild, beaten, bruised and bound in what looked to be a dark, dirty cell.
"Oh no…" Thomas breathed. Hugo laughed.
"Oh yes, we have your beloved father in custody, and now… if you don't want him killed, you will listen to what I have to say and then let me peacefully on my way" the dark-haired man mused.
Thomas frowned. "Damn it…" he cursed. I listened to the dejectedness of the boy's voice, before feeling dread rise in my own chest; it seemed like this was not going to end well.
Despite all that, one vague thought did make me smirk, albeit only for a moment. Unlike usual… that idiot's missing all the fun I thought to myself.
However, that being said… where the fuck is Natsu?
End of Chapter 27
Chapter Hint; Blood Feud