Omg such a resounding response for the prologue! Wow! Some of you left such lengthy and detailed reviews that made us squeal. Thank you! Even the simplest one or two words of praise is enough to make us smile. We're so happy that you guys like ITR so far.

Let's hope you're reading to get down into the meat of the story, yeah?

Also we had a few questions/concerns in the reviews that I'd like to address. This story will be updated weekly as mentioned in the author's note last chapter (I apologize, I probably should have bolded it last time because it was in a wall of text aha). And it might be best to keep from assuming things from the prologue alone. Because nothing is ever as it seems in the Ring...

As always, any and all reviews are appreciated! We'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions!

rated: M for mature content

summary: In a world of underground fighting only the strong survive, abiding by the rules of kill or be killed. In the Ring, a feeble emotion like hope is all it takes to destroy you. And yet it exists– and those who hold onto it play a dangerous game. But once you enter into the Ring, it will never let you go.

CHAPTER ONE

Sanctioning Body

a group that organizes world title bouts

Fifteen years later...

Gajeel Redfox wasn't a man of many words. He never had been, preferring to stay to himself instead of mingling with his peers and grabbing a beer with them after work. Of course he was friendly enough to his partner and a select few in the department, but most were too afraid to go anywhere near the frightening-looking detective.

He was a tall beast of a man, with wild black hair that fell down his back. His right arm was scarred, but that was hardly the most frightening thing about him.

It was the rows of piercings that were studded in his flesh along his arms and in his face. Each silver piece flashed when he scowled, or when his arms flexed in a menacing gesture. When he was in a black mood, people ran for cover and vacated the gym where he usually went to blow off some steam.

His appearance hardly met department regulations, but that, and the cat that followed him around, were conveniently overlooked by his captain.

Because if anyone ever needed back up, Redfox was the one they wanted in their corner. So everyone ignored the long hair, and no one asked about the cat.

He was a perfect addition to Vice as one of their detectives. The way he spoke and looked only served to intimidate junkies and dealers. But to those who he knew and trusted on his squad, Gajeel was a softie.

And unfortunately, some people tried to take advantage of that fact.

Namely, one blonde journalist and her small, cute friend. The pair always tried to squeeze him for information they needed and, dammit, it worked most of the time-much to Gajeel's aggravation.

He just couldn't say no.

And whenever he tried to get them to back off with a glare or a snarl, they just giggled and patted his arm. Like they were trying to calm an angry kitten - there, there, yes you're very frightening, so scary. None of his usual scare tactics worked with them.

So he had resigned himself to simply accepting their spontaneous visits to the precinct.

When he caught a flash of bouncing blue hair out of the corner of his eye, Gajeel heaved a sigh and waited for the inevitable.

"Surprise!" A young woman, barely tall enough to reach Gajeel's chest, flung her slender arms around his middle.

He made an odd grunting noise, as if to protest, but immediately consented when his arm came around to rest over her shoulders. "Oy, Levy, this's a precinct. You just can't be flingin' yourself at a cop." Gajeel scowled at her, but she appeared completely immune since he lacked any real threat to his words.

He was such a pushover.

"I can't?" Levy asked, her eyes falsely wide in a show of innocence. "Not even when Lucy and I brought you cake?"

The studs over the ridge of his eye lifted and he glanced over her shoulder. "Bunny girl is here too? Cuz I don't see any cake."

That was when Levy pointed under Gajeel's elbow back towards his desk. A sly smile was on her face, faintly apologetic, but the detective was already whipping around to see his traitorous partner gleefully showing off their current case to his MIA blonde friend.

"Lockser! The hell are you doing?" Gajeel stomped over and yanked the file from his partner's hands. He glared at both women, neither one even batting an eye. When that didn't work, he turned his narrowed eyes to his cat who was sitting on his cat-cushion and blinking demurely at the whole group.

Pantherlily yawned, stretching out his paws.

Some guard cat he was.

"Juvia was just showing Miss Lucy the case we were working on while Miss Levy distracted you," Gajeel's partner said with a deceptive air of innocence.

Gajeel growled out a sigh of frustration but snapped his attention over towards his friend…

...who was currently trying to peek into a stack of unopened files.

Gajeel slammed his hand on top of the stack and leaned over with a scowl. "Get your journalist nose outta my cases, Heartfilia."

The woman sitting in his chair like it was some sort of throne looked at him with mischievous eyes, partially obscured by her long, blonde hair. She pouted at him, looking a little put out that she had been caught so soon.

"C'mon, Gajeel, don't be such a hardass. It's your birthday, we bought you cake!" Lucy pointed towards the edge of his desk.

And sure enough, there was a large cake - in the shape of a screw - resting there.

"It's your favorite," Levy teased from behind, and Gajeel turned enough to see she had picked up his black cat and gathered him safely into her arms.

Said black cat settled with content, purring away happily as Levy stroked his fur and scratched the special place behind his left ear. With most people, Lily's reaction would have been volatile - he hadn't received that scar on his eye for being a good, sweet kitty. But, to Levy - and basically anyone else Gajeel considered a friend - the cat was all but harmless.

He was a ham if anything.

A traitorous ham, Gajeel noted with a snort.

Juvia crossed her arms, looking quite unhappy. "Why did Gajeel never tell Juvia it was his birthday today? She is such a bad partner!"

Gajeel huffed. "Not like it's my actual birthday anyways," he muttered.

"Huh?" Juvia cocked her head, having caught his words.

"Can't remember my real birthday," he clarified, and Juvia's face fell, any kind of playful accusation ridden off her face. "Today's the day I got out."

Her mouth dropped open into a silent 'O' as those words registered and her expression sobered. It was a well known fact among those who knew Gajeel the closest that he did not come from an normal past. No, his was filled with abuse and blood, of forced combat with high stakes and low rewards.

He had been kidnapped as a child, as most were, and raised in an environment where you either fought, or you died. There was hardly ever any escape. Once the Ring had its claws in you, there was no hope for a normal life afterwards. There was no profit in letting a fighter go, not when the rich wanted to watch a bloodsport without official rulings or refs. More often than not, if a fighter scrubbed out, they were taken out back and killed.

Gajeel had been one of the lucky ones. After a fight gone bad, the Master of his ring, Phantom Lord, had deemed him unworthy of continuing. He had been taken out to the back of the old warehouse.

Even now he could remember what it was like, dark and cloudy with a torrent of rain pouring down on him. The water had chilled him to the bone right away, and cooled the aches he received from his opponent. It was so rare he got a chance to see the outside, and he remembered thinking it was a shame he wouldn't get to see the sun again.

He had been forced down to his knees on the concrete, his hands jerked behind his head and fingers interlocked. Gajeel had closed his eyes, trying to breathe past a bloody nose and the ache in his ribs. He could still feel those seconds before the gun was about to go off like each one was a strike - harder than the last.

But then he had been saved, by a slip of a girl with blonde hair and an army of bodyguards flanking her on either side.

Lucy, Heiress of the Heartfilia family.

And for some reason she seemed very interested in saving him.

It was then she told him of how she had been held captive by one of the Rings before, and she was searching for the boy who helped her escape. She had somehow managed to catch wind of a fight going on here, and as a result had rushed over with her guards to see if she could free him. Lucy's optimism had been blinding, if a little naive. But it had saved Gajeel, and that was good enough for him.

So he told her what he knew. Her expression had deflated for a mere second when he revealed the existence of two more Rings to her - and that the one she had discovered was Phantom Lord.

Not the one she was looking for.

Much to his amazement, this hadn't discouraged her. Instead, Lucy pressed on, welcoming Gajeel into her home and helping him adjust to life outside a ring. Even helping him finish school. They both shared similar goals. Both wanted to bring the Ring down, but not just one - all of them.

"Then it is a happy day, is it not?" Juvia asked, bringing Gajeel's mind back to the present.

He huffed and eyed the three women who looked content to gang up on him with their optimism. "Yeah, yeah, it sure is," Gajeel grunted, and watched Levy tug Juvia over towards the cake to cut themselves some slices.

He leaned towards Lucy, whose wide eyed gaze of innocence didn't fool him one bit. He knew there was no point in trying to intimidate the girl, she had nerves of steel and rose to nothing. On that same note, Gajeel knew Lucy's schedule well enough to know there wasn't much wiggle room for dropping off a cake impromptu - especially when they already had made plans for that evening.

"So, tell me what you're really here for," Gajeel muttered. "I know it ain't just to snoop in my files. You'd do that anyway without the distraction of a cake."

Lucy gave him a sly smile, her fingers curling up under her chin and she propped her head up to him. "You're absolutely right. Levy is usually more than enough to keep you occupied."

Never had Gajeel's entire body flushed a shade of red so fast in his life. His mouth opened and closed in a gape similar to that of a fish, and Lucy was treated to the rare sight of Gajeel squirming.

In fact he had gone so stock still at her words, Lucy wasn't even sure he was breathing anymore. She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes, grinning when his red eyes followed the movement. Deciding to have mercy on the poor man, Lucy reached into her purse and shook out a crumpled newspaper she shoved in the bag.

It was still a little stained with her morning coffee, and the crumbs of the bagel she had half-devoured on her mad rush to work were caught between the pages. Not that Gajeel would much care about a bit of messiness, after all he had such a one track mind it wasn't likely he'd notice.

"You know how I started writing for the paper?" Lucy asked, dropping it onto his desk and flipping rapidly through the papers until she got to the right section. "Well a co-worker of mine wrote this article; it's a simple piece about a runaway from the local orphanage that segues into a discussion on treating homeless children."

"Okay?" Gajeel frowned, not seeing the point behind the article. His eyes flashed over the text with disinterest, but couldn't pick up on any of the pertinent details.

Reading had never been his strong suit, and he only tended to do it when he was looking carefully over reports.

"I think my co-worker left out facts or didn't cover the story properly," Lucy rushed out in a quiet voice. "I think this girl was kidnapped!"

"Why?" Gajeel asked, his fingertips dragging across the thin paper. "Your own colleague wrote the girl probably ran away."

"I don't think she would, though. From everything I heard about her at the home, she was a sweet and timid girl." Lucy jabbed her finger into the papers, tapping. "She isn't the type to run away from a group home. It sounded like she had a good thing going for her."

"Going behind your colleague's back to double check their fact finding and debunk their articles? You must be real popular at the paper," Gajeel jabbed.

Lucy didn't bite. "I'm right, Gajeel, just look into it yourself and you'll see that I am," she pried.

Gajeel made a frustrated sound, but he seemed to relent under her pressing. He glanced behind himself to see if Levy was still distracting Juvia before continuing in a hushed whisper, "Okay, say you're right, at worst this is a kidnapping - you should be bringing it to Major Crimes. Not Vice." He leveled a sour look on Lucy. "I already have plenty of side jobs to look into if you recall."

This seemed like the wrong thing to say if the dangerous flash to Lucy's eyes was any inclination. Her hand slammed into Gajeel's desk inches away from his own large one, her gaze furious. "Look again."

Reluctant, his eyes dropped down to the paper with an obedience that spoke of self preservation. He was a tough guy, but Lucy's kick was nothing to joke around about.

"Wendy Marvell?" Gajeel frowned at the name. "Why does that sound familiar?"

Lucy's angry expression melted into one of happiness, her face practically glowing. She leaned over his desk, cheeks flushed with an excitement that, Gajeel knew from past experiences, only ended in broken bones and a trip to the hospital.

"Wendy Marvell is a youth champion in her fighting division," Lucy pressed, her finger dragging to a line in the article that had truly captured her attention the first time she saw it. "Look at her practicing style."

Gajeel leaned over the piece of paper, casting his shadow across the lines of writing. Nonetheless, his eyes fixed on the words she had wanted him to see in a split second.

Dragonslaying arts.

His breath caught, but he made sure to remain outwardly unimpressed.

Moving back and picking the folder up with him, he gave her one of his darkest looks. But when his eyes met Lucy's, he knew he had not fooled her.

"You know what this means," Lucy rushed through her words. "The Ring is finally surfacing again. After five years of laying low, they need fresh blood to bring in new revenue. A fighter like Wendy wouldn't be easy to kidnap and with the direction her life was heading there isn't a reason for her to run away!"

Even if Lucy was just grasping at straws, stringing together a story with few facts...Gajeel had to admit that it sounded plausible. The more she talked, the more he found himself willing to listen.

This was how it happened every time.

"You of all people know how hard it is to take down a practitioner of dragonslaying. It's so rare, she's the only known child to study it." Lucy gave Gajeel a firm, knowing look. "There are a few undocumented cases, of course."

"Bunny girl - "

"Now, I have a contact that owes me a favor and she told me there's a fight coming up with some major hotshots in the Ring and audience." Lucy curled her hands into excited fists, the papers crinkling. "She also told me the red corner will be occupied by Tartaros in the visitors' slot."

She was barely stopping for breath, her determination pushing her onward so she didn't even notice how Gajeel was looming over her.

"If you could just get one of your contacts to swing a ticket then maybe I could - "

Gajeel knew the direction she was heading, and before she could get another word out, he slammed the file back onto his desk. "No," he ground out with a scowl.

"No?" Lucy looked taken aback, as did Levy who abruptly turned away from Juvia.

They glanced at each other, as if the thought that he might say no had never occurred to them. Admittedly, it was very rare when it actually happened.

"Gajeel," Lucy murmured after a moment, "don't you realize that this could be our chance? We've been searching for this ring for so long and have had nothing but dust and stale trails to go on. This is our first real clue," she said, grabbing the file for emphasis and shaking it. "We need to follow where it leads!"

"I can tell you where it's gonna lead," Gajeel growled as he snatched the folder. "It's gonna lead right to the Ring's front door."

Lucy crossed her arms, cocking her hip. "And?"

"And it's too dangerous!" he bellowed. "Do you have any idea of what goes on in that place, Lucy? Any fuckin' idea at all?" The use of her real name startled her, as evidenced by her sharp intake, and Gajeel forced himself to exhale slowly. "Of course you do," he muttered then, forcing down his anger, "you were there…"

Sometimes he forgot that.

He forgot that Lucy had seen the Ring for herself with her own eyes. That she'd, against all odds, escaped...and then helped him do the same.

Counting to five, Gajeel closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "You're not gonna let this go...are you?"

Lucy Heartfilia, a journalist, was the epitome of stubborn.

And she'd dedicated her life to uncovering and disbanding the operation that had stolen so much of Gajeel's life. And the lives of so many others. She wouldn't rest until she'd accomplished that goal.

When he opened his eyes again, she had a small smile on her face. Both reassuring and cheeky as she shook her head. "Nope."

She'd go rushing into this headfirst, with or without backup.

Someone had to cover her ass. Because if she got hurt, he'd probably never forgive himself.

"All right, fine," Gajeel sighed. "But I'm going with you."

He hated the Ring. He hated everything it stood for, and the thought of it was enough to make his hands itch. Even now, five years after his rescue, he woke from vivid night terrors in a cold sweat. But he too had made a vow to destroy the vile organization, it was why he'd become a detective, why he'd forced himself to adapt to society - or more aptly put, reality.

He was prepared to go back if they needed him.

What he was not prepared for were the vehement protests from both Lucy and Levy. "No!" they shouted, their voices clashing.

The precinct was eerily quiet as his colleagues raised silent brows.

Of course, he had expected resistance from Lucy, but Levy was a surprise. Her small face was pinched in a frown, golden eyes hot and angry. She crossed her arms and angled a look at him that almost made Gajeel want to take a step back.

For such a small woman, she could be downright frightening.

"You're not going in there without backup, Bunny girl. No if's, and's, or but's," Gajeel said, giving his back to Levy after the precinct was once again filled with busy noises. "And since I'm the only one here who's been workin' the damn case, then that means that I - "

"You can't, Gajeel," Lucy interrupted with a shake of her head. "That place...it isn't good for you. Who knows how it will affect you if you go back."

It would, he was sure, affect him...poorly. And that was a shitty way of putting it.

It would probably be better to say that if he ever set foot in the Ring again, he'd be likely to suffer a mental break. He'd finally lose it.

But there were lives other than his own at stake. Innocent ones.

Gajeel lifted a shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. "Yeah, maybe," he admitted. "But I'm still gonna -"

"No." Levy's firm voice cut through his at the same time that he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. She gave a weak yank, and he wheeled around to stare down at her. "That's not the only reason. You're way too recognizable, Gajeel… There's no way they'd forget someone like you, especially since you escaped," she whispered, big eyes tracking over his prominent features.

The metal piercings that dotted his face, decorated his arms, and other hidden parts of him.

Falling stiff and silent, Gajeel realized that she was right. His hands clenched at his sides as he fought the urge to duck away from her gaze.

Who would forget, after all, a teenager with more metal in his body than common sense?

And even if he took those piercings out, which he doubted he could, there was no changing his eyes. It wasn't the color of them that gave him away - a deep, bloody red - it was the haunted, empty, soulless gaze that eventually infected all of the Ring's fighters like an illness.

That mark lasted for a lifetime.

Even on his "good days" Gajeel had trouble not scaring people half out of their wits with eye contact alone.

"You're right," he breathed on a huge sigh. "They'd peg me in two seconds and it'd ruin the whole thing. I can't go anywhere near that place without raisin' twenty fuckin' red flags… But you sure as hell aren't goin' in there alone, you understand me?" He swung a glower to Lucy, who smiled sheepishly.

He didn't think he'd ever be able to explain just how grateful he was that she and Levy never cowered even when he was at his worst.

Lucy just shook off the look like it was dust on her jacket, nodding. "Gajeel, of course I'm not going in alone. I'm not stupid, you know."

No, she wasn't stupid. In fact, she was pretty smart when she wanted to be - and ruthless too.

"Levy's going to wire me up and keep watch from the Hackmobile a few blocks away," Lucy told him, to which he stiffened again.

She wanted to drag Levy into this mess?

A million protests bubbled up his throat - she had no part in this, it was too dangerous, what if she got hurt - but before they could spill out, there was a tentative hand on his arm. The bunched muscles loosened and Gajeel realized he'd gripped the edge of his desk so tightly that his fingers had left small dents in the surface.

He inhaled slowly and counted to five.

"I'll be away from any danger," Levy's soft voice came, her hand on his arm squeezing for emphasis. "And I'll still be close enough to hack into their video and surveillance systems so I can keep an eye on Lu."

It was a good plan, Gajeel had to admit. Even though he didn't like it.

But he drew the line at Levy.

"I'm comin' with you. In the Hackmobile," he clarified before either of the women could shoot him down again. "I need to supervise."

He wouldn't be able to do anything, he knew that. Levy was an expert hacker and could keep track of Lucy just fine on her own - and she also happened to drive like a bat out of hell. The girls would be okay even if he didn't go...but he needed to be there.

Even if it was just as unneeded backup.

"But don't get all gung-ho on me," Gajeel snapped at the glow on Lucy's face. The one which told him he had gotten played by her doe eyes and hopeful smile. Again.

"I'll look into this missing person report, and if it's related to human trafficking then I'll make a request with Vice." Gajeel jabbed a meaty finger at her. "We are going through the right channels for this, ya hear? We're gonna make this thing stick and find this little girl."

"All right, Gajeel, just hurry."

And the plot moves forward! Gajeel and his dark past is introduced, along with new mysteries...

Thanks for reviewing: FreshMilkySoul, SpeedyMomentum, Tabasco-Devil, Guest, Guest, MaryDreamer, Guest, Guest, AcerVentus672, Guest, JeslynBoo, Fusion0104, fanficlove2014, Mo0nyMoon, Ryuu91, BlessYourStar21, Droobles. is. a. funny. word, heyitsmogan, Phiafairy, hockettaustin1, Rhianna Park, Dakryma, wishyouweremedontya, Twishadowhunter, Irhina, Prick 'n Improper, That'sRidiculous, KaUiA, Stenabobena, NaLuFTfanatic

Next time! Chapter 2: Caught Cold