First of all, I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend (if you celebrate the holiday; if not, then I hope you had just as lovely a weekend). I know I did! I got to sleep for once! Secondly, I apologize for updating so late (it's technically Sunday now, shame on me...). I'm currently juggling three different massive, grade-changing projects, all of which are due on Monday, and I haven't completely finished any of them yet TT^TT I won't be sleeping for a while it seems.
So I hope you'll all forgive this meager college student.
That being said, enjoy!
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 the Ring, it will never let you go.
CHAPTER NINE
Parry
changing the trajectory of an opponent's punch using the gloves to slap away the shot
Lucy swirled a lock of hair between her fingers, heaving a sigh through her nose as she squinted at her computer screen. After the insane week she had sneaking into the underground ring, it almost seemed strange to go back to the normal grind at work.
Explaining to her editor that she was working on a story about an underground crime syndicate wasn't exactly on her paygrade. Not that it mattered. She was going to tell everyone about what was happening.
Still a newbie at the paper, Lucy didn't have much opportunity to prove herself. All she got assigned to her were fluff pieces about local mom and pop shops. Any story she pursued was on her spare time. Her chief seemed very happy about her initiative even if it had earned Lucy some enemies among her colleagues.
It was a waste of a resource to stick her behind a desk day in and day out. Now she was sitting on a story she could protect.
People she wanted to protect.
Protecting them proved to be a long and hard process though, with an unclear end awaiting them. For the next two months, she couldn't do much more than wait, and the knowledge made her want to slam her head against her desk.
Two months of being in the dark. At least she had made sure she would receive the invite to the next tournament, but finding out they took place in such long intervals had only made her stomach flop. Of course, if she thought about it, she was happy for the fighters, even if she knew the break they would be getting was full of strenuous training and not much else. But in the end, it was just prolonged suffering.
The sooner they dug up more information, the sooner she could get to actually helping them.
But for now… she had a local mom to praise.
"Y'know, you've got that look on your face again."
Lucy nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice that came right next to her ear. It was low and brushing, but along with it came the faint buzz of alcohol and a throaty laugh.
"Cana!" Lucy gaped at her, whipping around to glare at her friend. "Don't sneak up on people like that. You're bound to give me a heart attack!"
Lucy's friend didn't seem to mind, her hips swaying as she plopped down in a seat across from her, a coffee mug right at her lips.
Lucy thought she detected the faint hint of khalua mixed with creamer emanating from Cana's morning fix of caffeine.
"Sorry, girl, didn't mean to scare ya," Cana drawled back at her. Her feet found their way into Lucy's lap, forcing the blonde to shift her hands so her friend's heels wouldn't dig into her thighs. "You've been missing in action ever since you started that secret piece you're working on!"
Lucy flashed her an apologetic smile, even as Cana scooted closer to drop her chin on her shoulder.
"Can't you give me even a tiny hint?" Cana whined at her.
"Sorry, no can do," Lucy hummed and shook her head.
Cana snorted and backed away. She pouted behind the lip of her coffee mug, taking a sip of her secret brew and Lucy smiled again.
Sure, she wanted to tell Cana all about the Ring - she wanted to tell everyone about it. That was the whole point, it was why she'd become a journalist. But, thoughtlessly giving another person all the dirty, gritty information would paint a bright red target on their back. And if Cana was anything like Lucy - which she was - she would rush headlong into the fray, reckless as could be.
If anything bad happened to Cana, Lucy would never be able to forgive herself.
Again, it all came down to protecting people.
So, though it was hard to sit there and pretend to be clueless, and do nothing for two months, Lucy would endure. She had to.
"Hmm, okay," Cana licked her lips after taking another sip, "if you won't tell me about your super secret story, then maybe you should tell me what else is going on with you."
Lucy frowned. "What do you mean?"
The brunette's wicked grin should have been warning enough. "Don't play dumb, Lu," chastised Cana. "You've had this...twinkle in your eye and skip in your step. At first I thought maybe you'd just bought a new pair of shoes or something but I really don't think so now. Don't think I didn't notice."
This was news to Lucy, who just blinked at her friend.
Had she been noticeably different? She didn't recall this twinkle in her eye and skip in her step, but Cana seemed pretty sure of herself.
"You seeing someone?"
Even though she wasn't drinking anything, Lucy spluttered and almost fell out of her chair. She reeled, fixing Cana with an incredulous stare.
Seeing someone?
"No!"
Honestly, Lucy thought with a roll of her eyes. She was "seeing someone" she supposed, but not in the romantic way her friend was implying. She was sneaking into an underground crime ring and fraternizing with a captive man who probably hadn't seen the outside world in over 15 years. Sure, he was hot - more than hot, really - but that wasn't what she was focused on.
And not his fantastic abs either. No, she was working to set him free.
It totally wasn't romantic at all -
"Oh? Then why are you blushing?" came Cana's smug voice, practically a purr.
With horror, Lucy realized that, indeed, her cheeks were burning. Slapping her hands on her face she glared at Cana's Cheshire-cat grin. "I'm not blushing," she protested, "it's just a little warm in here…"
But the argument and her voice were both weak with surprise.
Not very convincing at all.
Yet, Cana only nodded sagely. "Sure, sure…" She took another sip of her homemade irish coffee and winked at Lucy. "But, really, when you're ready to share the deets - about both - I'm all ears."
That was part of what made Cana such a good friend.
She was a gossip-monger and she was pushy at times, but she knew when to let things lie. And it was such a relief during times like this.
Lucy blew out a breath, willing the burning in her cheeks to subside. "Thanks," she said.
Cana shrugged.
"Oh, yeah, I had an actual reason for coming to see you," Cana snickered, finally dropping her feet back to the floor. "I'm writing the fortunes column again so I was wondering if I could have my cards back?"
Shit, the cards…
Lucy had almost forgotten all about them. And the fact that she kinda, sorta, maybe gave them away.
"Oh...about that," she whispered and ducked her head to apologize. "I'm so sorry, Cana, but I lost them. I promise I'll buy you a brand new set." Lucy glanced up to see that her friend's face had gone slack with shock.
"You lost them?" Cana echoed, nose wrinkling with disappointment. "Come on, Lu...those were my favorite trick cards!"
"I know, I'm sorry." Lucy reached over and patted her arm in comfort. But she knew that Cana wasn't all that mad. Even so, Lucy felt like she should offer more. "I'll buy you a drink, too. Will that make you feel better?"
If there was one thing that Cana couldn't resist, it was free booze.
And the brunette knew that, judging by the stubborn square of her jaw that was offset by the glint in her brown eyes.
"...Maybe," Cana muttered after a moment, and Lucy laughed.
"Just let me finish up here and we can go on our break," Lucy flashed her a wheedling grin. She batted her eyes at her friend, hoping she would cave.
Cana lasted precisely six seconds before she sighed and wrapped an arm around Lucy's head, dropping it into her chest.
"All right, girl, you win. But it better be the expensive top-shelf stuff," Cana pouted and swept upwards, "And we're getting my cards now. Deadline won't wait for a new deck!"
Conceding defeat, Lucy nodded and saved her file. Top shelf alcohol for Cana's taste? Oh, this was going to be a very expensive deck of cards she was about to buy.
But in the end, it was worth the expression on Natsu's face when he held them.
- :: -
"Bullshit!"
"Damn it, you got me again!" Natsu declared dramatically, amused by the girl's red cheeks as she was forced to call out such a crude word. "I'm getting revenge!"
He dealt out the cards through the narrow bars of Wendy's cage, where she took them from him with a pensive expression. "Natsu," she started with an excited edge to her voice, "can we play another game?"
Natsu pouted. "But my friend only taught me this one," he said, rubbing his chin.
Lucy had held out the cards to him with an excited smile, and he had taken them into his hands like a small treasure. They'd played for a while, and Natsu had delighted in his occasional victories. But damn, she was good. He suspected she might even have let him win once or twice. She'd been surprised when he'd asked if he could keep the cards, but had pressed on no further, for which he had been grateful. The only thing she'd wanted to know was how he'd smuggle them, and, grinning, he had concealed them in the folds of his scarf.
"That's okay," Wendy said with a smile, "I can teach you a new one. It's called Rat Screw."
"Rat Screw?" Natsu repeated, leaning forward until his nose touched the bars.
"It's a game I learned in the orphanage," she told him, a reminiscent smile on her lips. "My best friend taught me."
The memory seemed to upset her all over again, and Natsu damned the cage that kept him from pulling her into a hug. Straightening his hand, he carefully reached through the bars and petted her head.
"Can you teach me?"
Wendy nodded, welcoming his distraction. She started explaining the game to him, hushed yet eagerly, as she arranged the cards. Natsu watched her fondly. She was like a ray of sunshine down here in the dump he was forced to call a home.
Her nose had healed, but was just the tiniest bit crooked. New bruises covered her arms, a sign of the harsh training she was put through day by day, but for now it seemed that at least the abuse had lessened a little.
Maybe it was a sign she was getting stronger. It was just like Acnologia to reward someone with less beating when they did something right. Positive reinforcement was not part of his vocabulary.
Shit, if only he could convince Zeref to let him train her again.
For now, he guessed, he should be grateful he could see her at all. It was only through his special privileges that Zeref allowed him an hour a day by her side.
During the weeks he had been locked away in the dungeon, he'd been worried sick. At least the knowledge that Acnologia was pummeling him only had put his mind at ease a little. He'd gladly taken the hits if it meant Wendy was safe for the time being.
They only had time for one test round before the doors to the basement opened, shedding in more light than had been provided by the sorry, dirty lightbulbs.
Three men stood in the doorframe, and one of them moved through the rows of cages to come to a halt beside where Natsu was crouching, giving him a kick to the hip.
"Special time's over, princess," he sneered. "Back to your room."
That bastard again. It was like he was seeking him out.
Natsu growled lowly, casting an apologetic glance at Wendy. "Hey, we'll play more next time, alright?"
Before he could make out her response, he was yanked to his feet. Ripping his hand free with a snarl that earned him a slap to the face, Natsu glared at the man. He'd forgotten how good it felt to fight back.
But he couldn't risk the time he got to spend with Wendy.
Maybe this was exactly why Zeref was letting him see her. To his brother, she was like a second cat. Something he could use to manipulate Natsu. But even if he knew this, he couldn't help it. The method was more effective than any beating ever would be.
And so he let himself be dragged off roughly, limiting himself to indifference and the occasional angry grunt as they made a game of rubbing his face against the wall and tossing him about like a ragdoll.
Only when he was alone, trapped in the confinements of his own room, did he deliver a punch to the wall that made the mortar flake off where he hit, leaving behind a small indent and blood from his knuckles.
He panted, not retracting his fist until the wave of rage had washed over him, leaving him worn out and resigned. Happy stroked along his calves.
There was no escape from this hell, and he hated it.
Ahhhh, everyone needs a Cana in their life, no? And anyone else play Rat Screw? It happens to be my favorite ufufu...
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Next time! Chapter 10: Puncher's Chance