PLEASE READ!
Here's a short chapter our lovelies, but fear not, the next chapter is longer!
We've had some questions over why Lucy is biding her time and doing 'nothing,' at the moment she's trying to get Natsu to trust her and build a relationship. Why Lucy doesn't call the 'cops' to take down the ring, is because... she's not really at the ring? The organization that run the various rings don't operate out of where the fighters compete. So even if Lucy blows the whistle on one location, they'll just set up shop somewhere else if she doesn't get Zeref or the other ring masters. Wendy isn't at the ring Natsu is. The ring they fight at and the place they are being held are two SEPARATE places. Hope that answers that
Natsu is able to smuggle something like ribbons and cards in because they're non-metal, he gets searched for anything electronic or can be used as a weapon before he gets sent anywhere. Lucy can't give him a tracker.
Lucy is from old money, she does not survive off the money she makes as a reporter. Her family is wealthy and she's the sole heir.
CHAPTER 12
throw in the towel
When the chief second in a fighter's corner wants to stop the fight, he throws a towel into the ring.
Natsu grunted as he woke up in the middle of the night. Something unusual was happening just outside his cell.
His eyes widened and he jumped up to his feet, heart racing as he sprinted to the small window that served as a food slot. From his narrow field of vision, he was able to determine the men running around all had the Sabertooth symbols either on bandannas, t-shirts, or tattoos. He frowned, craning his neck to see what was going on.
Sabertooth had just arrived a day early since their members would be breaking down the old cells Tartaros and Phantom occupied to take their place for an internal tournament they were having right afterwards. But for them to be making so much noise…?
Closing his eyes, Natsu pressed his ear to the door slot, straining to hear what had thrown the entire ring into chaos. It seemed even Tartaros was going to lend Sabertooth aid, which was unusual considering they weren't exactly on friendly terms with one another.
But then he heard it.
It was a sound he knew all too well, having heard it a multitude of times. It made something curl in his gut with fear, and he hugged Happy to his chest protectively.
There was a horrible yowling, almost drowned out by a man's screams as he begged for them to stop.
The panicked screams were bad enough, but what made Natsu feel sick to the point he could taste bile at the back of his throat was what followed right after. Because the yowling stopped - but in that wet, sickening way, followed by a sticky crunch that had his stomach revolting. There was a horrified silence, and Natsu knew it was one felt by all of the imprisoned fighters down the hall.
Happy nudged up against Natsu's arm, his fur standing off in all directions, and he collected his feline between shaky hands. He trembled in rage and fear, hating those men for so callously snuffing out a life, disgusted that he was unable to do anything to even protect his own cat should they want to do the same to him.
One, two, three breaths passed.
A wail of agonized screaming that seemed to shake the very bars of Natsu's door tore through the halls. Hazily, Natsu realized he recognized that cry. He'd fought that opponent once in the previous set of bouts. The Light Twin Dragon. He was the one who had lost his cat, and Natsu couldn't help sympathize for him.
Then there was the panic.
Natsu waited, nervous and anxious, as something began to happen that he could not see. The sounds of a fight drifted over to him, and he almost strained his neck as he tried to catch a glance of what was going on. But he didn't really have to see. Part of him knew what was happening. Sometimes, they drove the fighters too far. Sometimes, they snapped. It was something he had never bore witness to. At the very edge of his vision, he saw the guards stop mid-step in their trek to stop the Twin Dragon. He didn't know which was more frightening, the chaos or the calm.
Because if he didn't know any better - then Sabertooth had just gotten a new Master.
Lucy wasn't sure if she could say she had fallen into a routine or not, because if it was one, it was certainly the strangest one. She would wake up, go to her job at the paper, check in and file her sources. Occasionally she would have to dodge Cana, who was too slick for her own good, and was convinced Lucy was sneaking off to see a man instead of doing her reporting duties.
She wasn't wrong. At least not entirely.
Then Lucy would spend the rest of the evening under Cancer's careful hand's as he spun her hair into elegant twists and braids, or sometimes styled it to hang down around her face. This time it was the latter as he steamed large, bouncy curls into her hair. She would then get dressed, picking out one of her more opulent gowns from when she used to attend her father's galas. Often he had Lucy attend once she was older to serve as a way of luring men into easier deals for him.
And for a while, she had played along. Lucy wanted to remain on his good side, so she could fund her own search for the Ring. While she was still allowed to do her own research, she had no problem with assisting her father on building onto the Heartfilia estate. Since her kidnapping, and her mother's own failing health afterwards, her father had become cold and distant.
She supposed eventually, he had no idea how to deal with a traumatized daughter, and instead hired her bodyguards as her babysitters and tenders.
It had been a while since she needed them, but they had become her close friends. Now every then and again she would call on their services for assistance.
This time she picked out a shorter dress, hoping she wouldn't have to run, but being prepared in case she did.
Or if she ended up on Salamander's lap again.
The thought made her blush, but she did not feel ashamed for wanting what she wanted. If she were being honest with herself, this job she had gotten herself involved in was becoming far more dangerous in ways she hadn't thought to anticipate.
Sometimes when Salamander flashed her one of those wide, happy smiles of his, she thought her heart would burst from her chest. Ever since they had that discussion about his father, there had been something different about the way he acted around her. Almost protective.
His eyes would linger on the guards after their time was up, a hard glint to them she didn't quite understand. She had a feeling he knew something she didn't by the way he looked at them. It made her nervous, like there was something he was trying to threaten them about, but couldn't actually say. Regardless, she was grateful for his strange way of looking out for her.
There were other times when he was so silly and excited just to learn a new cardgame or trick. The first time Lucy showed him a magic trick, his head nearly exploded when she showed him his correct card. He had spent the next forty minutes straight trying to duplicate the move. Every which one ended in absolute failure.
Spending time with Salamander was worth every penny, and he grew more comfortable with her at each visit. Sometimes when he was very tired after a match, Lucy would open her book and he'd drop right off to sleep right next to Happy. He would sleep for a good chunk of time, recovering in the bed and within the safety of the walls where no one would get to him. Once he even slept the whole time, jumping only when Lucy gently shook him awake before the guards came to get him.
He looked a little disappointed she hadn't woken him up sooner, and Lucy couldn't help but feel a bubble of pride that the fearsome Salamander of the underground ring liked to spend as much time with her as she did with him.
She began to get small pieces of information from him, things he didn't even realize he was giving her. After he spoke about the girl he protected, Wendy, Lucy dug into that, asking him questions on whether or not they had fun together or if she had learned anything new.
The moment he had let it slip she knew the same style he did, it had clenched their investigation. To find Wendy, they had go discover the Tartaros' headquarters. Gajeel wanted to pull her out after that moment, but the police had agreed to finish this tournament up to see if they could squeeze anything else out of Salamander.
Lucy knew if she wanted to find anything else about him, this would be her only opportunity. It was the last day of the second tournament, and any other attempts she made to contact Salamander would be without police back up.
She would continue to see him, with or without their help, but there was no doubt this was her last chance to try and find out who he was.
Brushing her hands along her dress to free it of any clinging lint, she got into her car and drove to the meet up spot with Gajeel.
Even when Lucy laid down next to Salamander, his face lax with sleep and expression drowsy, he refused to reveal his name to her. Instead he would roll over onto his opposite side, hike the blanket higher over his head and disappear further into his blankets.
This time though.
This time she would get somewhere with her search.
Whether he wanted her to or not.
She patted her purse, ensuring she had everything she needed tucked away. Anything that she could feasibly smuggle into the room without raising suspicions.
It was time for her to put a name to Salamander's face.
Gajeel's expression was clouded and dark when Lucy got wired up. Before she could take more than a couple of steps towards the door to Levy's van, she was stopped by his large hand wrapping around her arm.
She blinked at him, curious over the expression on his face. He looked torn, like he was struggling on the precipice of something. Patiently, she waited for him to voice what was bothering him, knowing that if she pushed he would pull away just as fast.
"Bunny girl," his voice, while holding a rough edge that was typical for him, seemed much softer than usual. Even his scarlet eyes were gentled, almost pitying. Gajeel looked sad. "Don't forget what we're here for. After tonight, you gotta be able to walk away."
She had to be able to leave Salamander behind. Never see him again until the day they brought the Ring down.
Indecision never even came to the forefront of her mind. What Gajeel was asking of her was impossible. It had been from the instant on she locked eyes with Salamander in that pool. Not when he was so close to her. Close enough to finally touch and hold after years of being separated.
It didn't matter that he didn't remember her. They were friends now, and he couldn't be left to sit in a pit for the rest of his life. Lucy would not allow it.
And if she could not get him out until they brought down this horrible organization, then she would go back in, again and again, until they could walk out together.
It seemed Gajeel saw this determination of hers, because he let his arm drop to his side in a gesture of resignation, brows pulling together as if he was suffering from a headache.
"Damn, Lucy," he mumbled. "What did you get yourself into?"
His gaze was far too knowing, and Lucy tried to ignore the way her guts twisted. He wasn't talking about the Ring now, and the implication of what he meant was something Lucy wasn't sure she was completely willing to face.
Because what did it mean for someone to fall in love with a doomed man?
Shaking her head, Lucy pulled away.
Her footsteps were clipped, her heart racing as she all but fled the Hackmobile, unable to face the devastated face of Levy or the grim one Gajeel wore. Her friends were worried for her and her obsession, but she couldn't leave him there.
Not when Salamander looked at her with a bright smile and a welcome laugh.
Not when he was already (finally, after all these years) beginning to heal, and she could slowly peel away the layers of bitterness and distrust and replace them with openness and joy. At least a little. As best as she could.
So with that in mind, and an apology to her friends already silent on her lips, Lucy went back in to see Salamander for the last time.
...until the next two months.
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