Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Fairy Tail. They belong to their respective owner.

A/N: Thank you to fellow readers, old and new especially Stalker, Higrol, imortal12, ScarletFiona, nikkitheprincess, RamenMaker, fictionlover1993, jenny hotkins, RinneSasuke, annarochev, Guest and fizirazak for reviewing the previous chapter and also to those who favorite/follow this story. I really appreciate it.

AssassinErik! This chapter is for you. =)

Please note the changes in the rating for this story. If you are not of suitable age to read M rated story, please do not do so. Thank you and sorry in advance for any mistake.

Chapter 23

"It's not too late to change your mind you know."

Erza rolled her eyes at Sasuke for the umpteenth time today. He really was persistent about her coming with him to Paris. Sure, the exam has ended and she had the right to enjoy herself since the school was also practically over. But being the good and strict girlfriend she was, she didn't want to be a distraction for him when he was going to be there for his job.

"We've discussed this before Sasuke," she said, looking at him pointedly. "I can't go with you to Paris."

She saw Sasuke sighed heavily before he strode towards her and enveloped her smaller frame into his arms. "I'm going miss you Erza," he whispered.

"Me too Sasuke," Erza replied hugging him tighter against her body. He was so warm and she really was going to miss his heat next to her. They just stood hugging like that for a while, neither wanted to let go of each other. As much as she liked to stay glued in his arm forever, he had somewhere he needed to be. "You're going to miss your flight," Erza whispered softly.

"I'll just take the next one then," came his smart ass comeback earning a rare giggle to escape from her lips.

"Seriously Sasuke, your manager is waiting down at the parking lot," Erza stated, looking at him with an amused expression.

"Damn," Sasuke whispered dejectedly. "I totally forgot about Suigetsu for a moment."

"Go," Erza urged him. "You're really going to be late."

Sasuke swooped down and captured her lips in a long tender kiss. "Be careful okay," he said once he broke the kiss.

"You're the one who needs to be careful. I don't trust your fangirl not to jump on you when they have the chance," she countered jokingly.

Sasuke grinned at that. "No one's going to jump on me," he replied. Just then, his phone rang loudly and he cursed under his breath. Erza watched silently as Sasuke fished out his phone from his pocket and read the message.

"Suigetsu?" She inquired.

"Yeah," he drawled. "I need to go," he said miserably.

"It's just two weeks," Erza tried to console him. "You'll be back before you even know it."

Sasuke nodded before he hugged her once more and made his way to the door with Erza in tow. "Take care of yourself Erza," he whispered.

"I will," Erza replied back before she gave him a quick peck on his lips.

"Bye," Sasuke waved at her as he walked away from her.

Erza waved back and stood at her door watching him walking away until he disappeared from her sight. She sighed heavily once she could no longer see him. "I am missing you already Sasuke," she whispered slowly before she stepped back inside her house and closed the door behind her with a heavy heart. She hoped he was going to be okay because she couldn't shake the foreboding feeling that something was going to happen soon.

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"What took you so long?" Suigetsu scolded once Sasuke stepped foot inside the car.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at him. "Relax, we still have plenty of time to go to the airport."

"Tch," Suigetsu scoffed before he drove away from the apartment complex. "Wipe that sappy look on your face. It doesn't suit you."

"Shut up!" Sasuke replied back. He was missing her already and it was only five minutes since they departed from each other's sight. He was going to be in Paris for two weeks. Two weeks of no Erza in his life was going to be difficult. More importantly, he was reluctant to leave her alone and he didn't know why.

"She's going to be fine," Suigetsu suddenly uttered. "It's just two weeks anyway. After two weeks, you can come back and see her and hog her all you want," he said. That was Suigetsu's way of cheering him up.

Sasuke knew that Suigetsu noticed his concerned expression and tried to ease his worry away, but Sasuke couldn't help but worry about Erza. He knew he was a selfish and possessive guy, always wanting to keep her under his watchful eyes. But this time, uneasiness crept through him and he was getting restless. He could feel the ominous feeling that something bad was going to happen.

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It was already an hour since Sasuke left for airport. Erza looked at the time and noticed that it was already 5.30 p.m. It was time to visit her favorite bakery not too far from her apartment complex. She always went to the bakery around this time because by the time she got to the bakery, a fresh batch of strawberry cheesecake would be waiting for her, fresh from the oven. If she was early, the cake won't be finished yet and she could be a little impatient when it came to her favorite desserts in the world.

Erza quickly rummaged through her drawer for a change of clothes. Opting for a simple sleeveless white blouse and knee length blue skirt, she checked her form in the mirror for the last time before she snatched her purse, keys and phone from her bedside table and walked out of her house to get her cake.

15 minutes later, Erza was finally at her destination and with an eager heart, she walked inside the bakery. The scent the place was wafting off made her mouth water slightly.

"Good evening Erza," the waitress there who went by the name Sandra greeted her when she walked inside.

"Good evening Sandra," she greeted back with a smile.

"Here for your usual cake?" Sandra asked knowingly. All of the workers there knew her since she was a regular at the bakery and they also knew of her fixation with strawberry cheesecake.

"Yes," Erza nodded.

"You're lucky then. A fresh batch is just taken out of the oven. Can you wait for a few minutes while I go and wrap that up for you?"

"Sure, thanks."

Five minutes later, her cake was ready and after paying for the sweet treat, Erza began her walk towards home.

Everything was going all right after she began her journey home from the bakery. She was previously in a down mood since Sasuke left her for Paris but she was in a better spirit because of her cake. It was halfway on her trek home that she turned a corner and unexpectedly bumped into someone. She staggered backward and she felt and arm circled around her to steady her. Luckily her cake didn't drop to the ground because of the tight grip she had on the plastic bag.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you," she heard the male voice said to her in an apologetic tone.

Erza rose up her face and she was met with a sight of a bespectacled man with a mop of white hair on his head. He had a guilty look on his face and Erza felt that it was not entirely his fault. There was no way that he would know that she was about to turn the corner. "It's okay. It's my fault as well," she said.

"You're okay though right?" The man asked with a relief expression.

"Yes thank you," Erza replied back politely as she took a step back away from him, making him released his hold on her.

"I'm sorry again," he said with an apologetic smile as he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"It's okay," Erza assured the man. "I'm sorry but I have to go now," she said with a fake smile plastered on her face. The man might look nice and innocent with his awkward gesture and harmless smile but Erza still didn't like the glint in his eyes as he stared at her with his cold eyes. His eyes were a dead giveaway that he was not what he seemed to be. Erza stepped around him, couldn't wait to get away from the unknown man and resumed her walk home.

It was only a few steps away that she suddenly felt him grabbed her from behind and pressed a piece of cloth to cover her nose and mouth. Erza's eyes widened in shock and she struggled to escape the death grip the man had on her. Her cake and all of her belonging were dropped on the ground as she tried her hardest to escape but she knew it was futile and she could feel herself starting to lose her consciousness. It was not long before her muscle started to go lax and her body went limp in the man's arm.

"That went pretty well," the snow haired man commented as he gathered Erza in his arm and walked to his parked car at the corner. He put her in the passenger seat and put the safety belt on. After he picked up her belongings, he went to the driver's seat and took out a phone from his jacket pocket. Pressing the current number one speed dial on his phone, he waited for the owner to answer.

"Hello," the woman voice said from the other side.

"It's Kabuto. I have Erza Scarlet with me and I'm going to the penthouse now. I'll see you there with rest of my money Sakura," he said with a grin.

There was a series of chuckle on the other side before she replied. "Noted. I'll see you in half an hour," Sakura said before she disconnected the call.

"Brilliant," Kabuto said before he started the car and headed to the designated place to meet with his employer.

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Sakura disconnected the call with a gleeful smile on her face. At last, that bitch was going to pay for taking Sasuke away from her. Her part was done for now and for the next part to occur, she needed her one ally to make it happen. With the thought in mind, she returned to her phone and dialed the number that she last called last week. It wasn't long before the line was connected.

"I need you to come at Sakura Crystal right now. I'll be waiting for you at the penthouse," she said before she disconnected the call without giving the man on the other side any chance to question her.

"Things are looking good for now," she said with a laugh.

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"Hey do you think this dress looks good on me?"

Naruto stared at the light blue sundress his girlfriend held against her body. He could appreciate it being on her body. His eyes travelled to her beautiful face and she was looking at him expectantly, wanting to hear his opinion about it. "You look beautiful in whatever dress you wear Mira," he said with a soft smile on his face. Yes, he and Mira had gone steady and they were together since the ball held at Fairy Tail High. And they were doing great since then. He was happy and he was grateful that she came into his life.

"Oh come on," Mira walked closer to him with a pout on her face. "Just give me your honest answer," she said petulantly.

"I am being honest here," he said. He never did understand why she didn't believe him when he said that. She did look beautiful in whatever clothes she wore.

"You just say that because you want this shopping spree to be over Naruto," she countered with a playful smile on her face. "Just admit it."

Okay. Maybe that was true as well but hey could anyone blame him. This was the fifth store they walked in and she had not bought any single piece of clothes yet. He never did understand why chicks took so long to buy things. It was so different with men, if they like it they bought it and get the hell out of the store to do other things.

"That's also true Mira but I'm not lying here," he said as he took her in his arms. "You do look beautiful in whatever clothes you wear," he whispered to her. Naruto gave her a quick peck on her lips and Mira blushed prettily at that.

"You're off the hook this time," Mira told him. "But I'm still trying this dress," she said before she escaped from his arm and went to the changing room. Naruto chuckled at her behavior and waited patiently for her to try the dress.

A few minutes later, she came out of the changing room wearing the light blue dress that she picked.

"So, how do I look?" She asked, twirling around happily and the dress flowed around her.

Naruto was stunned for a while. She looked stunning and gave off the perfect picture of innocence. "See, you are so beautiful Mira," he managed to utter.

Mira giggled at his compliment. "Alright, I'll take this one and then we can go and have an early dinner. I know you're hungry," she said knowingly. "I can hear your stomach growling already," she joked.

Fifteen minutes later, they were walking towards the little café that he frequented. The food there was fabulous and he couldn't wait for Mira to try it. She was going to love it for sure. It was just around the corner and it was situated across from the posh condominium called Sakura Crystal owned by Haruno Conglomerate. The luxurious condominium was 20 storeys high with a penthouse at the top of the building and it was the most expensive real estate in the region. They have the best view of the city, the latest security system, keyless entry and the safest environment. Most of the residents there were someone fully loaded and has a high status in the society.

"The building is beautiful," Mira commented beside him. They were walking hand by hand besides the magnificent building on their way to the café and Naruto couldn't agree more with his girlfriend. It was indeed a sight to see. The building was designed by the top architect in the country after all.

A car passed through them from the opposite direction and a flash of red caught Naruto's attention. He looked back towards the car and found that it was heading to Sakura Crystal. He stopped on his track making Mira glanced back at him in confusion.

"Naruto?"

"Hey Mira, do you know if Erza has friends living at Sakura Crystal?" Naruto asked his girlfriend.

Mira frowned as she thought hard at the question. "I don't think so. None of our friends live near this area," she said after pondering on it. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing," he shrugged it off. "I thought I saw her just a while ago. My mind must be playing tricks on me," he said before he steered Mira away from that place. He thought he saw Erza in the passenger seat but he couldn't recognize the driver. Naruto brushed it off and thought nothing of it. It couldn't be Erza on the car earlier.

Placing it in the back of his mind, Naruto walked with Mirajane towards the café. It never crossed his mind what kind of horror was awaiting his dear friend.

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Jellal opened the door to the penthouse and he was greeted by none other than Sakura herself. He ignored her smug smirking face as he stared at her stoically. "What is so important that you insist for me to come here instead of telling me on the phone?" He asked in irritation as he walked inside and closed the door behind him.

"I've begun our plan to separate Erza and Sasuke together and I want to let you know that," she said with an innocent tone that didn't match the look she had on her face. "And phase one went on without a glitch, smoother than I initially thought," she said with a crazed smile. Jellal raised an eyebrow at that wishing that she explained more on what she had done but Sakura walked away and gestured for him to follow instead. He grumpily followed her lead to one of the room in the spacious penthouse and she opened the door, ushering him to walk inside.

Without saying anything, Jellal walked into the room and his eyes widened when he saw the occupant in it. His eyes automatically were glued to the unconscious form of Erza on the bed. His eyes roamed around her body to look for any injury and he was glad to see none of it. He was wondering how the hell she came to be in this situation. He trained his eyes to Sakura who was smirking victoriously at him. "What is the meaning of this?" He growled at the pink haired girl.

Sakura opened her lips to talk as she made a move towards him with a sensual sway of her hips. Stopping short in front of him she said, "Well Jellal, it's a gift for you. Her hands rose up to play with the collar of his overly expensive shirt. She's all yours Jellal, you can do what you want with her," she whispered suggestively. "Make her yours, fuck her. I don't particularly care what you want to do with Erza. All I want is for you to have a bargaining chip and forced her to break up with Sasuke."

Jellal narrowed his eyes at Sakura and grabbing her wrist, he snatched it away from him. "I don't see how this is going to help you with Sasuke. He's not going to come running at you even if he breaks up with Erza," he sneered evilly at her. Sakura merely chuckled when she heard that and Jellal was even more puzzled when she let out an amused laugh as if what he said was funny.

"You're right, he's not going to come running at me but I will make him and he has no choice but to stay by my side," she said with a mysterious grin.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Jellal asked. Now he was curious about the whole plan Sakura had constructed to ensure they both get what they wanted.

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Erza was laying peacefully on the king size bed in the classy room unaware of the evil intention planned for her that was about to take place. Her sleep was undisturbed. However, it was not too long before she began to wake up from her dreamless sleep. The thumping feeling to her head was hard to ignore as she slowly regained her consciousness. Groaning at the uncomfortable feeling, Erza slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The light was already turned on and she noticed that she was in spacious room with a light blue wall. The blind was closed so she didn't know whether it was already nightfall or still in the daylight.

She wondered where her kidnapper had taken her and where they were at the moment. Dread began to fill her entire being and she was overwhelmed with the need to escape. Getting up to a sitting position, she gasped when she noticed someone sitting languidly in a chair at the foot of the bed. "J-Jellal," she stuttered in shock. Was he behind all this?

"You're awake," he spoke up emotionlessly while his eyes never waver from her own brown one.

Erza suppressed the shivers that started to creep up her back at the coldness in his eyes. Forcing the fear that crept into her for being alone with Jellal, she demanded. "Did you order the thug to kidnap me and bring me here?" She asked referring to the bespectacled snow haired man who knocked her out earlier.

Jellal only stared at her silently not moving from where he sat and not uttering a single word. Frustrated and having enough from the silent treatment, Erza got up from the bed and tried to step towards the door behind him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jellal finally asked as he stood up from the chair, facing her with hardened face.

"Where do you think I'm going?" She stated sarcastically. "You can't force me here against my will. I'm out of here of course," she said. She moved away from him but she only succeeded in taking a few steps away when she felt his hands circled around her waist and she felt herself being pushed harshly on the bed. She quickly tried to get up but Jellal trapped her down underneath him with his larger frame and pinned her hands together above her head with one hand. "What are you doing? Let go of me," she yelled in panic, struggling to break herself free from his tight hold.

"I've told you before, you're mine. You'll always be mine," he growled, looking intently at her with an unmistakable lust in his eyes.

Her eyes widened in terror at what Jellal was planning to do with her. "NO! Let me go!" She struggled even more, trying to fight him off and kicking her legs in the hope that it would weaken the hold he had on her. "Let me go!" She yelled, giving it all to break her hands from his clutched. She managed to get one hand free and she struck at him, slapping him hard on his face. That only made him getting more enraged at her action. Erza balled her fist and tried to strike him again when he countered her mid swing by grabbing her wrist and pinned it above her head.

"You need to be taught a lesson Erza," Jellal growled at her.

Erza felt his hand buried at the back of her hair and he tugged at them harshly before he crashed his lips on her in a forceful kiss. Her eyes began to water as she felt so hopeless and helpless against him. She saw no way of getting out of this and she was completely at his mercy. Jellal broke the kiss as the need for oxygen was demanding. "Jellal, please don't do this. You can let me go and I promise I won't tell anybody about this. We'll pretend that this never happen," she pleaded with him.

Jellal looked at her with a crazed look. "But I want this to happen Erza," he said as his lustful eyes roamed across her body. "After today, you won't leave my side again," he whispered as he began attacking her milky neck, nipping and sucking at the tender skin. Tears fell down her cheek and she began to sob uncontrollably.

"Please stop. I don't want this Jellal," Erza sobbed but the lust filled obsessive man only chuckled coldly at her, stabbing her heart further as she felt that he was not going to see reason at this moment. He was too far gone as she felt his free hand wandered shamelessly across her body. Her mind began to think of Sasuke and she resumed her struggle against Jellal. Her attempt at freeing herself was futile as she later become exhausted and even more weakened when she used up her energy from her struggling. "Sasuke, save me," she whispered brokenly as if he could materialize here this instance to save her from the monster Jellal had become.

A sharp pain to her cheek made her gasped and her breath was stolen away from when she realized that Jellal had slapped her hard. She looked at him in fear. He had a mad look on his face she felt like he was going kill her.

He tightened his hold on her and she whimpered in pain. "Don't you dare say his name when you're with me," he hissed to her face. Erza was too stunned and too scared to utter a single word. Her tears continued to fall as she cried silently when Jellal violently assaulted her body. Erza closed her eyes, wishing that this was all a nightmare, wishing that the pain she felt on her body was not real and when she opened her eyes, she would wake up in Sasuke's warm embrace again.

To be continued