THANK YOU TO EPICOCITY FOR BEING MY AMAZING BETA!
...
Gray landed squarely on top of Lyon (thank you self defense class) knocking the silver haired boy roughly to the cold stone ground. His vison going red, he roped his hands around his brother's neck, cutting off his air. Before he could do much else, a hand gripped the back of his guards uniform and hauled him upright, off of his adoptive brother.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ultear hissed in his face, shoving him into the nearby wall. "Is that how you treat family?" He regarded her, as her nails bit into his shoulders and kept him restrained . Her dark hair tickled his face as she heavily exhaled. "This is not the place." She finally said. "Follow me."
Natsu looked skeptically at her, his pink eyebrows drawing together. "I don't think so." The boy stated, shaking his head.
"Natsu's right," Gray agreed. "Why the hell should I trust you?"
"Maybe because I'm your sister?" Ultear questioned, her violet eyes narrowing at him. "I do care about you Gray."
"Like that has stopped from anything in the past."
"Why don't you give a chance to explain bastard." Lyon coughed out, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he stood up from the ground.
"Listen Gray," Ultear commanded, releasing her grip on him. "We haven't been the best siblings these past years for a reason." She explained quickly, her voice a low pitch. "Lyon and I have been tracking down Deliora for years now. We didn't tell you because we knew that you'd get way to involved, to involved for your own good. Mom wouldn't have wanted it that way."
"And how was that your decision?" Gray demanded, keeping his voice as low as he possibly could while expressing his anger within. "Because don't I get a say at all? It's my life you're deciding here."
"Show a little gratitude. We did this for you you know." Lyon spat.
"How the hell was this for me?" Gray's voice was quivering. "You know how much I wanted to find him! You knew and didn't tell me! How's that for family?"
"That's exactly why we didn't tell you," Ultear sounded exactly like a Mother, crossing her arms across her chest and frowning at him. "You would have given up everything to find him, kill him. I didn't want that on your soul… any death at all." Her voice cracked as she spoke, almost as if she knew what it felt like to kill someone.
"Why are you his guards then?" Natsu finally spoke up, his onyx eyes looking at them all with mistrust… even Gray.
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Lyon spoke smoothly, his eyes glinting. "We planned to take a slower approach, but since you barged in—I suppose we could act now."
"Trust us Gray," Ultear spoke in such a way that it reminded him of his Mother, "We want the same thing as you two." Gray stared into her eyes for a moment, her face so like his Mothers, and decided to believe them. Not exactly because anything they said was plausible, but because he could see in their eyes that they were doing this for Ur.
"We already hopefuly have two people in the building…" Gray trailed off, realising that they rather abandoned Erza's orginal plan.
"What is it?" Ultear questioned, sensing his distress, but Gray shook his head. He couldn't find the words to describe the wrath of Erza they would soon endure if she found him.
...
"This dress is so tight," Erza whispered, "I feel like everyone is looking at me." She added in an undertone to Lucy. They were squished between four guards, who were taking great pride in delivering them to their master.
Erza Scarlet was not one to wear tight clothes, preferring to keep herself as covered as possible. This villager dress obviously belonged to someone smaller than her, as it clung to her curves, so tight she almost felt like she was wearing nothing but a bra and panties, even though technically most of her skin was covered.
Lucy however, while still uncomfortable, fidgited less. "We're almost there." She murmered in reassurance to the redhead, her fingers playing with a strand of her blonde hair, while the other hand clutched the papers they were delivering with a desprate need. Erza had glanced briefly at the papers back at Heidi's, and saw that they were records of how many villagers were in town, and what their health was like, whether they were fit to work or fit to lay in bed shivering with fevers. She was utterly disgusted to find that the sick had an X over their names, and the words "To be executed" because obviously Deliora thought that if you couldn't work, you didn't deserve to live.
"Sir Lyon, may I request information on to why you are heading down that hall?" The guard on her left inquired to a man behind her, and Erza stood on her tiptoes, peering over their heads to get a better look.
"The Lady Ultear requested I venture down this hall, to aide a suspsion of hers." An arrogant voice stated, and Erza caught sight of a brief glimpse of silver hair. "You know my sister."
The man laughed. "The Lady, while beautiful is rather suspisous." The guards continued their march, and the names 'Lyon' and 'Ultear' hovered in Erza's mind, making her wonder who they were talking about. She had heard those names before…
They were approaching an impressive set of metal doors, adorned with metal flowers and small cresent moons.
"Step inside please." The guards instructed, and Erza and Lucy obeyed, slipping through into the room beyond.
While the rest of the castle was a deep black with no decorations, a blank landscape one could say, this room was exatravangant. The walls were decorated with fancy tapestries depicting scenes from battles, the floors a beautiful pale wood. The room was almost empty of all furniture save for a large gem encrusted throne which raised up from the middle of the floor. Large windows, at ground level Erza noted, were covered by blue curtains, with no guards.
Everything was beautiful, save for the man sitting in the throne. He had greasy black hair that was slicked into spikes. His eyes were onyx, and narrowed in distaste, a smirk filling his face as he observed the two girls. His biceps were large, the muscles larger than his head. He looked oddly disproportional, and almost hurt to look at.
So this was who ruined Gray's life. Erza thought murderously, anger filling ever inch of her body so she almost trembled. Gray's dark blue eyes were in her mind, the way the silvery tears had sprung up at word of his Mother. The reason why she was his first friend, why he hated his family, everything wrong in his life was smirking right in front of her. It was almost enough to make her want to spring at him and rip his head off with her bare hands.
"What are you two ladies doing here? I don't think I've seen you here before." The man spoke in a slithery voice, his eyes resting upon them and making Erza feel even angrier.
"We have brought the records sir. And we're newcomers to the village." Lucy spoke for the both of them, and Erza could see her brown eyes flitting around the room, doing what they were actually supposed to be doing, instead of being distracted with thoughts of revenge.
"What are your names?"
"Erza Fullbuster." Erza said, and realizing her blunder she began to blush a furious red as Lucy glanced at her skeptically.
"Lucy Dragneel." Lucy stated, and went equally red. So they both were fucking idiots then.
"Fullbuster." The man said, letting the word slide over his tongue. "Sounds familiar." He shrugs, "Doesn't matter. Give me the records."
Lucy stepped forward and handed the folder they were instructed to bring. Deliora took it, but his hand lingered on the blondes with a gross perverted nature. Lucy was quick to snatch her hand back.
"Thank you sir." Erza said quickly, backing out of the room. If they were to confront Deliora here, it most certainly wouldn't end well.
"I might call you both back here sometime soon. Watch for my guards." Deliora said, and Erza was thoroughly disgusted.
The guards provided some distance from them when they exited, more relaxed around the two girls than before. Erza's mind was focused on what she had barely observed in the room… and that was the fact that the windows were their best chance of survival, but judging by the lack of guards around them, they were made of a tough material they most likely couldn't break through.
It was then she heard a familiar low voice that she could hear from quite a distance away. He was arguing, and she automatically knew that the two assholes didn't follow her plan. Figuring it was all over now; she brought out her fighting skills.
With a sharp kick she aimed her foot at the person in front of hers head, her boot connecting with his head hard. He crumpled, and automatically the guards around them pulled out their swords. Erza cocked her head for only a minute, her eyes narrowing as she determined how to best take them out.
"GET DOWN LUCY!" She shouted, and the blonde pressed flat into the floor while Erza jumped, far above the slicing blades. She was quite surprised at how high she could jump, and landed with a graceful bound. She whirled around and knocked the sword out of one the guard's hands with a nimble punch, her hand closing around the hilt. She then used the heavy hilt to slam on the sword-less guards head, and just managed to dodge the other's swords. A blade did slice through her shoulder however, and the pain was instant. She let out a puff of air, but mostly she was just more pissed. With two more kicks, and slashes of her sword she knocked unconscious the others, panting when she was finished, her palm moving to cover the gushing wound.
"Holy shit." A voice came from the doorway, Natsu. Erza whirled around, and let loose one of her deathly glares. The pink haired boy squealed in fright and tried to run back the way he came, but Lucy, very helpfully, caught at his ankle and brought him down to the ground.
"Where. Is. Gray." Erza ground out, her voice a low dangerous growl.
"Erza?" Her question was answered by the man himself, stepping out of the hall he was in and regarding her with surprise. "Why are you here?"
"I was following the plan, when I heard your voice." She explained, "What the fuck?" She hissed, grabbing the cuffs of his guard shirt and shoving him against the nearby wall. "What happened to the plan?"
"I didn't want you two to get caught up in it."
"That is not your decision." Erza spat, "Do you think I'm here because you forced me? Because you didn't. I chose to be apart of this, because you were right. This is the right thing to do. That's enough for me to help, and for you to toss that away like it's nothing-" Her voice was slowly rising.
"When you two are done flirting, I have a different plan from what you're original one was." A cool female voice filled their ears. "We should go somewhere more enclosed."
Erza released her hold on Gray, and turned to face the new person. She was a lovely woman, perhaps only a couple years older than herself, her inky straight black hair resembling Gray's, and her large violet eyes intelligent and amused. She was very beautiful, almost resembling something from a fairy tale. She looked nothing like Gray (save the hair color), but judging from the accent in her voice, Erza assumed that she was his sister.
"Where's Natsu?" Lucy suddenly voiced, her brown eyes darting around. "Oh no." She whispered, "We can't let him go off on his own!"
"Why would the bastard even leave?" Gray muttered.
"Because he doesn't trust any of us." Lucy explained in a rushed breaking voice, "He doesn't trust any plan we might come up with, so he's gone to take him on his own!" The last word was a shriek. "We have to go after him!"
"Lucy, I have something different I need you to do," Gray said firmly, " I was just coming to find you. I'll make sure Natsu's fine. But I need you to run back to school, get the police or someone out here."
"How can you ask that?" Lucy demanded, "NATSU JUST WENT TO HIS DEATH AND YOU'RE ASKING ME TO RUN AWAY?! LIKE HELL!"
"Lucy please." Gray begged her, "If you don't, we'll all die. You're the only one who was on the track team, and can make it time." Erza stepped forward and whispered something in her ear, something Levy had told her.
"I'll never forgive you for this." Lucy spat, but turned and headed for the exit anyways.
"She can't get there in time." Erza said slowly, "You did that so she would be safe."
"Yeah well, I doubt I could get you to run back either." Gray snapped. "Even though it's safer."
"Who the hell cares about safe?" Erza asked. "And I am not as easily fooled as Lucy. I will not leave your side."
"We need to go after this 'Natsu' now." A silver haired boy joined them. "I can hear Deliora shouting for reinforcements."
"And will he get any?"
"No. I've sent all the guards on other patrols."
"Let's do this." Erza said, and took Gray's hand, pulling him after her.
...
"Now why are there so many unfamiliar faces in my castle?" The man hissed, leaning back against his throne. "Who let you in boy?"
"I let myself in," Natsu smirked, smashing his fists together. "And you're gonna pay for what you did to the villagers."
"Am I now?"
Natsu charged. He had learned self-defense for the last seven years, and Gildarts was a good teacher. He wasn't weak willed, nor weak physically and he was about to slam his fist into Deliora's face when the man literally caught his punch, closing his own fingers around Natsu's hand and crushing it, breaking all the bones in his grip.
"Let go Bastard!" Natsu growled, determined not to call out in pain.
"GUARDS! GUARDS!" The man shouted, slamming Natsu into the floor.
...
Natsu was passed out when they got in the room, Deliora standing above him with a gun in his hands.
"NO!" Erza shouted, but then something strange happened. The gun crumbled into dust, drifting over Natsu like glitter. She glanced to her side and noticed Ultear panting heavily, looking utterly exhausted.
"Damn." The woman murmured, although Erza didn't understand how she could do that to the gun from this distance. Focusing on other things, she gripped the hilt of the sword she had taken from the guard more firmly in her hand, and charged.
She was to weaken his defenses, and Gray and Lyon would go in for the killing blow. The sword was almost like an extension of her arm as she swung it towards Deliora, cutting deeply into the flesh between his arm and his shoulder there. Deliora howled, his first mistake being that he thought she didn't know how to wield a sword. In truth, she didn't. She hadn't ever taken a sword lesson… but somehow her body knew. It didn't make sense, and a word hovered at the edge of her mind—as if calling to her. The moment soon passed and she darted back as Deliora swung his fists at her.
"ERZA WATCH OUT!" Gray shouted, and she didn't catch Deliora's leg, so focused as she was on the upper half of his body, so it easily slammed into her side, shoving her back so her head cracked against the wall and everything went black.
...
Next Time: Gray and Lyon take on Deliora and more!
A/n: Okay, so I haven't really had time to write a proper author's note yet, BUT I JUST HAD TO MENTION THAT I'M CAUGHT UP ON THE MANGA NOW NOT JUST THE ANIME! I'm currently reading all the new chapters on Crunchyroll, but it looks like most people have read chapter 400? I'm not there—it goes up to 399. BUT THE SILVER PART AND AQUARIOUS AND ERZA AND MIRAJANE AND GALE KISSES AND LUCY CRYING AND I'M A FIRM BELIEVER IN THE NATSU IS E.N.D THEORY LIKE YESSSSSSS! AND GRAY IS LIKE SO COOL NOW I'M SO EXCITED HE WAS ALL LIKE 'YEP I'M BADASS NOW' AND WENDY AS WELL HER HAIR IS AWESOME.
Sorry…. None of my friends are caught up sniffles so I have no one to talk to about it. #lonelytimes
-Sage