A/N: Hey guys, this is what I've been working on instead of homework, so I hope you like it! xD I know I certainly enjoyed writing it. ;) Thanks for all the continued support! Also, if you have any complaints about the pairings in this story, I would ask that you either keep them to yourself or express them in a civilized manner, as you are the one who decided to read this story. Thank you. (Meaning no slamming my pairings. :P I have them just the way I like them, thank you. But do feel free to express any…concerns...you may have with the pairings, as long as they're done with a kind spirit :) I may be open to suggestions.)
Disclaimer: Just in case you somehow missed the label, this is, in fact, a romance fanfic. This chapter exemplifies that fact, so before you read on, consider yourself forewarned. :)
Chapter Six – Death Strike
Jellal
I grabbed Erza and fell to the ground just as an explosion rocked the building and made the ground shake like a giant monster was trying to break free. Tucking her head under my body, I covered her head and cradled it to my chest, blocking her from the rain of flaming debris. A quick glance to the left revealed that the old woman hadn't been as fortunate; her body fell limply to the ground, a chunk of the rafter protruding from her chest. If I hadn't moved when I had, Erza and I both would've found ourselves in a similar predicament.
"Jellal!" Erza cried, struggling to free her arms. I could still feel the building falling around us, flaming pieces scalding my back where they fell. I grimaced at the pain, but no way was I letting her get hit. "Jellal…." There were tears in her voice this time, as she gradually ceased her struggles.
"Erza…." I shifted to meet her gaze, a small smile raising the corners of my lips. "I will not let one hair of your scarlet head get injured. I promise." I gently cupped her cheek with my hand, embedding every fiber of her beautiful face in my memory. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked up at me, and right then, I knew that if I could go back and do something over in my life (when I wasn't being controlled), it would be that evening on the beach, before the Grand Magic Games. Because only now did I fully grasp the concept of living your life to the fullest, with no regrets. I'd lived enough of my life in agony, both in my own and the pain of those around me. But no longer would I allow myself to be caught up in a past I couldn't change. Erza was right after all. It does take more courage to live…for those you love.
I smiled to myself as realization stole over me. I misunderstood the purpose of my own guild. It's not to punish ourselves for our past, but to help others—and ourselves—turn over a new leaf and find a new reason to live. It's to learn how to heal a shattered heart. To learn how to love again.
With renewed fervor, I made my decision. If we lived through this, I would spend the rest of my life at the side of this absolutely incredible woman, no matter the cost to myself. Because when I was with her, my heart came alive. Erza was my purpose for living. She inspired me to do better, to be better. And that was something that I couldn't let go of again.
Time seemed to slow as I lowered my face to hers. I heard her breath hitch and felt it fan sweetly across my face. And then, my lips closed over hers, ever so gently. She tasted deliciously like strawberries and vanilla, and I found myself hungering for more. Erza grabbed onto the collar of my jacket and tugged it closer to her, tilting her head to deepen the kiss. I was vaguely aware of the building rapidly crumbling around us, but at that moment, I didn't care. All that mattered was the pressure of Erza's lips against mine, and the solid feel of her body beneath me. My fingers tangled in her scarlet hair as the kiss took on a desperate edge. Our tongues danced and twined around each other as our tears flowed freely, mixing together as they coursed down our faces.
With a final groan of burning wood, the rest of the building collapsed around us. Breathing raggedly, I pulled back and smiled bravely down at Erza just as a large piece of the roof struck the back of my head. Dark spots danced across my vision and I could taste blood in the back of my throat.
I heard Erza screaming my name, but then my world disappeared and I knew nothing more.
Lucy
I watched as Natsu consumed his twenty-fourth takoyaki with a noise of satisfaction. He'd apparently decided that the best way to blend in was to enter an eating contest, so we'd been sitting in a street-side café for the past ten minutes, watching him devour first fifteen bowls of noodles, and now twenty-four octopus balls. Make that twenty-five. His opponent was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and a stomach that suggested he was no stranger to eating contests. But he was clearly out of his league with the gluttonous Dragonslayer, as he was only barely managing to keep up and was already turning green.
"Has he always been this way?" Yukino asked, turning to me with an incredulous expression. Hibiki was just outside the café, using his Archive to communicate with the leaders of the other groups—Gildarts and Jura.
"Aye," Happy replied smugly, gnawing on a fried fish-kabob Natsu had bought for him. "Natsu's unbeatable when it comes to eating!"
As if to prove the Exceed's point, Natsu reached for another takoyaki and grinned gleefully at his opponent. "Ready to admit defeat?"
The older man looked like he was about to say yes, but his small son latched onto the back of his chair and jumped up and down, cheering his father on. The man was spared, however, when a frantic Hibiki came sprinting up to us, his face paler than I'd ever seen it before.
"Hibiki, what's wrong?" I asked, immediately snapping to attention.
"Bad news, guys!" he cried. I'd never seen him so flustered, and it scared me. "I just spoke with Gildarts, and he says they're under attack! I couldn't get too many details, though, because he had to concentrate on fighting. And then I got ahold of Jura, and he told me that Jellal and Erza are missing. Apparently Mirajane saw them go off into a side alley after an old woman, but they haven't seen them since. And just now they heard an explosion coming from that direction, but when they turned to go investigate, they suddenly found themselves unable to move. Jura tells me that none of them can use magic, either, so they're sitting ducks out there!"
Natsu leapt to his feet, his eyes wide as he grabbed Hibiki by the collar of his shirt. "Is Erza okay? Have you been able to contact her, dammit?"
Hibiki grabbed Natsu's hands and tried to pry them off. "I tried to contact her, but I couldn't get through. Jellal's blocked, too. I could try—" Suddenly, he cut off and staggered backwards, as though he was dizzy.
"Hibiki-san?" Yukino asked, coming to stand alongside him. I exchanged a worried look with her when he didn't respond.
As abruptly as he'd cut off, he straightened, his back rigid as he stared straight ahead. Only, his eyes had rolled back into his sockets, revealing only the whites of his eyes. I gasped and took an involuntary step backwards, my back colliding with something solid. Turning, I saw that I had backed into the man who'd been having the eating contest with Natsu just moments ago. His eyes were also rolled back in his skull.
"They are coming," Hibiki said in a terrible monotone. "We will crush you and feast on the blood of the mages, until every last drop of magic is drained. Death Strike is here."
I screamed, stumbling away from the man behind me. Natsu slugged Hibiki in the temple, and the Archive mage crumpled into the Dragonslayer's arms, unconscious. Yukino stood frozen to the spot, staring in horror at Hibiki's limp form as Natsu slung it over his back.
"Come on, Lucy, Yukino!" he cried, turning to run from the café with Happy flying right behind him. We didn't need another prompt—we turned and raced after him as he zigzagged around the ignorant citizens, running back down the way we'd come. "We've got to find the rest of the group!" He growled a curse as he got stalled behind a little old man pushing an apple cart. Then he gave up and leaped over the cart, making the man cry out in fright and drop the handles of the cart. Apples spilled into the street, bouncing and rolling every which way.
I gasped as I had to leap over a river of apples flowing towards me, and darted around the overturned cart. "I'm sorry!" I shouted hastily to the merchant as I passed, desperate to catch up to Natsu. I heard Yukino cry out behind me as she tripped over a mound of apples. Turning to help her stand, I saw that all the civilians we'd passed were running after us, their eyes empty and white just like Hibiki's had been.
"What's going on?" I shrieked, pulling Yukino to her feet. Gasping for breath, we turned to continue after Natsu, but were brought up short when we realized that we were completely surrounded.
"Death Strike is here," they droned, repeating it over and over again like a chant.
Yukino cried out and grabbed onto my arm while flourishing one of her Gate Keys at the surging crowds. I looked around frantically for any sign of pink hair. "Natsu!" I yelled, desperately willing him to appear. "Natsu!"
Finally accepting the fact that we were on our own, I turned to Yukino with a sick feeling in my stomach. Whatever was going on, these people were still innocent citizens of Acacia. We couldn't just attack them. Maybe they were being controlled somehow.
"Lucy-sama, what do we do?" the other celestial spirit mage asked, regaining a little of her composure. I took a deep breath, trying to appraise the situation through a calm eye.
"We shouldn't attack unless absolutely necessary," I replied, turning to keep as many of the people in my sights as possible. "But I think we need to be prepared to fight our way out of here by ourselves, if it should come to it." I reached into my key pouch and withdrew Taurus's key, clutching it tightly in my shaking hand. I really didn't want to have to fight the townspeople, and I prayed that they would snap out of it quickly.
With a cry of anger, one of the men in the crowd surged towards us, his fists raised to attack. I yelled and swept my key down in an arc between myself and the approaching man. "Gate of the Bull, I open thee! Taurus!"
If these people were determined to fight, then so be it. We would fight our way out or die trying.
Gray
"What's going on?" I asked angrily, keeping my eye on the wall of people that had formed in front of us. Only the whites of their eyes were showing, and they kept muttering about some death strike or other. On top of that wacko behavior, I wasn't able to contact Hibiki or any of the other groups, which worried me more than anything. At least someone should have been able to respond, even if they were in the middle of something. I didn't want to let my mind consider what that 'something' might be, especially seeing how quickly things had escalated here.
"They appear to be under some type of mind control." Ultear's cool, controlled voice came from behind me, and I glanced back to look at her incredulously. Her gaze narrowed as she took in our situation with calculating eyes.
"Mind control?" Sting asked from my other side, already in a fighting stance. "Who's controlling them?"
Kagura came up behind us, her hand resting on the hilt of her katana. "Based off of what we've seen here and Gray's inability to make contact with the others, we can reasonably assume that we're not the only ones experiencing this. Though I don't know much about it, I do know that mind control is an ancient magic that takes enormous amounts of magic power to wield, especially on such a large scale as this."
"If that is the case," Ultear said darkly, "we can only assume that this is the work of the dark mages we are here to defeat."
A high-pitched, breathy chuckle echoed around us, coming from everywhere at once. "So, you're the guild alliance that thinks it can defeat us?" We all tensed and spun around, looking for the owner of the voice. My teeth ground together in frustration when we still couldn't see any sign of her.
"Come out and face us, you coward!" I yelled, wondering if the person had concealed themselves amidst the crowd of townspeople. Whoever they were, we would show them that we were not to be underestimated. Especially not when the fate of the world rested on our shoulders.
Laughter pealed off the buildings around us, smothering me with the feel of dark magic. It seemed to be seeping from the very ground and saturating the air I breathed with malice and destructive will. Just when I thought nothing would happen, a flash of movement in my periphery made me snap my head around to see a figure standing on the roof of a building to our left. It was a woman with long purple hair, clad in a black dress with a plunging neckline and a train that pooled around her bare feet. A silver insignia of a scythe was sewn onto the hip of her dress, glinting metallically in the sickly yellow light filtering through the clouds that swept in overhead.
A sudden, oppressive silence descended on us. Then, as one, the townspeople bowed to the woman. "Behold the lady Elme, Death Strike's beloved mind controller." The woman grinned down at us, a chilling, dangerous smile. I hissed and gathered my power to me, preparing to battle.
Wendy
I fell back to catch my breath as the fight raged on around me. Hesitant as we'd originally been to attack the townspeople, we'd been given no choice in the matter when they began firing on us with guns and flamethrowers. Strangely, I couldn't sense any magic power from any of the people themselves, even though their auras were steeped with it.
We were standing in a tight ring around our injured comrades, protecting them from the onslaught of the townspeople. The eeriest thing about them was that their faces were entirely devoid of emotion, even as they pointed their guns at us and fired. And no matter how many we dispatched (without killing them), there were always more to take their place. I thought this was a small town, I thought frantically to myself as I used my Roar of the Sky Dragon to blow away a swath of people. How can there be this many people?
"These people aren't all just from Acacia," Rufus said, deflecting an attack with his Memory magic. "I remember them, from other towns along the seashore."
My suspicions confirmed, I asked, "So why are they all here?"
"Clearly someone wanted them here," Lyon said, freezing a horde of civilians. His deep voice was strained, and I could tell he wanted to check on the women in the middle of our circle. Though I'd done my best to heal them after the explosions, they had yet to regain consciousness. "I'd be willing to bet that the enemy knew we were coming and prepared a little welcoming party." He grinned feverishly, lashing out with more force than I thought was strictly necessary.
Beside me, Carla suddenly gasped. She fell to the ground and held her head, her eyes wide as she watched a future only she could see. "Carla! Are you okay?"
After a moment, she weakly lifted her head, meeting my eyes with fear in her own. "Wendy, you have to leave, now! Tell everyone to get out of here!" Her small white body was shaking with fear, and terror seized my heart as I bent to peer into her eyes.
"What is it? What did you see?"
"There's no time for that!" she cried. "He's coming and you have to leave now!"
Beside me, Chelia looked over in alarm. "We're completely surrounded by the townspeople. We can't get through!"
Starting to panic, I looked back to the Exceed. "Who's coming, Carla?"
A massive explosion suddenly shook the ground, throwing me to the earth with enough force to rattle my skull. For a moment, the only sound I heard was a high-pitched whistle echoing in my head. Crying out, I covered my ears with my hands and tried to see through all the smoke that had billowed around us. Harsh coughs wracked my body as I felt along the ground, trying to find someone. Tears rolled freely down my sooty cheeks as the smoke stung my eyes.
"Carla! Chelia!" I called, pausing to cough.
"Wendy!" I heard Chelia voice coming from somewhere to my right, and I crawled my way over to her. My hand reached out and clasped her arm when I saw her, huddled on the ground with tears streaming down her face. Her pink hair was nearly black with soot and smoke, and a trickle of blood was seeping down her forehead. Cradled in her lap was Carla, lying unconscious with streaks of soot staining her white fur.
I cried out and reached a trembling hand out to her, assuring myself that she was still breathing. "Where is everyone?" I asked, rubbing my streaming eyes and looking around. I distantly heard the sounds of fighting going on, but I had no way of knowing who it was or how it was going.
"Maybe we should stay here," Chelia suggested, her voice wavering slightly. "You know, wait for the smoke to clear and for someone to find us."
I reached for my resolve, firmly taking hold of it. "We can't just wait around for someone to find us and hope it's one of our allies. We need to rejoin with the group as soon as possible. I have an idea. Let's use our sky magic to blow away the smoke, and then we can find everyone else!"
"Mm!" Chelia nodded bravely, passing Carla to me. I nodded, and we stood up, pressing our backs together.
"Ready?" I called. I felt her nod, and we took a deep breath of air, trying not to choke on the thick, acrid smoke. "Sky Dragon's…"
"Sky God's…"
"Roar!" we yelled together, unleashing our magic.
However, when the smoke cleared, what we saw made me wish that we hadn't done it. The rest of our group was all lying on the ground, not moving. And standing not ten meters away from us was the man in the suit who had given the girls flowers earlier. His handsome face was tilted to the side, a crazed smirk on his face.
"Death will strike," he said giddily. "Now bow to the power of Aprindere, the lord of the flames!"
Gajeel
I roared my frustration as I once again struggled to summon my Dragonslayer magic, and once again failed. Even worse, I couldn't even move my body. Try as I might, I couldn't get so much as a finger to twitch. All I could do was watch the black smoke and flames rise into the sky and wonder if Erza and that blue-haired mage had made it out alright. I had to believe they did, or I might have given up by now. Once again, I tried to turn my arms into iron swords, but was just as unsuccessful as all the previous times.
My gaze traveled to Jura, wondering if the Saint Mage was fairing any better. My jaw nearly hit the ground when I saw him standing immobile, a tortured look on his usually stoic face as he found he was unable to break away from the tight hold Ichiya had on him.
"I-Ichiya…" I said, feeling the urge to shift uncomfortably.
"In the split second before we were frozen, I smelled a dangerous parfum. My quick reflexes told me to latch onto something powerful, so here I am. Men!" He seemed completely unfazed by the position he was stuck in, and I had a fleeting moment of sympathy for Jura before the dark humor of the situation sank in.
"Gee hee." I grinned at the Saint Mage with a look that said "sucks for you!" But then I was brought back to the issue at hand and my amusement faded, replaced by anger. "Jura, what is this?" I demanded, indicating our motionless, powerless state. At least we were still able to talk. Pantherlily grunted in annoyance, having fallen from the air when our magic had disappeared. He was now lying facedown in a most undignified manner, and I had to resist the urge to snicker.
"I do not know," Jura said thoughtfully, doing his best to ignore the short mage frozen to him. "It does not feel like a magic drain; I can still feel my power, but there is a sort of block on it preventing us from accessing it."
"It is weak, though." I turned to face Levy in surprise. Her tone was confident, and she had a sly smile on her pixie-like face.
"Go on," I growled. I don't know why, but it felt strange that she was the one coming to our rescue. Maybe it was her size; she was barely a waif of a girl, and I could pick her up with one hand, for goodness' sake! Immediately, I chided myself. She may be small, but I keep forgetting how powerful she really is. Not to mention she's got that damned smart brain of hers….
"Whatever—or whoever—is doing this is focusing the majority of their control elsewhere. We're more like an afterthought." She smiled apologetically.
"I'm an afterthought?!" I shouted, indignation and anger rising up. Curses. I wonder what that damn Fire Dragonslayer is doing now…I bet he's not an afterthought. With a roar of rage, I poured all my strength and determination into using my magic. I will beat this! I will prove that I am stronger than the Salamander! I felt an almost physically perceptible snap as my magic was unleashed. Shouting with pride, I turned to thank Levy.
However, when my gaze found her, I saw that she wasn't alone. A tall, slim man with shoulder-length blond hair stood behind her with one hand on her upper arm, and one around her neck. A thick white bandage was wrapped around his face, covering his nose. Glowing red eyes peered at me over the top of it. Levy stood frozen with wide eyes, unable to see who held her captive. My blood boiled, the magnitude of my own rage surprising me. I took a menacing step towards them, but the blond man held up a hand in warning.
"Ah ah ah," he tsked, shaking his head. The hand still around her throat started constricting, and I heard Levy choke out a terrified gasp. She was still immobile, unable to do anything but slowly suffocate. "I'll admit, I'm impressed that you were able to figure out the nature of the magic." He leaned in close, and I saw his tongue dart out and glide up the side of her neck. Levy cried out in terror, tears gathering in her hazel eyes. "However, you are right about one thing…Elme's magic can only control others. Mine is superior. My magic is the ultimate anti-magic. Shall I use this one as a demonstration?" he asked in an eerie voice, tilting his head to look at me. Licking his lips, he said, "It's been a while since I've had a taste of Script magic."
"You bastard, let her go!" I roared. Throwing caution to the wind, I charged at the mage holding Levy hostage, my arms turning to razor-edged swords.
"Gajeel, no!" Levy cried, her eyes wide and frantic. Before I'd made it to within five meters of them, I felt a crushing force on my body, and I fell to the ground, sure my insides were about to be squeezed out of my skin.
"Gahhh!" I yelled, writhing in agony on the ground. As if through a thick layer of cotton, I heard the other members of our group shout out, though I couldn't make out their words. "Let her…go…you bastard!" I choked out, trying to get to my feet so I could run to them and free Levy from that creep's hold. My desperate struggles were met with cold laughter, and then I heard a high-pitched scream of utter agony that tore at my heart.
"Levy!"
With a roar of power and all-consuming rage, I surged to my feet. However, when I turned my gaze to Levy and her captor, I felt my heart stop, ice over, and shatter. A stream of crimson blood was flowing down her neck, her head hanging limply to the side.
"I am Sitri, one of the seven princes of Hell. And you will all…die." A trickle of red slid down his chin, leaving a trail from the corner of his mouth. As he flashed a cold, calculating grin at me, all I could see was the blood coating his teeth.
Levy's blood.
Yep, I did just end the chapter like that. :) Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know your thoughts in a review. :)
