Every so often I will sum up the story, I am receiving too many PM's and reviews on questions of things that have already passed or have been answered. I would much rather write out chapters and leave you guys less confused :)
Story thus far: Lucy and co. get their hands on two mysterious keys, Shinigami and Arrancar alike are summoned and shenanigans ensue. Yammamoto speaks to Ukitake after he is summoned and the Captain Commander's fears are realized when it's confirmed there is someone from the other side able to open the doors to their world. Soul Society is briefed on the newest development and understands the potential of being called to battle, it's been decided that humoring the girl with her summonings for the time being outweighs the potential for chaos if the keys are ever brought back to the Bleach universe; thus the Commander makes it an absolute order that no one is to bring even one of the keys back with them. Rangiku fills Lucy in on this fact as soon as the Celestial Mage also figures out that keeping something belonging to the spirit with their reiatsu in it allows that spirit to trace their reiatsu back and open their own portal doors.
The Bleach characters forcefully realize that being called through a Celestial Mage's gate binds them to a Celestial Spirit's laws, and both Shinigami and Arrancar find themselves with an unnatural impulse to keep the girl out of harms way but also unable to cause said girl any harm - Grimmjow finds this rule especially daunting.
A series of varied ranked demons come forth and one-by-one attempt to get their hands on the keys, clearly each one wanting to be in Zeref's favor and refusing to work together. Their objectives for the keys, or Lucy, have yet to be revealed.
Harribel, Grimmjow, and Wonderweiss are summoned - but decide on silence with the situation and choose to leave Aizen in the dark about the newest developments. However, the rest of the Espada are given sparse details on the matter, just so there aren't any surprises.
Urahara and Gin are summoned. Urahara had no knowledge of the keys, but Gin seemed to understand something about them - however nothing is revealed. Urahara goes to work and is determined to find the secret behind the keys.
Aizen grows suspicious of the going-ons in Hueco Mundo but Gin vouches for the Espada once confronted. Gin continues to work in the shadows, leaving both the ex-Shinigami and Espada unsure of his motives.
This chapter is rated M for lots of not-so-nice language
Enjoy~
*beep* *beep*
Hmmm? Who could that be? Urahara was pushing aside the papers and books he'd been nose deep in; it was hard to research anything related to Soul Society without the archives at his disposal. The last thing he was expecting was a call.
As the image clicked into view, the ex-Shinigami did his best to contain his composure, but there was literally nothing he could do to prevent his eyes from almost completely bugging out of his sockets. An aged and frail looking man sat on the other side of the screen – but Urahara knew the other man was far from frail.
"Kisuke.."
…
"Captain-Commander, what a wonderful surprise!"
"Kisuke I have a task for you. An order."
"An order huh?"
"It's in regards to the upcoming war."
"Yes, I assumed as much."
"Then you will comply."
"Under one condition, Commander."
"Are you trying to compromise with me Kisuke? Despite your current position as a wanted criminal?"
"Yes." Urahara's eyes darkened slightly.
"…What is it you want?"
"I recently took a trip.."
Sigh..
Did the Captain-Commander just sigh?!
"What do you want to know Kisuke."
"Everything. That is my condition."
"LUCYYYY!" Gray was holding onto Natsu as he attempted to jump off the bridge after his falling friend. They both watched the Celestial Mage plummet, down past the fog and out of sight and ear shot.
"L-Lu..Lucy.." Levy was staring down the length of the fall, not quite comprehending what had just happened. It was all so fast, one moment, Lucy was on an ice bridge, then before she knew it half the bridge was crashing down the mountain - Lucy along with it.
How.. Laxus was there.. Happy flew after her.. Natsu and Gray were on their way. How did she fall?!
"Lu-chaaaaaaaaaaaan!" She was screaming down the cliff, waiting for an answer.
"Lucyyyyyyyy! Can you heaaaar meeee?!"
"Lucy.." Erza was still stunned.
"Shit.." Gajeel was spitting to the side.
"Where did she go?" Bixlow and Levy were both intently searching down the cliff for any sign of movement.
"There!" Levy jumped and pointed, causing everyone's attention to snap to a small figure with small white wings slowly flying back to the top.
"Wait.." Erza was squinting her eyes, Happy didn't seem to be carrying anyone..
The exceed slowly flew up towards the group before flying into Natsu's arms who had just backtracked onto solid ground and stood with the rest of his teammates.
"H-Happy?! What happened?" Natsu held the exceed at arm's length, "where's Lucy?!"
The exceed's tears increased tenfold, "I.. I.. I couldn't catch her.. She.. She.. Fell.. Too fast.. I tried.. I-I." His sobs were making his speech incoherent.
Then a small, gentle hand found its way to his little blue head, "It's okay Happy, Lu-chan's gonna be okay, you'll see." Levy gave Happy a look that made him believe what she was saying – with determined eyes like that who could doubt it?
"O-okay.." His sobs were subsiding as Levy then turned to the face of the cliff, then back to where a loud booming sound echoed across the way.
"Right now, we should worry more about Laxus."
Another boom sounded followed by debris reaching across the distance between the two peaks. Flames could be scented as a few trees succumbed to the relentless lightning assaults and caught fire.
"Ummm, I'm pretty sure Laxus is just fine.."
A shirtless Dragon Slayer had just finished evading an attack by way of lightning. He stood only yards in front of his enemy, seething and downright pissed the hell off.
"You son of a bitch." Electricity radiated from his body and the atmosphere was static, "you're gonna pay." He had his arms outstretched in front of him, a few centimeters away from the other with his palms open, a sphere of lightning formed in his hand then shot out to the demon, only to be followed by a barrage of lightning bullets.
The demon pulled out a few blades, placing them in front of him and drawing the lightning as a conductor. Laxus looked closer to the blades to notice the coloring, copper.
"Tch, I doubt that human." The man drew a few more blades of varying sizes, most were scythe shaped and copper colored. "Let's see what you've got!"
Laxus placed both hands a few inches in front of him with the palms still open, creating a sphere of electricity between their distance, which continued to grow larger and larger.
"Let's see how you like my Lightning Storm asshole." Lightning began shooting from the sphere in every direction, making it impossible to predict and impossible to avoid, the demon took a few hits, the copper blades still attached to him only drawing the current towards him. Shit.
He took to the sky, high above the Dragon Slayer to avoid his onslaught of lightning attacks. There was only so much he could handle. This mage is trouble..
"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Double shit.
The demon barely moved away from the attack, only to have it follow his movements. Fuckin' copper blades!
The lightning hit it's mark, and the demon came smashing down to the ground in a steaming mess.
"You're dead." The Dragon Slayer continued to move towards the demon, Dragon Force in full and lightning crackling in the air. He gathered a large amount of lightning into his fists right before smashing them into the ground, causing the surrounding floor to lift up and disintegrate while completely engulfing the demon. Copper blades sizzled and the demon lay motionless on the ground, Laxus ended the battle as swiftly as he could, turning towards the cliff edge and ready to hop down after Lucy - praying the girl somehow made it out of the fall; that Natsu caught her last second or Gray managed an ice net.. Anything..
"How pathetic Aeris, getting so severely beaten by a human.. tsk tsk.." Laxus turned on a dime and his eyes shot to a group of demons sitting only a few yards away. One man sat atop a rock surface, head cradled in his palm and appearing bored with the scene. Another man was lying on the ground, hands behind his head and eyes closed, not even paying attention. The third was casually leaning up against the rock's surface, staring at the Dragon Slayer like he was his next meal, "that's what you get for running off to battle before you're summoned - the Master isn't pleased and you obviously weren't equipped to handle the human."
"Who in the hell are you three?" Laxus' lightning had yet to dissipate as it almost reached the three at the rock, until he pushed his magic a little further to let the three newcomers know he was serious; he needed to find Lucy he didn't have time for this. The demon that had been lying down finally opened his eyes, then narrowly dodged a bolt as it sizzled in the exact spot his head had just been in.
"Oh! Ouch! He means business!" He stood and began brushing the dirt off his backside before taking a few steps forward, "well I guess that means I get to fight him!" A large maniacal grin stretched his face, showing off a row of razor sharp teeth. He had long, pointy ears that stuck far past his long yellow pony tail that continued all the way down his back. His shirt and pants were both extremely baggy as his frail arms stretched outward as he began cracking his knuckles.
"Screw off! I saw him first!" The larger demon stepped forward now too, his charcoal grey hair in a buzz cut, showing off the crystal like protrusions on his body, he wasn't as modest as the other, donning a jacket that was completely open and pants that were so low-rise they should have been illegal. The third still sat atop the rock, not even bothering to evade the lightning attacks, especially since they weren't hitting him anyways. What the hell?
"Siemen, Boron, finish him before I do." The demon still sat, practically boring holes into the Lightning Mage with bright, pink eyes. He was a smaller man, almost kid-like in appearance. He was completely bald and shirtless with a small pot-belly with absolutely no hair and only a thin, white pair of gi pants covering his bottom half. He seemed weak and rather pathetic, but Laxus knew better than to underestimate a demon.
"Heh, guess we have no choice then!" The demon with the pointy ears and yellow hair continued to approach, releasing small yellow particles towards Laxus. He scowled at the attack, was it poison? He took a step back and released a small amount of lightning to test whatever the demon sent his way, only to have it explode and travel its way back to the origin, searing the Dragon Slayer in a small pocket of flames.
"W-what?!" He jumped back as the particles continued to float throughout the air and attempt to surround him. He took a deep whiff of the heavy scent that lingered, sulfur?
"Didn't like that much, huh?" He was giving him the same twisted smile, hands open and releasing more particles.
"Don't hog all the fun Siemen!" The large stony demon approached now, placing his hands on the floor and summoning a mass of crystal like stones from the ground, all a shiny silver color of varying shapes and sizes. He easily surrounded the Dragon Slayer as confusion etched his features, what now?!
Laxus took a step back, hitting a stone only to have it explode at the contact, engulfing him in a bright blue flame and propelling him forward.
"Shit!" He covered his wounds as he attempted to transform into lightning, only to have any static generated explode once again from the yellow particles.
What the hell?!
"You know.. There's a reason we were sent here to fight you Lightning Mage.." The small demon on top of the rocks was speaking now, still appearing bored and completely relaxed.
"Let's just saaaaay, we're your worst possible opponents!" Siemen had taken a few lazy steps towards him, almost dancing and lifting his arms in the air, as though he were instructing an orchestra, sending his yellow particles towards the receding Dragon Slayer.
"Sorry, but once we saw your abilities, it was too easy to render them useless." Boron had crossed his arms over his broad, open chest, calling forth a few more crystal-like shards from the ground.
Laxus was analyzing the shiny crystal protrusion, careful not to get too close but close enough to realize what it was. Magnesium.
"I'm sure you've figured it out by now, yes?" The demon sitting on the rock finally smiled after seeing the realization dawn on the mages face.
"Sulfur and magnesium, highly flammable, especially if ignited by a spark – such as lightning. Automatically drawing the flames back to the source and causing quite a bit of destruction. Like Boron said, once we saw your abilities and the boss sent us three, it was game over for you."
"Well doesn't this look like fun."
…
The three demons and Lightning Mage shot their eyes towards the sky, Laxus feeling relief overflow him while the three demons cursed.
"Who the hell are you?!" Boron was pointing a finger into the air, addressing the drifting man with the shocking blue hair and toothy grin, casually hauling a petite blonde girl at his side like a sack of potatoes. How undignified..
The man widened his smile even further at the question, "Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez." He greedily peered down at the men on the ground, sizing each opponent up and trying to decide which one he should attack first.
Lucy was beginning to fret over the gust of wind flipping her skirt up as her spirit seemed to be more preoccupied with the prospects of a good battle than her well-being. The hungry look in his eyes didn't escape her, especially when it drifted over the injured Dragon Slayer just below. She finally let go of her skirt to lift her head and manage a glare at the Arrancar. "Grimmjow, you're not allowed to attack Laxus."
He didn't even bother to answer her much less look at her, the four candidates of a potentially good fight too tempting to take his eyes off of.
"Grimmjow!" Lucy shouted as he finally snapped his attention back to her.
"What?!" He barked out, none too pleased at having his train of thought crashed. She was already getting on his nerves.
"You're not allowed to touch Laxus! Please!" She was giving him a concerned scowl he only rolled his eyes at. Fuckin' women.. Sentimental and shit..
"Oi, Sparky, catch!" Grimmjow barely looked to the injured Lightning Mage as he threw the girl into his arms, only just catching her as they both fell to the ground. He was so surprised by the spirit's sudden disregard for the girl's safety that it took him a few seconds to register that he'd literally just tossed her a solid 100 feet from the air. Was he crazy?! A fall like that would have killed her!
"What the hell are ya doin?! You coulda hurt her asshole!" Laxus was instantly back on his feet, heavy glare on the Arrancar after setting Lucy upright. He'd just gotten the girl back relatively unharmed, he didn't need some jack ass spirit indirectly killing her off. He really wasn't liking these spirits..
"The fuck you call me?" Grimmjow had landed on the ground faster than any one of the four men could see, causing them all to start a little, but only Laxus regained himself to rebuttal.
"ASSHOLE! Don't fuckin' throw her like a God damn rag doll!" Laxus ended off with a hiss while Grimmjow's scowl deepened. Both men were nearly equal in height and girth as they stood toe to toe, static in the air and reiatsu spiking. The Espada's pride took enough of a hit by allowing the woman to speak to him in such an unchecked manner – which would have been a quick, and painful, death for anyone else. She really was lucky to have that fuckin' key keepin' her ass out of harm's way as far as his attacks were concerned. But the other mage? Tough fuckin' luck.
A total death aura began emanating between the two, and Lucy quickly found herself caught in the middle of an all-out testosterone war as her eyes darted back and forth between the two men. She could have sworn she saw the sky darken– great..
"Hey! Don't ignore us! We'll kill both of you!"
"SHUT UP!" Both men shouted in unison as the sky darkened a little further; the ground began to shake as the two refused to take their heated glares off each other. Neither one had yet to make a move, only sizing the other up and gauging the other man's abilities.
The reiatsu from the Espada was starting to make Lucy feel faint – not because he was using her magic, he came through on his own gate, but the sheer amount of it. Lucy realized right then and there without him even being in his released form that she could never sustain a being like Grimmjow on her own magic at full force, if Urahara was right, and reiatsu was anything similar to magic, then this Arrancar was definitely one of the most, if not the most, powerful magical beings in Fiore. Maybe Earthland period..
Grimmjow could feel his reiatsu automatically checking itself as it vainly attempted to pummel the man before him to the ground in a show of submission, and probably irreparable damage. The restraints weren't from any effort on his part, fuck that, it had to be the girl's doing. That's right.. She asked me to not kill the bastard.. What the hell.. These keys are going to take all the fun outta comin' over here.
"If the chick hadn't made it impossible for me to smack that look off your face you'd be fuckin' dead light bulb." Grimmjow spat the last word and lifted his chin so the mage could get the full impact of his glare, and the meaning behind his words.
Lucy looked to her Dragon Slayer friend to see the electricity sparking throughout the air and crackling between the two. Lucy had to give Laxus credit too, as far as mastery of one's magic goes and complete, raw power behind an attack, Laxus was not lacking. The Lightning Mage managed to put a Wizard Saint nearly six feet under and continue on undefeated..
I CANNOT let these two fight.
"Laxus, you're not allowed to fight my spirit either." Lucy turned towards the mage as she placed her hands on her hips and gave him a stern look. He finally broke eye contact with the Arrancar to look to the girl.
"Huh?! He just threw you without a second thought! You coulda been hurt!" Laxus' arms were in the air, emphasizing his point.
"But I wasn't, you caught me." She gave him a smile. "I knew you'd catch me."
Laxus blushed a little at her words, he wasn't used to being counted on, minus the Raijinshuu, it was only recently, well minus the 7 year time skip too, that he attacked his own guild mates. It was definitely refreshing to hear someone put so much faith in him.
Grimmjow had yet to take his eyes off the Dragon Slayer, and noticed his blush after the girl's words. He finally looked to the Celestial Mage from the corner of his eye and saw her looking at the mage with a small smile. His scowl deepened.
"Like Grimmjow said, I already begged him not to fight you, so please don't fight him either Laxus.."
Laxus' blush turned back into a scowl at the mention of the other man's name out of her mouth, he leveled another deadly look on the Arrancar.
Static flew between the two again as Lucy flinched at the hostility before internally face palming at the situation. She couldn't think of two other people that could possibly clash more than the two men in front of her.. Their stand off made Natsu and Gray's back and forth banters look like a tussle between school children.. Oh man.. She began chewing on her finger nails and dreading the inevitable conflict.
That was until the smell of sulfur engulfed the three still caught up in their three-way stand-off.
Grimmjow and Laxus simultaneously shifted their gazes very slowly to the three demons who insisted on butting in, causing a chill to run down their spines at the hate in their eyes.
That's one hell of a tense atmosphere.. The one demon eased up on the sulfur as he took a slow step back. He instantly realized unleashing his particles in the middle of their pissing contest probably wasn't the best idea.
"Lucy!" And to save both the demon and Lucy from the awkward and tense moment, Natsu came landing onto the ground as Happy hurriedly dropped him, both running and flying full speed towards the girl, and somehow managing to tackle her out from in between the two large alpha males still emitting killer auras.
Both snapped their attention from the demons to see Lucy haphazardly on the ground, being completely smothered by a pink haired boy and a blue cat. Grimmjow lifted an eyebrow at the display.
"Lucyyyyyy! I'm sorryyyyyyy! I couldn't catch youuuuuu!" The fur ball was bawling as he clung to Lucy's chest.
"It's okay Happy, I had another blue cat save me." She shot a coy smile to the Sexta in an attempt to lighten the mood, but she only earned herself a look of disgust and malcontent from the Arrancar.
"You're a cat?" The Lightning Mage didn't let the jab pass him by, and Lucy instantly realized her mistake.
Grimmjow cracked a slightly sadistic smile, "Wanna find out?" As he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, smile etched so wide his face mask slightly came apart. Natsu only just noticed the arrival of the new spirit, and for once put two and two together and realized he had to be the one that saved Lucy.
"Try me pussy cat." Laxus was sneering and Lucy was inwardly smacking herself for referring to her Arrancar as a cat.. Great.. Way to go Luce.. You really did it this time..
Laxus had drawn his arm back to throw a punch as the Arrancar did the same until the Lightning Mage was suddenly gone.
And a shorter, pink haired boy stood where he had been only moments before. Lucy let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding in - thank God for Natsu..
Grimmjow managed to stop mid swing and gave the newcomer a look of annoyed confusion, the fuck? He looked to his right to see the Lightning Dragon Slayer punched face-first into one of the magnesium stones still protruding from the ground, then looked back at the boy still confused, what the hell?
"You saved Lucy, right?" the boy had an earnest look on his face.
Grimmjow only scowled again, refusing to answer.
"My name's Natsu, thanks." He smiled now as he ran around the spirit and past him. The Sexta followed the boy's movements to see him standing in front of the three demons that were seemingly forgotten off to the side.
"The fuck you think yer doin?" Grimmjow had rounded and walked towards the three demons as well, following the boy's movements and now standing next to him. What's with this kid? Seems kinda dumb.
Natsu looked to the spirit now at his side, a confused look on his face as his fists lit on fire, "I'm gonna fight'em." He stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"You can't Natsu." The Lightning Mage finally approached the two, bristling some magnesium dust out of his hair as he scowled at the boy, but also surprised he'd managed a solid hit on him. Must be because the feline's distracting me.
"Natsu they use sulfur and magnesium." Lucy was approaching the two mages and Arrancar.
"What's that?" Natsu turned to give Lucy a confused look as she and Laxus sweat dropped. The demons shared a pointed glance and Grimmjow had an 'are-you-a-fuckin-idiot' look on his face. Yeah.. Definitely stupid..
"Natsu.. You're a Fire Mage.. You should know what's flammable and what isn't.." Lucy was massaging her temple – she was going to have a migraine after this whole ordeal..
"Well what about him, rubber doesn't do well with fire." Natsu was pointing to the short shirtless kid in the front, a dark smile etching the Fire Mage's features.
"How did you know what he was..?" Lucy gave him a confused look as Laxus' eye brows shot up. Grimmjow seemed less than impressed.
"I can smell it." He smiled as he shot a confident smirk to the demons.
And as if to commemorate the boy for being correct, an arm snaked its way to the group before reaching for the girl – the other hand sliding towards the already fallen demon and grabbing the ring of keys hidden in his back pocket.
"Like hell!" Natsu's fists lit up and engulfed the demon's stretched arm before it could ensnare itself around the girl's ankles. The heat of the attack completely melted the stretched limb as the other half slithered its way back to its owner.
The demon chuckled as he rattled the key ring in one hand and gave the group a dubious look.
"My keys! He was after my keys!" The Celestial Mage leapt forward only to be stopped by Natsu's unmoving form.
"Don't worry Luce, we'll get your keys back." The Fire Mage barely looked over his shoulder to give her a confident smirk that only managed to somewhat alleviate her fears.
The demon's chuckle became a bout of laughter as his arm regenerated itself right in front of the mages – and Arrancar. Grimmjow rolled his eyes, did the guy think regeneration was anything special? Besides that, standing around wasn't his style.
"Alright, Natsu, you take the rubber band kid, I'll handle the big guy-"
"All three of 'em are my prey. Stay the fuck out of it." The Espada took a few steps forward as the demons took on defensive stances. Laxus and Natsu shared a confused look as Siemen let out a new wave of sulfur and Boron slapped his hands together, cutting off the spirit's path with a series of huge magnesium stones.
"Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in the world! I can create it and control already formed stones!" He let out a laugh right before the stones separating the demons and the Arrancar were suddenly cut completely in half. All three demon's let out surprised looks as Grimmjow suddenly appeared directly in front of them, red balls of energy in both palms and holding them in the faces of the sulfur and magnesium demons while maintaining direct eye contact with the smaller, quitter one who Grimmjow assumed was the leader of the trio; after all, he treated the other two as though they were his fraccíon. The Sexta let a dark smile etch his features as he released both balas, shooting both demons through a series of stones until boulders formed into the mountain finally stopped their velocity.
He gave the third demon a wider grin after releasing his attacks, but not before grabbing his face to prevent any attempt at an escape. "Elastic is good for electricity," he smiled even wider at the look of horror on the demon's face, "but just as the kid said, bad for heat." And with his last statement he released a cero that had been slowly charging in his palm, completely removing the demon's head from his body along with most of the background; setting off a series of explosions as his attack split through magnesium stones. Once the dust settled the mages could still see the demon standing in place, completely headless, before falling to the floor in a heap in front of the unperturbed man. Lucy only squinted her eyes for a second, she remembered how Grimmjow fought – with no mercy, but this was a first experience for the two Dragon Slayers; she noticed how they both visibly flinched at the sight.
Laxus and Natsu both felt a cold sweat trail down their brow. This man was as unrestrained as Lucy's first spirit, Kenpachi? But not quite the same.. He was fast.. Really fast, definitely the fastest of her spirits thus far.. And strong.. Utterly ruthless.. What's with these spirits?
The Espada couldn't stop the smile practically splitting his mask again, "regenerate that bitch."
The two demons that were blown away were finding their footing again, only to see their third comrade decapitated and a mess on the floor at the blue-haired man's feet.
"Who's next? Or better yet, how about both of you come at me at once, might make shit more interestin'." The Espada stepped forward, managing to unintentionally step over the carcass with his hands in the air accompanied by a snide smile. The demons could have sworn they saw a twinkle in his eye.
Lucy watched his lazy stride forward, it was the same one from the first time she summoned him.. She would dare say he was swaggering into battle.. But these demons didn't seem to be in the same class as the two he defeated before, so his callous behavior and complete arrogance probably wouldn't reap the same effect it did last time.. Or at least Lucy hoped.. And even if it did she still had Natsu and Laxus with her. Yeah.. On second thought.. Have at it Panther..
"Who are you.. You're not a mage.. Or human for that matter.. Are you really one of the spirits from that key?" The larger of the two finally addressed the ever approaching man, the jaw-like skeletal protrusion on his face.. The hole in his abdomen.. What was he? How could any being possess such power?
"Already told ya, Grimmjow. Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, Sexta Espada, though that don't mean much here.." He began cracking his neck as he continued to push forward. Causing both demons to take a few steps back before sharing a glance and making another feeble attempt with their attacks.
"Ain't gonna work. Sorry." The spirit's smile faltered a little bit as he realized how pathetic these two actually were. Yeah, maybe for the outlet back there they were a problem, but for him? It was almost a sick joke. He casually glanced at both demons, noticing the fear behind their eyes and the uncontrolled trembling in their forms. It was beyond pathetic. He sneered and dropped his hands into his pockets in typical Grimmjow fashion.
"Tch.. That's it? One of the Siamese twins were a better fight than the three of you combined." He spat in disgust, quickly losing interest in his prey as they continued to cower with nowhere to go. Where was the anger? The hunger for battle? The drive to smash your opponent's face so far in no one would be able to recognize them? Shit, where was the drive to just fuckin' survive at this point? The chick back there had more backbone as a heaping mess with her throat in the claws of a demon ready to rip it out than these two so-called warriors.
Boron's eyes went wide as the spirits words finally sunk in, "You killed the Jemina Twins?!"
Siemen tensed at the realization. If this dude managed to annihilate the self-proclaimed indestructible twins, what the hell were they supposed to do?! Their abilities were only created at best to serve as a disadvantage to elemental mages like the Lightning Slayer, hell even the Fire Slayer. But this? They weren't equipped for this.
"We should report back to the Master, Boron.. Let him decide how to handle this.." The smaller demon only briefly took his eyes off the spirit to see if his partner was even listening, but in that instant the Arrancar had disappeared, and then reappeared directly in front of him.
"Thinkin' about runnin' away?" The Espada was only a hair's breadth away from the demon, causing his eyes to widen at the view of a broad, open chest ladened with a heavy scar until he was being lifted from the ground by his throat, only now getting a good look at the spirit's shocking blue eyes, and only just noticing the green war paint defined underneath them.
As he continued to look at the spirit's features and the emotion burning behind his orbs he realized there was no walking away from this one. This spirit was pure destruction formed into a body, the way he moved, his attacks, the way he spoke, and that look.. A complete animal. He instantly understood why his Master, the other upper class demons, and especially Zeref wanted the keys. With power like this at their beck and call, no one could stop them from their objectives.
He closed his eyes and accepted his fate. The spirit squeezed a little harder at the lack of retaliation.
"I've seen some pathetic excuses for soldiers in my time.. But you are in a level all your own. You make me fuckin' sick." Grimmjow sneered as he gathered reiatsu into his palm, ready to end it.
The demon continued to keep his eyes close, until he was suddenly, and rather forcefully, back on the ground. The impact of the fall snapped him out of his state of shock as he looked up to see a tall, broad blonde haired man standing in front of him, separating him from the spirit and completely obstructing his view. What the hell..?
"I don't know who you are or where you come from, but don't think you can pop in my world and start callin' the shots. These opponents are ours, the girl standing back there is my friend, and it's my fault she almost died – so I need to right that. You got your fill, the pink kid was yours; but these two are ours." Laxus was holding eye contact with the demon as he spoke, refusing to turn and address the Arrancar.
Grimmjow stood in silence. He noticed the tension in the mage's back, the adrenaline almost visibly pulsating through his veins and the hint of an electrical current that sparked from his being, despite the repercussions of letting his power come into contact with this demon's elemental attacks. Grimmjow understood, he may not like the big blonde guy, but he knew the different types of fights there were to be had. It had been a long time since he'd seen someone put their life on the line and jump into a battle they weren't sure they could win for pride alone. Hueco Mundo only left room for fights of survival, maybe to go up a few ranks by killing the next guy above ya, but even then you didn't engage in battle unless you were sure you could win. Hell he'd dare say he was the only Arrancar that threw caution to the wind and fought stronger opponents in any attempt to get stronger.
He lifted an eyebrow when he saw the smaller, pink-haired boy land directly in front of the larger opponent, fists back in flames and ready for a show down.
"He's right, we know you wanna protect Lucy as much as we do, but don't think we're incapable of it; we're here to fight and protect our friends, our nakama. No demon will ever stop or change that. Thanks for your help, and everyone before you and your friends that will come after you, but we've got this handled." Natsu turned a large toothy grin with a determined expression to the Espada. The Arrancar arched his other eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. The boy's posture spoke volumes, but the look in his eyes said it all.
"Tch.. Whatever. Don't cry for help if you start getting beaten." The spirit rolled his eyes as if annoyed by the two men's declarations. His reiatsu dropped to a tolerable level as he casually stepped away and the two mages prepared for battle.
Little did they know Grimmjow could give two shits about protecting the girl, sure her being alive was a plus since he could travel between their world's, but in the grand scheme of things? He'd rather place Kurosaki's head on a platter, Aizen's disemboweled corpse on a stake, and rule over Hueco Mundo with all the other Espada at his feet. And friends? Nakama? The fuck was the kid talking about? What is this world? Rainbows, butterflies and puppies n' shit? The girl went on and on about friends and shit too. Was this what she was talking about? The notion almost made him nauseous.
The demons on the other hand began praising their luck, what a turn of events. Siemen was beginning to lament in his victory before even beginning. He couldn't care less that the man had just saved him from a rather gruesome end, instead he would capitalize on the opportunity presented, beat the mage quickly, grab the keys, and leave Boron as a distraction for the mages while he made his escape. A dark grin only barely touched his lips as he began gathering sulfur into the palm of his hands without the Lightning Mage's knowledge. Sorry Boron, but I plan on getting out of this.
The demon quickly stood and spun to completely encase the mage in sulfur particles, with the Dragon Slayer's static clicking uncontrollably at the moment, it would only take a matter of seconds to be completely engulfed in flames and incinerate.
But as the demon made his 180 degree turn for his final, fatal attack – the Dragon Slayer was gone. He caught himself mid throw as he attempted to hold onto his particles, what the, where did he go?!
The demon spared a quick glance to see Boron giving him an apathetic look and the Fire Mage smirking. Then he felt the presence behind him – but before he could look he felt an odd, tingling sensation find its way up his spine before it turned into sharp, searing pain. He felt himself being propelled forward as he landed forward-first into one of the magnesium stones. He could barely register what had just happened.
"The spirit over there landed a pretty solid hit on you and your friend not too long ago, I noticed though his attack may not have been elemental, it still had heat – it should have set your sulfur off; but it didn't." Laxus was taking a few dangerous steps towards the demon as Siemen pulled himself out of the magnesium stone and leveled a glare on the mage.
"What's that supposed to mean?" The demon's irritation was evident on his face – his plan for a quick escape had been thwarted.
"So long as I don't let my lightning come into contact with your sulfur, it ain't gonna ignite in my face." Laxus was cracking his knuckles as he gave the demon a solid, heavy glare.
Natsu kept one eye on the battle next to him, and the other on his opponent who'd yet to move. He knew waiting for the demon to attack first wouldn't be the greatest strategy, so he decided it was his turn to step up.
"Do not think that ideology will work on me, boy." The demon took his eyes from the battle, to the Arrancar still standing dangerously close, then to his opponent. They may both be elemental demons, only created for a small purpose, but they were not the same.
Natsu's grin disappeared as his eyes took on a serious look, "who said I was banking on that?" He expanded the flames on his fist as he readied himself for an attack.
"Go Natsu! Beat that demon up!" Happy was fist pumping from Lucy's shoulder as they both watched the scene before them with apprehension. Lucy kept darting her eyes from the Dragon Slayers to the Arrancar who was watching the scene with little interest. She was surprised the proud Espada actually stepped back and let her friends take on their own battles. The spirit would never understand how much that meant to the two Fairy Tail mages who prided themselves on keeping their guild mates, their friends, family, safe. She smiled softly as she made a mental note to thank him once this was all over.
She then took a forgotten glance across the mountain peak to her group of friends still on the other side. They must be worried.. But if Natsu flew over here the way he did then they must all know she's alive and well.. Since they're not all running over here they must know the situation's been handled.
She took a deep breath and a quick exhale, turning back to the battles before her and bracing herself for whatever may come over her two friends who seemed to be at somewhat of a disadvantage. Be safe Natsu.. Laxus..
Natsu slid his right foot to the side as he slightly bent his knees and prepared for an attack – the demon watched the boy but knew what any fire attack would warrant. He had to keep himself from laughing at the mage.
The Fire Dragon Slayer leapt forward, hands still ablaze as he rounded on the demon, the flames from his fists shifting to his elbows and propelling him forward at an incredibly increased rate; then he simultaneously lit his feet and practically quadrupled his speed before landing his attack on the demon with a lit fist. The demon flew back and exploded in flames, but Natsu didn't escape the nature the of the demon's element as it engulfed him as well.
Lucy was stunned, she'd seen Natsu fight enough to have most, if not all, his attacks stored into her memory bank. He'd managed a Fire Dragon's Wing Attack and Flame Elbow to increase his speed and finished it off with a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist.. Had he ever used three attacks at once like that before? She'd seen him light his whole body in flames.. But this just seemed different somehow. He was molding, becoming stronger. Lucy couldn't help the feeling of pride that swelled up in her chest.
The demon laughed.
"Feel that boy?! In case you didn't notice, I have magnesium embedded into my body." The demon was pointing at the protrusions at the top of his head and shoulders before continuing, "just cuz the spirit didn't hit one with his fuckin' attack you got too confident, hit me as much as you want boy, the result will always be the same, you're gonna get burned!"
"So?" Natsu removed his vest and rewrapped his scarf around his neck as he cracked his knuckles and smiled.
"Are you an idiot? Your attacks are just gonna back fire!" The demon's eyes practically popped out of his head as a vein distended, he was trying his hardest to hold back laughter at the boy's unfortunate situation.
"I don't care." Natsu relit his fists – ready for round two.
"What do you mean you don't care?! How stupid are ya kid?" Boron's look of mirth twisted into an annoyed scowl.
"So what if my attacks come back at me? So long as nobody else gets caught up in the explosion besides us it's fine. I'm a Fire Mage, fire doesn't work on me." Natsu jumped in the air.
Oh...
"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" He swiped his hands down in a swift motion, wrapping the demon in flame as it doubled and consumed the both of them yet again, he then reached through his element and grabbed onto the demon, "Fire Dragon's Grip Strike!" blasting the demon and smashing him into a few of his own stones, setting off a series of explosions at the contact and causing the very ground to shake.
"Guess we're gonna have to see who can take the heat." Natsu took his stance and waited for the demon to pull himself from the mass of flames – if he could.
Laxus didn't have to look over his shoulder to know what was going on behind him. The kid could fight, and whatever the situation warranted deep down inside Laxus knew the Fire Mage would somehow always come out on top – especially when it mattered most. He could still see Lucy out of the corner of his eye and knew this was one of those times, Natsu wouldn't lose, and neither would he.
Siemen watched the Lightning Mage, waiting for the man to take his eyes off of him for just a second so he could somehow wrap him in sulfur. He could see Boron's fight from the angle he stood at. He knew his demon comrade was fighting a losing battle; they only anticipated taking on the Lightning Mage, they forgot to consider fire attacks on a Fire Mage would have little to no effect. Oh well, he was Boron's problem now.
The sulfur-using demon began releasing some of his particles into the air, trying a sneak attack on the mage. Laxus just smiled and disappeared.
"Not this time!" Siemen had turned completely around, ready to counter the Lightning Mage as he attempted to attack him from behind again – it was his only choice. But lost his smile when he realized no one was behind him. "What the?" The demon turned back around. Where did he go?!
"Stupid.." The demon rounded and made brief eye contact with the practically forgotten spirit who was now casually leaning up against a magnesium stone as he watched the show and chose to comment. The Arrancar snickered as his eyes traveled upwards, the demon followed his gaze to see the Dragon Slayer merely inches above his head, raising both clenched fists into the air, "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!" He slipped back out of the way as a heavy bolt of lightning cracked the sky and crashed onto the demon without mercy. The sulfur he'd accumulated in his palms and had yet to release only amplified the destruction as the lighting then shifted into a bright blue flame. The demon howled, Laxus landed and flinched at the sound – but the Arrancar continued to smirk.
Laxus quickly caught a glance at Natsu, seeing his fists almost completely black from the magnesium backfiring and watching as the large demon slowly pulled himself from the charred stones he'd crashed into a few minutes ago. He then looked to the still blue flames lighting the ground and with a Lightning Blast, propelled the flames towards the boy, "Natsu! Finish it!"
The Fire Mage turned to see a hefty amount of blue flames soaring his way, and with a bright smile and wide mouth, graciously accepted the flames with open arms, or mouth, As he quickly ingested the flames.
Boron's eyes practically bounced out of his head as he watched the boy turn his attention back to him. He grabbed the magnesium stones still attached to his person and began cursing his creator for not piecing him together with more thought than this. He turned and was ready to make a run for it until he heard the boys muffled voice.
"Fire Dragon's Blue Flame Roar!" He let out almost the same blue flame he'd unleashed on Ignem those few days ago. Completely incinerating his prey once again as he became swallowed in a combination of flames and explosions.
Natsu turned to give the Lightning Mage a thumbs up with a toothy grin, Laxus just smirked as he folded his arms over his chest and nodded his head.
"Way to go guys!" Lucy practically jumped in her spot as Happy jetted towards the Fire Dragon Slayer, slamming into his face and smothering him in typical Happy fashion.
Grimmjow continued to watch the display with an eyebrow raised. Maybe these mages weren't the weaklings he had them pegged to be. If nothing else the people from this world sure were resourceful, he'd dare say the two in front of him would prove to be pretty decent fights. Too bad Ulquiorra's charge wasn't here to heal everyone up, he'd never challenge two injured men to a fight while he was completely unharmed.
"Thank you Grimmjow."
He snapped his attention down to the barely noticeable presence that was now standing directly to his side. Lucy was smiling up at him, he hadn't decided yet if he hated that smile.
"The fuck you thankin' me for?" He sneered at her; like hell he was gonna start getting all soft and giddy – join the fruity bunch in hugs and praises, shooting each other thumbs ups and calling them all nakama. If she thought he was gonna turn into a little pansy like them she had another thing comin'.
"For your honor."
He went silent.
That.. He was not expecting to come out of her mouth.. His sneer disappeared as his eyes took on a confused look.
"Because you have honor you recognized when another person's was at stake. You know Laxus and Natsu needed to finish these fights – an unspoken code. You stood back, and let them do what they needed to do because you understand; because you live by the same system." She blushed a little as his confused look had yet to change.
"I respect that Grimmjow, in fact, I think that's what I like most about you." She playfully poked at his arm, noting that he practically felt like a brick wall.
The contact snapped him from his stupor as he thought about grabbing the girl's hand that she insisted on touching him with and lifting her off the ground, throw a few threats at her, sneer a little bit, then just head back to his own world. But the chick knew his threats were empty, the keys kept her safe and allowed her to be so informal with him.
Fuck.
"Luce! We need to head back! We still haven't finished our mission!" Natsu was approaching the two with Happy firmly attached to his shoulder, ready to take off across the way to their friends patiently waiting on the other side.
Grimmjow broke eye contact with the girl to see one hell of a glare emanating from the Lightning guy – Lexus? Locust?
"Laxus can you carry Lucy across? I can only carry Natsu.." Happy had a slightly sheepish look at the confession.
Laxus.. What a stupid name.
"Of course. Wouldn't want someone tossin' her across the way cuz they're too fuckin' lazy and inconsiderate." Laxus sneered as he glared at the Arrancar who glared back with twice the angst.
Then he smirked.
"Don't stress it scar face – ya look like shit after your fight with that pathetic excuse for an opponent. Wouldn't want ya keelin' over anytime soon, I still need to kick your ass once you're all healed up." In a swift motion the Espada grabbed the girl and tossed her over his right shoulder, she let out a low yelp in protest but decided to not kick or move too much once the edges of the Espada's mask poked at her skin menacingly.
"Put her down! Don't fuckin' touch her!" Laxus lit up in static as he began bridging the gap.
Grimmjow only laughed as he took to the air, the lightning mage hot on his trail.
Too fuckin' easy.. And everyone says I'm easy to rile. Grimmjow was mentally patting himself on the back.
"LUCY!" Happy and Natsu weren't far behind, breaching the distance of the two mountain peaks in record time and landing on the ground in a hurry.
"Natsu! What happened?! Where's Lucy? Is she ok?!" Erza was running towards the Fire Mage with a look of complete concern. Why was Natsu by himself? Why is Laxus emitting so much magical power? Was he still fighting? Were the demons still alive?!
"Well.." Happy began scratching the back of his head as the rest of the group eagerly waited for an explanation.
"No.. The demons are gone.. And Lucy's safe.. I think.."
"God dammit! Give her back you fuckin' ass hole!"
"Make me bastard!"
"Stop fighting you two! And put me down Grimmjow!"
"Not a chance in hell chick!"
…
"Happy.. Natsu.. What's the meaning of this." A few veins popped from Erza's temple as Levy struggled to stifle a laugh. Gajeel and Lily shared a curious glance as Bixlow began scratching the back of his neck. Gray proceeded in removing clothing.
"It's ok Erza! They're just playin' around! That's just Lucy's spirit, he saved her and defeated one of the demons, he's really strong. He's a friend." Natsu placed his hands on his hips as he attempted to follow the movements darting across the sky, clearly the spirit was faster, but when Laxus was in lightning mode he could be pretty hard to keep up with. He smiled at what he considered a show of friendship. Everyone else sweat dropped as they knew better..
"All this movement is making me sick! Put me down Grimmjow! RIGHT NOW!"
A boom sounded as a man with shocking blue hair landed in front of the group in a predatory crouch – making the mages jump a little bit. When he finally stood up right he was easily as tall as Laxus, but wore a very different scowl.
"Umm.. Can you please put me down now.. I think I'm gonna be sick.." Everyone's attention fell onto the rather petite form on the man's right shoulder. He snickered as he slightly leaned over to the right side and let the girl slide off his shoulder and onto her feet, Levy had to come around and catch her before she fell to the floor.
"Now I know how Dragon Slayer's feel.." Lucy was cupping her mouth as Levy began patting her back in a soothing manner – the Celestial Mage looked slightly green in complexion..
"If you ever do that again, I'll kill you Grimmjow." Laxus finally landed behind the group, standing up right and practically snarling at the spirit. Bixlow slowly approached the Lightning Mage and handed him his jacket and soundpod back.
"Promises, promises." Grimmjow's snicker turned into a rather nasty smile as he stood upright once again and put his hands in the air in a 'what-are-you-going-to-do-about-it' gesture.
"That's enough. It's clear Lucy doesn't want either of you to fight so this ends here." Erza stood defiantly between the two men with her hands on her hips, and her armored chest sticking out ever so slightly in a show of dominance.
"Tch, you can bet kilowatt over there would be dead if the chick hadn't put a fuckin' limit on me." Grimmjow mumbled a few more profanities under his breath as he shot an annoyed glare at the Celestial Mage. "Kinda defeats the purpose of comin' over here chick."
"Didn't you come to save her?" Levy gave the spirit a disbelieving look. She remembered Lucy talking about this spirit, and she was right, there was something about him that was.. Intriguing.. Well aside from the fact that he was definitely easy on the eyes. He seemed rough around the edges, but there was something about him that seemed inherently good too. She figured his show of not caring was just that - a show. Or maybe he just didn't realize it yet.. Lucy had a weird way of making enemies into friends.. Or maybe it was just the whole 'wanting to turn a bad boy into a good guy' appeal that had her curious and even humoring the possibility.. Then she spared a shy glance to the Iron Mage still standing with the group. Well she was definitely guilty of that fantasy..
"Grimmjow.. Are you using me to come over here just so you can pick fights with anyone and everyone?" Lucy finally regained herself as the nausea slipped away, she managed a pretty annoyed expression back at her spirit.
And he graced her with a 'no-fucking-shit' look that answered her question for her.
"Ugh, you're such a jerk!" Lucy pushed past the Espada in a vain attempt to push him out of the way, but regardless she got her point across as she stomped onward.
"Let's go guys. We have a mission to finish and we don't have any more time to waste." Lucy had her hands clenched at her sides as she took the lead of the group and began making her way to the village they were originally assigned to assist. Laxus and Bixlow were almost immediately behind her, but not before Laxus shot the Espada a triumphant look.
The Espada could feel his temper rising.
"Don't stress it, she gets that way sometimes. She's really grateful you saved her, she just doesn't like you right now because you were trying to fight our friend." Happy was flying next to the Arrancar, paw in the air as if gesturing his understanding and support to the blue-haired man.
"She'll get over it, just let her cool off." Natsu gave the man a toothy grin before falling into stride behind Erza and Gray who both gave the spirit a hesitant look – should they really just leave him there?
Gajeel and Lily tailed the back as they both stopped and turned around.
"Are ya comin' or what?"
Grimmjow snapped his head down to his right side, the little girl with blue hair was still standing next to him, a small smile playing on her lips as she waited for a reply to her question.
"Why the fuck would I go anywhere with any of you?" Grimmjow placed his hands on his hips and gave the Script Mage a rather nasty look.
"Because this isn't over, and you wanna make sure Lucy's ok, especially since almost every being on this mountain wants her dead because she can summon beings like you to this world." Levy gave the Espada a lifted eyebrow, hands still on her hips.
The Espada cursed under his breath, and started wondering if coming to this world was what he originally cracked it up to be. His eyes followed the two mages that put up a decent fight before noticing the rest of the chick's group – he was learning pretty quickly to gauge opponents with "magic" instead of reiatsu and get an idea of their abilities. The other three men were definitely three more potentially good battles, but the red-head really had the makings of a good fight. Then his eyes fell onto the blonde leading the group still marching up the hill, and then he remembered her last words to him. There was no way he could let that slide.
Levy blinked a few times after registering that the man she was just having a conversation with had completely disappeared. Before hearing a shriek near the top of the hill, and then noticing that Lucy was gone as well; and if Laxus' reaction said anything she was obviously with her spirit. Levy smiled a little wider as she ran past the Iron Mage and exceed to catch up to the group – this trip was turning out to be more fun than she'd expected.
"Dammit that's it! I'm gonna kill him!" Laxus shrugged his jacket back off as he prepared to travel by way of lightning again to the two figures nearing the top of the mountain, that was until he felt someone grabbing his arm.
"Stop it Laxus, let them talk it out, he's not going to hurt her and you know it." Levy was giving the Lightning Mage a stern look.
"She's right, he may be unruly but he wouldn't hurt Lucy. He's the only reason she's even alive." Erza was standing next to Levy as she placed her hand on the Script Mages shoulder.
"I have no idea what's going on." Gray was scratching the back of his head as he looked to Bixlow for some sort of clarification, the Sieth Mage shrugged in just as much confusion.
"I think they're playing a game, Grimmjow seems to like flying around with Lucy a lot." Natsu looked to the top of the mountain to see blue and blonde hair now standing at the top.
"I think he wants to play a different kind of game with her." Gajeel placed his hand on the Fire Mage's shoulder as he snickered. Levy swatted at his arm for the inappropriate comment before realization finally dawned on Gray and Bixlow.
"What kind of game?" Natsu gave the Iron Mage a lost look as Gajeel could only laugh, expecting the phrase to slip right past the Fire Mage.
"Grimmjow! Put me down! If this is another attempt to piss Laxus off find someone else! I think you've used me enough for one day." Lucy began kicking and swinging her arms while she was being hauled by her torso at the Espada's side.
Once they reached the top of the mountain the Arrancar released her, Lucy stumbled before finding her footing and rounding on the man with a defiant look in place.
Grimmjow's unmoving figure stood, arms crossed, and a deadpan look on his face. His scowl was still there, but he seemed.. Annoyed?
"You know," he sneered as he finally began to speak, "for someone who shoulda been splattered at the fukin' bottom of the mountain you sure do bitch a lot."
Lucy's resolve began to crack as she let his words sit with her for a little bit, and then she sighed. He was right, she never did thank him for saving her..
"I'm pretty sure the only thing I've heard out of your mouth is demands." He uncrossed his arms as he took a step towards the girl, causing her to take a step back.
"And then you actually try and shove me out of the way before callin' me a jerk." He was advancing another step with each word, and Lucy found herself backing up to the edge of the cliff- quickly finding nowhere else to go.
Lucy placed her hands in the air and sighed again in defeat.
"You're right." She closed her eyes as if she'd been shamed.
Grimmjow's scowl lost its finesse for a moment as he let the girl's words sink in.
"What was that?" He lifted an eyebrow and fought back the smirk threatening to break through.
"I said I'm sorry." Lucy opened an eye.
"No, the other thing you said." He was really fighting his smile now.
Lucy sighed again and opened both eyes, giving the man another defeated look, "I said you're right.."
Grimmjow took a step back as he finally let his smile come out, he only wished he had a way to record this – her.. Telling him he's right.. Yeah, this is being stored in the memory bank.
"One more time."
Lucy gave him a coy smile, "Nope, two's my limit Grimmjow, it's hard for a girl to admit things like that ya know." She finally straightened her shoulders as the tension in the atmosphere started to dwindle.
"But I should have thanked you earlier, I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you, so thank you." Her unsure smile turned into a fond one. "And besides, I've said some nice things while you've been here too." She poked at him again – she really needed to stop touching him before he took it as a green light.
"What's the deal with the lightning rod? He your dude or what?" Grimmjow's smile faded as thoughts of the Lightning Mage trailed through his mind.
"Laxus? No, we're just friends. He's just.. Protective of all of us.. He's the Guild Master's grandson which means he'll more than likely be Guild Master himself one day. He's had.. A troubled past.. Made mistakes along the way he's still working through.. Give him a little break, besides a few of my other spirits left questionable impressions on him." Lucy sweat dropped as she began thinking about Kenpachi and Gin.
Grimmjow rolled his eyes, if they wanted to sit down and compare fucked up past experiences he was pretty sure he'd have all of them beaten.
That aside, he was feeling somewhat satisfied with the girls responses – at least he had less of an urge to destroy the entire fucking mountain – and was ready to drop her back off with the Brady Bunch and take off until something coursed through his veins and he snapped his attention to the girl's face.
She was looking down the mountain, and tears were streaming down her cheeks as she cupped her mouth with both hands. He came to stand directly behind her to see exactly what she was so emotional about.
The village they'd come to aid was completely in flames, Lucy tried to look for bodies but none could be found from where they were at. What happened to everyone? Were there any survivors?
"Grimmjow.." She'd instinctively reached back and with a shaky hand gripped firmly onto the man's sleeve. Whether it was for reassurance or to ask him to take her down to the village he wasn't sure, maybe it was a little bit of both. He swiftly grabbed the girl and in a flash they were in the center of the town. There was something about her emotional state that made giving her shit for being so sensitive difficult, so he just chose to remain silent, he was pretty sure the key had something to do with that too. She still had a firm grip on his sleeve, and he figured she was only seeking reassurance, and for some strange reason he didn't mind giving it, so long as he didn't have to say or actually do anything.
"H-hello?" Lucy's voice slightly cracked as she hollered, "Can anyone hear me? Hello!" She shouted again. "Is anyone alive? Please! I'm a Fairy Tail Mage, I'm here to help.." Tears continued to fall at the silence.
"Lucy!" Gray, Natsu, Erza, and Levy were running as fast as they could towards the pair standing stock still in the center of the town. Gray mumbled something and then small sheets of ice and wind began putting the flames out.
Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow at the man's powers – but seemed more confused at the fact that the man was working in only his boxers.
"I called out.. But no one answered.. We should start searching.." Lucy finally released Grimmjow's sleeve as she approached her friends.
"I can't smell anyone.. But the smell of burnt wood has pretty much dulled my senses.." Gajeel now approached as he threw a pair of pants and shirt at the man still putting out flames.
"Let's start searching, someone's gotta be alive." Laxus and Bixlow began spanning the area and lifting debris, looking for signs of life. Everyone else followed suit, Lucy finally began to distance herself from her spirit to help.
"They're alive."
Lucy whipped back around to her spirit who refused to look at her.
"I know what burning flesh smells like. And the smell of blood isn't heavy enough for any sort of massacre. They're here. Just hiding." Grimmjow fully turned around to give Lucy his back.
"Grimmjow.." Lucy's tears quickly stopped as she gave the Espada a smile he couldn't see.
"I'm heading back, there's no demons here and I'm running low on reiatsu." He threw something loud and clinky over his shoulder to the girl, she barely managed to catch whatever it was, but when she looked into her hands she realized he'd actually given her her keys back.. She had no idea he'd even grabbed them off the demon.. In fact, she almost forgot she didn't have them all together with everything that was going on.
She lifted her head to thank him but he was already gone. She clutched her keys to her chest as she smiled a little deeper, a blush dusting her cheeks.
"Over here!" Lucy snapped her attention over to Levy and Gajeel, who were lifting a rooftop from the ground that was concealing a hidden door.
"I can smell them! They're under here!" Gajeel and Lily were tossing the barricade off to the side as Levy grabbed the handle and lifted the door.
She smiled as she looked down and turned to the rest of the mages, waving them all over to help.
An elderly man poked his head out of the underground hideout, as if to scan the scene for safety before pulling himself out with the help of the mages; men, women, and children followed suit.
"Thank God.. We were so scared.." Levy had placed a hand to her chest in relief as the rest of the villagers made their way out of the shelter.
"Who are you people?" The village elder was giving the girl a confused look.
"We're Fairy Tail sir, we're here at your request." Levy gave the man a reassuring smie.
"…We didn't put out a summons for Fairy Tail." The man was giving the group a suspicious look.
"But.. We got a mission request from the Demon Slayer's Village.." Levy and Gajeel shared a curious glance as the rest of the mages finished pulling the villagers from their hideout.
"Girl. We never sent a request to any guild for anything." The man finally looked to the blonde girl who finally approached and spotted the ring of keys in her hand. He looked a little closer and noticed her white and black keys.
"You.." He looked to Lucy as she stopped in her tracks. "I have been waiting for you for a long, long time." The old man gave Lucy a serious look as all eyes fell on her. She could feel sweat trailing down her back as she suddenly began missing a sleeve to grab onto for reassurance.
To my friends and fellow readers, I am officially 3 months shy of graduating college as an undergraduate! I'm taking some of the hardest and most time consuming classes and updating every week or every other week just isn't possible right now - I do apologize for that.
Note: Boron is elementally similar to magnesium, in fact when bound together they are considered a "super conductor".
Siemen is the name of a company that deals with a lot of sulfur production and distribution.
The Latin word for copper is aes - Aeris ... And for twin it's Geminus - Jemina. See what I did there? He he he.. Yeah I know.. Not very clever.. I just need some ice cream..
Anyways.. Thus the names of my demons! Ta dah~ XD