When the Lights Go Out

Chapter 7

Black Hole in the Storm

She kept pulling his hair until she ran him straight into a wall. Two walls, in fact, because it was a damn corner. And it wasn't like he was injured or nothin'. It wasn't like he was smoking a bit and still cut the fuck up.

More cut up after that. He was going to collapse soon, and he needed very much for that not to happen. She might be able to help them escape, but there was no way she could keep up with that Wendy. Hell he wasn't sure he could take her down. Kill her maybe, but killing her wasn't the goal. Making her not not-Wendy was the goal.

And that shit was limiting.

He could see nothing in the darkness Levi allowed to retake the room, but he could smell her in front of him, and hear her muttering. Doing something magical. There was the smallest bit of light that flashed across the floor and up the air, almost too fast to see. And in that brief light he saw her move from her knees to sit properly.

"We'll be safe here," she said in a normal voice.

"What did you do?"

"Barrier spell like Fried's. To take it down, I had to learn it. I've been practicing. And the rules here are pretty simple. No female under the age of 16 or, for safety's sake, over the age of 19 can cross. No one not possessing solid script magic can cross. Which means only a male with solid script magic, or a woman from 16-18 with solid script magic can move through the barrier."

"And if the hag is just playing at being a woman?"

"Well, she's probably still older than 19. And though she has powerful rune magic or is powerful but limited to barriers, she's not a solid script mage. At least that I've seen thus far. I didn't put an age restriction on the male side because … well the barrier stopped you at over 80. I could try for under 25, but I'm still not sure what the barrier would do with your age. I tried to make it as open for you as I could. I can remove the solid script rule easily, the age restriction would take me a moment or two longer, and that might be an important moment."

True. But that also meant she could leave at anytime, and he couldn't. He still remembered her earlier words where she said she would box Wendy up. Now it was him in the box. Sneaky. Clever as hell, but damn sneaky.

"Can you turn on the lights?"

"I don't think we should risk it. The rules on sound and entry are relatively easy. Light in this place, though, is so much harder. It took a lot of power to turn on the lights and destroy the shadow the last time I did it, and even more the first. I need to conserve energy."

"So, can you hold this with no energy?"

"I'm not actually doing anything with it now. It's a solid rule until I break it … or someone else stronger does."

"Do we stay here forever?"

"No, of course not, but we will stay until you get some of your strength back. I can tell that hit took a lot out of you, and, she sounded a bit guilty, "what I did too."

"I told you to forget about that shit."

"In this case, regardless of your orders, it does matter right now. It's slowing you down, and we can't really ignore that with Wendy the way she is."

"Do you think that crazy bitch out there is our Wendy?" If he didn't think Levi could willingly torture someone, he really didn't think the kid was capable of 1) being that damn powerful and 2) turning that power on people she considered friends. "Could she be some sort of illusion?"

He could hear her smile. Fucking hear it. How did that work? "I think she's a bit strong for a construct, but she's also not using her usual spells. But they're close enough to her standard powers that it could be a warping like what was done to me."

"So in other words, you don't have a damn clue."

"I would bet on the warping. It would be much easier than creating a construct with powers so similar to Wendy's own. And being so powerful, at that. I'd be willing to bet, as well, that she can't heal like she is now."

"Why is she so different than you? You used the same word magic you always use."

"But I've never used anything like that before. And never used it in that way!" he had offended her. Whatever. She'd get over it. Maybe. He never really understood women, especially not this one. They forgive the unforgivable, like the shit he pulled, and then get fucking hung up on stupid crap like this.

He didn't mean she had tortured before, just that it was a part of the same magic.

"Here," she said, and the smell of good iron filled his lungs. Good iron and her. He took the metal and started eating. It would distract him, and it would help him get his strength back. She'd started to glow again, but didn't seem worried about that light. She whispered words that he could hear, "Bandages" and "Ointment." She let them hover, unmoving, beside her. She whispered again, a hand stretched in his direction.

"Pain-"

He winced. How could he not? It was instinctive.

"-killer." Her head drooped. "I'm sorry. I didn't think."

"Whatever. It's no big deal anyway."

"Sure," she didn't believe him. And since she was right, he didn't really expect her too. He just wanted them both to move on so they could get the others and get the shit out of the place.

Done with the iron, he placed a hand on the word made of ointment, while she unraveled the bandage word. They worked quickly, and he was covered in the word, that felt like soft cotton, in only a few minutes.

"Water." And he used the word to take the pills. That was a damn useful gift she had there. If for no other reason than it could provide him with a limitless supply of food. If he could fucking manifest food out of thin air like that …

Damn that would kick ass.

"I want to sleep for a little while, okay?" she leaned against the wall next to him. "Only a little while. Please wake me if anything happens. I know we can't tell time here, but not longer than you feel is an hour."

How the hell was he supposed to feel an hour?

She dropped off to dreamland faster than he expected. More tired than he thought. He wasn't sure what took more out of her, but she'd obviously been drained almost dry. Tch, he wasn't paying enough attention to her – something he believed impossible – if he was, he could have stopped her from doing so much. It wasn't like he needed the bandages and all that shit. The iron was great, but she could have rested first.

He sat in silence beside her as she gave off pale light. The sounds of nothing were oppressive. He found himself missing her voice. Any voice really, but more hers than any others. It hadn't been that long since he let go of her. Since they'd (he'd) stopped running. But he wanted to …

Dammit.

He had to think of something else. Anything else. It was always hard to be with her, but being trapped in a fucking impassable box didn't make shit any easier.

Eventually she woke. And about time, he was about to cross the thin line of madness if he didn't hear something besides her breathing. And he was about to pass the even thinner line of something he'd regret if she didn't wake the fuck up so she could tell him no. Or at least back away enough that it became less of a fucking issue.

"How long was I asleep? I feel better than if I woke after only an hour."

"Who the hell knows? I can't tell time in this place." In fact he'd counted each of her heartbeats, which he could hear easily with no other sound to overpower it, and an hour had passed some time ago. Sixty heartbeats a minute, sixty minutes an hour … he'd gone through the cycle of minutes at least six times. He thought he probably lost count at some point around time four.

She looked at him, glare more pronounced with the shadows cast by her glowing skin – at least these shadows didn't coil and move – knowing he was lying to her. But she sighed and forgave him quickly. Probably understanding that she was useless if she couldn't even stand. She needed the sleep, so he gave it to her.

Putting a hand on the corner of the two walls and another next to his arm, she stood. She stretched. He watched with the distant fascination of someone who had been arguing with his conscious for the past lots of hours.

"So I know you won't go home. You're very serious about that -"

"Hell yes I am, and for good reason! The little girl -"

"Yes, yes. Anyway, I won't send you back. I won't stay here alone."

Satisfied he nodded, about damn time. "Great."

"But see, not staying here alone doesn't mean the two of us have to be together the whole time, does it. If the rules are, can't leave and won't leave you alone in this place. You never set a distance. As long as you're here," she waved a hand indicating the box, and he was about to fucking attack her himself. He saw this shit coming. "Still here in my barrier, you're safe. And right now that's the most important thing to me."

"You can't keep me in here, you annoying little -"

She cut him off again. "But I can. You've come across barrier spells before. Been held back by them. Mine isn't any different from that. And you can't crack them, so you're effectively stuck here until I get back."

"What if I need to get out because you're gone?"

"If I'm gone," she put a heavy emphasis on the last word, "the barrier will break. Most spells die with the creator. This one is no different."

What? Die. "And if I need to get the fuck out to keep you from fucking dying? You'll feel like a real stupid chit then won't you? Better for me to come with you and -"

"I've made my decision," if she cut him off again, he'd punch her in the face. Feelings be dammed. "You will stay; I will go. It's the only way this will happen. I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you chose. I've seen you hurt before. For me. By me." She closed her eyes for a brief second, and it was like she hadn't slept at all, they were so heavy. "I don't want to see that again."

"And have you somehow got the stupid idea that I'm okay with seeing you hurt? Because it's not true. Get the over it and let me out of here." He attempted to rise because he thought he could overpower her and get her to change her mind that way, but he couldn't move. It was like his back was attached to the wall.

His shoulders.

His arms down to his elbows.

His forearms and hands to the floor.

His legs to the floor.

That fucking bitch. He might not kill her, but he would have to do something awful as hell to pay her back.

"I'm sorry," she said as she watched him – again – struggle against bindings. And she didn't fucking mean what she said either. If she was actually sorry she wouldn't be such a bitch. "It will hold until I'm back, or I release it." Her eyes moved to catch his, and then away as if afraid. She damn well should be. "Or, you know, if I die. Like with the barrier."

"Don't even say that! Are you out of your fucking mind? You're supposed to be the smart one here! Let me go," he roared without the magic because he didn't want to hurt her that badly. But it was a close thing.

"I am sorry."

"Hell no you're not. I am going to beat the everloving shit out of you when you get back; do you hear me! If you die, I will fucking find you, find a way to bring you back to life again, just so I can beat the everloving shit out of you! Twice! For leaving and then again for dying!"

She laughed at him, arms wrapped around her stomach like he was the funniest thing she'd ever seen in her life. "No you won't." She bent at the waist and kissed him as he was preparing to yell more threats and curses at her.

Instead he held his breath and kept his eyes wide open. This side of shocked completely mindless.

"You won't because I know now that some part of you likes it." The corner of her mouth twitched up. Her tongue darted out of her mouth to touch her lips. And she disappeared out of the barrier without letting him say anything in response.

What. The. Fuck.

He'd stayed dumb and speechless for longer than he probably would have if he were somewhere that distracted him from what had happened. If he was in the guild and a fight broke out, for instance. Or if Lily were around to talk him out of his stupor. Or if there was a loud explosion.

Since none of those things happened, he didn't say anything for a long time. And when he did start saying things, all of the things he said were variations on berating the blue haired, annoying, frustrating, tough, sweet, attractive …

Shit, he'd gotten off track.

If her leaving had made him a little worried and a lot pissed off before, well it was worse now. Now he was still a lot pissed off and about a thousand times more worried. If … that … goddamn it! She wasn't doing this because she could do it. She was doing it from some stupid ass feeling that made her need to protect him.

Why in the seventeen layers of the purple hell was she so stupid!

And people called him obstinate. Well, they didn't use that word most of the time. Pig-headed got used a lot. Bullheaded. Bloody minded. Why did so many of those involve the head?

Want bullheaded? She was a perfect freaking example. Not so much bloody minded as single minded. Annoying. She drove him absolutely nuts. He couldn't be the only one, but she got away with it because she was so fucking cute.

And he was getting off topic again.

With a few more grumbles he released the tension in his muscles and settled in for a long wait. Wasn't like he could do a damn thing now. She'd made bloody sure of that. He would have to worry and wait. And he'd probably said it a lot in his life, but he fucking hated waiting.

00000000000

If it wasn't for the light, he wouldn't have known.

He didn't know if it would have been better in the dark, but it was bad enough with the magic.

Wendy's hands were pressed to the wall of the barrier, and her eye looked on him with pure malice. "I found you," the hag's voice spoke through her again. "You are alone; it looks like the tiny girl you love left you with protections." The grin on Wendy's face was nasty. "But she still left you, didn't she?"

He kept his mouth shut tight. He wouldn't say anything. Not to argue her words. Not to give Levi away.

"Well. Of course you wouldn't speak. And it wouldn't matter. I don't care what you have to say, and neither did she, I imagine. But it doesn't come to anything, does it, Dark Son? She wanders now in my domain. Alone. Without help. Without protections. After defying me. All alone."

Wendy's body pressed closer to the barrier. So that every part of her body touched it. Light and words danced across the invisible wall like ripples in a lake.

"Such a strong spell. Such strong magic. I have become quite fond of her. I shall take her from you as I have taken this child. Then you will be truly alone in this place, and I will take you as I please."

He still said nothing, but it was hard to keep his mouth shut. He teeth ground and his jaw was clenched tight. His eyebrows ached from the tension of his scowl. But he wouldn't give the hell bitch the satisfaction.

The smile again. Wendy's body turned, tracing a finger on the barrier and leaving a flow of words he could not read in her wake. It was the eyeless socket that faced him as she left.

After she was out of his sight, he started shaking. It was completely involuntary. Part of it, he was ashamed to admit, was fear. More was worry for Levi. And even more than that was his overwhelming need and desire to get the fuck out.

He needed to be with her in case something with wrong. In case she was found. And he would need her too; even if he couldn't be anything more than a shield against her power.

Darkness and more than darkness beat and caressed the barrier in turns. He might not have known if the words didn't flash to tell him of an attempt at intrusion.

All his efforts at relaxation fell flat. He fought and screamed and struggled and cursed everything he could think of to curse. Starting at Levi and the hag and still going when he got to trees and grass. Not that it helped. It didn't even make him feel better. But he couldn't stop the anger and worry bursting from his gut and ripping at his vocal cords.

At the moment cursing was all he could do. He'd never felt so goddamn useless and weak every in his life. And he didn't appreciate the feeling. He would disembowel the tiny bookworm when she returned. She'd more than earned it.

When the barrier vanished and the bindings freed him, he didn't take off running. He sat starring at his hands, pointlessly, in the dark.

"Levi?" he whispered, hoping she was the one who let the barrier go. That she freed him willingly.

That she wasn't dead.

"Goddamn it Levi, answer me."

Silence.

"Levi?"

Author's notes: Yeah, that's right. Take that. With a missing Erza, a crazy possessed Wendy, and a dead Levi, what will happen to Gajeel.

Tune in next time.

An thanks again to the Anon reviewer. To the rest of you: check your pm's as always! Love you peeps! Goodfreakingnight.