A/N - This chapter had been scheduled for last weekend, but I ended up getting into the sleep phase of my meds. All I did last weekend was sleep, and it has continued to be something I am struggling with. But I managed to finish this chapter and even got some Gajeel back in!
Couldn't forget my giant hulk!
Former Arrangements
By Genavere
Chapter Nineteen
Grass tickled Lucy's foot that still had feeling even as Happy kept her upright with his paws. Natsu's warmth disappeared and goosebumps spread from the biting weather. The chill brought the realization that the clothes he had given her earlier laid crushed beneath them.
A shudder passed through her at the thought. Still, even with the cold and lack of clothing, her heart warmed at the presence of the four figures standing protectively in front of her.
Erza donned in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Natsu transformed into a Demonic-Dragon hybrid. Loke standing proud even in his dirty and torn suit. Gray stood shirtless with the ink of his Demon Slayer magic spread over his chest and face. A formable group to face against regardless of their physical condition.
Between them, she managed to catch a glimpse at their enemy and involuntarily winced at the damage the arrow had caused. Blood seeped from the open wound where his eye should have been. The lids torn and hung limply over the hole. What remained of the eye had likely been yanked out with the arrow.
While she held no regret for what she did, and would do it again in a heartbeat, it never brought her a sense of pride to cause harm to others. Enemies or not.
Watching Loke and Natsu struggle not to be crushed had brought her to the brink of desperation. Celestial spirits might not be able to die, but they were out of commission depending on the seriousness of their injuries. And she had nearly lost Natsu too many times already. There would be no sitting by when she could help.
Every bit of magic energy left in her beaten body had been directed and poured into one arrow. It grew brighter and larger, her desperation twinkling in its shimmer as if all her spirits poured their own strength forward. With a cry, her fingers released the golden string and watched it fly true.
Both Happy and her had shouted in celebration when it struck the dragon's eye and their friends released. Now, they faced the consequences.
"Oi, you going to tell us who the hell you are?" Natsu crossed his arms over his chest, a scowl marred his features. "I don't like others knowin' who I am, while I'm clueless."
Gray scoffed, "You should be used to that by now, Flame Breath."
"You wanna say that to my face, Ice Dick?!" They glared at each other, fists ready to knock the other to the ground. The anger and tension from earlier laxed.
"He is Osou, Eclipse Nexus' Dragon Slayer," Erza said, filling them in on what Quinn had mentioned earlier. "A second generation of earth and wood, and apparently a master at transformation magic."
The enemy dragon slayer grinned, scarred lips stretched up in a way that made Lucy feel uneasy. "You have heard of me, then—"
"That explains how he was able to go dragon mode like that," Gray interrupted without pause and frowned. "Too bad for him it didn't work out."
Below them, the ground shook, but only in small shudders. Lucy wondered if his power over earth fluctuated with his form. As a second generation, it depended on how his body had handled the implant, and when he received it, she recalled from her research. He might have been a master at transformations prior to receiving the lacrima, and that had set barriers to what he could achieve.
"I don't care who this guy is," Natsu punched a fist into his clawed palm. "He tried to kill Lucy and Happy."
"You literally just asked him who he was, moron!"
Throwing off his coat, Osou stood in a skin tight black sleeveless shirt and pants with combat type boots. His arms flexed; veins bulged. One particular vein on his forehead pulsed. "Listen here, you obnoxious—"
"I must agree with Natsu on this," Loke sighed in regret and absently tried to push his glasses in place, forgetting they had dropped earlier. "Virgo and I barely managed to get to Lucy in time."
"Happy," Natsu called over his shoulder. "I want you and Lucy to get out of here. You know where everyone is set up."
"Aye—"
Osou growled, "She's not goi—"
"Hey! Wait a minute!" Lucy struggled a bit in Happy's grip. The desire to walk over to Natsu and whack him over the head strong. "I can stay and help!"
"No, you can't." He looked over his shoulder, ignoring their fuming enemy, and caught her eyes. His own softened. "Luce, yer still bleeding, and you have no energy. I need you safe right now."
They stared at each other, an unspoken battle of wits and determination. Each could see the exhaustion and fear they felt for the other. A defeated sigh left her lips. "You better come back to us safe and alive."
He grinned at her. "You can count on it!"
"I said she is not going anywhere!" Osou raged, wing similar to Natsu's erupted from his back. He reared back before pushing himself up into the air, his chest expanding with a deep breath. "Earth Dragon's Ro—"
A fiery fist slammed into his jaw, knocking his lower jaw up into his upper teeth, shattering several of them. Natsu growled at him, eyes flashing in anger. "Happy!"
"Aye!" Happy flew up into the air with Lucy with the threat taken care of. They both looked on as their friends moved in unison with each other against the enemy. Ice, blade, light, and fire all worked as one against earth and wood.
"Please," Lucy whispered, exhausted all reason mentally and physically. "The rest of you be safe, too."
#####
"Dammit, Salamander!" A foot crashed through another wall to make a pathway for the pissed off Iron Dragon Slayer. "When I see you next, my foot will be shoved so far up your ass, you will taste it!"
Trying to find anything in the hellscape that the mansion had become turned into quite a task Gajeel nearly regretted. Not only were there documents that Queen Hisui had requested they find, but he knew there were items the Duke had in his possession Bunny Girl would want back. Allowing such items to burn would never sit right for him.
He had wanted to fight some creeps. Take them out for thinking they could hurt someone he had come to care for like family, someone who his wife considered her best friend. Not only had he not found a single enemy to fight since splitting with Erza and Gray, but he was certain he smelt of the flame brain now. It would take several showers with heavy scrubbing to get the smell off. And even more rounds of sex.
He smirked, thinking of his small shrimp riding him. Her thighs and hips fuller from carrying their children so that his fingers sunk into the flesh even more. Her small breasts larger from feeding two insatiable children all the time. That put him in a better mood.
Chunks of debris fell over his iron scales that protected him as he punched a hole in another wall. He stuck his head through the opening, looking both ways. "Come out, come out, wherever you are, you slimy weasel!"
He frowned as he noticed the strange way the fire in this hallway acted compared to the other areas he had stomped through. It curved around a particular ornate pair of doors and wrapped around it like a circle. Similar to what Freed would create.
Stepping up to the doors, a deep breath through his nostrils gave him every bit of information he needed. "Found ya, you smelly bastard."
With a kick to the middle of the frame, the doors flew off the hinges and slammed onto the tile flooring, cracking it. The lone male inside let out a squeal of fright and cowered behind the desk, his sweaty face peered over the expensive mahogany wood.
"Y-you," the older man stuttered, then cleared his throat. "You sir, are a member of Eclipse Nexus?" The lift at the end of his inquiry sounded less natural than a salad at a carnivore banquet, Gajeel decided. He grinned at the obvious fear of his target.
"Tch, as if I would sink that low again." Arms planted firmly on his hips and chest puffed out, his grin grew at the words he said next. "I'm placing you under arrest for a lot of shit, but the one I care most about is kidnapping my wife's best friend. Whatever you say will not be listened to, so might as well shut your mouth now or I will silence it for you."
The Duke's eyes widened. He stood up, shaking his head and walked further around his desk. "No, no, no, no, you must have the wrong idea! Surely, we can work out an arrangement." A drawer opened a jewel book settled on the desk. "A hard-working man as yourself would surely enjoy a bit of a break. Name a price, any price!"
Gajeel growled darkly, a sound that sent the man scurrying behind his chair. "You got some nerve thinkin' you can just bribe me." A thought crossed his mind, a studded brow rose. "Fine, I think I could think of something."
Fists slamming on the desk, the mahogany creaked and bowed at the pressure put on it. One of the points that Lucy had once complained about her former life had been how everyone looked down on those deemed lower class. It had not been a conversation he had been part of, but neither Levy nor Lucy were good at keep things down when they had alcohol mixing in their system or they got excited. It proved information he could pull on now.
"Being a mage, I don't trust those flimsy promises of jewel," he waved his hand at the book. "I need the real deal in my hands. Gotta a safe or anything in here with it?"
Sawarr looked at him with leery eyes while a large grin played on his lips. It was a look that Gajeel had seen many times from Jose while in Phantom Lord. Anger seared through his blood and made his stomach and fists clench. When this was all over, he was determined to make this scumbag taste iron.
A battle of wills escalated into a staring contest between them. His arms crossed over his chest, a firm grin in place. Sweat dribbled down the duke's face and neck. The fire outside the room heated the air inside to a sauna with the moisture outside. None of it bothered him, not after years of dueling with Salamander, but the over-dressed pig definitely suffered.
"Tik tok, Bub," he said, puffing out his chest further. "You don't got all day."
The duke's eyes slid to a painting on the far wall for a brief second. A laugh rumbled in Gajeel's chest. "You better sit down before you accidently fall in the fire out there."
A squeak was all the response he got before the trembling duke planted himself firmly in his plush chair. The air was thick with the scent of smoke, but as he got closer to the painting, the faint tinge of metal caught his attention.
No regards were given to the original painting of a renown artist that had cost the duke's father a hefty sum of money to purchase in celebration of the Heartfilia's downfall. The wooden frame splintered and broke when it hit the floor. If there had been any complaints, he did not pay attention. Not with the sight of the hidden safe in the wall.
"Trying to hold out on me, weren't ya." Arm forming a sawblade, he cut around the safe from the wall and pulled it free. A quick cut over the latch popped it open for him to glance inside at the contents.
Immediately, a whiff of Bunny Girl greeted his sinuses. A couple bundles of tightly tied together envelops laid on the bottom of the safe where it landed. Rummaging through the papers inside a bit, the elegant handwriting that could only belong to a certain Celestial Wizard poked through from the top of one envelop.
He yanked out several documents, bundles of jewel, and velvet boxes until he saw the next item he had been looking for. Blonde strands of delicate hair poked through the mess he had made when the safe had been dropped. Under those, a blue dressed doll with shiny black eyes. Michelle.
Good, he nodded. After he and Levy had heard the items had been stolen, they had vowed to get them back for her. With them secured, the mission turned to the request by Queen Hisui.
"Sure got a lot of stuff in here," he picked up several sheets, looking over each one. Usually he left paperwork to Shrimp, but after a year working with the council, he had learned what to look for to secure an arrest. "Anything you wanna get off your chest before I find it?"
Several fumbled and blubbered words sputtered forth, all to negate any fault that might be found in the papers. All of it made Gajeel laugh, checking over each formal text and seeing many signed documents with the duke's name on it. Some even had Jude Heartfilia's name signed elegantly at the bottom.
"Gajeel?" Heat pulsed through his veins at Levy's voice in his ear. Damn communicators were too good, in his opinion. If there had been a soft breath of air on the shell of his ear, he would have sworn she stood right behind him. "Do you copy, Gajeel?"
"I hear you, Shrimp," he said gruffly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Any news from Erza and Gray?"
"Not yet, but Wendy says she can hear fighting in the distance." A pause settled between them. He continued working through the paperwork as he waited for her to respond with what she needed. After so many years of working together, he knew her well enough not to rush. "Laxus and the Thunder Legion went off to fight a group that set off more of Freed's triggers. But we have more that showed up here. We are fending them off, but if you are able to head back soon, it would be good to have some backup in case more arrive."
Looking over his shoulder at the duke, he mulled over the new information he received and what needed to be done. "Al'ight, I'll be there soon, with our prisoner in tow."
"You found the duke?"
"Wasn't that hard, Shrimp," he grunted at the implication that he could not find a sweaty mess like the duke. "Keep the fort until I get there."
"Will do." Her voice lowered and he knew there would be one last message. "I love you."
"Heh, same to you, shortie."
The communication ended and he threw all the paperwork into the safe without a care. Carrying the massive thing, he took it to the desk and set it on the mahogany. He leered forward into the duke's face, grinning. "Time to empty everything into the safe, piggy."
A/N - Battles will be dying down, and soon the end will be coming! Still will be a few more chapters, and the next one should tell how many are left. Hope you are all still enjoying this story!