I . . .
Wow.
I'm still alive. Yay.
I'm sorry times a million for disappearing like that. Just . . . gah. So much to do, so little time, my method of handling things = procrastination. Yes, due to life, school, people, and general business I haven't had the time to write much, but yes, I also procrastinated . . .
This story is now over a year old.
I don't deserve such amazing readers like you guys.
Special thanks to Crimsondrop7 and Alsarnia, your reviews reminded me of how long I've been away from . Thank you for reading, taking the time to review, giving constructive criticism, and kicking my lazy butt into action (even though you mightn't be aware that you did that).
In the previous chapter, I was thinking that the propane was floating somewhere high up, like the cave ceiling, and Natsu lighting up his hands with fire wasn't big enough to trigger it. The Roar was. So. I don't know if that makes sense or not. D: Sooo, if anyone's good at chemistry or something . . .? Some help would be awesome.
I also plan on going back and cleaning up the small mistakes . . . eventually . . . after I finish this fic. Because I have a tendency to forget what to fix and stuff. XD
To everyone else:
Why can't Dalmatians hide?
Because they're always spotted.
*cue cymbals and drums here. Badum-tss.*
Love you guys. I love you guys THIS BIG. *spreads arms and flails wildly*
Chapter Fifteen.
It was raining.
Well, Lucy thought, normal rain would be more convenient.
The ceiling trembled violently. It rained dust and pebbles and rocks and bigger rocks and massive rocks and sharp pointy rocks – stalactites –
And one was falling straight at her.
Bugger, Lucy thought, frozen.
Suddenly she was swept off her feet, quite literally, and whisked away from the falling pointy rocks. She glimpsed a head of blond hair and managed to process, through her shock, what was happening.
"You called, princess?" The Lion looked down at her with a roguish grin.
"Loke!"
Lucy escaped with a few bruises and scrapes. She was lucky, she realized, as she looked around. A particularly large chunk of rock landed on Jellal and she watched as Erza grimly seized the opportunity, landing a solid kick on Jellal's face.
His head snapped back and he fell. When Jellal stood up and raised his head again, Lucy noted that the frightening whiteness was gone from his eyes.
"Wha . . ." Jellal registered Erza in front of him, confusion coloring his face. "Erza?" Then he noticed the falling rocks and looked up, narrowly avoiding a stalactite that would have impaled him.
Jellal's face morphed into Oh Shit, if he had said it out loud (but of course he didn't say it out loud, because he was Jellal).
In the confusion, Natsu managed to knock out Meredy and Gray nailed Ultear with a punch, effectively breaking her out of the possession.
"Everyone run for the tunnel!" Erza shouted, which was easier said than done when you had to avoid falling pointy rocks simultaneously.
Using her Arc of Time, Ultear levied the rocks up and kept the cave ceiling (which had started to crumble and fall in large chunks) more or less together.
"Go!" She shouted at the Fairy Tail members, dots of perspiration trickling down her hair.
Loke did not need to be told twice. Dragging his owner along, he shot off towards the safety of the tunnel, followed closely by Natsu (Happy was clinging to his hair), Gray, Levy, Wendy, and Erza, who brought up the rear.
Lucy dove inside, taking a split second to question if the tunnel was really save – after all, Ultear had said that it led to Grimoire Heart members. Maybe they're waiting - maybe they're going to ambush us! But she shoved it to the back of her head for now, because the prospect of being impaled by pointy rocks was much scarier.
Dismissing Loke, she did a quick head count – one, two, three, four, five . . . Levy, Natsu, Happy, Wendy, Gray – where's –
"Jellal!" Erza shouted, in a voice that was near panic. "Come on!"
Said man was standing in the middle of the cave, unmindful of the falling rocks that had escaped Ultear's Arc of Time. Ultear herself was pale, bent double, and panting under the pressure of keeping the cave up.
"No, Erza," he said, in a surprisingly calm voice. "We're staying."
"What?" Erza spluttered.
"Think, Erza! What if we get possessed again? What if we kill you all?"
"That won't happen! You know what's coming this time, you can fight –"
"We tried, Erza. We tried to fight it. They showed us our worst nightmares, bent our minds back so that we had no choice but to submit. Do you know what I saw?"
"Stop this nonsense, Jellal! You're all coming with us! What about – what about Meredy? Are you going to leave and endanger her, too?"
A flash of pain crossed Jellal's eyes, but it was Ultear who answered. She looked up, eyes weary yet determined at the same time. "Meredy will understand. We owe you this much, Fairy Tail."
"Go, Erza! Into the tunnel!"
"I won't let you do this!" The redhead said stubbornly. "You're coming with us, or I'm not going!"
Suddenly Jellal was in front of Erza. Taking her face in his hands, he whispered, "I saw that I hurt you. I did so once. I won't be the cause for it a second time."
And then he kissed her.
Natsu and Gray gaped.
In another time, perhaps, Lucy might have squealed out loud, taken out a camera, and snapped a picture. Now, though, she recognized the kiss for what it was.
I'm sorry. If I don't come out alive –
There were no fireworks, no sparks. Just Jellal and a wide-eyed Erza amid falling rocks. And then it was over and Jellal pulled away, shoving a now-unresisting Erza into the tunnel.
"Go!"
I'm sorry –
"Erza –" Lucy said hesitantly, reaching out to the older woman.
Her face was shell-shocked, blank. Without a word, she grabbed Lucy and Wendy, propelling them deeper into the tunnel. She didn't look back. Only her eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.
As Ultear finally released her hold on the ceiling and slumped to the ground, eyes closed, the sky fell.
In the split second before the rocks hit home, Jellal smiled sadly at the retreating redheaded figure. Smart girl, smart girl . . .
Erza's mouth twisted angrily. Jellal, you better not die.
The tunnel held. Faint tremors were felt and dust fell, but the Fairy Tail members raced along. Erza had taken over the lead, carrying her sword and looking straight ahead pointedly.
Everyone valued their lives enough not to disturb her.
"Are we going the right way?" Lucy whispered to Natsu.
He thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. Ask Erza."
"No way. You ask her!"
"You asked first! You do it!"
"No, you!"
"You!"
Erza twitched.
Lucy and Natsu stopped their frantic whispering. At last they nudged Wendy (Natsu's reasoning was something along the lines of: "Wendy's the youngest, Erza can't get mad at her!"), who finally brought up the question.
"Erza-san . . . where are we going?"
"Grimoire Heart's base," she said, lifting up the glowing necklace. "We're going the right way."
No one said anything after that.
At last the Fairy Tail members came across a large metal door.
"Who uses a metal door underground like this?" Natsu complained.
"They've really kept it well-hidden, though," Levy observed.
"I thought Grimoire Heart's base was an aircraft or something," Lucy said.
"All guilds need a rendezvous point. They can't keep flying forever," Erza said.
"So how do we open this? Knock?"
"That's very funny, Natsu, why don't you try it?" Lucy suggested.
"We have a key, don't we?" Wendy said.
"Oh!" Lucy said, surprised. "We do . . ."
"There's a keyhole here . . ."
"You're right! There is!"
There was silence for a few seconds.
"Well, someone put the key in," Erza said.
"Sorry," Wendy said hastily. "I, um . . . I wasn't sure I actually wanted to see what's inside."
Into the keyhole went the key. Wendy turned it to the side.
Clunk.
Slowly, the door swung open.
A wide expanse of black greeted the Fairy Tail members, who stayed rooted in position.
"The suspense is killing me," Natsu huffed. "C'mon, Luce!"
"There's no propane here, right?" Lucy's disembodied voice echoed through the dark room.
"I don't think so," Levy said, providing light once again. "I don't smell anything."
The room was empty.
"How are we going to find any clues at this rate?" Natsu said.
"Maybe we should contact Master," Erza said.
"Nothing else to do," Gray said, fishing out the glass piece.
Erza held it in her hands awkwardly. "Did Master tell any of you how to contact him?"
"Um," Lucy said.
"We can try yelling," Natsu suggested. He then proceeded to do just that. "OLD MAN, are you there?"
The glass fogged over. "No need to yell, boy! Didn't I teach you better manners?"
"Oh!" Natsu said brightly. "So that worked!"
"So," Makarov said. "What do you need?"
"We are at Era now, infiltrating the Magic Council, and we ran into Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy earlier. We're at Grimoire Heart's current base, which is located under the Council," Erza said. "We thought the base would hold some clues as to where the Staff might be, and we have reason to believe Grimoire Heart may be involved in this. However, the place appears to be empty."
"What!" Makarov lurched forward, as if attempting to physically go through the glass and shake Erza by the shoulders. "Grimoire Heart's current base, you say? Underneath the Magic Council in Era?"
"Yes," Erza confirmed.
"Get out! Get out now! There are Grimoire Heart members inside, do you hear? They're hiding somewhere; they've managed to find a new member and –"
The image of Master Makarov fizzled out. The Fairy Tail members glimpsed a dark blur shooting towards Makarov, followed by several screams from the other side, before the glass went dark.
"Well, well," a silky voice purred from the cover of darkness. "Seems our cover is blown."
Six Grimoire Heart members solidified from the shadows in the dark corners of the room – Bluenote Stinger, Rustyrose, Kain Hikaru, Yomazu, Kawazu, and an unknown female member.
"And what have we here?" Rustyrose said gleefully. "Six of us and six of them – should make an interesting one-on-one, no?"
"Cat, this should be an opportunity for you to test your powers," Bluenote mused to the now-identified mage – Cat. Clad in a dark blue robe and black hair held in an elaborate bun, the female mage nodded silently, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards.
"So you are in league with those people who want the Staff!" Gray accused.
"Are you crazy? You'll die if they get the Staff and use it!" Natsu shouted.
"No," Bluenote smirked. "We made an agreement. We help them stop you, pesky little fairies, and they'll give us a seat of honor after they're done with this world. So without further ado . . ."
"I'll take the blondie," Cat smiled. "Such a weakling. I'll bet you probably spend hours combing that hair of yours, right?"
Lucy felt her anger rise. She wasn't the most powerful in their group, true – but she was not to be underestimated either!
The earth rose underneath them, creating a makeshift cell that imprisoned a single Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart member.
Lucy and Cat . . . Natsu and Kain Hikaru . . . Levy and Yomazu . . . Gray and Rustyrose . . . Wendy and Kawazu . . . Erza and Bluenote Stinger.
The earth walls rose higher and higher until Lucy couldn't see her friends anymore. She forced her attention back to Cat in front of her. Her hands twitched, reaching for her keys.
"You're mad?" Cat's grin widened. "That's good. Show me what you've got, little blond fairy."
It's done! Yay!
Next chapter will include some stuff about the Fairy Tail guild and general . . . evilness. Thank you for staying with this story! :D
-TheAliensDidIt