Sorry if Laxus is a little OOC
Disclaimer: Hiro Masima owns Fairy Tail, not me.
Chapter 6: Help from Unlikely Places
Laxus quickly made his way back to the guild, with the unconscious inturder dangling from his shoulders.
'This guy has to know something. I will find you Juvia. And this guy is going to help me.' Laxus thought. He burst open the guild doors and walked in. Everyone stopped to look at him. They hadn't seen Laxus all day.
''Laxus? What are you doing here? And who is that man hanging from your shoulders?'' Makarov questioned as Laxus approached him.
''This guy knows about Zander. I found him by my house, where he mentioned Zander's name. So, I knocked himout and brought him here. He might have information on Zander's whereabouts.'' Laxus explained. Makarov grinned.
''Good job, my boy! Now tie him to that chair over there. Let's see what we can get out of him.'' Makarov instructed. Laxus nodded and did as he was told.
''Now, all we have to do is wait for him to regain consciousness.'' Makarov said.
About ten minutes later, the man began to stir.
''Huh? Where am I? What is this place?'' he whispered, dazed. Laxus got into his face and grinned. The man flinched.
''You're at Fairy Tail. And you're going to tell me everything you know about Zander, got it?'' Laxus said. The man shook his head.
''I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know any Zander.'' he lied. Laxus growled and punched him.
''Laxus!'' Makarov shouted. Laxus looked at him.
''What?''
''We are not going to physically beat this man! You know that we don't do that here.'' Laxus scoffed.
''Well then how else are we going to get the information? People like him don't talk unless given a reason to.'' Laxus said. Makarov sighed.
''Fine. Just don't be too harsh on him.'' Laxus smiled.
'Same as always, old man.' he thought. Then he turned back to the man.
''You had better tell me what you know and you had better tell me now. I don't have the time or patience for your lies. Now, I'll only say this only once. What do you know about Zander and his people?'' Laxus asked. The man sighed.
''Not much. When I heard that Fairy Tail were coming for Zander, I dipped. I didn't want to stick around and get arrested, or worse, killed. So I left. Zander went to prison and I thought that I was safe. But then I heard that he escaped. I totally freaked out. I knew that Zamder would come after once he knew where I was hiding. Like he did with the other guys that betrayed him.'' The man whispered. He shivered as if he remembered something bad.
''What did Zander do to the men that betrayed him?'' Laxus asked. The man looked at him and shook his head.
''He cut their heads straight off. I only found out because one of my guys informed me. He told me that I had better leave because Zander would come after me next. So I took his advice and left. I haven't seen Zander since.''
''So you don't know anything about Zander's current whereabouts?'' Laxus asked. The man shook his head. Laxus sighed.
''What about the people working for him? Yukkia and Clay, what do you know about them?'' Laxus questioned.
''Yukkia? That girl is a monster. She uses that magic of hers to torture people. One time I caught her torturing one of Zander's prisoners. And after she was done, she killed him. Chopped his body into little pieces and threw the remains into a nearby river. And she was laughing the entire time. And when I asked her why, she told it was fun for her. It was fun for her to watch people writhe in pain. She loved to see them scream and beg. That's the part that she loved the most. The begging. She loved it when people begged before they died. She said that it made it all the more fun for her. After that, I never spoke to her again. I didn't want to be on the receiving end of her magic.''
''What about Clay? What do you know about him?''
''Clay? I don't know anybody named Clay.'' The man said. Laxus glared at him.
''Don't lie.'' he growled. The man shook his head.
''I swear, I don't know anyone named Clay! I never heard of him when I was working for Zander! I'm telling you the truth!''
''He probably is telling the truth.'' Levy spoke up. Laxus looked at her.
''You sure about that?'' he asked. Levy nodded.
''Yukkia recruited Clay after Zander was sent to prison. This man says that he left before Zander went to prison. So of course he wouldn't know Clay. The timing wouldn't match up.'' Levy explained.
''Hmm. You're probably right.'' Laxus agreed. Then he turned back to the prisoner.
''Do you know anything else?'' he asked. The man shook his head.
''No. Are you going to let me go now?'' he asked. Laxus sighed.
''Yeah. You're absolutely useless now.'' Laxus said and untied the man. As soon as he was free , the man took off running. No one tried to stop him. Laxus slammed his hand against the wall.
''Damn it! That guy was absolutely useless! So much for having good information, that guy knew nothing!'' Laxus shouted. Makarov placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
''Don't worry Laxus. We'll find another source of information.'' Makarov said. Laxus looked at him.
''From where?! We have no leads! That guy was our only chance! Where else are going to get information from?''
'' We will find a way. We are not going to leave Juvia to die. Have faith, alright? We will find her.'' Makarov promised. Laxus was about to respond when the lacrima vision started blinking.
''We got a call!'' Lisanna shouted.
''Answer it!'' Laxus ordered. Lisanna nodded and answered the call. Zander's face appeared before the screen. Zander smiled.
''Long time no see, huh? How are you all doing?'' Zander asked, trying to be casual. Laxus glared at him.
''Cut the crap, Zander. Why have you called us?'' Laxus demanded. Zander grinned.
''I just wanted to see how you guys were doing. I also wanted to tell you that Juvia is an excellent singer. Did you know that?'' Laxus frowned.
''What the hell are you talking about?'' Zander laughed.
''I'll let you hear it for yourself. Yukkia.''
''Yes?'' Yukkia said, her voice could be heard from the backround.
''Do it.'' Zander instructed.
A few moments later, the sound of someone screaming could be heard. It was a terrible, blood churning sound that made everyone feel sick. It also made Laxus' blood boil with rage.
''Zander! What the hell are you doing to her!?'' Laxus shouted. Zander smiled.
''I'm sorry, what did you say? I couldn't hear you over Juvia's beautiful singing.'' Zander said. Laxus eyes burned with rage.
''ZANDER!'' he screamed.
The horrible screaming continued. Lucy and Levy started crying.
''Stop it! Stop it!'' They cried. Zander laughed.
''Alright. Yukkia, that's enough. I think they get the message.'' Zander said. Eventually, the screaming stopped. The only sounds that could be heard was panting. Then Juvia started to sob.
''Laxus! Laxus, where are you?! Why aren't you here yet? Please, save Juvia. Juvia can't handle this anymore. Please! Please, Laxus! Please hurry! Please! Juvia needs you! Please.'' Juvia sobbed.
''Aww, she's calling for you. You had better hurry Laxus. She really needs you.'' Zander mocked. Then he cut the connection.
Laxus stared at the screen with as much hate and rage that he could muster. Lightning flowed thoughout his body. His blood was boiling with rage.
'How dare he!? HOW DARE HE!? How dare he hurt Juvia like that! I'll kill him. I'll kill all of them! Every last one!' Laxus screamed mentally. He was going to kill Zander. He was going to kill all of them.
''Laxus? Are you alright?'' Makarov asked softly.
'Am I alright?! AM I ALRIGHT?! I'm not the one being tortured! So, why is he asking me if I'm alright!? Because I'm not alright! I'm not alright!'
Something inside of Laxus snapped. All the rage that he had been bottling up was begging to be released. And that's exactly what he did. Laxus let out a roar of absolute rage and just lost it. Laxus slammed his lightning covered fist into the wall, creating a giant hole.
''Laxus! What are you doing?'' Makarov demanded, but Laxus completely ignored him.
Laxus shot a lightning bolt at the bar, destroying it. Wood and glass sprayed everywhere, showering the guild.
''Laxus, stop this right now! You're destroying the guild!'' Makarov shouted. But Laxus didn't relent. He continued his rampage.
''Hey! If you want to fight so bad, than let's go!'' Natsu shouted and charged at Laxus with his fire fist raised. In one swift motion, Laxus hit Natsu with his own lightning fist. Natsu was sent flying into the wall.
''Natsu!'' Makarov shouted. Then he turned to Laxus.
''Laxus! You have to stop! You're hurting your own guildmates! Laxus, stop!'' Makarov yelled, but it was no use. Laxus continued to destroy stuff.
Several guildmates tried to stop him, but to no avail. Laxus had attacked all of them like it was nothing. He was so consumed by his hate that he didn't even realize what he was doing. He couldn't even hear what Makarov was saying. All he could think about was grabbing Zander by the throat and watching as his life slowly faded away. He wasn't even focused on the guild or what he was doing to it. It got so bad that Makarov had to enlarge his hand and slam Laxus against the wall. Laxus struggled to get out of the old man's grip. When he realized that it wasn't going to work, he settled for glaring at Makarov.
''Let me go!'' Laxus shouted.
''No! I will not let you go until you calm down!'' Makarov shouted right back.
''How can I calm down! You heard what Zander was doing to Juvia! I have to find her!''
''Laxus, I know that Juvia means a lot to you, but that doesn't give you the right to destroy half the guild!''
''I love her, damn it!'' Laxus snapped. Makarov stared at Laxus with a shocked expression.
''You what?''
''I love her! I love her and I-'' Laxus stopped himself. He sighed and looked Makarov in the eye.
''Do you know how I feel right now? I feel like a failure. Just hearing Juvia calling out to me, telling me to come and save her, I just, I don't know. I feel like I failed her. I should have found her by now. She shouldn't be going through this. She doesn't deserve this. She was calling out to me. Me. She is in so much pain and I can't do a damn thing about it. I can't go and find her because we have no leads. We have no idea where to look. That guy was supposed to help me find her, but he was just another dead end. All we have is dead ends. And when I heard her screaming and sobbing, something inside of me snapped. I was angry. I was angry at Zander for torturing her. I was angry at that guy for having no information. But worst of all, I was angry at myself. I shouldn't have let this happen. I should have been able to protect her. I should have been able to find something, anything, that could lead me to her. But I found nothing, absolutely nothing. And now Juvia is suffering because of it. And I couldn't keep all my rage inside. So I just, snapped. I didn't mean to trash the guild. I just needed a release. I'm sorry.'' Laxus finished. Makarov sighed and released him.
''I understand your frustration, Laxus. We all feel the same way. Juvia is one of us. We all want her back safe and sound. You aren't the only one affected by all this. But, you are the only one that reacted in such a bad way. Look around, Laxus. Look at the damage that you have done.'' Makarov said.
Laxus looked around. Broken glass and pieces of wood were everywhere. The bar was completely demolished. There were several dents in the walls from where Laxus threw his guildmates. Multiple tables and chairs were broken beyond repair. They were going to have to buy new ones. But what really hit Laxus hard was the fact that he hurt his own guildmates. After his excommunication, Laxus swore to himself that he would never harm his guildmates. And one act of pure rage made him go back on his promise. He did something that he said he would never do again. He promised to protect his guildmates, not hurt them.
'God, I feel like such an asshole.' Laxus thought. He looked at Makarov.
''I'm sorry.'' he apologized. Makarov shook his head.
''There's no need to apologize. We understand why you lost control. If that bastard Zander didn't cut the connection when he did, I would have destroyed the lacrima vision myself. No one hurts one of my children and gets away with it. We will find her. And when we do, we will destroy that son of a bitch Zander. Isn't that right?'' Makarov directed at the guild.
Everyone cheered their agreement. Makarov turned back to Laxus.
''See? You're not alone in this, Laxus.'' Makarov said. Gajeel cracked his knuckles.
''You got that right. When I find this Zander guy, I'm gonna show him the true power of the Iron Dragonslayer. The bastard won't see it coming.'' Gajeel declared.
Laxus looked at his guildmates. Everyone wore determined looks on their faces. Laxus smirked. This was his guild. His family. Lightning flowed through his body.
''No. Zander's mine.''
OoOooOoOoOOooOoOo
After Zander and Yukkia left, Juvia cried. She cried so much. She was in so much pain. Yukkia's magic was really taking its toll on her. Yukkia had used her magic on her so much that Juvia couldn't even tell what was real anymore. She didn't know if what she was feeling was reality, or a horrible nightmare. She hadn't had a decent meal in the five days that she had been held captive. Clay had only brought her food that one time. She was still waiting for him to come back. Clay was the only one that made this place somewhat bearable. Besides him, nothing about this place made Juvia feel, well anything.
The walls were gray, with mold growing on the would constantly leak through the ceiling. Sometimes the water would hit Juvia right in the face. The floor was cold and wet and completely uncomfortable. Juvia had long since given up on trying to make herself comfortable. Just like she had given up on getting out of these restraints. There was no point because the cuffs were resistant to magic. So she couldn't break out if she tried. But that wasn't the worst thing about the room that Juvia was being kept in. Those things were bad, of course, but the worst thing about this room was the darkness. Juvia couldn't see a damn thing because of the dark. Now normally, Juvia didn't fear the dark. But after only seeing darkness for several days, Juvia started to fear it. She started to fear what lurked in the darkness. Juvia was afraid that some horrible creature was going to jump out of the shadows her and devour her.
Besides her own fears, Juvia felt that she was slowly going insane. Yukkia's magic made her remember things that traumatized her. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. Juvia had never experienced so many memories at once. It made her head spin with a multitude of emotions. Sadness, grief, anger, hate. Those were the emotions that she felt the most. Juvia felt that everything was coming at her all at once and she couldn't handle it. It was making her go crazy, experiencing everything. And if she was being honest with herself, Juvia was starting to lose hope. She was starting to think that Laxus and the others would never find her. She was starting to believe that she was going to die in this hellhole. Alone. And that was what Juvia was most afraid of. She was afraid of being alone.
She had been alone for most of her life. She didn't have any friends, she didn't have a family. She was completely alone for the majority of her young life. She thought that she had found a home at Phantom Lord, but that was not true. Phantom Lord wasn't her home. No, Fairy Tail was her home. Fairy Tail was the closest thing that Juvia had to family. And the idea that her family would leave her to die, it scared her. No, it terrified her. She already lost one family, she didn't want to lose another one.
Juvia turned her head when she heard the door open. She smiled when Clay walked in.
''Clay-san.'' she whispered. Clay bent down next to her.
''I brought some food. I'm sorry that it took me so long.'' Clay said and gave Juvia the food and water. In a few minutes, everything was gone.
''Thank you.'' Juvia muttered. Clay nodded.
''You're welcome. I'm sorry Juvia.'' Clay whispered. Juvia furrowed her eyebrows.
''Why?'' she asked. Clay looked away.
''I heard you screaming. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. Zander and Yukkia can be very cruel.'' Clay mumbled. Juvia smiled softly.
''Clay-san did nothing wrong. So don't apologize.'' Juvia told him. Clay shook his head and looked at her.
''No, I should be apologizing. I should have helped you. I should have done something. Nobody deserves to be tortured like this. It just isn't right. Which is why I've decided to bust you out.''
''What? How?'' Juvia asked. Clay smiled.
''I'm going to contact your friends and tell them where you are. But it is going to take me a while. Two days at best. And it's going to take your friends about five days to get here. Do you think that you can hold out for a little while longer?'' Clay asked. Juvia nodded and smiled.
''Yes, Juvia can hold on for a little bit. Thank you Clay-san. Thank you so much for doing this for Juvia. Thank you.'' Juvia whispered gratefully. Clay smiled.
''It's the least I can do. Now, I have to go before Zander and Yukkia come looking for me. The next time I see you, you should be free.'' Juvia nodded.
''Yes, and Juvia will be taking you with her. She promises.'' Clay smiled.
''I know. Bye Juvia. I'll see you when you get out.'' Clay turned and left.
Juvia closed her eyes and smiled. Soon, she would be getting out.
OoOoOooOoOoOOoOoOoOoOo
It's been two days since Zander last contacted the guild. Ever since then, everyone has been searching high and low for Juvia with no results. So Makarov thought that it would be best if everyone came back to the guild to regroup. So far, they haven't come up with any new ideas.
''This sucks. No one can think of anything.'' Natsu mumbled. Gajeel glared at him.
''Why don't you think of something then?'' he retorted. Natsu glared at him.
''Why don't you think of something? Instead of asking me.'' Natsu challenged.
''Enough!'' Erza interrupted before things could escalate.
''This is aweful.'' Lucy muttered.
''Uh, guys. We got a call from the lacrima vision.'' Lisanna called out.
Laxus, who had remained silent for most of the meeting, jumped up.
''Answer it!'' he ordered. Lisanna nodded and answered the call. The screen blinked and a man's face came into view. But the man wasn't Zander.
''Who the hell are you?'' Laxus demanded.
''My name is Clay.'' Clay answered. Laxus' eyes widened. Then he glared at Clay.
''So you're Clay, huh? You're working with Zander and Yukkia. What do you want? Are you here to have us listen to Juvia scream again?'' Laxus asked. Clay shook his head.
''No. I called to tell you where Juvia is.'' Clay said. Laxus stared at him. Then he blinked.
''What?'' Clay sighed.
''I promised Juvia that I would get her out. Now, are you done questioning me? I don't have a lot of time so I need you guys to listen to me very carefully.''
''Why should we trust you?'' Gray questioned.
''Because I'm your only hope. You don't have any leads right now. So do you really think that you should be doubting me right now?''
''He does have a point. He's our only hope of finding Juvia.'' Cana said.
''Everyone stop talking!'' Laxus snapped. Then he turned to Clay.
''Tell us what you know.'' He said. Clay nodded.
''Okay. Zander's hideout is located in the northern woods of Oak Town. I have set up a barrier around the place, but I'm going to take it down after this call. Zander and Yukkia won't notice a thing. But just so you know, it's going to take five days to get here. Now, that's all that I have to tell you.'' Clay was just about to cut the connection when Laxus stopped him.
''Wait. Why are you doing this?'' he asked. Clay smiled.
''I don't have any loyalty to Zander and Yukkia. I was forced to do their bidding. So I am happy to help Juvia escape. I want to fix all the mistakes that I have made in the past. And this is the first of many. Now, I really have to go. Remember, the hideout is located in the northern woods of Oak Town. Now, if you want to get to Juvia on time, then you have to leave now. I'll see you when you get here.'' Clay cut the connection.
Everyone stared at the blank screen for a moment. They couldn't believe that one of Zander's people would turn on him. Laxus snapped out of his daze. He turned to the rest of the guild.
''What the hell are you all waiting for? Let's go get Juvia back!'' he shouted.
Everyone cheered their agreement.
''Now hold on. We need a retrieval team to get Juvia.'' Makarov pointed out. Laxus looked at him.
''Then let's hurry up.'' he said.
He couldn't wait to find Juvia and kick Zander's ass.
'We're coming Juvia. We're coming.'
OoOoOOoOoOOoOoOoOooOoOoO
Done!
I apologize if the ending wasn't good. I kind of rushed it.