A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so, so, so, sooooooooo sorry for the very late update. Things have been busy with my college classes, my part time job, and it's taken me some time to get my thoughts together for this chapter; it's a long one this time…and I kind of reconnected with my Xbox *nervously laughs and rubs neck*. Any who, here is the next chapter for Kids with the appearance of three of my seven OC's, but before that; a shout out to my reviewers:
-Kaida-Nee Alberona: I don't know how I should respond to you trolling me…honored I guess?*shrugs*
-Vaneles: I'm glad you liked the chapter. I put a lot of thought into crafting Igneel Dragneel and glasses just seemed to fit what I had in mind. And, yes, I can see Natsu stealing Loke's glasses just for fun too.
-PandaGirl: I'm glad you liked the chapter.
Thank you to everyone else who reviewed. I really appreciate it.
Also, the name Chiara is the Italian form of Clara. Chiara (kee-AH-rah) means "Light" in Italian…if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm hinting at something.
Now that that's done, let's get started.
XXXX
CHAPTER 3: Contact Pt.2
With Gary and Juvia…
To say things were going well for the ice and water mage would be a runner up for the "Understatement of the Year" award. The two were currently locked in a head to head battle with Wynonna, the second member of Pain. The plant mage, despite how hard Gray and Juvia tried, was steadily gaining the upper hand over the two mages.
"Gray-sama, look out!" Juvia cried just in time for Gray to dodge a thorn spiked vine that tried slashing him from behind.
Gray ducked, spun around and froze the vine. Juvia immediately used her Water Slicer spell to shatter the vine into millions of pieces.
"Damnit, that's the fifth time that's happened!" Gray said as Juvia immediately to Gray, helping him stand. During the course of their battle, Juvia and Gray had taken a number of blows while not even laying a scratch on Wynonna.
"Gray-sama, are you alright?" Juvia asked as she helped the ice mage to his feet.
"I'm fine" Gray said as he grit his teeth. A laceration on his lower back from one of Wynonna's was starting to burn again, "Juvia, we have to get out of here. I'd hate to admit it but we're outmatched this time."
The sound of hands clapping and amused laughter caught the two's attention. Atop a large vine, which was steadily being lowered to the ground, stood a scantily clad woman with her violet colored hair tied in a loose braid. Wynonna smiled in smugly as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"Leaving so soon? I thought we were having fun?" Wynonna said in mock sadness.
The violet haired mage gave a haughty chuckle.
"And to think, you two were doing so well earlier."
FLASHBACK: Minutes earlier
Gray and Juvia walked amongst the hustle and bustle of the market district, the later clinging to the ice mage's left arm. Juvia gave a content sigh as she rested her head on Gray's shoulder. Gray on the other hand was trying to avoid eye contact with his number one fan while a tint of pink held fast to his cheeks.
"Geez Juvia, why do you have be so clingy?" Gray said as he nervously looked away from a group of school girls that were giggling and pointing at the duo.
"But Juvia enjoys being with you Gray-sama. Juvia hardly gets to spend alone time with you and this is the perfect chance to catch up on lost time."
Gray let out an embarrassed groan.
"Juvia you're making a scene, could you not be so clingy please."
Juvia looked at Gray with a confused look.
"Don't you like Juvia spending time with you Gray-sama?" Juvia asked, the hurt in her tone becoming more noticeable.
Juvia didn't want to admit it, but she felt Gray was trying to avoid her. She had started to notice the change in Gray's behavior ever since the conclusion of the Grand Magic Games and the months that had followed.
"W-what!? No, Juvia it's nothing like that!" Gray said as he waved his hands defensively.
"It isn't like what Gray-sama?" Juvia said as she crossed her arms, "Gray-sama, you've been acting strange around Juvia for a while now…it's almost like you're avoiding me."
Before Gray could respond, the sound of amused chuckling caught the duo's attention. The two turned to see an old woman with a pair of paper bags in her arms.
"My, my, don't you two make a nice couple." The woman said as she gave a beaming smile.
"C-couple!?" Gray and Juvia said in unison. Gray's embarrassed blush grew while Juvia simply went to Cloud 9 as her overactive imagination kicked in from zero to sixty in a micro-second with a high pitched squeal of delight.
"Listen mam, we're not-"
"Oh, you don't have to explain anything to me young man, your eyes say it all." The woman said as she cut Gray off.
"My what?" Gray said while Juvia was snapped out of her day dreaming at the woman's words.
"Gray-sama's…eyes?" Juvia thought.
"Your eye's dearie. The eyes can tell one many things about a person if you look hard enough. But even though your eyes tell me one thing…I sense your heart is conflicted. Am I wrong?"
Gray couldn't form an answer or retort. His mouth could only stiffly open and close like a fish gasping for air. How could this woman have read him so easily?
"Gray-sama, what is she talking about...what aren't you telling Juvia?" Juvia asked as she slowly approached Gray.
Gray was beginning to panic when the woman chuckled again.
"Don't worry dear, I won't tell her anything…I'll leave that up to you." And with those words the woman went about her business just as quickly as she had appeared. In her wake, she left a heavily conflicted ice mage and an equally confused water mage.
Mortified from the experience Gray lowered his head, his eyes hidden from Juvia.
"Gray-sama, what was that woman talking about?" Juvia asked as she gently placed on Gray's shoulder, only to have it shrugged off. Juvia winced slightly while Gray cursed internally. He'd done that with more force than he'd wanted to.
Gray looked up at Juvia and cringed when he saw the pained look on her face; the small tears forming at her the corners of her eyes.
"Damnit…Juvia I didn't mean to…it's just that I, GET DOWN!" Gray suddenly cried out as he grabbed Juvia and dropped themselves not a moment too soon as a series of razor sharp roses impacted the ground where they had just been standing.
"And here I thought you would be the ones to find me. Not the other way around." A feminine voice said just as a larger barrage of roses flew towards Grey and Juvia.
"Ice-Make: Shield!" Gray said as the flower like shield blocked the incoming attack. The nearby civilians noticed the transpiring battle and instantly vacated with screams of horror and surprise.
The ice shield dissipated and Gray and Juvia rose to find a scantily clad woman with violet colored hair and a sly smile walking towards them from down the street. Gray and Juvia instantly recognized the woman from the Captain's briefing: it was the second member of Pain, Wynonna.
Said woman gave a haughty laugh as rose formed in her hand.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Gray Fullbuster and Juvia Lockser of Fairy Tail. I have to say the magazines and tabloids do you two no good. You're both shorter that I'd imagined."
Grey and Juvia instantly took offensive stances. Gray formed his ice sword while Juvia turned her right arm into her water cane.
"So you two intend to fight? Not going to run away are we?" Wynonna taunted mockingly.
"Don't count on it." Gray said as Juvia launched her cane's whip at Wynonna. The water whip impacted the ground just as Wynonna dodged the attack. Gray charged forward and began lunging at Wynonna with his sword. The plant mage easily dodged left and right before jumping back onto a massive vine that suddenly erupted from the ground. Several smaller vines sprouted from the main one and flew at Gray who in turn was able to dodge and slice the plants to ribbons.
"Gray-sama get back!" Juvia yelled as she raised her left palm and swept it left. Gray jumped back to Juvia as her Water Force attack seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The massive wall of water slammed into Wynonna's vine only for her to leap to the top of a nearby building.
"Color me impressed. I guess the magazines were true about you two." Wynonna said.
"You don't know that half of it." Gray said as he threw off his jacket and under shirt.
"Oh my, a strip tease for me, you shouldn't have." Wynonna said as she seductively licked her lips.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?" Gray said as he comically blanched at the plant mages words.
"Don't you dare talk to Gray-sama like that!" Juvia said as she angrily pointed at Wynonna, a large red tick mark forming on her noggin.
"Gray-sama? I didn't know you two were an item?" Wynonna said mockingly as she placed her index finger on her chin in mock thought and surprise.
"WHAT!?" Both Juvia and Gray said in unison.
"And here I thought I would be able to keep you all to myself…oh, well, guess I'll just have to settle for playing with you then." Wynonna said with her trademark smirk.
"Not going to happen toots." Gray said as he reformed his sword.
"Want to bet." Wynonna said as she flicked the rose in her hand at the two.
Before the Gray and Juvia could react, the rose glowed bright red before detonating in a massive explosion when it impacted the ground near the duo. Gray caught Juvia as they were hurled backwards from the blast. The two landed away from Wynonna but before they could regain their senses, a large mass of vines shot out from the smoke straight for the two. Gray instantly froze the vines and Juvia used her Water Slicer to shatter the frozen plants. Another set of vines shot forth towards the two, this time from a nearby building and the process was repeated. Then two sets of vines attacked, then three, then four. It quickly became apparent to Gray and Juiva that they were being toyed with.
"Oh what fun indeed." Wynonna said as she cruelly smirked at her two "toys."
FLASHBACK END
And that was where the two mages of Fairy Tail found themselves; out of breath, battered and cut and up against a ruthless opponent. Gray had taken the most hits from the vines and he was currently leaning on Juvia for support. The water mage wasn't fairing any better. Even though Juvia could break her body down into water, the vines managed to hit her blind spots when she was busy helping Gray.
"I do think I've let this drag out long enough." Wynonna said as she let out a yawn. Gray and Juvia glared daggers at the crazed mage.
Wynonna smirked as she slammed her palms down on the ground.
"Plant Entrapment: 10,000 vines of pain."
The ground began to rumble and the cobblestone began to part as a large mass of vines suddenly and violently sprouted into the air. Gray and Juvia could only stare in horror as Wynonna threw her arms forward, the vines doing as they were commanded. Gray immediately created his Ice Cannon while Juvia made her Water Beam, which began to boil from the duress she found herself in. The two attacks hit the vines with devastating effect…but it wasn't enough.
Before either Gray or Juvia could ready another spell, the vines slammed into them with crushing force. The vines wrapped around arms and legs, tossing the two mages to and fro. Within minutes, the vines dragged Gray and Juvia before Wynonna. Gray could feel a sharp pain in his chest, most likely from broken ribs while his left eye had swollen shut. Juvia could barely feel her tight leg and a small trickle of blood leaked from the corners of her mouth. The vines all the while kept them separated and restrained.
"A valiant effort I assure you but a futile one none the less." Wynonna said as she walked towards Gray. Wynonna gently stroked his cheek with her index finger before she pushed her body against Gray, grinding herself against Gray as she did so.
"You especially caught my eye." Wynonna purred as she licked Gray's cheek. The ice mage drew back as best he could but a vine slowly wrapped around his neck and began to squeeze; hard.
"Don't resist, I promise I'll-"
"Get away from Gray you bitch." Juvia spat out as she gasped for breath.
Wynonna looked at from Gray to Juvia with a shocked look before laughing out loud.
"Excuse me…did you just call me a bitch?"
Juvia gave a defiant stare. Without warning Wynonna leapt off Gray and grabbed Juvia by the neck.
"Answer me when I talk to you, you little whore." Wynonna said through gritted teeth.
Juvia's response was a simple one: she spat at Wynonna with a wad of blood and saliva.
Wynonna recoiled in horror as if she had been struck by the hand of God himself. She wiped the spittle off her cheek before looking at Juvia, her hand and then back at Juvia.
"Y-you…d-did not just spit on me." Wynonna snarled.
Juvia smirked.
With a roar of unparalleled anger, Wynonna slapped Juvia hard enough that it caused Juvia's head to snap to the side with whiplash grade force. Wynonna then delivered a fierce punch to Juvia's stomach causing the water mage to cough up blood.
"You think you can do that to me and get away with it?" Wynonna said as a demented smile formed on her lips and her body began to twitch spastically. A whip made from the very same thorn vines that were binding the two mages appeared in Wynonna's hands. Stepping back in a jerky fashion, Wynonna drew the whip back before snapping it forward. Juvia cried out in pain as the thorns connected with her skin. Wynonna drew the whip back and attacked again with increased ferocity.
Juvia cried out again and again. Soon her skin was covered it deep cuts; her clothes reduced to tatters.
"Leave her alone you crazy bitch!" Gray choked out only to have a vine pummel his already damaged ribs, not once, not twice but three times. Gray immediately began to hack up blood as he struggled to breathe.
"Shut. Up." Wynonna said through gritted teeth. Reaching into her belt, she withdrew a small, concealed knife. Wynonna walked up to Juvia and held the knife a mere inch from her neck.
"Your skin is so pale and pretty…I hate it." Wynonna said as she slowly moved knife closer. "By the time I'm through with you, you won't be so pretty anymore."
"J-juvia, n-no." Gray's voice was a hoarse whisper. He had to do something, he had to save Juvia. No matter how ahrd he tried he couldn't muster up an attack. The image of Motherglare and the hatchlings from the Grand Magic Games vividly flashed through his mind.
"Damnit, no! Not again, I can't lose her again!" Gray thought as he desperately and violently struggled against the vines.
Wynonna drew the knife back ready to plunge it into Juvia.
"NO!" Gray cried out.
Before Wynonna could strike, fate intervened.
Without warning, spheres of glowing water rained down up the plants before detonating on impact with tremendous force.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Wynonna cried out before dodging a new threat; razor sharp spikes of ice which began to burst from the ground. It seemed that no matter where Wynonna landed, the ice was quick to follow. Gray was having trouble following this new series of events.
"W-where did that come from?"
The vines gripping him suddenly went slack as two blades of water made short work of the plants. The water then did the same for Juvia. Without hesitation, Gray had her cradled in his arms the moment she was free; his body screamed at him for moving so fast however.
"G-gray?" Juvia whispered.
"She's alright…she's alright!" was all Gray could think.
"W-what…happened?" Juvia whispered before violently coughing.
"Don't speak, just take it easy."
Wynonna, having gained her bearings, focused her attention back on Gray and Juvia.
"I"VE HAD IT WITH YOU TWO FREAKS!" she roared. Conjuring another vine, Wynonna launched it at the two mages.
Gray moved to shield Juvia but before the vine could hit, something…or more to the point, someone, eviscerated the plant right then and there. Gray could only watch as two newcomers landed in a crouch stances before slowly rising.
"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TWO?" Wynonna screeched.
"Nobody touches our parents like that and gets away with it." Said the first newcomer, a boy in his mid-teens.
He was tall with a broad, muscular frame. His midnight black hair was cut in a short, spiky manner and matched his dark blue eyes. He was shirtless, thus the tribal style tattoo's that ran from the boys shoulder blades to his upper arms were revealed. An aquamarine blue sash was wrapped around his waist thus keeping a pair of baggy cargo pants in place. A pair of lace less leather boots with protective shin guards that reached his knees completed the ensemble. The three things that stood out the most to Gray however were the gauntlets of ice that encased the boy's arms from his elbows to finger tips, the silver cross necklace dangling from the boy's neck…and the fact that Gray was looking at a slightly younger version of himself.
"W-what?" was all Gray could say.
"Sam, could you handle the psycho lady while I take care of mom and dad?" asked the second newcomer, a girl this time. She seemed a year or two older than the boy.
"Sounds good to me. Oi, Jenny! Did Chiara find a good hiding place?" The boy said as he cracked his knuckles.
"You know she did, I picked it."
"Heh…just making sure."
Gray heard Juvia gasp slightly in shock and he already knew the reason why. The girl bore a striking resemblance to Juvia.
The girl was slim but fit although her upper body was hidden beneath a white poncho with a series of blue bars running along the bottom. Her hair was cut short in the way Juvia had cut hers when she had first joined Fairy Tail but she had a short braid that started at the base of her head. A knee length skirt with two small slits in the sides could be seen beneath the poncho and a pair of laced up sandals completed the look.
"Who are you people…and what do you mean mom and dad?" Gray asked as the girl approached. He and Juvia subconsciously began to back away.
Jenny Fullbuster gave her parents a small, understanding smile.
"I know you're confused and have many questions…but those can wait." Jenny placed her hands on the ground and a rune filled circle formed beneath Gray and Juvia. A dome of water formed above the two. Gray and Juvia began to panic until they realized they could breathe in the water.
"Regenerating bubble." Jenny murmured.
The two instantly felt the water soothe and heal their bodies.
"No you don't!" Wynonna suddenly cried out. She summoned another vine and launched it at the bubble. Sam Fullbuster, however, was faster.
Sam leapt into the air and with one powerful swipe of an ice enhanced claw, the vine was severed in two.
Sam landed and gave Wynonna a confident smile.
"You're going to have to do better than that."
Wynonna scowled.
"Don't test me boy."
"Sorry, but because you nearly killed my parents I'm going to have to kick your ass." Sam was the one who scowled this time.
"And for that…I intend to make you pay." With those words, Sam formed two swords of ice in his hands and charged Wynonna.
XXXX
With Gajeel and Levy…
"Gajeel get up we have to keep moving!" Levy cried out in panic as the Iron Dragon Slayer collapsed to his feet for the third time.
With a groan of extreme pain, Gajeel used his free hand to grasp at the profusely bleeding wound in his abdomen while his other hand tried to hang onto Levy. The Solid Script Mage could barely support her partner but had managed to move through the maze of streets that made up the financial district. They soon came upon a small square and Levy hauled Gajeel over to a nearby water fountain where she promptly sat him on the ground.
"This is bad, he won't stop bleeding!" Levy thought as a million other thoughts raced through her mind while applying pressure to the wound with her hands.
The gut wound wasn't the only wound Gajeel was suffering from. Multiple deep, laceration and puncture wounds were scattered about his body.
Gajeel tried to stand but the newly added weight on wound above his left knee caused Gajeel to nearly holler in pain and as the leg refused to move, the muscles freezing in protest. He tried to do the same with his right leg but was met with similar results.
"S-shit…it's no use shrimp, I-I can barely move my l-legs…y-you'll have to leave me." Gajeel managed to say through gritted teeth.
"No don't say that! I'm getting you out of here!" Levy protested.
"Don't…argue with me S-shrimp…you have leave before she finds you." Gajeel said as he began to cough up blood, "She's already ambushed us, don't stick around on my account just so she can do it again."
"I'm not leaving Gajeel!" Levy countered as she shook Gajeel's shoulders, "You've always been there to protect me, now it's my turn."
Gajeel managed to crack a smile.
"You giving me orders now?" Gajeel said before hissing in pain as Levy applied more pressure to his stomach.
"You know what they say, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."" Levy said with a grunt as she draped Gajeel's arm over her shoulder and attempted once again to help him stand.
"There you are." Said an eerily calm voice.
Levy and Gajeel froze. Their heads slowly turned around and found Leila McAllister sitting on a nearby bench. Her eyes were still hidden by her hood and bangs and the stuffed cat doll was still clutched in her arms.
"I thought I told you two that you couldn't run from me. Papa Deathwing told me to kill you and that's what I intend to do." Leila said, her voice still calm and even.
Levy tried to move herself and Gajeel but the sudden rush of air and the cutting of stone just centimeters away from her foot caused Levy to freeze in her tracks.
"It is pointless to resist…you cannot escape me."
Levy fixed the stone faced girl with a glare and gently began set Gajeel down.
"Shrimp, what are you doing?!" Gajeel asked as Levy leaned him back up against the fountain.
She did not answer him. Instead she stepped forward and moved her body so that it was blocking Leila from Gajeel. This did not go unnoticed by the quiet girl.
"You intend to fight?" Leila said as she stood up, "…I find that very unwise."
"I won't let you hurt him; not again, not like the way you did." Levy said defiantly.
Leila was silent for a moment. She then slowly cocked her head to the side.
"Then so be it."
Levy reacted quickly.
"Solid Script: Fire-Heat Spell!" Levy yelled as the word FIRE appeared before her and subsequently burst into blue flames which shot out at Leila.
Before the flames could land a hit, Leila simply swiped her had to the left and a blade of air dispersed the flames.
"Wind Scythe." Leila said in her calm voice as swiped her hand at Levy. A massive gust of wind appeared from nowhere and flew at Levy, tearing a visible gash in the ground.
"Solid Script: Guard!" The barrier appeared in the nick of time. The wind attack slammed into the barrier with tremendous force that it began to crack. If Levy hadn't brought the barrier up when she did she knew she would have been simply cut in two.
Leila continued to hurl her wind attacks at the barrier but Levy had already formed a plan in her mind's eye.
"Solid Script: Oil!"
The barrier crumbled just as the incantation had been uttered and a long stream of jet black oil flowed from the word. Before Leila could move away from the attack, the oil seeped into her boots and kept her in place.
"Gottcha!" Levy thought with a triumphant smirk, "Solid Script: Fire!"
The flames from the incantation hit the oil and the flammable liquid immediately burst into flames causing a blast of flame to form where Leila stood.
"I did it…I did it!" Levy cried out surprised that her plan had worked, "Gajeel, I did it!" Levy spun around and ran to her partner.
Gajeel managed wince a smile.
"Not…bad shrimp…not bad at all."
Levy gave Gajeel a brief but tender hug. A hug which the Iron Dragonslayer returned. Levy moved to help Gajeel up again.
"Let's get out of here before-"
"Before, what?"
Levy froze and turned around to see the flames she had created starting to disappear.
"No." Levy whispered.
The flames parted to reveal Leila standing behind a barrier she had made from the wind. The tight frown on the quiet girls face indicated one simple thing; Leila had become seriously annoyed.
"NO!" Levy cried.
The barrier dissipated and before Levy could blink, Leila used a burst of wind to appear right before her.
"Going somewhere?"
And with those words, Leila formed a lance of air and rammed it straight through Levy's abdomen, causing the blue haired mage to scream out in agony.
"LEVY!" Gajeel cried out.
Impaled on the lance, Leila lifted Levy off the ground with one hand holding the lance. Her other hand still held her stuffed animal.
Levy gripped the lance and tried to remove herself from it only to have her hands begin to bleed as the air cut her palms and fingers.
"I told you there was no escape."
Leila removed the lance and Levy fell to the ground in a heap, her hands clutching her stomach as tears of pain freely fell from her eyes. Leila calmly walked over to Levy, flipped her over with her foot before placing it on her neck; hard. Levy began to gasp for air as her hands weakly tried to remove Leila's foot.
Leila moved the lance so that the tip was directly over Levy's heart.
"And now you die."
"Get away from her you bitch!"
Leila turned her head to the source of the words and was promptly punched in the face by Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Club.
Leila soared through the air and collided with a nearby building.
Gajeel pulled himself over to Levy with great effort. His bleeding hadn't stopped and he was starting to feel the effects.
"G-Ga-Gajeel." Levy said weakly as she coughed up blood.
"Don't speak shrimp. Don't move. Don't do anything." Gajeel said as he placed his hands on Levy's wound in the manner she had done to him.
"I'm s-sorry, I tried to stop her, but-"
"Don't, just don't." Gajeel said through gritted teeth as he felt the warmth of Levy's blood seep through his fingers. Like Gajeel, Levy was bleeding out; but at a faster rate.
"Damnit, no!"
Gajeel heard a muffled groan and looked up to see Leila standing up.
"Shit * gasp* what will it *gasp* take to *gasp* keep her *gasp* down!?" Gajeel said through deep gasps for air. His blood had chosen the worst possible moment to really set in.
Leila stood up and clutched her head. With a groan reached into the rubble to retrieve her stuffed doll. As she picked it up, the sound of cloth tearing could be heard. Before she could do anything, Leila watched as her most prized possession split apart.
"NO!" Leila screeched as she frantically tried in vain to place the cat doll back together.
Drip
Leila froze as she watched a dark splotch form on the fabric of her beloved toy. Then another and another. She suddenly became aware that her nose hurt really bad at that is was very wet all of the sudden.
Leila touched her fingers to her nose and when she looked at them, she froze.
Blood…she was bleeding.
Blood.
Blood.
Blood.
Leila began to tremble violently as images of a man and woman being brutally slaughtered flashed through her mind.
Mama…Papa…Blood.
The words repeated themselves over and over in Leila's mind.
Then, Leila's head jerked back and she screamed. She let lose a cry of unbridled fear and agony. It was a kind of scream that can only come from one reliving an event that they'd rather not. An event that they'd rather forget.
"Aw, hell." Was all Gajeel could say.
Leila's head snapped at the duo; her eyes glowed a furious red beneath her bangs.
"KILL…I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Leila screamed like a banshee.
She bolted forward towards Gajeel and Levy. Gajeel pulled Levy closer to him with the fleeting hope that he would be able to protect her. Levy whimpered in fear and closed her eyes. The resounding sound of flesh being cut made her cringe.
She waited for death to come and claim her.
…A minute passed.
Then another minute.
Levy opened her eyes to something she was not prepared for.
Standing in front of her and Gajeel was a young man who appeared to be in his late teens. Leila was using her wind attacks to slice into her with all her fury but what surprised Levy the most was that he didn't really seemed to be bothered by the attacks. If anything, she would have said the attacks almost annoyed the boy if she didn't know any better.
The boy's right hand snapped out and delivered a powerful right cross to Leila's skull. The girl was sent flying backwards a good distance away from the boy.
With Leila taken out of action for the moment, the boy turned around to face the mages.
It was then that Levy got a good look at their savior.
He was tall with a heavily muscled physique. His shoulders were broad and his waist was tapered. He had coal black hair that was semi-spiked up while a loose strand of hair fell over a white bandana which he had wrapped around his head. He had silver piercings in both his ears and had three similar looking studs above his left eyebrow. He was shirtless but a series of intricate rune like tattoos were evenly spread out across his arms, shoulders, chest and torso. He wore a pair of coyote brown cargo pants with a heavy leather belt and buckle holding them in place. The look was completed with a pair of steel toed boots and mirrored, blue wraparound sunglasses.
Levy gasped when she saw the ragged and vicious looking cuts on the boy's body and chest begin to slowly seal up; the spilled blood returning back into his body.
The boy noticed Levy's shock and gave her a small, comforting smile.
"Are you two alright?" the boy asked as he removed his sunglasses to reveal a pair of crimson red eyes.
It was then that Levy noticed how similar the boy looked like herself…and a certain dragonslayer who happened to be holding her in his arms.
"The hell?" Gajeel whispered.
"W-ho…who are you?" Levy sked after a tense silence.
The boy was silent before he gently took Levy's hand into his own. Levy couldn't explain the sudden and almost familiar connection she felt with the boy.
"My name is Saito…Saito Redfox. I'm your son; your unborn son."
Levy and Gajeel's jaws dropped at this sudden revelation. Their expressions ranged from shock to borderline horror.
"WHAT!?" The duo answered before doubling over in pain.
Saito frowned.
"I regret that I don't know any healing magic. I'll get you to Igneel or Jenny when the fight is over. But for now; stay put while I handle her." Saito said as he hitched a thumb over his shoulder; just as Leila returned. The ground cracked beneath her feet as she began howling like an animal.
Saito stood up and calmly faced his opponent. A very familiar grin formed on his face.
"Dragon Skin: Living weapon." Saito said as his eyes suddenly glowed a brilliant red.
The runes across his body glowed a similar red but his skin suddenly turned darker than any black Gajeel or Levy had ever seen before, his muscles becoming more defined while his facial features and mouth simply vanished until all that remained were his glowing red eyes. The only way you'd be able to see his nose or brow would be if he turned sideways. The skin made a sound like rock's hardening while his fingers suddenly turned into razor sharp blades.
Saito cracked his neck then pounded his fists together causing fiery orange sparks to bounce off the knuckles. He then took a defensive stance.
"Don't worry." Saito said as he turned his head to face his parents, his voice now having a metallic ring to it, "this won't last long."
Leila howled again and charged Saito.
Saito in turn let a deep and powerful roar rumble from deep within his chest, flared his fingers and leapt forward to meet his foe.
A foe he would punish for harming his parents.
XXXX
Aaaaaannnnnnnd that does it! Holy crap that took me longer to write than I thought but here it is. I thank you all for being patient with me and I hope you enjoyed this new chapter. I have a lot on my plate at the moment so I don't know when I can post the next chapter. I'll work my damned hardest to complete it and post it, so rest assured. Also, should I change the rating for this story? I hope I wasn't too graphic or anything along that line. If you guys think I should change it, just let me know in your review.
Once again, thank you for your patience and I'll see you all next time.