DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.
One
Natsu's desk was a mess. The only time his office was ever really clean or orderly was when he first stepped into it four years ago. Ever since he became an occupant of the room, nothing was organized in the way other detectives' offices were. The books stacked in the shelves were slouched against each other and some misplaced papers had been stuffed in various places next to them, in the chairs in front of his desk sat stacks of boxes overflowing with files, and his desk was piled high with paperwork, files, and other various forms Natsu had no use for but wound up in the pile anyway.
Yet, somehow, he always found the specific file he needed to read over or the notepad he had written all his notes in. It was chaos, but it was Natsu's chaos and only he was able to navigate through it.
That morning, he was looking over a file he had read more times than he could count. A file he knew backwards and forwards but still picked up every now and again. And there he was again, glancing over the facts of the thick folder for the millionth time. But today was different. Something was going to be done at last to bring the criminal to justice.
The infamous Zeref Dragneel, Natsu's own brother.
"Natsu." Stopping mid-sentence to address the voice, Natsu looked up and saw Erza Scarlet standing in the doorway of his office. "We're getting ready for the meeting. Are you ready?" Closing the file and standing from his desk with it tucked under his arm, Natsu nodded and walked to the door.
Erza was the captain of Magnolia's police department and had finally made the decision to go send out her detectives again to investigate the case of Zeref Dragneel. It had been five years since the case was first started by Erza's predecessor, Makarov Dreyer. After he retired, the current captain hired Natsu and many other detectives and reconstructed the office to be more organized and professional.
The case had been closed because any and all leads Captain Dreyer discovered were killed by Zeref's lackey's. They had been considered a danger to Zeref's market and he eliminated them all, severing any ties the MPD had and preventing them from continuing with their investigation. It was still an open file but it hadn't been pursued any further.
Until now.
Erza assembled her best detectives throughout the MPD and chose the ones she believed would be vital to the success of the case: Natsu, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, Cana Alberona, Jellal Fernandez, Gajeel Redfox, and Levy McGarden. These seven PIs were what she believed to be the best of the best. Despite none of them being thirty years of age, all of them individually were incredible investigators, cracking and solving cases many of their colleagues had difficulties with. And Erza was planning on assembling them all today to discuss the official reopening of the Zeref Dragneel file.
"How do you feel about today?" Erza asked Natsu as they walked past the other detectives busy at their desks either filling out paperwork or yelling into their phones. Clutching the file, Natsu shrugged his shoulders.
"About the same as every other day," he said, giving Erza a smirk. But she wasn't convinced.
"Aren't you nervous about everyone and what they might think about you being on a case concerning your own brother?" she pressed.
"To be perfectly honest, I don't really care," Natsu replied confidently. "They can think whatever they want to think, I can't stop that. But I'm extremely serious about this investigation and bringing Zeref to justice."
Natsu was actually very close with most of the people Erza assigned to the case. However, it was only she who knew the details of Natsu's past with his brother. After their parents had died, Natsu and Zeref were left to fend for themselves on the streets. Being the eldest, Zeref took on the parent role and did everything in his power to keep himself and Natsu safe from the dangers of living on Magnolia's slums. However, it was only a matter of time until their punishing lives hardened them both. Natsu didn't resorted to thieving or killing like his brother, but he learned to keep most people at a distance—he quickly found out you can't really trust anyone. But Zeref became an entirely different person: he started getting involved in dangerous gangs and dealt drugs and weapons to bring in enough money to keep his and Natsu's poor excuse of an apartment.
Natsu tried to remain an honest man; picking up jobs at random like taking night guard positions at factories, selling newspapers, or delivering food to stores or their employees. He swore he would never fall into the life his brother had made for himself. Eventually, he had stored enough of his own money away to leave that life and Zeref behind. He desperately tried to convince his brother to join him and quit the associations he was a part of. But Zeref refused. He liked who he was, he had said and he was doing a hell of a lot better than anyone who lived on the "flip-side." He had said he would take his chances and told Natsu to get out.
"Zeref," Natsu had said, angry at the man Zeref had abandoned all those years ago, the kind elderly brother who would never hurt anyone who hadn't done them wrong. "If we cross paths some day in the future, you know I won't have a choice." Zeref had laughed.
"Oh, brother," he had replied. "I think it would be best if we just went our separate ways. Don't go pursuing me when you become a cop. You'll deeply regret it."
Shocked by his threatening words, Natsu stormed out and never looked back. From that day forth, he cut all ties with his brother and went to school, becoming a private detective just like he dreamed. He had no information on his brother despite being inquired while in school when Captain Makarov first opened the case. He didn't even know if Zeref was still Zeref; he could've changed his name and moved outside Magnolia for all he knew. His brother was as much of a mystery to him as to the people looking for him.
When he finally was hired by Erza right in the heart of the MPD, she demanded to know everything about Natsu's past and his affiliation with Zeref. He had been hesitant at first but gave in. Zeref had put himself in this position. Natsu had given him a choice that day to forget their awful life in the slums but he refused. And how could he possibly expect Natsu to come after him? He'd done so many awful things. Newspapers and magazines all over Magnolia told the terrible stories of Zeref's underground empire and the crimes they committed daily.
Zeref was forcing Natsu's hand. And it was time he was brought in.
"Well, I'm glad you feel that way," Erza said, smiling at Natsu's response. "But if anyone does give you problems, don't hesitate to tell me. I don't want a civil war breaking out during this investigation. It's far too important for everyone to start turning on one another." Natsu nodded and fixed his gaze on the large room in the back. The frosted glass prevented anyone from seeing inside the room so Natsu couldn't see if anyone was inside yet. As he and Erza came closer, he felt his knuckles protest in pain as he clenched the file tighter in his hand.
Today is the beginning of the end, brother.
"Go ahead," Erza said after pushing the door open. Natsu stepped in and looked to his fellow teammates standing or sitting in the room, talking. When he and Erza entered the room, the conversations stopped and all eyes turned to them.
"Good morning, everyone," Erza said, closing the door behind her and moving to the projector at the front of the room. "Please, take a seat." Natsu smiled at his friends and they all nodded back in greeting, pulling back the chairs at the long table in the middle of the room. Settled in, Natsu placed his file down in front of him and swiveled in the chair to face the projector screen which displayed the only existing photo of Zeref Dragneel the MPD had.
"As I'm sure most of you know, you have all been gathered here today because I believe you to be the few individuals in this office who can bring this maniac to justice," Erza began, arms crossed behind her back. "Today marks the day we will be officially reopening the case our previous captain started on Fiore's most notorious crime boss, Zeref Dragneel.
"It might've seemed a bit surprising when I met with each of you to tell you the case assignments and your involvement. As you know, the investigation ceased because any insiders we had were killed by Zeref's lackeys. However, I can now inform you we have a new insider. Someone who can help put us back on track."
Everyone exchanged confused glances. How could anyone have possibly found someone willing to put their life on the line to arrest Zeref? Where were they? Who were they?
"I am also going to tell you something extremely confidential," Erza continued, not pausing to answer questions. "When I first put in the request, I inquired about the former captain's living quarters. Makarov Dreyer and his grandson Laxus Dreyer will be assisting us with this case."
"What?"
"Really?!"
"But how?"
"Their involvement in our mission is strictly between us," Erza said, raising a hand to silence everyone in the room. "If, for some reason, we need their assistance we have been instructed by Laxus to meet them both at Makarov's home. But we are only to meet with them if it's an urgent matter. They don't want to be connected to the case. If someone on Zeref's side finds out, they will most certainly be killed. That is why this information is confidential. I don't want any loudmouths announcing the return of the former captain." Everyone nodded their heads or gave muffled answers in response.
"Now that we have established the foundation of this investigation, I believe we should start going over the specifics. First, our insider." Erza glances to Levy who sat closest to her on Erza's right and she clicked a button on the projector to display the next picture.
"This is the man we currently have in custody who works with Zeref," Erza said, gesturing to the photo. "His name is Zancrow." The mugshot on the projector screen showed a fairly young man—most likely in his late twenties—with long blonde, spiky hair that was tied back to show his face. Zancrow's eyes were a bright, blood-red color and even though he was posing for the police, he smiled psychotically at the camera.
"We were fortunately able to make a deal with Zancrow," Erza said. "If he gives us all the information we require on Zeref, we will only imprison him for twenty-five years or less for good behavior as well as parole should we release him. Due to the dangerous position he is now in, we have kept his arrest quiet which is why none of you even heard we had one of Zeref's henchmen in the department. No one outside the case is to know about his being here. If someone in Zeref's circle were to find out about him, he will most certainly be killed."
"How do we know if all the information he's giving us is true?" Gajeel asked, breaking the silence amongst the team members.
"The police officer who was able to apprehend him, Gildarts, spent a lot of time interrogating him," Erza explained. "Fortunately, he was able to guarantee Zancrow's cooperation and if anything of what he says is false, the deal is off. If he's smart, he'll continue working with us."
Natsu couldn't help but feel excited about Gildarts Clive. As the MPD's oldest and most seasoned police officer, he was certainly the best of the best in that department. Natsu had even shadowed him when he was just beginning his career. They were very close friends and Natsu couldn't wait to work with him again to show him how much he'd grown.
"As I was saying," Erza said, "after our briefing, I would like to bring you all to meet with Zancrow so we get this mission on the right track.
"From what we have gathered throughout the years, we are almost positive Zeref has been operating somewhere in Magnolia. Many robberies and drug deals have been reported in the city so it's extremely likely he and his men remain underground to keep tabs on everything," Erza said. "Hopefully, Zancrow will have some information for us on where Zeref's base is so we can start planning a perimeter for an arrest."
A knock on the meeting room door startled everyone, even causing Erza to jump. Natsu glanced back at her and saw her smiling as she walked to the door. The outline of a figure stood in front of the glass and she opened entrance to reveal Gildarts Clive. He smiled and waited for Erza to step out of the way so he could enter the room, giving everyone a quick wave before taking his place next to the projector screen.
"Good morning, everyone," he said, hands behind his back like Erza. Letting him take the spotlight, she stood with her arms crossed in a relaxed position near the wall. It was Gildarts' turn.
"I would first like to say, congratulations," he began. "You have each been selected to be on this team because Captain Scarlet believes you to be the best of the best. And it comes as no surprise to me that she chose my one and only daughter, Cana, as well!" Everyone snickered and stared at Cana whose face was turning a bright red.
"Just get on with it, old man!" she shouted, crossing her arms over her chest and slinking down in her chair. Clearing his throat, Gildarts began pacing the room.
"Today, Captain Scarlet and I will be taking you all to meet its Zancrow. As you may already know, his being at the station is completely confidential. You each will be given access cards to his cell so you may visit him whenever you deem it necessary; with either my or Captain Scarlet's permission, of course.
"He is not considered a very dangerous man, but he doesn't seem one hundred percent on board with the deal we've made with him. He will be difficult to get information out of, so if you feel the need to coerce him, you may do so. However, it is strictly forbidden for anyone to lay hands on him. You can blame me for that one, since I was so…harsh with him when I first brought him in. Nevertheless, he is here to help us, so if for any reason he becomes too difficult, just give him a gentle reminder of our deal. He knows if we leak his presence here, Zeref will no doubt send someone to eliminate him. He is currently under our protection until we get what we want.
"With all that being said, here are your access cards to the underground cells." Reaching into his pockets, Gildarts pulled out a small envelope which he threw at the table. Each person flipped through the cards to find their own and passed them on to the next. Natsu slipped his out and handed it to Juvia across from him who gave it to Gray next to her. Examining the plastic ID, Natsu noticed the expiration date listed on the bottom righthand corner.
"As you can see, these IDs have an expiration date," Gildarts noted. "You are only allowed access into the underground cells during this specific investigation. The cells are highly classified and only personnel such as myself and Captain Scarlet are given unlimited access. Once we find and arrest Zeref, you will return your IDs and they will be shredded. Anyone who withholds these IDs will be suspended. And copies cannot be made."
"Alright, everyone," Erza said, stepping next to Gildarts. "I believe we should move to the cells." Gathering their notebooks and folders together, the group rose from the table with IDs in hand, following Gildarts and Erza as they headed out of the room. Gildarts held the door and waited until everyone was outside, Natsu being the last person to exit. Closing the door behind them, Gildarts and Natsu fell back a bit to talk.
"It's been a while, eh, Natsu?" he asked, slapping him on the back. Natsu smiled back.
"Too long!" Suddenly, Gildarts' face turned serious and he looked ahead as the two followed the group.
"Things have gotten pretty bad with Zeref's gang," he said. Natsu's smile faded and he nodded, gripping his brother's file so tightly it started crinkling.
"I know."
"More and more girls go missing, the drug houses are in full swing again, and thieves and murdered have been running a muck through the city. If this mission doesn't go as we plan, Zeref will never be arrested." Natsu kept his eyes at the backs of his friends, now filled with dread.
Many young girls—not just in Magnolia but throughout Fiore—were vanishing. Most of the cases were simply left open as no leads to their whereabouts were ever found by any police departments in the respective cities. However, there were rumors around the MPD the girls were being kidnapped and sold to Zeref as sex slaves and assassins. Natsu didn't want to believe how villainous his brother had become but with all the gossip, Erza finally acknowledge the talk and confirmed the myths: from what she knew, the girls were in fact being sold to Zeref, though their purpose was unknown. However, it wasn't too hard to imagine what the young women might've been forced to do.
"Do you think we'll be able to do it?" Natsu asked. Gildarts stared down at him with hard eyes.
"I don't know. Do you think we can?" he replied, his tone harsher than before. Embarrassed for already having shown doubt in his and his teammates' abilities, Natsu looked down at the floor. Filled with an overwhelming mixture of frustration, anger, and determination, Natsu nodded.
"Yes," he said confidently. "I know we can do this." Gildarts smiled at his previous protégé, pleased by his new reply.
"That's the kind of attitude you and your partners need to have in a case this big. Zeref's operations don't just start and stop with Magnolia. He has factions all over the kingdom," he explained. "Even after we take down Zeref we'll still have a whole lot of mess to clean up. Someone else might even try to take his place; an apprentice of some sort. This mission doesn't end when Zeref's behind bars. We'll need to interrogate him night and day to get all the information to bring down every single base of his."
"Zeref is just the first big pawn in this game," Natsu mused.
"Exactly," Gildarts agreed. "He's the king but we need to know who his successor is or his queen." The thought of someone carrying out his brother legacy was sickening to Natsu. They all needed to be stopped and if he would spend the rest of his career doing so, then so be it. He wouldn't rest until anyone associated with Zeref Dragneel was thrown in prison.
The group ahead came to the elevator at the back of the room. Erza held the doors until Gildarts and Natsu were inside and pressed the button marked "X." The doors slid shut and the elevator slowly lowered down to the very bottom of the department. After a few minutes, the machine dinged and opened, revealing a dimly lit, metallic hallway. Natsu and his friends stared wide-eyed as Erza and Gildarts began walking into the hidden cells of the MPD.
"Well this is sufficiently spooky," Cana whispered.
"I can't believe hardly anyone knows about this place," Gray said, looking around him.
"I've actually known about this place for a while now," Levy stated. Everyone looked at her in surprise, causing her to blush. "I'm the hacker. I know everything about this department," she replied defensively.
"I wonder how many people are brought down here," Juvia mused, moving closer to Gray.
"More than we'll ever know about," Natsu said.
"Don't start daydreaming," Erza snapped. The group suddenly noticed they were a little ways away from Gildarts and the captain. At Erza's command, they immediately picked up their pace and came right behind them as they continued down the seemingly endless hallway.
"He's in 306, right?" Erza asked Gildarts.
"As far as I know," he replied. The two leaders stopped on the left and Erza swiped her ID through the card reader on the right side of the door and the entrance slid open. A singular light hung in the middle of the room and all that was inside was a long silver table with a figure sleeping on the hard surface.
"Zancrow," Gildarts said harshly. The man with his head on the table snapped up, squinting his eyes at the sudden light. "You have visitors." Fixating his eyes on the people in front of him, Zancrow's lips twisted up in an evil smile.
"Why, hello, there," he said. "You even brought me some eye-candy." The girls in the room stared harder at him and Gildarts banged his hand on the table, causing the prisoner to jump.
"Hey, hey, hey! Alright, don't your boxers in a bunch!" Zancrow shouted.
"We don't have time for your jokes," Gildarts hissed. "It's time for you to keep your end of the bargain. We need information. Now." Zancrow sighed, shaking the cuffs which were secured around a metal post on the table.
"But I don't believe you've been holding up yours, Officer," Zancrow said, staring at Gildarts. "I've been sleeping on this awful table for weeks now. My back is killing me. I think I need a better cell before I tell you anything."
"Consider it done," Erza interrupted. "But only until you give us what we want first." Zancrow and Gildarts both turned to her.
"Excellent," Zancrow said, rubbing his hands together. "Well, I guess we should start."
Lucy lay on the bed, bare and exposed, as Zeref fell off her, huffing and puffing. She crossed her arms over her breasts and reached for the covers but Zeref stopped her.
"What's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked, stilling trying to catch his breath.
"Nothing," Lucy said as casually as possible. He smiled and threw the blankets off her, kissing her chest, the top of her breasts, and all the way down. She hid her hands and curled them into fists, moaning and sighing to please Zeref as he stretched her legs open. She kept her eyes focused on the arched ceiling of the canopy bed above. She tried to escape the reality by drifting into her mind but she was having a difficult time as Zeref fooled around with her. She hated that she was always aroused by him when they had sex. She wished her body would reject him like her mind and heart did. As he licked and fingered her, despite her best efforts to escape, Lucy was yanked back in the bed as Zeref tried to pleasure her.
"Zeref," Lucy moaned, not being able to take it anymore. "Please stop." Shocked by her request, Zeref quickly returned to her side. Closing her legs tightly and yanking the covers back over her, Lucy avoided his eyes though he eventually turned her face to him.
"Darling," he said, "what's wrong?" Worried she seemed too suspicious, Lucy smiled and shook her head.
"I'm just tired, that's all. Last night took a lot out of me," she said, reaching out to take his hand. He squeezed it tightly and shook his head.
"I heard," he replied. "Sometimes I think about removing you from it entirely."
"Oh, no!" Lucy exclaimed all too eagerly. Doubling back, she quickly recovered. "It's really no trouble but I just need more sleep." Sighing, Zeref nodded.
"It just takes away from our alone time, that's all," he said, stroking her side.
"I promise I'll be alright soon. I only need rest," she reassured him.
When he moved away from her, Lucy flipped onto her left side, bringing the covers high up to cover her face. Once she heard the bathroom door close, she crumpled in on herself and let a few tears fall down her face.