TO MY READERS: Alrighty, well, here's chapter 10! I know a lot of you are wondering when Natsu and Lucy will meet in this AU but I can promise you it will happen very soon. Like two chapters away soon. So just hang tight, okay? I promise it will be everything you've been hoping for and maybe even more. Anyways, just like last week, in addition to this chapter, I have another one ready to go but I'd really like to keep this system going. If all goes well this week, I will have chapter 11 posted by next week, but that's not a definite! Just keep checking and subscribing to get notifications when I post. Thank you to everyone who has stuck around to keep reading this story and to those of you who have just joined! I wouldn't still be doing this if it weren't for you lot!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN any of the characters or places mentioned in this story. It all belongs to the original creator, Hiro Mashima.
Ten
Natsu stepped out of the taxi and breathed in the fresh summer morning air of the Heartfilia Konzern, feeling like he and his team were finally getting the fresh they needed for this investigation. They finally had the chance to talk to someone who could have a real connection to Zeref himself. And with Levy working hard on the riddle from Makarov, it was only a matter of time before Zeref's base location would be discovered. Things were really beginning to look up now.
"Hey, Dragneel," Gray barked, giving Natsu's backside a shove forward. "You make a better door than window. Let's get a move on, huh?"
"Better watch yourself, Fullbuster," Natsu growled as he moved behind the door of the car to let everyone out. "Wouldn't want your girlfriend to see you get your ass beat by your boss."
"We—we haven't…." Gray stammered, Juvia's blue hair coming into view behind him.
"Gray-sama would never lose in a fight when he has Juvia's love to power him," she said, coming beside him. Gray scratched nervously at the back of his neck and averted his eyes from everyone as he blushed feverishly.
"Everyone shut up and at least act like the professionals you're supposed to be," Erza sniped, glaring at Natsu and Gray with dagger-like eyes.
"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison. Juvia and Erza exchanged glances and shook their heads, already walking toward the massive mansion set dead-center on the Heartfilia land.
Jude and Layla Heartfilia's mansion stood tall and proud over the land they called home and stretched far out to its right and left sides. Standing in front of the large wooden doors were a pair of guards dressed in heavily decorated armor. As Natsu and his friends got closer to the doors, they pulled out their badges.
"Good morning," Natsu said, flashing his ID at the guards. "My name is Detective Natsu Dragneel. My partners and I would like to discuss some police business with Mr. and Mrs. Heartfilia. Could you please inform them we're here and need to speak with them?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Heartfilia can't take any visitors today," one of the guards replied.
"Oh, we're not here to visit," Erza stepped in. "This is a rather important matter so if you could just please let Mr. Heartfilia we're here, it would certainly make our jobs a lot easier."
The guards turned to one another, their faces hidden behind their armored masks. The one who had spoken earlier spun on his heel and pushed the doors open with ease and gestured for Natsu and the others to enter.
"Ms. Spetto will be with you in a few moments," the guard said once everyone was inside. As he stepped back outside, he tugged gently on the golden knob until the doors closed with a resounding thud that echoed through the large, empty foyer.
"You know, I don't think they have enough money," Gray smirked. He wandered to the middle of the foyer where a small table stood with a large, beautiful light blue vase in the middle holding a single red rose.
"They do seem to have a rather extravagant lifestyle," Juvia mused, walking up to Gray to inspect the grandiose chandelier hanging above.
"Really makes you wonder why in Earthland Lucy Heartfilia would be galavanting with a crime lord's toadies," Erza agreed.
"Excuse me," a stern voice sounded from the group's left. Natsu hurried to the center of the foyer where a short woman stood with her arms folded in front of her. She wore a fairly dirty apron and her hair was thrown up in an even messier bun that did little to keep her hair from her face.
"I take it you are the detectives the guard informed me of," she said, eyeing them all up. "Well, I don't know how pleased Mr. and Mrs. Heartfilia will be about your impromptu arrival but since it's police business, I'm sure they won't oppose to meeting with you."
"We don't mean to come in unannounced," Natsu stepped in. "We recently have reopened an investigation and we believe your employers' input will help us." Ms. Spetto stared at Natsu for a prolonged period of time until she nodded.
"Follow me, please," she said, moving around them and heading up the grand staircase. "The Heartfilias will see you in their office."
Natsu and Erza quickly came up behind Ms. Spetto with Gray and Juvia taking up the rear. She guided them to the right side of the staircase and then to the left, down a long, barely lit hallway. Natsu glanced up at the walls as he passed by them, noticing a few were beautiful family portraits. Each showcased Jude and Layla Heartfilia in the back with Lucy sitting in an ornate chair. The only difference between all the portraits was that Lucy was a different age in all of them. The last painting depicted Lucy about the same age as the picture Natsu had found of her during his initial searches.
"Right this way," Ms. Spetto said, stopping at a door on the left side of the hall. She knocked lightly on the wood and stepped back, waiting for a signal.
"Enter," a voice answered from inside the room. Ms. Spetto pushed opened the door to the office and gestured for Natsu, Erza, Gray, and Juvia to enter. They filed in quickly and Ms. Spetto closed the door behind them.
"And to what do I owe this visit?" the voice asked as Natsu turned to his unwilling host. The office was dimly lit, but the morning sun helped to illuminate the room a bit. The left and right sides of the office were floor-to-ceiling bookshelves which contained a thousand or more books and each side had a couch. A beautiful rug lay in the middle of the room and at the back of the room was a large desk where two shadowy figures stood.
From what Natsu could see, it was a man sitting in the desk and woman dressed in a large ballgown stood behind his chair. As he and his team walked toward the figures, he could see just how weary Jude and Layla Heartfilia seemed.
"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Heartfilia," Natsu said. "My name is Detective Natsu Dragneel and I am here with my colleagues and the Captain of the Magnolia Police Department Erza Scarlet."
"That doesn't answer my question, Detective," Jude replied sternly. Layla came to stand beside her husband and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, sir, we don't mean to intrude. But we do need your help. You see, our department recently reopened the investigation of Fiore's crime lord Zeref. We came here today to talk to you about your daughter, Lucy Heartfilia."
Suddenly, Layla let out a small yelp and startled everyone in the room including Jude. She covered her mouth with her hand and buried her head into Jude's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Detective," Jude said, comforting Layla. "My wife has brief spells of dizziness and weakness. Ms. Spetto!" he bellowed.
The little woman rushed into the office and swiftly escorted Layla Heartfilia towards the exit of the office. As she and Ms. Spetto passed by Natsu, Layla abruptly grabbed his arm and stared at him without uttering a single word. Natsu glared back at Layla who's face was done up with a thick layer of makeup to help distinguish the dark circles under her eyes and the premature wrinkles.
"Come now, Mrs. Heartfilia," Ms. Spetto cooed, prying Layla's fingers off Natsu's arm and leading her to the door. "We'll get you a nice cup of tea and we'll get you settled in bed." Natsu watched as Layla continued to stare at him as the exited the office until the door was closed by Ms. Spetto.
"I'm sorry," Jude repeated, standing from his chair. "Anyways, you were saying you were reopening the Zeref case?"
"Yes, sir," Natsu said. Jude now came to stand in front of the desk, crossing his legs as he leaned against it.
"Well, I don't really see how our family plays a role in this investigation," he said.
"We believe you actually might. And quite a critical one at that," Juvia disagreed. She walked up to Jude and handed him her file on Lucy, all the while analyzing his face. Not one did Jude allude to anything.
"What is this?" he asked, opening the file and grazing over the papers.
"Juvia's research into your daughter," she replied. "Whether you're aware of it or not, Lucy has been seen quite a bit around the city with a somewhat…undisciplined crowd. When Detective Dragneel first spotted her outside the Konzern, he began doing some very preliminary facial recognition tests from cameras all across Fiore. And it seems your daughter has a tendency to run around with Zeref's cronies."
Jude read the documents for a little too long until he closed the file, slapped it on his desk, and stare Juvia dead in the eyes.
"What exactly do you know?" he growled. Gray immediately stepped between Juvia and Jude, slowly backing her up from him.
"We only know that your daughter has been working with Zeref's team and there has been not one missing person report filed," Gray said. "We've come here because we need to know if you have any connection whatsoever to Zeref or any of his factions."
Jude stared at the group standing before him, completely lost on what to do.
"Mr. Heartfilia," Erza interrupted. "We are here to help you. If you tell us what you know, we could possibly save your daughter's life. And countless other women who have gone missing. But we need your cooperation. We cannot do this without you." Instead of answering Erza, Jude covered his eyes with his hand and began sobbing.
"I—I…" he whimpered between breaths. Natsu turned to his friends who all seemed just as baffled as him.
"I didn't know what to do at the time…" he finally got out, wiping away some of the tears and gazing back at the detectives.
"What do you mean?" Natsu goaded. "Tell us everything."
"My family had run into some financial troubles shortly after Lucy was born. I made a deal with a former crime lord and when Zeref took over, he demanded the money and Lucy once she turned twenty-one. I don't know all the details of his plans, but my belief is that he is after the Heartfilia fortune. That could be the only reason he wants Lucy and I know he's making her do terrible things for him. Unspeakable things…"
"Mr. Heartfilia, do you know where Zeref is keeping your daughter?" Natsu asked. Jude shook his head.
"No. I doubt anyone Zeref works with knows where his base is. Only the people who work for him and the separate faction leaders would know."
"Damn it," Natsu muttered.
"It's okay, Mr. Heartfilia," Erza assured the man. "We appreciate all you've done to help us today. We promise that when we find your daughter, we will do everything in our power to protect her. No matter what she's done." Natsu's eyebrows shot up at that.
"Thank you," Jude whimpered again.
"We'll take our leave now," Erza said. "If you need us or have any new information that might help the case, please call us." She walked up to him and handed him a card.
Once they were downstairs and in the foyer, Erza whipped out her phone to call for another taxi.
"So what's the plan, Captain?" Natsu asked.
"Well, unless Levy is able to figure out that riddle anytime soon, you should have Jellal and Cana expedite their search for Ultear's faction. If only the faction leaders know where Zeref's base is then finding her of the utmost importance," Erza explained.
"I was talking about the girl."
"Right. That might prove to be a little difficult," she said, crossing her arms after hanging up the phone. "I would have to again go through my superiors to see what kind of deal we can strike up with her in the event we do find and capture Lucy. It honestly all depends on what exactly she's done for Zeref. Even with a deal, depending on the severity of her crimes, she could be looking at at least a few years of jail time."
"So if we do find her, then we do everything in our power to bring her in safely," Natsu said, turning to Gray and Juvia who nodded.
"Alright, let's head back," Erza said, pushing open the entryway.
Another dead end…
A/N: Don't forget to leave a review!