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This fanfiction contains violence and sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.
"How dare you speak." Before Juvia could adjust her eyes to her clouded surroundings, a figure struck her with a violent force.
Juvia hurled forwards as it knocked her vigorously. Crashing face down, her cheek burned in pain as she rolled into the sinking mud. Before Juvia could lift her face away from the suffocating earth, a barbed boot hammered her back down into the ground.
"You filthy lowlife," spat a guttural voice. He pinned her body against the sole of his foot and glowered over her figure smugly. "Should we leave it to rot, captain?" His heel dug into her back.
Juvia could barely muster a snarl as she sunk further into the ground. Barely seeing the faces of her captors, her vision blurred as dirt trickled down her face. Blood oozed from her head as she felt it dribble into her eyes, stinging them shut. She attempted to push herself up, but her arms immediately crumpled in defeat. The man simply plummeted his foot harder into her.
"Take her with us," replied a smoky voice. With a knee against the floor, his breath was cold against her lifeless body. He calmly brushed a strand of blue hair away from her eyes. "Juvia Lockser," he growled. She cringed as her eyes landed on the alexandrite plaque that swivelled into sight. An icy finger tilted her face away from the ground as her eyes met his masked figure. Swiping his hand across her bruised cheek, he smeared blood across them in a swift motion. As he leaned down, she shivered in horror as his voice vibrated through her bones. "I just saved your pathetic life."
Through half-lidded eyes, she watched as everything she knew about her existence gradually dissipated into the darkness. The cries of the twins escaped into obscurity as it entrapped them in a place where she could never return to. The silence of the other prisoners served as a moment of solitude; their deadened eyes followed her unhurriedly. Although Juvia was the first prisoner to escape the blade of an exterminator, everyone knew that in the face of one, they would choose death in a heartbeat.
Juvia did not have that luxury to choose.
The jagged ground scoured Juvia's knees as she was dragged against the cobble. Its cold, harsh surface abraded her lifeless body as she was hauled through the tunnel. Her vision blurred in and out as a mesmerising purple glow burned in the distance. However, when her orbs focused on its force, a harsh radiance burned them with a sharp pain. Its brilliance sunk deeper into her and she screamed as she felt her body evaporating into the blaze. Its ghostly flame enveloped around her, pulling her into its force and casting her skin alight in an excruciating kindle. Juvia screeched as her skin began to flare bright red, scorching her alive. The relentless fire threatened to tear her into shreds as it sunk further into her body. Juvia's voice hitched in her throat as sparks pranced about, alternating with the deep mauve flame. Before she lost all consciousness, she watched in terror as her body glistened the same colour, when she completely disintegrated into the void.
»»—- —-««
Juvia's eyes fluttered open. An iridescent glow flickered above her, hanging as a solitary source of light. She was in an empty room with a single bed that situated in the middle. Her eyes burned with pain as they hurriedly scanned around her surroundings. The brisk temperature left her regretful of sitting upright. She hastily sunk beneath the thin covers, hiding her bruised arms beneath her sole source of comfort.
"You're up."
Juvia twirled to the voice of a foreign woman. The heavy clatter of her steps brought her under the light, where her luminous red locks came into sight. It was the brightest colour Juvia ever laid her eyes upon. Her armour cluttered against the cold iron floor as she approached. Juvia's lips opened but no words came out. Instead, her throat stung in response. Biting down on her lip, Juvia tried again, "I–"
"Commander Scarlet."
Juvia stared in confusion.
"Suit up," the woman commanded. Juvia found a pile of clothing tossed onto her lap. Her arms folded across her glistening chest plate. "We'll be waiting outside." And without another word, the woman disappeared.
Juvia scowled as she glanced down at her appearance. Her ragged gown was shredded, and its murky colour stained the mattress as she rose to stand. However, her legs suddenly lost all its strength, and sent her staggering to the floor. Juvia let out an inaudible gasp as her body once again met the harsh floor. She was struck by its force, where the phenomena of being burnt alive rushed through her body. It sent a convulsion that ran from her neck to her legs, reminding her of its capability. Her breath caught in her throat as she struggled to rise from the ground. As if her body had a mind of its own, she began to heat up. Her legs shuddered uncontrollably, and her heartrate increased as she felt her skin burn.
The endless abyss started to penetrate her consciousness, but before she could delve into an infinite darkness, a cold hand grabbed her wrist and hoisted her into a strong embrace.
Juvia's eyes raised tirelessly to meet a pair of onyx ones. His orbs radiated a mysterious aura that left Juvia even more breathless. His gaze bore into hers and she felt his grip tighten around her as she contracted her body feverishly from the heat. His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm, sending jolts down Juvia's spine as their bodies pressed tightly against each other.
Juvia felt her body fall back into the bed as his arm slipped away from her slender shoulders. They sent shivers down her body as his lingering touch almost seemed to heal her. Juvia stared cautiously at his every movement, her eyes unwilling to leave his chiselled face. His eyebrows knitted together tightly.
"Are you able to get changed yourself?"
His voice sent a cool breeze by her ear, allowing Juvia to release a breath she didn't realise she was holding. His low voice charmed her endlessly, but she realised how familiar it was. Drawing her eyes to his chest, she found the identical plaque that rested at his muscular pec. Swirls of silver swerved in an intricate pattern, flowering around an alexandrite that adorned its centre. Its mauve glow was dim, but just as it was about to send her back into an endless memory of purple flames, she felt her arms being raised. She hastily looked down to her gown, where she found his fingertips running along the hem of it, hiking it up towards her waist. His fingers tickled her bare hips and before Juvia could react, her gown was discarded.
"W-wait –" Juvia stuttered in panic. "What are you…" her voice drifted away as a deep blush coloured her cheeks when she realised that her only protection was a thin layer of cloth that wrapped around her breasts. "What are you doing?" Juvia gasped, yanking the covers to her chin. Her voice was raspy but she found him with an eyebrow arched, challenging her. He gradually leaned in, allowing his untamed hair to fall above his hooded eyes as he surveyed her.
"Since you're clearly useless at everything, I'm making it faster for all of us."
Without warning, he proceeded to change her, tearing away her covers and raising her arms once again. Juvia let out a high-pitched scream and sent her palm to his face. The sound of a hard slap caused Juvia to flinch as the man glared at her. His lips twitched in annoyance and he lunged towards her. His arms bulged as he chained her wrists together above her head. The mattress sunk in as his weight hovered over her body. Narrowing his eyes, he studied her trembling body. Juvia squeezed her eyes shut, tucking her face away from his predatory stare. Struggling to move under his strong hold, Juvia remained as still as possible, letting him take in the sight of her weakening body. He allowed his mouth to inch closer and open against her ear. Juvia's heart wavered as he whispered, "do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"
Juvia remained silent as he studied her features. Her hair fanned out in a tangling mess, where they scattered across her bruised shoulders. Heaving a sigh, he pulled the shirt down over her head. She couldn't seem to breathe as she felt his hands work swiftly over her body, tugging it snuggly over her hips. Moving his body over her, he descended and finally let her wrists go, allowing her to cover herself once again. Juvia felt the bed lift as he rose, his defined torso rising above her. She gulped, unsure if it was the heat that made her lose her mind or something else – but all she could do was blink, watching him comb a hand through his tousled hair.
"I-I can do the rest," she finally managed to breathe out. The man cocked his head and contemplated her. "Make it brief." And with that, he swiftly left the room, leaving Juvia to stare down at the pair of leather pants which she carefully reached for. Gripping onto the bedpost for support, she tugged them on, allowing them to envelope her tightly. She grunted when she felt the fabric digging into her bruised legs. When her feet pulled into a pair of combat boots, she allowed her eyes to follow the path of a hallway, where a line of lights lit up a single path.
»»—- —-««
A labyrinth of concrete snaked around the dim subterranean. Clutching onto her sore side, Juvia warily tiptoed to an open ground and glanced down the metal bars that encircled her, protecting her from a ten-metre fall. Below, she watched in awe as hundreds of bodies moved about in the pit, each dressed in the identical gear as she did. The piercing shrieks and shouts of an enclosed mass of people gave Juvia a headache, their words merging into a loud ring that pierced her mind relentlessly. She gritted her teeth, allowing a hand to crash onto the handrailing before she could lose her balance once again. Her knuckles burned as her grip tightened around the metal bars, sending a shock through her body; but before she could lose herself to the darkness once again, a hand grasped onto her shoulder. Juvia gasped aloud, her heart pounded painfully until she turned face to face with Commander Scarlet.
"You made it," she examined. Juvia nodded gingerly. "Follow me." Commander Scarlet gave her one last glance before marching down the stairs that were attached to the walls with metal chains, cascading down into the pit. Juvia grappled to the hand railing and panted to catch up. Almost missing a step, she hurried behind, flabbergasted by her surroundings. Her eyes were drawn to the several other passages that scattered across the pit, each leading into an unknown dark alley.
As the two women descended further, Juvia could feel the tension rise as the once-boisterous shouts of the crowd began to dissipate. With all eyes on her, the scattered crowd began to formulate themselves into a series of ordered lines. Promptly dodging the masses of people, they each scurried to their places and at the exact same synchronism, raised a fist to their left shoulder.
"Commander," they roared. Commander Scarlet raised her hand. "Recruits." She then proceeded to signal towards Juvia, whose face burned as they all turned their attention to her. Hundreds of curious eyes stared back at her lost ones.
"This is Juvia Lockser. She will be joining as a recruit." A sound of hushed murmurs exploded, as the uniformed recruits all talked amongst themselves. Suddenly, a tanned hand shot up into the air. It belonged to man whose height towered above the others. Beads of metal travelled along his eyebrows and ears as his face was twisted in an unpleasant scowl. Commander Scarlet nodded in his direction. "Speak."
"Commander," he once again raised a hand to his shoulder. "I believe there were to be no more recruits," his eyes flickered to Juvia's when he spoke his last words, "no exceptions." This time, louder mutters followed from behind the line. However, Commander Scarlet crashed her armoured hand to her chest plate. The sudden force of the metals crashing together silenced everyone.
"There's been an exception for Juvia Lockser." As her name rolled off the Commander's tongue, Juvia trembled as she felt her dark brown eyes land on her once again. "She will be joining as a recruit and that is all." Her eyes darted back to the crowd. "No exceptions." Everyone fell to complete silence.
"In fact," she barked, "Redfox, you can be in charge of her for today." With a flick of her wrist, the Commander turned to leave. "Dismissed."
Juvia immediately shuddered as she found the man throwing her a murderous stare. Unable to move, she could only watch in horror as he towered over her, his arms snaking across his chest. "Gajeel Redfox," he huffed. "I don't know how you managed to become a recruit, but I welcome you regardless." He extended a hand. Juvia blinked back at him in confusion.
"Do you not have any manners?" He clicked his tongue, reaching out to grab Juvia's hand and giving it a hearty shake. "I'll be showing you around."
"J-Juvia Lockser," she muttered. She found herself drawn to a tattooed number '4' on his collarbone. "What is that?" Juvia leaned in closer to take a better look.
"It's our ranking." He angled his head and nodded towards the rest of the recruits who were now dispersed and chatting amongst themselves. "Every recruit has one. It marks our placing for each round." When he saw Juvia's confused stare, he heaved an exasperated sigh. "You really know nothing." Pointing at a wall, Juvia's eyes followed his hands and they landed on a pixelated board that constantly changed between blue and purple, its fluorescent light blurring between each name that was listed by numbers.
"It's always changing, but in the end, only five recruits will remain. You must be in the top five, or else you're done for." Gajeel pointed a thumb at himself. "Although I'm currently forth, the rounds become harder and harder to complete." His voice lowered as he signalled for Juvia to come closer. "I heard that those who don't make it are killed." Juvia almost laughed aloud. To think that these people were afraid of death made her shudder.
Sitting in the pitch-dark cave for eighty-two days almost drove her mad – to the point where she wanted to grab a shard of rock and puncture herself until she bled to death. Her skin would then disintegrate into the mud, where it sunk beneath the ground joining the others in hell. The urge to do so constantly tugged at her fingertips, where she desperately wanted to end it all. She felt regretful that an exterminator had not killed her. So, when she was given a second opportunity to live, she didn't find it appealing at all. Juvia gazed down at her dirtied hands. Truly, giving her a second chance at life was a form of punishment. However, the sudden recollection of that mysterious man caused her to flutter her eyes in shock. "Gajeel, do you know of a man who has a purple gem on his chest?" She pressed her thumb and forefinger together, attempting to mimic its position against her own chest. "This big?" Gajeel immediately pulled her arm and through the deafening shouts of the other recruits. She failed to keep up, his grip tightening around her when they weaved through the crowds of people. Finally, he slipped into one of the tunnels that obscured them away from the eyes of those in the pit.
"Don't ever talk about him," he whispered. Gajeel's eyes flickered back and forth, aware of their surroundings. "He's a full-time exterminator. Make sure you stay out of their way."
"An exterminator?" Juvia's curiosity simply increased. "Why can't we talk about them?"
Gajeel pressed a finger to the bridge of his nose. "You don't understand. They are assassins." He shook his head, "no, they're worse. They basically assassin assassins. The ultimate killing machine that the administration controls. Unless you're one of them, they can easily take your life if they felt like it." Gajeel let out a bitter laugh. "And to think that we're all trying to become one is hysterical." His attention returned to Juvia. "Just don't ever talk to one, okay? They all wear an alexandrite plaque just as you described. I haven't seen one myself, but Levy–" Gajeel cleared his throat, "she is someone you can speak to." He nudged Juvia slowly towards the pit and pointed at a petite, blue-haired girl. "There she is." Juvia studied his softened expression as the girl noticed their stare and gave them a small wave. However, before Juvia and Gajeel could make their way over, a burn ignited at her shoulder. Juvia yelped and collapsed, her weakened body immediately began to tremble at the recognisable sensation of being in flames. Gajeel scurried to her side, unknowing what to do, he desperately called out to her. "Juvia?" However, before Juvia could respond, she felt a forceful grasp as a hand pulled her hair, yanking her away fro the ground.
"Juvia Lockser," the voice chuckled. An adenoidal voice entered her ears. She forcefully turned her face in response to the unpleasant man. "Welcome, new recruit." A grin plastered across his face. "We wish we can get along well." Juvia was dropped back down to the ground, her hair disarrayed as it pooled against the cold ground. However, she peeled her body away from the floor, tired of being on the ground. "Why? Do you need a hand?" The man extended an arm, earning a chuckle from two other men behind him. Juvia glared at the men, and forcefully yanked at his hand, pulling in facedown into the floor. She watched in triumph as his face twisted into an infuriated glower. "You bitch…" The man stretched both his arms out to capture her, before clobbering her body right back down into the floor. An incisive force scathed into her face. Unable to even scream for help, she felt the man jab a foot onto her back.
"Remember me?" Juvia cringed as she felt the same boot hammer right into her side. "You disgusting drifter." When Juvia turned to Gajeel for help, her face could barely make out his hopeless frown before she was plummeted back into the ground by a rough fist. Suddenly, the purple flames of the tunnel returned to her vision. Its cataclysmic flames roared, flaring against the narrowing walls of the tunnel and Juvia once again found herself victim to its agonising burn. Her breath wavered as she realised everyone else simply watched. Their lifeless expressions mimicked those in the tunnel. They were all prisoners. Juvia's half-lidded eyes pleaded for help as she witnessed only Gajeel's turning back. She felt her heart pound against her chest, racking against her head. But when her eyes flashed to her attacker's chest, she found the answer. A gleaming alexandrite plaque glimmered, as if mocking her pain. Its vibrant purple almost burned her pupils.
Another punch landed; but the weight on her back lifted and she whirled to the sight of the man being hurled across the hallway.
"Captain Fullbuster!" Juvia's eyes widened in shock as she watched the captain smash a gloved knuckle against the man's jaw. Seizing his collar, he delivered another blow to his face, distorting his features with blood.
"Get up," he growled. Juvia's attacker stumbled, holding a hand to his bleeding nose.
"C-Captain," he stammered. "I can explain –." The captain simply approached Juvia and bent down on one knee. His arm linked beneath her thigh and the other around her back. With a heave, she was carried away.
Juvia gazed up at him, her hands reached up to rest on his chest.
"Why did you help me?" Her heart pounded as he stopped to look at her. His onyx eyes captivated her once again.
"I don't know," he murmured. He lifted his chin and laid his eyes upon the overhanging stone in thought. Juvia watched his Adam's apple flex as he breathed in and out. Unconsciously, she trailed a hand along his throat. Her fingertips shuddered in pleasure as they traced along his tanned neck. His eyes snapped back to her in bewilderment. Upon realisation, Juvia retracted her hand immediately. She gulped, unsure of his response as he continued to study her under his dark eyelashes.
"I guess you looked like you needed saving." And with that, he proceeded to carry her along the twisting hallway. As Juvia felt her body bouncing against his cold one, she realised how intimate she was. His sturdy arms protruded against his tight t-shirt and his hard chest gave her butterflies.
Taking a final turn, Juvia laid her eyes upon a flight of stairs that lead to a spacious room. In the corner of the room, a single bed resided where it was surrounded by scattered paper and books. Juvia felt her weight fall into the mattress as he set her down. Crouching, he raised a hand to her cheek. Juvia felt her breath hitch against her throat.
"Who are you?"
His eyes narrowed before standing to his full height. He turned on his heels towards a chest where a pile of clothes littered across the floor. Juvia clenched her fists before trying again.
"Where am I and why did you bring me here?" Blinking away a single tear that threatened to fall down her cheek, she bit her lip nervously. Her hands trembled dangerously as she whispered under her breath, certain that he couldn't hear her utter, "who am I?"
His eyes glazed over her as he kicked brushed a hand through his hair. "Gray." Juvia simply stared. His fingers curled around the hem of his shirt and it slipped off his head. "Gray Fullbuster," he grunted again. However, her attention was already lost as she was exposed to his chest.
The single source of light that emitted from a lantern casted a dynamic light against his toned body and when he bent down, her eyes trained on his every movement. The way his biceps flexed to retrieve a towel sent her into a whirlwind of emotions she wasn't aware that existed inside of her. She took a deep gulp.
"I-I'm Juvia."
Gray spared only a second to glance back at her before dipping the towel into a water bowl. When his muscular build approached her, Juvia could only gawk at him. He responded with a raised eyebrow. Bending down again, he captured her face in a hand and roughly wiped her cheek with the damp towel. Juvia flinched from the contact and pursued her lips. She almost forgot about the throbbing pain that rocked through her entire body. Instinctively, her fingers shielded her face defensively.
"Do it yourself then," he growled. He threw the towel into her lap and Juvia barely caught it. Hastily wiping at her bloodied lip, she moaned softly as she felt her bruise sting. Gray surveyed her, his jaw clenching as she winced once again at the pain. Eventually, he retreated to another corner of the room.
"Why didn't you fight back?" Gray picked up a miniscule bottle that contained a bronze liquid. His teeth caught onto the lid and with a jerk of his chin, it popped open. He paused before facing Juvia. "Why didn't you ask for help?" Juvia averted her gaze. "There's no point," she faltered. "Who would come help me, anyway?" At those words, Gray turned his back towards her. With a tap, the liquid spilled onto a cotton pad.
"Why are you helping me?"
Juvia closed her eyes as she felt the liquid dissipate onto her wounds, letting Gray dab at it. She gradually peeled them open again when he didn't respond, but she panicked when she realised that his face was now closer, inches away.
"I don't know."