Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 64
Jarvan grinned evilly as he walked through the halls of his headquarters. He tapped his chin as he walked and chuckled. "I can finally move past Phase One and on to Phase Two. The progression has been slower than anticipated, but at least I was able to move past the first obstacle. Now starts the fun part." He hummed. "I wonder…what kind of pretty penny will this latest experiment fetch? I'm positive that buyers will be lining up to get their hands on a weapon of this caliber. It is a weapon that could change the world, after all."
He made it to the closed door of his office and shook his head. "Ah, I'm getting ahead of myself. While this experiment is by far the most exciting and most promising in terms of profits that I've ever worked on, there is still so much uncertainty surrounding it. Once Phase Four is reached, I'll feel far more confident. For now, I'll have to await the latest results and focus my attention on my true goal; Gracie Amier."
He turned the extravagant brass door handle and opened the large maple door that connected his office to the hallway of his personal laboratory. Once inside of his office, he noticed that the small crystal lacrima sitting on his desk that was connected to Diane's Vitals Lacrima was blinking red. He walked over to it, picked it up, and examined it while rolling it in his palm. "I see. So even Diane and her incredible strength was no match for Gracie and her friends. A pity, really. I had such high hopes for her."
He placed the small crystal back on his desk and looked to the map that was still atop his desk. He then picked up the queen and used it to knock over the rook. "I suppose I should be more frustrated than this, but I'm simply in too good of a mood right now." He ran his fingers through his hair while opening up his desk drawer and brushing the sideways rook inside. He examined the map again and sighed. "Well that's it. I have no more barriers in place to stop you from reaching Juniper. It's a shame. I was truly hoping that it wouldn't come to this. I was trying to make things easier not only for me, but for you as well. However, since you refused to go down quietly, now you have sealed the fates of you and your traveling companions. You cannot defeat what awaits you in Juniper."
He reached into his desk, pulled out a knight, and placed it on the map where Juniper resided. "Once you reach your destination, you will be captured, Gracie Amier, and your friends will be brutally slaughtered. He will see to that."
Gray yelped in pain as another shard of metal was pulled from his skin. "Easy! I'm not a freaking doll, you know."
"Quit being a baby," Natsu shot at him.
Gray glared at him. "You wanna give this a try, fire breath? It's not exactly a picnic."
Wendy discarded the piece of metal that she had pulled out and bowed her head. "I'm really sorry, Gray, but the faster I do this the sooner I can heal you."
"I get that, but do you have to yank so hard?" he asked.
"It's like pulling off a Band-Aid," Erza said. "The pain ends faster if you just pull it off in one swift motion. The concept applies here, too. If Wendy can pull them out quickly, it saves you a great deal of pain in the end."
Gray huffed. "Man, what a pain in the ass."
"It's your own fault for doing somethin' so reckless," Gajeel said with his arm crossed.
Levy slapped his thick arm. "He did it to save Gracie. No way would she have survived if she got caught up in that blast."
"Still reckless," Gajeel replied with a shrug.
"I thought you were brave," Christina said. "You risked your life to save Gracie without a second thought as to your own well being."
Gray blushed slightly. "Like I said before; no way was I gonna let her get blown up."
"But Gracie had to have known those metal fists were gonna explode, right?" Happy asked. "Why didn't she run away?"
Erza closed her eyes while crossing her arms. "She was hungry for answers. First we're attacked by a sniper who seemed to know of her and she even thought that he knew her deceased parents. Then we run into this lunatic woman with high-powered gauntlets who says that she knows her and wants to take her for an unknown person. She felt in the dark and frustrated and being the kind of person she is, it doesn't surprise me that she would throw caution to the wind in order to shed some light on what's going on."
"Still, it was dangerous for her to stay like that," Lucy said. "She's smarter than that."
"Like I said, it's been a long and rough few days for her. She's gone through a lot, so it only makes sense that her judgment may be negatively impacted," Erza said.
Wendy pulled out the final piece of metal. "There! The metal is all gone. Now I can get started on healing you back."
"Great. Thanks, Wendy," Gray said as he could feel Wendy's soothing magic calming his irritated skin. "So where'd Gracie run off to?"
"She's nearby," Erza replied, refusing to say anything else.
"Shouldn't someone be with her right now?" Lucy asked.
Erza smiled. "Don't worry. It's taken care of."
Gracie sat on the pavement with her back against the wall of a building. The citizens of Rolen were too afraid to leave their homes so the streets were silent. However, that silence allowed her to run through everything that had just happened. She hugged her knees close to her chest. "Gray got hurt trying to protect me," she whispered to herself. "Why'd that dummy have to do that?"
Gracie's attention was drawn to a small black insect that crawled in front of her. It had a hard outer shell and two thin antennae sprouting from its tiny head. She buried her face in her thighs and watched the bug scurry around from the horizon of her knees. 'I'm tired of people getting hurt trying to protect me.'
17 YEARS AGO—YEAR 774
"This place is amazing!" a fourteen-year old Gracie exclaimed as she spun around in circles like a top. She was grinning excitedly with her arms thrust out to the side as she took in the sights.
"Would you chill the hell out?" Nikolias spat as he glared at the small girl. "Honestly, you have way too much energy."
"Don't be a downer, Niky."
Nikolias grumbled. "I still hate that name. Why can't you call me by my actual name?"
"I dunno. It's just the way your name should be."
"Right. Because you have the power to decide that."
"Exactly. You're learning!" She stopped spinning and leaned forward with the same wide grin and her hands folded behind her back as she looked at Nikolias. "So what are your first thoughts about Senquine?"
Nikolias crossed his arms. "Like I really care. I'm still considering turning around and dropping you back off in Calione."
Gracie pouted. "Oh, don't be like that. You have to care. You just have to. I mean, this is the first town that we've traveled to together. Aren't you excited? Jubilant? Over the moon?"
"I'm over your enthusiasm," he replied sarcastically.
She huffed and turned away. "You are such a butt. Would it kill ya to show just the tiniest bit of joy at something new? Besides, this is a monumental occasion. We're gonna travel all over together, so we should always remember our back story. We'll always remember the first town we ever visited together; Senquine!"
"Fine, you want my opinion?"
"Yes!"
"This place is boring as hell." He walked past her. "I'm leaving."
Gracie stomped her foot and turned towards the direction that he was walking. "Butt head!" she shouted after him.
He waved behind him without turning around. "Whatever, Gracie."
She ran after him. "You shouldn't be so mean to your friends, ya know!"
"Right. I'll keep that in mind."
She caught up to him and matched his pace. "So where to?"
Nikolias shrugged. "Hell if I know. I don't travel with a destination in mind. I just walk and see where the wind takes me."
Gracie puffed out her cheeks. "Can we at least look around a bit then?"
Nikolias scanned the streets with a raised eyebrow. "At what? There's nothing here."
"You never know what you'll find when you look around a new place."
"You won't find anything here so we'll just leave."
She groaned at him and stopped. "Fine! I'll look around on my own!"
Nikolias kept walking. "Knock yourself out."
She stormed off down a different street, mumbling her frustrations. "Dumb Niky. Stupid ass. Jerk face!"
A couple of hours had passed since the two had separated. Gracie sighed as she continued to wander the streets. "Great. I bet he left town without me. What am I gonna do now?" She looked at the surrounding buildings. "Maybe I should've stuck by Niky. He was kinda right; this place is pretty boring. Still," her gaze fell to the ground, "couldn't he at least see how excited I was to explore? I mean, this is the first place I've been to other than home."
Suddenly, Gracie found herself colliding with a solid and unyielding frame. She gave a small cry and fell to the ground. She rubbed her face with one hand and her backside with the other. "Owie…"
"Hey you little bitch," came an unfriendly voice. Gracie looked up to see a three angry looking thugs glaring at her as they stood above her. They wore tattered clothes and jackets and their hair was long and unkempt. "You gonna apologize for running into me?"
"Right. Sorry," she said as she tried to stand up. However, one of the men pushed her back down. "Hey! What the hell was that for?"
The man with long red hair picked her up by the collar of her shirt and held her at eye level. "You ran into me."
"And I apologized!" Gracie shouted as she tried to break free of the man's grasp.
"And I don't think you meant it," the man growled.
"I did then, but I sure as hell don't mean it now. Now put me down, you asshole!" she demanded.
The red haired man chuckled and looked at his blonde friend. "I think we should teach blonde bitch here a lesson. Don't you agree?"
The blonde haired thug snickered. "Oh yeah. She deserves punishment, Reg."
The red haired man known as Reg smirked before looking back to Gracie. "I think my boys and I all agree that you need to get what's coming to you." He threw Gracie off to the side, forcing her to collide roughly with the wall of a building. She shrieked, which made Reg laugh.
Gracie pushed herself up to her hands and knees and looked around. She could see the other citizens walking by and averting their eyes, trying to completely ignore what was going on. 'Out of sight, out of mind, huh? They don't want to get involved so they'll just ignore it. Or maybe they're just afraid to speak out against these douches. Damn them all.' She tried to get to her feet, but a sharp kick connected with her rib cage, causing her to scream in pain and crumble back down to the ground.
The blonde haired man laughed. "Nice kick, Reg!"
Reg chuckled as he walked back over to his gang. "I ain't done with her yet. She'll be an example for everyone in this town that you don't mess with the Fire Fangs of Senquine."
Gracie tried to will herself back up to her hands and knees, but those words made her freeze. 'An…example? Just like…just like Mom and Dad.'
Reg held out his hand. "Give me my sword."
The other member who had dark blue hair chuckled and handed over a blade within its sheath. "There ya go, Reg. Show her who's boss."
Reg drew his sword and threw the sheath away. He held his blade in front of him. "Of course. Get ready to die, bitch!" He charged forward with a wicked smile.
Gracie shook as she watched with fear. 'I don't have time to get a weapon out!' She closed her eyes and braced herself, for accepting death seemed like her only option.
The sound of steel meeting flesh reached Gracie's ears.
She could feel blood hitting her face.
But she felt no pain.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Once she saw what had happened, her eyes widened.
Nikolias was standing in front of her, glaring at Reg. The sword was buried deep within Nikolias' stomach, but he was holding the blade firmly in place with one hand to prevent it from going any farther and reaching Gracie. Blood ran from the wound and from the corners of his mouth, but he remained unwavering.
Reg returned the glare. "Who the fuck are you?"
Nikolias didn't answer. Instead, he snapped the blade with the one hand that was holding it, swiftly drew out the broken steel that was left lodged in his flesh, and drove it into Reg's neck. Blood sprayed like a fountain from Reg's throat as he tried to scream in pain, but the sound was drowned out and all that he could manage were weak gurgling sounds. The red haired man collapsed in a lifeless heap on the ground, his eyes forever frozen in fear and agony. And Nikolias just glared at his corpse with cold, golden dragon eyes.
Gracie couldn't believe it. He had saved her again. "Niky…"
"So you little punk asses think it's fun to pick on little girls after they've apologized, huh?" Nikolias spat, his words dripping with venom.
"How the hell did he do that?" the blonde haired man asked in bewilderment.
"He killed Reg with his own blade!" the blue haired man exclaimed. "He wasn't even effected after being stabbed like that!"
"Let's get out of here!" the blonde haired man shouted as he turned and ran. The blue haired man followed suit.
"Did I say you could run away?" Nikolias growled while thrusting his arms out in front of him. "SHADOW WHIP!" Two shadow tendrils shot forward from his arms and chased the men down. They wrapped around the chests of the two fleeing thugs and pulled them back over to where Nikolias stood. He glared down at them.
The two men cowered in fear. "Leave us alone! Please!" the blonde haired man begged.
"We didn't do nothing!" the blue haired man exclaimed.
"Cowards," Nikolias hissed. "You act all tough and all-powerful when in control, but in a bind you resort to pissing yourselves. Pathetic." He lifted them up into the air with his shadow tendrils. "Now go join your friend in Hell." He then proceeded to slam the two into the ground with enough force to instantly shatter all of their bones. They died instantly as the bone shards punctured their major organs and pooled their blood onto the ground.
Nikolias let the shadows disappear and turned around to look at Gracie. "You alright?"
Gracie's eyes were filling with tears. "You came back for me," she said softly.
He squatted down, but winced as he did so. "I never left. I wasn't about to let a kid like you wander around a strange place alone. I kept my distance, but you never left my sight. I maybe should've jumped in sooner, but I thought you could handle yourself."
"I don't get it. Why would you keep an eye on me? I thought you didn't care?"
He put a hand on her head. "You'll never leave my sight. We are travel partners, aren't we?"
She smiled and nodded. "Mhm!" Her eyes then widened. "Oh crap, you're hurt bad!"
Nikolias looked down at his wound. Blood was still pouring out and staining his clothes. "Damn. I must have been a bit too active. Don't worry; it'll heal no problem."
Gracie couldn't take it anymore. Tears poured from her eyes as she buried her face in her hands. "It's all my fault! You're hurt because of me! I'm so sorry!"
He sighed. "It's not a big deal, so stop your crying."
"I can't," she sobbed. "I'm tired of people getting hurt for my sake. I don't like it."
He gave her a quick rap on the top of the head. "I said stop it."
Her hands immediately went to rubbing her wound. "Ouch. Why'd you do that?"
"Look, Gracie," Nikolias said in a very serious tone. "People who care for each other protect each other. It's the way it goes. Sure sometimes they get hurt, but that doesn't mean you should go blaming yourself for it. They made the choice to protect knowing full well the risks that were involved—just like I did." He gave her a small smile. "In fact, I'm glad I was able to protect you."
She looked at him with tear-filled green eyes. "But…"
"No buts," he interrupted as he stood up. He offered her his hand. "Let's go. This place sucks and now it reeks of blood."
Gracie sniffed and smiled. "Right!" She took his hand and stood up. "Thanks, Niky."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."
The two kept walking, but Gracie kept her eyes fixed on the wound in Nikolias' stomach. 'I promise from now on, no one else will get hurt protecting me. I'm gonna get even stronger so it won't happen again. Mom, Dad, and Niky—kind people like all of you will never have to spill blood for me again. I swear it.'
PRESENT DAY
A tear fell and stained the ground, surprising Gracie. She gently touched her cheek and felt warm tears beneath her fingers. She wiped them away with a small laugh. "Geez, when did I start crying?" She looked back to the ground and noticed that the black bug she had been watching was gone. She rested her chin on her knees. "I thought I'd never leave your sight. Even though I'm older now and I'm capable of looking out for myself, I still always loved the fact that you were there with me because it made me feel safe and at ease. Oh, Niky…"
"There you are." Gracie turned to see Mira walking over to her. "I was wondering where you went off to."
Gracie sat up slightly. "Hey, Mira. Sorry, I just needed some time to myself to think about things."
Mira sat down beside her. "I'm surprised that Gray getting hurt made you act like that. It's not a serious injury or anything." She put a hand to her mouth and giggled. "Could it be that you have feelings for Gray?"
Gracie let her chin rest on her knees once more. "It's not that. I'm just sick of people having to get hurt protecting me. I don't want it to happen anymore. First it was my parents dying to protect me and then Niky got hurt bad once when we first started traveling together. And now Gray…it just makes me feel weak and helpless."
"But you're not," Mira assured. "Gracie, you are one of the strongest people I know. Sure Gray got a few scratches protecting you today, but he's going to be okay. Besides, we're a family. We protect each other even if there's risk for us."
Gracie leaned her head against the wall and smiled. "It's funny; that's a lot like something Niky told me once. Careful, Mira. It sounds like you two are becoming one mind."
Mira giggled. "But we're right, aren't we?"
"Yeah, I guess. That still doesn't mean I have to like it, though."
"No one likes seeing their loved ones get hurt before their very eyes." Mira's mind flashed to the moment where Nikolias got seriously injured protecting her during the first encounter with Bloody Moon. "In fact, it can kill you inside and can make you blame yourself and feel powerless. Still, it's in our nature to have a deep desire to protect each other no matter the cost. You're the same way, too, Gracie. Every time you fight, like today with Diane, you're fighting to protect those you care about. And sometimes you get injured doing so, but you keep at it because you know how hard it would be to see those around you suffer."
Gracie looked at her and smiled. "You're right, Mira. Thanks for that."
"Anytime," Mira said while returning the smile. "And remember, Gracie; you are worth protecting. We all feel that way. If you weren't worth protecting, then people wouldn't try their best to keep you safe, like Gray did today or when your parents and Nikolias protected you back then. You're deeply loved, Gracie."
"Thank you, Mira," Gracie said softly.
"You're welcome."
Gracie stood up and stretched. "Well I've had my fill of sulking in a corner. It so doesn't suit me. Let's meet up with the others and hit the road."
Mira stood as well and nodded. "Sounds like a plan." The two began to walk to meet up with the others when Mira shot Gracie a mischievous sideways glance. "So you never denied it."
Gracie looked at her in confusion. "Denied what?"
"That you have feelings for Gray."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Acting coy, are we?" Mira teased. "Admit it. You have a thing for him. Besides, I think he totally has a thing for you."
Gracie huffed. "I think all of the excitement's gone to your head, Mira."
Mira giggled. 'My, my. Could it be that I hit the nail on the head?'
"Glad to see you on your feet again," Gray said with a smile.
"Glad to see that you don't look like a burn unit victim anymore," Gracie returned with a smile.
"Wendy healed him, so he's fine now," Lucy said. "Are you alright, Gracie?"
Gracie scratched her head. "Yeah. Sorry about the meltdown before. Guess I'm just tired and missing Niky too much. I'll try to reel it in."
"There's nothing to apologize for," Natsu said. "We all want to get Nikolias back."
"Natsu's right," Erza said. "So are we all set to keep on moving?"
Gracie pumped her fist. "You know it!"
"So what's the plan?" Panther Lily asked.
Gracie pointed behind her. "Take the exit and head southeast into Bosco. Once we cross the border, I'm sure we can find a train somewhere that can take us to Juniper."
"We could walk," Natsu said hopefully.
"Walking would take too long," Lucy said. "We need to hurry. We've already been held up more than we would've liked."
"Yeah, I know," Natsu sulked.
"Then let's not drag our feet!" Gracie exclaimed while turning on her heels. She pointed forward. "Let's get out of here and get to Bosco. Should all go well, we should get to Juniper tomorrow!"
"That's wonderful!" Mira exclaimed.
"I'm looking forward to meeting your brother," Christina said.
"You'll love him," Mira said with a smile. "He's an amazing person."
"Alright, move out!" Gracie shouted as she began marching down the street with the rest of the group right behind her. "We're gonna get Niky back!"
The journey to Juniper was nearing its end.
The dark lab was silent as Nikolias remained bound by his restraints. His wounds had healed, but it was only a matter of time before Vyril returned with new ideas of where to cut him open. Still, he didn't care about himself. There was only one person on his mind at the moment. He closed his eyes and whispered a prayer. "Please, Gracie. Don't do something stupid trying to get me back. Don't be yourself just this once. Just go home. Please just go home."
