"Axis…"

"Axis~"

The boy flinched as he felt a gentle finger boop his nose. He playfully swatted the air in front of him in an attempt to dissuade his assaulter. He was only met with short, sweet laughter.

"It's time to get up, Axis."

The voice was demanding, yet he felt himself melt into its angelic mercy. His arms eventually stopped moving of their own accord, and he felt himself being assaulted once more by the hands from above.

"Stop being so lazy!" The voice said. "You don't want to miss the others, right?"

The boy groaned, partially not wanting to get up just yet but also wishing to do as the voice said.

"C'mon, you've been waiting for this all week! You don't want to miss it do you?"

He didn't. That's what he felt in his heart, anyway. He felt himself lose to the angelic voice, and the bright lights invaded his sight as he lifted his eyelids. It was much too bright to see right now, but he felt the comforting warmth of the voice guide him forth from the darkness.

"You ready? 3…2…1…"

His eyes opened slowly, painfully. He looked around dully, his surroundings already striking him as familiar. The dried blood that had run all down his chest and the loud throbbing throughout his face also contributed to the fact that was his current reality. He lazily rolled his head back, taking in the darkening, cloudy sky.

A dream, huh…?


Takeover: Dragon Soul

Part One:

A Place to Call Home

Page 14:

Brush of Despair


"Lisanna, are you sure you're doing okay?"

The small girl nodded painfully, gripping her side wound. "I'm fine… it's just like a scratch."

Mira's eyes were sharp and dangerous. "I'm gonna kill that bastard."

"He will face justice. But first," Erza slowed down her pace, spotting their destination once she turned the corner. "We must rescue your friend first."

Natsu plugged his nose with his fingers, the scent now overwhelming him. "Ugh, this is the place alright. It reeks of that guy here."

Mira felt her stomach inflame with rage when she laid her eyes on the old warehouse. This was the place. The house where they kept her best ground, and where they had tried to shoot her own little sister. Her mind was on one track right now, and that was to burn the place down along with whoever deserved it.

Mira turned and crouched down, allowing Lisanna to climb off her back and rest against the town building. It sickened the demon girl to see her little sister in such a state. Lisanna's hair was a mess and her lower abdomen held a large bloodstain. They had stopped to make sure the wound wasn't anywhere serious or life-threatening before letting Lisanna lead them here. Thankfully it was just a graze, but Mira's heart dropped at the thought of what would happen if the attack hit dead on.

"Make sure you get back to the guild safe, alright?" Mira tried to soften her voice, but the angry flames even still burned through. "Rest a bit here then go and get treated."

Happy hovered into frame, resting on Lisanna's side. "I'll carry you, okay?"

Natsu smashed his two fists together confidently. "We'll beat that guy up, or rescue him, or whatever we're doing."

Erza glared at the battle-happy mage. "No, you won't. You are going back with her. This is no place for you, Natsu."

"What!" Natsu shouted incredulously. "But I led you guys here! Let me fight!"

Before he knew it he was completely encapsulated by Erza's shadow, her eyes like a monster as they bore into his very soul. "You will get Lisanna back to the guild."

"Yes ma'am!"

Lisanna watched the interaction with her fists tightened by her side. She wasn't stupid. She knew that she was in no condition to stay. She was exhausted and wounded, and it wasn't like she was even an asset in battle anyway. She knew she was still a complete novice when it came to magic, and she would really just get in the way. But still…

"I left him behind, Mira! He was in so much pain and I left him there!" her eyes and words pleaded with her older sister. "I know I can't fight, and I'll just bring you two down but…" She remembered the pain and fear in Axis' eyes. Something was deep inside her friend that hurt him to no end, and she hated to see that look on his face. "I want to save him!"

Mira frowned from the emotion she felt radiating off of Lisanna. It was clear how she felt, and it was a feeling that was shared by each of the Strauss siblings. She placed her hand gently on Lisanna's unkempt hair.

"You did what you could, Lisanna, and it was incredibly brave. Without you, we wouldn't have known anything. We would have been stuck looking for who knows how long. You led us here." Mira stood back up, her sights now set on the warehouse. "But let your big sister take care of this part, okay? We'll be back at the guild before you know it. Together."

The knight and the demon parted without another word. They seemed hell-bent on their mission, and knowing their strengths she would almost feel bad for any enemy that saw those two coming together. But still, it was frustrating.

"C'mon, Lisanna," Natsu urged the girl to stand. "I'm getting you back to the guild so I can come back and fight."

Happy rubbed his soft paws on Lisanna's sensitive skin, comforting her. "Yeah, let's get you all better."

The girl sniffled, wiping her tears on her shirt sleeve. It was frustrating, but this was the only option. She played her part, and now she had to leave it to her big sister. "Alright, let's go."

As the two meandered back down the road to the guild hall, Natsu noticed something odd. The gross smell that pervaded his nostrils was incredibly strong in this area, but something was off. Sure, it was all around the warehouse, but it felt like it split off somewhere…

"Hmmm," he rubbed his chin, an idea forming in his head as he squinted at the direction the small trailed off. Maybe…

BAM!

"AXIS!"

The somewhat silent and peaceful warehouse space was suddenly interrupted by the large iron door slamming open. It crashed against the wall, shocking anything that may have been inside the seemingly empty space.

MIra rushed inside, already transforming her arms and legs, and scanned the room desperately for her missing friend. Upon first entering she couldn't spot the boy, so she cautiously moved on ahead, deeper into the maw.

Erza followed closely behind the demon girl, a frown on her face. "We were meant to sneak in, remember? What good does it do us if you make all that noise?"

"It's called being efficient," Mira brushed off her rival's concern. Spotting something on the concrete floor just a few dozen feet ahead, she rushed forth.

Erza tightened her grasp on her sword still in its scabbard. "It looks like we missed them. Whoever was here seems to have moved on." She spotted the office door slightly ajar and went to investigate.

Mira crouched down next to her target, a small stain just starting to dry. She scraped a demonic claw and collected some before bringing it close to her face to study it. It didn't take much to learn what it was, especially considering what Lisanna had told them prior.

She thought she couldn't feel any angrier, but she had a habit of proving herself wrong. Knowing what they had done to her best friend, and how they had just missed them was too much.

"Dammit!" She slammed her fist down into the puddle of blood, causing the hardening surface to crack and scatter. Her impact on the ground even left a small indentation. She dropped her head back, the small light from the roof hole highlighting the pain in her face.

But she didn't have time to mourn, as something dangerous appeared just then. As her eyes pierced the hole in the ceiling, she saw a mysterious glint emanating from just beside it in the rafters. Her eyes focused on the oddity from the dark spot, her demon's superior vision proving a useful tool.

A bottle?

No, a bottle attached to a hip, and an off-white uniform that only just stood out in the darkness. The figure had its arm outstretched, its hand in the shape of a finger gun, and pointing right towards the unaware scarlet hair knight.

Her body reacted quicker than her mind. Without a moment to analyze the situation even further she had already sprouted her wings and shot towards the knight faster than she had ever moved before. It felt faster than even shouting to warn her.

"Watch out, idiot!" She tackled the knight forward just as the mysterious adversary shot his bullet. Erza yelped in surprise as the two went tumbling into the warehouse wall in a sprawling heap. There wasn't much time to get her bearings before she saw Mira spring to her feet and shoot a magic attack somewhere above them.

"Soul Extinctor!"

The black beam scorched the very air as it flowed towards the ceiling. The figure saw the attack coming, forcing him to move. Unlucky for him, the beam also cut off most of his options. He was forced to leap from the rafters, tucking and rolling to a stop between the two girls and the iron doors.

Erza quickly drew her sword and joined Mira's side. The two parties stared each other down, not daring to make the next move as they sized their opponents up. "Thank you, Mira. I am ashamed to have not seen that attack coming."

"Save it," Mira's full focus was on the man in front of them- one who was now cutting them off from their only escape. Well, she wasn't planning on escaping anyway. "We got bigger fish to fry."

The heavyset man in the off-white uniform stood up straight and casually. He plucked the bottle from his belt and went to take a swig only to find that the bottle had broken open on his tumble down. He clicked his tongue and lowered the bottle down to his side. His mood seemed to brighten as he observed the two girls more closely.

"Well lookie here. The demon girl." The man snorted, finding something funny. "I guess it is my day, after all."

Mira growled at the man's light tone. She didn't care what he was saying, only one thing was on her mind. "Where is Axis?"

The man raised an eyebrow, confusion written all over his face. "Who?"

Mira's eyes were dangerous. "Don't act stupid! Where is Axis?!"

The man playfully put up some hands as if to guard himself from Mira's verbal assault. "Hey, hey, calm down! You're talking about ol' AX-15, right? Is that what you call it now?"

"It?" Erza tightened her grip on her sword. While she didn't personally know the boy, she could still feel something on his behalf. Calling him an 'it' was dehumanizing, no matter who or what he was. "Be careful, Mira. He's going to be strong."

It seemed like her words of warning went unnoticed as Mira charged the man without a moment's hesitation. Her demonic claws flared out while imbued with magic. "Don't you dare talk about him like that!"

Hadich watched her approach listlessly. He had heard of her strength from Monroe. It was pretty impressive for a kid but for an experienced mage like himself… Well, he didn't seem particularly worried. Especially with how one-track-minded the girl looked to be.

Of course, Erza noticed his uncaring expression. An enemy who could afford to have such an attitude in the middle of battle was either overconfident or had the power to back it up. She didn't want to take the chance for the former. She tried to follow her rival into battle. "Dammit, Mira!"

Mira finally got into range of her target, capitalizing on the opportunity with a lunge for his stomach. "I got you!"

Her accomplishment was celebrated too early as Hadich could easily see the attack coming. He had been waiting for it, after all. "You're years too early to be fighting me, girl!"

Hadich suddenly swung his right hand in an upward motion. The half-broken bottle was still in his possession, and he had used it to smash the demon girl upside the head mid-charge. The sound of shattering glass exploded across Mira's chin, and multiple cuts formed from the shards streaking across her skin. Most of all, the surprise attack threw off her trajectory in a major way.

"Incision!"

While Mira stumbled, Hadich followed up and countered with his own lunge. His left hand was imbued with his cutting magic and was poised to strike.

Luckily Mira saw the attack coming and hastily rotated horizontally, trying to dodge the frontal attack using her smaller, limber body. However, she didn't account for her transformation and the wings that came with it.

RIP!

"Argh!" Mira stumbled back as the cutting magic ripped through one of her demon wings like a hot knife through butter. A hole had opened up in that wing, and she knew she could no longer use that method for any sort of speed boost, let alone to actually fly. "Shit!"

"Don't look away, missy!"

Mira's eyes widened as the man was already on top of her, not allowing even a moment's respite. In a hurry, she threw her claws up in a protective motion to block the next strike, but Hadich instead focused his gaze on her exposed midsection. By the time Mira saw it, it was already too late. She clenched her teeth and braced for the eventual pain.

Only it never came. She glanced down to see the hand being blocked by a steel sword that had arrived just in time. She even felt the cold metal against her own skin.

Hadich looked surprised. "What the?"

His incredulousness was suddenly cut off as a scarlet-haired knight entered his field of vision- one he did not expect to be so strong. In another moment all he saw was an armored fist hurtling towards his face.

Erza was grateful that she had caught up just in time to save her rival from the altercation, and she used the last momentum of her movement to stop the attack. While both parties were still confused, she wound up the heaviest punch she could muster.

"Back off!"

The metal glove smashed into the man's bearded face, and the force of the blow sent him flying back. He went tumbling away about a dozen feet or so before coming to a stop on his behind. He rubbed his cheek gingerly, noting the intense pain from the attack. He was flabbergasted.

Mira quickly rose to her feet, refusing to look at the knight in shame. "I didn't ask for your help."

Erza put herself between the man and Mira, her eyes never leaving the opponent. "Consider it a repayment for earlier. Now, are you going to calm down or will I have to babysit you."

Mira growled. "What was that?"

Without even looking back, Erza pointed towards the hole in the girl's wing. It was also obvious to the knight that the appendage was now useless. "You rushed to fight an unknown enemy without thinking and look what happened. I didn't think you would be so simple-minded."

"Are you trying to get me mad!" Mira balled her fists up.

"I'm trying to make you think!" Erza stamped. "Your recklessness will not save your friend! Right now this man stands between you and your friend, and he's strong! You cannot afford to be an idiot!"

In her heart, Mira knew the knight was right. She had crippled her wings, and that meant that the only means of escape were behind the man. Quite literally, this person was between her and rescuing Axis. Hell, she didn't even know where he was now. Their only lead was the man. Mira's anger flowed into her fist.

Slap!

Mira gritted her teeth as she slapped her cheek, letting the feelings flow out. What the hell was she doing? She was so angry with everything that it was affecting how she fought, and how she even thought. If Erza hadn't been here…

She took a deep breath before joining Erza's side. One thing was clear. The man wasn't just in the way, he was the key. To get to Axis, they had to defeat him. Plus, she could get a little revenge for hurting Lisanna in the meantime.

Erza only shot a glance at the girl next to her. "Ready?"

"Shut up." Mira's voice and demeanor were much calmer. "Let's just get this guy."

Hadich finally rose to his feet, the shock and surprise on his face much tamer. The sting from that punch didn't just hurt, it was enticing. A promise of strength he wanted to capitalize on. This is exactly what he had been hoping for.

A smile crept through the man's beard, his teeth slightly yellow. He wanted to get the demon girl, but the knight would be all the sweeter. He could feel his heart pumping and his veins flowing with blood and vigor. The damage from the punch had all but disappeared from within his mind.

"Finally," he breathed out, his magic flowing into his hands until they were completely covered by the piercing cutting magic. "I get to cut loose. This is exciting!"

Axis strained his neck as he looked up at the overcast sky. The muzzle made it quite difficult to move or turn his body the way he wanted, so he just had to make do with the uncomfortableness of even rotating his head slightly upwards.

He didn't know if it was the muzzle, the weather, or the situation he was now in, but he felt drained. The brand under his eye felt like it burned, and he knew whatever magic that had covered it up was no longer there. It was as if the brand itself had sucked up the fire within him, all drive and feeling now emptied and abandoned from his body.

It was a reminder, wasn't it? From the glimpses of the past and what the men had said, that fact was clear to him. It was there to show ownership, a sort of brand that always declared him as belonging to someone else. A promise made to him that he was not free.

He could no longer see the blue sky as the gray clouds rolled in.

The tall man had done something to the cage, allowing the structure to levitate and be pulled along quite easily. The man had no trouble navigating through the backstreets of Magnolia, and in fact, he was surprisingly nimble. With every second Axis was being torn away from the town, and his friends.

Axis closed his eyes tiredly, seeing no point in keeping them open now. He thanked whoever was looking out for Lisanna that she had escaped before something dreadful had happened to her. He hoped she had made it back to Fairy Tail and to her friends. He gave all he could from his position to get her there, so he was fine if he was the one taken away now. As long as she was safe, everything would be fine. He felt himself start to slowly drift away…

"Don't go shut-eye on me yet, 15."

Axis' eyes lolled open to see the man looking back at him. His face beheld a frown that indicated not everything was going the way he wanted. Well, it was obvious from the fact that both he and the smaller one had argued beforehand.

"That idiot really messed you up. At least stay conscious until we get out of the city."

The man's tone felt so casual, as if commanding him was like some old skill he was painfully used to. There was no hint of demand, only words that would obviously be followed.

Axis mustered what energy he could to glare at the man, to which the man grunted in response. Axis may be put out, but he would at least give a little resistance. He had that much left in him at least.

The man shifted his head back to the road in front of them quickly. This disturbed his uniform just enough to lift up slightly from his belt. That was where Axis could see it- just for a split second. The key. A magical-looking metal key that would fit right into his muzzle socket. It was so close and yet impossible to obtain. On his own, no matter how much he struggled, he would never reach it. He moved his eyes away from the prize.

They continued on.

A cool wind blew through the backstreet, rustling Axis' already messy hair and chilling his exposed skin. He had to wonder just where he was being taken, and who even were these people? Off-white uniforms, the name 'Tiger', the woman with the angelic voice. It all seemed so very familiar.

Echoes of his past rang around his mind. They were many in form but ethereal to the touch. He could not grasp them no matter how hard he tried. They always seemed to escape him. The pieces could not be put together, but they were there. He wanted to know. He truly did. But something wasn't letting him. Perhaps it was the same magic that hid the brand? That suppression magic.

Well, it didn't matter now. He would most likely get his answers soon. Wherever this man from Tiger was taking him, he was sure that place held the keys to his memory cage.

But were those answers even worth it? To lose everything he held dear in his short life now, would it satisfy him to find the truth? Like this? In a cage, immobile and bloodied, forced and dragged there against his will.

Freedomless?

He wondered to himself- almost unwilling to do so- but the thoughts assaulted him all the same. Was this what his freedom was getting him? In all his effort to pursue the ability to do anything whenever he wanted, did all that just amount to him sitting in a cage? Did it all just lead him right back to where he started… alone?

He felt numb as his brain wrapped itself around that concept. Whether it was true or not, it was all he could help feeling at the current moment. That he had willingly run into what he had been running from all along. He had always been afraid of loneliness, and that feeling was just compiled when he had met the Strausses. He didn't ever want to go back. He just never realized he had been leading himself back all this time.

He choked up and put his head down as far as it could go. He couldn't quite rest his chin on his chest as he would have liked, as the muzzle blocked the action. He blurrily saw his red-stained chest and dirtied pants. Both were constrained by the muzzle, and he had no way out.

I'm… not free, am I?

The dragon boy internally shook- one of the only things he could do himself. His heart pounded hard, and it was the only feeling he latched on to as his world started to crash down around him.

Monroe noticed the light spasming coming from his bounty. He shook the hovering cage to get the boy back to his wits. "Cut that out, 15. Don't make my job any damn harder than it already is."

Monroe would have done more to quiet the boy, but something out of the corner of his eye made him lose attention.

A darkness closed in around Axis, one that he had not experienced before. The blackness surrounded and trapped him, and he could no longer see the light of the world. It was soul-crushing and mind-dampening. He wasn't sure if there was an escape. He wasn't sure he would want to escape.

But in darkness, there is always a way out, and Axis could feel the heat build on his cheek. The coldness retreated and warm light broke through the veil. It felt like a hug, an action that caused him to look up from his depression and find something in the same direction Monroe was looking.

A head of salmon-colored hair flared to life near the end of the street, and the glow of orange fire was built up around him. Monroe's eyes widened once that fire started coming towards him.

"What the hell?" The man swore under his breath, mostly in confusion as he easily sidestepped the ranged barrage with Axis in tow.

"I finally found you!" the boy screamed from a small distance, his voice not very intimidating. "Now it's time to fight!"

While Monroe was clearly nonplussed by the newcomer, Axis felt his breath be taken away. He wasn't sure what to think here. This was the boy from Fairy Tail. The one Lisanna always talked about, and the one that always seemed to find him when he was being chased earlier.

Suddenly his situation didn't seem as inescapable as it once was. Against his better judgment, hope slowly returned to his chest. In that darkness that had only just overwhelmed him, the emblazoned mark of Fairy Tail burned bright.

Small embers burned in his chest once again, just waiting to be unleashed.


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