" You sure it's here girls ? "
Lucy nodded as the group stopped in front of the abandoned building. It was a huge townhouse that had probably been built by a wealthy family decades ago. Covered in ivy branches that crawled and wrapped around it, the house seemed to be suffocating: the fissured facade cracked as the plant vice closed in on it.
The house was on its knees, its foundations were partially sinking into the ground, they would probably hold up for another frail decade but not much more. The house seemed destined to collapse, as an allegory of the power of time over that of man gradually returned to nature.
" But it seems in ruins " said Natsu by looking at the monumental iron gate with peeling paint and chained by a rusty red padlock that no one had surely touched for years, " and empty "
" And haunted " completed Happy, making Lucy shiver. She had always been uncomfortable with ghost stories and death in general.
As a result of losing her mother too young, the nights of her childhood had been marked by nightmares where her mother's face floated, unrecognizable : her complexion livid and her eyes veiled by death. This ghostly face had haunted her for years before her memory managed to hide it from her consciousness. Faced with this repressed trauma, out of reach, she had only kept a physical reaction : a shiver that ran down her spine at the slightest mention of ghost without understanding why her body so firmly rejected the world of death.
" Yes, because it's well known that fugitives usually hide in showy luxurious hotels "
Lucy and Wendy chuckled whereas Natsu got annoyed and turned towards Grey.
" Are you insulting me ? "
" Don't know. Have you said something stupid ? "
Natsu was going to hit him, approaching ready to fight when Erza grab his fist.
" Keep your calm down " then she looked at Grey, "both of you "
Even for an abandoned house, this one was particularly frightening. The doors creaked and scratched the floor before slamming shut behind them, unable to open them again.
They arrived in a large room with a checkerboard tiled floor. A huge marble staircase faced them, covered in what must have been expensive velvet but of which only a worn and holed fabric remained, eaten away by moths and time. An old pendulum clock near the entrance continued to chime.
Everything was dark and gloomy, the paintings covered, the furniture draped in oblivion for those which had not suffered the work of the rodents.
" It's really sinister " said Wendy, searching the light that barely passed through the wooden boards nailed to the windows. All was so dark.
" Depends, look" she did look at the streak of light that Grey indicated to her and she saw the dust spinning and dancing in the rare rays of sunlight.
" There is always beauty even in darkness, you just have to find it "
Wendy smiled and let her fingers freely roam in the air playing with the rare rays of sunlight. Then Grey left her and joined Erza who climbed the stairs.
" Who would have believed that you could be so poetic ? "
He smirked.
" And who knew that you doubt my abilities so much. "
She rolled her eyes before reminded something then she smiled and he suddenly regretted his complacency.
" You're right, how could I have doubted of the Great Gray ? "
She clearly found great amusement in making fun of him. He should have known that calling himself such a self-centered nickname would follow him for years but he had learned to overcome
" That is the question Erza " he looked up at her before anchoring his gaze to hers as he said her name.
She looked at him without answering, unable to suppress the smile that stretched her lips. She didn't want to show him how much she liked it when his confidence beat hers.
" you never stop "
He smiled at her amused exasperation.
" Stop what ? " He leaned towards her, she didn't back down
" You exactly know wha…" he didn't expect the sweetness in her voice.
" Erza ! "
She turned hastily towards Lucy and lost her balance on the last step. Grey caught her, firmly.
" I got you "
He murmured on her ear as his arm swiftly got away of her waist. They looked at the place Lucy had pointed out to them and saw the shadow of a figure. They nodded to her, indicating that they would follow him.
There were two wings, west and east. They looked at each other. West. After two more minutes of running through the giant maze of corridors they arrived in front of a massive red door.
" Ladies first " she rolled her eyes in front of his overly pompous tone
" How kind of you "
But he smirtled at her affected tone. They entered the room and were roughly thrown against the adjacent wall. She blinked and moaned. The impact was violent but less than she expected when she felt her body being thrown against the wall.
She tried to get up but was stopped by the arm wrapped around her waist. When had he found the time to interpose between her and this wall ? She turned around and saw him holding back a sigh of pain, while trying to smile at her. She felt angry, it was unfair, since he had done nothing but protect her; but she couldn't stand it, she hated the idea that he underestimated her or worse, that he had intervened for other reasons.
" Stop looking so angry, sweetheart, was just a reflex."
She was going to answer with some distate but interrupted herself, they were not alone. And the were threatened. Explications could wait. In front of them was the most incongruous team : two former mages from Grimoire Heart and two other mages of a dark guild and an other that she could not distinguish away on a bed. At least the marchant had not lied.
They felt the atmosphere tensed and the gravity reverse again. Not twice. Erza had changed her armor and in a flash she had split the air to find herself in front of Stinger. It took only seconds for the blade of her katana to fatally meet his throat. Her gaze was menacing, his skin, pushed by his pulse against the steel, being cut with every too-hasty breath.
" Don't even try to move "
" You neither " threatened Grey who had reach the rest of the quatuor.
" We are here to arrest you not to fight "
The pacifist approach seemed to her to be the best, at least, that's what she thought before the first attacks broke out. Natsu, Lucy and Wendy arrived at the same time. And finally, the fight she wanted to avoid took place. Swords, sweat, blood, fire, cold, screams and injuries and more injuries. She had been raised in violence, had been around it all her life and yet she couldn't stand it any better even after years.
Natsu had defeated Bluenote, Wendy and Lucy had neutralized the two Gaito and Zato. She had won against Rustyrose. Only Gray remained stooding in front of the door that led to what seemed to be a bedroom.
" You fine?..."
Her voice had faded when she saw the man lying on the bed. She fell silent and glanced behind her, the others were busy gathering the mages and trying to understand this strange association. She looked up at Grey but stopped her hand from taking his. Instead, she briefly stroked his back, reminding him of her presence.
He finally tore his gaze away from the man lying on the bed. She hadn't expected to see him again, nor had Grey. Like the others, he was supposed to be imprisoned somewhere in a secret prison carefully guarded by the Council.
" Not really "
She didn't expect any answer and needed some seconds to understand his words.
"Then I'm dead," the man moaned as he came back to his senses but he struggled to stay conscious.
" Not yet unfortunately "
His sarcasm sounded merciless, really harsh but she didn't said anything holding back her reproof even if, and because, she knew that Grey could see it in her eyes.
" Could you … ? "
She turned towards the patient who was wheezing and asked for water looking at the empty glass on the bedside table. She took the carafe laid next to the glass and filled it before giving him. Grey was annoyed but didn't express his hatred contenting himself with a contemptuous look.
" The fairies of Fairy Tail. Dear, dear, little Fairies. I guess you're here to take us back to prison."
His voice was low and tired. He was exhausted, his eyes almost closed as if he was devoid of all energy, of all magic. That's what worried her, that his condition was not due to the fever, nor to his injury but to a decrease of his magic.
" Yes "
She was sorry for him. He sneered and turned to see Grey who glared at the window to avoid him, clenched jaw.
" You must be happy to see me like this ?"
The ice mage finally deigned to look at him.
" Still alive ? Not particularly. You tried to kill me, remember ? I'm not really a fan"
His voice was sharp. He only contained himself by respect for a dying man.
" That's fair enough "
" Hey what are you doing ? You have disappeared here and …" Lucy stopped on the doorstep when she saw the man sat on the bed" Mavis ! What this man is doing here ? Erza "
Wendy and Carla were puzzled. Natsu's eyes made several round trips between Grey and the man.
Erza reluctantly looked away from Grey, whose expressions she preferred to read, dreading like Natsu the moment when he would definitely lost his equanimity. She finally fixed her gaze on Lucy who did not dare to articulate more words, ignoring what she could say or not. Erza however saw her brain working and the unanswered questions accumulating against her lips as she tried to silence them. She was waiting for explanations.
" I should try to take care of him "
" No "
Wendy shuddered, even Carla was worried. Gray had never been the most compassionate of the team, usually that was Natsu or Lucy's role. They were the good souls. Lucy because she refused to believe in the postulate of an evil human nature, needed to understand what dilemma had forced a person to fall into darkness, convinced that there was always an explanation : that explained why she was always so deeply concerned by the stories of those she met and even more so by those she faced ; and Natsu because was the magnanimous, whether he was aware of it or not, he believed in redemption and he offered it. But not Grey, Wendy had quickly noticed it.
" But Gray he is really sick. If I do nothing he will … "
She did not want to finish her sentence in front of the person concerned.
" Like everyone, one day "
" That's cruel I could help him "
" I never said I was particularly inclined to pity "
Gray was on the edge between good and evil. He always had been, and sometimes he lost his balance. The problem wasn't that he always wanted to save the widow and the orphan, but that he did it at all costs. He had been close to the darkness at its worst, too close to hope that it would not splashed him. He saw his reflection change over the years as his hands stained with blood. He was becoming the evil with which evil was cured, losing his mercy along the way. That the road to hell was paved with good intentions was becoming clear to him.
" Grey ! I refuse to let him die. "
She walked past Lucy and past Gray to reach the bed. She was determined. She was all grown up and if he really thought he was going to be able to talk her out of saving a life then he didn't know her.
" But you can't do anything for him Wendy "
Shock was not enough to describe the feeling she felt. Erza could not be agree with that. Not her.
" Erza, I can understand Gray and I respect his position. If I were him, I might want that man to die too, but you can't stop Wendy from trying to save his life."
" Actually, they can and they are right. Wendy backs away."
" Natsu ! "
Lucy Wendy and Carla were horrified. Erza looked at him, she knew he was intelligent even if he didn't like to think and preferred to avoid long conversations and rush into the crowd as soon as he had the opportunity ; but usually in this kind of situation he always let himself be invaded by emotions, his thirst for redemption prevented him from thinking calmly. He must really hate this man to be able to put his high ideals aside and see the situation as a whole, or really trust her and Grey.
" I have to tell the council that we found them. Natsu I trust you to keep an eye on everyone."