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When Gray realized that Lucy was not with them at the Bird’s Nest, he leapt onto Natsu with fury so sharp and cold that he was prepared to tear the Dragon Slayer apart with his bare hands rather than touch his magic. He got in several good hits, including breaking the Dragon Slayer’s nose, before Erza yanked him off by the back of his neck. Titania flung him backwards, and Wendy’s small hands closed around his arm.
He didn’t notice.
“You could have killed her!” Gray’s voice broke. “Fucking hell, Natsu, you almost killed Lucy!” Gray had nearly had a heart attack when he turned and saw the Dragon Slayer advancing on Lucy, who had been so confused. She’d raised her arms as if it would defend her from the death blow her partner was preparing to deal her. Gray had never moved faster in his life than that moment. His blood had been pounding so loudly in his ears that he barely felt the impact of Natsu’s fist into his palm.
“It wasn’t me!” Natsu protested hoarsely. “I - I had no idea what I was doing, I swear. I would never hurt Lucy on purpose. Never.”
His voice turned pleading, and it was so unexpected that Gray actually took a step back into Wendy. It was clear that Natsu was distraught, but so was Gray. He needed to lay eyes on Lucy now . He needed to run his hands over her and make sure she wasn’t injured.
“It was Zash’s magic,” Erza murmured. “He can turn people against each other. No wonder Stella made him their Minister of State. He can destroy an enemy force by looking them in the eyes.”
“But where is Lucy?” Wendy asked, her eyes brimming with tears. “Why wasn’t she brought here with us?” Charle put a comforting hand on Wendy’s ankle, but the Dragon Slayer was so upset that she didn’t notice. Happy, trembling, held onto the end of Charle’s tail; for once, she didn’t seem to mind.
Gray realized something suddenly. He reared back, his eyes blown with fear. His whole body went tense. “Fuck,” he gasped. “Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck !” Zash had come backstage in that bar to find Lucy. If Gray hadn’t stepped in, he wasn’t sure if the bastard would have forced the Celestial Mage to come with him or not.
“What? What is it?” Erza whirled to face him.
“Zash!” Gray felt the blood drain from his face. “He - at the bar, he kept trying to get Lucy to ‘come be his girl.’ He was all but obsessed with her.” He took her , he thought with horror. That man took her!
Wendy clapped her hands over her mouth. “No!” she cried. “Do you - do you think he -?”
Erza’s jaw tensed.
Natsu burst into flames. “We need to get moving,” he gritted out. “I can find her. Follow me!”
~
Lucy barely had a chance to take in the horrific state of the others before she felt her mind simply go...blank. It was as if she were watching a recording on a lacrima; her body was moving, but she had no control over it.
“Follow me,” Zash ordered.
“Yes,” Lucy agreed. No! She thought.
“Stand there.”
“Yes.” No! Natsu - Natsu!
“Raise your arms.”
Lucy’s voice shook. “Yes.” Gray! Please, someone!
Zash unsheathed a knife. The look in his eyes when he gazed at the blade and then at Lucy’s exposed legs was the same: lust. Lucy’s stomach roiled, her whole being fighting to recoil from him.
“I practice dark magic,” the Minister said, conversationally. “I need lots of pure blood for that. You should do, although you inconvenienced me - what was it? Lucy?”
Lucy internally shuddered at the sound of his voice, though her body was still when she said, “Yes.” She wished that she could thrash, scream, and fight back . She wished she could tear out Zash’s throat with her teeth, because now she knew what he had done to those other women. What he would do to her. She knew the bullshit about pure blood was a lie, and, anyway, if that’s what he meant by it, he was out of luck with her.
Gray had made sure of that, the night they were reunited after the shit with Avatar had gone down. Lucy had felt bad for Juvia afterward, but Gray was so fucking intoxicating that she had barely cared.
But Zash was not a man who cared about those things. He was going to bleed her, he was going to assault her, and then he was going to put her right back in that cell to wait for another round.
Lucy would murder him the moment he came too close without his influence.
The blade skated up her inner thigh, stinging sharply, and not even Zash’s control could contain the violent thrash her body attempted. The chains on her wrists and ankles tightened, pulling her flush against the piller. The scent of copper filled the air as the slice on her thigh began to well with blood.
“Let’s get the blood flowing a bit, first, shall we?” Zash asked. He pressed close to Lucy, his scarred face coming close to her skin as he ran his nose up the column of her neck to her ear.
Lucy wanted to vomit.
Zash leaned back, then -
Lucy screamed at the white-hot feeling of deep slashes across her stomach, her collar bones, her left hip. Her body bucked, rebelling, and Zash just laughed as he lashed out at her again. Right bicep. Left shoulder. Her neck, so violently that Lucy blacked out for a moment, the fear that he’d slit her throat putting her under for a blessed two or three seconds.
Zash continued to slash at her flesh, talking and laughing to himself. He pulled a vial out of his pocket, filling it with her dripping blood. She felt like more of it was getting onto the floor than in his vials, but she also knew that this man was insane. He didn’t care if some blood went to waste, because Lucy was one of a half dozen that he could bleed as long and as often as he wanted.
Soon, Lucy became so lightheaded that she was going in and out of awareness. She jerked back to consciousness as the blade plunged through the joint of her right shoulder, sinking so deeply that the tip of it collided with the column, sending a jolt down her bones. Her fingers spasmed, and she screamed so fiercely that she choked. The fingers of her right hand continued to tremble and spasm. Dripping blood soaked her sides.
“That should be enough for now, don’t you think? Miss Lucy?” Zash held up no less than a dozen vials of red. His hands, arms, and face were tacky with it, as if he’d been luxuriating in the feel of her blood.
Lucy gagged, still blinded by the searing pain in her shoulder, “Yes.” No one is coming for me , she thought. Tears pricked her eyes as the sound of Zash’s armor rustling as it was being removed reached her ears.
Gray , she pleaded.
~
Lucy was screaming so loudly that Gray didn’t need Dragon Slayer senses to hear it. Every second grated at his nerves, made the icy magic in his blood roil with fury.
Gray had never told Lucy how he felt, though he wondered if she had any idea after the night after Avatar. He wasn’t even sure how it had happened, only that the feeling of her skin under his fingertips and the taste of her on his tongue had turned his whole world on its head. He knew that Juvia’s eccentricities didn’t mean that her affection for him wasn’t genuine, but Lucy had a hold on Gray’s heart that the Ice Make mage doubted she even realized. Sleeping with Lucy had made him feel bad for Juvia, but he had never felt more right than when he and Lucy were connected, body and soul, magic twining in the air around them.
A boy’s crush on a new guild member had grown, fiercely strong, in the years they’d known each other.
Gray had been raised to be protective and fiercely loyal to the ones he loved, and this was too much for him to take, especially when they reached a point where he could smell blood on the air. Lucy’s sudden silence was deafening. By the look on Natsu’s face, he knew that it was Lucy’s blood, and he felt dizzy. If he could smell the blood without Dragon Slayer senses -
Without faltering, without heeding Erza or Wendy’s shouts of Be careful! , Natsu blasted through the wall. Gray leapt in right behind him, his eyes feverishly scanning the room. His entire body stilled at what he beheld.
Gray blacked out.
~
The scream of pure fury that ripped from Gray was echoed by Natsu’s furious roar and Erza’s violent howl. Wendy froze at the sight before her.
Against a column, bound by her raised hands and spread ankles, was Lucy. Her shift, which must have once been white, was nearly completely pink. Some spots were so red that they faded into black. The Celestial Mage was covered in slash marks; on her arms, her chest, her abdomen, and down her legs. Blood pooled underneath her, dripping sickeningly. She was clearly coming in and out of consciousness, her head raising slightly before dropping back down to her chest.
What froze Wendy was the image of Zash stepping away from Lucy, hastily yanking up his trousers and pulling them tight. He barely had a chance to react before Natsu and Gray were upon him, roaring. Erza was right behind them, and Zash hit the opposite wall so hard that his entire body left an imprint.
“Wendy!” Erza barked, and the Dragon Slayer jerked to attention just in time to see Erza rip a dagger out of Lucy’s shoulder. The blonde’s body spasmed, her closed eyes fluttering, but the pain wasn’t enough to bring her back to full consciousness and she quickly went limp again.
“Y - yes!” Wendy darted over as Erza broke Lucy’s chains, her hands already outstretched with a healing spell. She’d barely lain hands on Lucy’s bloodied form when Erza barked out,
“Gray! Natsu!”
Gray held the staff in one hand, his other wreathed clutching an ice lance. Natsu was wreathed in flame, face draconic. Neither man had a hint of human expression on their faces. Neither reacted to Erza’s voice.
The Titania snapped again, “Gray! Natsu! We have the staff. We have Lucy. Let’s go !”
Wendy knew the only reason the men reacted was what happened next.
Lucy regained a bit of consciousness as Wendy’s magic moved over her. “Gray?” she murmured, sounding confused. “Where’s - I need - Gray?”
Natsu snarled, more dragon than man, as Zash struggled to his feet. Gray felt his Demon Slayer magic creeping over his skin. His entire being screamed at him to destroy the Minister before him. Even so, he turned towards Erza.
“No!” Lucy gasped out. “The others -!” She lifted her left arm feebly, pointing to a short hallway.
Gray whipped back around, the moisture in the air freezing in the air around him. “He’s mine,” the Ice Make magic snapped at Natsu. “You go for the others.”
Natsu hesitated, his murderous expression locked onto Zash, who’d pushed himself up on one knee. “Kill him,” the Dragon Slayer snarled in answer, then took off.
Wendy jumped when Lucy’s hand touched her shoulder. “Please,” she begged. “Go.” Wendy looked up at Erza, torn, but the Titania said,
“I’ll keep her safe.”
“Come this way!”
Wendy slid defensively in front of Lucy and Erza, only to see a skinny, nervous looking woman standing in the remains of the wall Natsu had ruined.
“My name is Sonya,” she whispered. “Please, come with me! I can help you get out of the castle safely.”
“Wendy,” Lucy pleaded again.
“Go,” Erza reached out to squeeze Wendy’s shoulder. “I can take care of the both of us if it comes to it.” She sent Sonya a glare that Wendy had seen melt the most powerful of men, but the brunette didn’t waver.
“Be careful,” Wendy replied.
~
“You should have let me finish the job,” Gray spat at Natsu, even as he hoisted two frightened, weak women over his shoulders. Natsu held two, as well, and Wendy and the healthiest of the captives - a short, leanly muscled woman with short black hair and a severe expression - supported a sixth. Wendy pressed her hand to the stomach of the woman walking between them, gentle healing magic flowing and improving her ability to walk.
“There’s no time,” Natsu gritted out, though Gray could see the reluctance in his eyes. “We’ve got to get these women to safety.”
“Are you from Fiore?” one woman asked.
“Fairy Tail,” Wendy answered, dropping back to let Natsu take the lead. They passed Zash, unconscious but still alive, half buried in rubble.
The dark-haired woman spat on him as they passed. “He killed my men,” she said thickly. “He made me kill some of them. He turned the rest against each other.”
Gray fought to keep from tensing, aware of the two frightened women he carried. “Yeah, he tried that with us, too.”
“I’m glad you were able to resist. Having the blood of my own comrades on my hands...I can’t describe it.” She paused. “My name is Captain Riana, of Fiore’s White Tigers.”
Natsu swore. “I’m sorry, Riana.”
“I will avenge them.” Riana declared. She and Wendy helped the woman between them - Lyanne - over the rubble from the entrance Natsu had made. Haltingly, the women Gray carried introduced themselves as Kiara and Kiana, twins from Stella’s capital. The woman over Natsu’s right shoulder was Syna, and she introduced the mute woman over the Dragon Slayer’s other shoulder as Myra, explaining that the woman was deaf but knew Stellan sign language.
“We will avenge ourselves.” Kiara gritted her teeth.
“And all the women who came before us,” Kiana agreed quietly.
“We will help you,” Gray said, darkly. Despite the fury undercutting his tone, all the women relaxed slightly.
As they emerged into the hallway, Natsu jerked his head right. “Erza and Lucy went this way,” he said. “Follow me, as quickly as you can.”
~
Sonya moved down the darkened streets of Stella’s capital quickly, Erza shadowing her. Lucy rested on Titania's back, her good arm loosely wrapped around the redhead’s neck. She was still semi-conscious, and Erza took great care to keep the blonde steady as they hurried through the dark.
A figure stepped out of an alley ahead of them.
Sonya squeaked in alarm.
“Who goes there?” Erza demanded. She loosed one hand from Lucy, requipping a sword into the other.
“I thought I smelled something familiar,” the figure replied, stepping into the light.
“Gajeel,” Erza relaxed, her sword glimmering before vanishing back into its pocket space. “What are you doing here?”
“The shrimp, Juvia, and I are here on a mission. Yo, why do you smell like - oh, fuck!” Gajeel had come close enough to see Lucy, still covered in her own blood and partially healed wounds. Her right arm hung limp, her fingers spasming erratically. Gajeel’s eyes flashed with fury, his hands curling into fists. “What the fuck happened?”
“I leave you here, with your friend.” Sonya took a step away, then shot Erza a warning look. “Stay away from Zash and the Dragon Cry. I can’t promise that you’ll survive another run in with him.” With that, she dashed off.
Neither Fairy Tail mage tried to stop her.
“Let me take Lucy,” Gajeel offered, and Erza eased the Celestial Mage off of her back and into Gajeel’s arms. Erza shuddered when she realized that she was covered in Lucy’s blood.
“What happened?” the Dragon Slayer repeated.
“It’s a long story. But she was tortured and...assualted.” Erza ground the words out, and Gajeel’s protective grip on Lucy tightened.
“Is the bastard dead?”
“Unfortunately not.”
Erza turned, finding the rest of her party staggering out of an alleyway. Natsu and Gray carried two women each, and a dark-haired woman and Wendy held another up between them. All of the women wore the same shift and shackles around their necks, wrists, and ankles as Lucy.
Gray’s eyes darkened further when he saw Lucy cradled in Gajeel’s arms. The Ice Make mage snarled darkly. Gajeel started to retort, then drew up in surprise. He squinted at Gray for just a moment before saying, “Trade up, Ice Princess.”
“Do you mind?” Wendy asked the women.
“I think I can walk,” one replied, and Natsu eased her onto her feet.
“Easy, Kiana,” the dark haired woman ordered.
“I’m fine,” Kiana steadied herself, then reached for the other woman Gray carried. “I can walk. I’ll help Kiara.”
“Syna, are you okay if Gajeel takes you? It’ll be more comfortable, and you can translate for Myra.” Natsu addressed a redheaded woman over his shoulder. She agreed, and Gajeel passed Lucy gently to Gray. Erza pulled Syna off of Natsu’s shoulders into Gajeel’s arms, then helped Natsu adjust Myra.
The women’s hands flashed in front of them quickly, and Syna said, “She’s okay. She said Zash got her ankles pretty badly last time and she doesn’t think she can walk.”
“We’ll get you somewhere safe,” Gajeel addressed Myra directly, and Syna translated quickly. “C’mon,” the Iron Dragon Slayer addressed the rest of the group. “We have a hotel suite a few blocks from here. Let’s hole up there for now.”
“Let’s move,” Erza agreed.
Gray murmured to Lucy, still unconscious in his arms, “You’re safe now, Lucy. I won’t let anything happen to you ever again.”
~
Six Weeks Later
Gray had killed Zash with his own hands, and yet it still didn’t feel like enough.
He routinely woke from nightmares that reeked of Lucy’s blood and the stale sweat of the other women they’d freed from Zash’s clutches. Even though, the night they’d rescued her, Wendy had both healed all of her wounds and confirmed that they’d interrupted Zash before he’d assaulted the Celestial Mage...Lucy still wore the terror of her experience starkly in her eyes.
She jumped any time a man walked up behind her - even Natsu and Loke. Sometimes, in the guild hall, her face would go vacant, her eyes unfocusing before she returned to the moment with a shudder. The nerves in her right arm, despite Wendy and Porlucia’s best efforts, hadn’t fully healed. Her hand trembled constantly, and her wrist and fingers spasmed often, especially during missions. Added on to the stress of Alvarez’s imminent invasion, and Gray knew Lucy was struggling.
And, like an idiot, Gray was keeping his distance from her. He had failed her. Lucy had been tortured because he had let Zash get the upper hand. Natsu had nearly killed her just hours before that.
Mavis estimated that Alvarez would attack within days. The citizens of Magnolia were evacuated.
And Gray couldn’t stand it anymore.
For the first time since he’d known her, Gray went to the front door of Lucy’s apartment and knocked. When she didn’t immediately answer, he cursed himself for being stupid and called out, “Lucy? It’s Gray.” Within seconds his ears caught the sound of footsteps. When the door creaked open, it was Virgo who peered out at him.
“Gray-sama,” the Maiden sounded relieved, opening the door wider for him to enter. She closed and locked it behind him. “I am glad you are here. I shall return to the Celestial Spirit World to gather my strength for the coming conflict.” Virgo bowed to him, her hand over her heart, and vanished.
“Hey, Gray,” Lucy appeared from the bathroom, her hair damp. Dark circles ringed her eyes. “What’s up?”
Gray’s throat felt thick. “I just...I need to sleep next to you, tonight.”
Lucy blinked, and Gray blushed to the roots of his hair. He had not meant to say that. Figuring that he was already screwed, he blurted, “I haven’t slept well since we came back from Stella. I just...I keep thinking about what happened. I tried to give you space, but it’s driving me absolutely crazy. I should have been able to protect you, and I couldn’t. Now, Alvarez is all but at our door and I’m - I’m so scared that I won’t be able to protect you again.” Tears welled up in his eyes, and he clenched his fists, annoyed with himself. Why was he crying, when it was Lucy who had endured Zash’s torture?
“I love you,” Gray choked out. “I’ve known that for a long time now, but I was too scared to tell you. And it’s insane, because as much as I love Fairy Tail - I love our family - my gut is telling me to take you and run. And I know that makes me a coward, but -”
Lucy’s arms enveloped him, and Gray buried his face in her hair as he choked on a sob, breathing in the smell of her shampoo. His hands came to clutch at her back, fingers digging into her soft shirt.
“Oh, Gray,” she whispered. “You know I’ve never blamed you for anything that happened, don’t you?”
He didn’t reply, just clutched her tighter.
“I won’t lie, I still have nightmares about Zash and what happened to me. I thought...well, I thought you were angry with me.” Lucy buried her face in his chest. “I wanted you this whole time, but I was worried about reaching out to you.”
Gray was stunned. “Why on Earthland would I be mad at you?”
Lucy pulled back, her eyes shining with tears as she gazed up at him. “Well, because Zash had an interest in me because of my dancing at the bar. I thought...I thought you’d think what had happened was my fault.”
“No!” Gray didn’t mean to shout, but he was astounded. “Lucy, Zash being a creep is all on him. You can do whatever - and I mean whatever - you want with your body and your clothes, and nothing, ever, gives anyone permission to take advantage of you. Gods, Ur beat that into me. Your dancing was not an invitation for anything . ”
Lucy gaped at him. “Gray...”
The Ice Make mage huffed a strangled laugh. He rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes to breathe in her strawberry soap and starlight scent. “I’m not mad at you,” he said quietly. “I could never be.”
“Did you...mean it, then?”
“Mean what?” Gray opened his eyes to meet her nervous gaze.
“That you...” she blushed. “Do you love me?”
“Gods, Lucy,” Gray fell to his knees, pressing his face against her stomach. His arms were tight around her waist, and Lucy’s hands fell to his shoulders in surprise. “I think I’ve loved you since you saved Loke from disappearing. I knew so little about you, then, but the way he described your ferocity when faced with the Celestial Spirit King - I was so shocked that so much fire could be in you. Every moment I spent with you after, I realized how powerful you were. We joke about it so much, but you are the Light of Fairy Tail. You make me so fucking proud to be a Fairy Tail member.”
He chuckled lowly. “I knew I loved you for sure when you screamed in my face in the Avatar guild hall, when you thought I’d gone astray. You weren’t afraid of me - you were afraid for me. You would have done anything to help me, and I saw it in your eyes. I love you; then, now, and always.”
“I...wondered.” Lucy’s hands came to Gray’s cheeks, cupping his face and bringing his gaze to hers. She admitted, “I was wondering if that time - right after Avatar - was a fluke.”
“Never. You could never be a fluke,” Gray swore, his eyes burning up into hers. “I just...I didn’t know how to tell you how much I had missed you with words. How many times I turned around that year, hoping you would be there. How many times I woke up in the Avatar guild hall, disappointed that you wouldn’t be there to greet me.”
Holding onto his face, Lucy sank to her knees, too. “I love you, Gray Fullbuster,” she said softly. “And even though what happened to me in Stella can’t just go away, I’m doing what I can to heal. Can you...can you wait for me until then?”
Gray swore, “I could wait for you forever, Lucy.” He could. He would. Even if it took her a hundred years, Gray could wait. He had no idea how she could love him, not after all his mistakes. But he would take it and thank the fucking gods and every constellation that he was that lucky.
Lucy smiled, like she knew exactly what he was thinking. She dropped one of her hands from his face, pressing it against his racing heart. Right over his guild mark. Gray covered her hand with his own, feeling the tremors of her injury on his skin. “I’ll protect you, too, Gray.”
Alvarez came that night.