Finished - Dec 28, 2021

Word Count - 9176

Music - Two Steps From Hell - Future Guardian

Summary:
The Council randomly visits the Guild, demanding that Lucy needs to help them by going undercover as a prisoner for Tyranold Copper. A man who has been capturing mages with Space magic, all these mages are disappearing. Natsu hates this idea and tells Lucy to stay, but Lucy's kind heart tell her to help.

**********************************

Daily chatter and laughter filled the Guild Hall. The common commotion of friendly brawls and drinking competitions riled up its members. The lively banter of everyday routines took place as normal.

Beneath the Main hall sat two females, each commenting on a single book. This book seemed to have peeked the interest of the two female mages.

Levy held out the leather bound book and laughed. "The end was definitely my favorite, when they finally arrived at their destination!"

"You mean when they almost died?" Lucy returned her giggles. "I haven't read that book in a long time, I barely remember it. I should read it again."

"Definitely! Then we can really geek about it." Levy handed her the book.

"Thanks!" Lucy examined the worn pages, tracing her finger across the spine. She loved old books, something about them screamed wisdom. Even if this particular book was a fantasy novel, it still looked sophisticated.

"Aren't you supposed to go on a mission with Natsu today?" Levy reminded her.

"Oh yeah!" Lucy hopped out of her seat and gathered her things.

"Have fun." Her friend winked, knowing exactly what she was inferring.

"Oh come on Levy, we've been together for how long and you're still teasing me about it?"

"It's still fun." Levy shrugged.

Lucy rolled her eyes and started her assent up the stairs.

It was true, she and Natsu had been a couple for a while now, yet everyone still teases them about it. Probably because it took them so long to get together, they are catching up on lost pranking time. Either way, she wouldn't trade it for the world. Lucy was very happy with Natsu and she knew how happy he was. He told her all the time, he was not a shy boyfriend.

Once atop the stairs her eyes scanned the room, looking for Natsu. He was very easy to spot, since he was making the most noise in the center of the room.

Lucy sighed, placed her books on a table and went to look at the Request Board.

Natsu noticed Lucy the moment she walked up the stairs, a large pile of books in her arms that wasn't with her earlier. Looks like she had some new reading material and a lot of it.

He gave himself two more minutes before he would join her search of the Requests. He enjoyed picking the Mission out with her, he valued her opinion and trusted her judgment. She knew better than he, of what they could and couldn't handle.

One last good hit against Elfman and he scampered away from the fight. After making a clean escape, he placed himself next to Lucy and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes dashed back and forth as she read all the details of the Job. Also something Natsu never did, read details. Where would he be without her?

"Find anything good?" He asked, leaning his chin on her head.

"Mmnn..." Lucy groaned and flipped the paper over. "Nothing yet."

She pinned the paper back to the board and took down another one.

Natsu was about to repeat her actions when he caught a whiff of unfamiliar scents approaching the Guild. Standing a bit taller he sniffed the air again to try and get a better sense of who these people were. He didn't smell any thought of harm on the strangers. However, something about them was off.

"Natsu?" Lucy noticed his odd posture.

Before he could answer the unfamiliar group of people entered the Guild. These people all dressed in matching apparel and walked together as a unit. Natsu recognized their uniforms, as they walked in.

Gajeel and Levy ran up to meet their old co-workers and greeted them with big smiles. What was the Magic Council doing here? They hardly ever visit Guilds in-person, let alone sending multiple members.

Natsu and Lucy both watched the mysterious group traveled together to the Master, a sense of uneasiness filling them.

The Master welcomed them, one of the Council Members Natsu recognized as Leji whispered something into the Masters ear. Natsu couldn't make out what he said, but what ever it was made Master's face turn pale.

Makarov nodded solemnly, then made eye contact with Natsu. Why was he looking at him? Did something happen? What would make the Master look at him so sadly?

Leji turned away from the Master and the whole Council started walking towards Natsu. Worried that he had done something wrong, he took a step back almost intimidated by the powerful group coming towards him.

The largest member of the group reached out their hand as if to grab him. The Council member grabbed an arm, but it was not Natsu's.

"Lucy Heartfilia. You are coming with us." Org stated plainly.

What?! Lucy seemed shocked and utterly confused. The sight of her arm being pulled by the large man made Natsu loose his fear and come to his senses.

"She's not going anywhere." He grabbed the man holding Lucy's arm and started to heat up.

"Natsu stop." The Master stopped Natsu from committing a crime against the Council. He stopped his fire, but did not let go.

"I'm sorry, but we need Lucy's help." Leji stepped into view and motioned for his man to release Lucy.

Dropping her wrist, Lucy brought her limb back down and rubbed it. A red mark appearing where he had held her tightly. "You need my help?"

"Lucy Heartfilia, you hold nine of the Zodiac Keys. Correct?" Leji asked politely and Lucy nodded. "You also how the power of Urano Metria."

Natsu still didn't move from his place in front of Lucy, his eyes locked onto the man that had grabbed her.

"This means, along with your Light Magic, you also hold Space Magic." Leji continued.

"Space Magic? Like Jellal's?" Lucy asked, even more confused.

"Exactly like his." Org answered.

"Then why do you need me if you have him? He is much stronger than me, plus he's already part of you team." Lucy stated.

"It's true, he would be the perfect candidate for this job. However, in order to infiltrate properly, we need a new face. One not so recognizable."

"Wait. Infiltrate?" Erza interjected the conversation.

"That's correct." Leji nodded and turned his attention back to Lucy. "Lucy Heartfilia, we need you to go undercover."

There was a momentary silence as everyone processed this information. A feeling of confusion washed over Lucy and a sense of worry pulled at Natsu's heartstrings.

"Undercover? Me?!" Lucy stuttered, the words floating around her brain.

"Yes, you are best candidate."

"I can't be." Lucy pressed her fingers against her temple. "I've never done anything like this before. There are definitely people more qualified than me. People more experienced..."

Lucy continued to rattle off excuses, her eyes sunken in. Watching her panic, Natsu placed his arm over her shoulders and rubbed her arm, his action broke her self imposed trance and she focused on him.

"Hey, it's okay. Relax. I've got you." Lucy regulated her breathing and calmed down.

"Why Lucy?" Erza asked the Council members, an obvious worry in her eyes.

"As we determined before; Lucy holds Space Magic." Org stated. "You probably haven't heard, there is a criminal from a neighboring country. His name is Tyranold Copper. He has kidnapped dozens of civilians and is holding them hostage, each of this victims disappear."

"That's terrible." Levy gasped, having joined the conversation with Gajeel.

"What is he doing with their magic?" Grey asked.

"This is the reason we need your friend."  Org continued. "We need Lucy to infiltrate Tyranold's fortress and figure out what he is planning. "

"Why does she need Space Magic?" Natsu asked.

"All of Tyranold's victims were Space Magic users. He is targeting their magic type specifically. Therefore, Lucy will blend in as a prisoner and report to us."

"You want to hand her over as a prisoner? To a man who is killing people?!" Natsu fummed in rage. This time it was Lucy's turn to try calming him down. However, it didn't help much.

"She is the only person who can help! If she does not agree to aid us in our investigation we will be forced to eradicate everyone in his base." Leji matched Natsu's volume and passion.

"You mean you'll kill everyone, even the prisoners?" Lucy gasped.

"We have no other choice." Org stated sadly. "You, Lucy. You are our last hope in saving those innocent people."

"How long will it take?" Wendy asked.

"As long as it takes for Lucy to figure out what is happening inside and what Tyranold's intentions are." He answered.

"That could take weeks!" Grey shouted.

"Possibly months." Org pointed out.

Lucy straightened her shoulders and took deep breath. She didn't really have a choice, they were backing her up into a corner. Yet, she wouldn't allow herself to stand by when she could help dozens of people.

"I will help you." Lucy answered, hoping she looked brave.

"What? No!" Natsu disagreed.

"This is my decision to make." She retaliated. "You would do the same thing, any of you would! Therefore, what right do I have to turn my back?"

"Oh! I don't know...self preservation?!" Natsu's tone dripped with sarcasm, he was not happy.

"Natsu, I need you to trust me. I can do this." She softened her voice in attempt to calm him.

"I know you can, but..." He trailed off.

"I appreciate your concern and I love you, but I need you to believe in me. Please don't send me off upset." Lucy placed a hand over his trembling jaw.

"Just promise me you will be careful." He sighed.

"I promise."

Natsu squeezed her hand, praying it wouldn't be the last time. Lucy meant so much to him, he would be lost without her, she needed to come back safely.

"If you're so worried, you can help her." Leji interrupted their moment.

"How?" Natsu urged, grateful for this new development.

"You can be her direct contact, gather and document all the information she gives you. Because of your connection, she will feel comfortable talking to you. You can strengthen and encourage her, while being able to monitor her safety and health."

"That sound perfect." Lucy smiled.

"How will they keep in contact?" Grey inquired.

"This." Org reached into his pocket and pulled a tiny crystal earring. It was incredibly small, therefore, easily hidden. "This is a communication lacrima. Because of its size, it only responds to one sibling larima. You, Natsu, will hold the second. Lucy will only have contact with you through this specific crystal. Do not loose them."

The large man handed them each their crystals. Lucy took out her earrings and replaced it with the single lacrima.

"You'll have to wear these swell, you need to blend in as much as possible." Leji handed her a stack of folded clothes. "We'll also have to put a spell over your Guild mark."

"My Guild Mark?" Lucy's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, so far she was alright with everything they had said, but covering her Guild Mark? This wasn't something she was prepared for.

"Don't worry, we're not going to erase it. We will, however, need to put an invisibility spell over it. Fairytail is a prestigious Guild and is known far and wide, therefore it would be too recognizable."

Lucy's eyes danced over her left hand, the pink symbol imprinted over it. She wore her mark with pride, it held so many memories, how could she take it off? Even if it wasn't really gone, she wouldn't be able to see it. How could she let go of her family? She would be all alone with out them.

Her friends could sense Lucy's anxiety, they too would feel the same way. Removing a Guild mark seemed very shameful.

Wendy gently walked over and took hold of Lucy's hand."It's okay Lucy, we're all still with you."

Lucy met Wendy's gaze and soaked in her confidence. She wasn't alone, she had the support of her family, they would never forsake her.

However, Lucy couldn't shake the sense of uneasiness. Nonetheless, she walked up to Leji and gave him her hand. He chanted something under his breath and waved his hand over Lucy's. She could only watch as the color on her skin faded and hid the symbol. She brought her hand back to her and rubbed the skin where pink should be, however, the spell did not come off.

It was odd seeing Lucy's empty hand, Natsu was so accustom to seeing her with her Guild mark that it felt foreign without it. His heart ached at the thought of never seeing it again.

"Say your goodbye's, we need to leave soon." Org stated.

Lucy took her time hugging and talking to each person in the guild, she wanted to remember every single one of them. Her small talk with Levy took the longest, she saved her team for last, knowing she would miss them the most. She spent several minutes with Erza, Grey and Wendy. Each getting their own time to talk and say goodbye. Lastly, the person she dreaded saying goodbye to the most. The person that would fill her mind every second she would be away.

"Well, Natsu..." Lucy sighed, not quite knowing what to say.

"You promised me that you would be careful." His eyes wouldn't meet hers.

"Yes, I did."

"Promise me one more thing." He finally lifted his gaze to meet hers. "Promise me that you'll come back quickly."

"I promise to come home as soon as I can." She stated with confidence.

Natsu pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly as they swayed slightly. He breathed in her familiar scent and warm embrace. It would be a long time before they would see each other again.

"I'll call you every day." Lucy pulled away, knowing she wouldn't want to leave if she stayed.

"Speaking of which." Leji added. "Lucy, only your crystal has the ability to contact Natsu. His crystal can not call you. This is safety measure we made, that your cover won't be compromised. Don't want to draw attention to yourself at the wrong time."

Lucy nodded in understanding.

"Then it's time to go." Org placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder and lead her towards the rest of the Council members.

"Goodbye everyone, I'll be back soon." Lucy waved with a smile.

The Guild members matched her wave and watched as they walked out the door. All eyes on their beloved friend leave to be put in danger for the sake of others.

Each step she took, Natsu's heart pounded as she walked further away from him. He watched in dismay as the large wooden doors closed, leaving his heart empty.

**********************************

Three weeks passed, and Natsu kept in touch with Lucy everyday. They had scheduled their meetings to be late at night, so Lucy was always tired, but she was happy to talk to Natsu. Unfortunately, their conversations were always short and never about anything fun.

She told him everything she saw. Every person she met, every scene she witnesses, he knew everything. However, this knowledge only made Natsu more and more worried about her.

He watched as Lucy grew weaker everyday, her lush cheeks slowly loosing their roundness. She was loosing weight from not eating and she each night she was loosing her energy. Yet her fire was still lit behind her eyes, and she was determined to continue.

It pained natsu to watch this progression. He wanted her out of there, he wanted her home. But Lucy was stubborn and wanted to feel helpful.

It was night twenty six, as Natsu listened to Lucy's story. "He took Natina today."

"Wasn't she your cell mate?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, Tyranold took her this morning and she hasn't come back yet. I doubt she'll be back at all." Lucy sighed, knowing that once a person leaves the cell room, they never come back.

"You still don't know why he is taking them?" He inquired.

She shook her head sadly. "No. No one knows."

Lucy's main source of information had come from her fellow prisoners. They were all kept in one large room, inside held a dozen cages and each cage held about two people. The prisoners were many different kinds of people. Spanning all ages, male and female. Some civilians, some mages, but all held the same kind of power, cultivated or not. Space Magic.

"When Tyranold came for his regular draining, Natina stood up to him and made him angry, so he took her."

Every afternoon Tyranold would visit his pets to suck out their magic, storing it for later use. A use that Lucy had yet to figure out. It was hard to find answers when she couldn't ask him directly. Lucy was playing it safe, staying as unseen as possible. Trying her best not to stick out. Luckily, Tyranold didn't notice her odd appearance in his prison and simply accepted her into his collection.

"What are you going to do now?" Natsu watched as Lucy's face fell. Because of his lacrimal, he could see a projection of Lucy's surroundings. But Lucy couldn't see him, she could only hear his voice.

"I'm not sure yet, I need to sleep in order to think..." Lucy closed her tired eyes, the dark circles beneath them contrasting with her pale features.

"Lucy." Natsu's tone turned serious. "You are not looking well, I think it's time you came home."

"No." Lucy sat up straight. "I'm so close to figuring out what is happening here."

"Please Lucy!" Natsu almost begged. "You have done more than enough!"

"I'm staying."

Her voice alone, told Natsu that this conversation was over. He wasn't going to convince her to leave, therefore, he gave in. "Alright, well...I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow night. Sleep well and tell me what you think needs to happen next."

"I will, thanks Natsu." Lucy smiled, her eyes starring off into the distance.

"I love you." He chimed, hoping that she wasn't mad at him.

"I love you too, say hi to everyone for me." Lucy chucked.

"I always do."

Lucy ended the call and sunk to the floor. She knew Natsu could see her during calls, even if she couldn't see him. Therefore she always put on her best face to the camera and tried not to let him see how exhausted she truly was.

In all honesty, she wanted to leave more than anything. To return home, to see her family, sleep in her bed and soak in Natsu's warmth. However, she couldn't leave her job unfinished. She was incredibly close to figuring out Tyranold's plan.

The silence was interrupted by a clattering noise from across the room, this loud noise caught the attention from everyone present. Looking through her cell bars she noticed that one of the prisoners was able to pry open their cell door. However, their face was filled with panic from the loud noise they made while trying to escape.

"Go! Get out of here and get help!" The person from the cell next to them demanded, ushering them to move quickly.

Lucy's heart beat tripled in speed as she watched with hope, now wide awake.

"Hurry, before he catches you!" More prisoners whispered forcefully.

The newly freed man came to his senses and bolted for the door, hoping to escape. Fumbling with the pad lock, he twisted it unlocked and swung open the door quickly.

However, once the door opened, it revealed the large frame of Tyranold. He must have heard the loud noise of the cell door being pried open. He did not look happy.

Upon seeing this, the prisoner backed away slowly from the door frame. Terror written over his complexion, he was in no position to run and in no condition to fight.

"P-Please...forgive me..." He begged, holding his hands together.

Tyranold did not say a word, instead he grabbed the frail man by his hair and dragged him out the door. The man screamed in pain and cried in fear, swearing that he would never try to escape again, that he would be good. However Tyranold did not listen to the mans plea and continued to drag him away.

All eyes were locked unto the scene, not truly wanting to see how it ended. Their ears filled with the frightened blubbering of their fellow prisoner, knowing that they would soon face the same fate.

However, Tyranold must have been extremely angry because he forgot to close the door behind him. Giving everyone a clear look at what was outside their dark room.

The man continued his please, yet the sound was suddenly muffled, because he was thrown into some kind of glass room. He was locked inside and pounded on the glass, begging for forgiveness.

Lucy watched in horror, not wanting to see how this played out. But she needed to see in order to tell Natsu.

Tyranold stepped to the side and in-front of a type of power board, he grabbed a lever and pushed it up slightly. The room around the trapped man started to hum and glow, therefore he bagged his fists against glass harder. However, his movements slowed and he slumped to the ground, his voice escalating in volume.

There were several trails of color flowing out of his body, his magic was being forcefully sucked out of him, a terribly painful process. A process that everyone in a cage could relate to, however, this glass machine looked much more powerful than the drills Tyranold would use on the daily. No, this looked much more painful.

Tyranold smirked and pushed the lever higher, causing the machine to suck more magic out of the man as a faster rate. The man started thrashing upon the ground, his screams more horrid than before. Lucy noticed dark spots start to appear on his skin, wholes being created as the magic poured out of him. The magic moving too quickly it started to rip him apart from the inside.

Lucy could hear people crying from the cells beside her, people averting their eyes and attempting to hide their fear. This was the first time any of them had seen what happens outside of their protected cells. The soundproof door keeping them oblivious of the torture beyond.

She had to bite her tongue from yelling out in protest to this inhumane treatment, she had to stay hidden and wait. She would loose everything if she spoke out now.

As terrible as it looked, Tyranold was enjoying it. He pushed the lever all the way to the top, max power. The man choked on his own spit and scrapped his nails against the floor. A few seconds later his entire body split, the force too much to handle. Therefore his entire chest opened, his pieces flying out and splattered against the glass. Lucy screamed in shock and terror as she watched this man explode.

A large ball of magic flew out from the place where the man once laid. His essence sucked up into oblivion. Tyranold smirked and turned off the machine, only after every ounce of magic was taken from the remains.

Lucy's body wouldn't stop trembling, her eyes replaying the gruesome sight of watching a person burst open. Never in her life had she wanted to flee, but she was so incredibly terrified that she wanted to run away.

Tyranold walked back to the door and slammed it shut without saying a word.

This left the rest of the room in darkness, having only the memory of the event playing over and over again in their minds. Muffled cries and children's screaming filled the chamber, a sense of overwhelming fear hung over their heads.

Lucy didn't know what to do. Should she call Natsu back? It was the middle of the night and they already finished their call for the day. But he would want to know and she shouldn't keep any information from him. However, she knew if she told him, he would immediately pull her out from the mission. Should she jeopardize the mission like that? Should she jeopardize her safety for that?

Her mind too frozen to think straight, however she knew that this was something that she shouldn't hide. Especially from Natsu.

Once the room quieted down and everyone fell back asleep, she double tapped her earring. The familiar soft ringing played in her ear as she called Natsu, probably waking him up. Her heart beat wildly in anticipation, not knowing what she should say.

"Luce?" Natsu voice croaked, obviously torn from his slumber.

However Lucy did not answer, her lips quivered and she couldn't find her words.

"Lucy." Natsu repeated, his voice firm and worried. He must have seen how shaken she looked.

"I s-saw it..." Lucy stumbled, not wanting to re-live it.

"Lucy, what did you see." He sounded completely awake now.

"He took a man out the door, but he didn't close the door like he usually does." She paused, remembering the events. Natsu was patient and waited for her to continue. "The man was placed into a glass room, Tyranold pulled a lever and...this machine started sucking out the mans magic."

"Okay, was it like the draining drills?"

"No." Lucy shook her head "This was much more powerful."

"What happened to the man?" Natsu asked.

"He exploded." Tears fell from her eyes, ashamed of the amount of fear controlling her emotions.

"What..." Natsu sounded baffled.

"His body ruptured as the magic was extracted from him, he literally exploded." She cried, trying to keep her voice down.

"That's it, Im coming. We are bringing you home now!"

Lucy could hear rummaging as Natsu jumped into action, probably packing and gathering his things for departure.

"Okay." This time Lucy didn't argue, she was finally ready to leave this horrid place. She had given the Council more than enough information already and she was mentally wrecked.

"Who are you talking to?" Lucy froze upon hearing a deep voice behind her.

She turned around slowly to see a large shape hovering just beyond the bars of her cell. Oh no...

"Lucy who is that?" Natsu's voice sounded distant.

"Lucy!" He yelled again, snapping her out of her petrified trance. She was about to say something when Tyranold opened the cage door and grabbed Lucy by her throat. She was lifted off her feet, her toes dancing above the ground.

Tyranold reached out and stole her earring, tearing the backing off quickly and examined it closely. He seemed to recognize it as his eyebrows tightened.

"Using a secret lacrimal, are we?" Tyranold smirked, tightening his grip over her throat.

N-No." Lucy's stuttered, barely able to speak.

"Looks like you're in trouble." He growled.

Lucy couldn't do anything to fend off the massive man, she was exhausted and not physically fit to fight. Malnourished and drained of magic left her quite vulnerable.

"Let's have some fun with you." He chuckled.

She scratched at Tyranold's hand, attempting to remove his grip from her throat. Lucy gasped for air as his grip closed even tighter.

"Who were you talking to?" Tyranold demanded.

Lucy kept her mouth shut, refusing to answer. This might be the one thing keeping her alive, hiding information from him. Hopefully he would keep her alive until she spoke.

"I asked you a question." The man wiggled the Lucy's body above the ground.

She choked and gurgled in pain, but she did not speak.

"Not talking huh?" He sighed. "I've already had to clean up one mess today, I don't want to make another."

Tears sprouted from Lucy's eyes, fear overwhelming her. But she knew she had to stay strong!

Tyralond pocketed her lacrimal earring and carried her out of the dark room. She no longer felt safe in the light, her eyes so accustom to the darkness of the cell room, she felt exposed in the brightness.

She was pushed into the same glass chamber that she had observed from afar. Her heart beating so loudly, it pounded in her ears.

Standing up, she placed her hands against the glass, she could still smell the blood. Lucy watched as Tyranold walked to the control station and held his hand over the lever. She couldn't tare her eyes away from him a he slowly pushed the lever upwards.

Hyperventilating, she watched as the top of the glass room opened to reveal a massive ball of magic. It swirled and moved as a heart, it was beautiful. A galaxy of stolen magical energy, colors of blue, purple, white and yellow twisted in harmony just above her head. This must be all the space magic that Tyranold had collected from his many victims.

However, Lucy was not able to appreciate this glamorous sight for long, because her body suddenly filled with a familiar pain. The machine started to suck out her magic.

Lucy doubled over, but did not scream. It was incredibly painful, but nothing she couldn't handle.

Tyranold noticed Lucy's mental strength and chuckled. "Not enough for you? Let's bring it up a notch."

A grunt of frustration exited her lips and the pain increased, the level rising. This was much worse than her what she was used to, this machine was deadly.

After a minute, she was able to regulate her breathing and control the ache. Unfortunately, Tyranold had other plans.

"Are you ready to talk?" He asked.

Lucy wanted this pain to stop, however, she knew the moment her secret was revealed she would be killed. Tyranold never showed mercy, this was no acceptation. The only way to get out alive, was to keep her mouth shut and hope he decided to interrogate her again later. Hopefully by then, Fairytail would be there to help.

"You are starting to aggravate me, little girl." He pushed the lever up once more.

This time, Lucy could not contain her voice and she let out a high pitched scream. Her body convulsed as she saw her own magic being ripped from her body. She watched as her magic tore wholes through her skin and expelled out of herself. This new pain added unto her agony as she felt her body burst open.

Felt like knives??

Just when she thought she would share the same fate as the last guest to this machine, the pain subsided. Lucy concentrated on her breathing as her muscles relaxed. She could hear foot steps entering the glass room and hovered over her tired frame.

"Who are you?" He demanded, but Lucy was in no state to answer, her mind too focused on the lingering burn.

Tyranold was very surprised by this woman. Her body was able to handle the machine at max power for much longer than anyone else. Plus the fact that she had an earpiece. She was not in his dungeon by accident. She must be from a guild, come to spy on his actions. He could not afford to let any information slip out, this work was extremely sensitive.

As he examined Lucy's body he noticed something on her left hand, a kind of tattoo. He kneeled down and examined her flesh more closely. His eyes widened when he recognized the symbol upon her hand. Fairytail.

She must have put an invisibility spell over it to keep it hidden from him. However, with her magic almost completely drained, she didn't have enough energy to continue the enchantment.

No wonder she was able to survive his machine, she was an experienced mage. A powerful one too.

The man stood up and exited the draining compartment, locking the door behind him. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the earring that the woman was wearing. He placed it into his ear and tapped the button, however there was no answer. Whoever was on the other line must have heard him interrupt the girls conversation, they were smart not to answer.

However, he had other ways to get information from this small crystal. Using his magic he twisted his hand to the left, hacking into the earpiece. Tyranold was able to catch the last minute of her previous conversation. He heard a mans voice in addition to hers. This man called her Lucy, at least he knew her name now. However, the woman did not say the name off the mysterious voice of the man. Even without knowing his name, he could tell that this man cared about the woman greatly. He could hear the emotion in his voice and the anger when Tyranold had interrupted.

It sounded like this person was coming, he had said "We are bringing you home now!" We? So there was more than one person coming for a visit. How nice. Tyranold decided ready a surprise for them upon their arrival.

**********************************

A buzzing sound interrupted Natsu's sleep, rubbing his eyes he noticed that his lacrimal was vibrating. That was odd, Lucy had already called him tonight. Something must be wrong if she was calling him again.

Immediately Natsu sat up and answered the crystal.

"Luce?" He asked, still in the process of waking up.

There was no answer, instead he caught the sound of wavering breath. A moment later, her picture popped up and he could see her. Her eyes shook and her lips trembled. This worried him greatly, she looked very shaken up.

"Lucy." He called to her once more.

"I s-saw it..." She finally spoke, her voice reserved.

"Lucy, what did you see." Natsu was completely awake now and concerned for her safety.

"He took a man out the door, but he didn't come the door like he usually does. The man was placed into a glass room, Tyranold pulled a lever and...this machine started sucking out the mans magic."

"Okay, was it like the draining drills?" He inquired, hoping it wasn't too bad. But Lucy's appearance stated otherwise.

"No." Lucy shook her head, "This was much more powerful."

"What happened to the man?"

Natsu was not prepared for her answer. "He exploded."

"What..." His heart started leaping inside his chest.

"His body ruptured as the magic was extracted from him, he literally exploded." Tears overwhelmed her face.

"That's it, Im coming. We are bringing you home now!" He was over this entire situation, he's wanted Lucy home for weeks. Thid was the last straw, he was bringing her back, no matter what she said.

"Okay." Lucy sounded terrified as she wept softly.

He immediately leapt  from his bed and started gathering up his things. He would have to contact Erza, Wendy and Grey too. He would need their help. The Council should also be notified.

"Who are you talking to?" Natsu heard an unfamiliar voice through the speaker.

His full attention was drawn back to the projection of Lucy, her petrified face looking upwards. Oh no...

"Lucy who is that?" He demanded, but she did not answer him and stayed still.

"Lucy!" He yelled again, when he saw a large hand wrap around Lucy's throat. She let out a gagging sound as the wall behind her fell, meaning she was being lifted up.

A second hand removed her earring and Natsu's vision moved to see the one responsible. A large man came into view as he examined the crystal.

"Using a secret lacrimal, are we?" The man, Natsu assumed to be Tyranold smirked at Lucy.

"N-No." Lucy's mousey voice choked from off camera.

"Looks like you're in trouble." He growled.

Natsu could only watch and listen, his blood boiling. He couldn't do anything to help, but he knew to keep his mouth shut while a stranger was holding the lacrimal. Because if any noise came from the earring, Tyranold would know that Lucy was smuggling information. He would only cause her more trouble.

"Let's have some fun with you." The last words Natsu heard before the call was abruptly ended.

Natsu stood there in shock, still processing what had just happened. Lucy had been caught and she was taken by Tyranold. She was in serious danger!

He could feel tears drip down his chin and into his hands. He felt useless and pathetic for letting this happen. He knew Lucy wouldn't want him to feel responsible, but he couldn't help it. He allowed her to go into that place and put herself in danger.

Looking at the clock, the time read 4:00 am. It was not an opportune time to gather his friends for a mission, but he knew they would want to come and help Lucy too. Therefore he grabbed his bag and left the house as quickly as he could.

First he told happy to go to Wendy's place, because Charlie's wings would help gather people faster. While Natsu ran to Grey's house, the man was not very pleased to have his rival bang on his door so early in the morning. But once Natsu explained he jumped into action.

By 5:00, they all set off towards Tyranold's dungeon. Thankfully, the Council had given them the location of his hideout early on. In case of an emergency, such as this.

While at Fairy Hills, Erza woke up Levy to notify the Council of their actions and the situation. Hopefully they would make it in time...they had to.

The sun was starting to rise as they finally approached their destination. They snuck through the back door quietly, the same way they had dropped Lucy off. They didn't want to cause a scene and took the quiet route, which Natsu had a hard time swallowing.

"I found her scent." He lead them the right direction.

Luckily, Tyranold's hideaway was very small. A simple building in the middle of nowhere, not many rooms to explore.

Erza opened a large, heavy door. It was pitch black inside and full of strange scents. Therefore, Natsu relied on his nose for direction. Her cell was directly in front of him when he stopped.

"Lucy." He called softly, not wanting to wake any of the other people in the room.

A deep chuckled reverberated from where he expected Lucy to be, this was not her voice. Natsu took a step back, his friends behind him following suit.

"Welcome. Fairytail." Natsu now recognized this voice as the same one that had interrupted his conversation with Lucy, this was Tyranold. This was not good.

"Where is she?" Grey demanded, not quite knowing the severity of the situation.

If Tyranold was here, in Lucy's cell, meant that he knew they were coming. Plus he was able to identify them as Fairytail, this meant that he must have gotten his information from Lucy. She wasn't one to crack, so he must have done something terrible to her.

The memory of what Lucy had told him right before they were interrupted came to mind. How she had seen Tyranold literally murder someone. Natsu's heart ached when he thought of Lucy sharing the same fate.

"Worried about your little friend?" Tyranold tossed Lucy's crystal earring up and down in his hand. This must have been the source of Lucy's scent, which meant she wasn't nearby.

"What did you do with her?" Erza drew her swords.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." He answered.

"You better talk, you alone is no match for six Fairytail members." Grey threatened.

"I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you." Tyranold held up a small black box, several colored buttons decorated the front.

"Is that supposed to scare us?" Wendy asked to her comrades in confusion.

"Scare you? No." Tyranold laughed. "This is my leverage."

"I've had enough of your riddles." Grey grew impatient and charged towards the evil man.

The moment Grey moved towards Tyranold, he pressed one of the buttons of his remote and a subtle sound entered Natsu's ears. No matter how soft the noise, he recognized this terrible sound immediately.

Before Grey had a change to connect with Tyranold, Natsu yelled for him to stop and held his friend back.

"What the hell Natsu?!" He retaliated in anger.

"Ah, so the boy knows. I'm surprised you could hear that through the door, its supposed to be sound proof."

"Natsu, what did you hear?" Wendy asked shyly, even her ears didn't pick up the noise.

"I heard Lucy."

"Lucy?" Erza questioned.

"That means she's alive!" Grey smiled.

"Yes, but she was screaming." Natsu continued, as his anger grew. "Where are you keeping her?!"

"By all means, I will show you." Tyranold half bowed, as if he was a gentleman inviting guests into his lovely home.

Opening the large door, a wave of Lucy's sent traveled into the room. A scent Natsu had missed, however her lush scent was overpowered with the smell of blood. Natsu held himself back from running straight into the room full of light.

Slowly, Tyranold lead them out of the cell room and into his laboratory. Inside the walls were covered in wires, tubes and other grand technology. Glowing electrical lights flickered from every inch and one massive machine sat in the middle of the detailed room.

A large glass container was attached to a sort of furnace looking contraption, the glass container alone could easily fit ten people.

However, it was the person inside this room that caught Natsu's attention. Laying on the floor, breathing heavily, Lucy squeezed her eyes shut.

Natsu couldn't hold himself back this time and slammed himself against the glass.

"Lucy!" They all called out to her.

From his closer proximity, he could see her numerous injuries. She had holes all over her arms and chest, her clothes soaked red as the floor beneath her shined with blood. Her hair stuck together in sweat as she tired to cover the largest injuries with trembling hands.

"Let her go!" Natsu pounded on the glass.

"I recognize your voice boy. She was talking to you." Tyranold changed the subject, enjoying his control over the situation.

Everyone remained silent.

"I can tell from your inflection, you care deeply for this girl."

Again no one spoke.

"Information travels fast, I assume you know what this machine is capable of." Tyranold wiggled the remote in his hands.

Natsu stood up, his full attention on the man.

"Good boy." Tyranold smiled. "Now get inside. All of you!"

One by one, they all entered the machine. Erza, Grey, Happy, Natsu, Charlie and Wendy all obeyed. They didn't know what else to do!

Natsu immediately rushed to Lucy and picked her up softly, his feet slipping in the liquid beneath his shoes. He held her gently in his lap and removed her hand from her stomach injury. The sight was gruesome, it looked like her flesh had exploded from the inside, her tissue hanging off.

"...I'm...sorry..." She chocked, barely able to speak, tears running down her cheeks.

Natsu was lost for words, he couldn't think of anything to say. His mind running too fast and too slow at the same time. Instead he just tightened his hold upon her shoulders and held her close.

"You Fairytail wizards always ruin everything." Tyranold's voice growled from beyond the glass walls. "You destroy countless villages, rampage cities and cause people nothing but pain."

"That is not what Fairytail does!" Erza retaliated, not willing to stand by while her family was insulted.

"Im wrong?" Sarcasm, laced with anger posed from Tyranold mouth. "What about Hargeon, Malba City, Tenrou Island, the Capitol?!"

Tyranold named just a few of the many cities where large Battles took place. Many homes, buildings and stores were destroyed; which forced these places into economic chaos.

"You mages are. the reason my family is gone." Tyranold continued. "We were living happily in Corcus, my little girl was just going into school. But you wizards had your tournament there, you called the dragons to attack the city. Now my family will never come back to me!"

"We did not call the dragons!" Wendy tried to reason with the now sobbing man.

"In fact, it was these two mages that stopped the dragons." Erza pointed to Natsu and Lucy.

Natsu fought the dragons personally and Lucy had closed the Eclipse door, therefore they were very responsible for ending the dragons riot.

"Then it's my lucky day, I have the two wizards responsible for killing my wife and child. They're incompetence lost me my whole world. Now I can end their stories."

"No, Please!" Grey pounded his fists against the solid glass walls, however it did not stop Tyranold from pushing the Machine's lever up. This brought the room to life, light pouring down on them from above. A large swirling mass of magic floating above them, it was ominously beautiful.

This was when the pain hit, a bubbling feeling that felt like his magic was boiling inside him, ready to burst from within him. His magic betrayed him commands and started to seat out of his skin. Now he knew why Lucy had so many wholes, they were ruptures her magic had literally drilled out of her.

They all fell to the floor, the pain too much for their bodies to handle upright.

"Finally, after so long! I will have enough. All your measly guilds will be gone! The most powerful mages in Fiore obliterated all together." Tyranold boasted.

The Fairytail members were unable to retaliate, too overcome by the machine.

"With this amount of Space magic, I can make over over 50 black holes to swallow up those infuriating Guilds. No more magic! No more Mages! No more Guilds!"

"No!" Natsu found his voice amidst all the pain.

"Your magic is not crucial to my plan. Fire, Wind, Requipt and Ice are obsulete to my plan. Therefore, I have no more need of you, goodbye Fairytail. Thank you for helping me find the last Space Magic mage I needed, she had much more power than the random townsfolk I was using."

Lucy started to weep, her body overwhelmed and exhausted. Her magic feeling like knife extruding from her body, the constant stream of magic creating a friction against her raw skin. She couldn't take any more of this torture. But there was nothing she could do to stop it!

Tyranold continued to laugh as he turned the machine up a level higher. This time she knew her body wouldn't last long before rupturing. Therefore she had only one option left.

Slowly, Lucy turned unto her stomach and lifted her knee upwards, trying to push herself up.

"Lucy..." She could hear Happy grain.

"Everyone!" She called out to all her friends. They had come to save her, and she had to make sure they didn't come for her in vain. She would not let them die here. "I need you help."

Lucy lifted her mangled arms up towards the massive ball of Magic, her face locked in concentration.

Natsu looked towards Lucy in confusion, what was she trying to do? She couldn't force her magic back to her, even is she did, it would just be stolen again. She was up to something, he trusted her and followed her lead.

He watched as she sat upon her knees, arms in the air, her face laced with enormous pain. He started to noticed that the air around them was slowing down, the magic flowing out of their bodies, moving at a slower pace. However, the flow did not stop completely.

Instead, the giant magic galaxy started to shift. Its movements faster and more fluid, matching the movement of Lucy's hands. She was controlling the stolen magic!

Natsu understood immediately what she was trying to do, he matched her sway and also tried taking control of the most about of magic he could. It was difficult, because he was not accustom to Space magic, it was not an element he was familiar using. However, its essence was very familiar. He could sense Lucy's magic inside the mass and that alone calmed him down.

Grey and Erza caught on soon after and they were all connecting to the large magic source, moving it around and ending it to their will.

"What the hell are you doing?" Tyranold called out angrily. He had never seen anything like this before. "Stop that immediately!"

Tyranold turned the machine up to max, making the mages fault their work, but only fir a moment. He soon realized that he was no longer in control of the situation. The machine had no effect and the mages inside used their combined strength to save each other.

Together, they forced the magic upwards and out. This blasted a massive hole in the top of the machine, ending the reign of pain. They all sunk to the floor to catch their breath.

"My machine!" Tyranold boomed in rage. "You destroyed my beautiful machine!"

Natsu watched from his knees how Tyranold threw open the door and marched inside. He Walts straight up to Lucy and lifted her up by the collar of her shirt.

"You will pay for this." Tyranold then flung her into the glass wall, shattering upon impact from being weakened after the large blow.

"Leave her alone!" Natsu stood quickly, his head still pounding and charged towards the man who had nearly killed his partner.

One swing of his fist and Tyranold crashed through the other side of the glass wall. Natsu was done watching and waiting, he was going to knock the day lights out of this man.

"Wendy! Help Lucy." Erza directed. "Grey, make sure Natsu doesn't get carried away. The Council wants Tyranold alive."

Grey nodded, knowing he had his work cut out for him. He knew Natsu would murder anyone who hurt Lucy, no matter what the consequences.

"Happy, help me get all the other prisoners out of here." Erza and the blue exceed disappeared back into the darkness of the cell room.

Wendy ran to where Lucy had landed and examined her, she was lost an exciting about of blood and she looked very frail. Her skin pale and covered in injuries. She must have passed out after being thrown by Tyranold, which didn't surprise her. Wendy was shocked that she was able to hold on in a condition like this.

Thankfully, no one else had gained the same drill holes from the machine, probably because there were too many people inside. The sucking spell was spread over several people, instead of focusing on just one.

Natsu was fuming, he was not prepared to allow Tyranold to get away with hurting Lucy so bad. After weeks of listening to her terrible experiences, he was finally able to do something about it. He would make sure that she could leave this place without fear.

Just before Natsu could charge again, he was confronted by Grey. "Natsu, Tyranold belongs to the Council. They should be here any minute, don't do anything rash."

"I know that!" He stomped his foot, disappointed that Grey thought Natsu would jeopardize the mission that Lucy worked so hard for.

"Good, Let's just keep him busy until Org and Leji arrive." Grey held out his closed fist, Natsu copied his move and bumped knuckles.

"Let's do this!" They cheered together.

Together, the two men moved in sequence. Knowing exactly where the other was possitioned, where they were going and what they were thinking. They had worked countless missions together and often trained with one another, therefore, they had a unique routine. The two rival best friends worked flawlessly.

Tyranold proved unfit for combat, he was a technical genius and could manipulate technology by will. If harnessed properly, this would be a great force and nearly impossible to beat. However Tyranold was unpracticed in hand to hand combat and was not accustom to thinking on his feet, unlike the two professional mages he was fighting.

Therefore, Tyranold was beaten easily by the time the Council had arrived. Org and Leji walked into the quiet, yet completely destroyed room, shocked by what they saw.

Erza was calming the newly freed prisoners, Grey sleeping on the ground (Since it was still the middle of the night). Wendy was healing a terribly beat Lucy, and Natsu holding a rope. This rope attached to Tyranold who was completely restricted and seriously burned.

"It is a good thing that you arrived in time." Leji shook Erza's hand.

"Of course, Fairytail always gets the job done."" She stated, almost stiffly.

Each member of the team was furious with the Council. It was their fault the Lucy ended up so injured. They forced her into this situation and didn't take enough precautions to ensure her safety. Therefore, non of them were happy. Natsu especially was furious. He let out his angry a bit too much upon Tyranold. He knew he could never attack the Council, at least not without major repercussions. So instead, he beat Tyranold until he no longer looked human.

Erza took the responsibility of informing Leji and Org about Tyranolds intentions with all the space magic he was collecting. She also told him that the magic was disposed safely, leaving nothing left for Tyranold to use in the future.

Nevertheless, they still took careful custody of his and lead him away. As the group of mages were leaving, Org approached Natsu.

"I'm truly sorry about your friend, she was very brave. She helped us more than you know. Thank you, both of you." The mans eyes were sad and serious.

Natsu couldn't find it within himself to answer and simply nodded. The men left with a bow, taking Tyranold to a secure location.

Once they were out of sight, Natsu made his way over to Wendy. She was wrapping up the last of Lucy's wounds. They knew Lucy would be hurt, so they packed plenty of bandages.

Natsu knelt down and took Lucy's hand, she was sleeping peacefully. Though she looked even worse in person than she had over the video calls. She was so thin, he could wrap his fingers around her arm.

"Will she be alright?" He asked.

"Yes." Wendy finished her last wrap and sat back. "She needs food and plenty of rest. But she should make a full recovery."

"Thank you Wendy." Natsu smiled.

"Of course, we were all worried about her."

Grey nodded and placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Come on, let's go home."

"Agreed."

Natsu lifted Lucy's head and rested it into his shoulder. She was finally back where she belonged, with her family. With him. After such a long time apart, his heart could rest. No longer would he lay awake worrying about her safety. She was back in his grasp and he would never let her go again.