#polryusica

[riverofmemoriesft]

. The Game of Life . 8

Full Summary: “You’re new here, so I’ll explain the rules once.  Winners get one lash, losers die.  It’s quite simple.  The last one standing gets no lash.  We do one game a day here and you live as long as you can stand it.  If you somehow miraculously try to get away, I kill you.  It’s quite simple really.”

Pairings: Natsu x Lucy, Gajeel x Levy

Warnings: This really isn’t a fic for sensitive readers.  Mentions of suicide, descriptive gore, the likes.  It’s rated M, my friends.

Gajeel paced up and down the streets, his gaze darting this way and that. He'd been keeping a close eye out for anything from the second that Natsu had gone hours before. His crimson eyes swept the street as he paced through the shadows. He tripped for a moment over something he didn't see in the dusky light as he crossed the street, swearing wildly under his breath as he did.

Suspecting it to be a stray pet that had slunk off, Gajeel continued up the street. He grumbled, muttering to himself.

He headed over a bridge that crossed the canal, fully intending to continue down the street, simply watching. He couldn't' do much else, he supposed. He had to wait for something to happen despite the fact that it wasn't good if something occurred.

Too busy muttering to himself, Gajeel nearly didn't hear the soft clattering of something striking cobbled streets.

His head snapped around. His eyes flashed, his gaze darting around as he retraced his steps. Aware of just who their killer was - a nullification mage who was somewhat powerful - Gajeel focused all of his senses on figuring out what the sound had been.

An idea struck him. Natsu had done some kind of little...breath before he'd figured out that the area was where they women were coming from.

So, Gajeel reluctantly forced himself to relax, closing his eyes, tuning everything out. He took a deep breath, sighing heavily, and then slowly opened his eyes.

A shadow in the corner of his eye, a figure silhouetted in the moonlight, knelt over a smaller still one.

Something akin to a roar left his lips as he barreled towards them. The man's head snapped up and he swore under his breath, shooting to his feet and darting away. Gajeel moved to give chase, taking note of what he could see in the light of the moon and dusk. A thin but toned body, more than likely, styled hair and a low husky voice.

A choked gasp brought him to a stuttering halt.

He stumbled, nearly tipping into the canal in his shock. He whirled around, horrified as he let the man get away in favor of the realization that the woman he'd been strangling was still alive.

He darted back over, flinching at the smell of burning that flooded his nose as he dropped to check for a pulse. The woman didn't wake, still sputtering and gasping as a cloud raced across the moon and blocked his view. When it had cleared, however, his jaw dropped and his eyes flashed with horror.

"Levy," he muttered in a low rumbling voice. He checked for a pulse, made sure to lightly rest an ear over her mouth to make sure she was breathing. Her gasps came faintly but steadily, and he grimaced when he saw how her blue locks had been sheared away. Swearing under his breath, Gajeel dug in his pockets.

Cana's voice filled the air, sleepy when he activated the card he'd been given. "Gajeel?"

"I need Gramps to summon Porlyusica," he said gruffly, shrugging the iron studded jacket he wore off and wrapping it around Levy before picking her up with gentle hands, uncertain of just how hurt she was. She groaned and shifted, unconscious. "Get Salamander, I guess, and see if you can get a hold of Levy's teammates."

Awake now, Cana replied, "Why? Did you find something?"

Gajeel grunted. "Levy," he replied, starting swiftly down the street with the card clasped awkwardly in his hand. "I found Levy and scared the fucker off. She's alive. Barely. I'm gonna take her to the guildhall, up the back way. I don't want everyone in the guild findin' out though."

Cana gasped, and then said hastily, "I'll tell Mira to get there, too, she can help. Hurry and bring her home, Gajeel."

Gajeel hung up after that, his jaw clenched as he broke into a jog. He was somewhat glad that there wasn't any passerbys. It would have made his job harder than it already was as he made a beeline for the guildhall. When he reached it, he swerved around for the steps that went up to the second floor, climbing them wish ease. Levy stirred, her breath coming hoarsely.

It must have hurt, he realized, sliding inside. He ducked into the first room he came across, thanking no one in particular that it was one of the rooms meant for the injured or sick that stayed there.

Gajeel turned on a light and grimaced as he began to notice the full extent of Levy's injuries, sharp ears catching the sounds of footsteps and hissed whispers. Gajeel glanced over his shoulder as the door to the room opened again and revealed a sleepy Natsu.

"No Lucy?" he said, anxious.

Gajeel shook his head. "Nah, but when Levy wakes up, we'll find Bunny Girl."

"If she's not killed first," a cranky Porlyusica muttered as she swept into the room. Natsu jumped out of her way. He glared at her for what she said, but turned his burning onyx eyes on Levy as Porlyusica bent over her, waving for Lisanna to join her. Lisanna touched Natsu's shoulder and then joined her, blinking sleepy eyes. "What happened, Gajeel?" Makarov questioned, remaining in the doorway with Mirajane. Cana was peering over Mirajane's shoulder, her eyes glittering nervously.

"Was patrollin' like we'd decided and heard somethin'. Remembered what Salamander said about being blind as a bat, so I focused, and managed to catch sight of the bastard that did this knelt over her. Chased him off, came back when I heard her coughin', and then used the call card." Gajeel recited the steps quickly and accurately before turning sharp eyes on Natsu. "I didn't see Bunny Girl anywhere."

Natsu's jaw worked furiously, his face flashing with frustration, but he said nothing.

"Oh!" Lisanna gasped. Gajeel's head snapped around. He peered over their shoulders despite Porlyusica snapping at him to get back, and felt sick at what they'd discovered.

Levy's tongue was marked with a seared shape that they couldn't yet decipher. The flesh along the burn was dead and white and there were various blisters along her lips and mouth. "Can you fix it?" he rasped.

Porlyusica shook her head. "I could, but we need to wait until she's awake to try and help too much. Even if she does let me near her mouth - or even her face - it'll scar permanently."

Gajeel made a furious sound low in his throat and turned his face away. Fury flooded the man as he remembered how the bastard had escaped and how he still had another member of their guild alongside several others.

"We have to save Lucy," Natsu rasped. "If he knows Levy survived-"

"We keep this quiet," Makarov cut in. "No one else knows that Levy is up here. Keep it that way. I don't want everyone rushing up, or the people with the news getting wind of this. As far as they know, Levy is still missing. Is that clear?"

They all agreed and Makarov made sure Natsu wasn't going to tell his teammates either. As if insulted that Makarov didn't trust him to keep quiet, he snapped, "If someone finds out Levy's alive, then he'll find out, and then he'll hurt Lucy. I'm not gonna say a word."

"We know that you'll keep quiet," Mirajane soothed, touching his shoulder. "Come, Natsu, why don't you help Cana and I gather some clothes and blankets and other such things for Levy. I'm sure she'll want to be dressed when she wakes up, hm?" She smiled gently and guided him away.

"We'll watch him," Cana promised a worried Makarov. "He'll be fine."

"As soon as Levy's awake, we'll be able to find Lucy, I'm sure," Lisanna said firmly. "So long as Levy can tell us where she is, that nullification magic won't do a single thing to help him!"

Blinding pain brought Lucy to her senses and made her wish she'd remained unconscious or even dead.

Furious, Simon brought her own whip down on her flesh again and again despite her screams and cries of pain as the leather split her skin beneath it, drawing blood and leaving vicious lash marks that she was sure would scar. Even when she was sure her back had been flayed open and Ayako and Maria and even Athena were pleading with him to stop, that they were sure that Lucy had gotten the message, Simon kept at it as blood trickled from each and every wound, pooling beneath her.

It was only what seemed like ages later, when she'd screamed herself hoarse and felt numb, that Simon finally stopped. Sweat dripped from his forehead, his lips pulled back over his teeth in an animal-like snarl. With a last vicious attack, he kicked her as hard as he could in the side and she thought it was a miracle that she didn't hear a rib crack before she coughed and spat blood onto the ground beneath her.

"You bitch," Simon hoarsely snapped, throwing the whip away and crouching down. He grabbed her chin, forcing her head back and digging his nails into her flesh, dragging her up and forcing her to meet his gaze. "After all of the kindness I've shown you-"

"Kindness?" Lucy whispered, disgusted. "You kidnapped us, sheared our hair off, stripped us naked, and then made us play games in which the loser is murdered. You're nothing but a disgusting and pathetic creature. And I hope to the Spirit King who calls me friend that my partner and best friend gets his hands on you. Because after what you've done to Levy and I...well. He'll leave you screaming as you turn into a pile of ash from flames that are hotter than those that burn in the pits of the Hell you're going to."

Lucy gave a hysterical laugh when she saw a flicker of fear cross his eyes. He released her and she dropped to the ground, heaving for air as she fought back a sob of pain as her back filled with unbelievable pain.

Without looking up, she grinned. "From the moment you brought us here...you should have known. For one, Salamander doesn't like any of his nakama hurt, let alone his partner. And let's be honest, Levy and Black Steel Gajeel have a thing for each other. So you just…" She swallowed thickly, pain in her heart at the thought of Levy, who Simon had informed her was dead. "So you just killed his girlfriend. They will not stop until you are in prison or dead at their feet. And whether I'm dead or not, I'll be laughing. Because you finally made the mistake you thought you'd never make."

"Lucy," Ayako said softly, her eyes resting anxiously on Simon as his face twisted in rage. His amber eyes flashed angrily and he reached for the whip again, snapping it out expertly.

Lucy barely flinched as it cracked down on her again, not even a cry leaving her lips.

Instead, she sank into the sea of unconsciousness with gratitude, and wondered if this torture would ever end.

There was darkness. Darkness and pain that threatened to split her in half, but it was more of a dull never-ending pain than the white-hot agony she remembered. Still, it hurt like hell, and she wanted to raise her hands and rip her tongue from her mouth in hopes that it would make it stop.

"No, no," a voice in her ears said gently. "Don't touch it, Levy, it'll make it worse. Don't touch it."

She furrowed her brow, confused, stirring, and a small murmur of delight filled her ears. She groaned, hot breath washing over her tongue and making her cry out softly.

"Sh," a voice murmured, a hand gently covering her mouth.

Terror like no other filled her.

And then she screamed.