PART 2

Black Sun was the name of the dark guild that Cobra was hunting, having a wide network of members scattered throughout Fiori. It should have been a team mission, but he was alone, just the way he liked it.

It was his personal mission to destroy every single member for what they had done. None of his guildmates agreed with the vendetta mission but he didn't give a flying fuck and went out alone.

He had information and his guildmates didn't believe him, so fuck them. He would carry it all out on his own, he didn't need those fucking pansies. He would find Lucy Hearfilia no matter what.

The truth of the matter is that Cobra did care, he couldn't understand how they didn't believe him or how they could ignore the potential for it all to be true. He was angry, and anger was what fueled him, that and at least two pots of coffee a day.

He found that the small town of Blume was the closest town to the suspected main hall for Black Sun. Cobra grabbed a room at the very vacant inn at the center of town. It was there that he dumped off his pack and went on his hunt.

The citizens were more than well aware of the dark guild's nearby presence, but they felt helpless when their stores were vandalized or when they were attacked. Common knowledge was to not go out past dusk.

That is just what Cobra did, he steered clear of the streets and held to the alleyways as he waited for guild lackeys to troll through town. He was not disappointed when he found two such lackeys pilfering a bakery.

Cobra was amused as they stuffed their pockets and faces with pastries and loaves of bread. "Really? These sad fuckers are absolute carb monsters." was his first impression of the buffoons.

He followed them through the woods to the north, after about an hour he heard the distinct resonant sound of the soul he could never ignore or forget. He felt content at hearing it, but the sad lilt threading through it had him concerned.

After about a half a night's walk he found the Black Sun Guild. He advanced around the perimeter of a decrepit looking building and listened in on what souls could be found. He counted a little more than thirty.

He snickered to himself as he remembered being told it was a suicide mission, but the Poison Dragon Slayer was a cocky bastard, and rightly so.

He dispatched of all the members and only walked away with a few bruises, the need for dry-cleaning, and one Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail.

Cobra Ignored the disgusted looks and thoughts that occurred as he carried the beaten blonde through the center of town as the people started the day. What the fuck do they know, they should be thankful that guild was destroyed.

Arriving at his room, he laid the small blonde out on one of the beds and looked her over for any injuries that needed immediate treatment. Sadly, he realized he was much too late to treat most of them.

He applied ointment to her swollen eyes, then cleaned and dressed her open wounds. He then shifted his attention to cleaning her up as best he could.

He saw the dozens of slash marks that littered her back and shoulders, the marks the shackles left. All of it so familiar, he only grew angrier at what Lucy had endured. He gently dressed her in one of his long-sleeved thermal shirts and made sure she was comfortable. He also needed to address the cocktail of drugs coursing through her system.

There was only one effective method of removing the poison. He carefully lifted her arm to look for the injection points. Once they were found he placed his mouth over them and punctured her skin. He proceeded to draw a few droplets of blood into his mouth to identify the poison.

He ignored how blissfully delicious it all was as he proceeded to remove the toxins from her body while simultaneously providing her with the antidote for it. It was an intimate scene if anyone had walked in.

So much so that if anyone did walk in, they would have met their demise. No one saw Cobra in his most natural and vulnerable state, ever. Well, except for Cubellios now known as Kinana.

He was a hard and cold bastard, just the way the tower and Brain made him, and that was the way he liked people seeing him. There were a few exceptions, those who were on the journey with him. They bore witness to his changes as they went through many of their own.

Once he was satisfied the toxins were out of her body, he got her settled and closed the blinds in the room to keep the room dark. He breathed a trace amount of a carefully mixed poison that would allow the blonde to sleep deeply without hurting her. It was the only way she would get the healing, restful sleep she needed.

After everything with Lucy was squared away he decided to clean himself up. He washed away the violence of the day and watched the scalding hot pink water swirl down the drain. This was a double wash job after the night he had.

After his shower, he dressed and laid on his bed, he would never admit it but he also needed rest. He laid there contemplating how to proceed regarding Lucy. On the one hand, her teammates and their guild deserved to know, but on the other hand, they gave up. They gave up after only eight months after her disappearance.

From what he knew, she was taken while on a long-ass mission with her team. The team had come back with a temporary bout of amnesia and couldn't remember what happened, who they were, or who Lucy Heartfilia was. This made it difficult to trace their steps, but efforts were made regardless. Other guilds had even participated in the hunt. However, no leads turned up.

About a month after her disappearance her team started regaining their memories, but none of them were even remotely helpful since they were split up at the time of her disappearance. Team Natsu went on their own search and rescue for Lucy but nothing turned up.

Then one random day about 4 months after her disappearance, Loke suddenly appeared. He was beyond distraught as he only had a moment to let everyone know that his master was on the brink of death. He wasn't even finished saying goodbye before his gate closed.

Everyone mourned, not wanting to accept the truth that Lucy was no longer with them. Some still held out hope that she could be alive, that it was some sort of misunderstanding. However, when Crime Sorciere came bearing Lucy's Celestial keys two months later, they accepted the truth.

In his travels, Cobra had heard Lucy's soul, like he often did when they were in the vicinity of team destruction. He knew she wasn't dead. That was confirmed when he heard chattering from a couple of ass-hats from Black Sun that they captured a new plaything. This was all after her supposed death.

Cobra had let the guild know she was still alive, but they ignored him, believing he was just toying with their emotions. He even provided them with a lead, but they resolutely ignored him. They were so convinced that their light was gone and he was just a flagrant asshole.

In the midst of the chaos that always ensued at Crime Sorciere's arrival, Cobra had managed to confiscate the keys when no one was paying attention. He couldn't believe all this bullshit.

He was angry at everyone around him, for not believing him, for not believing in her, their precious light. As far as he was concerned everyone gave up on her. He would find her and bring her home. He would wipe those smug faces right off their smug-ass mouths.

He left that afternoon, being told that going after Black Sun by himself was a suicide mission and that he should let the dead rest, but he knew otherwise.

He knew exactly what those ass-hats around him were thinking. While one par of them was concerned he knew that deep down in some of their souls, it would be no skin off their nose if they never saw him again.

Despite his shitty attitude somewhere deep down he cared that they didn't give a shit.

Of course, members of Crime Sorciere and the former members of the Oracion Seis would care if he ran into trouble. Even a few members of Fairy Tail would, but the ones that mattered most to Lucy would not be troubled by his demise.

These thoughts are why Cobra is hesitating in contacting the guild. He finally decided that Lucy could make the choice.

He turned and watched as Lucy slept soundly. He contemplated how he had come to this very moment, how the injured woman's soul called to him. It was something he ignored all those years ago during Nirvana.

He debated if she felt it, felt the connection they had despite never really interacting. Whenever he was in her general vicinity the tone of her soul would change slightly, but her active thoughts never acknowledged it.

He wondered what life would be like right now if he never ignored the call.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Part 2 of the story that I am developing into a stand-alone. I hope to start posting on it soon!