AN: No. Ow. Why did I write this? There is nothing but pain in my soul now. NO. (Also pardon my slipping headcanons in there whoopsies)

She was making him to awful things. Awful, horrible things that his mind couldn't erase. She was making him hurt people, and that wasn't at all manly.

Beyond ordering him about, Sayla never talked to him. She merely walked ahead of him, calmly, usually with her nose in a book that she would later deem uninteresting, but she would never speak to him unless she told him to move this, get rid of that, help with this.

Had it not been for the sake of his little sister, Elfman would've greatly regretted his decision to sell his soul to the monster. It had only been four days, but it was pure torture being with this arrogant beast far worse than anything he could conjure.

Was it manly to wish for someone to save you?

The fourth night of his slavery, they were walking through a ruined town. Sayla spoke into a handheld lacrima, claiming that they had no new information on Face. Elfman hoped that they never would get any new information. She jabbed him harshly in the side, and it hurt badly, and gave him a glare.

Of course. She could hear his thoughts. Nothing about him was free. Unless he had permission, he couldn't use his magic. Unless he had permission, he couldn't go further than thirty feet from her. He was a slave in almost every sense of the word.

The demon held out her arm to stop him, and she shut off the lacrima. She turned her head and narrowed her dark eyes, a grimace forming on her lips.

"Show yourse-" Sayla was broken off as a flash entered the dark of the night. The world exploded for a moment as hot, burning magic tore through the town.

Elfman covered himself with his massive arms and coughed on the dust flying around, looking ahead through the flying rubble.

"So, this is where you were."

He caught a glimpse of fluffy, brunette hair.

"I couldn't believe it when Lisanna came back-"

A long leg shifted, revealing the fishnets and black shorts.

"-and told us the whole story. Goodness, as a man-"

Elfman caught a glimpse of a long, fluttering gray coat and side of a face, the glint of glasses.

"-you honestly shouldn't get me worried and upset my health."

His eyes widened in disbelief.

"Evergreen!"

He merely stared in disbelief as she sent the rest of the dust flying with a sweep of her arm. Elfman's breath hitched and he bit his lip, utterly ashamed of himself. They'd sent her after him.

She looked awful. Her skin was still completely pale, covered in bruises, and she was panting and gasping for breath, coughing into her hand. On her feet she was wobbly, but after a second, she regained her balance and retook her usual stance. Head high, shoulders back, chest slightly puffed out.

"It took me a couple days to find you." She bent over and put her hands on her knees, smiling at the demon, not him. "You really caused little, sick me a problem."

A million thoughts hit him in that instant: That being saved was unmanly, Sayla was bristling, her her her, and how she looked near death, even with the confidence pouring off of her.

"I see," Sayla said, folding her hands into her sleeves and putting them under her chest. "This is your lover."

She had read his thoughts. Heard his wishes. It was to be expected, but he still jumped back and went red.

Evergreen smiled wearily and tilted her head. "'Lover?' Is that really what you think, Demon-chan?"

His mistress took on the same queenly stance as Ever. "I know, not think, ma'am. I know everything he knows."

Her smile left and she glared at him, straightening up from her hunched position. "When did you get it into your stupid head that we were lovers"-Her eyes narrowed dangerously-"Elfman?"

He blushed wildly and waved his hands. "No, no no no! I wasn't thinking that at all, I-"

"Well, it's not as though he thought it explicitly," Sayla said, twiddling a piece of hair between her fingers. "But, I made the assumption based upon memories, feelings, experiences. 'Ever,' that's your name. Evergreen of the notorious Raijinshuu. I believe that Tempesta took your leader, Laxus, down, didn't he?"

She was doing her best to get Ever riled up, and it was working. Saffron magic began to collect around Evergreen, and dust erupted from her fists as she clenched them.

"You played dirty," she hissed, "pulling such a cowardly move after the end of a fight. That monster had no chance against Laxus!"

She collapsed to her knees and started coughing. Elfman's shock grew to horror as red gushed between her fingers.

"Evergreen!" he shouted, taking a step forward, then finding himself frozen to his spot. His arms burned as he pulled against the commands Sayla was giving him, his eagerness to get to her far outweighing the pain of disobedience.

"Oh, don't worry about me," she shouted between her fingers. Blood was still dripping down, onto her legs between the holes in her fishnets. "Worry about yourself, you idiot."

"You're hacking up blood!" he responded. "Of course I'm worrying about you!"

"Please, I'm fine," she said, struggling to her feet. "Totally fine." But she sounded almost scared.

Porylusica came flying out of the infirmary, a wild look in her normally calm eyes. "Where is she?"

"Where's who?" Cana asked, patching up a guildmate's arm. "Wait, don't tell me that Laxus is gone?"

"I said 'she,' you utter idiot!" the pink-haired woman snapped. "Evergreen. She's gone!"

Makarov turned his head, worry pressed firmly on his face. "Evergreen?"

"She went after Elff-niichan," Lisanna said in a hushed voice. She was sitting on a table, and she folded her hands together atop her knees, kicking her heels together like a child. "She must have."

"That fool!" Porylusica muttered, pressing a hand against her eyes. "We need to send out a party right now to recover her. The magical barrier particles are messing with her magic and bodily functions. Nothing about her is right! She'll die!"

The world looked topsy-turvy from Ever's standpoint. From the moment she'd gotten up out of her bed and stumbled into some clothing, everything had seemed wibbly-wobbly and out of place.

Elfman reaching out to her didn't look right. The demon regarding her with cold amusement didn't look right. Hell, even looking down at her own feet, they didn't look right.

What more, her insides were tingling as she conjured up her fistful of magic as the demon belittled Laxus. It quickly shifted into a burn, but she swallowed down her pain and tried to keep standing, but something pulled in her gut, and she had no choice but to fall down down down

and just about throw up her innards.

She remembered that the particles she'd inhaled were anti-Ethernano, and that meant anti-magic. So of course when she tried to use it, this would be the consequence. She was practically begging the poison still inside of her to kill her faster, wasn't she?

But Evergreen had to win. She positively had to win, for Elfman's sake. When Lisanna had come back to the guild, shaking and mortified, Evergreen's heart had stopped. His soul had been sold to a demon, and Ever herself knew just how dangerous that was.

And she was prepared to do anything to save his soul.

Even sell herself to free him.

"I have no time for this," the demon said, sniffing. "Be gone, ant."

"'Ant?'" Ever snarled, looking up from her position on the ground. The midnight sky spun and the stars fell. "I'm not going until he's back with us."

The demon sighed and shook her head, turning around. "You." She pointed at Elfman, and he flinched back, looking terrified. "Get rid of her."

Both of them froze. Between strands of heavy hair, Evergreen stared at him and her. Elfman looked terrified, and he shook his head, wordless. The demon stood on her toes and grabbed his face in one hand.

"You don't have a will," she hissed. "You don't get to tell me 'no.' Now, go kill her." Sayla brought her face closer to his, jaw tight and a fierce look in her eyes. "Do it in the worst way possible for you both. Rip her limb from limb. Crush her throat. Smash her skull in. Take advantage of her, and then murder her."

Chills ran up Ever's spine, and more blood and stomach acid threatened to come up as she imagined Elfman smashing her head against the ground, raping her, killing her. She'd been threatened with those things before, many times, but no thought had ever sickened her as much as the thought of the man she loved doing it.

"Do it," Sayla said, her next words passing through her lips quietly, "I want to watch you break your lover."

Elfman looked about to cry, and it broke her heart.

"Elfman!"

Both the demon and man looked towards her. She gave a bloody grin and gestured him towards her with a flick of her fingers. "Don't forget, I kicked your ass once. Have fun trying, man."

He froze, studying her in disbelief, then smiled. He turned towards her, almost looking less terrified. "That's right. Come on, woman, you better not lose."

Sayla flicked her wrist dismissively, turning around and taking a seat on a nearby bench. "I'm waiting for my entertainment."

"Gremlin!"

Dust formed around him as she waved a hand, and the explosion happened before he knew what was happening. She frowned, knowing full well that that had not been strong enough to take him down, and just as her concern grew to near panic, he emerged from the smoke and dust in his regular Takeover, almost tackling her. Nimbly, she moved to the side, ignoring the burning in her heart and limbs. He couldn't know that the fight was killing her even faster than she already was.

"I forget how fast you are," he said, brushing burned rubble off his shoulder. "And how powerful those explosions are."

She smirked, fixing her glasses. "Laxus didn't teach me to fight weak, you know."

"Oh? Laxus Dreyar was your teacher?" Sayla called over, amused. "Clearly this will be an easy fight, then."

Her fists clenched, and Ever tried to calm her breathing. The beast was trying to get her worked up and reckless, all so Elfman could maul her and give her the entertainment she wanted. After all the horrible things, Ever wasn't about to give such a monster what she wanted.

Elfman swung at her, nearly toppling from the force he put into his punch. Ever ducked and reached up, grabbing his arm between her hands. He grunted as she squeezed, trying to pull back. Ever refused to release her grip, and he swung his knee out at her.

The attack had been unexpected. Ever coughed and shrieked as it hit her in the side, and she dropped her grip. He kicked her out of the way, and she went flying, right to the demon's feet.

Sayla leaned over from her seat on the bench, raising an eyebrow as Ever coughed up blood. "Having some trouble, child?"

Evergreen spit on the demon's leg, staring up at her. "Loads."

"I still need him to torture you in the worst ways possible. I want to really see both of you hurt." Sayla planted a foot directly on Ever's face, worming it around to dig it in. Ever's glasses cracked, but didn't break. "I want your blood and limbs all over this place. I want to see you weeping in pain."

"You must be fun at parties," Ever said, gripping the demon's foot. She was tempted to swing the demon away by the appendage, she knew she could, but was worried of what punishment that could bring upon Elfman, who was laughing at her comments in the distance, over his worry for her well-being.

"Get back out there," Sayla said, and Ever got to her feet without even meaning to. That was right. According to Lisanna, this demon was a some sort of mancer. "I'm not having fun yet."

"What a shame," Evergreen said, aiming a punch at Elfman's gut. Her whole being was burning, and she needed to lay off the magic.

He blocked her with ease, though the force she put into it sent him skidding back. He looked mildly impressed, but Ever wasn't there to impress him. She was there to save his sorry skin.

His uppercut almost got here, but she leaned back and grunted, nearly pained by the burning in her lower back as she bent. Attempting to catch him off guard, she performed a high kick, her leg successfully hitting him on the right side of his jaw.

Elfman grunted and unconsciously lifted a hand to the smarting area, and Ever punched him in the jaw during his mistake.

His head twisted from the force, and she grabbed his shoulders and kneed him in the stomach.

She yelped and took a step back, holding her knee while he held his gut. "You're like punching a brick wall! There's absolutely nothing soft about you!"

"That's manly," he coughed out.

"Please, there's nothing fun about this, no story, if you two simply beat each other into a standstill." Sayla let out a loud sigh, and Ever swallowed. "I'll make this even more interesting, shall I?"

And she couldn't move the next time she tried. Ever flinched as she found herself frozen to the spot, completely immobile as Elfman made his next move.

Sayla was tipping the odds in her favor, and Ever gasped as his next punch turned her head and cracked a bone, and she grabbed her face and struggled more and more to move her legs.

"Why aren't you moving?" he asked, panic obviously increasing.

"She's doing something to me, you meathead!" Ever struggled vainly. She turned to Sayla, a savage look on her face. "Monster! Where's the dignity in this? There's no honor in this fight!"

"A demon doesn't need honor," Sayla responded simply, shutting her eyes and leaning back on the bench. "No, none at all, when it comes to pathetic humans such as yourself."

Elfman had her on the ground, wrists pinned in his massive hands. "Do something!" he yelled. "I sure as hell can't!"

He was crushing her. Ever gasped and pulled, trying to escape him now that she was free again from Sayla's grasp. She couldn't shake off her glasses, and even if she could, he'd merely be heavier on her and impossible to get off. An explosion at this close of range would KO them both, and then who knew what the monster on the bench would do?

"Do whatever you want with her," Sayla said, swinging her legs. "Just entertain me."

One hand was around her neck, the other tugging at her coat. She coughed, grasping his wrist, struggling vainly against his monster strength.

She had no choice but to use her last resort.

"Wait, wait, please!" she begged, sickened by the sound of ripping cloth. "A trade, please, I want to make a trade!"

Elfman stopped and seemed to be frozen. He sighed with relief at the halting of his actions, and from the corner of her eye, Ever saw Sayla arise and walk to them.

"What kind of trade?" she asked.

"Me," Ever said, bile rising in her throat. "Me for him. I-I have a much stronger magic than him, please. I'll be more useful."

"Oh?" Sayla bent down next to them, looking bored. "And what do you do? Make explosions? Punch people?"

"I turn them to stone."

The demon seemed more interested.

"Any human who looks at me in the eye will turn to stone, and die if I so wish it." She grit her teeth, practically spitting out her words. "Take a look at my soul. You'll see."

Sayla reached down and fiddled with the hair in Ever's face. Her shock manifested in the quirk of an eyebrow and a slight parting of her lips.

"Please, don't-" Elfman started.

"Fascinating," Sayla breathed, tracing her hand down Ever's visage. "What are you?"

"What are you talking about?" Elfman demanded.

Ever's heart almost broke at his desperate tones, at his fear and pain. However, he certainly wasn't going to care for her, especially after what Sayla was sure to say next.

"How are you part-demon, child?"

Evergreen could hear a pebble skipping over the cobblestone, carried along by the wind. No one spoke, no one moved, and it hurt to meet Elfman's gaze. He looked confused, but not disgusted.

"You can't be," he said.

"I don't know," she whispered. "My parents were both human, so I don't know."

"You must have been touched as a child, or even while you were in the womb," Sayla said simply. "A demon touched you with the intent of turning you."

"Your magic," he said simply. His grip on her wrists tightened, and she shut her eyes. Everything hurt. "Is that why-"

"I can't control it?" she finished. "I think so, yeah."

"I accept your trade," Sayla said, standing.

"No!" he shouted.

Ever's eyes flew open, staring at him. He knew that she had demon blood in her, knew that she was dying, but he still defended her. Why? How could he think of her as so close of a friend?

"I want to make some terms," she said, clearing blood from her throat. "Just a few, please."

"What?"

"I want no harm to come to this man nor his sisters. That's all." Ever stared Sayla straight in the eyes. "That's my one term. You've put them through enough, you demon."

"'Demon?' That's meant to be an insult?" Sayla seemed genuinely confused. "But, aren't you insulting yourself, then?"

"Stop, don't take her, I'm begging you!" Elfman was desperate.

Her crimson eyes went to him, dull and bored. "I won't hear your pleas another time. This woman is trying to save you. I'd take her up on the offer."

"But I sold myself to you to protect her and Lisanna and everyone else!" He shut his eyes, his face a mask of agony. "This is defeating the point." He let go of her wrists and ran his hands through his hair.

"It's okay." Ever reached up and put her hands on the sides of his face, using a tone of voice she could not ever recall using; warm, kind, loving. The kind a mother or wife might use. Her throat tightened, and she barely choked out her next words. "It'll absolutely be okay."

"But it won't," he said in a hushed voice.

Sayla held out her hand, and Elfman got off of Ever. The brunette took it, and a charge of scarlet magic bolted up her arm, wrapping around her whole body. Elfman looked away. Her insides were burning and twisting and fighting against the invasion, and Ever collapsed back on the ground, gasping for breath when it was done.

"You belong to me," Sayla said, turning her back. "As per your request, no harm will come to this man nor his family, by my hand, at least. The deals I make bind none of my comrades."

"I understand," Ever said, struggling to her feet.

Elfman reached out and grabbed her, and while she thought he was merely helping her up, he crushed her to his chest, trembling. She wrapped her arms around him, shutting her eyes and letting a few tears slip out.

"Let us go," Sayla said, twisting her fingers impatiently. "Say your goodbyes."

"You shouldn't have," he said, threading her curls between his fingers.

"I'm not worth arguing over," she said, running her hands up and down his muscled back. "I'm just a monster. I'm not better than her, or any other member of Tartaros."

"Don't say that. Don't say that to me," he said.

Sayla seemed to have infinite patience, and Ever knew not why.

Evergreen pulled back and wiped the scarce tears from her face, trying to smile up at him. "When you get back to the guild, tell Laxus and Freed and Bickslow… I need you to tell them that I said sorry, and-and that I love them." Her eyes filled with tears and she covered her mouth, mumbling against her hand. "So much."

"I will," he said.

Sayla still did not interrupt them.

"Elfman, I also need to tell you-"

Would that just be cruel? To say it and then leave? Would he even care? He'd be disgusted if she said that. He'd hate her if she said it And that could be exactly what she needed. His hate. It made it easier to let go.

"I love you."

Sayla spoke not, and neither did he. Evergreen could not tell what he was thinking, and began to unwrap her arms from around his waist.

He bent his head down and touched her forehead with his own. He had never been so close before, so raw, and Ever's heart fluttered like some pitiful schoolgirl's.

Yes, he was very close.

She shut her eyes.

They were touching.

Her lips parted.

His arms were around her, nice and strong and protecting.

He brought his mouth closer.

She might never see him again.

Their lips touched briefly, and they pushed closer together, entering a breath-taking kiss. It was likely their only chance to touch, and they were certainly making it worth it.

Evergreen remembered through her haze that the demon was waiting for her. She removed her lips from his and fell back from her tiptoes, and his lips followed her, kissing her on the forehead.

"I love you, too," he said.

He had just made everything a million times worse. She choked back a sob, thoughts of what could have been, and turned around, walking towards Sayla.

"Evergreen," he said, one last desperate plea. But she had no more choice. Her soul belonged to the devil.

They walked away from him, the two demons.

"Ever!"

She turned her head, trying to ignore him and his shouts.

"Why didn't you interrupt?" she asked when he was gone, far behind them.

Sayla looked back at her, and there was something like pity in her eyes, along with interest.

"You two wove a fantastic love story."

Her heart broke.