All because of a fight and a job request

Ch 24

Natsu pov

I just got her back. I have to let her go again??? I can't take this.. she needs to come back with us, she needs to be with us.. with me. She says she couldn't survive another heart break.. what does she think will happen to me? "Now" I hear her begin to say, "I need you to hit me." "What?? I can't hit you?! How could you ask me to do something like that?? After all you've been through??" "LaVey sent me on that mission and expects me back quickly. I imagine I'd been passed out for a while, so that means I've been gone longer than she was expecting.. so she needs to believe that that guy she had me... target.. put up a fight and that's why it took me longer to get back.. I can't have her suspecting.. ANYTHING.. especially if there's a chance she could find out you're all here and that I know you're alive." she gets done saying. "I'm not hitting you Lucy. That's not happening. Come on, we can think of something else.. Let's all head back to Fairy Tail and we can devise a plan there and come back and take her out!" I try to say confidently. "Natsu, you don't understand what you're up against.. she's evil.. dangerous, heartless, she revels in her power and control of people and has no shame in using loved ones lives over our heads to keep us in line and make us obey her every demand.. She's nothing like anything we have ever dealt with before. Her magic is the power of destruction in its purist and most raw form. I've seen it. I've seen what it can do. It's nothing to mess with. If you guys want to go back to Fairy Tail and figure out what can be done, please do. I'd rather none of you be here at all in case she figures out you were all here and spoke to me." I know she meant it as an 'I'd rather you be far away from here cause I know you'll be safe' thing than her just not wanting us around but it still stung all the same. 

"Lucy I'm not leaving you. Never again." Lucy looks at me with a sad smile, ".. you still have to at least let me go back. I don't care what happens to me, but I'll be damned if I do ANYTHING that endangers any of you.." she reaches for my face.. "I can't.. I won't let that happen." I lean into her hand and press my lips to her hand.. and breathe out "but I care about what happens to you.." she blushes at me.. I missed seeing that blush so much.. "I know.. but please.. I don't want you, any of you guys, to get hurt or die because of me.." she slowly takes her hand away.. "Someone needs to do it. Someone needs to hit me.. more than once to make it convincing I had a struggle." No one bothers to step up.. no one wants to hurt her after knowing what she's already gone through. "No one's gonna do it..?" she asks. No one can even looks at her.. "Okay.. Gajeel. Let's go.. " I look at Gajeel fully expecting him to do it, "ARE YOU CRAZY! IM NOT LAYING A HAND ON YOU! Not that I'm scared of salamander or anything just to be clear, but when it comes to you, HE WOULD KILL ME!! SO WOULD LEVY!" I scoff and smirk damn right I would. Levy seems to be thinking the same thing I am. Lucy sighs in frustration and clenches her fists, "Look, I know NONE of you WANTS to do this but it needs to happen. I'll put it this way, the longer we sit here with this, the more injuries you're going to have to inflict.. longer time I'm away = bigger struggle I had with that guy according to LaVey. It NEEDS to appear that way.. So it's either hit me a few times, or beat me down to a near bloody pulp." Everyone stays silent.. We know she's not wrong.. but we can't bring ourselves to hurt her.. not any more than what's been done..

"Fine." We look up at her.. and we're horrified at what we see her do.. She walks over to the desk and throws her head into it, giving herself a massive gash along her forehead.. she then takes one of her sais and slashes it over her right arm.. "LUCY STOP" I yell at her. "No! I have to do this!!" I run up to her and grab her by her hands and press her back to the wall. I have her hands stretched to either side of her and place my hips squarely to hers and my leg between her thighs to keep her in place.. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS!" "YES I DO! I CAN'T ALLOW LAVEY TO SUSPECT A THING! I WON'T GET YOU GUYS KILLED AGAIN! I WONT LET THAT HAPPEN! I WON'T!! AND IF THIS IS HOW I CAN ENSURE THAT, THEN YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I HAVE TO DO THIS!" I growl at her, "Damn it Lucy! Fine! Fine... I'll... do it." She stops trying to thrash around out of my grip and looks at me.