Taming A Demon's Heart

~The Challenger~

"W-What?!" Lucy cried, shocked at Jackal's absence, "I thought he still had a few months!" She huffed.
"He is supposed to!" Levy replied, watching her friend fall to her knees. She pulled out a communication device and talked into it. "Where is prisoner #522525?" Levy asked her underclassmen urgently.
"The chairman told us to move him into the execution cell. He said he was moving his death date up due to continued hostility towards guards." A nervous voice replied.
Without responding Levy lifted Lucy from the floor.
"Come, Lucy, I know where Jackal is!" She promised, seeing Lucy's face light up. "We have to hurry, though!" Levy finished, the two running out of the dark hallway. She took Lucy's hand and led her down the winding hallways, running until they reached their destination.
At the end of a hallway was a door of solid steel, adorned with a small window. Lucy slid the window open and saw the back of Jackal's head, his ears pressed against his hair.
"Jackal!" Lucy called through the door, her voice cracking from the previous tears. His ears pricked up after hearing Lucy's voice as he turned his head to the side. He was barred to a single chair in the room, his arms restricted behind his back.
"Lucy, it's only a matter of time before workers come down here, so hurry!" Levy excalimed, unlocking the large door with haste before handing Lucy the handcuff keys. Once it was open, Lucy slipped in, dashing to the center of the room where Jackal sat. Tears fell down her face as she knelt by his chair.
"Jackal, don't be scared, we're gonna get you out of here." Lucy promised, tears coming from her face. "We can leave Crocus, we can live in the woods, anywhere is okay as long as we can stay together, okay?" Her voice shook and she talked with a strange rushed tone.
"Lucy." Jackal said, attempting to interrupt her panicked speech to no avail. "Lucy." He repeated, Lucy still droning on about his escape. "Lucy!" He shouted, "Listen, it's too late for me. You know you can't just leave Crocus, you just got your job as a writer, you're so close to finding your friends, and I'm not gonna let myself ruin that."
"Jackal, no. I don't want to do any of those things, not without you!" She cried, a tear sliding down her face.
           "Lucy! They're coming!" Levy called from the door, footsteps were heard nearby.
           "Jackal, let's go!" Lucy shouted, picking the lock on his handcuffs with the key Lucy had given her. She attempted to pull Jackal up from his chair, but to her suprise, he sat in the chair, his arms limp by his side. Lucy knelt beside him again, looking up into his eyes, "Please."
          "I've always been good at hurting you, haven't I?" Jackal asked, a weak smile on his face. "Like when we first met and when you first invited me into your home."He continued.
          "Don't talk like that!" Lucy pleaded, tears falling steadily from her face. "Let's go, okay? Please?" She asked again.
           "You'll be better off without me. I'll always be a bad demon. I guess I've just always been rotten..." Jackal trailed off, avoiding Lucy's burning gaze.
           "I'm not leaving you!" Lucy said, council workers had begun to pile at the door, Levy trying to hold them back. Jackal brought his hand up to Lucy's face, wiping her tears with his thumb.
           "Why can't you just leave me?" Jackal asked, his own voice breaking.
           "I-I love you!" Lucy confessed. "And because I love you, I won't watch you die, not now, or ever." She promised, putting her own hand on Jackal's.
           "Well, good thing you won't be watching it." Jackal said sadly. In their last moments together, the demon and his mage friend shared their first and last kiss.
Lucy was dragged away by the workers, her kicks and screams of protest were useless against their combined strength.
"Jackal!" She screamed, squirming in their strong grips.
"I love you too, Lucy." Jackal whispered to himself, a tear slipping down his face as he watched her get pulled away.
•••••••••••••••••••
               Many months passed, Lucy was still broken, she had not shown up to work and had neglected taking care of herself well. Her home had become dreadfully empty, and even more eerily silent. As she sat on the couch, a quick, repetitive knocking distracted her from her own depressing thoughts. The last time she saw Jackal kept on replaying in her head, getting worse each passing minute when she recognized that he was dead. With a groan, Lucy answered the door, her appearance disheveled. Jason stood behind the door, worried about his partner.
"Lucy, I really think you should come reort at the games today. I know you've been through alot lately, so maybe it'll get your mind off of... things..." He said. Lucy stood in thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Coool! See ya soon!" Jason said before turning and leaving.
             Lucy took a shower, the hot water running down her frail body and changed into a blue striped tank top and a matching pleated skirt. She brushed her teeth and applied lip gloss before pulling her hair up into a long side ponytail.
             "Ready to face the day!" She chanted, attempting to cheer herself up. Lucy pulled her purse over her shoulder and left, strolling to the stadium.
             The guards at the gates stopped her, demanding to see her pass. She scrambled through her purse, realizing she had left it at home. In a bold move, she flirtaciously posed, winking at the guards.
            "You two big, handsome men wouldn't mid letting me past, right?" She cooed.
            "Only if you have a pass." They repeated firmly. Lucy didn't know what else to do.
            "What?! What's that? Over there!" She gasped, pointing to the sky. The guards whipped their heads around, making a gap for Lucy to squeeze into.
             "Sorry I'm late!" Lucy apologized in between breaths as she got up to the judge panel with Jason. "What's happening?"
            "It's the final round, Skull Millione vs. Dullan Head!" Jason exclaimed, snapping multiple pictures. "They've been the underdogs the whole time!" He cheered.
            "It's an obvious trick." Lucy obseved, uninterested. "You can tell they've been much stronger the entire time, but by building suspense by losing a few times, their popularity grows too. The winner is no doubt Skull Millione." She explained nonchalantly. Jason was in awe, waiting for the match to end to see if she was correct. Just as she had expected, they were the last guild standing.
            "The winner of the X792 Grand Magic Games us Skull Millione!" Chapati shouted into the mic. As the winners basked in their victory, the temperature in the stadium began to rise drastically, to the point where Lucy's top had disintegrated. In a giant rush of flames, the entire Skull Millione team was out cold.
          "You guys were the champions? C'mon!" The mysterious intruder complained.
          "We seem to have a new challenger!" The host shouted, his wig melting off. The smoke cleared, revelaing a salmon haired man and his blue Exceed. Lucy's eyes widened and a chill went down her spine.
          "Long time no see, Lucy!" The man called, his companion echoing the notion.
          "Natsu..." Lucy gasped, a forced smile on her face.

Hehehehe what happens next?? ;)
This story is drawing to an end!
I'll post the last chapters tonight!! :)
Please vote and comment, I hope you enjoy this story!