Saki gritted her teeth. She didn't want to subject Hiro to anything. But... she couldn't die either. The least she could do was put up a fight.

Saki's POV

"Let him go." I growled, and ruffled my wings.

"That's fine, I think I can live with that." The girls grinned and I turned to look at Hiro. "Run, don't you dare look back." I whispered. The small child booked it, and made it out of the building. I turned back to look at the first girl that spoke to me.

"Do what are you going to do now?" I snarled. "Kill me?"

The girl that turned confident before reverted to being a tad... less confident.
"Well, no, it was just a-, Tori help me please?"

"What? Are you afraid now? You scared of the dragon slayer?" The other girl, Tori, glared at her. I looked at her for a second.
"You can't do anything to me. You're to scared to even touch me, let alone get in five feet of me." I said lightly, trying to figure out the best escape route. I noticed the man had dissapeared from the equation.

....fun times.

"You said what?" Tori picked up the knife on the ground and pushed me against the wall. "You know, we weren't going to fucking kill you. But now we might not have a choice."
I tried to push back against her, but she had my wings pinned up against the wall.

"Shit-"

"Tell me how this feels, Saki."
Tori stabbed the knife she picked up into one of my wings. I screeched in panic and anger.

"Give thy grace o-!"

"Ah-ah-ah, we can't let you say anything. That would make this less enjoyable." She had a gleam in her eyes as she slapped her hand over my mouth. I licked her hand, and she drew it away a few millimeters, just enough for me to bite it.

"You bitch!" Tori reached into her satchel to get a couple more sharp objects, and put her hand back over my mouth.

General POV---

Tori grinned as she twisted a knife into Saki's other wing, and Saki screamed into her hand.

"Shh, you don't want people to hear, do you?" Tori took one of her sharp objects and traced it along Saki's neck. It had looked like a sharp blue gem.

Saki flinched. She couldn't do anything. Even if she used magic, she would be overpowered instantly with all the vulnerability there is. Saki bit Tori's hand again. She growled, "What do you want from me?" The knives were tearing holes in the wings as her dead weight was pulling towards the ground.

"I want you to feel the pain your parent's did." Tori laughed. "How much torture they were put through, all because of you!"
She screwed the gem in Saki's abdomen and then (pretty much) punched her in the same spot. Saki coughed up a little blood.

"They aren't anyone's concern anymore. Their sins were far greater than could have been forgiven. So why does it even matter?"

-------Meanwhile?-----

Back in the ball setting, people were going home. The fire was put out by Natsu who, (not so much) heroically ate the flames.

Natsu and Alice met up with Sting, who was pacing.

"Are you alright?" Alice asked him, and he clenched his fist.

"No, you know what? I'm not. She hasn't come back yet. What if something happened? I know that if she got caught up in something, that she's strong, but-" Sting trailed off. "With the amount of bad shit that has happened to her, I have a feeling, y'know?"

Natsu frowned. "Well, what are we doing here then? Let's go find her." Alice nodded her agreement. Sting sighed.

"Yes. Let's."

After a lot of wandering around in Magnolia, a strong gust of wind drifted many scents. Natsu flinched.

"Do you guys smell that?" He asked, looking at Sting and Alice. They nodded. The metallic scent of blood was drifting through the air.

The source? An old window shop.

----Back to your local suffering----

"Why do you care?" Saki growled.

"I don't anymore. Not now that I have you here-" Tori grabbed Saki's face, "vulnerable, I can do whatever the hell I want."

Footsteps echoed outside, and Tori heard them draw near. She yanked Saki off from the wall, and she screamed. Tori took a knife that was left in the wall and held it in front of her with one hand. The other arm was holding Saki in place.

Saki snarled, "Let me go." White light started to emanate from her clenched, bloody fists. "If they find you, you're done for."

"If I'm done for, so are you. There's a trap the master put down. If you have friends that come, you might just get a little more hurt." Tori laughed.

The footsteps were close.

"Who is it?" Tori yelled.

Saki snarled, "Stay back!"
She smelled familiar scents around the wall. 

Natsu peeked around the corner. "Saki?"

She curled her lip and put her head down, only to get cut a little by the knife against her neck. Saki flung her head back and headbutted Tori, who let her go. Saki stumbled forward, dripping blood in her path.

"Find Hiro and make sure he is safe! None of you should be here." Saki growled. Natsu look at her confusingly, and remembered the little boy from earlier that day. "You aren't doing this by yourself Saki," He looked at her from the doorway, "but we will find him."

Natsu dissapeared from the doorway, and Saki smiled a little. At least, if something happens to her, Hiro will be safe. She turned to Tori, who had her hands on her head. "You bitch! You should have just let me kill you!"

"I can't do that, can I? Give thy Grace of Angel Wings!"

Saki's wings retracted instead of dissapearing like they always do. The moment of confusion distracted her, allowing Tori to take the opportunity to knock her to the ground. Without warning, Saki's wings came back out, in the same state they were before.

Tori grinned, "I am going to have so much fun with you. You sent help away? I'm shocked, you used to be so helpless." She grabbed a knife off of the ground and sat on Saki's chest, grabbing a hold to one of her wings. "You were so, so helpless," Tori screwed the knife into the wing, causing Saki to shriek, "so useless too... I think this will be fun. I wish your Mother could see you now."

Saki screamed every time the knife went into her wing. Her eyes were rolling into the back of her head from the pain. This is it I guess. I can't do anything else, fuck. She tried to sit up and get Tori off of her, but to no avail. Another stab, another scream.

This went on for a while.

-------
Sting and Alice ran down magnolia, spotting Natsu coming up the path that the shop was on.

"Did you find her?" Sting half shouted as they came closer. Everyone in motion stopped to catch their breath. Natsu grimaced. "Yeah, I found her. The problem is that there are traps preventing us from getting close. Saki told me to leave and find the little boy."

Alice made eye contact with Sting. "We will go find Hiro. You go get her." He nodded, slowly getting furious. He took off for the window shop. Did he not see her to tell me how she was?

Sting arrived to the shop, the scent of blood still present and getting stronger. He weaved though the building, careful where he put his feet. Reaching a corner, he peered around it, horrified at what he saw. A woman above Saki, holding a knife over her gut.

"I think I'm done playing with you. Although it was exceedingly fun, all fun must come to an end at some point. Isn't that right?" The woman pressed the knife, and Saki whimpered. Sting was horrified, and subconsciously tried to bring himself closer to the scene. As soon as he put down his foot, a faint click sounded. The woman turned her head and snarled.

"Great, your friend is here and he stepped on the trap. Guess you're doomed either way huh?" The knife slipped past skin, leading to more crimson leaking to the floor. Saki coughed up blood and gathered the energy to smirk as she watched the following scene unleash;

When Tori turned to speak to Saki, Sting moved a piece of rubble slowly to where his foot was to avoid the trap going off. He moved slowly across the room, unknowingly to Tori. His face grew an angry tone as white light shrouded the entire room.

"I think I might get out of here, scott free." Saki drew up what little strength she had left to absorb existing magic so she could merge hers into the mix. She made eye contact with Sting as she wiggled out from under Tori and scrambled to her feet. Crouching from the pain, she leaned against the wall to get her bearing. White magic came to her fists, and Tori's face screamed horror.

"You shouldn't be able to do anything, I was so close to killing you... you should be dead! How are you standing? Unless..?" She turned around, but saw no one. Tori looked back at Saki. "How is this possible?"

Saki drew her gaze past Tori, at Sting. He nodded at her. Let's do this.

She took a few painful steps forward, "It's over. Combination Attack," Sting came up behind Tori as Saki approached, "White Dragon's Light!"

There was a blinding light, and the attacking duo were sent stumbling a few steps with Saki falling to the ground. They looked up at where Tori should be, but she was gone.

"Either she ascended or escaped. Most likely the latter." Sting sighed, but snapped to when he realized why he came in the first place. He ran over to Saki, who had propped herself against the wall.

"Saki I'm so sorry I-," he grimaced as he bent down, "I should have been quicker." Sting picked up the poor girl, blood soaking his clothes. Saki looked at him, tearing up. "I need to get rid of them, they won't go away!"

"Your wings?" Sting asked, confused. He set her down gently.

"They won't dissapear using the spell. I think we have to cut them off for them to be gone for... uh for good." Saki was bobbling in and out of consciousness. She scrambled her hand around the floor to find a knife that was used earlier. She weakly took a piece of rubble and half ass beat it into a curve, handing it to Sting. He closed his fingers around it, fearfully.

"You aren't serious." He murmured, and she made eye contact with him. "Dead. Please. If you don't ever do anything I ask again, do this."

Sting swallowed and gripped the knife as he walked behind Saki. He put the knife against her skin where the wings extruded. "Darling, I am so, so sorry." She braced herself as the knife cut into her skin, but couldn't help but let out a blood curdling scream. Sting sliced out her first wing, and quickly went after the second. He dropped the knife in horror, very terrified of what he had just done. The dark crimson liquid slowly leaked out of her back, but it didn't take long to slow and stop bleeding.

Sting picked up the now unconscious love of his life, and headed for the exit. He had to get out of here and do it without being seen.

Quickly.

--‐---------
Last Edited 25 December 19

Merry Christmas!