One
mission oh so impossible
Fatigue washed over her eyes, coaxing them to close shut and abandon the mission at hand. The pink haired girl resisted, straining herself to stifle the yawn begging to escape her mouth. Instead, she stared up to the blanket of blackness overhead, coated with the occasional drifting grey cloud. If she tried squinting closely, she could make out the silhouette of the moon—or maybe it was her tired state of mind playing tricks on her.
She hadn't seen the moon in weeks, only a vast canvas of emptiness.
Then, unexpectedly, she yawned.
"Meredy," the girl flinched, gaze switching from the barely visible moon to a woman of fair skin and illuminating black hair. Her eyes twinkled in place of the missing stars of the sky, a sight Meredy had always found to be breathtaking. "Bear it longer, okay?"
"Of course," Meredy nodded, scooting over for room so the woman could safely get to Meredy's side from where she stood. "I'm all good Ultear!"
Ultear smiled, climbing over the ledge and sitting where Meredy was. "You don't always have to be strong in front of me, Meredy. I understand."
"I'm fine," Meredy insisted, though her words weren't entirely true. Although Meredy once proclaimed she would be fine wherever she went as long as she was with Ultear, in that moment when they were in each other's embrace with the water coolly surrounding them, a part of her assumed they would become a normal family as normal as a family of two mages with dark pasts go.
She figured they could start off with a clean slate, fulfilling her dream of travelling around the world with just her and Ultear. No Grimoire Hearts and Master Hades with his intent on terrorizing the world with their magic and strength. No pursuits of committing sins to cover up previous sins. No sleepless nights of yearning for redemption despite feeling comforted by the warmth of each other's embrace. Just her and Ultear taking on the world in casual ease.
Good things, however, could never come or last long for Meredy.
In the days following the incident at Tenrou Island, Meredy frequently found Ultear in states of disarray, ranging from sleep talking to random sobbing. She tried her best to alleviate the situation through food, words, and gestures; but nothing seemed to work. It was puzzling to Meredy who figured Ultear would be equally happy about being liberated from the guilt of their committed wrongdoings. Being her naive self, Meredy caught on soon later that she had forgotten a certain mage Ultear had wronged the most, perhaps in the most unforgiving way as well.
Jellal Fernandes.
Realizing he was the reason for Ultear's condition made Meredy convinced Ultear to formulate the mission they were carrying out at hand. It wasn't a mission given to them. There was no bounty or reward when they pull it off. In fact, there was more to lose than to gain, with how long it has been taking them and how much energy it has been depriving of them. But to restore Ultear to her former state was as good of an reward to Meredy.
It made pulling off a heist seem almost laughable, bearable, normal.
"Meredy," her voice pulled Meredy from her thoughts as something touched the rough, peeling skin of her chapped lips. A piece of bread.
Quizzical, she took the bread and casted Ultear a questioning look.
"It's all I could steal," she explained, "sorry. It'll be over tonight. Promise."
Meredy nodded, biting into the small piece of bread which burned in her mouth. She wondered, then, when was the last time she had taken a sip of water. When was the last time Ultear took a sip of water? Their supply was low well before they took on this mission and Ultear had allowed her to finish what was remaining.
"I'm fine Meredy," Ultear said suddenly, reading the worried expression Meredy wore on her face, "it's my fault for dragging us into this. Once it's over, I'll treat you to something good, okay?"
"…treat yourself to something Ultear."
She ruffled her hair. "Hai, hai."
When Ultear turned back to looking out, Meredy heaved a sigh. To say that she had no idea why Jellal meant so much to Ultear was a complete lie. She had caught wind of her history with him which involved manipulation, exploitation, and the revival of the R-system. To say that she didn't think the entire situation was crazy and borderline obsessive was a lie but at this point, Ultear was too precious to Meredy to admit so.
For her, she was willing to go through all sorts of lengths. Waiting for guards to disperse at the jail was not a problem, even if it was overseen by the Magic Council themselves. In fact, Meredy had few qualms with the council besides that she harbored personal dislikes about them since she wasn't law abiding after all. What made the whole operation problematic was that security was so tight that only on a specified week, for one day, were every guard given a holiday.
The exact day was not known, making it the underlying problem. Not to ready to risk any days, Ultear and Meredy had hid a week in advance, now entering the eleventh day they went without food, water and rest.
"Meredy! Meredy!"
The happy tone was startling considering it wasn't something Meredy hadn't heard from Ultear in a long time. With what little energy she had left, she dragged herself to see what Ultear was pointing about. Her eyes widened immediately, happiness spreading in her own self.
The guards in front of Jellal's cell were finally leaving. The mission was finally coming to its end.
"I'll go down first, warn me when something is wrong," Ultear said, after a thirty minute wait.
Meredy nodded as the woman smiled and hurried down, swiftly but carefully, to the cell. The pink haired girl watched the time mage whisper the man's name and a dark figure shifted to face towards her. Surprise spread over Ultear's face but fondness soon replaced it. Meredy watched this glumly, wondering if Ultear had ever shown that expression around her. It was far more tender and loving than the ones she'd shown to Meredy except, maybe the emaciated physical state Ultear was in compensated that. She was thin and frail from malnourishment, her cheek bones protruding scarily when her thin lips formed a smile. Even as she was leaning against the prison door, her body was shaking, legs too weak to support herself for any longer.
"Definitely carrying her on the way out," Meredy thought, "and making her rest and eat—"
K-BOOM.
Without a warning, the sound resonated in the stillness of the night, a wave of dust flying everywhere. The smell of rubble and dirt filled her nostrils as Meredy coughed away the dust.
When she finally came to, Meredy peered down only to be met with a horrifying sight.
"No…this couldn't be happening."
As the smoke cleared, she could make out a limp body of a black haired woman lying down on the stoned ground.
Ultear…
"Ultear!" Logic escaped her mind as she unreservedly jumped from where she hid, running over to where her mother was. "Ultear!" Cradling her body in her arms, Meredy placed a hand over Ultear's heart and panic coursed through her body.
There was no pulse.
"Ultear!" A tear welled in her eyes but didn't fall.
"Ultear!" She clasped the sides of her mother's cheeks, scared to see that the usual red blush was fading.
"Ultear!" Her rose red lips were rose red no more.
"Ult—"
A hand grasped her shoulder, squeezing it. Meredy looked up. A blonde boy her age.
"That was your mother?" He was nodding, his lips formed a straight line but was itching to curve upwards. "She was a strong fighter."
"Wh-what?" Meredy blinked, her lone tear trickled down her face. Before it dripped from her chin to the floor, however, the blonde leaned in, holding out a finger. The teardrop plopped on his finger.
"Don't cry," he sounded mocking, "tears don't look well on a girl like you."
He licked his finger. The finger with the tear.
"Y-you," Meredy steadied her voice, failing. "Y-you…you…killed Ultear…"
"Oh…?" The boy glanced at her through the corner of his eyes, seeing anger swelling in her chest. "I guess I should take responsibility?" He grabbed her collar, leering, "so what if I did? Didn't you hear me the first time pinky? Get. Out."
She didn't hear anything. She couldn't. How the hell could she?
This guy killed Ultear!
With roaring anger coursing through every fiber of her body, she kicked his crotch, distancing between them.
"Maguilty Rays," she chanted as she conjured yellow blades with her fingers. With a deadly glare of a predator, she pointed to the direction of her sprawling victim. "Go."
They sped at top speed; seemingly pave the end for whoever was to receive them. Meredy smiled softly at the satisfaction of avenging Ultear's death. Now…on to…
But Meredy never had a chance to even glance at Ultear for the last time. That was because her blades never reached him.
"Sugoi…" he was crackling, having fully recovered with a white mist outlining him.
Her blades had easily been destroyed.
What…
"…that took a lot of my energy to destroy, you know. But…" he cracked his neck, the frustration in the popping vein on his forehead contrasting the mood in the smile he wore. "…no one can beat me, pinky. Remember that."
With those words, he jumped forward, raising his fist towards her without giving her a chance to react. It turned out to be an ordinary punch, but she was never deft at hand-to-hand combat. The blow he launched at her came as a sting, sending her tumbling backwards. Just as she was to stand up, a familiar but unfamiliar yell sounded.
"White Dragon's Holy Breath!"
A hypnotic, iridescent beam flew towards her and even though every part of her damaged body told her to move away, she couldn't. It looked so light, so beautiful, so familiar. It was only until it hit her that she finally discovered why she was feeling the way she felt.
"Ah…it's just like Natsu-san's flames…except…light."
She didn't remember anything clearly after this.
His flames encased her, licked around her before pain trickled on her skin and then seeped into her body. They impaled her senses at once, repeatedly until they all of a sudden stopped.
She fell on the ground.
"Geez, that's it?" he sighed, hovering over her, "I thought you would put up a bigger fight than that! I beat you!"
Just…be quiet already…
"Oh wells, I guess that's all the daughter of a good-for-nothing time mage amounts to. What was her name again? Ul-shit? Ul-fuck?" His laughter echoed in her ears, an ugly taunt.
"Ul-shit?" she managed out, "Ul-fuck? What the hell are you saying?"
She was surprising him, him who didn't suspect a person to still be conscious after his hit.
And Meredy liked this.
Yes..bastard…yes…
With every bit of magic she still had left, Meredy chanted her most powerful spell, her wild card. "Magulity Sense."
The sudden thrust of pain made the boy automatically fall on his knees, his knees quacking over the shock. Meredy smirked, using his shoulders to support her up and to make him face her.
She only had a bit of magic left. This next move wouldn't be as powerful as it would if she was in her normal state. But it was good enough.
"Die," she said, conjuring a faded yellow blade, "die you scum! You murderer!"
The blade was thrust forth at the boy's neck, so close to death's door. But when she saw the fleeting glimmer of defeat, of surrender in his eyes, her blade stopped in its path. Meredy gaped.
What the…
"Magulity Sense!" She screamed desperately, " Magulity Sense! Magulity Sense! Magulity Sense!"
No matter how many times she repeated, how many times she conjured magical blades, they wouldn't attack as she ordered. Relief sank in the crippled blonde but Meredy wouldn't have it.
She wobbly reached for his neck but never got a chance to dirty her hands.
"Shadow Dragon's Slash," a soft, dull voice whispered before blackness pierced through her.
The shining stars twinkled in the night sky even as Meredy fell into unconsciousness and landed in someone's arms.
Word Count: 2,150
Edit: ~04/14/14