Lucy's POV
You stare at me with wide eyes as I showed you the back of my right hand. Staring at the place that once so proudly held the mark that united me to my family. A mark that tied me to all of you, even when you chose to alienate me. After three months of being bound by the same chains my father attached to me so long ago, I chose to break them, to detach myself from you. I quit my old team that you begrudgingly let me stay on, yet you criticized and blamed me for any mistakes or mishaps. I continued on as a member of the team before I realized that you didn't want me there. I remembered the looks of annoyance and hidden anger you shot my way, how I brushed them off, thinking, that they weren't directed at me, but they were. The day after I made this discovery, I quit the team. You all seemed relieved I had finally taken the hint: I was a weakness that no longer had any purpose on your team. I asked you the question I hadn't known I had.
"Was I ever apart of the team to begin with?" My eyes gave nothing away and sparkled with an empty look of nothingness rather than the tears I'm sure you guys were expecting. My voice had , a tone of practiced detachment and coldness,something I had not used since my time spent in the Heartfillia Konzern. It was easier, I learned, to lock away my emotions and let it out at once as a desperate anguished cry away from everyone else.
You were the first to respond: "Of course you were Lucy, we think this will give you a chance to expand your powers and abilities rather than be stuck going on missions with us." I heard the lie as soon as it was out. I felt my mask crack, only a small centimeter but the damage was done. He had called me by my real name rather than the nickname he gave me so long ago, unknowingly answering the question he was trying hard to avoid answering. I smiled a beautifully bright, fake smile and thanked them before turning around and heading to the mission board. They made no move to come after me, even as they saw my shattering mask, saw how they had put hurt and betrayal deep inside my once golden soul. As I was up at the mission board choosing a job I heard a group, who were more than likely returning from a job, walk into the guild. I heard a gasp and someone fall to the ground. I turned to see if everything was alright only to find Bixslow on his knees, holding his chest as he stared directly into my eyes with such an expression of suffering you would have thought he was dying. I could see the empathy in his eyes though, how he was holding back the tears I long ago suppressed. His team stared at him curiously, following his gaze to me. Their eyes clicked with recognition, as they had all worn my smile, and looked back at Bixslow. Tears were falling freely down his face as his eyes became hollow from the pain. I waved to them and locked as much of my hurting away as I could, burying it somewhere deep in the core of my soul. Within a few seconds the pain had died down and he was able to stand. He stared at me for a few moments before walking towards me, pulling me into a tight hug. His team had followed him over to me, in shock from everything that happened. The guild around us had gone deathly quiet, watching the scene before them unfold. Even my former team had stopped taking to watch the current events.
I tensed and whispered to Bixslow quietly, "Why don't we go somewhere a little less open to talk?" He nodded his head numbly and I took his hand, leading him and his team to my apartment. The walk there was silent as we walked the couple of blocks to my apartment. I sat Bixslow on the couch and told his team to make themselves at home. I quickly fixed up some tea and handed them each a cup. I sat opposite of them, and smiled, trying to lighten the tense mood.
Laxus was first to speak. "What the hell just happened?" He grumbled.
I replied in a sickly happy voice, "I decided to leave my team and one of the things they said brought up some pain of my past,"I never lied, it was an insult to my magic, one that was built on trust and verbal contracts, and had just told a halftruth. I saw Laxus's eyes darken in anger and annoyance. I felt my soul crack a little inside but ignored it for the better lest on of my spirts shows up and tells the everything. As if on cue Loki popped out of his gate and looked at me irradically. All I could do was smile and say, "Hey Loki."
His face was beet red from anger and you could see the confusion shine in his eyes. I realized I had let some darkness seep into my eyes and probably looked lifeless. Pushing it down, I looked at Loki waiting for him to tell me what he wanted. "Release me from my contract," he said in a heartbroken voice as he walked over to me.
I smiled at him with the brightest smile I could muster and replied, "sure Loki. If this is what your site you want I will happily set you free". I then yelled, "Release Leo the Lion from his Contract to Lucy Heartfilia!" I immediately felt a weight be lifted from my soul as I was finally able to breathe again. I quickly handed Leo his key but not before hugging him and thanking him for being my friend.
I could see him crack as he said, "