Disclaimer: I don't owe Fairy Tail
Morning light finally woke me up; I brushed away my loose stands of hair that were stuck to my forehead. Even my clothes needed to be peeled off. I reached for a change of clothes and turned on a fire lacrima. I couldn't help but notice that my hands were shaking when I pulled out my cloths; standing helplessly as zombies tear you to shreds would turn the bravest to cowards…
As I waited for water to heat up, I read a book to ease my nerves, planning to finish off any remaining fear with a nice, warm, rejuvenating bath. With all these nightmares occurring lately, I've grown some envy to fire mages. They practically have instant access to an instant refresher—if what I've seen Natsu do was any good point of reference. I closed my book at the over familiar 'ding'. It's only been three days since we've moved hideouts and already, the shower room is the place I'm most intimate with.
Baths are the greatest thing I look forward to everyday. I was submerged in soothing hot water after impatiently cleaning myself. I suppose this is an upside to being haunted by my sins. As the water sloshes around, they took away my troubles in waves.
Lazily taking in the steam-filled room in boredom, I saw my blurry reflection. I could make out my hair from my face but nothing else beyond that. Even the clock above my head wasn't free. Not that I need a clock. I have a good track of time—everything must follow a schedule. A few minutes later, I reluctantly got out, quickly dried myself and dressed up. Five minutes before the meeting starts.
In a room lit by sunlight, I sat around a round table, running my shoes up and down a sark blue carpet while I waited for Meredy and Jellal to show up which, should come about…now. Doors clicked, and footsteps filled the room.
"Good morning Ul, did you sleep well?" Meredy asked. In the time after we met Natsu, I haven't told Meredy about my dreams, she's still closing in on the truth. I'm not sure if I should be proud, or irritated.
"Well enough, I got a good amount of sleep." Though it was fragmented in three segments.
"That's good, we wouldn't want you to get sick, it's easy to catch something in this time of the year." Meredy said as she took a seat and moved closer to me. I smiled hearing those nostalgic words, a much younger Meredy flashed through my head.
In the same moment, I unconsciously stroked her hair, "A bit early for you to be telling me that."
"Let's get this meeting started." Jellal yawned, trying to straighten his messy blue hair. While he isn't a morning person, he sure isn't bad with mornings either. Yet, those blue eyes were struggling to stay open. If anyone of us is going to be sick, it's going to be him.
"Should we wait until later? At least, once you get some rest."
He replied with a wry smile, "Then I wouldn't be able to sleep, the meeting would always be in my mind."
"Got it, let's start then."
"Thanks. I received notice that someone called Norton The Puppeteer is human trafficking. His latest known victim is a small girl called Emily." Jellal handed me a picture while Meredy looked over my shoulder.
She was a cute kid, wearing her hair in the form of a cyan ribbon streaming down the back. A pair of cheerful eyes. If children are also targets, how many people have gone missing?
Like an explosion, a man's face blasted everything else away, swapped with countless lifeless faces. Time sped forward, flesh fell off cheeks; eyes shrivelled like rotten fruit; maggots surged from mouths, bringing along rot and decay to my nose.
They were chanting again. Die! Die! Die! I tried to speak, nothing. Die! Die! Die! I tried to run, hands anchored me. Die! Die! Die! My attempts at escape was met with chanting that got louder and started to echo. Then I felt something warm touch my arm in the midst of cold corpses—a hand. It shook me, gentle at first, but becoming more forceful.
"Ul!" That word pulled me out. It was spilling with so much concern that it wiped the heads away. "Are you okay?" Meredy was leaning towards me, one hand on my shoulder, and the other on my lap.
"I'm…fine."
"Are you sure? If you're not sick, then what is it? You still haven't told me."
"It doesn't matter, it's nothing that serious, stopping Norton is more important."
"You don't have to worry about that, I took the job. Both you and Jellal need to get some rest, I'll handle everything else." Meredy's eyes, I can't stop her once they become like that. They were like a tree going though winter, determined to face anything. "In exchange, I want you to do something about what's bothering you. If you won't tell, then at the very least—the very least, treat it! With this, I'm cancelling the meeting early, anything else we didn't cover, we'll talk about it later."
"We can't do that." "I can keep going."
"Well I can't, I'm done here, I need to prepare to capture Norton." Meredy slammed the door on her way out. Groans replaced the sound shortly after.
"I thought she was over her rebellious age…"
"In a way, it's our fault." Jellal mused.
"Don't defend her, she's setting back our work flow. Depending on when's our next meeting, we'll lose a week's worth of work or even worse."
"Take that time to rest up," his stern tone left me no room to argue, "or find a professional to talk to. I'm going back to sleep. I want you to have some focus next time." And Jellal left me in a plain room to think about what to do next. Before I knew it, I grabbed my fake identification, some money and put on a good disguise; changing my hair to a blazing red, eyes a piercing blue. I slipped on a pair of jeans and wore a jacket. I'm the worst kind of mother, always unable to refuse their children's request.
I don't go to see doctors often, I don't get sick a lot for one, I don't trust them either. They lied to my mother and turned my life upside-down. It took a very sick Meredy and lots of pleading from her for me to finally asked them for help. However, these nightmares have gone to the point where they are seriously starting to affect my duties. I have to get this out of my head. Thus, I'm now Skye Doyle sitting on a bench crossed legged and skimming through a magazine, waiting for my name to be called.
At last, I entered a room with contrasting colours, a red carpet that sunk my feet met a pale-yellow wall. Posters to raise awareness of multiple mental illnesses were placed to compliment the duller parts of the room. Standing out from all of this, was a lady in a lab coat writing down some notes.
"Miss Doyle yes?" She asked with a smile I felt that the room brighten in an instant.
"Yes."
"Take a seat, I don't believe that you've been here before." I pulled out a leather seat."
"No, I'm a traveller."
"I see. Then could you tell me what's bothering you?"
I took a deep breath. "I've been having nightmares for the past month now." Pen scratching on paper intensified.
"What were the nightmares about?"
"I rather not tell."
"I see." Being probed like this was unnerving. I guess I was scared—scared to admit what I done to others. Perhaps that's why they attack me, they're here to remind me of it. I tried to be as honest as possible, a few questions did go unanswered, or given the wrong answer. And she could tell. That same experienced wry smile would peek out from her professionalism.
"It seems like you're suffering from the aftermath of a tragic past, why it started to appear now, I'm not entirely sure." I nodded. "As with most patients I see, a lot of their struggles are internal, they had to fight their past by themselves. What I can do however, is to keep it out of your mind. I'll prescribe some medicine to help with that. Keep in mind, these are only tools, not an out.
"And since you didn't tell me the crux of the nightmares, I'm afraid I can only do so much. I could refer to you some of my colleagues that could help you. Since this is the case, perhaps trying to talk to someone that you trust more than me." A sad smile creeped up. "It may not seem like much but, having someone else's support goes a long way in winning the battle. Oh! Might I also suggest taking up a hobby? From what you've told me, you seem to be too focused on your job. Stress can be a major reason why you've been having nightmares lately, it can also explain the abruptness of your nightmares. A hobby could relief stress that you've gained unconsciously. Sometimes, even having a job you love can still accumulate stress. We'll see what happens in a month, or you can find me whenever something changes. Anything else I can help you with?"
"Not that I can think of."
"Then I hope you have a good day."
"Thank you so much, goodbye."
"See you."
Leaving the building with a bag of drugs in tow, my stomach reminded me that I haven't eaten breakfast with a low battle cry. It should almost be time for lunch anyway. Isn't that Natsu ahead?
Surprisingly enough, Natsu was strolling around the streets with a flying cat tagging closely behind. With hands hanging behind his head. Natsu peered at each store with curiosity. Not unusual, this town is known for their handicraft, which is precisely why it's unlikely or even strange to find Fairy Tail members roaming the streets of Westerspring. The locals would never hire them. They would hire Blue Pegasus for models and smaller guild for when they need something else done. And should Fairy Tail visit, it would be people looking for gifts. And Natsu doesn't strike me as a thoughtful person, he thought I was a guy that liked to cross-dress for goodness sake!
His gaze washed over me, looks like he didn't notice me just yet, he will once I get closer. And I have to, the diners and restaurants are behind him. I was about thirty steps away from him when I was targeted again, his lip curled and waved.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"We're about to celebrate our guild anniversary, so I came here to buy a gift for gramps." Natsu replied, his smile never leaving.
"Aye!" The blue cat; Happy chirped. "By the way Natsu, who's this?"
"She's that person from uhh…she's Ul-something."
I hurried and clasped my hand over his mouth; whispered, "It's Ultear and don't say my name in public, got it?" He nodded; I released him.
"So what are you doing here?" Natsu asked back like nothing happened.
"Huh? Oh, I was patrolling to see if there's anyone causing trouble. Now I'm going to have lunch."
"Sweet! Can we join you?"
"But Natsu, we already ate!"
"Who cares? It's better to eat with someone, eating by yourself is lonely."
"Thanks for you concern but, I've gotten used to eating alone after being by myself for so long. You can join me if you want but, I'm not paying for your meal."
"Cool! Then let's—"
"Wait!" I stopped him and focused on a figure in the distance. Legs acted as blinds, so I only saw the squatting silhouette in glimpses—a crying child! I darted forward, wading my way through a river to reach the treasure on the other side. I made out purple hair and eyes; they were a darker shade, but still lovely. "Are you okay?" The child stopped whimpering, placing her tiny hands on her white dress. "Where's your mom?"
"Don't…know…" Her voice was hoarse, I could see dry tear marks partitioning her cheeks.
"Did she say where to go if you get lost?"
"No…"
"Do you want to find her?" The child nodded. "Then let's go find mommy." I picked her up in my arms and made a small ice rose.
"Pretty." She pawed for the rose.
"You keep that for me, okay?"
"Got it!"
"What's your name?"
"Eva." At that moment, a little earthquake originated from Eva's stomach. Like a rabbit, Eva burrowed deeper in my arms, drawing a giggle from me, she's so cute!
"Looks like you're hungry as well, then let's go eat. I'm Skye, nice to meet you Eva."
"Yup!"
"You really look like a mother huh." I turned and found Natsu peering down on us. My sleeves felt tighter.
"It's alright Eva, he's my friend." I cooed while patting her head.
"Yup, just because Natsu looks scary, doesn't mean he's evil." Happy informed.
"Kitty!" Eva pawed for Happy this time.
"We'll play later, for now, we'll fill our tummies."
"Okay!"
We found a small diner that was bustling with people, Eva was taking in the sights, it seems like she isn't a local, when we were finding a place to eat, marvel was ever present, tugging on my sleeve to point out something she found amusing. A shame she never had the chance to enjoy the town until now. Of course, while she was having the time of her life, I was looking for anyone that had similar features to Eva, or a worried, angsty woman. In the end, my search was futile. Natsu told me that since there's so many people, once they go beyond a certain distance, he couldn't make out the different scents.
"What's wrong?" I asked Eva, seeing her sporting a frown. Tracking her line of sight, she appeared to be fixated on the price tags on the dishes rather than the text above them. "You don't have to worry about it, I have more than enough to pay for it, just cut loose, it's a special day isn't it?"
"Papa's birthday…"
"So that's why you're here. We'll find your mom soon. And the last thing I want is her blaming me for letting you starve, it's an important time of your life to be eating well, don't hold back."
"Can't eat it all…"
"That's why Natsu is here, he'll clean everything up."
"Really?" She looked at a plate of pancakes on the menu.
"Of course, do you want the pancakes?"
Leaving the diner, Eva had a new-found bounce in her voice. She got even more excited when she saw someone with long dark hair, only to have her hope crushed once we got closer. Natsu was actively sniffing for people that smelt like Eva; Happy search from above for people that matched Eva's description: pretty, with purple hair—not much to go by.
"Mama…"
"We'll find her, do you know where you lost her?"
"It looked like that." Eva pointed to an alley. This is a long-shot but, seeing the dark, damp alley sparked Eva's description back in my head.
"Natsu! We're leaving this town," I broke into a run, shoving everyone out of my way, there's only one way out of Westerspring, "we have to hurry, Eva's mother might have been abducted!" Natsu's sense of smell shouldn't be blocked once we get out. I won't let anyone else be stripped of their mother!
Trees surrounded us, stone roads melted to dirt ones. Eva clutched on my arms. I wanted to leave her behind, where it's safe, but she wouldn't let go.
"Natsu, have you found a scent?"
"Yeah, they're pretty far away, we need to hurry." Maintaining this disguise could bite me back in the butt.
"Eva, sorry for lying to you, I'm not Skye," I dispelled my disguise, "my real name is Ultear. For certain reasons, I can't stay in public, so please keep this a secret okay?"
"Pretty…" Eva pulled on my hair, I guess she hasn't developed a disdain for lies yet.
"Lead the way Natsu."
"Got it." Natsu ran towards the trees to the extent that I had troubles keeping up with him. Running with a child on one arm and holding an orb in the other wasn't the best way to chase after people. If we're lucky, we'll get Eva's mother back, and maybe give Meredy some more information.
Tracks appeared as the ground got more damp and canopies became dense. Three distinct boots stamped on dirt; one large, two average. Judging from how deep the tracks were, they're not in a hurry. While I wasn't tired, my breathing sure was audible. Natsu however, didn't change at all.
"The smell is getting stronger. We'll catch up to them in no time."
"Then let's slow down a bit." I suggested, adjusting Eva to a better location. Now she was perched on my shoulders, I can't turn my head very well, at least I can use my other hand now.
"Why?"
"See how swallow these prints are? They're not running, that means once we've found them, they'll be rested and ready to fight, if we keep our pace up, by the time we run into them, we might be too tired."
"I can keep going though."
"I don't go through as much physical training as you do."
"Fine, Happy, carry her, we'll speed up."
"Aye sir!" The blue cat that was sitting on Natsu's head and happily eating raw fish circled behind me and picked me up.
"Now we don't have to worry about it. Any problems Happy?"
"Nope! She's lighter than Lucy."
"That's good, I'll go at top speed." Natsu exploded into another run, faster than what I could achieve. Then Happy took off after him. Wind hit my face, it stung my eyes. At least Eva was having fun, waving her arms in the air and shifting the balance of my head.
It wasn't long until we saw figures weaving between trees: they noticed us. "Happy! Max speed, I'll catch up!"
"Aye sir!" Air formed a thick wall that actively pushed against us. The men were wearing the black jacket and boots, the largest man in the middle was carrying a woman with silky purple hair.
"Mama!"
"Don't worry, I'll get her back. Happy, once we get close, drop me off and take Eva with you, don't you dare let her get hurt, or you'll pay!"
"A—aye!"
"The moment you see an opening, drag Eva's mother out of there." I ordered before touching the ground. "I presume you three work for Norton?"
The one in the middle answered, "you wouldn't need to know," bingo; I prepared my orb, "coming by yourself, you must be a dumber bitch than I thought." At the foot of the other two, dark, shadowy snakes slithered off and hid in the bushes.
"I shouldn't do this but, I'll give you a chance, release the woman and tell me all you know about Norton, then I'll let you three go." The man sneered.
"You letting us go? You're surrounded! How about you strip and shake that ass for us? And maybe you'll leave without having—" Our surrounding turned to rot and dust, revealing the snakes. In the same moment, a torrent of roses pierced the snakes. "What the…"
"It's a small chance, but I rather not risk Eva learning something that she shouldn't. You're just like the rest, hopeless and unable to change. Maybe being locked up will help!" I accelerated my orb, slamming into the other two. When it reached around for the remaining one, he caught it and crushed my orb. Shards dropped to the ground while I blasted the fallen men to Natsu's direction.
"Not bad, don't think you're hot shit just because you took out those trash!" He pulled out a gun and fired air bullet my way. Wave after wave, I countered each bullet with a wall of thorns. "Eat this!" The air turned hot; red and orange consumed me. Even that quickly disappeared into nothing. "Wha—" At the moment, I re-created my orb and smashed it to the man's face.
"Happy!" A blue blurred swooped in, taking Eva's mother with him. "Now I can fight without holding back." When the man got back up, he was already encased in a cage of thorns, they stabbed his hands, dropping the gun.
"You sure took care of him quickly." Natsu said, shoulders carrying the people I sent him.
"It's thanks to you getting rid of the other two. Can you ensure that he wouldn't escape? I need to see if Eva's mother is fine."
"Sure." Eva beat me to it, she was shaking her mother's head, tearing up once she didn't get any response. Happy set the two down against a tree that was saved from my magic.
"Let me try." I placed two fingers on the neck; soft beats brought a smile to my face. "She's just sleeping, don't worry." Inspecting closer, traces of magic came from the mother's chest. "They made her sleep with magic. I can't dispel it, maybe if Meredy is here."
"She won't wake up?"
"No, no, I just can't wake her up peacefully." I took off her flat shoes along with her loafer socks. "It'll be a bit cold, just bear with it." I made a block of ice and pressed it to her feet. A few seconds later, the mother's eyes fluttered open.
"Huh? Where I am?" Purple eyes absorbed everything around her.
"Mama!" Eva lunge at her mother with a hug."
"Sweetheart? What—where are we? That's right, I was following David and then—"
"You were abducted by those three." I pointed to tied-up people by Natsu.
"David!? He…" Eva's mother pointed to the large man that was just knocked out by Natsu.
"You know him?"
"He's my friend, or was. He told me that he's in debt. Then he led me in an alley since he didn't want Eva to hear about some things."
"I see, if he's hired by Norton, I doubt questioning him will get me much."
"Umm…who are you by the way?"
"I'm Ultear," Eva's mother froze, "you've heard of me, not surprising I guess."
"What do you want from us?" She hugged Eva tight, covering Eva as much as possible.
"You shouldn't believe everything the newspapers and authorities tell you."
"At least they're more trustworthy than a criminal!"
"I can't deny that. However, I did take care of Eva for you. And with the help of Natsu over there, I saved you."
"Is that true?" Looking at Eva for confirmation, the mother kept up her guard. Seeing her child nod happily, she breathed a sigh. "I'm sorry."
"You were just tricked by your friend, it's understandable."
"I'm Jennifer, thanks so much for looking after my daughter."
"Just don't tell anyone that I was here, if you must report it, just say that Natsu saved you."
"Why?"
"The less leads people have on me, the better. Natsu!" I called out. "Can you take these two back? I need to question those three."
"You're leaving?" Eva asked. Looking into her moist eyes broke my heart.
"I can't stay."
"Will you come and play?"
"Sorry for breaking that promise, you just can't stay in contact with me, it's dangerous."
"But…"
"Has she shown signs of using magic?" I asked Jennifer.
"The test we had her take came back positive."
"Then will this make up for it?" I gave Eva my orb.
"No!" Eva clutched onto the orb tightly.
"You were being so well-behaved before…now you're being so stubborn…" I stared at Jennifer for assistance.
"Sweetie, Ultear is a…criminal, like she said, being with her will—"
"Ul is not a bad person! Mama said criminals are bad people, but, but, Ul isn't! So why is she a criminal!?" Eva cried, stamping her foot in frustration. Tears flowed from eyes filled with…adoration!? Those were the same expression that Meredy gave me when I was her role model.
"Umm…well…"
"Because I killed people," Eva stopped, "I wasn't like the person you I am now, I killed anyone that got in my way, children or elderly. I'm not the person you think I am, seven years ago, I was still a cold-hearted killer. I stole, I lied, I cheated, you wouldn't want to be with me. That's why I'm trying to make things right. All this time, I'm trying to make amends for what I've done, you can't reverse time after all. It's best if you forget about me." I reached for my orb.
"No!" Eva bit my hand like a cornered mouse.
"Eva…" I didn't try to free my hand. Unlike the corpses, this bite was packed with emotion—love. Instead, I slowly stroked her head. "I'm really sorry. If I haven't done what I've done, I would love to play with you. I apologise to you as well," I turned to Jennifer, "for your daughter's first role model to be someone like me."
"I think it's a good thing." She responded, rubbing circles to Eva's twitching back. "It teaches her that there's always time to make things right, she'll know that making mistakes won't be the end of things. If anything, I should thank you." Never, in seven years has anyone told that to me, once they learned of my identity, they would push me away—not that I tell people who I am without thinking—Jennifer firmly faced me. The gratification I felt from helping people remains the same, they're a comfort food to me. And perhaps that's why my mouth moved without much thought.
Eva stopped adding pressure to her bite, just letting her teeth rest against my skin. "Eva?" She looked up. "If society ever allows me, I promise to come visit you."
"Really?"
"Only if your parents allow it."
"I'll try to convince my husband."
"Then you better pay attention to the newspaper." I ruffled Eva's hair. "Even I don't know when that will happen."
"But..." Eva started, "you said not to trust everything they say."
"And that's why you need to know how to spot the difference."
"Promise?" Eva held up her little finger.
"It's a promise." I hooked our fingers together.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed.
This took longer than it should have took, I'm a really lazy person. But anyway, I swear I won't use lunch as an excuse in the next chapter, most likely, it won't even feature Natsu, I'm not too sure at the moment.
Anyway, I'm still looking for some chapter ideas, let me know if you have any good ones! Also, thanks so much for showing your understanding in me deciding to drop my last story, it really helped get the guilt out of my head.
Finally, I made a better effort to proofread this time, I'm sure there's still errors, please forgive me if you found them.
Have a nice day!
