Chapter 8
Naomi… Akame… Deliora… Isvan… So many old wounds, reopened because of one person, all in one night…
"Gray, are you sure you're alright?" he felt Lucy's hand on his arm, but it brought little comfort. He could feel the tension rolling through every inch of his body, and his hands were clenched in front of his so hard his knuckles were white. "Gray please, you've been so quiet since we saved Naomi… Please talk to me…"
He let out a shaky breath, his eyes falling closed.
"Akame was my best friend when I was kid… I never knew he had a younger sister…. Or a younger brother for that matter…" Gray was quiet for a moment.
"I didn't know Kyon well, but he went on a lot of jobs with my dad, and their dad was a dragon slayer… Granted, he got his magic from a lacrima like Laxus… But he was still the strongest wizard in that guild. The day that Deliora attacked, Akame was bragging about Kyon like usual… Nothing seemed out the ordinary, and then… that night everything went to hell…" Lucy frowned, and gently squeezed Gray's arm.
"I'm sorry Gray. I know this isn't easy for you either," she said, releasing his arm and looking away. Gray sighed, running his hands through his hair.
"It's not like…" he sighed. "It's not like I can be mad at Naomi… I mean it isn't her fault her mom's a psychotic bitch, but… I don't know," he said, his arms resting on his knees.
"I know how you feel Gray. I hate watching you both suffer," Lucy said softly.
"We'll make her regret hurting Naomi," Gray said. "Or Natsu will at least. If I ever get my hands on that crazy bitch… She's dead," Gray said. Lucy nodded slowly.
"Are you hungry?" Lucy asked, a feeling of sadness washing over her. Gray shook his head.
"Don't worry about me Lucy, I'll be okay, this is just… A lot at once," Gray said. She nodded slowly. Suddenly they could hear Naomi scream from the infirmary. They both looked back and noticed Mira go to investigate, and then they could hear crying. Gray frowned again.
"She's got way worse than I do," he said softly. Lucy nodded, swallowing hard. A few minutes passed before Mira exited the infirmary and Happy flew out behind her, and straight over to where Gray and Lucy sat.
"How is she?" the blonde asked quietly.
"Not good at all," Happy said. "Natsu says she had a nightmare about her family…"
Gray frowned. "She's been through hell and back…"
"Aye," Happy said. "Natsu said that too. Um, Erza wanted you two to meet her in the infirmary with Natsu, since she knows he won't leave Naomi alone right now." Gray nodded.
"Alright, we'll be in a minute," he said. Happy nodded and flew back into the infirmary.
"Do you think she'll be able to recover?" Lucy asked, looking down.
"I don't know," Gray responded. "But all we can do is hope and help her as much as possible." Lucy nodded and looked up, as Gray held his hand out to help her stand. Slowly she took it and once she was up they headed into the infirmary. Erza was already there, leaning against the wall next to the door. They closed the door behind them, and looked over at Natsu and Naomi. Happy sat next to the rosette dragon slayer, who held Naomi in his arms. Her head rested on his shoulder and her eyes stared straight ahead at nothing. One arm laid limply next to her, while the other was gripping Natsu's vest. Tears still spilled down her face, but she made no acknowledgement of Gray and Lucy's presence.
"Did you learn anything?" Lucy asked uneasily. She didn't like the look on Erza's face. It usually meant something bad.
"Yes," Erza said slowly. "Dragon's Bane is after any and all dragon slayers. About twenty years ago they initiated a mission to rid the world of dragon slayers, starting with Spira Paradeen's mission to get close to Zevrid Paradeen, Naomi's father. Around the time that the Deliora attacked your village they gave her the order to kill her then husband. However, she did not stop there and summoned the Deliora straight from the book of Zeref," Erza said. "According to my source, she thought someone, most likely your father, Gray, found out about her plan, so as a safety measure destroyed the whole town." Gray let out a growl.
"That bitch…" Lucy frowned and rested her hand on Gray's arm.
"Now, it's rumored that she's killed almost every dragon slayer in the world, and believe it or not, there was more than you thought there was. In fact, two of the dragon slayers she's rumored to have killed are Sting and Rogue, who have been missing for almost two years," She said. Lucy gasped and Natsu's eyes widened.
"Are you frickin' kidding me?! And she did that by herself?!" Lucy felt a chill run down her spine.
"What are we supposed to do then?! She's already after Naomi, and she'll most likely come after Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel! Not to mention Laxus! I mean, if she's killed nearly every single dragon slayer by herself, including Sting and Rogue…" she shivered. "I can only imagine what she'd do to us…"
Erza sighed. "Yes, she does pose a threat, but we have strong wizards in out guild, and more than just dragon slayers. Master is already aware of the situation, and he is talking with some of the others about this, including Gajeel, Wendy, and Laxus."
"Erza, we can't just sit here and wait for her to make the first move. I mean, most of us still have rent to pay, and besides, if we're too careful we'll only screw ourselves over. Now, I'm not saying everyone leaves the guild at once, but I think we should at least keep things normal, so one the town doesn't panic, and two so that everyone else in the guild stays calm too," Gray said crossing his arms. "Besides, maybe we'll find her out there, and be able to kill her."
"I've already thought about that Gray and I completely agree, but, we will be more careful. She is too much of a threat to let our guards down," Erza said. "The council has already been informed as well. All we can do now, is wait, and be very careful."
"Erza…" Happy spoke up. "What about the rest of Dragon's Bane? I mean, she isn't the only member right? I mean, Spira didn't attack until the first three failed. But they're still all crazy strong right? What if she decides to attack with her whole guild?"
"Then we go to war," Natsu growled. "I'll take down they're whole damn guild if I have to. Their anti-dragon magic doesn't scare me. I'll make them pay for all they pain they've caused Naomi and all the other dragon slayers." Gray smirked a little.
"Been waiting for you to say that Hothead," he said. "Just make sure you let me help alright? I've got a score to settle with those assholes too."
"Only if you can keep up," Natsu said, a small smirk playing on his lips as well.
"You two are crazy," Lucy said. Erza smiled a little.
"Guys! Shh! She's asleep!" Happy suddenly whispered. They all glanced over at Naomi, and sure enough she was asleep right there in Natsu's arms.
"She's so emotionally exhausted… I swear I'd be nothing but a heap of broken bones on the floor if she wasn't so upset about all this… She doesn't want our help, mine especially…" Natsu said.
"I don't think that's it Natsu. She's scared. She doesn't want to be hurt again. You can tell her as many times as you want you're just helping and she might not give a damn. Sometimes, you have to show someone you mean it," Lucy said.
"I know how she feels," Gray murmured. "When I first lost my parents I didn't want to let Ur and Lyon in, because I was afraid to get close to them and lose them too. Logic is useless in a situation like this, because your emotions aren't affected by logic. Yeah, she'll fight you, but just… don't give up. She doesn't realize it or want to admit it but she needs you. She'll come around eventually." Natsu nodded.
"Yeah, I know… It's just… tough."
