Bonjour, mes amis! Madam Facilier is here!
I know an author's note is not the best way to start a chapter, but I noticed a little goof in this story that made me retype some parts of some chapters.
The goof: Hestia's age. I originally made Hestia eight years old, close to eight and a half. She's really seven and a half years old.
How? You may ask.
But—isn't Lucy...Hestia's mom? Lisanna thought, shocked to see Fairy Tail's former Celestial Spirit wizard alive before her. The last time she saw Lucy was seven and a half years ago, before the Take Over mage went to get a cake made for her and Natsu. Before her now apparent 'suicide'.
When Lucy was talking to Hestia about her mother, Lisanna thought that it was some kind of joke of theirs. But this...
Lisanna thought she saw Hestia's smile crack when she addressed Lucy. "You're right. I'm sorry," she apologized, bowing to Lucy. "I'll go find Mama soon."
Lucy nodded. "Yes. Go straight to your mother. And try not to wander off again."
"I will," Hestia answered with a sad look, something Lisanna didn't understand.
Lisanna thought that Lucy would recognize her and make small talk with her. But Lucy walked away from Hestia and Lisanna without a second glance; the latter could see the symbol of Saber Tooth on the blonde's right hand, not the pink insignia of Fairy Tail that was once there.
Lisanna didn't understand what just went on: a guild member who she thought to be dead was alive, and the child next to her bore some of her physical characteristics. But Lucy didn't seem to recognize Lisanna or the girl she now knew as Hestia. Lisanna thought she was giving her the cold shoulder—which was understandable. If Lisanna had been in Lucy's position, she'd want to ignore Fairy Tail too. But Lucy gave the same treatment to the child that resembled her. What kind of mother ignores their own child?
"Hestia! Hestia!" Hestia wheeled around to see Yukino running towards her, worry etched on her face.
"Yukino-san!"
"Ah—Lisanna-sama!" Yukino noticed, coming to halt before her foster child. "You were here too?"
"Wha—oh, no, I just got here," Lisanna responded.
"Look at you, squirt! We can't take our eyes off you for one second, can we?" Orga lifted Hestia off her feet and sat her on his shoulder. The child yelped in surprise before it morphed into laughter, squeezing her bear plush closer to herself.
"Orga-san! Put me down!"
"No way, squirt. This way I know you're not wandering around, getting lost."
Lisanna felt out of place in this scene, like she was intruding. After the games, she knew that Sting promised to rebuild Saber Tooth from the foundation. Lisanna imagined that they would still retain that ruthless streak drilled into them by their former master, but to see them caring for a child—her mind was blown away. Sting kept his promise after all.
She saw Rogue staring at her, making Lisanna slightly uncomfortable, though she tried not to show it. Then she realized that Rogue wasn't looking at her—but behind her. In the direction where Lucy left. Rogue cleared his throat, earning a questioning glance from Orga. The Shadow Dragon Slayer muttered something under his breath, making the Lightning God Slayer furrow his brow in concern.
"Squirt." Orga set Hestia back down next to Yukino. "Stay with Yukino, okay?"
"All right," Hestia conceded.
"Frosch, Lector," Rogue addressed. "Go with them. We'll be right behind you."
Lector saluted. "On it."
"Fro will, too."
The quartet set off first. Rogue glanced back where Lucy just left while Orga's eyes darted around, like he was searching for someone. Their behavior was too suspicious—and Lisanna couldn't keep quiet any longer. The first thing that came out of her mouth was: "How old is Hestia?"
The Saber Tooth duo blinked and stared at her, like they only just remembered her presence. Lisanna originally meant to ask about Lucy—but the query of Hestia's age just slipped out of her mouth. From Hestia's appearance, she deduced that the girl was five. She could just be Lucy's daughter from another man, she reminded herself. And even though Lucy survived, her unborn child couldn't have made it. Natsu injured her too much—
"Seven and a half," Rogue said. Immediately afterwards, he berated himself mentally. Why? Why didn't I lie? he thought furiously. He knew the Take Over mage was smart enough to deduce something, though he had hoped that Hestia's height would likely throw her off. But here he was now: he just gave away the most crucial variable in this ever-so-complicated equation.
Lisanna's eyes widened as she did the math. Seven and a half years old...but seven and a half years ago... "Lucy..."
"What about her?" Orga asked this time.
"Why didn't she recognize me?" Lisanna knew they were hiding something from her, from Fairy Tail. And the answer walked away from them holding Yukino's hand.
Lucy was alive.
Hestia was Lucy's daughter.
Hestia was Natsu's daughter.
"Contrary to what you might think, we didn't force Lucy," Orga added. "She came to us of her own will."
Of course she would, Lisanna thought. A woman on the edge of death with her unborn child...would want help no matter who it's from.
"Believe it or not...it's better if Lucy didn't recognize you," Rogue interjected, turning on his heel. "Better yet, it's best that she doesn't remember Fairy Tail at all."
"Even Hestia?" Lisanna shot back. "It's best that Lucy doesn't remember her own daughter, her child with Natsu?"
Rogue stopped in his tracks, though he barely took five steps from her. He looked at her in mortification. "We never said whose child she was," he articulated slowly.
"You didn't," Lisanna agreed, holding her ground. Rogue's reaction to her question earlier gave her all the answers she needed to know.
Orga took a step towards her, like he was trying to intimidate her. But Lisanna held fast, meeting the eyes of the Lightning God Slayer. "You don't know a thing about them," he growled menacingly. "You don't know what we've done for Hestia and Lucy."
"Would that include keeping Natsu away from his own daughter?" Lisanna accused, her voice rising.
"Salamander is the reason Hestia and Lucy are with us. He has no right to them," Rogue joined in, scowling.
"He has every right to them!" Lisanna felt her blood bubbling with each passing second. "Hestia is his daughter! You can't keep him away from her!"
"We've kept her away from Fairy Tail for seven years," Orga pointed out. "I'd say we did a pretty good job so far."
"You can't keep her to yourselves forever," Lisanna stated firmly. "Fairy Tail will have something to say about this."
"Not if Saber Tooth has something to say about that," a new voice interrupted. Lisanna felt two hands clamp around her wrists, causing her to look at the culprits. On her right was Rufus, holding her left wrist was Sting.
"Why are you doing this?" Lisanna cried, struggling against her captors.
"We're attracting attention," Rogue warned. Indeed, a number of passersby were staring at them curiously.
"Lisanna Strauss," Rufus said, "you know too much."
"I won't tell, if that's what you're concerned about," she made up on the fly.
Rogue shook his head. "Lisanna Strauss..." He leaned closer to the Take Over mage until all she could focus on were his crimson eyes, dyed with anger and—pain? "Come with us if you want to live."
As soon as he pulled back and turned around, Lisanna was shivering in dread. His eyes seemed to scan her soul, reading innermost secrets, her darkest fears. Rufus and Sting dragged her forward until Lisanna remembered how to walk.
Little did they know that a red-haired knight and a dark-haired ice wizard witnessed what just went on.
"Natsu, are you sure you saw Lucy?" Happy asked, following his partner. It wasn't that he doubted Natsu; it's just that the prospect of Lucy being alive again seemed far-fetched.
"It was her, Happy," Natsu insisted, sniffing the air wildly. "She looked different...but it was her, all right."
Happy wanted to tell his partner that he was just seeing things—after all, they had seen the blood trail Lucy left from her injuries, and it led to a cliff by the ocean. Another sight caught his eye. "Eh? Lisanna has a harem?"
"What?" Natsu wheeled around to where Happy was staring. Rogue led the odd parade, while Rufus and Sting led Lisanna on either side of her. Finally, Orga trailed after them. The Take Over mage looked rather uncomfortable with them. "What's saber doing with Lisanna?"
"Beats me."
Natsu made his way towards the Saber Tooth group and Lisanna, but several people blocked his path. He pushed past them, earning indignant cries and rude remarks as he did. He saw them enter an empty tent before Rogue closed the flaps. Natsu barely had a finger on the flap when a hand wrenched him back. "Hey—!"
"Shut it, Flamebrain!" Gray hissed as quietly as he could. He and Erza placed an ear on the canvas; luckily, they were on the more heavily shaded part of the tent, so they weren't likely to get caught. It all depended on Natsu, though.
"Let me in there! Lisanna could be hurt—!" Gray muffled Natsu by tying a cloth over his mouth.
"That should shut you up," Gray said coolly, dusting his hands off.
"Hey!" Gray spun around to meet a livid vendor holding fire tongs. "I hope you're going to pay for that fireproof bandana!"
"We're borrowing it. We'll give it back," Gray answered dismissively.
The vendor shook his head. "Oh no! I'm not taking back anything that has saliva on it! Now it's yours!"
Gray huffed impatiently. "How much?'
"W-w-wait! Y-you can't g-g-go in there!" The massive clown at the entrance of the tent stammered. "W-w-we ha-have t-to set u-up!"
"Stuff it, clowny! We need to use it just for a minute!" Sting barked, pulling Lisanna into the tent with them.
"B-bu-but—!"
Rogue poked his head out, an apologetic look on his face. "I apologize for my guild master's rudeness," he said before he closed the flaps.
"What was that for?!" Lisanna yelled as the blond wizards released her. "What makes you think you can just drag me wherever you want?"
"In my memories, you didn't seem to put up a fight," Rufus pointed out. Lisanna couldn't find an argument to that: point one for Saber Tooth, zero for her.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked.
Sting leaned against a table that just happened to be inside. Out of the blue, he clapped slowly. "You must be so proud of yourself now," he told her sardonically. "You just figured out the biggest secret we've kept from Fairy Tail for seven and a half years."
"It would've come out even if I didn't," Lisanna retorted.
Orga shrugged. "Didn't stop us from trying."
Lisanna shook her head in disagreement. "You can't do this. It's not right." A black spark of electricity crackled next to her arm, making Lisanna flinch in alarm. Everyone else in the tent looked at Orga, whose fingers pointed to Lisanna.
"Don't talk to us about what's right or not," Orga growled, taking a step towards her. Lisanna was truly afraid now, and Orga's greater height added onto that. "If what we're doing isn't right, then Fairy Tail's actions are? Harming a pregnant woman? Leaving her to die with her unborn kid?" Lisanna's back touched the canvas of the tent; Orga towered over the Take Over mage. "Taking that kid away from the only family she's ever known, and into the arms of the people who ruined her mother?"
The rest of the Saber Tooth wizards knew Orga had been in the guild longer than they had, which meant he was there before Hestia's birth. And the Lightning God Slayer was very attached to the Telekinetic child. Of course he would object to what Lisanna was implying.
Lisanna lowered her head in shame. No, it wasn't right. How Fairy Tail treated Lucy in the past wasn't right at all. And Lisanna didn't defend her until the next-to-last day of Lucy's career in Fairy Tail. "Even so..." she began sadly. "Natsu needs to know."
"There is something I should warn you about, Miss Strauss," Rufus interjected. "Natsu Dragneel may be her father by blood...but that does not mean he can immediately assimilate into Hestia's life."
"Huh?"
"We've heard enough." Erza dragged Gray and Natsu away with her, the latter finally managed to remove his fireproof gag. Happy could only fly after them. "Master needs to be informed of this."
"Erza, wait! Let me go! I'm gonna beat their asses!" Natsu roared, struggling against the hold Erza had on him.
"Forget it, Cigarette Butt," Gray shot. "There's four of them, three of us, and they have Lisanna."
"We beat them up once, didn't we?" Gray had to admit that Natsu had a point. The latter defeated the Twin Dragons, and Gray bested Rufus.
And now Natsu and Gray were trying to rip themselves away from Erza. "Erza! Let us go!"
"No." Erza dragged her team mates away as she dwelt on the past, her wretched actions. "Before we can act...Master's judgement will help us decide."
"But Erza—!" The red-haired knight stopped in her tracks, radiating a demonic aura. She looked at them, glowering. "N-nothing!" Natsu and Gray squeaked. Happy sweated nervously. "A-aye..."
"Did something happen, Hestia?" Yukino asked. Hestia's silence since their temporary separation from the others wasn't normal; Hestia knew that they would be back.
"...mh..." Hestia hugged her bear plush closer to herself, looking down uncomfortably.
"C'mon, Hes," Lector encouraged. "No matter what happens, we won't get mad!"
"Fro says so, too!"
"..." Hestia brought her head back up, looking into the worried eyes of the Exceed and Yukino. If things were different, it would be Lucy looking at her like that. "...I...saw Mama."
Lector and Frosch exchanged a panicked look while Yukino's brow furrowed. Lucy and Hestia's case confused Yukino greatly. The silver-haired Celestial Spirit wizard couldn't imagine why Lucy would willingly forget her own child; Hestia did nothing wrong! "Did something bad happen?"
Hestia shook her head. "She asked...if my mother was here."
"And what did you say?" Lector inquired.
"I...I didn't want to lie to Mama," Hestia mumbled, burying half of her face in the doll. "So I said...she was here. And then...she asked if my mother wouldn't get worried."
"I've known Hestia since the day she was born," Orga said, walking away from Lisanna. The Take Over mage was highly tempted to sigh in relief. "And in the blink of an eye, seven and a half years have already passed."
"For the past several years," Sting continued, "we saw Hestia as a little sister, even a daughter to others. And Hestia has seen us as her family. We don't want to see her in pain."
"And we can't bear to see her cry again," Rogue concluded. "She's already given up her mother. But to force her to abandon the only family she's ever known...it would break her heart again."
Guilt ate at Yukino's insides; last year, she and Rogue were made Hestia's legal guardians, just for the sake of appearances. Practically nothing changed after that: Yukino and Rogue would go on separate jobs—and occasionally together—while some of the other members and Sting watched over her. They would occasionally play, but only when the three—or the four, if one included Frosch—went out together would the wizards act as if they were Hestia's guardians the whole time. Only then did it occur to Yukino what Hestia might have felt during the past year.
"Now, now! Please smile, little miss! You're too cute to be sad!" Hestia's ears perked at the voice as a black and silver blur flipped itself over the Saber Tooth wizard and child and landed precariously on top of a metal barricade.
"Hey!" A smile painted itself on Hestia's face as she recognized the man. "You're from the water show!"
The silver-haired performer, while juggling several objects, grinned back at Hestia. "Right-o!" He turned his attention back to the objects he currently juggled. Somehow, he managed to give Yukino—"An apple for the young lady! A fish for the kitties!" he added, tossing two fish at Lector and Frosch.
"Mf—Fo wikes zis pherson!" Frosch mumbled happily as he devoured the fish.
"And what would you like, Hestia?" The performer asked as he bent down slowly, keeping his items in the air.
"Fish!" The Exceed exclaimed immediately.
Hestia tried to see what the items were, but they passed by too quickly for her to get a glimpse. The silver-haired man straightened his posture. "How about—this!" He tossed all of the unknown objects high into the air. "Monarch's Dream!" One by one, the items fell at Hestia's feet; each one exploded before the next landed. And from each broken orb, as Hestia could now see, a myriad of butterflies spiraled around her. Lector and Frosch gasped in awe as butterflies of assorted colors floated around the Telekinetic child until they flew away, a large moving veil in the sky.
"Wow!" Hestia clapped her hands. "So cool!"
"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch cheered.
"I still need to work on the entrance, though," the performer muttered to himself, hopping off the barricade.
Yukino put the apple away in her own bag. "Can I ask for your name, sir?" She had no idea who this man was, yet he just made Hestia smile.
The silver-haired man bowed. "My name is Ross," he introduced, coming back up. "My colleagues, however, insist on calling me 'Rusty'."
"Rusty?" Yukino wondered.
"I suppose it is quite fitting," Ross admitted. "I am a bit rusty on my magic."
Hestia shook her head in disagreement. "No way! Your magic is really cool!"
"It's just not as cool as Sting-kun's, though!" Lector added.
Lisanna nodded sadly, but in agreement. "You see?" Rogue said. "We've raised her in place of Lucy...but we still can't fill the hole she left behind. Taking her away would only make things worse."
"...I'm sorry," she murmured. "And...thank you." Lisanna bowed.
Rufus blinked in surprise. "Why are you thanking us?"
"For taking care of Lucy...and Hestia these past years. And for being there when we weren't." Lisanna got back up. "I won't say a word of this to anyone," she said, holding her pinkie finger out. Sting smiled as he pinkie swore with Lisanna.
"This moment has been recorded in my memories," Rufus noted, two fingers pressed to his temple. "Miss Strauss, you do realize what you have sworn yourself to. Should you go back on this—"
"I. Won't." Lisanna stated firmly.
A loud whistling noise made itself known to the world. "What's that?" Hestia asked.
"The fireworks show," Ross said. On cue, a red firework exploded in the sky. Yukino looked around until she found a digital clock post nearby. It read 8:30. Has it already been that long? Yukino wondered in amazement.
"—best place to see the fireworks?" Lector questioned.
"The best viewpoint, huh?" Ross scratched his cheek. "I can take you there. This way, please!"
"Wha—oh!" Yukino felt Hestia pull her hand excitedly as they followed Ross over to a tall, flat chalet that was used as a zoo exhibit. He led them around the side where a flight of stairs traveled up to the roof. They climbed up to the top; the entire circus was visible as far as the eye could see.
Multitudes of fireworks exploded in rapid succession, awing Hestia and the Exceed. Ross, however, waved his hand. "This is nothing. Come back for the final day: that's when we go all out!"
Lisanna never felt a more tense atmosphere than this.
Natsu's face was pale green instead of changing through its various shades. Happy fidgeted in his seat, glancing from Erza to Lisanna. Gray gazed out the window, as if he were pondering something. Erza, however, sharpened her sword with a stone, much to the alarm of some passengers and a passing attendant.
"So Lisanna," Gray said casually. "What did Saber Tooth want with you?"
Lisanna jumped. "How do you know I met Saber Tooth?"
"We followed you," Erza informed bluntly, making Lisanna shiver. This woman was as much a stalker as Juvia was. "So tell us. We are your family. We shouldn't keep secrets from each other."
But it's all right to drive a family member out of the guild? Lisanna wanted so badly to remark. "I asked about the girl who was with Yukino. She's her niece," she lied smoothly.
"Don't you mean—" Natsu sat up, fighting the effects of motion sickness. "—my daughter?"
Lisanna gaped at Natsu, then the rest of Team Natsu. "Y-you heard?"
"Every—" Erza moved the stone across her blade. "—word," she finished, holding her sharpened blade for inspection. Lisanna felt sweat gather on her palms. She sincerely hoped Erza wouldn't use that sword on her. The Take Over mage preferred to live to see her thirties; besides, Mirajane would murder Erza if she harmed her.
An announcement went off, informing the passengers of one of their stops, and anyone who needed to get off here should do so now. Gray looked out the window, staring at a pyramid-like structure in the distance. Lisanna dreaded the words that came out of his mouth.
"This is the town where Saber Tooth is located."
9:36 PM, Saber Tooth
"Take care, Lucy. And watch out for stalkers!" Sting added.
Lucy simply waved good-bye to her friend and guild master. "They won't even put a finger on me!" She was almost at the door when she noticed Yukino sitting by Rogue and Frosch. "Yukino!"
Yukino looked up from her conversation. "Lucy-sama?"
"How many times did I tell you that you didn't need to add sama? Just call me Lucy," Lucy reminded.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Lucy."
Lucy pouted. "You know, I'm really bummed out that I didn't get to meet your older sister today." Yukino froze, unsure of what to say to that. "But if you see her around...can you tell her she has a really cute daughter?"
Yukino winced inwardly. What was done to Lucy's memories wasn't right...but even Hestia agreed that it was best for her. Yukino wondered how much it scarred her to give up her own mother. "I'll try to remember," she replied. She watched Lucy exit the guild, closing the doors as quietly as she could so as not to disturb the others.
Lector and Frosch lifted their heads as soon the doors closed. "Is she gone?" Lector asked.
Sting tilted his head so that an ear pointed to the door. "...Yup."
Lector and Frosch flew up the stairs in haste; a minute later, they returned with Hestia following them down.
"Lector! Frosch!" Yukino cried, getting up.
"But it's a Saturday, Yukino-kun!" Lector whined.
"Hestia's supposed to be in bed!"
"But Sting said Hestia had to stay up there until Lucy was gone!" Frosch vouched. Yukino focused her eyes on Sting, who looked away nervously, whistling a tune while he was at it. This made some members nearby snicker.
"Like you don't have a little sister, Rufus," Sting shot.
"She knows when to get herself to sleep. You, on the other hand—"
"I want her in bed by ten, all right?" Yukino called. Lector and Frosch were too busy to hear her. Yukino could only smile and concede as she sat back down, watching the child she was made the guardian of play with her Exceed friends.
"I'm proud of you," Rogue said abruptly, getting Yukino's attention. "You actually seemed like a mother just now."
"Did I?" In reality, Yukino had no idea how to act like a mother. The most she did with Hestia was take her out clothes shopping, talk with her about her day, and the occasional walks to school.
Rogue merely nodded. "You must have some hidden maternal authority."
"..." Yukino rested her head on the table before her, deep in thought. Rogue noticed this and stopped what he was doing. "Is something wrong?"
"...No," she said, shaking her head. "It's a silly idea..."
Rogue set his book down. "Well," he began. "I've seen Sting challenge Orga to a drinking contest, only for it to end with the two ballet dancing and Orga singing better than he normally would had he been sober—" Sting hacked and sputtered in his drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Most of the guild erupted in laughter, with the exception of the aforementioned mages and Lector, who could only look away while holding his own laughs. "—and may I add that Orga sang opera that day?"
"You swore never to speak of it!" Sting and Orga roared from where they were.
Yukino covered her mouth as she remembered that ridiculous night months ago, in late March. "All right, you win," she chuckled lightly. "It's...unexpected...but...I've been considering...adopting Hestia."
Rogue looked at Yukino, then to Hestia. "...It's been almost a year since we were made her guardians," he agreed. "If we were to appear before the court, they would probably allow us to."
Yukino fiddled with her hands. "Yes...they would, wouldn't they? But...would it change anything?" Yukino pulled her head up from the table. "Ever since last year...was there even a moment when we acted like her guardians? We'd go off on jobs while the others watched her for us. They took care of her because we couldn't spare a moment to do that! And now I want to adopt my friend's daughter, even though we know I won't always be there for her!"
Rogue remained silent through Yukino's confession. "You're one of the bravest people I know," he admitted. "Not many people can confess their wrongs like you did just now." He sat up and leaned closer to Yukino. "Lucy...wasn't there when Hestia needed her most. Nor was she there when she wanted her most. Do you know who was? The others." He motioned his head to the other members still hanging around. "They were there for her; they cared for her; and they raised her...when it was originally Lucy's job. I'm not saying that what Lucy did was the right thing. And I'm ashamed to say that we are doing the same. But...I think over the past several years...Hestia realized that we wouldn't always be there for her. But if you still want to consider adopting her...if you want to make this work...just know that it's all right if we can't always be there for her. We just need to be there when she needs us."
Yukino smiled as Rogue's words took their effect on her. "Thank you."
Meanwhile, Hestia chased the Exceed, trying to reach for their tails. "Can't catch me!" Lector gloated.
The ground shook. Hestia stopped running while the Exceed stopped flying around. "...What was that?" Frosch asked.
"...An earthquake?" Yukino wondered, getting up from her seat.
"Can't be," Rufus disagreed. "We're nowhere near a fault line." But as he said this, the ground shook again, more violently this time. The chandelier swung overhead, making the people standing under it move away quickly.
Sting got up and approached the door slowly as if he were walking through a minefield instead. He listened carefully, eyes widening as he realized what this 'earthquake' really was. "Get away from the doors!" He yelled to the people near the entrance. As if on cue, the door broke from its hinges, sending splintering pieces everywhere. A large piece of the broken door headed straight for Hestia, who was too scared to move.
Rogue hit the ground, sliding across the floor and grabbing Hestia, pressing her to his chest protectively. "Are you okay?" he asked.
Hestia opened her mouth—"WHERE ARE THEY?!" They looked in the direction of the door; the sight that greeted them only made Rogue hold her closer.
There at the door, were three of the members of the strongest team in Fairy Tail: Team Natsu. Several Saber Tooth mages lay around Gray's feet, encased in ice. Erza had hacked some poor victims with her sword. And their leader, the dense Fire Dragon himself, glared at Sting, fist flaming.
"Fairy Tail," Rufus breathed, mortified. "What are they doing here?"
"Give them back," Gray barked, putting his hands together.
Sting took a step towards Team Natsu, prepared to protect his guild. "What business do you have with us?"
Natsu pounded his fist against his hand. "Give me back Lucy—and my daughter!"
How: Hestia was born around December, in X784. The year is now X792. I miscalculated and made Hestia the age she would become, not the age she really was.
