Chapter Ten

Makarov


Makarov wondered often if he should just retire.

When you were getting to be his age, it just seemed logical. He didn't move like he used to, he certainly didn't have anymore patience for Natsu, he didn't want to deal with any stupid paperwork the council threw at him- and overall he was just 110% done.

But the thing was, he had absolutely no idea who he wanted as the next Master.

A major problem.

It wasn't like he could force someone to become the next Master, no matter how tempting that sounded. He just knew that it was time for a new leader, he just didn't know who that would be… yet.

So, instead of coming to this decision on his own, he called out to Mira and left the guild, on his way to Lucy's home. She would know what to do.

The celestial mage was famous in the guild gossip for solving pretty much everyone's problems. He remembered Gajeel had even admitted to going to her apartment only one week prior, though he didn't reveal anything about his problem. He didn't even tell Levy.

Secrecy appeared to be very important when it came to Lucy solving these problems, he discovered. Everyone said that they went over to her apartment and she helped them, but never has it been revealed what their actual dilemma was. It was so strange, but he supposed that his children would need at least some privacy from the guild.

Walking down Strawberry Street, he made his way to the famous apartment, smiling up appreciatively at it. It almost came as a surprise to himself that he had never visited her for one of his other problems.

*cough cough* Natsu. *cough*

Going in through the front doors, he walked up the staircase that led to her apartment and took a steadying breath. He knocked on the door very carefully (he did not want to end up like his grandson- that was for sure).

It opened after a long moment, the blonde glancing around with confusion before Makarov cleared his throat and she turned her gaze down to his.

"Oh, hello Master." She greeted with a smile, the male taken back for a moment. There were almost unnoticeable dark circles under her eyes, like she had put makeup over them.

Had she always looked so tired?

"What can I do for you?" She asked, the old man shaking his head to focus on her. "It must be important since you came all the way out here." He tried hard not to point out the underlying tone of nervousness in her voice. It wasn't very prominent, but it was enough for him to notice it.

"I just wanted to come visit you because I have a slight problem." He responded, watching as relief flooded her eyes. "Word is, you can most likely help me with it."

"Of course," She said with a nod, stepping aside and allowing him room to step in. "Please come in! I just finished making some tea. Would you care for some?"

"If you wouldn't mind, I'll take a cup." He answered, stepping in through the threshold of her apartment. She disappeared to her kitchen as he closed the door behind him, taking a moment to glance around her room.

It was clean- as he expected from her. It looked as though she had spent a very long time trying to make it perfect. Though he heard from Happy that Natsu took about two minutes to mess it all up.

He laughed to himself as he walked over to her table, hopping up on her chair and frowning at how he hardly was able to see the top of it. He sighed and just hopped up onto the wooden surface, seating himself down and shrugging.

She could deal with it.

Looking over to the woman, he watched her pour their tea with careful movements, probably not wanting to spill anything. His eyes narrowed, however, on her wrist. He felt confusion sweep over him as he studied the thick, most likely leather, band around her right wrist. Immediate familiarity flooded his mind. He had definitely seen it before- but where?

"Do you want any sugar?" The blonde asked, looking over her shoulder at him and jarring him from his thoughts.

"No, that's alright." He said, watching as she shrugged, bringing his drink over to him. He thanked her as he took a sip of the tea, nodding appreciatively at the flavoring.

"So what's been bothering you?" She asked, the old mage looking to her as the thoughts about her bracelet were pushed to the back of his mind.

"Nothing too serious." He replied. "I just have a problem with who I should choose as the next master." She nearly choked on her tea, coughing and setting the cup down on the table as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Yup," She muttered sarcastically. "That's not serious at all."

"You try being Master for like a hundred years and then fail on several occasions to pass it off to someone new, then you can tell me how serious it is to you." He replied snarkily, taking another long sip of tea. Lucy giggled to herself and he didn't miss the way she stopped abruptly, as if it hurt to laugh.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." She said, suddenly smiling kindly to him and any traces of pain gone. "To you have any candidates?"

"Yeah. I have the natural ones- Laxus and Erza, but then I was also thinking perhaps Gray, Cana or you." He said, watching as her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed with red.

"Wh-What?" The panic that she displayed was almost funny. "I-I would be an awful ch-choice! You can r-rule me out right away!"

"Why? You have shown time and time again that you love Fairy Tail more than anything else in the world. Besides that, you've grown so much with your magic and your team is especially proud of you." He paused when she shifted nervously in her seat. He watched as her hand shot over to the bracelet around her wrist, and again, he couldn't help but think of how familiar that was to him.

All he could seem to remember was that it didn't belong anywhere near her.

"I'm not the person you're looking for, I don't think." She said, cheeks still slightly rosy than anything. "Thank you for the consideration, but I don't believe I'm ready for it."

He studied her for a moment, watching as her eyes flashed with something he couldn't decipher before he sighed.

"Fine, alright." He relented, watching as she visibly relaxed, though her hand still remained firmly around her wrist. "Then who would you suggest?"

"If I was being honest, Laxus." She responded with a shrug. "I think it's between him and Gray." She continued, leaning back in her seat. "Erza and Cana are both very good candidates, but after being with them for these past few years, I've discovered that they are a bit… impulsive. Cana is a great leader when she needs to be, but I don't think she would handle government officials, like the council, very well. Erza on the other hand, she'd be really good at that, but you've seen how she acts sometimes. She's easily offended, and her anger can get the best of her and lead to bigger problems."

"Hm." Makarov murmured, looking to the blonde thoughtfully. She noticed things a lot of others would miss- like Gajeel, but to a lesser extent -and it was true what Team Natsu said about her. She was incredibly smart, no doubt, but unfortunately she never got to show it too much. She didn't have much confidence in herself, but always pulled through for them in the end. That was why she was one of his first choices in deciding who he wanted to take over his spot after he retired. It truly was a shame she didn't want to be the Master.

"I think you're right about those things." He said with a nod, sighing to himself. "What sets Gray and Laxus apart, though?" Maybe she could offer him some intel on both of them? She most likely had gotten one-on-one time with both of them, so maybe she could actually tell him something he didn't already know.

"Gray and Laxus are similar in some ways." She started slowly, seeming to collect her thoughts as she spoke. "They both are calm, they think things through and they certainly aren't impulsive- though they do have their moments. And when you're in Fairy Tail, when don't you ya' know?" She pursed her lips before speaking. "You can tell- especially nowadays -that Laxus has changed. He's no longer that arrogant boy from way back from Fantasia. He loves Fairy Tail a lot, and anyone can tell he just wants to protect everyone. He's smart too, something that really got to shine in Tartarus.

"Gray is somewhat the same." She continued. "Only I don't think he was ever really arrogant- in fact, I think he was the opposite. Even now, he's not completely sure of his skill, but I know he wouldn't hesitate to protect the guild from harm." The blonde looked up to her ceiling and Makarov listened as she added an afterthought. "Although, he can come off as rather… rude sometimes. If he doesn't like someone he won't be afraid to show it, and I seriously doubt that council officials will appreciate his stripping habit."

"I have to agree." The old man nodded, blinking a few times as he took another sip of tea. He replayed some of her information in his head, thinking over some things in a comforting silence. Lucy had taken to drinking her own tea as she waited for him to finish, closing her eyes in the process.

"So… Laxus." He said after a few long moments.

"Laxus." She responded with a nod, opening her eyes. "Are you finished with your tea? I can take it for you." He shrugged and she took away the nearly empty cup, standing and heading over to her sink.

He watched her as she placed the cups in the sink, an easygoing look on her face.

In a split moment, it was gone.

The blonde crumpled to the floor with yell of pain, Makarov's eyes widening with alarm.

"Lucy!" He called out to her, hopping off the table and rushing to her side as she grasped either side of her head. She screamed in agony as her back arched, the male feeling helpless as she writhed on the floor.

He watched as black vein-like lines stemmed from her bracelet, crawling up her arm. He suddenly felt sick, realizing where he had seen it and began moving very quickly. She was breathing heavily, groaning as her eyes shut tightly, looking paler than he thought was possible.

Moving quickly, he knew he had to something- anything -to ease her pain. Even if it wouldn't go away completely, at least he could ease it.

Placing a hand on her forehead, he muttered a quick incantation under his breath, his hand glowing a faint blue. When he did, she shut her eyes tightly, letting out a shuddering breath of relief. A bead of sweat dripped down her forehead and he pulled away, worry clear in his gaze as she slowly began to breath normally.

The veins on her arm receded slowly, and he noticed they pulsed as they disappeared, her face contorting when they did.

The old man realized that his heart was pounding out of alarm, his eyes locking with hers as she struggled to sit up. He helped her and she leaned against her cabinets, the male shaking his head once he knew she was alright. There was a long tense silence before he finally broke it, speaking.

"How long?" He asked firmly, his tone holding no room for argument. She broke eye contact and her jaw clenched, his heart dropping to the pit of his stomach.

"Just this month." She responded, reaching for her wrist and rubbing it. "But I've had this for about a little over a year." He shook his head more, closing his eyes and heaving a long sigh even as surprise overtook him.

That bracelet she was wearing… she must have gone through a lot to have obtained it. They were extremely rare, there were only three in the entire world- she must have been insanely desperate to get one.

"Does anyone else know? Does Natsu?" He asked, still not looking at her. It was a dumb question. Natsu would probably be the first one she t-

"No. He doesn't know." This made his head snap up.

"Oh my gods." He murmured, his eyes wide. "How bad is it? Don't lie to me either."

She was silent for what seemed like forever, but the next words she spoke made his blood run cold. It made him selfishly wish that she had continued to lie to his face, it made him prefer silence over any speech.

"My body… it can't handle much more stress. I only have a month."


Uh, hi.

Well so much for having time to write and crap this summer. My bad.

Sorry I've been gone for a very long time, and I've only just recently discovered time to finally write something down on a doc and then post it. I'm hoping you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter- I actually am almost done with it. That's when I really start to explain what's up with Lucy and shtuff like that.

I've just finished up with my musical I was in, so hopefully I can get more stuff out for all of you. Also, I can finally maybe start paying attention to people I have kinda ignored... *nervous laughter*.

So anyway. Lucy is going to die in a month? Whaaaaaaaat? Any theories or just confusions? You can comment your concerns! And really- thank you guys so so so much for all the comments and favs and follows. They mean the world to me and I love you all! *kiss kiss*

Again, sorry for the delay, and I hope you all have an amazing day! For my fellow Americans, happy fourth of July!

God bless aaaaaaaaaaaaaand I am going to go take a nap now.

-FireDragonPhia