AN: Hello Everybody! It's Spring coming atcha' with Chapter 11 of our little story we got here! I hope you guys are have a FABULOUS day. I love saying that. I really do. I also love writing. Yeah. Good stuff. Anyways! I felt like writing again today! I'm writing this on Saturday night, and I think it MAY be posted tomorrow morning. Maybe tonight? I'm attending a convention tomorrow afternoon with my boyfriend and some of our other friends, and I'm probably not going to be able to write tomorrow. Oh well. Today folks, you are in for a shock. That's right! Today, there are NO reminders. Nien. There just aren't any. I like doing them, but there's really nothing to say today, other than to favorite, follow, and review! Any type of feedback is welcome! It really helps me improve upon my work!
This chapter is kind of a filler, so sorry if you were expected something else. By the way, a certain part of this chapter is based around a certain even that happened on Tenroujima. Like previously stared, I'm not one to spoil, so I won't say what it was based around for those of you who aren't that far in the manga/anime. It's sort of obvious to the rest of you guys though.
Still no breach in the wall. I wonder what they're planning over there. I'll do the disclaimer while I still can.
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is Hiro Mashima's baby, and stealing babies is wrong kids. Don't do that. Seriously.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy reading as much as I did writing! Enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~ SOPHIE'S P.O.V. *~*~*~*~*~
I awoke to the sun shining brightly down on my face. I moaned, rolling over. It was Saturday. I wanted to sleep in for once! All I had been doing is getting myself beat up lately. I sat up, stretching my arms. I blinked around groggily, my vision still blurry from slumber. I felt a huge lump to my left. I kicked it with my foot, rather hard.
"OW!" the lump yelped.
"EEEP!" I shrieked, punching the person in the side of the head.
"WHAT THE HELL SOPHIE?" the stranger stood up, rubbing his head.
"Gray!" I gasped, stumbling to my feet. "Ohmygosh! I'm so so sorry! I'm sorry! I really am sorry! You scared the shit out of me, that's it! It's nothing personal I swear-" my apology was cut off by a quick hug.
"I understand." he forgave me.
"Why are you in my room anyways?" I asked him, my eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"You were crying out in your sleep just as I was leaving." he said, staring straight me.
"I was?" I rubbed my head in embarrassment. I didn't usually do that.
"Yeah. Did you have a nightmare last night?" he pressed, concern sparkling in his eyes.
"I. I don't remember." I lied. I did have a nightmare last night in fact. I dreamt of all my friends at Fairy Tail being mercilessly beat by Eisenwald members right in front of my eyes. I couldn't move though, I was being forced to watch it all.
"Did you hear about Eisenwald?" Gray asked me.
"Hmm? No. What happened?" I asked, suddenly engaged more in the conversation.
"Apparently, the magic council found out about what happened with Kurenai and Sasha. They've been ordered to disband." he gripped my shoulders.
"Disband?" I repeated. Eisenwald was finally being punished after all those years? Why now though? What had made this time any different?
"I let you get ready now." he said, exiting the room. "I'll se ya at the guild."
The guild. Oh! Fairy Tail. Of course. I had been too deep in thought. I wanted to know about this sudden disbanding. I was almost certain I had something to do with it. But what?
I quickly showered, dried my hair, ate breakfast and changed into a pair of skinny jeans, a white tank top, with a brown leather jacket and combat boots. I then quickly id my make-up, adding a white bow into my hair. I let it down today, only curling it loosely. I looked at myself in the mirror. As I stared at my reflection, my mind suddenly was swarmed with memories. I gripped my head, sinking to the floor in shock. Everything was rushing back to haunt me again.
I remembered saying goodbye to my mother as she died.
I remembered being kidnapped from my training field.
I remembered being forced into darkness with Jai.
I remembered killing our guild master out of anger.
I remembered watching Jai die in front of my own eyes.
I remembered all the torturing I had endured throughout my years.
I remembered making a successful escape from that hell-hole of a guild.
I remembered being on the verge of death, stumbling around, looking for help.
I remembered killing Tod and Vanda accidentally.
I remembered fighting Garett and Syra against our wills.
I remembered killing Medo in front of her guild.
I remembered her last words to me, "Are you happy now, What does this prove?"
I remembered seeing Kurenai and Sasha sitting in my new guild.
I remembered fighting them to the death.
I remembered Sasha attempting to kill Gray.
I remembered sacrificing my life for him.
I remembered seeing my mother and Jai rejecting me in heaven.
I remembered it all. It all shot into my head again, making me relive my sins over and over again. I started crying. I never knew how much had happened in the past few months. I felt like such a terrible person. I was a murder, an escapee, an orphan. This wasn't the way I wanted my life to turn out. I wanted the exact opposite. I wiped my tears away, shakily getting to my feet. I leaned on the sink. I took several breaths. I tried to calm myself, but I couldn't every time I would reach my calm state, I would start to cry again. I kept wiping my tears away, time and time again. I staggered out of the bathroom, clutching my head, trying to rid my head of the horrific memories. Aurora was fully awake now, probably because she heard my falling down and crying.
"Sophie! What's wrong?" she worried, fear and concern lacing her wavering voice.
"I remembered everything Aurora. Everything." I said, lowering my hands from my head, trusting myself more this time to keep my cool.
"Are you still going to the guild? You should stay home today Sophie. You were beat up very badly yesterday, remember?" she warned me, reminding me of the fight I had, "died" in.
"I'll be okay Aurora. You know what they say, laughter IS the best medicine, and Fairy Tail is defiantly a place to go if you're looking for a laugh." I waved her off.
"I'm coming with you though." she protested, crossing her arms.
"I wouldn't care either way." I laughed. I waited for her as she quickly threw on a plain, loose white dress, her white bow still at the base of her left ear. She flew next to me as I walked out the door, excitement bubbling out of her.
"Why so happy?" I questioned her, noticing immediately.
"I'm going to meet everyone! I mean, I went to the guild with you last time, but then THAT happened, and I never did get to introduce myself to anyone." she pointed out, smiling from ear to ear. She then let out a small gasp. "What if they don't like me?" she fretted.
"Trust me, everyone's going to love you! You'll get along great with the dragon-slayer's Exceeds." I reassured her, patting her between the ears.
"Speaking of which, I guess you're going to be referred to as a dragon-slayer now." she remembered. I had used, "Light Dragon's Roar" yesterday as a last-ditch effort to save my life. I guess she was right. Although it didn't feel right.
"I don't really want to be referred to as a dragon-slayer though." I admitted to her.
"Why not? If you're already pretty strong now, you'd be unstoppable using dragon-slayer magic!" she retorted, trying to win me over.
"It hurts my spirit to use it." I told her. "Not literally, but it reminds me too much of my mother, her rejecting me into heaven, all that."
"Didn't she tell you to stop focusing on the past and look to the future?" Aurora snapped. "She was right! You haven't moved on from the past! You've been stuck there for 12 years! You need to move on! I know it's hard to forget them, but you can't stop beating yourself up, and grieving over that! It's been 12 years for crying out loud!" she was yelling loud now, and we had stopped walking.
I turned pink, staring at my feet. "I guess you're right." I muttered in barely a whisper. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I really am Aurora. Today's been an off day."
"It's alright." she accepted, now sitting on my neck. I began walking again. I couldn't stop thinking about Eisenwald's disband. I was going to figure out someday why that had happened, and why so sudden.
After a brief walk, we arrived at the guild. I stopped in front of the doors, my eyes widening in shock. I couldn't open the door. I was scared. Last time I had, was when everything had happened.
"Go on, open the door." Aurora encouraged, confused as to my sudden stop.
"I-I can't." I stammered.
"For crying out loud." Aurora muttered, opening the door for me.
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see who was greeting me today.
"Nobody's in there, ya' big baby." Aurora teased, gripping my hand, pulling me in.
I was dragged in, slowly become embarrassed at the stares of the guild members. What a sight this must have been.
"You can stop now. I think I know how to walk." I pulled away from her.
"If you say so." Aurora said, letting go of me.
Everyone was staring at the two of us.
"This is Aurora. She was supposed to be my mother's exceed. She was the light-dragon slayer. She died, so she came to me instead." I explained for what seemed like the millionth time.
"Hi!" Aurora waved to the crowd.
"ANOTHER DRAGON SLAYER!" a voice called out.
"FAIRY TAIL IS UNSTOPPABLE!" another cried.
I blushed, looking at my feet. I didn't want to break their spirits and say I didn't want to use or be called a dragon-slayer. I just decided to keep my mouth shut for the time being.
"Go make friends." I whispered to Aurora, nudging her in the direction of Happy, Lily, and Carla.
I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she walked over to the three.
"Hello! My name's Aurora." she greeted the others.
"Finally. Another female around here." Carla muttered.
"Nice to meet you." Pantherlily nodded.
"Aye Sir!" Happy cheered. "Great to see you again!"
I turned away from them, seeing as Aurora was making friends.
I sat down next to Gray at a table, sensing Juvia's glares at me.
"Is everything alright?" he asked me, a brow raised.
"It's just, well, I don't know what to do with this dragon-slayer magic I have." I admitted. "I mean, I barely know how to use it, and I don't know if I quite want to. But I want to be able to protect everyone."
"I don't know what to say to you. It's really a personal decision, although it would benefit the guild. And Natsu, Wendy and Gajeel could help you figure it out." he pointed out.
I had seen Natsu use many of his dragon-slayer moves when we had sparred. They seemed rather easy to learn. Maybe he could teach me. From what I heard, Wendy didn't fight a lot, focusing more on her support magic. I wasn't ready to ask Gajeel for help though, I was still a little pissed at the last time we encountered each other. Natsu seemed like the best choice at the moment, although he tended to goof-off a lot. I would ask him later about it.
"I'll ask Natsu later about it." I decided. "It would be a nice thing to have handy."
I thought about what I could do. I was in no shape to go on a job anytime soon, and sparring was out in relation to that. I slipped my hands into my pockets, leaning back a bit. My hand grazed a piece of paper in my pocket. I pulled it out, curious as to what it was doing in my pocket in the first place. I glanced at it, remembering it was the phone number I had received from Jaxon. I thought back to him. I still couldn't remember who it was he reminded me of.
"He did look a lot like Jai-" I began to think. Suddenly, my eyes shot wide open, my eyes drastically shrinking in realization.
"What is it?" Gray asked me, taken aback by my sudden reflex.
"H-He's my father isn't he." I sputtered, trying to comprehend everything.
"What? Who?" he asked me, confused by my accusation.
"I met a man on the train back from Eisenwald. His name was Jaxon. We both thought we reminded somebody of each other, and I realize now! Jai's his spitting image! That's what mother had said! She said my father was a mage that was always traveling, and Jai looked almost exactly like him!" I cried, thoughts beginning to click into place. "I need to call him!" I gasped, reaching for my phone, I dialed the number, holding my breath, waiting for him to answer.
"Hello?" a voice asked on the other end of the line.
"Jaxon! It's Sophie, the girl you met on the train! I need to speak to you! Meet me at the park as soon as possible!" I frantically told him, probably sounding like a maniac.
"Erm, alright then, I'll be there in five minutes! He told me, hanging up the phone.
"I need to go!" I told Gray, shoving my phone back in my pocket.
"Let me come with you!" he protested, standing up with me.
I stared at him for a second, unsure of what to tell him. He was sure to follow me even if I said no, to make sure I was safe.
"Alright." I surrendered.
"What about Aurora?" he asked, stealing a quick glance at the Exceed, laughing with the others.
"No. She can stay. I don't know how he'll handle it, her being my mother's exceed." I told him. "Let's go." I sprinted out the door, Gray right next to me, matching my strides.
*time skip brought to you by Natsu's scaly scarf*'
I sat under the tree, Gray next to me. My heart was racing a thousand miles a minute. I was positive he was my father! He had to be. He fit the description perfectly. I saw a man walking towards me. Jaxon was here.
I stood up, Gray as well.
"Hello again old friend." he greeted, extending a hand. I took it, shaking it firmly. "Who's this?" he asked, glancing at Gray.
"He's my guild mate." I told him. "His name's Gray."
"Hello there Gray. I'm Jaxon." he extended his hand to Gray, who welcomed it.
"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" he asked, sitting down in the grass.
Gray and I sat down across form him, shaded by a big tree.
"Do you remember when we were talking on the train?" I asked him. "You reminded me of somebody, and I reminded you of somebody." he nodded, recalling the encounter.
"I realized who you reminded me of, or who you were for that matter." I said, my voice beginning to waver in fear and anxiety.
"Go ahead." he motioned, his hand holding his head.
I took a breath. "You're Jaxon McCloud. The husband of Anna McCloud, and father of Jai and Sophie McCloud. I'm your daughter, and you're my father." I told him, staring him in the eyes.
"N-No." he gasped, realization appearing in his eyes. " Y-you were kidnapped. You were pronounced dead a month after your disappearance. That's impossible."
I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes. "No it's not, I'm here. I'm alive."
"Sophie." he whispered, taking me in for a hug. "If you're alive, where's Jai? Is he at your guild?"
I paled instantly, my eyes shrinking. I started shaking. If thinking about it myself made me teary-eyed, telling my father that his only son was dead would be enough to kill him.
"H-he's-" I began, my voice faltering. Gray helped me out.
"I'm terribly sorry Jaxon, Jai was killed. He and Sophie were kidnapped by members of Eisenwald. They were forcefully made members of the guild, and sentenced to assassinations weekly. Sophie tried to escape frequently, constantly being beaten for it. She tried with Jai one day, and they were caught. Jai couldn't handle the torture, and died because of it." Gray told him, sorrow in his voice.
"J-Jai is D-dead?" he choked out.
"Yes." I squeaked out. "I'm the only one you've got."
He grabbed me again, squeezing me tightly, So tightly in fact, I thought I was going to pass out of oxygen deprivation.
"It's alright. You couldn't help it." he stroked my hair. I remembered Gray was there and wriggled away. He laughed, noticing my absence.
"You always tried to look tough in front of others." he laughed.
"Erm, this is off topic, but I need to know something. Gray told me this morning Eisenwald was ordered under the magic council to disband. Do you know why that happened all of a sudden?" I asked him, the memory not fading from my mind.
"I do know. There's something you ought' to know though Sophie before I tell you." he told me.
"What? What do I need to know?" I prodded him, eager to find everything out.
"I'm a member of the newly elected magic council. I heard about everything that happened yesterday at your guild. I know how you had been, "killed" by those members. In fact, I was the one who originated the idea for the sudden disbanding of Eisenwald." he admitted, his gaze full of mischief.
"Y-you-" I choked out.
"You're a member of the magic council?" Gray stared in disbelief.
Jaxon just nodded.
"You're the one who disbanded them?" I breathed out.
Jaxon nodded again.
I laughed quietly. "To think, my own father, who thought I was dead, ended up saving my life."
Jaxon's gaze clouded in confusion. "Saving your life?" he asked.
"Sophie hasn't been acting right for the past days, she's become scared of a lot of things, scared to even enter the guild hall in fear of somebody attacking her. She's been having nightmares as well." Gray explained to him.
"I'm sorry you've had to go through that. I am. I wish I could've been there to save you." he apologized.
"It's quite alright. It made me stronger than I used to be. And I don't want this to affect either of us. We should just keep things as they are. Of course you're welcome to visit anytime. I'd gladly welcome you." Sophie told him, standing up. Jaxon nodded. "I wouldn't want to get in the way of you being a great wizard Sophie. I agree with you completely. Fight me sometime though. I'd love to see how good you've gotten."
"Of course. I'd love to spar sometime." I agreed.
We all stood up. I gave Jaxon another hug.
"Goodbye, father." I whispered to him.
"Goodbye, daughter." he whispered back.
He turned, walking away, leaving Gray and I in his wake.
I stared after him, holding my breath. I was still in shock at everything that had happened. Gray grasped my hand in his. I didn't even notice until I started walking. I glanced down at our now entwined fingers. I gave a small smile. I walked back to the guild with him, still thinking about Jaxon, no, my father.
* time skip brought to you by Loke's glasses *
The day went by quite slowly afterwards. I decided to leave the guild early, so I could spend some time alone. I entrusted Aurora to the other Exceeds, so she wouldn't bother me. I sat cross-legged on my bed. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. I lay down on my back, trying to go to sleep. I had gotten up early today, and wanted to catch up on my sleep. I couldn't sleep though. I keep thinking about this morning, how all those awful memories of my past suddenly came back to me.
"Why did that happen?" I thought, sitting up again. Did it have something to do with the news of Eisenwald's disband? Was It the nightmare I had last night? I shuddered at the remembrance of my nightmare. Watching in horror as all my guild mates were savagely beaten. I wasn't able to move, powerless to help. All I could do was watch. I woke up right when somebody approached me, their face covered by a hood. They snickered at me, kicking me in the ribs so harshly, I thought they had broken them.
"Is that what mother and Jai were telling me about?" I gasped, recalling my mother's words.
"No!" I covered my mouth, denying the idea instantly. "Nothing's out there to hurt me. That can't happen. Eisenwald is through. They were all arrested or tossed out."
I lay down again, my head still spinning with thoughts. I kept repeating to myself over and over, "That can't happen. Eisenwald is through. They were all arrested or tossed out." I eventually drifted off to sleep, my reassurance doing nothing to calm my nerves.
AN: Well, how was it? I really rushed the ending, and I'm sorry if it sucks. I got back from my convention WAY later than I thought. I expected to be back around 4:00, but ended up arriving home at 6:00. I started this chapter last night, and am finishing this one at 6:10. So everything written after the final time skip was done in 10 minutes, which is probably why I don't like that part compared to the other parts. Oh well. The convention was amazing by the way! I got a few posters and artwork. I got smoked in the Super Smash Bros tournament though. My boyfriend did pretty well though, but he didn't win. Oh Well! I hope you guys have a FABULOUS rest of your day. (or night for all you people reading this at night.)
I hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I did writing!
Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review! Any type of feedback is most certainly welcomed with open arms!
So, Until Next Time!
-springtimesadness.
(By the way, A few OC'S are yet to be introduced. They will appear in about 2 chapters. A few won't be shown since they were submitted late and I already had my 5. If you were messaged back by me for any reason, your OC will most likely be shown then.)