Yay! Chapter 12! We've come a long way so far, but there's still more to go. Please enjoy this chapter! Yay!
PART 4
BLACK BONDS
Chapter 12
I was dying. I couldn't think or breathe as the water pressure was starting to consume me. It was no normal water, either; it was pitch black. I felt strong, almost metallic arms pull me from the brink and onto an outcropping of rock. I spat the water out, and with it, some blood, trying to gather my senses. Sharp, heavy breathing was heard to the side of me and I looked to see Gajeel there…only one of his legs wasn't. How had he even managed to pull me up here?
"I don't think…we can win…this time," he huffed. His leg was barely bleeding and I figured that he must have cut it off himself. He also looked like he was about to pass out.
"The others?" I practically screamed. "What about the others?" Gajeel was unfocused, slowly slipping away into oblivion.
"Didn't have time," he groaned out. He tried to move but couldn't. "Sting and Rogue's bodies are probably halfway to the ocean by now with this flood. I didn't see what happened to the other two; probably gutted, I expect. They never were very strong. I think…Wendy's trying to destroy the last of them a little down south."
"Well, that's good. At least next time we won't have to deal with this whole Face issue," I said. I grinned at Gajeel, though I severely doubted it would do him much good. Even so, he grinned back at me, looking almost scary with the rivers of blood on his face.
"Let's give 'em hell next time, huh, Salamander?" He coughed blood out before he laid back and his eyes glazed over. He was dead. Fighting back the tears that threatened to burn my eyes, I leaned over and closed his before reluctantly dragging myself to my feet. How many more times would I have to go through this?
I ran, following the trail of flowing water to the sounds of battle up ahead. There was a massive explosion and I saw the last of what had been hundreds of Faces crumbling. Wendy had done it…at far too heavy a cost. Her opponent lay on the ground, that blue thug named Ezel, completely dead, but his blade like arm was sticking through Wendy's back. She was close to dying, her chest jiggling only a little as she made minute twitching movements. Then she turned her head and smiled at me.
"Promise me next time will be different," she whispered out, but I heard every word.
"I promise," I said to her, knowing I couldn't. She didn't stop smiling as she died. My strength gave out from me and I slipped into the rush of black water. I fell through it, until at last I saw a cleansing flame.
Natsu…a voice was calling to me. I couldn't open my eyes, though. Or maybe I didn't want to. Natsu…It's almost here. The time has almost come once again. You must be prepared this time.
"This time"…This time? What the hell did that mean? My thoughts were starting to drift back to me. What was happening? How had I known that those two were Gajeel and Wendy? What sense did any of this make? Fire suddenly surrounded me and a great red dragon appeared, its wings outstretched. It was the same dragon I had seen on that day seven years ago…and it was speaking to me. I ran forward, into the flame, but the dragon got no closer.
"What do you mean?" I cried, the need for answers consuming me. "What time? What are you? Where's my dad?"
The dragon almost looked sad at my questions, if dragons could look sad. Then he just responded with a simplistic, "You'll understand soon." His wings spread wider and the great dragon began to take off.
"No! Wait!" I screamed. The dragon couldn't leave yet. I needed answers. "Don't go!"
I shot up, covered in sweat. I actually felt warm. It had been a long time since I'd felt uncomfortable being warm. My shirt stuck to my skin as I heaved in my breaths. A dream…that's all it ever was. Still, it seemed so vivid and real, like that sensation by Wendy's old house. Slowly, tentatively, I stood and peeled my shirt off me. It was the same shirt I had worn to the funeral, so I probably needed to change anyway. I walked to my closet and was about to grab a new shirt when I heard some shuffling on my bed.
"Natsu…?" a soft voice called. I ripped a shirt from my closet and brought it over my head. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah…maybe…" I said back, just as quietly, as I lay back down on the bed. Lucy curled against my side, framed by the dim early morning sunlight that was streaming in through the windows. The rest of the dorm was silent.
For those of you wondering (which is more than likely most), when Lucy told me she just wanted…well…me, I brought her inside. I'm no romantic, by any stretch of the word, but I could understand what Lucy was trying to tell me. She all but confirmed it when she grabbed my face and smashed my lips against hers. To that, I'll admit, I was too stunned to kiss back. I can note that she tasted like a mixture of cherry and strawberry. Lucy pulled back almost immediately.
"Sorry…I'm so sorry," she apologized, honestly looking kind of cute. "I just…"
"It's fine," I laughed off. "Truth be told, I kind of like you, too."
"You do?" she squeaked, covering her face but peering through her fingers. "Seriously?"
"Lucy," I said, taking her hands in mine. "I've liked you since the day you said you believed me, but maybe we shouldn't do the whole kissing things yet."
"Yeah, that was just a spur of the moment thing," Lucy agreed with a giggle that removed the tears for just a second. "Usually, you're the impulsive one." That was something I couldn't contradict. So, I let go of Lucy's hands, stepped forward and hugged her. She melted into the hug.
We spent the rest of the night just talking, about the past, future, and our shared experience of Fried's death. It was hard to believe that it had only happened less than half a day ago. Then we fell asleep. Yes, in the same bed. Don't worry, we had our clothes on and all. We just slept. Come on, we're not some randy teenagers letting off steam. I truly cared for Lucy, more than some stupid romp in the sheets was worth. I may not be skilled at relationships, but I know what they're not. All of that led us to here, where Lucy sat up and rubbed my shoulder comfortingly.
"You want to talk about it?" she asked kindly.
"It was just a dream…though it felt so real…" I commented, rubbing the back of my head. "I don't know. Do you think it's possible to see the future?"
"Maybe," Lucy said, not understanding my cryptic words.
"Nah. It felt too real," I breathed. "Anyway, sleep well?"
"Yeah," Lucy said. "Though for a second, I thought you'd broken into my room again."
"I like your bed." I realize as I write this that it sounded dirtier than I meant it. "Are you feeling better?"
"A little," she confessed. "I think that, at least, I've come to terms with it. I just can't believe Fried's actually dead. I've known him for years."
"Yeah. I know it wasn't long, but I really liked him. It's not right."
"I wonder what the master's going to do now," she said, placing her chin in her palm. It was this moment that she noticed something rather unfortunate. "Am I still wearing the same clothing?"
"Yeah, it wasn't like you changed after you came here," I told her. She scrambled to her feet in a hurry.
"Does Wendy have any clothes I can borrow?"
"Um, sorry, Lucy, but I don't think her clothes would fit your chest size." Lucy punched me in the face, though it wasn't like it hurt. Thinking about that reminded me of that dream and the grown-up Wendy impaled. It was heard wrenching. Then I heard a knock. "It's probably Gajeel who forgot his key."
"Whatever. I need clothes and food," Lucy yawned out. Her eyes were still red as she said this. I shrugged and walked to my door, expecting to find Gajeel and instead finding…
"Oh, Gray…" I wasn't in the mood to insult him. He gave a short, humorless smile.
"Master's calling an assembly of the alliance in fifteen minutes," he told me. I nodded.
"Fifteen minutes? Oh, crap," Lucy called, dashing into our common area. Gray's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Seriously?" he nearly yelled, his voice almost cracking. Someone stuck their head out the door and yelled "Shut up, Surge!" but Gray ignored them in favor of the sight of Lucy in my dorm. "Did you two…?"
"Of course not," Lucy snapped, sliding her shoes on. "We just talked."
"Really?" Gray asked skeptically. I was ready to punch the icy bastard in the face. Lucy got there first.
"Don't be stupid, Gray," she said threateningly. Nothing's scarier than a threatening Lucy, even Erza. "And don't think I didn't see you sneaking off to Juvia's last night. And stop stripping."
Gray stopped in the process of taking his shirt off to look embarrassed. "She's warm…" It would have been a funny comment if it wasn't so serious. Lucy looked at him with sympathy before turning around, kissing me on the cheek and disappearing down the hall.
Before she vanished, she yelled, "We'll talk about 'us' later, Natsu."
"Right…uh, so fifteen minutes," Gray said uncomfortably.
"Are you heading down now?" I asked him. He nodded, his shirt off before he could stop himself. I quickly slipped some shoes on. "I'll go with you then." Truthfully, I just didn't want to be alone. Gray shrugged again and let me join him. The dorm halls were more or less silent as we walked. We barely exchanged a word until we got outside, where it was cold, but neither of us cared. After all, he was always around ice and I was practically a walking furnace.
"So, did you and Lucy…you know?" he finally asked, clearing his throat.
"No. Like she said, we just talked," I answered. I looked at him in time to see him shove his hands into his pockets. An idea popped into my head. It wasn't a great one, but I'd be helpless otherwise. "Hey, so…how exactly should I ask Lucy out?"
"Don't ask me," he answered. I was surprised he didn't crack a joke about it. "I've had a stalker for the last few years."
"Some help," I muttered. Finally, we had reached the open main building and made a beeline for the auditorium. I refused to look at the gym as we walked past.
Gray and I were hardly the first members of the Alliance to arrive. Laxus and the two…remaining members of the Thunder Legion were already up front along with Erza, Mirajane, and Jellal. Sting and Rogue were chatting quietly with Rufus and Orga in a corner. Only Sting offered me a wave. I couldn't hear their conversation, but it must have been serious because it made Sting frown. I noticed Kagura discussing things curtly with Yukino, Erza's friend Milliana and Sorano. Wendy was already there, sitting in a silent trio between Romeo and Chelia. Gajeel and Levy were also there in the front row, where Gray and I easily took our seats. Gajeel was sleeping.
On top of the auditorium stage was the master as well as the other guild masters except Minerva. Maybe that's what Sting and others had been talking about. It was strange for her to be missing. Doranbolt was up there, too, conversing quietly with all of them in a circle. I found it a little strange at this point that we could all gather here on a Sunday morning without being found out. Gray seemed to be able to tell I was asking this question.
"Concealing spell…or something like that," he handwaved. By the way…
"Pants, stripper," I told him.
"Damn it!" He quickly grabbed them in time for Juvia to slide into the chair next to him. I also saw Lucy enter and sit next to Levy, offering a wave. She changed fast. Or maybe fifteen minutes went by fast because almost immediately after, the masters broke and took seats except for Makarov. The entire hall was filled too, except for a furtive Max who slipped in, tossing a broom to the side.
"Well…where do I start?" Makarov sighed out, capturing everyone's attention. "Fried's dead…was murdered. That is something this Alliance will not take lightly. However, we guild masters have decided that we must move forward with the utmost level of caution."
"What's that mean?" called someone. It sounded a little like Bacchus. "Ain't we goin' to war? Hic." Yep, definitely Bacchus. His fellow members of Quattro Cerberus joined him in raucous agreement. I couldn't help but agree with the sentiment and began to like Bacchus even more. His comments had sent the rest of the Alliance members into murmurs.
"Of course not, fool!" Makarov barked. "We will put all our efforts into rooting out the infiltrator and catching the one who killed Fried. If you have any information regarding that, come forth. Otherwise, we must let things return to normal. We can't let the Balam Alliance know this has rattled us."
"That's bullcrap!" Lyon yelled, standing behind us. The rest of the crowd was growing restless, too. "Since when are we cowards that hide and wait?"
"Hell, yeah! We want a war! We want payback!" Bacchus said, whipping the group into a frenzy. Gray and I stood at the same exact time, an act which somehow quieted most of the crowd. At this moment, I also saw Happy and the other cats descend into the hall.
"Come on, gramps!" Gray yelled. "We all came into this, ready for a fight. Now you're telling us to stand down after they took one of our own. How much longer are we gonna wait around for something to happen?"
"I'm not sitting back while Fried's murderer is out there. We have to do more than wait!" I added angrily.
"Shut up, you brats!" Makarov suddenly boomed, growing to almost five times his size for a moment. That, I think, was the first time I truly feared Makarov. Not because he was huge, or yelling, but because I saw the fear and sadness in his eyes that we all had, but he was still making this decision. Gray sank to his seat, but I didn't let it deter me.
"Master Makarov isn't saying this because he wants to," Doranbolt said with a sigh. "He's saying it because you have no chance of winning this war." I snapped, jumping up on the stage and getting into his face within seconds. He stared me down.
"Say that again," I demanded, my rage boiling.
"From a place of logic, you can't win this war the way it stands. They're too strong, and too crafty."
"Then try this logic: they may have started this war, but we're going to finish it!" I roared, flames consuming my body. I noticed that for an instant, he actually looked scared. "We're going to make them wish they never started this war with us!"
That got an overwhelming reaction from the crowd behind me. "Aye, sir!"
"You tell 'em, Natsu!"
"Way to go, Natsu-san." I didn't exactly revel in the borderline adoration I was receiving, but it felt pretty good to have all those people standing behind me, agreeing with me. Or, at least, it felt pretty good until Makarov's hand grew huge and slammed me back into my seat, effectively knocking the wind out of me. It quieted the crowd down, too.
"I'm not saying this as a way to prevent us from winning this war," Makarov snapped. I was still catching my breath. "I'm stopping you from getting yourselves killed. One of my own children was murdered on my doorstep. Throwing ourselves into harm's way until this murderer is caught would be nothing short of foolish. Now, if you're done with your incessant warmongering, we have a killer to find and we'd like to do it today!"
"You heard him!" Laxus yelled, refusing to move from his seat. It sent the others scrambling for the exit. I leaned over, now recovered, and watched my Physics teacher sit there. He can't have been happy with the decision that Makarov had rendered, yet he was sitting there as stoically as ever. I wondered what was going through his mind. Mira was wondering too, because as she left with Erza, I noticed her throwing him a rather concerned look.
"Natsu, is now a good time to talk?" I heard Lucy from in front of me. I looked to her and stood.
Happy floated lazily in front of us. "You're in looove!"
"How's your relationship with Carla going?" Lucy shot back with a smirk.
"Natsu, Lucy's being mean to me! Happy cried out, flying into my hair. Sorry to say, but I ignored him.
"Sure," I answered her and I followed her to the side of the auditorium. Happy left my hair at some point to join up with Lily. For some reason, I noticed all our cats were still hanging around, along with their owners. I heard Lucy sigh and I looked at her. She had changed into more casual clothes and on closer examination, looked like she hadn't slept at all, but she wore a soft smile on her face that kind of put me at ease.
"I know this probably isn't the best time, given Fried's death and all, but…" Lucy tried to get out. It looked like she was having a hard time getting the words out, so I decided to kind of get there first.
"Wanna go out for dinner?" I blatantly asked. "Tomorrow night, maybe."
"Sure," Lucy said, looking a little relieved. "I think we just need to get our minds off of all this, you know. A date would be…really nice. We can see where it goes from there."
"Right," I said. Well, that was far easier than I thought it would be. I agreed with her, too. Given Fried's death and those horribly realistic dreams, I needed something to take me away. Fighting this damn war would have been good, but a date with Lucy was probably better. Lucy smiled a little awkwardly but we returned to Gajeel, Levy, Gray and Juvia who were still hanging around. So was Makarov, and he noticed us lingering.
"I'm assuming by your presence here that you want to assist in the investigation," he breathed out. It was actually more like a sigh, though. "All right. I never can stop you brats when you get like this. We don't have too much information since Erik was at the tavern at the time of the murder and didn't hear anything. So, what do you have?"
I think we were all a little taken aback by the fact that Makarov was actually willing to let us help. As a result, none of us really said anything. I frowned, thinking about how I could possibly begin. Drawing my thoughts together, I remembered Fried's final words to me. "I might have an idea of where to start."
"Where?" Laxus said. It was harsh and biting, but I couldn't really blame him.
"Before Fried died, I asked him who did it," I started, thinking as I spoke. "He couldn't really talk by that point, but I'm pretty sure he was about to say a name that started with M. I'm also pretty sure he said, or was going to say, 'find her'."
"I guess that narrows it down," Gray commented. "A girl whose name starts with M. How many of those are there?"
"Wait a sec…you don't think…" Sting said. He and Rogue were walking up to our group, as if in a daze.
"Sting, if you have something to say, I suggest you speak up," Makarov said, his voice a complete juxtaposition of harshness and kindness. Sting looked over to me with a little bit of worry while locking gazes with Rogue, who nodded.
"Well, it's just…Minerva…" Sting really looked flummoxed, especially since each one of us was staring intensely at him. "We haven't seen her since Friday, really. I mean, we had a quick glimpse of her this morning, and she didn't look well."
"Natsu and I saw her yesterday," Lucy pointed out. "She was with us in the library before she stormed out…right before we left." It was like there was a sense of horror in her voice. I could relate. Was it possible that Minerva had left in that moment to find and kill Fried? The thought was disconcerting. Makarov gave a tired sigh.
"An infiltrator is one thing, but a traitor?" he breathed out. "This is far too delicate a situation to approach lightly I named Minerva as Sabertooth's guild master, but if she did this it will be a huge blow to morale. Happy, Pantherlily, can you find her and bring her in quietly? We just want to talk to her, but if she resists, let us know."
"Aye…" Happy said despondently before he and Lily left. Lector and Frosch followed after them. Makarov was now stroking his chin in thought.
"We can't just assume that it's Minerva…You all are well acquainted with the entire student body," he said to us. "Can you think of anyone who would match Fried's description?" I wracked my brain for a moment, but found nothing. None of us did…until Juvia spoke up softly.
"Meredy," she said. "Juvia doesn't want to believe it, but Meredy fits."
"But she's so nice!" Wendy argued. "She can't really…"
"Doranbolt, may I ask you to investigate Meredy?" Makarov asked without a second thought. He nodded curtly. "Take Miss McGarden with you; her research skills are second to none. Make it quick, too. Time is officially of the essence."
"Of course. Miss McGarden, if you'd take my hand," Doranbolt said as he stood. Levy cautiously took it, and moments later, they had vanished. Quite honestly, it frustrated me to not be able to do anything at that that particular moment.
"I doubt that little girl killed Fried," Laxus growled out. I looked at him and noticed that his mouth was set into a thin line. He was not happy. "But if Orlando killed him, I'll short-circuit her brain."
"You'll do no such thing, Laxus!" Makarov snapped. "Besides, we must investigate all avenues." Laxus scoffed. I sighed and collapsed back down into my seat. Gray did, too, and for some odd reason, we shared a look. Both of us knew that Laxus was becoming super-broody. And dangerous. That was the scary part. I really wouldn't have put it past him to pulverize the killer. I wanted to crush Fried's killer too, but it was obvious that Laxus' brand of vengeance was the one that ate away at your soul.
Silence settled into the auditorium save for the whispers we all shared between each other while waiting for either Happy or Levy to return. I was by no means surprised when it was Levy's team that arrived first. Levy looked like she was still in concentration mode while Doranbolt's eyes were dead set and serious. It made my hairs stand just a little on edge. Makarov looked to him in expectation.
"I'm afraid we hit a snag," Doranbolt answered him concernedly. "Meredy doesn't exist."
"Wait…she's an illusion?" Wendy said, instantly reaching the most bizarre conclusion. Doranbolt chuckled at her, but Levy answered.
"No…she's real," Levy said, deliberately pacing her words. "But on paper, it's like she came into existence six months ago. There are no other Academy records, or records of any kind."
"The only thing she had listed was a mother by the name of Ultear Milkovitch," Doranbolt finished. Gray catapulted forward, his eyes wide. The gears were turning in my brain.
"Wasn't Ultear your cousin?" I asked him. "Didn't you say she died?"
"She did," Gray stated simply. He looked torn between shock, elation and overwhelming fury. Juvia lovingly put a hand on Gray's shoulder, and I have to admit that the look on her face, combined with the way that Gray softened, almost told me how much the two cared for each other.
"Gray-sama, Juvia knows it seems impossible, but Ultear did die fighting Grimoire Heart, remember?" she said to him. Gray clasped her hand in his own and nodded. I could tell from his face that it wasn't something he had exactly come to terms with, but he was willing to accept the impossible outcome. Makarov was even quicker to accept.
"Jellal, please bring Meredy here as fast as you can. Be discreet," he said sternly. Jellal nodded and more or less vanished. A strange feeling settled over the hall, like a night that wouldn't end. Were we close to finding the infiltrator of the Balam Alliance, or were we just spinning our wheels in the direction of innocent suspects? It wasn't like I had any clue, and personally I had no preference on who it could be. Minerva was quite the strange package, but it wasn't like I ever saw her as a murderer. Then there was Meredy, who always seemed so honest and sincere, and who Wendy looked up to in a way. She didn't have the eyes of a killer.
"Where are they?" Rogue's dulcet tones called out. At the very least, it called my attention to him. "Frosch and the others should have been back by now, right?"
"Maybe we should find them…" Sting expressed. He looked at Makarov, who seemed to subtly nod, thereby giving them permission to go. They wasted no time in doing so. I kept my eyes on Makarov, who pulled out a small cube-like object. I didn't know what it was, but I figured that the Master must have prepared for this sort of situation if he had been carrying this the whole time.
"Jellal just tell me what's going on?" I heard a voice say from outside the auditorium. I was no Erik, but my hearing was still pretty good. Meredy had arrived, and the best part was that she didn't seem overtly hostile. The two finally walked into the auditorium. Meredy saw us all there and furrowed her brow in obvious confusion. We stared back in stony silence as she and Jellal approached the master, her pink hair bouncing behind her. "Headmaster, I was told you wanted to see me."
"Yes," Makarov told her, equal parts kind and cold. "Please, take a seat." He stepped aside and offered the seat which Doranbolt had been sitting in. She nervously sat in it while all of our eyes remained affixed to her. Makarov took the cube object and held it to Meredy's eye level before placing it down on the stage. It was just a fraction of a second, but I know for a fact that I saw the pinkette's eyes widen in recognition before the little cube activated, creating a dome around all of us.
"Breaking the toys out already, huh, gramps?" Laxus snorted out, though his eyes were glaring daggers at Meredy.
"Do you know what this is?" Makarov asked of Meredy, ignoring his grandson's needless comments. I was consistently watching Meredy for the slightest reaction. At the master's question, her entire body tensed and her hands balled the shirt she was wearing. It was a long minute that she didn't answer.
Finally, she squeaked out a simple, "Yes."
The room filled with many reactions all at once. Laxus stood in a blaze of thunder along with Bickslow and Evergreen; Gray glared mutinously at the little girl while Juvia held him back; both Levy and Lucy gasped. Gildarts, who had been surprisingly easy to miss, stepped up to Meredy quickly and slapped a pair of handcuffs on her before she could protest. Makarov sighed with utter exhaustion. Myself and Wendy stared on in confusion and Gajeel kept sleeping like a log. Meredy cleared up any confusion a moment later.
"It's a Truth Cube," she said. "It's like a magic lie detector." She was shaking, and there were even some tears on her face. It was an odd reaction from a member of Grimoire Heart and a supposed killer. I just couldn't believe it.
"Good. Are you a member of Grimoire Heart?" the master demanded. Meredy's tears came faster.
"Yes…" she squeaked out. "But not by choice!"
"Then what about Ultear?" Gray snapped. Meredy looked at Gray and for a second, she stopped crying and looked sympathetic towards him. I knew Ice Princess wouldn't be the happiest with that.
"I'm sorry, but I promised I wouldn't say anything," she said. Gray was quickly restrained by Juvia, but she hardly looked able to help him. So, I got to my feet and pulled him back. He finally appeared to realize what he was doing because he calmed himself.
"Did you kill Fried?" Makarov asked, a truly frightening look on his face.
"No!" Meredy protested immediately. "I could never do that!" Laxus' jaw clenched, but he sat back down. Meredy was most definitely not the killer. It didn't mean she wasn't a member of the Balam Alliance.
"Why did you infiltrate Magnolia Academy?"
"Master Hades wanted insider knowledge of anything that happened at the Academy. He sent me in to retrieve that information and report," Meredy answered. She still looked intensely upset, but appeared to be composing herself. "I didn't learn much, though. It was mostly things that were over the top, like what Laxus did at Homecoming. I reported to him last night about Mr. Justine's murder."
"Then what does Hades know?" Makarov roared. I think it was the first time I'd ever seen him so angry. He almost looked like a wild beast, about to go on a rampage. It all had to do with this "Hades" individual. Suddenly, I was reminded of that first day I had met Makarov. It made sense now, some of his comments. He knew Hades; though how and in what capacity eluded me.
"Nothing that wasn't obvious," Meredy responded. "The only members of the Alliance that I knew about were Gray and Romeo. Chelia, too, I guess. Master Hades already knew about Natsu and Wendy and the other Dragon Watchers. But I…I couldn't bring myself to do it." She started crying again, this time from something other than nervousness. "I know I just infiltrated this place, but I really love it here! Magnolia Academy became more of a home to me than Grimoire Heart!"
For the record, the Truth Cube was still active.
"Thank you for your honesty, Meredy. Gildarts, Doranbolt, we'll sequester her in the tavern for the time being until we can figure out what steps to take next." Gildarts nodded as he and Doranbolt grabbed hold of Meredy and vanished. In the same instant, the doors to the auditorium opened and Sting, Rogue and the cats limped in, with Minerva draped over Sting's shoulder. They looked pretty rough.
"Something's wrong with her," Sting wheezed out, collapsing under the weight. Minerva tumbled to the floor, allowing us to get a good look at her. I had to agree with Sting's statement: Minerva looked horrible. She had vicious bags under her eyes and even unconscious, her body was twitching horribly. Something was definitely wrong with this girl, and she had done a number on Sting and Rogue. The cats didn't look entirely unscathed either and Happy flew right up to me, looking like he'd had the daylights scared out of him. Wendy ran to help Sting. "She barely got a look at us before she started attacking us."
"She wasn't herself," Rogue spat, clasping tightly to his shoulder. "If I hadn't gotten behind her, I think she would have killed the both of us."
"Aye, she was crazy Natsu!" Happy informed me. "Her eyes were real scary!"
"Let's restrain her before we question her," Makarov commanded. Gray and I were the first to move, lifting Minerva up by the arms and placing her in the chair that Meredy had occupied just minutes before. Jellal joined us there and slapped a pair of cuffs on her. I can only assume that they were there to block magic, otherwise they'd be useless. He also restrained her to the chair for good measure. "Wendy, if you could heal her…"
"Of course, Master," Wendy said. She wiped her brow as she walked away from Sting and Rogue. It took only a few seconds after Wendy's blue light enveloped Minerva that the girl began to stir. I hastily pulled her away.
"Where…?" was the first word out of her mouth as she awoke. She never completed the question, for she saw Makarov. "Makarov Dreyar!" There was a loud sound as she strained against the confines of the chair as if she wanted to rip him limb from limb. It was kind of frightening how ferocious she was.
"Yes…there's certainly something wrong with her," Makarov commented. "Miss Orlando, do you know why you're here?"
"To kill…Fairy Tail…" she grunted out, her muscles audibly tightening as she strained against the bindings on her. It was really weird, too, because the way she said it wasn't like she took pleasure from it. "One down…more to go…"
None of us could stop Laxus. He zapped over to her and grabbed her throat with impunity. "So, you're the one that killed Fried, huh? I should fry you into a pile of dust."
"I didn't want to," Minerva cried out, and it was suddenly like her true self had broken through. She was actually crying. "I didn't want to…but I…but I…"
"Stop this foolishness, Laxus!" Makarov chided, swatting him aside with a giant hand. "Lucy, please get Porlyusica for me." She left immediately. Minerva, meanwhile, got worse. Half the time she'd be crying while the other half she'd be gnashing angrily, trying to break free. Thankfully, it wasn't long before Lucy arrived with Porlyusica.
"Hold her still," our school nurse demanded. Gray and I did as she asked, pulling Minerva as best as we could against the chair. Porlyusica bent down and firmly held the girl's head, staring intensely into her eyes. After a moment, she released her and nodded. "Most definitely controlled by some form of magic. She can hardly be held accountable for her actions, though I don't doubt that whoever's controlling her made her kill Fried."
"In other words, we have our killer, but not our culprit," Makarov said. Laxus looked put out at this notion, but made no move to refute any of it. "What now?"
"I suggest isolating her until I can find a way to undo the magic," Porlyusica offered. Makarov nodded.
"She'll have to step down as guild master, of course. Ugh, Sabertooth's more problematic by the day."
"What's gonna happen to the guild then?" Sting asked, joining all of us. "Who's going to be the new master?"
"How about yourself, Sting? You have a good head, and a good heart," Makarov said with a smile. It was unexpected, that was for sure, but no less pleasant. Sting looked entirely taken aback but Lector and Rogue both cheered him on. "At least for the interim, that should work. In the meantime, our investigation is more or less concluded. I'll have Gildarts and Doranbolt look into who was in contact with Minerva preceding Fried's death. For now, go back to your regular schedule, especially you, Laxus."
"Yes, sir," Laxus spat distastefully, but he didn't refute his grandfather's orders. He stood and briskly strode from the room.
"Bickslow, Evergreen, I trust you'll keep him in line." Neither responded as they trailed after their boss. "Leave, brats!"
None of us really wanted to, but we did. I can't speak for the others, but I was honestly freaked out by the thing going on with Minerva. I really couldn't wait for that date to get my mind off things.
Monday was a strange experience. Mostly, it was just the fact of returning to school knowing that Fried wouldn't be teaching our class. It cut quite a bit. This meant that Miss Heilas was taking over and she wasted no time mourning Fried's death. She was cold, plain and simple. Of course, Fried's death and the events that followed after had far reaching effects. Laxus wasn't very accommodating, though that was hardly a surprise. Gray was more sullen, too, no doubt contemplating the fact that his cousin was possibly alive. That freaked me out, too, so I left him alone with it. Erza had been informed of what happened and had almost threatened the master into speaking with Minerva. She came out of it looking shaken.
For my part, I just tried to make it through the day one step at a time. My impulsive nature helped with that. When the school day ended, I immediately left for the dorm (Gajeel could pick up Wendy). Along the way, I was greeted by some Alliance members and I would usually respond, but I was more focused on getting dressed for the night. I chose the nicest casual clothes that I could, but I made sure to keep the scarf. Then I went to Lucy's room, knocked on it (surprising, I know), and she answered moments later.
It wasn't quite her homecoming dress, but Lucy looked very nice. I'm not going to bother describing how she looked to you, because I suck at it, but she looked nice. Her hair was down, too, something which I found incredibly damn sexy for some reason. She gave me a little smile and slipped out of her room. Believe it or not, I wasn't nervous at all about this date. Lucy didn't seem to be nervous either. It made it all rather enjoyable…except for the bus ride from hell.
Considering I had no real idea about dating, the closest having been that dance with Lucy, she took charge. We took a bus to New Magnolia and a restaurant branch there. In particular it was the Magnolia Branch of the 8island franchise. Supposedly, it was because we got discounts as students and because Headmaster Makarov was a friend of the owner. It was really nice, though.
"I didn't want something too fancy," Lucy admitted sheepishly.
"It's great," I admitted as our dinner rolls arrived. I ordered a steak while Lucy ordered chicken. "Nice distraction."
"Yeah, my head was almost going to explode today," Lucy laughed out. It sounded like a waterfall. Maybe it was the lighting in the restaurant, but it really hit me how beautiful Lucy was at that moment. Mostly, it was her smile. I never wanted that smile to leave her face. My hand instinctively reached over and grasped hers.
"I'm glad you thought of this," I admitted. She exhaled in relief. "So, how's your writing dream coming along?"
"I've tried a few ideas, but so far, none of them have really compelled me," she told me with a puff of her cheeks.
"You could always write about us," I suggested. That caught her attention.
"Us?" she questioned. "You mean like 'us' us? Or a more general 'us'?"
"What's the difference? Unless you don't want 'you and me' to be an 'us'," I noted.
"No, I definitely want us to be an 'us'. Well, what would you have in mind?" We spent our dinner talking about my journals and the various ways they could become kickass storied. I even offered to show them to her, but she passed on account of my practically illegible handwriting. "I'll just interview you. How about this weekend?"
"Another date? We sure are moving fast, Lucy," I joked with her. "Before you know it, we'll be married."
"Sometimes, I think we act like we're married already," she admitted. It gave us a good laugh while we paid our bill and strode into the New Magnolia sunset.
I hadn't noticed it before, but our path to the buses led past a horribly familiar sight. When we came upon it, I stopped and couldn't help but stare at it: the Magnolia Psychiatric Facility. It was so odd, staring at the place of my captivity from the outside. The building was abandoned, though that was no surprise. No lights were flickering and I could actually see some broken windows as a remnant of our escape. Hell, even the front doors remained shattered from Wendy's burst of power. There was only one word I could use to describe the building now: haunted. It couldn't get any creepier.
Then I heard a noise from inside.
"What was that?" Lucy squeaked, clutching my arm. I took a step forward to go inside, but Lucy held me back. "Please don't. What if it's another dead body?"
"It'll be fine," I assured her, but it wasn't like I really knew. She let go of me but followed me into the abandoned ruins.
I saw the source of the noise almost immediately after entering. It was a boy, and he was naked. Lucy gave an "eep" before covering her eyes. This alerted the boy (who looked to be around my age), because he gave a start and backed against a wall. This put him into the sunset's glow. He was definitely around my age, maybe a little older. His hair was black and messy and with his absence of clothes, he looked pretty emaciated. He was also crying, his tears blurring his vision. I'm not sure if he was just freaking out or if he was legitimately scared of us.
"No! Stay away!" he called out, pulling his limbs together. He was shivering, no doubt from the clod air. I took my jacket off, since it wasn't like I needed it, and tossed it to him. This act appeared to surprise him.
"You looked cold," I said with a shrug, though I'm not sure how much could be seen in the setting sun. "So, what are you doing here, anyway? Squatting or something?"
"I don't know," the boy answered, wrapping the coat around his naked figure. It was a little big on him. "I just woke up here."
"That's weird. Who are you?" The boy shivered again and grasped his head.
"I…I don't know!" he cried. More tears, great. "Who am I?"
"Natsu," Lucy whispered, tugging on my scarf, "he must have amnesia."
"Am-whatsa?" A loud thump was heard and I saw the boy had fallen over and passed out. "Aw, man…Lucy, do you think we could take him back to Fairy Tail?"
"Sure," she said, but I could see her reservations. She still took out her phone and called the Master. I walked over to the boy and slung him over my shoulder. He was so skinny that it was easy, but I still made sure not to touch any naked parts. Sorry, but I don't swing that way. His head flopped near my chest and this overwhelming sense of familiarity rose within me at the sight of him. I couldn't quite describe it. "Let's go, Natsu. This place is giving me the creeps."
I could not agree more. With the boy still slung over my shoulder, Lucy and I left the building, quickly moving towards the bus stop. I was in no mood to ride the thing, but I made it through as we reached Old Magnolia and the tavern. We must have been expected because the bar was far quieter than usual (though I doubt our arrival was the only reason why). I had to ignore them in order to sit the boy down in a chair.
"Where did you find him?" Makarov asked of me immediately.
"At the old psychiatric facility," I answered, a strange shiver running down my spine.
"You went back there?" Gajeel asked incredulously. "How'd you find this kid there?"
"I'm not sure if he was homeless or whatever, but he was in the front hall," I told my fellow Dragon Watchers, all of whom had joined me at my side.
"I think he might have amnesia," Lucy told Makarov. "He didn't know how he had gotten there, or who he was."
"Very strange…" Makarov mused. "One thing's for certain though. I sense magic in him; very powerful and ancient stuff."
A groan issued from the boy as he finally stirred. When his eyes opened, he jumped at his surroundings and almost instantly began crying again at the unfamiliarity. I'd be upset over losing my memory too, but I decided to call him Crybaby in my mind, anyway. Then he saw me and began to smile, even if the tears didn't stop. I figured he must have recognized me from being the guy who had given him a coat and hauled him here. I smiled back.
"Natsu…it's you…" he said. My smile dropped. Lucy whirled around to look at me with wild eyes. Sure, he might have overheard my name being spoken, but I don't think we had said it loud enough. He looked behind me. "Gajeel, Wendy…you're here, too! And Sting and Rogue."
"How does he know us?" Wendy whispered, hanging on to Gajeel. Murmurs cascaded around the tavern's occupants.
"Where are…? Oh, I see…" Crybaby continued. Then he suddenly gripped his head, as though some sort of thought was giving him pain. That was seconds before he passed out again, those tears of indescribable joy still flowing down his face.
"What the hell is he, and how does he know us?" Gajeel grunted. I had no answers
I should've known who he was, though. Deep in my heart, I think I did. After all, everything that followed was because of him.
Author's Note: I'm sure you can all guess who the mysterious boy is, but I'll tell you next chapter anyway. Now, to note, this is the chapter where my story and canon take a super diverging turn, because I can't guess at Mashima's story and I already have this plot set down which was created and conceived well before the end of the Tartaros Arc. Anyway, that's all I have. Let me know your thoughts on the chapter. In the meantime, Review and Dare to Be Silly.
