Chapter Twenty-Five:
When they reached the porch of the small house in the clearing, Levy turned to Grey and the others. "Freed, you and Wendy know this, but the rest of you listen up. Lucy is not the same Lucy you knew before Tartarus. She will say things that will hurt you. She may even throw things at you. I know you're not going to believe me right now, but I want you to have enough warning. Since she specifically asked that no members of Team Natsu were allowed to visit, I would guess that she will be even angrier than usual when she sees you. Doranbolt said that Laxus gave orders to stay away because of Lucy, so I would guess that whatever progress she made is gone and she may even be worse."
Before anyone could ask questions, she turned and knocked loudly on the door. "Everything still the same in there?" she asked Cobra as they waited. Grey was still getting used to the idea that the poison dragon slayer was on the same side as him. On the walk over, Erza had told him that Crime Sorciere had recruited the old Oracian Seis members and then been adopted into Fairy Tail.
"Both of them are there. Nobody's moving towards us though." The dragon slayer leaned casually against the wall. "I'm not your watchdog though."
"No, you're my early warning system. The method of our impending doom depends on who comes to the door," Levy said absently as she pounded on the door again. "Let me know the minute we get a change."
"Someone's moving towards us," Cobra said dully. "It's her."
"Well then, time to see how bad things are," Levy sighed. "I don't know if she has her keys or not, so be prepared for anything. Even if she doesn't have her keys, she might throw something."
Grey raised his eyebrow, but adjusted his stance anyway. Being away from the guild had taught him the necessity of being prepared for anything. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Juvia step slightly in front of Wendy, ready to shield the girl if necessary. Erza requipped a shield into one hand, a small sword in the other.
The door was flung open, and a very angry Lucy stood in front of them. Grey noticed in surprise that she was wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt, despite the warm weather. As she reached out to brace herself against the doorway, he saw Wendy stiffen slightly.
"I thought you were told to stay away," Lucy snapped, her voice cold. "I don't want to see anyone from the guild."
"We've come to see Laxus-sama," Freed said sullenly. "And Cobra mentioned that you guys hadn't seen anyone for days."
"He's asleep," Lucy said grouchily. "We had a big argument last night about my keys and he's sleeping still. And I don't need your help, any of you. Just stay the hell away from me."
"Lucy-san, your wrists look as if they've healed nicely." Wendy said quietly, but Lucy stiffened. "Almost as if they haven't been cut. Or if this is an old copy of Gemini?"
Surprise passed over Lucy's face, and then she disappeared in a brief flash. Cobra turned to Wendy, surprise on her face. "I've seen Angel pull stunts like that with Gemini, and nobody's ever figured it out. Good job kid."
"The scars gave it away," Wendy said shyly, over the distant shriek from inside the house. "It's only been a week. Even with my help, the scars should still be noticeable. When I didn't see them, I knew that it wasn't Lucy, since she didn't smell like make-up either."
"Why would Lucy smell like make-up?" Grey asked, following Levy as she moved foreward into the house.
"Her scars," Wendy began, but Levy cursed in front of them.
"Shit, if she has Gemini, she's got her keys!" Her voice held a trace of panic, and she rushed forward, with the rest of the group following her.
When they reached the living room, Levy moved towards a small hallway, but was stopped by two golden flashes. Grey recognized Virgo and his old partner immediately.
Beside him, Freed paled. "Oh Mavis, she wasn't supposed to get his key," he whispered, and Grey saw Levy and Wendy looked just as pale.
"Loke, let me see her," Levy pleaded, trying to move past, but Virgo gripped her by her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Levy, but Lucy doesn't want to see anyone right now," Loke said gently. "Come back another time."
"Let us through Leo," Freed said coldly, moving towards them. "Especially since we've seen you, we need to make sure that she's okay."
Emotions cycled through Loke's face too fast for Grey to catch, but the lion remained where he was. "I am sorry Freed, but I will not disobey my master's orders."
Before Freed could do anything, Grey stepped forward. "Hey, I don't know what's going on, but I want to talk with her. Loke, can I go see her?"
His old partner studied him, and Grey held his breath, not knowing what was going on behind the lion's eyes. Finally, he said: "You and Juvia may go back. Everyone else stays here. And I make no guarantees that she'll want to see you. Her room's on the left."
Moving quickly, Grey and Juvia slipped through the tiny gap that the spirits made for them and hurried down the hall. Reaching the door Loke had told them about, Grey exchanged looks with the rainwoman and knocked carefully.
"Go away!" Lucy shrieked from inside. "I don't want to see you Levy!" Something heavy hit the wall next to the door, and Grey flinched. So this is what Levy was talking about.
"It's not Levy," he said, and was rewarded with silence. "Juvia and I are coming in."
"No!" she shrieked, but he was already opening the door.
Lucy stood in the middle of the room, wearing shorts and a sports bra. Standing in the doorway, he stared at her, now understanding what Wendy had meant when she mentioned scars. They covered her body, and from the looks of some of them, they extended even under her clothes. A familiar looking tattoo was inked across her collarbone, and Grey struggled to place it. Movement behind him made him snap out of his trance, and he remembered where he had seen the tattoo before.
"Juvia," he said quietly. "Go back and tell the others that she's okay. Tell them not to come back; Lucy and I are going to talk for a while. Put them in a water lock if they fight too much."
Footsteps moving away from him, along with the brief touch she left on his arm, told him that she was leaving, and Grey refocused on his teammate, still standing in front of him. "So Lucy, I'm back."
"I can see that," she spat, recovering. "Nice of you to drop in. Come to gawk?" Moving, she rummaged through the dresser nearby, pulling out a long sleeved shirt and a pair of leggings before reaching into the closet for a skirt.
"Just came to see how my friend's doing," he said, turning his back slightly. "Let me know when I can turn around."
"You can leave," she said, but he could hear her changing. "I don't want to talk to you either."
"I could talk then," he said calmly. "However, I do have a few things that I'm curious about. Mainly Aquarius's tattoo. Is it new?"
"Turn around," she growled, and he obeyed, seeing her in the new outfit, and much closer. "You can leave now. I don't want to hear about your adventures. So go back and tell the others that I don't want to see anyone until I decide that I'm ready."
"Lucy, I just want to talk to you," he began, but she cut him off.
"You don't have a right to ask me about anything, Grey Fullbuster. While you have had a wonderfully exciting year, jaunting around the kingdom with your girlfriend, I have been dealing with several things, none of them pleasant. You abandoned Fairy Tail, so it takes more effort than just returning to make things right. Go find Natsu and see if he'll take you back. The two of you are the same, disappearing when it's convenient for you. I'm tired of you always coming and going, just like your clothes."
"Well that's interesting," A voice from outside the window made Lucy spin, wobbling slightly. Cobra was leaning in, grinning. "I was wondering about something, and now I've figured it out. You're lying to him Lucy, although I wouldn't know it by your act. So this is what scared everyone off. I assume you said something as nasty to Kinana which made her dump the water on you."
Grey looked back at Lucy. Her tirade had startled him, but Cobra's words startled him even more.
Glaring at the dragon slayer, Lucy said: "You know, I think I told you once to stay out of my head."
"You might have," Cobra said lazily, adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. "However, the contradiction between your thoughts and your behavior is more interesting than your threats that were supposed to keep me out of your head."
"I'm plenty pissed right now," Lucy growled, but he flapped his hand at her.
"Oh, I know you're pissed at him, don't worry. But you're not angry that the rest of them are here, you're afraid. I wonder what you don't want them to know about…"
"Stay out of my head!" she shrieked, reaching for a ball on her floor and throwing at him.
Cobra caught it easily, but his grin faded. "So that's what's going on," he muttered, a serious expression replacing his previous playfulness. "Sorry Lucy, but you're in trouble. They didn't just come here because of you. Ever gave Freed specific orders about that."
"Damn," Lucy breathed, panic flashing across her face. "What can I do to keep you from telling the others about it?"
"I'm not going to tell," Cobra said quietly. "I've been there too, and I see what you're trying to do. Clears up what was going on in Doranbolt's head too."
The two of them were quiet for a moment, staring at each other, and Grey wanted to demand to know what was going on, but something kept him from asking.
Finally, Cobra nodded. "I can do that. Let me through the window? The kid might realize that I was back here, but she probably won't ask if she does. I'll do my best, but don't blame me if I get fried."
"Thanks Cobra," Lucy said softly. "I was hoping for a bit more time before this happened. It's only gotten worse lately, so I know it's too soon…"
"I'll let Jellal know, and see if there's something he can do. He pulled his own head out…"
Grey was amazed at the look the two mages were sharing. It was if they had known each other for ages, to the point where they could read each other's mind. Sliding the window up, Cobra slipped inside and quietly made his way to the door. "Let me through, icicle," he muttered, and Grey had no choice but to step aside as the man moved past him into the hallway.
"Fullbuster," Lucy said, and he snapped back to reality. She was pulling her hair up, and he saw with a start that she was struggling with the tie. Reaching out to help her, he found his hands being swatted away.
"I didn't get your attention because I needed your help," she snapped, managing to pull her hair into a ponytail, albeit a clumsy one. "I am very angry with you, but right now that has to wait because I have bigger problems. So you are going to head out and tell the others that I absolutely do not want to talk to anyone right now and they need to turn around and get back to the guild. Laxus will let them know when I am in a better mood and can deal with you."
"Where is he, anyway?" Grey asked. "And before I go, I want to know why you have Aquarius's tattoo."
"Didn't Gemini tell you?" Lucy said, slipping her feet into a pair of clogs. "He's asleep. We had an argument last night."
"I don't believe you," Grey said flatly. "You and Cobra seem to have a secret you don't want the others knowing about. If I was reading between the lines of that conversation, it has to do with Laxus, because that's the reason Freed came. And Freed wouldn't have come, since he's hungover and looks like crap. So something is wrong here, and I won't do anything until I know why you have Aquarius's tattoo and why you're trying to keep everyone away from Laxus."
Shocked, Lucy set down her keys. "Freed's hungover?" she whispered, and Grey saw something flicker across her face.
"When I returned to the guild this morning, Freed was hungover, Cana was sober, and Mira was seconds away at going demon on everyone." Grey stated. "From what I gathered, it had to do with you or Laxus."
"Shit," Lucy said, and she snatched up her keys. "If they're all in that mood, this is not going to be good. Cobra, if you hear me or my thoughts right now and are still in the house, do everything you can. It's worse than I thought."
"Lucy, I want answers now, okay? Stop for a minute and explain something. Why Aquarius's tattoo? What's up with Laxus?" Grey stepped further into the room and shut the door.
"Why are you so fixated on a damn tattoo?" she snarled, seizing a pile of papers from her desk. "I just wanted it, okay?"
"That tattoo shouldn't be as pristine as it is Lucy," Grey said quietly. "I saw your scars, and some of them should go right through it, but it's undamaged. Even if you got the tattoo recently, it should at least show some of the marks, because the scarring is pretty bad in some places. The only way it could be as perfect as it is…someone used magic to apply it, and the only time I've seen that happen is when Cana got the Fairy Glitter mark temporarily, or someone was cursed."
"The tattoo isn't my curse," she said quietly, fingering her keys. Grey watched as she rested briefly on one, and he realized that it was broken. "Guilt is. The tattoo is just a reminder."
"Lucy, did something happen to Aquarius?" he whispered, not wanting it to be true. Loke had told him about how far Lucy had gone to save him. He had seen it himself when she fought with her spirits, felt her rage at how they were injured…if one of her keys had been broken…
"Yes Grey, the broken key is hers," Lucy said quietly. "I am not going to tell you what happened though, because Loke says that the others are getting restless and I don't have time to deal with whatever shit you think you need to say to me right now. There are things going on right now that you don't understand, and will never understand, so you need to step out of my way and let me do what needs to be done."
"If you're talking about guilt, I understand guilt," he hissed, hand flying to his forearm, for once covered with clothes. "Tartarus isn't easily forgotten. That's why I left."
"You think that this is just about being stronger?" she snapped. "We were all weak that day Grey! Every single one of us. And that's why you all left. Try again, or get out of my way."
"People died that day, Lucy. And some of it was my fault. That's guilt." Grey felt the burning in his chest again, a burning that Natsu's flames never felt like…he felt the urge to strip, but fought it. It was one of the ways he had changed himself over the year, mainly for Juvia's sake, although he still struggled when his emotions were running high.
"I know that people died, and I know how it feels to be the reason why. So stop lecturing me about guilt and move out of my way before I blast you." Lucy's voice had dropped to a hiss, and Grey half expected her to reach for one of the keys that she had placed on her belt, but she instead furrowed her brow in concentration.
"Laxus will kill you if you decimate his house," Grey warned, dropping into his own stance instinctively.
"No he won't," Lucy muttered, and something cracked somewhere in the house. "And besides, it's just a bit of plumbing. Virgo will help me fix it later."
Plumbing? Grey thought, but he was blasted aside by a small orb of water. Taken by surprise, he flew into her desk and sat there dazedly. Since when did she have water magic?
"Sorry Grey, but I had to do it," she said, moving clumsily towards the door. "I warned you though."
Scrambling to his feet, Grey called out: "Juvia, I need you now!" Of the mages in the front room, only Juvia could deal with Lucy if it came to water magic, other than himself of course, but his magic wasn't always the most stable now, and he didn't want to risk seriously hurting Lucy.
He heard her arguing with Loke and Virgo, but she managed to squeeze past them and join him in the hallway. A clamor arose behind her, but he didn't care.
"Did Lucy pass you?" he asked as she joined him.
"No, Juvia was with the others from the guild. What do you need me for? Grey, you're wet!"
He brushed off her concern. "Lucy's picked up water magic somehow. I need your help countering it. She's probably in here, if she didn't pass you."
Reaching out for the door knob, he signaled to Juvia that he would wait until the count of three to open it, and that she should go first, in case Lucy tried attacking again. When she nodded, he mentally counted off, and then threw the door open, stepping aside as he did.
Juvia stepped forward, and he heard Lucy yell at her to stay back. As he joined his partner, he found himself in a dimly lit room with all of the curtains drawn. The smell of stale alcohol and a musk that Grey vaguely associated with being stuck in a small space with a number of Fairy Tail men after a long mission without access to showers was strong, but Lucy stood in the middle, keys outstretched.
"Careful, Juvia doesn't know which one she will use. If it's Aquarius, Juvia cannot help."
"Aquarius's key is broken," Grey muttered, watching Lucy twist the key. "And Loke and Virgo are already out. She can't have too much magic right now."
"Cancer! Go help Cobra, if he's with Laxus. You'll see what I mean," Lucy called, and Grey watched with surprise as the spirit appeared and hurried into a side room. Facing the two mages, the woman glared at them.
"I thought I told you to go back to the others and get out, not bring Juvia here."
Grey frowned. "Not going to happen Lucy, I told you that. Now, where is Laxus?" As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw that they were in a bedroom, one that looked more lived in than Lucy's room had been. It could only be Laxus's, but the number of empty bottles in the corner next to an armchair made it seem more like Cana's room.
"In the bathroom. I told you guys he was sleeping, and since you're insisting on waking him up, he wanted a shower first to wake up."
Juvia shook her head. "Juvia does not hear water running Lucy-san. Laxus-san cannot be showering without water."
"Just get out of here!" Lucy shouted, seizing a bottle from the floor and throwing it at the wall. "I don't want to see any of you! Go away!"
Grey heard raised voices and running feet in the hall and knew that the others had heard the commotion and finally overcome Lucy's spirits. Freed was the first on the scene, blatant fear on his face as he looked at Lucy.
"Lucy-sama, are you all right? We heard something breaking. Wendy's here if you need medical attention…" He stopped when he saw the state of the room they were standing in. Eyes narrowed, he said: "Where is Laxus-sama?"
"Will all of you stop the damn yelling?" a voice growled from the doorway Cancer had disappeared into. Turning, Grey saw Laxus standing there, leaning against the doorway. "I have a headache. And none of you are supposed to be here right now."
"We came to check on Lucy-san, Laxus-sama," Wendy murmured, and Grey saw the girl shiver in fright. But when he looked at the man, he realized that something was off. It was impossible to put his finger on it, but this wasn't the same Laxus he remembered.
"Blondie can take care of herself, especially when she's pissed at you," Laxus growled. "Can't you see that she has her keys?"
Wendy's eyes narrowed, and she scented the air. "Laxus-san, your scent doesn't match the scent in your room. And if you have a headache, I should take a look at it."
"I'm fine kid," Laxus growled. "And if I smell funny, it's because I used a new shampoo. Just got out of the shower."
"You don't smell like the shower," Wendy said, looking at Lucy. "It's Gemini again, isn't it?"
"Damn it," Lucy swore under her breath and moved across the room to stand in front of the door that Laxus had been occupying before he disappeared in a now familiar flash. "Everyone just get out and go back to the guild. Laxus will call you when he's awake."
"If he's asleep, how did he get to the bathroom?" Freed asked suspiciously. "You haven't recovered enough to move him yourself."
"Cobra's in there," Wendy volunteered. "He came in through Lucy's room, if I was listening right. I can't tell what they're talking about though."
"Lucy," Erza pushed her way forward. "I wish you would just talk to us about whatever's going on. We're all your nakama."
"Sure," she spat, and Grey saw fury in her eyes. "You're all my nakama until you have to leave. Then it doesn't matter what the hell happens to anyone else, as long as you get the results you want."
"Lucy, whatever you need to say, you can say it later. Right now, I need to talk with Laxus-sama about guild business." Freed moved to stand in front of her. "Move, or I will be forced to restrain you."
"Freed, you wouldn't dare," she hissed, hands on her keys, but Freed drew his sword.
"I do what I must for the guild, and for my nakama. Right now, I don't trust you not to hurt anyone, even yourself, so I will do what I have to."
Shoulders slumped, Lucy moved aside. "Cobra? Bring him out. I can't stop them any more."
***Sorry about this being a bit late; I couldn't post earlier in the morning. Well, here it is, the Grey-Erza-Lucy confrontation round one! Things are far from settled between them, so they'll hash out some more things later. Don't be alarmed if people are acting a bit weird for the next few chapters (including last chapter). Emotions are running high for everyone right now. Except Cobra. He just doesn't care that much. Fairy Tail's angry because they didn't get to fight. Laxus is guilty. Lucy's desperately trying to help. That's it for today though. Nothing too crazy.***