Chapter 38: Mother!
Gajeel was staring gobsmacked at the woman who was standing at the guild doors. A woman who if he put in the time skips which equaled thirteen years for him and the second chance he had gotten he hadn't seen in at least thirty years. After all she was already gone again when he had woken up in this time period, and he had been so certain that she was dead. Yet here was his mother looking like she wanted to murder someone, and yet her eyes seemed to soften when they landed on him. Something told him that his mother being here wasn't really good, and he wasn't almost glad that Lucy wasn't here as well because she wouldn't even know who this woman was, which could give them away or make people believe she was too young to actually remember her mother.
No one else seemed to realize his dilemma just yet, not even his Shrimp who was sitting right beside him. Even though he wanted to know why his mother was suddenly reappearing now looking just as he remembered her, Gajeel also wanted to run. He knew that there was no way at all that he and Lucy could convince his mother that she was the real Luciana Redfox. He wanted to run up to his mother and hug her never letting her go again! Instead he just sat frozen in his seat wondering if she would approach him or his Uncle first, oh why today of all days did the Heartfilia family have to be in the guild?
"Gajeel," his mother's voice rang out lacking the warmth he had once always thought of when he thought of his mother. His father had been a terrible man who Gajeel didn't even want to remember, and he didn't that much other then knowing his father had been a terrible drunk who had hurt his mother countless times. Yet despite how her husband had been his mother had always been so warm just like Bunny Girl. It was why Bunny Girl made him feel so happy, but not in a romantic way, rather she reminded him of his mother. After they came back she even looked like a miniature of his mother and just like Ciana would have looked like if she had lived. That was why it wasn't too difficult for Gajeel to hold to that lie as long as his mother hadn't shown up. He had been so sure she was dead.
By now other people noticed the woman who had called him most taking a double take as they realized how much like his 'sister' she looked. Even his uncle had noticed and was sitting frozen in his seat looking at his sister for the first time in who knows how many years. He stood up rapidly realizing if he didn't get his mother out of here quickly she would ruin everything! He was scared that if she said the wrong thing that Bunny Girl would be in danger, even if that seemed like something ridiculous, he had swore that he would do everything in his power to protect Bunny Girl even if it was from his own mother.
It figured that he would be too late however when his mother began to speak. "Where is the imposter Gajeel?!"
"Mother please!" he begged trying to convince her with those two words to not say anything else. Of course she wouldn't listen to him though they hadn't seen each other in ages and she was basically a stranger to him, so why would she listen to his pleas, after all she had left him all alone at a young age.
"I want to know now Gajeel why there is a woman pretending to be my daughter! When I know perfectly well that my daughter died in my arms when she was six years old! Died because her magic was too powerful for her body, and because I trusted the wrong people to help her! So tell me why Gajeel are you allowing someone to use Luciana's name?!"
Now everyone was looking towards them their eyes wide as they heard his mother tell them that the girl they had been led to believe his sister wasn't. Laxus looked like he was about to murder him probably thinking that he had tricked Lucy because of her lack of memories. The lightning dragon slayer had always been suspicious of their relationship after all. Gajeel was only glad that Lucy wasn't here right now, but he was a little concerned wondering where she was. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary lately, so why wasn't she in the guild right now? It was way past her usual time to come in and it was causing him to worry just slightly, but right now he had to deal with the problem of his mother.
She was looking at him impatiently clearly showing with her body language that she was waiting for his explanation. Yet Gajeel didn't want to give one instead he felt anger at her. What right did she have coming to him after all of these years only to put his sister, because despite the fact that they were cousins not siblings he still saw her as a sister, in danger? She didn't she had basically abandoned him and it wasn't like she couldn't have easily found him. Even with Phantom Lord he had been well known and it was obvious she was only showing herself now because it was becoming wider knowledge that someone was using Ciana's name.
Even in his original time line he hadn't known his mother was still alive, so he had to wonder if that was something they had unknowingly changed, or if she just didn't love him as much as she had loved his sister. Not that he could blame her he did take after their father too much his mother probably feared him. Only Shrimp, Juvia, and Lucy had ever actually fully accepted him as a friend in his original time, and Lucy was the only one who had never truly been afraid of him despite everything he had done to her. If it wasn't for Lucy changing his image and helping him he would probably still be that awkward guy no one was friends with.
"What right do you have coming in here demanding answers from me Mother?! You just left me all alone, and now you're only here to get answers. No hi son how are you I missed you. I forgot you still see me as a monster don't you, just like always!" Gajeel had to fight the tears back he didn't want his mother to know how much she effected him. Didn't want to show her that even after all this time he wanted her acceptance because he would gladly throw away her acceptance to protect Lucy.
"I don't see you as a monster Gajeel," she told him softly, but her refusal to look him in the eyes told him all he needed to know.
"Obviously you do. Just leave! I don't need someone who could never love me in my life! I have a family who actually love's me now."
"You mean like that fake girl who pretended to be your sister! Oh I can see how she's actually your family lying to you!" His mother screamed back at him.
"SHE'S NOT THE ONE WHO LIED! I made that story up to protect her I will do anything to protect her because even if she isn't really Ciana, which we both have always known, she is still my little sister who I will protect with my life. She gave me a second chance even after I had hurt her! I tortured her in order to use her against her father, but then started a game with her because she was so strong and wouldn't give in no matter how much I hurt her. Without even knowing what she was doing she earned my respect because she would do anything to protect her family, so when she gave me a second chance to not be an asshole I took it. And you know what it was the best decision I ever made. She gave me a reason to join this guild, gave me a family, and accepted even the ugliest parts of me. After everything I did to her I will lay down my life for her like she has done for her family time and time again.
"Mavis I even followed her back here just to protect her again. Not even knowing what the spell she was using would do. I followed her because I trusted her and needed to make sure she was safe because she meant more to me then even my mate did. Following her even gave me a second chance with my mate where I didn't have to feel as guilty! Where this time around people didn't scream a little inside when they saw me. She unthawed my frozen heart and gave me the family I yearned for."
It was almost after he finished his rant that Gajeel froze as he realized what exactly he had just admitted to. He had as good as said that Lucy was really Lucy Heartfilia, although it seemed like no one had picked up on that fact yet. He wondered how long it would take them to figure out what he had just admitted, and if they would end up connecting the dots between his rant and Slayer and Shadow.
His mother was looking at him like she had never seen him before. Actually after saying all of that allowed to one of the people who caused his frozen heart in the first place he felt like a massive weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He didn't even jump when a pair of small arms wrapped around him only to look down and see his mate crying as she hugged him tightly. Just hearing his rant had made her cry, and he hoped he hadn't hurt her with his words, and that she knew that Lucy was only just a sister to him just as he could be nothing more than a brother to her.
"What do you mean by following her back here?"
"It's simple really I'm Shadow and I came back here to right the wrongs of our future. To stop the pain that was caused for my family the first time with Bunny Girl. Bunny Girl had nothing in the future, the love she had there was just another curse on her family line it wasn't real, and even though I had my family I couldn't allow Bunny Girl to do something stupid. At first when I saw her using that spell I was terrified of what it would end up doing. The first few lines of what she said I almost thought she was going to make herself a star or something because of all her pain. By the time I realized it was a time spell I was already being tugged back into time waking up with Metalicana again. Because of her I got an extra couple of years with my dragon, and I have always known where he went, he and Bunny Girl are my true family. A maybe hopefully one day Shrimp will be too."
Looking down at Levy he was pleased to see the blush on her face as she squeaked, but she didn't let him go at his words which he took as a good sign. It wasn't really the way he wanted her to know just how much she meant to him since he still hadn't gotten around to asking her out yet, but it worked just as well. Maybe after this was all said and done with he could finally take Shrimp on that date like he had wanted to do for ages, but was just too chicken to ask her.
"But if you're Shadow that means Lulu's..." Laxus trailed of his eyes wide as they darted around the room trying to find who Gajeel was fairly certain was Laxus's mate it was too bad that Bunny Girl's family curse had kept them from finding out the first time. Yet the women of their family were always cursed to fall in love with a Dragneel ever since Anna Heartfilia, not that he knew much about the original Celestial Heartfilia mage. He only knew that she was Zeref's first love before he had met Mavis.
"Slayer yes," he admitted knowing there was no longer any point in denying anything.
He could only hope that Bunny Girl wouldn't get super mad at him for revealing things when she wasn't even here. Perhaps it would have been better if Bunny Girl had been here for this confrontation she probably could have done something to keep their secrets from being revealed. Yet a part of him felt relieved that there was no longer anything holding them back because they wouldn't have to lie to their family anymore. Maybe it could even push Lucy into admitting how she truly felt about the lightning slayer. Unless if she just thought this was another part of a family curse because of what they knew about Yuri, Mavis, and Zeref.
Jellal looked at him with calculating eyes and Gajeel could see the recognition in them. Would he be the only one to put the pieces together or would he only be the first?
"Why have you two lied about who she was? Wouldn't it have been better to just keep her as Luce of Fairy Tail instead of calling yourself her brother?"
"Oh and how were we supposed to explain how we knew each other then Jellal? It would have seemed too suspicious. Bunny girl needed another identity because every since we came back she was warring with who she used to be, and who she became because of all the shit the two of us have seen. Even if you have your counterparts memories you aren't the people we fought with to make sure we could live another day, she wasn't like me she couldn't keep who you all used to be and who you all are now separated if she stayed who she had been.
"She was nothing like the little girl she should have been when we came back. Then she found out after we were reunited that the reason her own mother had died was to stop her from gaining a certain aspect of her magic. Bunny Girl has lived her entire life, this one and the first, being cursed in one way or another from one of her family lines. Cursed to fall in love with someone believing her feelings were real only to realize afterwards when we came here and she broke that curse that she never loved him! She had to suffer way more than anyone should in one lifetime even if it was technically two.
"Being Luce of Fairy Tail and then Luciana Redfox allowed her an escape from all of the pain and suffering she shoved down. Even if she won't admit it with those personas she was finally able to fall in love with someone on her own, but then she started to wonder because of the first time she fell in love if it was cursed. If it was just another thing between the Dreyars, her bloodline, and the bloodline of another," he didn't even pay attention to Laxus's gasp as he told them that he was certain Lucy loved Laxus. "No matter how strong she acts she's just a broken girl inside who gave up everything for this guild!
"Yet she wouldn't want us to feel like we're to blame for her choices because she did everything out of love. Just like she gave me a family this guild gave her the family she always wanted, so even though she could have had her real family this time she stayed with Fairy Tail out of love wanting to make sure she fixed all of the wrongs. She gave Gray and Ultear Ul back, made Laxus's relationship with this guild better, helped Cana with her father, and so many other things she did out of love. I just wanted to protect her and keep her from shattering into a million pieces, so if lying for her sake was wrong I don't care because I would do it again in a heartbeat!"
Then without even allowing anyone to respond to his second rant Gajeel just stalked past his frozen guildmates and out the door. He didn't want them to see the tears that were streaming down his face because of what he had said. Lucy was so going to kill him, but at the same time he hoped that the guild would be able to understand who she was better. That they would stop seeing her as an invincible person and start realizing just how broken she was inside. He truly hoped that Laxus would be able to crack through that iron wall around her heart completely because she deserved the happiness that the lightning slayer would give her. Maybe if the idiot told her they were mates, because he was almost positive they were, she would stop thinking that Laxus's feelings were another curse.
Making his way towards the woods where the Dreyar house sat Gajeel hoped he would be able to catch Lucy before she arrived at the guild. He really didn't want her to walk into that mess he had left behind without a head's up. Instead what Gajeel saw made his heart break even more and he dropped onto the ground completely shocked. Wondering how he had missed all the signs and why he hadn't pushed Lucy more to find out what the cost of her spell had been. Now he was terrified that he had just lost his little sister because he was too oblivious.
AN: Yes I know I'm absolutely evil leaving the end of the chapter like this, but you guys love me and my story anyway. I hope that Gajeel's rants aren't too out of character, but they are things that just sort of got away from me. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and please tell me what you think I love hearing from you guys. Thanks for reading :)