*JennaMarbles voice* Here we go, baby! Chapter seven! This one is another True Heart/Anna centric chapter, sorry if no one likes that. Chapters six and seven (maybe part of chapter eight) mainly follow True Heart and Anna, because they happen during the after-affects of the Loke arc and the full Tower of Heaven arc, which don't need Anna's involvement. The most you'll see of Anna interacting with Team Natsu or the like will be a brief lacrima call or a name drop like last chapter. But don't worry cause this won't last forever, just until these two arcs pass.
I have a really nice arc planned that's gonna come up, so I hope you all like it. *insert evil grin*
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, all rights are reserved for Hiro Mashima and affiliates. Only the True Heart guild and characters and the story premise belong to me.
Chapter seven: Insecurities Under My Bed
It isn't often that Anna mysteriously disappears, but whenever she does, it's always positively infuriating. The first five minutes, Erin let it slide. Anna oversleeps sometimes, fine. But when twenty-five minutes passed and there was still no sign of Anna in True Heart's expansive gym and training room, the blonde felt rage course through her veins. All but abandoning her good mood, the fourteen-year-old stalks out of the gym, bypassing the rest of the luxurious rooms on the recreational floor of True Heart's massive guildhall. Her face is stern and set in a disapproving look as she stomps all the way from the guildhall to the dormitory, offering the dorm matron, Holly, only the briefest of acknowledgements as she heads single-mindedly to the stairs on the right.
The tall, winding staircase leads up to the girls' floor, and Erin, having seen how messy the boys' floor can be, is immensely grateful that most of the girls can at least keep the common room and the hallway clean. However, her slowly-returning good mood once again takes a journey down the toilet when she doesn't locate Anna in the hallway or in the common room. By this point, she's ready to spit fire, glaring down at the carpet as though it insulted her.
She looks up then, ready to say to hell with calmness and just search every inch of Oshibana for the damnable redhead, when she spots Lauren jogging up the steps. "Lauren!" She calls, making the Dragonslayer stop, pausing just short of the top step. "Have you seen Anna? We were supposed to train today but she wasn't in the gym."
Lauren finally ambled over to the blonde Requip Mage, shaking her head with pursed lips. "She's in her room. Wait!" She whisper-yelled abruptly, seeing Erin gearing up to stomp over to the redhead's room and probably drag her out by the hair. "Listen, she hasn't come out since she came back from her job in Shirotsume. Not even to get food. I mean, she's got a kitchen in her room, but still. She hasn't said anything, but I'm pretty sure the job didn't go well." She revealed quietly, hoping to Chronos the redhead couldn't hear her.
"Seriously?" Erin asked, partly shocked. That'd probably explain why she wasn't in the dinner hall the last few nights. Erin had just figured Anna was tired. "Wait, what do you mean by 'didn't go well'?" She asked, quoting the Dragonslayer's words.
"Well, other than the obvious limp she had when she came back," Erin's eyebrows rose into her hairline, but she let Lauren continue. "she looked mortified and embarrassed and really fucking sad. She and Lill came back at the same time, so I asked her about it. She said the person Anna'd been sent to take care of was a bit stronger than they'd anticipated. Lillian ended up having to curb-stomp the guy and take Anna to the hospital."
"Damn...And you said she's still in her room?" Erin sends a worried look towards Anna's closed door. She isn't very used to Anna being in a bad mood, considering just how jovial she usually is. It's honestly hard to believe such a bright, energetic girl could ever be down in the dumps.
Lauren hums in answer, her gaze narrowed on the carpeted floor. "Yeah, just hiding I guess. I got her some breakfast earlier, and when I last checked on her she'd eaten some of it, but from what I could see she's still hiding under the bed. Won't let anyone in the room. Barely even let me in." It was clear that while Lauren was more used to this mood than Erin was, having known Anna for far longer, she still didn't like it.
"I hate when she gets like this, I never know what to do. I don't know if I can help her at all, and it sucks to know she's just in there, not wanting to let anybody in." The Dragonslayer admitted, feeling so utterly useless.
Suddenly, Erin gets an idea. It's not likely to work, a Hail Mary if you will, but she may as well ask. "You think she'd let Erza?"
"Don't see why." Lauren answered flatly. "And Erza's still on vacation at Akane Beach anyway, so it wouldn't make much of a difference even if she could get Anna to let her in."
The two stand there in the hall for a few more seconds, unable to think of anything else to really say, before Lauren breaks the uncomfortable silence. "How about we go down to the gym and spar for a bit? I've been working on a new technique and I'm dying to try it out." The Dragonslayer said, forcing an upbeat note into her tone. If Erin notices just how fake the cheer in her voice is, she doesn't comment on it, merely nodding and heading towards the stairs.
As they descend the steps, Lauren aims a small glance over her shoulder back at her friend/sister's room, knowing damn well she'd felt Hydra's magic. Maybe he'll be able to drag Anna out of her funk.
...
Hydra materializes in his Master's bedroom, glancing around the seemingly empty space with half-massed azure eyes. "Gee," He says in a louder-than-necessary tone, purposefully making sure she can hear him. "I wonder where Anna is? She was supposed to check in with Drac a few nights ago, but she never showed up. The pissy dragon's ready to shit a brick.."
The room remains silent following his call out, idly making him wonder if Anna's hiding somewhere else, despite feeling her magical energy in the room. She'd be a lot easier to locate had Draco and Vulpecula not taught her how to mask the sound of her breathing. Unfortunately, she'd been trained how to remain hidden, and she'd been trained well. She wouldn't be coming out until she was good and ready.
Mentally giving a world-worn sigh, he makes a big show of meandering around her room, his thick, heavy boots clomping on the ground, hoping Anna won't pop out and cut his leg off. When she doesn't even make so much as a peep, he frowns, aiming a pensive look at the bed. "I hope she's not hiding under the bed, my fat ass might crush her." He jokes pointedly, and the slightest sound of a shuffle meets his ears. Grinning, he plops down on the bed, grateful she had enough sense to move.
"Now, think Hydra. Where could your little Annie be hiding? She doesn't hide very often, but she's good at it thanks to Drac and Vulps." He pretends to think, tapping his thick boots against her floor. To his utter growing irritation, Anna remains quiet as a dormouse. Is she even breathing? He can't help but wonder. Vulpecula did teach Anna how to hide the sound of her breathing, so it's plausible she's holding her breath or at least concealing the sound.
'Damn that sly fox,' He snarls in his mind, wishing for everything that he could whack her around the Spirit Realm for just a bit, entirely ignoring the fact that she was stronger than him. That damned fox always makes things ten times harder, and he's often the one left on clean up duty. Now he's left picking up the pieces and trying to force his willful Master out from her hiding spot, honestly feeling like an idiot.
Seeing as he's getting nowhere with his current method, he decides to switch angles. Trying to swallow the disgust that is quickly rearing up, he bites out his next words. "Annabelle Josephine Crawford, if you don't come out from under there, I'm going to have to drag you out by the ankles. Don't make me do that." In the end, his irritation with Vulpecula ends up making the words much more hard-hitting than he'd intended, and he winces.
"Shut up, Hydra." Anna's voice shook softly with anger, the fragility in her tone making the glare drop from his face. Well at least she's talking now, he can't help but acknowledge, even if the way it was brought about didn't appeal to him.
"Thanks for joining the conversation, Anna. Now can we talk this episode out like adults? Or are you going to continue sulking like a toddler?" He asks bluntly, although he feels a pang of guilt smack him in the gut when he catches the sound of her breath hitching. He hates being the bad guy, but someone has to. When Anna gets into these moods, everyone, human or otherwise, tends to coddle her or leave her to her devices. Forcing her out of her shell and making her talk it out, while currently unpleasant, will benefit her in the future.
It doesn't make him feel any better right now though.
Hydra's brought out of his self-loathing by Anna, who mutters something unintelligible from under her bed. He sighs, wishing he had Vulpecula's admittedly superior hearing. "What?" He asks, waiting for her to repeat whatever she'd said.
When a tiny 'I'm weak' sounds from under the bed, the blue-haired Spirit lets out another sigh, deciding to take a seat on the floor next to the bed. "Why do you think you're weak, Anna?"
"Because I couldn't defeat that Dream Mage. I'm S-Class; you'd think I would be able to take him, right? But no, instead I got my ass handed to me and Lillian had to save me." The redhead explained bitterly, and even though he can't see her Hydra can imagine her resting her chin on her forearms and glaring down at the floor beneath her like it personally wronged her.
"Why don't you come out?" He asks gently, dropping the harsh act entirely. It exhausts him and doesn't get him anywhere anyway. "It'll be easier for us to talk without you mumbling into the floor."
Once she's crawled out from under her bed, Hydra sits down on the bed with her. "Now let's go over this. You're upset because someone is stronger than you?" A glare sent his way answers him.
"You know that's not it." She bites back venomously, her eyes narrow.
Ignoring the insulted note in her voice, he tries again. "Then is it because the opponent was stronger than you expected?"
The answering silence in the room is deafening. Hydra sighs, knowing deep down he honestly should have figured this. His Master is so hard on herself, it's a wonder more people don't notice. It's pretty obvious to see when you actually look at her, but some just don't pay attention long enough to see the over-worker in Anna.
"Anna, jobs are never cut and dry, you should know this. Sometimes they'll take a turn you don't expect. Sometimes the enemy will have a trick up their sleeve. That's life, and you're just going to have to accept this, and do your best to never underestimate or make unfounded assumptions. Okay, so he was one of those S-Class who are closer to the top; so what? Yeah, more information about the job probably would have helped, but no one had any info to give. In the end, you have to make do with what you have."
The room is once more enveloped in silence, but he doesn't really feel Anna's embarrassment and shame quite as strongly as he had before, so he's willing to guess his words helped, even if only a little bit. For now, even that's enough.
Licking his lips contemplatively, Hydra folds his legs under him, frowning. "How about you meditate for a while? Maybe that'll help. And Alvara said you might be ready for another unsealing soon."
After a moment of deliberation, Anna nods, crossing her legs and placing her hands in the proper meditative form. Slowly, runes begin climbing up her body, glittering gold against her skin. Runes and sigil lines crawl up her neck to her face, two long lines appearing on her cheeks, stopping just below her eyes. Her magical aura rises from her skin, casting a golden, red-tinted hue on her body.
Hydra observes silently as she meditates, not wanting to bother her or stunt her progress. He can feel as her magic grows, and considering where she'd been at when he first made a contract with her, she's improved by leaps and bounds.
In the end, Anna ended up mediating for two full hours. When she finally opened her eyes, satisfied for the time being with her progress, she found Hydra still sitting cross-legged with her on the bed, his arms crossed over his chest and his head down. When she leaned in for a closer look, she picked up the sound of his snores, and her eyes narrowed.
That dirty son of a bitch fell asleep while she spent two full hours meditating? She was the one doing all the work, not him! 'This is bullshit! I demand a retrial!' The redhead shrieked in her head, glaring daggers at the Serpent Spirit.
Just as her rage was reaching an all-time high though, a thought hit her. A positively evil thought. With a smirk demonic enough to frighten the devil himself, she carefully got up off the bed. She carefully places her hands on Hydra's shoulders, and takes a deep breath.
"Hydra wake up! Vulpy's found you and she's really pissed off!" Anna cried suddenly and dramatically, shaking the blue-haired man with all she's got.
As predicted, the Serpent Spirit woke with a jolt, leaping off the bed and whipping his head around frantically with wide eyes. "I didn't do anything, Vulpecula!" He shouted defensively, looking around for his perceived death. When he saw no such horrible end coming for him, two and two added up and he slowly turned to give Anna a glare.
"You sneaky brat," He hissed. In response, Anna gives an utterly unconcerned shrug of her shoulders, as if not bothered by terrifying the daylights out of her Spirit.
"You fell asleep on me while I worked for two damn hours. I had to get back at you somehow." She explained, smirking. Hydra doesn't find the situation as humorous as Anna does, however, and he continues glaring heavily at her.
"I'm headin' home, you little devil. Goddamn, Vulpecula taught you too well..." He snarled, and his disgruntled voice faded in an echo as his body dematerialized into a shower of golden sparkles.
"Why thank you, Hydra." She comments just to piss him off, knowing he can still vaguely hear her. As soon as she's sure his presence is gone, she stretches her arms high above her head. Meandering into the bathroom, she decides to take a nice long soak instead of a shower, just to sit and evaluate things a little. His little pep-talk helped a little, but she does still feel kinda shitty. She doesn't blame Lillian for saving her, quite the opposite actually. She just wished she'd been strong enough that a rescue wasn't needed.
She soaks in her large bathtub for a while, long enough for the boiling hot water to turn tepid, and then cold, before she finally decides to get out and dry off. As soon as she's dry, she puts on a pair of tan shorts and a purple tank top, threading her crimson hair into twin tails on the sides of her head. Once she's done dressing, she comes back to her room, picks up the constellation book off her bedside table, and withdraws the Key she'd received from Lillian on behalf of Shirotsume's mayor.
It doesn't take long for her to identify the Key as belonging to the Spirit of the Divine Flame, Ascella. Ascella is a Grey Diamond Spirit, which means she isn't quite as strong as the Black Diamond Spirits like Draco, Vulpecula, and Hydra, but she's still plenty powerful. Ascella's mainly a combat-oriented Spirit, and since she uses fire, she may work well with Draco and Vulpecula, should she accept a contract.
Snapping the book closed, Anna stands and clears some of the clutter off her floors, if only to provide a little bit of standing room. She can clean for real later. Right now, she'd like to meet this Spirit and hopefully create a new contract.
Holding the Key out in front of her, her eyes slide closed and she speaks the words that set her soul alight. "I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once! Pass through the Gate!" Drawing the Key back to her body, she raises it up into the air, passing over her heart, and she kisses the stem as it passes her face, until it's high above her head. "Open! Gate of the Divine Flame! Come, Ascella!"
The sound of a roaring flame lets her know the Summon went through, and a magic circle in a deep crimson color appears on her floor. From the circle a figure materializes, to Anna's delight. She watches as the Spirit's form manifests slowly, leading up from crimson booted feet, to long tanned legs. A short red dress with a yellow underlay appears next, along with arms clothed in crimson gloves, to a gold choker at her neck. Her face is alert and focused, dark orange eyes serene and observant. Golden star earrings glitter from her ears, while her forehead is decorated by a golden circlet with a large star as the centerpiece. Her deep crimson hair is pulled into twin odango buns with long trails that almost touch the floor, and her curly bangs are tented and fanned to frame her face.
"Hello, Celestial Mage. My name is Ascella. What do you require from me?" She asked formally, her eyes never straying from Anna's.
"Hello, Ascella. My name is Anna Crawford, and I would be honored if you'd accept a contract between the two of us. I can guarantee I'm a competent Mage, and I have several contracts with your brethren."
Ascella remains silent, carefully observing Anna and her worth. The True Heart wizard remains still, not flinching as she feels Ascella's burning hot magic brush against hers several times, assessing her capabilities and strengths. Soon enough, Ascella retracts her magic. And as if a switch has been flipped, her attitude does a complete 180.
"Sounds great! Oh, but we should probably discuss my service days." She says, her voice losing its stern quality to reveal a more chipper tone.
"Yeah, that would probably be best." Anna agrees, swiping a notepad off her desk along with a pen. "Okay, what days are you free?"
"I'm free Monday through Thursday usually, including Friday but only if I decide to offer you an extension." The Spirit said. "Oh, and I refuse to, like, burn your tampons when you're done with them or anything."
The casualness in her voice when she said this had Anna choking on her own spit. "T-Tampons?! Ew! Why the hell would I make you do that?!" She asked, red-faced. In response, Ascella's face turned into a sour expression of disgust.
"You'd be surprised what some Celestial wizards make their Spirits do. But like I said, I'm not going to act as your personal waste disposal." Ascella replied dully, clearly remembering something she'd rather not have, judging by how her lips further twisted.
"Got it, not that I'd make you do anything like that anyway. That's disgusting.." Anna muttered, her face also in a disgusted twist. "Anyway, on the topic of combat."
Snapping back to the task at hand, Ascella righted herself, letting go of the unpleasant memory. "Right. I don't kill innocents, be they young or old, and I absolutely refuse to murder an animal unless it's a true threat to one of us." Ascella's face returned back to its calm reservation, letting know Anna just how serious she was about this topic.
Anna nods at her words, agreeing with them in full. The thought of killing or hurting anyone who was innocent made her absolutely sick, and she was glad this Spirit thought the same way. "I can agree with that. I wouldn't ask you to kill or maim anyone who didn't deserve it."
"Thank you for that. I think working with you will be a treat, Anna Crawford." Ascella grinned widely, and Anna felt a smile of her own grace her lips.
"Me too, Ascella. Thank you for agreeing to a contract with me in the first place." The two shook hands, signaling the finalization of the discussion. Anna signed the notepad paper serving as their contract first, before handing the pad and pen over to Ascella, who also signed it. As soon as both parties had signed, the paper glowed a bright red color before igniting into orange flames, burning away.
"I can tell you've used Diamond Dresses before, haven't you?" Ascella asked suddenly, bringing Anna away from staring at the last remaining embers of the fire. She'd felt the traces of her Celestial brothers and sisters on Anna as she'd been examining her earlier. Anna nods, letting her know her question is correct.
"Yes, I have. My Spirits Delphinus, Hydra, Draco, Alvara, and Vulpecula have shared their magic with me to allow me to don their Dresses when I need them." Anna replied, honestly feeling it better to just be upfront about it. Trust was the main thing the relationship between wizard and Spirit was based on, after all. It was better to just get it out in the open.
"And..you asked them to do that?" Ascella hesitantly asked her new Summoner. She had agreed to a contract, but that didn't mean she was just going to offer up her Dress all willy-nilly.
Pursing her lips, Anna shook her head to refute the question. "No, quite the opposite actually. As far as Hydra, Draco, Delphinus, and Alvara go, they only began sharing their Dresses with me once they knew they could fully trust me."
"...And Vulpecula?" The Spirit asked probingly, noticing how Anna had left the Fox Spirit out. Inwardly, Anna smirked, pleased that the Spirit had picked up on that.
"Vulpecula...she didn't even need to worry about trusting me, since she already knew everything about me. She had seen the entirety of my soul, from an extremely early age, so she didn't have any doubts to hesitate on." Anna said, subtly dropping her hint and waiting for the Spirit to pick it up.
Ascella frowned in confusion. "She didn't have any doubts? How is that-" Suddenly, she cuts herself off, her eyes widening in realization at the word "soul". Her dark orange eyes slowly lift to lock on Anna's form, suddenly seeing something that, while she'd never noticed, was there the whole time. She wasn't even sure how she'd missed it, that brilliantly glowing golden hue that shined from just underneath her skin, leaving no questions whatsoever as to what Anna really was.
"No way.." Ascella breathed, awed. Anna's cheeks turned a bit pink at the unadulterated staring, but she still looked confident. "So you're-"
"That's right. I'm Vulpecula's Minor Spirit. That's why she didn't have to worry about letting me use her Dress, because she'd already seen all my soul had to offer when she transformed me."
"I...I didn't expect that." Ascella admitted. Anna giggled in response, waving it off.
"It's cool. Since I look human and was born human, any Spirit would naturally assume that I am human. I only became Vulpecula's Minor when I was about seven." The younger redhead explained easily. "Most Spirits can only see that I'm a Spirit myself when they look really close."
The Spirit still looked vaguely confused, and Anna's face twisted in amused sympathy. "If you have any other questions, you can ask Vulpecula about it. If it's alright with you though, I'd like to get some food." Anna said, and the statement was punctuated by the strong rumbling of her stomach.
"Of course, I won't keep you any longer." Ascella agreed and dissipated from the room in a shower of red-orange sparkles that drifted upwards. As soon as she was gone, Anna rose to her feet, absently spotting her reflection in the mirror. She slowly came over to stand in front of it, examining her face and body. She focused on her eyes, so much like her mother's that it hurt. She focused on her hair, just as crimson as her father's.
In the mirror, Anna could see how her eyes darkened and clenched with pain as she thought of her parents. While most of their memories are happy, she almost always seems to remember the more tragic memories. Coming back to Rosemary Village to find it in ruins and everyone she'd ever known either dead or missing. Having to mourn the loss of her home, her sister, and her friends all while turning to nomadic life. Losing her parents to the claws of a wyvern.
Why does it always seem like the darker memories stay longer than the happier ones? Is it a sick sort of punishment? Entertainment for the gods? Whatever it is, Anna hates it with a burning passion. She'd much rather think of her life with her parents when it wasn't plagued with terror and pain. She follows the movement of her hand as it moves up to her neck, gently touching the necklace hanging from her throat. It was a present from her parents, on her ninth birthday.
With her thoughts on her parents, of course, came the usual self-doubts and insecurities. Oftentimes, when she was already feeling down, old thoughts of 'am I good enough?' and 'are my parents proud of me?' spring up, reminding her of a very recent past, where she'd been consumed by her own grief and doubts. It was a terrible feeling, one that had nearly consumed her entirely in the early stages of her mourning. Nowadays, it was easier to drown out the intrusive, depressing thoughts, but it was still a daily struggle, even today. And that battle only grew more difficult the more Anna felt she had failed at something.
She takes another good look at her eyes, expressive, unguarded, vulnerable, and took a deep breath. It takes a few seconds, but she finally wraps up those dark thoughts of uselessness and disparity, locking them up deep inside of her heart. With her thoughts once more back on track, she turns away from the mirror, striding over to her door and stepping out of it, letting the door shut behind her.
She's just making her way into the guildhall when she runs into Lauren - literally. "Anna!" Lauren exclaims happily before throwing her arms around the redhead. "I'm glad you're out! I was just about to check on you." Lauren's tone is playful, although the redhead can clearly see how worried her friend truly is.
"I'm searching for the legendary treasure known as 'lunch'. Wanna help me find it?" Anna responds in kind, letting a warm smile grace her lips. With a laugh, Lauren eagerly links arms with her pseudo-sister and they march off towards the dining hall.
"How are you doing?" Lauren asked over a buttered roll about ten minutes later. She and Anna had procured their meals and were now eating them at the outside eating area that True Heart's dining hall boasted, enjoying the airy breeze.
Anna observes a bluebird fly past as she takes a sip of her blueberry tea. "Better than I was earlier. Hydra came and talked to me for a bit, and then he convinced me to meditate. He ended up falling asleep for the entirety of it, and I got back at him for that by playing a prank on him. Once he left, probably to go sulk-" She said, a smug tone in her words. "I summoned the new Spirit I got from that job from hell."
"Sounds eventful," Lauren commented, her mouth full. The Dragonslayer only closed her mouth when she spotted Anna's positively poisonous look. As soon as Lauren's mouth shut around her food, Anna's glare dropped and her face went back to normal.
"It was, I guess. I gained a new contract, Hydra dragged me out of my funk - sort of, and I got to play a prank on him and watch him react like a child." She grinned, although that grin of hers faded a bit when a burning sensation hit her leg. Scowling, she reached for her belt loop and pulled her key ring off, seeing Hydra's black Key glowing brightly, letting her know in no uncertain terms what he thought of her commentary.
"Oh hush up, Hydra. You know you acted like a baby. Otherwise you wouldn't be sulking." She said pointedly. The Key glowed even brighter for about half a second, and then the glow abruptly cut off. She rolled her eyes.
"He's quite the problem child," Lauren remarked, laughter in her voice. Anna burst out into laughter then, unable to contain it any longer.
As Anna laughed, Lauren watched, a small, grateful smile on her lips. Despite all his nagging and boo-hooing, Hydra really does care about Anna, and that shows on days like this, when he comes to comfort her even though he doesn't have to. She really does owe it to the temperamental Serpent Spirit, for managing to bring Anna out of her shell, even just a little bit.
End of chapter note; I feel the need to mention that this chapter was perhaps one of the easiest to title. Don't know why.
Also I think I finished this chapter in like less than a week! Holy hell weasel! It took like, maybe four or five days! How?!
In any case, next chapter is more mundane shit, and then things will take a fucking turn! I hope you all are ready for that.
-Silver Sin