Onward! A little history and new arc set up, hopefully this chapter isn't too dull, much more action in chapter 11 and 12.
10
Haru sprinted through the darkened streets, his muscles and lungs burning with the effort, his head whipping from side to side searching frantically. All around him buildings were in ruin, flames licked at the streets and plumes of smoke filled the sky, "Eira," he screamed in desperation. "Eira, where are you! Please! EIRA!"
Haru jolted upright with a gasp, the blankets tangled around his legs, one hand to his chest and the other fisted into his sheets. "Fuck," he cursed out to the empty room. His heart was pounding in his chest and he worked to slow his breathing, 'Just a dream,' he reassured himself, 'no, a flashback… again.' The water mage threw back the blankets and swung his legs onto the floor, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes as a tension headache bloomed across his temples. Haru cursed again, punching a hand into the wall beside his bed, "damnit, I thought I was over this, what the hell is wrong with me?"
He let his eyes trail over to his bedroom window, the skies still washed in black, barely passed 4am. Releasing another extended exhale, he got to his feet knowing he'd never get back to sleep, he pulled on a pair of swim trunks and a warm sweater and slammed the door on the way out of the modest cabin he called home. He absently recognized that Natsu and Happy must have crashed with their blonde friend last night, he hadn't noticed either of their scents present this morning. Haru made his way through the streets of magnolia, the streetlights casting a golden glow around him, most of the homes were still dark the citizens still in the grip of slumber. Making his way to the ocean shore on autopilot, Haru tried to keep his thoughts off the nightmare still vying for his attention. He needed a swim, nothing helped him put things in perspective like a swim, seriously, being submerged in the water was better than any meditation. He walked down the shore, peeling off his sweater and kicking off his sandals as he went and coming to a stop only when the water first touched the tips of his toes. He watched the water ebb and flow, mesmerized as the water came forward to cover his feet, only to draw back as if to invite him in. Haru sighed out in relief and walked out until the water raised up to his thighs and dove in, revelling in the embrace of the ocean.
He allowed himself to lose track of time as he swam, diving down until his lungs demanded oxygen, and returning to the surface with a gasp. Floating on the waves and gazing at the sky as rays of sunlight broke through the darkness, the moody blues of night battling with the pinks of dawn, it felt like a direct reflection of his own warring emotions. Sighing, he rolled, diving back down before swimming to shore.
Haru found himself in the street again, still soaking wet, his sweater dampening from the moisture clinging to his skin, but he didn't turn home. He had a theory, and it drove him toward the guild without a second thought. He pushed open the doors and found the guild, unsurprisingly, empty aside from Mira behind the bar preparing for the day. She waved at him as he entered with a curious look on her face, Haru returned the wave and glanced around the hall, until his eyes landed on the half-naked ice mage. He made his way over to stand in front of him not commenting on his state of undress, he supposed he wasn't really in a position to comment this time. Gray's eyebrows knitted together as he looked Haru over, his bangs were plastered to his face and he was dripping water in a trail as he went. It was common knowledge that if you couldn't find the water mage in the guildhall, training with Natsu, or on a mission, then he was likely in the ocean. But he'd never shown up looking like a drowned rat before, "any particular reason you've decided to flood the guild hall?" Gray asked sarcastically.
"I need to talk to you."
The ice mage continued to look at him in confusion, "oookay," he said flatly, lifting his coffee to down the last of the mug's contents. "Shoot."
Haru pressed his lips together, looking down at the growing puddle around his feet as if only noticing for the first time, that he was sopping wet. "Not here." He said as he turned his attention back to his friend, "I need a change of clothes, why don't you come over, I will make us a fresh pot of coffee." He suggested, gesturing to Gray's empty mug.
"Won't fire breath be home?"
"No, he and Happy are away," the water mage responded without elaborating.
Gray remained on edge by the odd behaviour but stood up and began moving to the exit in silent agreement and Haru followed. The two walked in an uneasy silence the whole way to Haru's place. Gray took in the mid-size cabin as the trees started to thin out, he'd never been over to Natsu and Haru's place before, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious. As they entered, he unabashedly looked around, taking in the sparce furnishings and plain walls, it didn't really surprise him, the Twin Dragons spent most of their time at the guild or on missions anyway. He did notice a large board with an assortment of job requests, thank-you notes, newspaper clippings and the odd knickknack pinned all over. When he caught Haru's eye he pointed at the board with a raised brow.
"Natsu's thing," he answered with a shrug of his shoulder, as he ground some fresh coffee beans and set a kettle to boil. Haru disappeared into one of the two adjacent rooms and returned shortly after in dry clothes and a small towel draped around his shoulders.
Gray took one last passing look at the board before dropping himself into a chair at a simple wood dining table, propping his chin on his palm, "so," he prompted simply.
Haru glanced at him over his shoulder as he pressed the coffee and poured two mugs, he joined his comrade and passed him the fresh coffee. Wrapping his hands around his own mug and staring into the liquid he took a moment, trying to figure out if there was a way to ease into a difficult conversation. But he just ended up blurting, "how are the nightmares?"
His raven-haired friend just gaped at him, "what the hell man? Where did that come from?" Getting no response, Gray fidgeted under his gaze, "fine, I'm fine," he said defensively.
"So you're at the guild at 5am in the morning for shits and giggles?"
"What about you? Who goes for a swim before 5am?"
"They've been bad." Haru said suddenly, and Gray looked at him dumbfounded, having not expected that admission from someone as private as Haru. "I haven't had these nightmares for years, but Midnight…" he trailed off.
Gray found himself nodding absently, "but why are you talking to me about this, Natsu is your partner, right?" The water mage noted the use of Natsu's actual name, he was obviously cluing into the seriousness of the conversation.
The dragon slayer had wondered himself why he couldn't go to Natsu with this as well, but that aside, he had a strong feeling the ice mage would be able to relate more closely to his experiences. So, without addressing the question, the water mage steeled himself to continue before his anxiety got the better of him. "You're from Isvan, aren't you? A small village called Frosset." Though the first part came across as a question, the second was a flat statement, and Gray found himself gaping a second time.
"After Oceanus disappeared, I wandered alone for two years." Haru began, and the ice mage felt like he was getting mental whiplash from how fast his comrade seemed to be jumping from seemingly unrelated topics. "I stole food, and clothing when I could, slept in barns when I was lucky, the occasional cave… just scratching to stay alive. One winter was particularly brutal, and I found myself hypothermic, I knew I wouldn't survive the night, but a kind old woman found me, and took me in. She gave me a home, taught me all sorts of things about the world that Oceanus didn't, or couldn't… She was actually a schoolteacher, and an amazing cook, made the best mackerel." Haru realized he was digressing, avoiding the conversation, releasing an audible sigh, he dropped his eyes back to his coffee staring at his reflection. "Deliora killed her, right in front of me," he finally settled on bluntly.
The ice mage's pupils blew wide, frozen to his spot he couldn't find the words to respond.
"I'm sorry to bring up painful memories." His friend said simply, "but I've had a feeling for a while that you and I share this pain."
"How," the word came out as a choked breath.
"The first time I heard you mention Isvan, I considered the possibility." Haru admitted, "but I became more certain over the years. Your reactions, any time the black wizard or his demons came up, made it apparent to anyone looking, that you had history affected by Zeref." Gray continued to stare at him, but it seemed he was looking right through him, his mind somewhere else. Haru didn't push, he would let Gray process the revelations he'd sprung on him, there was no rush today.
The ice mage's hands clenched around his mug his knuckles turning white under the pressure, coffee forgotten, "my master, Ur, took me on as a student after Deliora killed my parents." Gray's voice came out robotically, completely detached as he tried to separate himself from the emotions surging beneath the surface. He continued after a long moment, still not making eye contact, "I was a stupid kid, bent on revenge, rather ungrateful too. Ur put everything she had into caring for Lyon and I, and teaching us her magic, ice make. But even after months of training with her, I couldn't let go, I just couldn't move on and when we came across another village that had been devastated by Deliora…" Gray's resolve snapped with those words, and a broken sob passed his lips, he angrily rubbed away the tears forming in his eyes. "I needed revenge, and I managed to drag Lyon into it with me, convinced we could take down the ice demon together. Ur sacrificed herself to save us, pouring her life essence into a powerful spell to seal him in ice."
Haru reached across the table, placing a steady hand on his friend's forearm, he wasn't sure how to feel at the moment, on one hand there was relief that he'd been right about Gray, on the other, devastation that a close friend had endured the same trauma he had.
After a long silence where the two Fairy Tail mages just offered each other silent support and worked through their own turbulent emotions, Gray admitted, "I haven't stopped looking, you know." Haru cocked his head to the side in response, "I take solo missions, around the northern boarders in hopes of hearing any rumours about where Deliora ended up. But I never hear anything useful."
Haru laughed then, a bitter sound, "yeah, same." He looked at the ice mage thoughtfully, "Gray, I don't think I will ever be able to move forward completely, until I've seen Deliora's end with my own eyes."
Catching his fellow mage's train of thought, Gray finally met his eyes, "I'm in. But where would we even begin?"
"We ask Levy for help. She's loyal to a fault and wouldn't pry. I think she'd help, and we could count on her to not say anything to the others."
. . .
The next few weeks went by relatively normally; Levy had agreed to help without much convincing albeit expressing concern for what the two were up to. They'd assured her that they just wanted to know if there was any information out there on the ice demon that had ravaged the country, they both happened to hail from. Neither offered in depth reasons for their mutual interest in tracking down the beast, especially considering no information had surfaced on it in over a decade. The trio would occasionally meet up to discuss how Levy's research was coming along, but so far, she hadn't had much more luck than the boys had had over the years.
Haru continued to take jobs with Natsu and Lucy, Gray took short solo missions or teamed up with Cana or Elfman. They continued on like normal, and the nightmares continued relentlessly as well, the two raven-haired mages found themselves at a table in the guildhall before daybreak more times than either would like to admit.
. . .
One morning when Haru peeled himself out of bed around 5am, he padded into the kitchen to find Natsu pouring a couple mugs of coffee. He slid one across to Haru without a word, and pointed to the water mage's swim trunks, "another early morning swim," he asked casually.
"Yeah… I guess it just helps me wake up for the day."
"It's storming outside."
Haru had noticed the downpour, it was hard to miss, but he was still aching to get into the ocean. He only grunted in response. "Why are you up so early, that's unusual for you," he asked deflecting his friend's comment.
"You think you're the only one struggling with nightmares, Haru?" Their eyes met for a moment, Natsu clicked his tongue in annoyance, and tipped his mug back taking a long swig of his coffee. "I know you're not much for talking about your emotions, but I am here for you. You know that, don't you?"
The water slayer stopped then, he sighed, pulling back a chair and took a seat at the table with his best friend. "Are you okay, Natsu?" The fire mage cast a considering look at him, Natsu had this strange ability to look like he was peering into his soul and Haru shifted under the intense stare.
"I saw you die," Natsu stated harshly, "you, and Erza, Lucy, Lisanna… I wasn't strong enough to save any of you. I was abandoned by Igneel. I saw Fairy Tail burn." He looked at his fellow slayer with a cold stare, "you think you're the only one struggling? Talk to me, please."
Haru was frozen to his spot, guilt washed over him, he'd been so wrapped up in his own anguish he hadn't noticed his partner fighting against his own demons. Natsu was always so strong, looking out for everyone else, it was hard to see when he was in pain, even considering he wore his heart on his sleeve. He whispered an apology, and Natsu just exhaled audibly. "Look Haru, we are a team, I will be here and ready to listen, whenever you're ready." The pinkette stood from the table and dropped his mug in the sink. "I am going to head to the guild, do what you want, but I'd recommend skipping the ocean this morning."
"Give me a minute to change?"
Natsu turned to regard him, he let a smile pull at his face, and stopped at the door to wait.
. . .
It had been a few days since Natsu had confronted Haru, and he'd gone home each night rather than crashing at the blondes,' so he could be there should his partner want to talk. Haru seemed to be making an effort to talk, he'd opened up a bit and told Natsu some of what he'd seen in his void. Similarly, Oceanus abandoning him, being one of only a few people to survive a devastating attack by a demon and losing the bonds he'd formed at Fairy Tail. The fire mage knew that Haru was holding some major details back but refused to pry. 'All in time,' Natsu thought as he and Haru walked through Magnolia, Happy flying in lazy loops over their heads. Happy eventually lost patience and zipped ahead to see if Carla was at the guild yet, and the boys found the blue cat moping at their usual table when they caught up, Wendy and Carla nowhere to be seen.
Natsu ruffled Happy's fur laughing, "how about a fish buddy, my treat," he offered to cheer him up.
"Really?" The blue cat asked, eyes sparkling. Haru sat down, straddling the bench and leaned onto an elbow watching the exchange.
"You want anything Haru?" Natsu asked as he turned toward the bar. The water mage just shook his head in the negative a small smile on his face.
Before Natsu returned with a fish and some food for himself, Happy was already leaping into the air and flying excitedly toward the door. Haru laughed as he watched the cat come to a stop, hovering above the sky slayer and the white cat who hadn't even made it through the door yet. The young girl chirped a good morning to Happy and moved toward the bar, the two cats following after her.
"Hey," a hand on his shoulder drew Haru's attention and he found Gray at his side, "Levy found something."
Eyes widening, Haru looked over Gray's shoulder toward the fire mage still waiting for his order, "Natsu," he called, "I'm not really hungry, I'm going to head out for a bit, I will catch you after lunch okay?" The pinkette waved in acknowledgement and continued chatting with Wendy and Mira while he waited for his order.
. . .
"Okay, so what should we do, I doubt Gramps will approve this mission without an S class along." Gray asked, watching Haru stare out over the choppy ocean appearing unfocused. He and Haru had wandered aimlessly for a bit before dropping onto their butts on the shore watching the waters while they discussed Levy's information. They finally had a lead. Now they needed some semblance of a plan.
"I know you aren't going to want to hear it, but Natsu would go with us."
"No way Man! I'd never live it down if I had to ask for his help, he already holds his S class status above my head." Gray huffed out. "What about Erza."
Haru leaned back on his hands, his eyes hadn't strayed from the horizon since they sat down, "we could go alone," he suggested, barely above a whisper. He could feel Gray's stunned eyes on him. Haru never went on a mission longer than a day or two without his fire breathing other half, and the ice mage had expected him to put up a fight about taking Natsu with them.
"Gramps would never agree."
"I didn't suggest we tell him."
"What's with you man? This isn't like you."
Haru met his eyes with determination, "we both know we are S class in all but title, right? Two birds, one stone, we prove ourselves and put our pasts behind us."
Gray's mouth worked, his brain nagged that he should be the voice of reason, but if even Haru was willing to take this chance... He shrugged, "okay," he said simply. "If we're going to do this, we leave tomorrow, before sun-up, before anyone knows." Haru found himself smirking back at his friend, "and—" he added hastily, "we grab Lyon, he should have the option to be a part of this."
1 Week Later
Mira flipped through the mission record book, absently chewing her lip as her anxiety built, "like I thought, I don't have any records of them formally accepting a mission."
The elderly guild master drummed his fingers across the bar top in nervous energy, "where could those idiots have gone. Natsu," he addressed the pinkette standing a few feet away with his arms crossed and glaring at the book they were crowded around, "you don't remember Haru saying anything recently?"
"Nothing." He scoffed. Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder murmuring a generic reassurance. He eyed her, his irritation melting a bit as he felt concern building in its' place, "they've been gone a week, no word, it isn't like Haru to leave without saying anything to me. I don't like this one bit."
Sitting a couple bar stools away, Erza mirrored the groups' mutual tension as she turned back to Mira, "what about unapproved or denied requests? Maybe they disagreed with our decision and decided to take one of those missions?"
"It wouldn't be like Haru to do that," Natsu interjected, he paused, 'though, he's been going a lot of shit lately, how much do I really know?' The slayer pressed his lips together, frustrated, "unless it was personal, maybe."
The small group continued the discussion, when they heard someone meekly interrupt them, they turned as a unit to the petit script mage standing to Lucy's side with her eyes downcast.
The blonde turned to her friend, "what is it Levy, everything okay?" They were all startled, when Levy looked back up with her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
"I, um, I think I've made a mistake." Tears cascaded down her cheeks and Lucy pulled her into her arms, reminding her to take a couple deep breaths and calm down. Erza guided her forward to sit on one of the stools as Mira handed her a mug of tea.
"What is it child? What do you know?" Makorav asked gently.
With the tea warming her hands, Levy breathed out slowly, trying to rein in the fears that she'd inadvertently sent her friends off to their deaths. "Gray and Haru approached me a few weeks ago about tracking down the ice demon, Deliora."
"The ice demon from the book of Zeref?!" Lucy exclaimed.
Natsu fixed the stellar mage with a shocked look and she glanced around at the other equally surprised looks her comrades had settled on her, she elaborated, "I've read about the black mage in some magic history books." They all dead panned a bit. "WHAT? You should all be thankful I read so much…" the blonde barked, crossing her arms under her chest defiantly.
The pinkette had gone silent as he processed the new information, "Haru told me his village had been devastated by a demon when he was just a boy." He looked at Makorav, "you don't think…"
"I do think." The guild master replied, sternly, he said, "Levy, give us all the information you found."
Levy proceeded to give the group a quick recap of the last few weeks, leading up to the discovery of a rumour in an obscure paper out of the country of Seven to the North or Fiore. She reiterated that it was an unconfirmed source cited in the article, but at the very least, it seemed likely that would be where the boys had headed off to. According to the paper, a pair of dark mages leading a large group of Zeref cultists had been attempting to release the demon from its' icy prison, so they might bind it to them with powerful link magic to carry out who knows what malicious intensions. They had, apparently succeeded in breaking the spell encasing Deliora, but quickly lost control of the demon and unwittingly released it to go on a rampage, wiping out the majority of cult in mere minutes. The where abouts of the dark mages responsible for manipulating the cult were unknown. The beast had last been seen moving West after devastating a quarter of a medium sized town called Verona.
"Those IDIOTS took an S Class level mission without even consulting me?!" Makorav yelled, his face red in anger, but all those present could tell he was only masking his fear for their safety. He barked at Erza and Natsu to head out immediately for Verona, and bring his brats home, where the two would face 'the punishment of all punishments.' The Fairy Tail mages all paled at the Master's terrifyingly vindictive expression.
"Master," Lucy piped up drawing the elderly man out of his punishment planning, "please let me accompany them."
He considered the blonde in front of him, "I don't know if that's a good idea Lucy, despite having a couple years of experience as an Independent mage, I don't believe you're ready for an S class mission. If, heaven forbid, you all are drawn into battle with Deliora—"
"Haru and Gray both risked their lives to help bring me home; and thwart the Oración Seis assault on our magical world." She stood with her marked fist over her heart and determination on her face, "please give me the opportunity to return the favour."
Makorav sighed and glanced at his S class with a questioning look, Erza smiled, "Lucy is a powerful mage, with a sharp mind for battle tactics and more knowledge on the history that may end up being crucial for this mission, we would be lucky to have her. Besides, she'll be with Natsu and I." Lucy turned wide eyes on her red-haired friend, such high praise from Titania, threatened to melt her where she stood.
Natsu just linked his hands behind his head, "Luce is stronger than you know gramps, she'll be fine." The confident aura he exuded felt like he was flat out telling the master he was ridiculous to be concerned.
"Well, okay then. Get going you three, bring our idiots home."
As the doors closed behind the trio, Makorav stretched his legs out on the bar top leaning back on his hands. He let out a long exhale as Mira leaned on her elbows next to him, "two dangerous rescue missions in just a few short months…" he reached back to the beer tap, refilling his drink, "I am too old for this, these brats are going to be the death of me. Maybe it's time for Laxus to take over."
Mira laughed lightly, "yeah, good luck convincing him of that."
Verona
The trio wandered sullenly through the hull of the formerly vibrant northwest quadrant of the city, all around them buildings lay in ruin. The occasional homemade memorial would dot the deserted streets, the wilting flowers placed before them offering the only colour to a bleak scene. Lucy walked between her comrades with a shaky hand covering her mouth, "how horrible," she whispered when her eyes landed on a small memorial featuring a dirty teddy bear tied to a cross, a few stray tears streaked down her cheeks. Natsu reached out absently taking her other hand and threading his fingers with hers, she wasn't sure if he was even consciously aware of the action, but she was thankful for it regardless.
Erza stopped, and abruptly turned back toward the inner city, probably having seen enough of the devastation and the demon's power that they could be finding themselves facing in the days to come. Natsu and Lucy trailed after her without question, the mages questioned some of the townspeople along the street on their way to the city hall at the center of Verona. No one really had any useful information, anything that may have been helpful was buried under a layer of trauma. Despondently, the only thing the citizens agreed upon was the attack had been about eight months ago and they simply couldn't bring themselves to rebuild.
The mayor explained in obvious irritation, that their town had become host to shady types and Zeref worshippers chasing stories of anything related to the black mage, and that he certainly didn't have time to babysit more people stupid enough to seek out the demon. Erza had apologized for the intrusion and asked if he might just point them in the direction of the Seven Star paper, she passed him a scanned copy of the original article Levy had found.
. . .
"And what brings Fairy Tail to my humble paper?" A tall lanky man asked splaying his fingers across a shabby looking desk. Lucy and Natsu exchanged a pointed look as Erza stood in front of the desk with her arms crossed, this guy had a seedy presence about him. The journalist confirmed that yes, he had seen three young men visit and ask him questions, but they hadn't affiliated themselves with any particular guild. Jabbing a finger in Natsu's direction he'd said trio had been his size and build though, two had had dark hair and one had silver, they were wearing heavy travel cloaks.
Erza glanced back over her shoulder at her comrades, a considering look on her face as she mentally analyzed the presence of a third person. "Lyon, possibly?" Natsu suggested, guessing Erza's silent question, "he was pretty messed up from the spell we were all under, and he and Gray grew up together…"
Natsu trailed off as Erza accepted his plausible explanation, turning her attention back to the reporter. "What can you tell us about the ice demon," she pushed his article across the desk to him, "and the dark mages involved."
The journalist peered at the paper in front of him, before looking up at Erza from under his eyebrows, "tell you what, I will tell you everything I told those other three," he started before a sleezy grin spread across his face, "for a price, of course." Erza requipped a pouch of jewel, allowing it to drop on the desktop, the man reached out and loosened the string, peered inside.
"You'll get double that, if I deem your information worth our time." The knight stated.
"I don't know about that, I get the feeling those boys are important to you, I think this information is worth more than what you're putting up."
Erza held a hand out, a magical glow manifesting again and the man smirked waiting for an additional pouch, but the next minute the redhead was spinning a sword around and slamming the point down into his desk. He fell back and off his chair, peering up at the angry redhead. "Do NOT mistake my generosity for gullibility. You can accept my donation," she cocked her head at the pouch she'd offered, "OR, we can do this the hard way."
The reporter slowly pulled himself back into his chair, though he noticeably kept more distance between himself and the Fairy Tail mages. "Now, start singing, or I'm going to let my friend here," she gestured to Natsu, "start burning up your transcripts." The fire mage leaned toward the lanky man with a demonic look on his face and fire flickering off his fingers.
The corner of the man's mouth twitched into a shocked smile, "as I was saying, I will tell you everything I told your friends…" He observed the crazy mages before him to see if that appeased them at all. Not seeing either of them relax, he hastily continued. "This article wasn't the story in its' entirety, the truth is, I don't believe the mages behind the Zeref cultists, were actually dark mages per say."
"Explain."
"I didn't learn until weeks after Deliora's attack what the demon was, or the events leading up to its' release, one of the surviving cult members dropped all those details for me. What tipped me off on the story, even before the attack was crossing paths with two people stumbling through the town with clearly grave injuries. Strangely, according to the doctor who worked on them, they both bolted as soon as he had them slightly patched up. I recognized one of the women." He paused to take in the surprised looks that both the dark mages behind Deliora's release were women. "Yes, your friends gave me the same look." He laughed. "The woman; was that sexy black-haired woman from Fiore's own Magic Council. Yes, yes, more of the same looks."
"Ultear?" Erza burst out, "what would magic council members want with a demon from the book of Zeref?"
The reporter raised his hands in a shrug, "you understand why the people of Seven, would label such an act as dark mage activity, yes? We would hate to think that Fiore's own magic council could have ordered a mission invading another sovereign nation, that would after all, be an act of war between our two nations, yes?" He left the word 'war' hanging heavy in the air between them.
A/N. It always seemed strange to me that Lyon and crew somehow managed to move a giant block of demon popsicle to a tiny tropical island… or that it had already ended up there and they just somehow stumbled on to its' location.
Have a wonderful weekend, see you Wednesday!
R&R. xx Loka Muse