II
SUPERHERO
Sakura petals danced fleetingly in the air, marking the beginning of spring. Erza peered outside the bus window, as the row of trees change their crowns from pink to green. Spring heralded the official start of the school year across their country. Adorable preschool students being escorted by their doting mothers were now a common sight in her early morning commute. She smiled as a small billboard plastered with a neat grid of political posters came to pass. Among the many distinguished smiling faces, one stood out above all the rest.
Blue hair, perfect teeth, no tattoo on his handsome features, and listed under his alias name.
Spring also marked the beginning of their country's electoral campaign season as it seems.
Finally.
Finally, he's out there fighting the good fight. It was high time he made his long-anticipated public debut, and she couldn't be prouder— couldn't be happier for him.
Jellal, I've decided. Like you, I'll continue fighting my own battles too. I'm taking on these brats until the very end.
Erza confidently nodded to herself. Frankly, it wasn't as terrible as she first imagined. Since these kids are currently stuck at rock bottom, that only means they have a larger room for improvement. She preferred it this way, though. Unlike being assigned to coach a bunch of snotty honors students, her class required her to get as "hands on" as possible. She highly doubts the events of last night were going to be a one off thing starting now. These kids desperately needed her. This was a job that only she could do. It's been forever, since Erza last felt a greater sense of purpose to her life. Surely, with the Titania's strict guidance, even delinquents can become the next miracle success story of their generation.
After all, they lived in a world where their former ringleader is in the running for a seat in the national council.
"What insolence is this? Late on your second day? Scarlet, grab a chair! Immediately!"
Checking the wall clock, Erza confirmed she still had a couple of minutes before the bell rang. Everyone else simply came in earlier and is panicking so early in the morning. Huddled around a long rectangular table in the middle of the faculty office, all the staff members sat in deep contemplation. At the head of the table, Principal Makarov is vigorously admonishing an oddly quiet Laxus.
"What do you mean you don't remember?! Think, you giant oaf! When did you last had it?" the old man pressed.
Erza used the ongoing commotion to stealthily seat herself next to Freed Justine, the same man who broadcasted her entrance a minute ago. Ultear told her two things about the guy. One is he's another teacher next in line for the Head's position. The other is he is Laxus' number one suckup, clinging to his boss almost like a shadow. Apparently, Laxus runs a campus posse comprised of her fellow teachers Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow. The green haired man shot her a glare upon sensing her presence. "It's part of our duty as teachers to attend daily faculty stand-ups, Scarlet," he spat.
"At least she made it. I don't see Instructor Bickslow at all," Ultear pointed out from across the table.
"Bickslow messaged Ever that he had bank errands to run this morning. He will be here by lunch," Freed flatly answered.
"Mhm. He was responsible enough to inform us in advance, unlike somebody," Evergreen sarcastically added.
"Shake that big fat noggin of yours! What am I supposed to tell those parents? That my dimwitted grandson slipped inside a manhole and suddenly got amnesia!?"
Erza turned to the other "unaffiliated" teacher to her side. "Hey, Mira, what is happening?"
"U-Uhm… W-Well... the Head Teacher seems to have lost the school's field trip money," the white-haired woman meekly replied.
"What!?" Erza's gasp was loud enough to divert the whole table's attention to her.
"That's right, Erza. My idiot grandson managed to make 500,000 yen disappear without a single trace overnight," Makarov ranted in frustration.
"500,000 yen?!" she reiterated in shock. Her one-track mind automatically converted the currency to how many months supply of strawberry cheesecake that would be equivalent to.
Makarov groaned, "I expect you teachers to fix this among yourselves. Meanwhile, I'm gonna lock myself and brainstorm a more sensible excuse for those parents than what we currently have— which is 'my grandson happens to be part goldfish'!" The tiny man stomped towards his glass partitioned office and slammed the door behind him.
Laxus bonelessly slumped into his chair. When no one dared to speak, Erza cleared her throat. "Well, where did you last see it? Maybe we can narrow it down somewhere." Beside her, the white haired woman squirmed in apparent discomfort. Erza managed to raise her brow in suspicion, when Laxus interrupted her train of thoughts.
"At school..." the rattled man slowly answered. "I'm a hundred percent sure I had it before I left the campus— so that could only mean that a student took it while I wasn't looking," he concluded with a firm nod.
"Isn't there some kind of major leap in your logic, Laxus?" Ultear asked, while waving a hand in thin air.
"No. Not at all," the blonde man defended, gaining confidence. "In fact, I bet it's those fucktards from Class F who stole it!" he proudly presented his bare bones theory to the table. "Those rotten pieces of shit!" he added for good measure, when nobody initially responded.
"Wait!" Erza stood from her seat. "On what basis are you blaming my students?" she countered in utter confusion.
"Basis?" Laxus scoffed."How about the sixth sense I developed from my five years of dealing with those scumbags?"
"You're a genius, boss! Of course! Those damn rascals from Class F are once again out to terrorize this school!" Freed was quick to paraphrase his god's words.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Theft is a major crime in our country, you know. They've really done it now," Evergreen commented in the midst of checking her nails.
"What the hell?" Erza turned to the teacher who has yet to make her stance. "Mira, you're not buying this crap, are you?"
Refusing eye contact with everyone present, Mira bit her lip and hesitated. "I agree... It must have been them…" she softly answered.
Erza's defeated glare met Laxus' triumphant leer. His diabolical grin is akin to a crazed caricatured villain. Not wasting a second more, the burly man charged out of the office towards the direction of the classrooms.
"Are you fucking wearing makeup?" Gray cringed at the glowing porcelain skin of the campus playboy.
"What? Boys can't wear makeup?" Loke snapped in defense. "Fuck you and your obsolete double standards! This is all your fault, dude! After I went through all that trouble of keeping still! My face happens to be my greatest asset— scratch that— it's second only to my—"
"Shut your face right now, if you don't want me to bash it in again," Gray sneered.
Loke raised both hands in surrender and retreated to his seat. As it turns out, this self proclaimed king of the jungle is more similar to the cowardly one from the Land of Oz. Gray rolled his eyes and winced from once again unconsciously cradling his bruised cheek.
"Gray-sama? Juvia wants to offer this."
Upon seeing the blue ice pack being shoved in his hands, Gray cynically chuckled. Due to his constant frequency of getting roughed up, Juvia had made it a point to always carry a giant cooler of infinite ice packs before leaving her house. Perhaps, he ought to give the girl some props for this— more often than not— disturbingly blind dedication to him. He tipped his head in gratitude, and the girl happily skipped back to observing him from afar.
The soothing cold against his aching cheek brought back the bitter flavor of Erza Scarlet's canned beer; the aftertaste of which remains until now. Being in debt to her is frustrating as hell, even though it was ultimately his idiot rival who begged on his behalf. The boy and the girl seated in the front row were too quiet this morning. Aside from Loke's petty bitching, none of them spoke of the events last night. He wonders how Natsu is coping though. Lucy has always been the moron's greatest weakness. Thanks to Erza's timely intervention, his allegiance must've greatly shifted in her favor. Lucy, on the other hand, has always been too damn nice for her own good. Gray often considered it to be one of the world's greatest mysteries how Lucy got herself stuck in their class of degenerates.
"It's been fifteen minutes, guys. Has our darling Instructor broken all our past records and given up after her first day?" Cana cheekily announced, after the bell rang.
"Juvia expected no less! Scarlet was shaking in fear before the Great Gray-sama yesterday! Juvia believes she cried herself to sleep all night!"
Gray snorted at Juvia's totally distorted view of reality. If only these girls knew, what they had witnessed last night. Erza intercepting Natsu's homing strike was no fluke. The thugs she flawlessly chucked into the lake weren't able to land a single hit on her. This woman they're dealing with is far from the average nerdy homeroom teacher she poses to be. The second her glasses came off, she transformed into something out of the pages of a comic book— and to be honest, that's his most fitting theory on her thus far— an alien being from a faraway planet blending herself among them delinquents in the day.
Digging out the dilapidated coin from his pocket, Gray began to casually flip it with his thumb.
One year, huh? Well? Was that all a fucking lie or are you gonna sho—?
The classroom door is violently flung open, revealing the most unwelcome guest to set foot in Class F. Everyone's favorite Head Teacher, Laxus Dreyar, strode towards the teacher's desk in all his smug glory. Trailing behind his grand entrance, Gray's scarlet-haired alien emerged at the door. She appears to be panting, though on closer observation her rapid breathing seems rage induced. She approached her boss with extreme displeasure, yet her glasses are back on. Sadly, this implies that no otherworldly theatrics would be befalling on Dreyar anytime soon.
Grinning diabolically, Laxus pointed two accusatory fingers across the room. "There you go, Instructor. These two, if not both, are our prime suspects," he confidently announced.
Gray blinked. It seems like he is yet again at the receiving end of another random accusation from this school. There was little comfort in knowing he wasn't alone, for their other suspect sat quietly in the front row. Natsu's head remained bowed, unwilling to meet the condemning finger pointing at him. Beside him, Lucy's appalled reaction is very minimal compared to the tirade the idiot would have exploded into had he been in his usual self.
Erza stood in front of Laxus and threw her hands out in exasperation. "Again. On what basis? Do you have any other proof— aside from your highly biased sixth sense— that these two specifically stole your collection money?" she grilled.
Laxus smirked and wagged his thick caterpillar brows at her. "Certainly. See those pretty purple decorations on their dumb faces. There's your proof staring right back at you."
Across the room, Loke is tauntingly pointing to his own brain, proud of having the foresight to cover his bruises. Unable to remain neutral any longer, Gray aggressively kicked his desk and stood. "You're so full of shit, Dreyar!" he openly declared. Natsu might have no plans on defending their honor, but he sure does.
At the corner of the room, Juvia too rose in his defense. "Juvia agrees! Gray-sama would never—"
"Shut the fuck up, bitch!"
Instantly, Juvia melted back into her seat like a puddle. Laxus bulldozed his ape-sized body to the middle of the classroom, until he was starting Gray down from his towering height. "It's you. Isn't it, Fullbuster? You're acting a tad too defensive for your own good," he knowingly grinned. "Five fucking years— and finally— finally! You screwed up big time now, dickbag. How 'bout it then? Return the money you stole and drop by the 'disciplinary alley'. Who knows, I just might waive your instant expulsion, depending on how pitifully you writhe and cry in agony."
"What money?!" Gray angrily retorted. "Whatever the fuck it is this time— I didn't do it! I have literally no fucking clue on what you're talking about!"
Laxus seethed through gritted teeth and reached to grab Gray, when Erza Scarlet wedged herself in between the two taller men who continued to glare daggers at each other. With her back shielding the delinquent, she stood unflinching before her boss. "I believe him," she boldly declared. "He didn't do it. His bruises prove nothing."
"Damn straight, it does! I bet this shithead drank away the whole stash and got beaten up in some dark alley!"
"You can't drink away 500,000 yen in a single night," Erza insisted.
"Fine. Kid drank himself stupid and got mugged. That good enough for you, Instructor!?" Laxus sighed; his patience was evidently running thin. "Take it from me, Scarlet. You put yourself out protecting that rabid animal behind you, after knowing him for— what— a fucking day. If you only knew half the shit, that asshole has done to your kind. Mark my words, one day that crazed beast is gonna bite you back, when you least expect it."
Gray swallowed, and his clenched fists began to tremble. His eyes bore into the adamant scarlet crown before him; while in that room, all the eyes of his fellow delinquents were knowingly watching him. They knew, just as the Head Teacher does, that he had always been the leading mastermind on ousting their previous teachers. His classmates were snickering at her sheer stupidity for standing up for him. At that moment, everyone knew that Laxus Dreyar spoke the absolute truth, regarding Erza Scarlet's huge mistake on trusting Gray Fullbuster.
"I believe him," Erza reiterated with pure conviction. "I'll deal with tomorrow when that time comes. Today, I choose to believe him."
Her voice was enough to convey the unrelenting strength of her resolve. However, Gray wished she was facing him instead when she said those words. He wished to see those slanted eyes once again stare into the very depths of his rotten soul. He wished for her to convince him that he could believe in her as well.
"Sure. Humor me then, on what basis? You got some asspull alibi on this fucker?" Laxus asked in sarcasm.
"I do," she simply said.
Gray broke out of his trance. Was she about to divulge last night's events to her boss? How she found them getting beaten up in some abandoned park. It would make for a sound alibi to save his ass, but it would also open a whole new can of worms involving Lucy, Loke and—
Hang on.
Getting mugged was exactly what happened to them. 500,000 yen was the missing amount. Wasn't it Natsu who boasted he had some six-digit cash on-hand last night? 400,000 was the said amount, given his later concussions didn't screw with his memory. On top of the buffet that he particularly remembers to cost 20,000 yen per head, Natsu had approximately 500,000 last night. The idiot's uncharacteristic silence today couldn't be a mere coincidence.
Shit.
"I know who the real thief is," Erza flatly declared.
Shit. No way.
"—and I'll personally bring him to your office. Not here. You entrusted this class to me. These kids are my responsibility. You don't get to pass judgement on my students in my class," she finished.
Laxus broke into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. "What an interesting teacher you are, Scarlet— defender to the filthy pile of rotten scumbags!" he sarcastically proclaimed. "Alright, I'll play along. Bring me this hypothetical thief of yours— not to my office— but to the disciplinary alley as soon as the bell rings. If you don't know where it is, ask that asshole hiding behind you. You have until the end of the day to find yourself a substitute, otherwise— he gets it." He left as grand as he entered with a victorious shit eating grin plastered on his face.
Their instructor didn't even spare Gray a glance. She was already asking everyone to settle down, so they may finally begin the last few minutes of her homeroom period. On her way to the board, it didn't slip Gray's notice that Erza managed to give Natsu's shoulder a firm squeeze. Natsu looked up to her and obediently nodded once.
SHIT.
The idiot is one step away from being sold out by the teacher he foolishly chose to trust.
"What took you so long? For a delinquent, you sure suck at skipping class."
Erza crossed her arms and glared at the distressed pink-haired boy who just entered the school building's roof deck. She specifically instructed Natsu to meet her during class hours to make sure there won't be any eavesdroppers lurking around. Natsu meekly approached her by the netted fence.
"Alright, Erza," he slowly began. "I'll tell you everything, as long as you promise not to get the other three involved."
Erza smiled at the delinquent's honorable dedication to protect his friends. As if last night's events weren't enough proof, there is so much more to these kids than the immoral terrorists the school labels them to be. "You have my word. Now, talk."
Sighing heavily, Natsu leaned his back on the fence and stared at his shoes. "For a long time, I wanted to get my revenge on that asshole for always treating us like scum. Yesterday, after school I saw him enter this old school house. I followed him into the toilets and heard him pounding into some chick inside a cubicle..." he trailed off to let that sink in.
"... Seriously?" Erza cringed. She had a good guess on the identity of this 'chick'. It all made sense now why her fellow newbie was acting extremely awkward and somewhat guilty that morning. Still though, what a hypocrite for that asshole to be calling her out on trusting people on day one, when he practically shagged someone for less. "Natsu, let's agree to keep that information to ourselves. Go on."
"He left the bag by the sink, and I took it without anyone noticing. Right after, I called the guys and told them it's my treat. We spend around 80,000 from the bag. Much later, we found ourselves at that park, and well... that guy appeared and took everything else—"
The roof deck door suddenly swung open. A blonde blur rushed past Erza and hammered onto Natsu's chest. "You! Big! Fat! Stupid! Idiot!" Lucy cried, furiously beating his chest with each word. "You knew I had the money! Why didn't you just tell me that you wanted to pig out at that restaurant? Why did you do something so recklessly stupid!?"
Natsu gently patted the girl's head. "I'm sorry, Lucy. I fucked up. My stupid plan backfired hard. I just… I wanted to give that asshole a taste of his own medicine."
Erza felt a violent tug at her forearm, and she is spun to meet Gray Fullbuster's hateful scowl. "What now? He told you the truth. Are you gonna sell him out? Or are you gonna sell me out? Quite the dilemma, huh? Which trash to throw out first," he venomously spat.
Not bothering to answer, Erza effortlessly jerked herself free from the brat's iron grip and marched straight to Natsu. Wordlessly, she pried the emotional Lucy away from the guy and delivered a single punch directly to his semi healing face. The impact of her blow sent him flying backwards, hitting the netted fence that surrounded the edge of the deck.
"You shameless coward!" she shouted at the shaken pink-haired boy. "Making fun of teachers is fine. Calling them names is fine. But stealing? Throwing that baseball at the back of a defenseless teacher's head? That's a coward's way of sneaking behind and stabbing people in the back!"
Natsu grunted in pain and grabbed the fence to support himself up. "It's the only way, Erza!" he retorted in defense. "It's the only way for us to be strong— to fight back in this shitty school! Dreyar sits on his goddamn throne, flicking us out with his fatass fingers! He rounds us up in an alley and beats the living shit out of us! We're not like you, okay!? Like some— fucking superhero— with your insane superhuman strength!"
Erza sighed to compose herself. Casually raising her clenched fist, she shook it for all of them to see. "If I threw that ball back at you with all my might— If I beat those thugs to death last night— If I used this so called 'strength' to bully back my bullies, what would that make me?" Lowering her fist, she solemnly eyed the pink haired boy. "That's not strength; that's an abuse of power. It's the same way Laxus wields his power to crush you. Gaining the upper hand and showing restraint, that's the greater power in the form of mercy."
Natsu's squinty eyes widened and darts away in shame. Lucy once again approached him. The girl brought out her handkerchief to wipe away at the slight blood dripping from the boy's nose.
"I'm not selling you out," Erza flatly said. "It's true. You fucked up big time, and it would be easy for me to throw you under the bus. But as your teacher, I'll cover for you—" Turning to the other delinquent she still owed an answer to, Erza met Gray's reluctant frown. "—and you. I'll take full accountability and show you mercy. I'm not selling anyone out like a spineless coward," she finished.
Gray steps in front of her, dark brows furrowed in utter dismay. "If Dreyar couldn't get to us, he'd fire you. How the fuck do you plan to get away with this?"
"I'll bring him the real thief as I promised," she replied without missing a beat.
Lucy blinks at her in doubt. "The real? You don't mean... The guy from last night?"
Gray seems to have regained his confidence and was back to tugging her forearm. He leans in to study her face up close. "Are you fucking high right now?" he asked in seemingly legitimate concern.
Natsu released his hold on the fence and rushed to her side. "Erza, it's impossible! Even if you stake out at the park, how the fuck are you gonna drag that asshole all the way here? Before the day ends?!"
Erza knowingly smirked at the group of bewildered children surrounding her. "Never— underestimate the strength of my will, because I am a superhero," she dramatically declared.
Gray rolled his eyes in derision. "You are high," he sneered and turned to Natsu. "Yo squinty, we might as well turn ourselves in. This woman's nuts."
"Shut up, sidekick," Erza bit back, earning her a trademark scowl from the aforementioned sidekick. "Gather around, kids. Since you're all here, we're conducting a special class right now." Bundling her skirt behind her knees, she sat herself on the cement and patted the ground expectantly.
The three students threw each other a couple of weirded out looks, though they eventually relented, sitting themselves before her. Once Lucy found the perfect position to work around her shorter than ideal skirt, Erza began, "There's a major clue on the identity of our masked culprit based on last night's events. When he first appeared what did he say?"
"Eh…? I dunno. Something like cough up the cash...?" Natsu absentmindedly mused while rocking himself cross legged.
"Ah! I remember now!" Lucy cut in. "The creep greeted us with 'Fairy guys and gals'. He knew we were students from Fairy Academy!" she beamed in epiphany.
"Well duh, Luce. We just came from school. Our uniforms are a dead giveaway," Natsu pointed out.
"No— No. She's right, moron," Gray countered. "We weren't in our uniforms. Loke made us all dress up for that fancy place, but the asshole still recognized us."
For a class of failing students, this group was able to piece up that information very quickly. Erza proudly nodded at the three. "Here's one more thing. The guy knew which of you had the cash. He went through all the trouble of hiring thugs just to rob Natsu specifically."
"Woah, the fuck are you saying, Erza?" Natsu exclaimed.
Lucy furrowed her brows in apprehension and decided to lower her voice. "Does that mean Natsu is being framed by someone from this school? Like someone's just waiting for us to slip up?"
"Dreyar," Gray instantly said. "Asshole must've left that bag on purpose, and this dumb fuck was stupid enough to bite into it," he voiced through gritted teeth, all the while glaring daggers at Natsu.
Erza hummed and slowly shook her head no. "It's possible, but I doubt it's him. He seems too shaken up by the missing money to be simply hiding it somewhere safe."
"E-Erm…" Lucy squirmed in her spot. "Actually I do remember something… weird… about the guy..."
"Huh? What is it, Luce?" Natsu asked in concern.
"W-Well, remember when he—" Abruptly covering her mouth, the blonde girl stifled a violent gag. "His-tongue-is-blue," she quickly said in her muffled voice.
Blue. Tongue.
In a flash, the manic face of her obnoxious airhead chewing seatmate fitted perfectly against the equally psychotic masked man's torso. Erza jerked in recognition and immediately winced in disgust. "Right… I'll take it from here. You two, feel free to go home when the bell rings."
Bickslow.
The deranged face-licking pervert is none other than one of the esteemed instructors of their academy. Gray had personally seen to the resignation of a number of dimwitted, yet admittedly innocent teachers in the past, but this conniving asshole somehow managed to slip past everyone's radar. In all the years he spent cursing useless adults, that guy definitely took the cake. They are the biggest disgrace to their own kind. Hiring men to physically and sexually harass their own defenseless students? Since when did the teaching profession decline to this?
Once upon a time, things were different.
Once upon a time, more than anyone else, he looked up to them.
Once upon they— were— superheroes.
One in particular was his very own childhood hero.
Bickslow is a caricature villain through and through. He belongs behind a neat row of bars. Now that they have gathered a considerable amount of dirt on him, it was all up to their scarlet-haired defender of justice to blast him into outer space.
The three students found themselves backtracking their steps to the lakeside of Inokashira park— the exact same spot of last night's crime scene. Natsu and Lucy had already found a comfortable seat by the stone benches. Gray remained stoic, watching the sunset paint the lake's ripples, in the midst of puffing his third row of smoke. It's been an hour since dismissal; an hour since they were given their pardon. Their teacher specifically instructed them to head home and to leave the rest to her. In delinquent speak, that translated to: "corner her on her way home to see if she truly kept her word".
"Hey Lucy? With that 80k you gave her, Erza should be able to clear our names right?" Natsu reluctantly asked.
Lucy twiddled the tips of her shoes and bit her lip. "I hope so… I hope the Head Teacher will let it go, once he learns of Bickslow's involvement."
"Yeah… I just wish that Erza will be able to get off without a hitch as well… Challenging that bastard head on. Heh. That dorky weirdo sure has balls," Natsu weakly chuckled in amusement.
"Mmm... For a teacher to go that far, it's quite unheard of, especially for students like us…" she softly replied, then turned to face their silent friend. "Gray, a while ago she said she believed you. She stood up against her boss in front of our entire class and said she believed you. Will you… Will you spare her— this time?"
Natsu's head instantly jerked to the guy by the lake. "Oi stripper, you better not target her anymore after this. Erza's different from all those other losers. She's on our side. For once— our teacher is actually fighting on— our— side!" he exclaimed, as though he couldn't fathom his own words.
Gray released the smoke from his lungs, yet chose to withhold his answer. It was too early to be counting chickens. His pragmatism told him that her earlier declaration held little meaning; a person who hardly knew him, claiming to have blind faith in him. She's either a generally gullible person or another case of Juvia— of those one is definitely more than enough.
Besides, his believers tend to not fare well in life. Unless Erza Scarlet indeed proved to be the invincible superhero she claimed to be, he refused to voice his answer just yet.
Eight crispy sheets flew and fell on the bare alley ground between the scarlet-haired instructor and her boss's posse. Minus their sole female member, it appears the whole gang had accompanied their leader to conduct his much anticipated "correction program". Freed was quick to collect the scattered bills and examined them against the waning sun. "Boss, this is not even a fifth of the missing amount," he announced in panic.
The burly man clicked his tongue and seethed at the silent woman. "Did you bail those rotten scumbags out of school!? You've got some fucking nerve to be wasting my time like this, Scarlet."
Erza crossed her arms and knowingly smirked at her boss. "Why's that? Am I keeping you from any prior 'after school engagements', Sir?"
Laxus's whole countenance paled before shifting to a darker shade of red. "Fuck it. Your leniency period has officially expired. Fullbuster is dead. Instant expulsion it is."
Erza approached the group and widened her stance. "That 80k accounts for your missing money. The rest of it should already be safely deposited in the bank. Right, Instructor Bickslow?"
Laxus and Freed both turned their attention to the uncharacteristically quiet man by their side. Bickslow's once apathetic countenance contorted to a manic grin. "Eh? What are you implying, bitch?"
"I wonder what's so urgent this morning that made you skip our ever important faculty meeting," Erza sarcastically quipped. "You see, the banks were already closed last night when this psycho mugged my students and threatened to have them raped," she emphasized.
"The fuck?" Laxus eyed his minion incredulously.
"B-Bickslow, what is this woman saying?!" Freed stammered.
"Oh? Ya got any proof on me, babe?" Bickslow leered at the furious redhead.
"You had the fucking gall to lick my student in the face with no decency to brush your disgusting mouth beforehand!" Erza snarled.
Bickslow chuckled and his laughter soon broke into a complete hysterical guffaw. "Woopsies! Though in my defense, I was only looking to get your money back, boss. Her kids did take it when you weren't looking."
"And you took it while I was." Erza countered. "That 80k was all those idiots took. I'm returning it to you nicely. Instructor Bickslow wasn't present when I conducted my own correction program last night, but I believe his men's busted faces would be more than enough to send the message."
Laxus, who has since been regarding his subordinate in raw disgust, slowly composed himself and faced the woman before him. "What message is that exactly?" he solemnly asked.
"Don't fuck with my students ever again." she growled.
"How dare you threaten our boss— your boss!" Freed exclaimed. "This will reflect on your assessment you understand? One word from Laxus and you are fired!"
Erza nonchalantly shrugged. "Come at me all you want, but leave those kids alone. They are no longer for you to 'correct'. That's my job now. This school hired me for that reason or am I wrong?" she challenged.
"Hehehehe! I like this chick. Whatever she's got planned for those kids are gonna be hella worse than what we can imagine," Bickslow added.
Laxus glared menacingly at the man beside him. "You— do not get a say in this," he began. "If it weren't for your involvement, I could've easily purged one or more delinquents off the list. Thanks to your— stellar— initiative, this bitch now has dirt on you that I have to cover!"
"Indeed. What in the world possessed you to use such unscrupulous tactics, Bickslow?!" Freed chided. "Were you that desperate to get on the boss's good side?!"
Erza hummed in agreement. Thankfully, for a couple of douches, Laxus and Freed are still objective enough to see the unforgivable acts their colleague had committed. "How about it, boss? You protect your lot, and I protect mine. You do realize the consequence of this is far beyond employee termination, right? I'll be more than happy to make sure that pervert rots in jail," she boldly dared.
Gritting his teeth, Laxus forcefully tugged the now manhandled bills out of Freed's grasp. "Fine. I accept your money."
"Stay out of my class," she reiterated her terms once more.
Laxus chuckled darkly and shook his head. "Oh no. It's only begun, Scarlet. From now on, one little fuck up is all it's gonna take. Same goes for their lovely instructor, of course. Sucks for you, bitch. In the end, you chose to play for the wrong side."
Erza resisted the terrible urge to groan, when the familiar shadows of her three sidekicks came into sight. Her footsteps alerted the sleepy couple by the benches. Both perked up and rushed to greet her, while their other friend merely threw her an empty glance and resumed watching the illuminated spring foliage across the lake.
"Oi Erza! Tell us what happened! Did you show that asshole who's boss? Where did you bury the bodies?" Natsu giddily asked.
Erza blinked at the boy in disbelief. "Hey… Weren't you listening to anything I said earlier…"
Lucy automatically slapped Natsu at the back of his head. "He's kidding! At least I think so…" she mumbled in slight doubt. Turning to their teacher the blonde girl fidgeted on her toes. "Uhm… so what did happen? You didn't get into trouble because of us, didn't you?"
Erza smiled at the pair. "Everything's fine. We sorted it out. No one's getting expelled or fired for that matter." Lucy clapped her hands in relief and Natsu fist pumped in the air.
"Not even Bickslow, huh?" Gray grumbled from his spot. Tossing his cigarette on the ground, he thoroughly crushed it under his sole. "I thought you're on our side. I thought you're a fucking superhero. Why'd you let the bad guy go?"
"I am on your side. You're my priority not fixing the school's education system. I'd let a few bad guys slip, if that meant saving your ass," she countered.
Still refusing to meet her gaze, he chuckled solemnly to himself. "Shame, you almost had me buying into the hype. For a second there, I thought you'd be different."
"You're free to think what you want. I did what I thought was right for you," she insisted.
Finally facing the trio, the hateful scowl he wore was far more vicious than the usual one. It reeked of unadulterated rage and bitter disappointment. "Whatever, bitch. I'm outta here," he spat and strode off into the distance.
"Wha— What was that? Hey! Gray! Come back here!" Lucy called after their friend and was about to give chase, when Natsu stopped her.
"Let him go, Luce," the pink-haired boy said reassuringly. "Perv just needs to take a chill pill. He'll come around as always."
Erza crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the angry boy's retreating form. The telling words of Laxus Dreyar's earlier warning in class echoed in her thoughts. Before she could process the dire implications of her new situation, a frozen canned beer was suddenly obstructing her line of sight. "A peace offering!" Natsu proudly beamed and shoved the can in her hands.
Beside him Lucy groaned in annoyance. "Sorry, Erza, I told this idiot we'd get you something else more... useful… maybe…"
Erza chuckled at the bickering pair. "This is fine. I accept your peace offering, Natsu." She lifts the lid and takes a swig. Approaching the benches, she sat herself and watched the glowing reflection of the lake. Natsu and Lucy were quick to join her sitting themselves at her opposite sides.
"Say, Erza…. Will you teach me?" Natsu shyly asked. "Teach me how to be strong like you."
Erza smiled and nodded at boy. "To be strong the first thing you need is something to protect."
"Hmm… that's tough," he absentmindedly scratched his head. "Maybe my cat, Happy? I face each day with a fighting spirit just to make sure that ingrate gets his fish!"
To her other side, the blond girl visibly face palmed in exasperation. Erza chuckled at how dense Natsu can be, especially after the events of last night. "Well, now you have two things to protect," she corrected. "You have to step it up, since more people are counting on you."
"The same way you're fighting for our whole class against that egocentric asshole?" Natsu asked.
Erza pondered the boy's choice of words and shook her head in disagreement. "Actually, if anything, Laxus isn't egocentric at all; he's simply an asshole, when it comes to using his influence to protect those under him. He stood out for me, when I was new. He was looking after someone else's hide, when he decided to randomly blame you guys for the theft. He chose to let go of his petty attempts on expelling you, so that Bickslow can keep his job. He's stepping on others outside of his charge, but the guy is also fighting for things beyond himself."
"But… is it even possible to protect something without stepping on others?" Lucy softly mused.
"It is. You just have to be stronger," she confidently answered.
Natsu leaned forward and peered at the other girl. "Isn't that great, Lucy? Erza's fighting to protect us from now on."
"Not just you," Erza hummed and rose to her feet, completely ignoring the pair's many questions on who else she could possibly be referring to. Approaching the edge of the lake, she stared into the distance and observed the city's vibrant skyline. Sadly, as expected, it wasn't visible from this part of town.
In a distant time, when they were six instead of one— when they were innocent and scrawny— when Wally was more angular than blocky, a handsome boy with a facial tattoo in the shade of blood pointed to the sky. Along the murky waters of their small riverbank stood a tall skyscraper. It's visage similar to a Gothic cathedral. The boy coined it as his Tower of Heaven, a bridge towards his ideal paradise. A means of allowing the heavens to exist in this rotten earth, so that none may suffer like them ever again.
Erza smiled and faced the confused pair, "Say guys, what do superheroes fight to protect?"
NOTES:
Thank you for all the lovely reviews in the previous chapter!
This concludes Natsu's "arc". Next up is Gray's as evident by his parting scene.
(Yes, Laxus is not an overarching villain of this story. He's just the really mean boss that I totally enjoy to write lol)
That said, I plan to give each student their own spotlight eventually. :)
