Chapter 13: Thirst (2-parter)

Will

Pain. I was in unbelievable, overwhelming pain. It was as if my entire body was burning. But it was more like I ate something super spicy hot because my mouth throbbed most of all, making me sweat all over. It made it hard to breathe. When the meeting was interrupted and Oultilissa left with the First Master, I couldn't move at all. The scents of all the masters was too much to bear for me.

But I knew this pain… Thirst. It made me terrified. It's never been this bad before, but I've never been affected by my being a vampire before… My fangs ached.

This started since I hovered over Lucy. Her blood scent was too enticing for me to resist myself. I was reacting, no matter how much I tried not to. I thought I would be able to control it, like I did with Juvia before. Lucy's blood was more different than I realized. How could I let this happen?! How could I have failed them?! Why am I becoming like that monster?!

With balled up fists and forcing my body against the wall, I managed to breathe out, "I think everyone should leave."

Everyone left and I knew they did it as quickly as they could, but it made me angry that it couldn't have been faster. This power inside of me was too much for me. I was so scared all my life of the call of blood, and it was happening. More than it's ever been. Not even once during my life have I ever considered stooping so low to consider such a vial thing. Oultilissa even tried offering, but I was never tempted.

"Will, can you describe to us what's happening, dear?" my mother-in-law asked. Only she and Oultilissa remained in the room with me.

My body began to convulse as the adrenaline began to ebb away. I took long gasps of air, noting how the thirst was slowly becoming controllable again. A hand felt my forehead, whipping the sweat away. There was only one word that could answer her: "Thirst."

"Will an offering help you regain control?" I heard her ask and scowled.

"I know you can control it, Will," Oultilissa encouraged. "And I know how much you're against it, but if it helps then please let us help."

"It was Lucy… I crave her."

There's no way I'd ever willingly absorb blood. Not happening, ever.

It was Oultilissa's hand that was touching my face. She was so close, but yet the thirst was disappearing. So I buried my face into Oultilissa's hair and clung to her like my life depended on it. She'd always smelled so good to me. Her scent was masking the others'. Her fingers massaged in my hair and I stopped shaking. She's always been such a remarkable woman.

"I love you," I murmured as my breathing slowed and the terrible pain disappeared.

After some time, I released a sigh and kissed my wife's neck. Reluctantly, I let go of her and she kissed my lips. For a moment, I forgot where we were or why we were here. Oultilissa is all that matters to me. Her blood told me so. It was such a powerful emotion.

"Well…" Anastazia's voice brought me back to reality as I realized she was still in the room. "This could become an issue."

I sighed as it all came back to me, "I almost killed them. I don't have any control in this world. At any minute, I can become whatever that monster that abused the girls is."

Oultilissa pulled at my shirt collar, "No, Will. You would never do something like that."

"I could hurt them…"

"You won't," she hugged close to my chest. I rested my chin on her head and fought the emotions that followed.

Anastazia insisted, "You can control it, Will. Everything will make sense soon. If thirst becomes a problem, tell me. I know you won't let yourself get overwhelmed again. You're strong."

I agreed, hugging Oultilissa tighter. Without her, I'd be nothing.

Juvia

Anastazia finally entered the infirmary, announcing her presence, "Lucy, Juvia, I can heal you both now."

I was worried the whole time since we left the lounge room. Will looked to be in so much pain just standing there. I asked, "What about Will? How is he?"

"He's having some difficulties with his magic, but for now he's okay again," came the simple answer.

"That was… Because of me, wasn't it?" Lucy gulped.

Natsu growled, "I can't believe you let that thing attempt to bite you."

His tone of voice scared me. It felt like if he wasn't busy helping Lucy stand with her injured leg, then he'd have gone up and fought Will. It wasn't Will's fault. He would never do such a thing as to hurt a comrade. The very implication made me genuinely upset.

Then I remembered, "Will tasted my blood before. Why didn't he… Snap… Then?"

She honestly replied, "I'm not sure. My theory is that his magic is beginning to take its effects on him. He's never had to deal with thirst before now. The experience is new."

Erza pondered, "Can he be trusted?" She too? How could members of Fairy Tail give such quick judgment?! Are these the same members of my family that I had come to love?! Daphne flashed before my eyes. They'd randomly stopped trusting even Gray, after knowing him for years, for something that could be explained and forgiven.

Anastazia defended, "Of course! Although, he may space further apart to be safe. He has a great deal of self-control and he doubts in himself, which makes him extra cautious. However, it is a good thing that his magic is influencing him more. It means we have inside information as to what we are against."

"And the more dangerous he becomes!" Natsu accused.

"My son-in-law poses no threat!" Anastazia raised her voice firmly. I squeezed Gray's arm that I'd remembered I was clinging to. The sentence lingered for a moment until Trunks came into the infirmary requesting Ana, "Carla wants to talk to you." Promising to be back, Ana left with her husband out into the guildhall.

A silence followed and slowly I lessened my grip on Gray's arm, giving him a look of apology. Lyon gave off a noise to my other side then stated to break the silence, "Well, she's pleasant."

Gray responded to his brother, "She'd never raised her voice like that."

Erza hummed in agreement, but continued her sour thought, "I'm not too sure how trustworthy any of them truly are."

Thankfully, the master spoke before leaving the room, "They want to protect our world, and that is enough for me."

Natsu sided with Erza, "I'm not so sure. They smell evil, and the fact he's a demon just proves it for me."

"But they helped us so much!" Lucy yelped. I nodded fervently at her statement. I knew they were good, and besides who's to say that Fairy Tail is a good guild? What happened to it doesn't matter who you are or what you did before, if you are a member then you're family?! Gray's hand squeezed my own to state he agreed with me.

"Great to know that we mean so much," Lissa's voice came from the door, thick with sarcasm. "If we didn't care, we wouldn't have bothered looking for them in the first place. My mother and my husband have been working their asses off for you guys to keep everyone safe and figure out how to best get justice for what happened. I know we've not known each other for a long time, and we haven't spent much time together to grow any sort of firm bond. But that doesn't mean we can't care. Knowing that you'd mistrust us so easily really hurts. I love Juvia. And you guys are my family. Will and I have never felt like we'd ever fit in anywhere until we came here. Please don't push us away."

I was so deeply moved by her words. Tears began to cascade down my face. Oultilissa could be like a bigger sister to me. Will was always so nice and gentle. The thought of them going away, back to where they came from; it felt like a tragedy. They loved Fairy Tail and each other so passionately, and I felt like I could be myself around them.

Natsu dismissed, "Nobody asked for your opinion."

"Natsu!" Lucy gasped, slapping him in the face. "What is with you?! They're our friends! They've never hurt any of us! I thought you of all people would want to work with them to kick this guy's butt, like you've always done! I know you don't like it and I know you want to just go out there now instead of wait, but you have to!"

"The safety of my family comes first," he darkly returned.

"They're not a threat," Lucy more calmly responded.

The two continued to argue and I blocked it out as I sank onto the bed. The tears continued to flow freely from my eyes. It was so much. Everything was so much. I felt so… heavy. Why couldn't everyone get along? Why did things have to happen like this? Why did it feel like my heart was tearing in two?

Gray and Lyon sat down on the bed to both of my sides and I felt both their arms around me. I tried my best not to sob loudly, so instead I hick-uped into my hands. Perhaps I would have always wanted the ice brothers to hold me in such an intimate way, but I never would have wanted it like this. It made me feel broken, and like they were trying to keep me together before I fell into a thousand tiny pieces.

Why was it that Juvia was raped? Why was it me and Lucy who were attacked? Why were Natsu and Erza so untrusting of Will and Anastazia? Why do Oultilissa and Will mean so much to me? Why was it that only now Gray would show me any sort of affection? Why did it feel that much worse?

Could it have been my fault? Am I the reason Will is growing stronger with his magic, because I taught him? Am I the reason Lucy was hurt? Was I just not strong enough? Am I the reason Natsu's upset? Am I even justified for having these feelings when I was a member of Phantom Lord and didn't grow up here like so many others? Could I even call myself a proud member of Fairy Tail if I'm at fault?

"Stop hogging all the water mages, Gray," Lyon's playful voice sounded randomly.

"Eh?!" Gray removed himself from the group hug to look at the white haired brother.

"Oultilissa and Juvia are both beautiful water mages in Fairy Tail. You can't hog both, one of them should join Lamia Scale. It'd be only fair," Lyon sounded resound in his statement, but I knew he didn't mean it seriously.

"The hell?! Go find your own wizards to join your guild! Besides, Lissa's married, pinhead!"

Lyon sighed dreamily, "Unfortunately."

"I think everyone but the girls should go out into the guild and mingle a bit," Anastazia said, rejoining the infirmary. "Natsu and Gray, you both can stay if you'd like to. But Lyon, you should probably go so no one is too suspicious of your involvement."

"They liiiiiike them!" Happy chanted at how Natsu and Gray were staying with me and Lucy.

"You too Happy. I just spoke with Carla. Why don't you go and talk to her next?" Ana suggested to which Happy agreed and flew out to meet his feline friend with Erza and Lyon following behind him.

"Alright girls, let's get these bandages off," Ana declared, clapping her hands excitedly.

Natsu grumbled, "Can't Wendy just heal 'em?"

Ana responded, "She can, but I would much rather take care of the bites myself. Wendy's magic may influence them in some way and I don't want them to grow worse." She walked over to the cabinets and found what she was looking for, cleaning a scalpel in alcohol. She added, "So suck it up because I'm not going to hurt them."

Natsu huffed, "She says as she picks up a knife."

"If you would prefer to remove her bandages yourself, then be my guest. I can start on Juvia first and you can wait in the lounge."

Without another word, Natsu picked Lucy up bridel style and sauntered out of the room towards the lounge we had previously came from. Lucy complained as they left, "I can walk myself, you know?"

After I knew they were gone, I sighed, "Juvia doesn't understand why Natsu is acting like this. Why is everyone going up against each other?"

"Juvia…" Ana's voice was soft and comforting as if I was a small child who fell and scratched my knee.

Only more tears came and I began to sob, "You're doing all you can. I-it's n-not Will's fault! H-he's n-never h-had to deal with th-this before! Wh-why do Natsu and Erza w-want to blame you all too?! You're a part of Fairy Tail! A-and we're all family! No m-ma-matter wh-wha-what!"

She kneels before me and whipped my tears off my cheeks, "He's just scared. This is a scary situation to be in. Natsu's not really good at handling fear, so it comes out as anger. Besides, this wouldn't be a family without some good old drama, would it?"

I shook my head and attempted to smile, whipping at the tears that continued to flow. She kissed my head and ran her fingers through my hair. Her smile back made me feel safe. A mother to her child. Something I'd never had. It felt nice.

"Now, let's get these off," Ana cheered as my sobs subsided. She began to cut away the visible bandages not covered in the clothes Mira lent me earlier and healed as she went along. The healing felt tingly, almost like it was tickling my skin with a feather and removed any aches or pains that were there previously.

"Mom?" Oultilissa knocked on the infirmary door.

"Always with the delays today, hua? Yes?"

"Sorry. It's just, Gajeel was asking for Juvia to make sure she was alright. It'd started raining a little bit ago and he was worried it was hers," Lissa sadly informed. "That, and Natsu's destroying the lounge."

Ana sighed then fixed herself straight again, "Well, why don't I go and heal Lucy first then and you can see for yourself?"

Gray and I had no objections as Ana left to be replaced with Oultilissa, Will, Gajeel, and First Master Mavis. I had to ask first, "Will, are you feeling alright?"

"We came here to ask you that," Will laughed. "Yeah, thanks. You got a few bandages off, I see. Feeling any better?"

"A little, yes," I responded, happy to hear that Will was alright.

"What about the rest?" Gajeel asked, looking me up and down. It made me feel self-conscious at how closely and awkwardly I sat next to Gray.

"Ana's going to heal the rest after Lucy. Natsu's a bit uptight right now," Gray answered before I could. His hand on my lower back rose slightly, messing with my long hair.

"As he should be," Mavis nodded seriously. The normally chipper First Master was looking awfully grim. "From what Will told me… Natsu has every right to be upset that Lucy almost became an appetizer. This magic is close to Zeref's own power. Yet, it's not quite the same because immortality is different."

"You know this magic?" I asked, scared to hear what she had to say.

"There are five levels," Mavis raised her hand and pointed to each finger as she described what she knew. "First is thirst. Blood will become a necessity to live by. Second is territory. Any area seen as claimed will be protected at any cost. Third is strength. So much magical and physical power that you can't hardly see any attack coming before it's too late. Fourth is immortality. Where aging completely halts and it is near impossible to destroy them. Fifth is recreation. The birth of more demons."

"More demons… How so?" Oultilissa asked. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"A fetus has to have the poison in its veins. Meaning the mother would have to be infected."

I gulped and grabbed a firm grip of the bed sheets. Gray struggled to speak, "I-it… It tried to do that… Do that with Juvia…"

"Which means we could have a full level vampire on our hands if he fucked other women too," Lissa gasped the rest Gray couldn't finish.