Aki blinked dazedly.
She was lying on what felt to be a hard surface, looking up at a high ceilinged, blue tinged room.
Except, she wasn't, as something blocked out the ceiling at the same time that something bit down on her arm. She yelped and batted it away, righting herself quickly. "The tail was that?"
It was actually several things that appeared to be people, but with bunny ears and teeth, animalistic eyes discouraging the idea that they could be human. They were all salivating, looking almost drunk as they cackled, in high pitched, croaky voices, "We shall fulfill you greatest desire, Aki-sama!"
As they lunged again, Aki grabbed hold of one by the ear, dangling it easily away from herself as she pointed at the rest. "ウェブプリズン."[web prison, thread magic] A web shot from her finger, lacing above the creatures before catching them up in a net.
"What the flap are you?" she muttered to herself, her magic surging through the bunny like creature she was holding. She frowned as though reading something, ignoring the creature as it shrieked in response to her magic, twisting and writhing in pain. "Ah, here we are, Lami," she said blithely, smiling at it.
She held out her other hand, and the creature, limp as Aki's magic receded, dissolved into light. Joined by the rest of the creatures turning into a shadow, they converged into a small, ancient looking book. Aki tossed it in the air, sending it to the storage dimension without a second glance.
Patting her hands together, she looked around. She was surrounded by several dead people, all faces frozen, trapped forever in their fear of death.
She snorted derisively; fools who thought of death as a bad thing were really the worst kind.
Oddly enough, she couldn't remember killing them. Not to mention that she was also the only thing besides the walls and ceiling not covered in blood.
Strange.
She sighed, shaking her head as she leaned back, missing by millimeters a spear like vine. "Hello, Mard Geer," she greeted disinterestedly, not bothering to look at him as she touched the tendril with a single finger. As it withered, she leant forward, propping her head up on the palm of her hand as the second strongest Etherious emerged from the shadows.
"I shall-" he started reverently, but she waved a bored hand.
"Facilitate My death, yeah, yeah," she dismissed. "Have at me, see what you can do. Just don't tear my clothes- oh, they're already torn," she noted, sighing as she saw the tattered shreds that covered her. Deftly dodging Mard Geer's attack, she said wearily, "ときのアーク:レストア,"[arc of time, restore] then watched in confusion as clothes she couldn't remember stitched themselves back together.
She didn't have long to look, though, as Mard Geer managed to land an attack from behind, sending her flying through a pillar. "I said have at it, but, on the other hand," she grumbled as Mard Geer catapulted at her, "this isn't a fun past time." She held up a hand, catching her demon's shocked face and turning him, as the Etherious Lami, back into a book. "Be a shame to destroy it…" She hummed, considering it.
"A-Aki-chan?"
Aki looked around, eyebrows raised, to see a blond girl – a celestial mage, by the keys dangling at her side – standing in the archway that took up half a wall.
"Aki-chan!" the girl exclaimed, inexplicably relieved. "Aki-chan, we were so-"
Aki snickered, leaping nimbly to the top of a collapsed pillar and gazing empirically down it her. "Girl, I don't know who you are," she called, not missing the horrified expression or step backward, "but you are an idiot for coming here… Wait, drigon, I'm the idiot," she moaned, slapping the heel of her palm to her forehead as she watched the other. "You didn't come here, you were kidnapped?"
It wasn't really a question, and, when the girl failed to respond, Aki smirked. First sending away the book of Mard Geer, she waved a casual hand at the ritualistic circle of blood and bodies behind her, which the other must not have noticed before, if how both her hands now leapt to her mouth was any indication. "Just be happy you weren't used for that and be on your merry way," Aki said, tilting her head smilingly and making shooing gestures with her hands.
The girl dragged her gaze away from the scene, back to her. "A-Aki-chan," she tried again, face dominated by two emotions: Fear, with which Aki was acutely familiar with, and a less recognizable… something. "Don't, don't you remember me?"
Aki blinked. "You have me mixed up with someone else," she said eventually.
"No, it-!"
Aki shook her head decisively. "You must have me mixed up with someone else, girl. I'm only associated with the people and things that do stuff like this" —she waved back at the bloody scene again— "and not with the people who are killed to carry it out."
The girl bowed her head and was silent for a minute. When she looked up again, trembling, tears glistened on her cheeks. "Aki-chan! Aki-chan, it's me, Lucy! Lucy, from Fairy Tail!"
Aki snorted. "Fairy Tail, huh?" she said callously. "Good for you. Why are you telling me, again?"
"B-because you're part of Fairy Tail!" Lucy stammered back, just as shocked saying it as Aki was hearing it.
Aki stared at her for a full ten seconds, then burst out laughing. "You're pretty gutsy for a kidnapped girl in a demon's base," she chortled, wiping a mirthful tear from her eye. "Just get out, kid, before I decide to kill you," she added harshly.
The girl paused, not moving, just staring up at Aki. Another minute, and she took a shaky step forward, hand held up to her chest. "I'm not leaving, Aki-chan! I can prove you're part of Fairy Tail!"
"Oh really?" Aki purred, interest and annoyance sparking dimly within her. "And how is that, girly?"
"Your guild mark," the other said confidently, if a bit shakily, lifting her own hand to show a pink Fairy Tail mark. "You have your guild mark on your stomach. L-look at it."
Aki grinned, watching the girl fidget under her gaze. Finally, she stood. She pulled her top up just enough to reveal her unmarked middle.
Lucy gaped, flabbergasted. "But-!" she stammered, ejaculating wildly. "But it was there-! What happened to-"
"Nothing, fool," Aki cut in mockingly. "While some people choose to spend their time in guilds and on normal, worthless jobs, I have rather more important things to be doing. Though," she added, flicking instantaneously to her light attitude, "I don't usually do them."
"But, Aki-chan, you…" the girl trailed off as Aki pulled her tight top back down. "Your hair," she whispered, eyes trailing upward. "And you're shorter…"
Aki felt a vein threatening to show on her forehead as the bumbling girl remained so absentmindedly close-
Aki grunted, clapping a hand to her head as it throbbed painfully. "Stay away from me, brat," she spat viciously as the girl started forward. "I'll kill you."
To her bemusement, the other smiled sheepishly. "I know, I just, I forgot and wanted to help."
Aki squinted at her. "How would you know that I wanted to kill you before I said so?" she asked, switching to scientific and analytical.
Though thrown off again by the change of demeanor, the other still managed in a decent amount of time, "Well, because of the Curse, r"
The world turned grey and hazy, the girl's form fuzzy and faded as a rushing filled Aki's ears. Needing without knowing why, she reached out to Theirself, to Their only comfort, to Their meager stability, to… nothing.
She reached again, but it remained nonexistent. She called in her mind, at first timorously, then, progressively, angry; desperate; disbelieving.
Nothing.
She was alone.
Even Themself had left her.
But then, why did she still have Their memories? Both body's memories of the last nearly four centuries were still there, intact and easily thought of. Had They merged into one body, physically the one They were mentally at last?
"-chan?"
Aki glanced up, yelping to find the girl not ten feet away from her. The girl jumped, too, but Aki's yell quickly turned into a snarl and wave of deadly magic.
The girl shrieked, dodging to the left, summersaulting back into a standing position. "Aki-chan?!"
Aki, the pain in her head growing, cackled, "Oh, yes, tremble in fear so you survive, you foolish girl."
"Lu-chan!"
A hoard of people were suddenly piling through the archway, a cacophony of noise in the shape of a pack of nuisances.
"Aki-chan!" a white haired one called desperately.
The cry was echoed by many of those in the group crashing towards her, and she knew she needed to stop them doing it. She knew it with that learned, unequivocable, unknowable reason that they must not come near her, and she voiced it subconsciously, giving it form.
"…don't let them near…"
She held a hand out in front of her, the ground becoming moldable and carrying them all back through the door on a wave of rock. She sighed, only to have her relief stolen away as they reappeared, shouting all sorts of gibberish.
But they could not come near. They must be kept away.
A small voice asked in the back of her mind, why?
She smirked in a trained sort of way, eyes glinting, laughing as she formed a giant ball of water, hands held high above her head.
It really was a silly question.
She pulled them into it, watching gleefully as they writhed, flailing uselessly against the deluge.
It was her goal. No other reason was needed, no other whim could compare to that stolid fact.
"That wave wasn't good enough, then?!" she demanded of the drowning mages, relishing the pain and shock and fear on their-
She groaned as her headache grew, arms dropping, releasing the trapped mages in a rush of water. They fell to the floor, gasping, though some were already on their feet again. But they seemed warier than before, not coming too close, instead moving to the blonde's side and muttering to her.
"Secrets?" Aki said robotically, head tilting till it touched her shoulder, disregarding the pain the movement caused. They all looked at her, nervousness flitting across only a few faces, and Aki's eyes narrowed.
Why did these random guild mages think of her in such a comfortable way? They almost—
She giggled, throwing her aching head back and letting her chuckles rise into a paroxysm of mirth. "I kinda want to kill all of you," she said, dragging the 'L' in 'all' out, "but since I'm generous, I'll give you all a chance to" —her head whipped forward, revealing an insane smile and owl eyes— "Just kidding."
She could kill all of them, so long as they didn't get near, if she wanted to. And for some unidentifiable reason, as was wont with all things she desired, she really wanted to. She couldn't remember why she was inhibiting herself by not going near her targets, but, regardless, it wouldn't be a challenge.
But before she had taken more than a step forward, Natsu appeared in front of the crowd, accompanied by—
She stared.
And stared.
She saw, but didn't comprehend. That was Zeref, but it wasn't Them. But that made no sense; Zeref was Them, wasn't They? And yet… as she looked at him – him? – she knew, without knowing how she knew, that They wasn't there anymore. Seeing him flapping his lips, arms outstretched beside Natsu's in front of the crowd of people—
She grunted, stumbling backwards, covering the left side of her face with her hand as the world spun around her.
Zeref wasn't part of her—her? But they weren't Them if Zeref wasn't. So who were They? They couldn't be-
"Aki-ki!"
She looked up sharply, unfocused eyes finding Natsu, who had taken an idiotic stride past not-Them Zeref.
"Aki-ki, come on," he was speaking gently, taking slow, cautious steps forward, inch by inch. "You remember me and Zeref, right?"
Aki-ki…?
She scoffed. "And why would I know some random guild mage?" she asked scornfully, her mind screaming for her to- to- to… what?
"Don't pretend, Leafy," he said crossly, still coming closer, inch by inch, inch by inch, shuffling as though he didn't know he was doing it.
"What are you talking about, boy?" she asked, forcing herself to eye him loftily. He was covered head to toe in injuries, no doubt caused by Their- her- their- her- demons. As her head throbbed again, she mocked through gritted teeth, "Wait, aren't you that Fire Dragon Slayer? Don't tell me those demons caused you trouble, boy? It's pathetic!"
Her last words came out forcefully – so, so forcefully, but why? What was going on?
When he continued inching closer, she snarled, "You really are a fool, Natsu Dragneel."
He paused, scowling at her. "Quit talkin' like we ain't twins, Aki-ki."
Her arms dropped to her sides.
'…we…..twins…..'
She slumped to her knees.
He knows we're…
"NATSU!"
—
"What did she say, Gray?" Zeref managed, voice cracking. They had woken up scattered in the same room, Aki gone.
Gray grit his teeth, not meeting their gazes. "She-" he started, stopping when his voice came out broken and high-pitched. After a minute, he growled, "The idiot said- said- Damn it!" he exploded, punching a wall.
He didn't move as Zeref walked up beside him. "I need to know word for word," he said robotically. "It might have a clue."
Gray scoffed, but there was no real venom in it. Turning back to them, revealing his wet face, he ground out, "Don't come near me, I'll be dangerous when I'm." He made quotes with his fingers to indicate that she had ended there. "Tell Fairy Tail I love them so much, all of them. Tell Lucy and Mira and Bicky and, and all of them." He paused. Not meeting their eyes, he finished, "Tell Natsu and Zeref I'm sorry. Tell them I love 'th'" he said the letters, making air quotes again, "love them and, and want, want, be happy.
"There!" he spat after a long, heavy minute, spinning around again. "Word for dragonflapping word!" He stomped away, ignoring those around him, followed by a tearful Juvia.
Lucy turned to Natsu and Zeref, and felt her already shattered heart dissolve.
Natsu looked lost, a jarring contrast for his usual casual certainty. Zeref, meanwhile, looked entirely blank, wholly unconcerned, almost asleep. Dry tear tracks stained his cheeks, eyes no longer leaking, simply… there.
Natsu collapsed, staring at the ground.
"We'll bring her back," said another voice, and they all turned to see Makarov. He nodded firmly, grief tracing down his own wrinkled cheeks. "We will bring her back."