Chapter 13: Stage Four, Depression
A/N: Lo siento, it's a bit rushed because, well, I'm kinda rushing it? Not rushing it per se but, ya know, if it isn't really plot related… anyway! Thanks so much! (is this the part where I tell you we're in the final stretch?)
The next day, Lucy woke up feeling lighter. It hurt, of course, and she confessed what she had tried to do to Levy. Bargain with Natsu's decision? Make him stay if she was strong enough?
It was ridiculous, plus Natsu has grown so much. How foolish she must have seemed to him; they both knew it was a futile endeavor.
But then again, it's Natsu. And at no point did he even entertain the idea.
They meet up that morning and discuss their plan. Not long after, although still with an hour or so to spare before the games, Natsu wakes up Sonya and Ultear.
They find themselves in the empty Lodge with Cancer and his scissors.
"I get a haircut?" Sonya screeches and looks up to them with Ultear's eyes, "Can I choose it?" Because she had been asking for one for a while. Not that Natsu and Ultear were ever against it per se, it just hadn't happened.
"Whatever you want-ebi."
"How about we discuss it, hm? We were thinking blonde."
"Blonde… Like Luce?" Lucy doesn't comment on the nickname and neither do the others. Sonya's eyes shine as she looks to her parents. She knows the why but her gaze lingers on her mother and she looks to her feet. "If I don't like it, can I change it back?" Ultear sighs at that. After all, she had the same question.
"Of course-ebi."
"Then yeah, I'll do it. Blonde, please! And a haircut?" She turns to her parents and they nod.
Soon, she's in a blonde bob that makes her squeal in delight. The other mages are there and compliment her. It really does make her eyes pop and it matches that bright personality all too well.
"You're gonna act like my cousin," Lucy says, "and secretly join me in the booth." It was a pretty alright plan. As Lucy's cousin, she'd have no affiliation with Natsu or Ultear. And Lucy has the easy excuse of I haven't seen her for seven years, please?
It would work.
And it does. The guards are cautious at first but Sonya is just too cute and she doesn't have a drop of maliciousness in her.
So she finds herself on the balcony with Fairy Tail Team A, and although she can't call Natsu and Ultear her parents, she grabs at them and points at the mascot and the announcers and the guild mages as they pool onto the balconies.
"Welcome, everyone, to Day Three of the Grand Magic Games!" Chapati calls and Sonya has to cover her ears but her smile doesn't leave. "Today, we open up with a new challenge. This time, it's one about Physical Strength," the mages already knew that and they're already in the arena. Them and a large stone maze. "In this maze, there are all sorts of monsters. The person who lasts the longest wins and so on. After this, we have another four battles coming up!" People cheer and Fairy Tail cannot help but feel confident.
After all, it's Erza.
"After yesterday's event, we have Crime Sorciere in the lead, followed by Sabertooth, Fairy Tail B, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Fairy Tail A, Mermaid Heel, and, lastly, Quatro P-Cerberus. But it's only day three and it's still anyone's game. Now, are we ready to begin the day's event?" The crowd screams and cries out for the start.
Erza, of course, stands tall and proud. Then there's Cana - although Fairy Tail is aware that she just doesn't want to compete for the rest of the days, if she can help it - and Jellal. They called Sherria but outside of Wendy feeling that there was something about her, she's just vaguely familiar.
No one else seems like a threat other than who Sabertooth played.
Even through the screen, she seems intimidating. With sharp eyes that promise pain and a smug grin, she clearly plans on getting first.
"Come on, Erza," Lucy says with a confident smile, "You've got this."
The battle begins and the mages work through the mass of monsters. They don't drop like flies but the first to go is Quatro Cerberus' Nobarly. Not that anyone was really shocked.
It's a boring start so Sonya rests her head on the bannister.
"Mama," she asks and they all tune in an ear.
"Yes?"
"I still don't get it," Sonya admits and Natsu knows he should hop in too, "I mean, yeah, people know Papa, but still..."
The pinkette sighs before dropping to his haunches. He sits, eye level with his daughter and invisible to the crowd.
"You know what we do for a living, right?"
"You beat the bad guys, the dark guilds," she says with bright eyes. At that, Natsu laughs. Of course that's what it looks like, and really, that's what it is, isn't it.
"Yeah, we do. But that doesn't mean the bad guys are gone."
"So? You'll just beat them again!"
"Yeah, we will. But we can't get them all," Natsu says and he watches Sonya deflate. Beside them, Ultear shifts, threatening to come down but trusting Natsu for now. "But we'll always be there to face them. So they don't like us. They never liked me, I've put a lot of people away."
"Okay?" Her cogs are clicking but a bit too slow. But she's bright and Natsu knows this was a conversation a long time coming.
It hadn't really bothered her in the past. She was never in the public eye and they've always hung out when in proper company. But in the Capital with the Grand Magic Games going on was not the place to do so. And while it sort of made sense to her, she was still lost on the why.
"Well, that means we have a lot of enemies."
"But you're strong so you'll beat them."
"We'll try," Natsu admits and he runs fingers through her short dyed hair, "we'll try, but we can't risk them knowing about you."
"Why?" So innocent and cute it makes the pinkette snort.
"Because they might try to hurt you. And soon Mommy and Daddy are going to be really popular for a little bit. If we're not careful, they'll figure out you're our kid really quickly. And then the bad guys will know." The paparazzi would crowd them, no doubt. And anyone who had previously seen the duo hanging out with her child would go out and proclaim that they have a kid! Natsu Dragneel and Ultear Milkcovich have a kid!
That would make headlines and all Fiore would know within weeks - maybe even days.
It wasn't a risk they could take, not if they were planning to lie low after everything is said and done.
"Natsu," Ultear hisses down at him, a reminder of the Challenge at hand.
"It won't be for much longer, but we're just worried about you, okay?" Sonya purses her lips but then smiles up at her father.
"Okay," and they hook pinky's.
Natsu pops up just in time.
Ren of Blue Pegasus had already gotten out, as had Mermaid Heel's Risley and, surprisingly (or maybe not,) their own Cana fell out. But to be fair she faced a monster that had a nasty specialty Cana's cards were helpless against.
Tough luck.
Now, there's only Erza, Jellal, and that Sabertooth member.
"Her name's Minerva. She's their Guild Master's daughter," Lucy says and Natsu nods. Her arrogance is reminiscent of Laxus' back in the day. She's proven to be strong, had hardly broken a sweat.
But neither has Erza.
They don't doubt Erza will win. And even if Minerva were stronger than Titania (although there's no way she is,) Erza would never lose a test of physical strength and such endurance.
The challenge doesn't seem to stop. The game makers really should have known that these mages aren't so weak. This challenge will go on for too long. After some time, too long, Jellal falls out and gives Crime Sorciere six points. But he didn't seem so tired. He must have known he wouldn't win against either of those powerhouses. And what powerhouses they are. They are plowing through the monsters in quick attacks, pausing only to breathe before going at it again.
Except, it's a test of endurance and the longer it goes, the clearer the outcome.
Minerva's, stoic and collected, has begun a slight panting. Her eyes glow in agitation because these monsters won't stop. Looking up, she spots the lacrima screen and an image of Erza.
The red head is still going on strong, all battle cries and grace as she arcs over her enemies, showing the world just what it meant to be Titania in a guild that destroyed the Balam Alliance.
It doesn't spark admiration in Minerva, doesn't fill her with a tingle that shoots through her legs, but she can feel the thundering of the audience. She can hardly hear over their screams and praises for Titania! Titania!
Minerva doesn't like losing, but she knows when she's lost. Plus, it's more fun to knock them off the pedestal.
"You win this time, Titania," Minerva concedes and raises her hands.
"O-oh? I believe that is - yes, Minerva concedes to being second place."
"Sabertooth? That's odd," Yajima says and Chapati can't help but agree.
"Yes indeed. But that challenge was getting a bit long. Anyway! With that the challenge is over and what a change it has brought! In first once again is Crime Sorciere, but not by much. Sabertooth is behind by only one point. And next is Fairy Tail B, but they're slowly falling in the ranks. Lamia Scale has been pretty consistent but Fairy Tail A, now in fifth, has points that won't stop rising. And with powerhouses still on the backburner they haven't shown any signs of stopping. But Blue Pegasus has, alongside Mermaid Heel and the, uh, rather depressing Quatro Cerberus that hasn't really gotten any points since day one. Have they, Yajima-san?"
"Eh, who?"
"Haha, nevermind him. Moving on, we will begin with the first battle!"
The audience cheers at the call for Quatro Cerberus Semmes but as Erza reaches the balcony she hears the next call.
"Against Mermaid Heel's Millianna!"
"Huh?" Gray tilts his head at the familiar name, although when he sees her cat-like features he can't help but snort. He knows what happened to Natsu in that room, after all.
"Millianna, isn't that from..."
"So Millianna joined Mermaid Heel, good for her," Erza says and smiles down at her old friend. They would have to catch up soon, that was for sure.
In the arena, Millianna is too engrossed in discussing why cats are the best to look up at Erza. Then Chapati gives them the go and Millianna launches. She would have been ashamed of herself had she lost her team the easy ten points. Especially against literal dogs.
Sonya decides then that she likes cats more, eyes shining at the mage that won't stop cheering about that fact, cats are the best!
"Can I have a cat?" Ultear and Natsu both laugh at the question, because they know Sonya's serious but, I mean, does Happy not count?
They guess he doesn't, exceed's are their friends, not their pets. But how would he feel if Natsu adopted a cat? Probably betrayed but he'd get over it (with enough fish.)
"I think we can get a cat," Natsu says with a smile.
"I'm more of a dog person," Ultear adds and sends Natsu a pointed look. Clearly a discussion to have, maybe better on another day.
Except as the announcer calls for Blue Pegasus' Eve against Sabertooth's Rufus, Sonya crosses her arms and huffs.
"But I want a cat."
"Sonya-"
"They're really cute, and soft, and their tails curl into cute little circles," Sonya whines, and that's not something she does often, but she whines and looks up at them with her puppy dog eyes. How ironic, the thought passes through Ultear's mind but she doesn't mention it.
"You've done your research, haven't you?"
Ultear and Natsu keep their focus on Sonya but their ear stays on the games. They hear the ups and downs of the crowd, and even Wendy, who up til that point had been silent and healed some of Erza's wounds, had harshly gasped.
No doubt Rufus was winning.
"Maybe. I mean, I want a cat."
"Will you clean it's litter box?" Ultear asks. Clearly she's conceding to the idea, but she does want a dog. Natsu's tempted to give in but they're both important to him and he could go either way.
"Yeah? With a little help, please?" That makes Ultear laugh and drop to Sonya's height.
"Alright, we can get a cat. But let's wait a little bit, okay?"
"Okay, Mama." And then they hook pinky's and Natsu can't help but smile down at them.
"I think I speak for everyone when I say the outcome was not that surprising. Ten points to Sabertooth. Hopefully these games haven't gotten too far away from Blue Pegasus." Yeah, hopefully so. Although they have a total of nineteen points and against Sabertooth's 46, well, it seems pretty hopeless.
"But mages haven't been known to give up and that shouldn't start now, ma boy."
"Uh, right. And up next we have Fairy Tail-"
"Papa?" Sonya asks, eyes alight because if either of her parents had the chance to fight while she was in the booth? That would be the pinnacle of excitement.
"Team B's Gajeel Redfox against Crime Sorciere's Richard Buchanan."
"Gajeel against Richard?" Ultear echoes and they look to the balconies. An odd matchup but it should provide an intriguing battle.
And it does - up to a point, except Gajeel is a dragon slayer of metals and a creature of pure force. He cackles as Richard morphs the ground around him and he howls after each shout. A devilish smirk spreads across his face as he toys with the man and, ultimately, defeats him in a great show of strength and a final all-encompassing roar.
The battle draws the attention of many mages. They hoot and holler at the dragon slayer and, in the balconies, even Jura can't help but nod at the accomplishment. After all, he had faced off against the one called Hoteye all those years ago. It had left him weak and vulnerable, and forced him to sit out more battles than he had liked.
The speakers crackle to life once more, Yajima and Chapati already fervently discussing the battle.
"And that's ten points for Fairy Tail B's Gajeel Redfox - what a show. At this rate, Fairy Tail B will take over Crime Sorciere." Chapati says and the crowd responds in a wave of noise. A few people boo, having grown fond of the new and exciting guild, but many cheer at the proclamation.
"Well, there are still a few days left, ma boy." Surprisingly, it's Yajima who says so, but he'd been cheering Fairy Tail on from the beginning and there's a smile in his words
"Yes, of course," Chapati corrects himself sheepishly. "Onto the final battle, we have the anticipated Fairy Tail A's Wendy Marvell against Lamia Scales Sherria Blendy."
Wendy perks up at that and her eyes immediately snap to the other girl. She caught Wendy's attention a while back, something about her seemed… she wasn't sure what exactly, but it was something that made her senses tingle.
Anticipation? Excitement? All Wendy knew was that it wasn't fear. The girl almost reminded her of Grandine, but not in the way Porlyusica had. It intrigued her and she couldn't help but fly from the balcony, using wind to soften the landing.
She heard Sherria before looking up, heard the excited lilting laughter and then watched, eyes wide, as she followed in suit in the leaping and landing.
Wind also braced her landing. Wendy might not have noticed if she didn't know what to look for. If she didn't feel the shift brush her skin and watch the dusty ground shift before Sherria even touched it.
"Hello!" She says with a wide smile and Wendy can't help but mirror it.
"How cute! Just look at them!" Chapati can't help the words. And really, they are adorable. The spectators could almost be convinced that what to follow won't be a battle. Only, it is.
"You use wind," Wendy states and that makes the pinkette freeze for a moment. Then she shifts, resting in a more comfortable position.
"I do. And I know you're the Sky Dragon Slayer."
"I am. What're you?" Because Wendy knows she's more than just a wind mage. Sherria snorts at that and cracks her knuckles.
"You can smell it, can't you?" Wendy perks up at that and takes another whiff of that strange scent. It's vaguely familiar, from a time so recent yet so hazy.
It was a scent she had smelled on Natsu once - her eyes snap to the pinkette above, memories flooding as things slowly click into place.
It had been on him. But not his scent, and it isn't Sherria's either. But close enough in the lack of this realm. But Wendy can't quite place it.
"You're… a slayer?" Sherria smirks at that.
"I'm the Sky God Slayer." Her words carry through the stadium but they don't mind the noise and following chatter. Wendy can't help but smile. She's nothing like Zancrow but she knows it won't be an easy battle.
So, she sets her stance and waits for the go ahead.
"Sorry, but my dragon ruled the sky."
"My god made them."
"And the time starts… now!"
Sherria launches, throwing punch after punch, blasting attacks towards Wendy.
But Wendy had trained in a guild hardened by battles. She had fought foes Sherria had only heard stories of. She had watched her guildmates face threats larger than Fiore and she, more than anyone, knows what it takes to win.
Natsu was her role model, after all. And as the youngest dragon slayer she had large shoes to fill. Better to start now, in front of all Fiore.
She doesn't try to eat Sherria's attacks; air is everywhere, there's no need. Plus, she's pretty sure she can't.
Instead, she works on bouncing around the attacks, using the bursts of wind to her advantage - to spin, to avoid, and, in the end, to attack.
And attack she does. In a spin, she turns it into a wing attack, she throws an iron punch (that, she'd practiced after Natsu had been excommunicated. It took time and bruised her knuckles but she learned.)
And they land. Of course, Sherria's attacks land too. They're solid, heavy, and they hurt but Wendy grits her teeth and hits right back.
Only, as the time goes on, she finds herself panting while there's still a bright smile of Sherria's face.
"I told you, a Dragon Slayer can't beat a God Slayer." She doesn't mean to mock, but Wendy growls and throws herself onto her feet, a gritted smile stuck in place.
"I was trained by a dragon. And Grandine would never give her skies to anything, not even a God." Wendy launches. Sherria's managed to heal herself, but Wendy can use that, and she does. She works with it, and slowly, surely, Wendy begins to win.
She's bruised, bleeding, and somewhere in the background Chapati's crying about how two adorable girls could provide such a vicious fight, but the crowd?
They love it. The determination, the look in their eyes as they smile and match blow for blow. The audience has fallen into an enthralled silence, crescendoing in the occasional gasp as one lands a particularly vicious hit.
Then, Wendy screams. It's gutteral, inhumane - draconic, Natsu can't help but smile. He's stuck in the fight as well, can almost see himself in Wendy's moves. The determination, the will, the fire in that typically peaceful frame.
Behind him, Sonya's talking, tone full of worry and one hand is clenched in his pant leg. The other's in Ultear's hand. She's down with her, comforting and repeating that she'll be fine, don't worry, she'll be fine.
She will, but she won't come out unscathed.
But she'll win. There's no reason she would, especially against a God Slayer that can apparently heal herself, but Natsu knows what the outcome would be. After all, he wouldn't lose and he knows Wendy won't either.
The battle ends in a decisive move. One that begins with them both panting across from each other, eyes level and smiles plastered on their faces. They move.
"Sky God's Bellow!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
There's no reason Wendy should win. She's tired, she's spent, Dragon Slayer magic is inherently weaker.
But it's the difference in actually being trained by the creature. It's the difference of wills, between a battle-hardened mage and one that has been heavily trained by a variety of people. It's the difference between someone who can draw the strength of tomorrow and one who had never needed such a skill.
When the dust settles, cheering thunders through the arena. Howls reverberate, stomps shake it, and Fairy Tail's the loudest of them all.
Standing, alone, is Wendy. She's slouched, tired, eyes hazy and clearly not all there, but she's standing.
"Unbelievable - unbelievable! What a battle! What a thing to have witnessed!"
"That's the power of Fairy Tail, ma boy. Never underestimate it." And Yajima's right.
Natsu's the one to jump into the arena first. He walks towards Wendy. She sways on her feet and hardly acknowledges him. Once he's close enough, she collapses into his arms, muscles trembling and smile twitching.
"That was one hell of a fight," he says though he isn't sure she can hear him. She'd always reminded Natsu of a younger sister, he'd taken her under his wing immediately. But in that moment, her, so small and weak in his arms, he could almost see Sonya.
She doesn't even respond, just weakly points her finger and raises it as high as she can - but a few inches but it's enough. It makes Natsu smile and his eyes burn. He stands, slowly, and, as he carries her off the field, helps raise her pointed finger.
The rest of Fairy Tail, of course, does the same, raising their hands high and proud. Some of the spectators follow it, hesitant but exuding a sort of pride that makes their hearts swell.
Fairy Tail.
"What a scene - Fairy Tail really is something."
And it is, it really is. Fairy Tail had always understood that they were special and while all Earthland had been aware of that fact, they were making it known again. But while the battle had spurred their emotions and pride had swelled in their hearts, each of them had their own moment of recognition.
Of Wendy, yes, they'd recognized her as a truly and powerful dragon slayer. But they'd also seen Natsu in her. In her form, her moves, Natsu. And each of them can't help but drift out of the cheers. The thundering grew muffled as they watched, mesmerized yet suddenly drawn out of reality and into something far less exciting.
Natsu's leaving. He hadn't said it in so many words, but they all knew. In their hearts, they knew. The thought left them hollow, empty, and each of them looked to the pinkette that couldn't tear his gaze away from the battle. They'd mourn over it if the circumstances were less victorious.
"And with that, we have a new lineup. Sabertooth's in the lead with 46 points, Crime Sorciere 37 with Fairy Tail B two points behind and Fairy Tail A three points behind that! What a close race! Lamia Scale holds fifth place at 23 points with Mermaid Heel behind by one point. Blue Pegasus has 19 points and Quatro Cerberus… ah, seven points."
"With that, day three comes to an end. Two days left - and anything could happen. Well, almost anything."
"Yajima-san!" The crowd exits to the voices of the commentators going back and forth. Most everyone turns a blind eye, aware of the sort of spirals Yajima can take a person on (well, Fairy Tail has always been aware of that, and now the rest of Earthland is learning that too.)
They leave in high spirits, although not without some hesitation. They'd decided to leave Wendy in the infirmary. With Carla, of course, she'd been a hectic mess and Happy had agreed to stay with her (it didn't take much.)
But they don't let it hold them back. They'd softly celebrated with Wendy, in many words of admiration and thanks, but once they get to the Honey Bone Lodge they explode.
They drink and cheer, but Sonya sits in the back, more reserved than she had been the previous days. Ultear and Natsu, of course, notice. They sit beside her, pushing her to finish up her dinner and prodding her about her day in the balcony.
She hadn't hated it, had even been animated about the day. But then she'd calm down and grow silent once more.
It was difficult for Fairy Tail to party with that small family in the corner fretting over the child. They tried to be quiet while also paying their friends mind but, of course, it didn't really work. They couldn't keep the worry from their tone and couldn't look away from her for more than a few seconds.
Not that anyone minded. But, it made them a little quieter, careful, and everyone had taken the time to stop by that table and share a few sentences with the little girl.
Nothing seemed to work.
She'd just sit there, mentioning how she felt cold and no amount of Natsu's heat seemed to fix it. The glances the two parents made above her didn't calm any of their hearts.
When the door opens to the Lodge, only those nearby react, turning to acknowledge the presence. When they lowered their hood and met eyes with a particular blonde, no one seemed to notice.
Except them two.
Lucy gapes at the person, lips numb and eyebrows raised.
"Lucy, what's-" Gray turns to her but then he follows her line of sight. And his face falls open in the same manner. He reaches blindly and Erza turns next, a quip on her lips because she needed to make sure that family was alright and safe and-
"Lucy?" More people have noticed. But Lucy hasn't left the doorway and it doesn't take long for people to notice that something does not belong.
"I need to speak with Natsu." Are the first words that come out of her mouth and her familiar brown eyes sweep across the room. But they're darker, heavy with memories long repressed, and a scar sits near it on her temple. A small line but out of place on that face. "And you." She hasn't broken eye contact with Lucy - real, current, the right Lucy, and they're both smart enough to understand.
The blonde stands from her chair and walks forward, slow but sure.
"Lucy Heartfilia."
"You can call me Heart," she doesn't miss a beat and Lucy can't help a small smile, eyes searching for any other irregularity. There are some other pale scars, and it isn't the same face (soul) that she sees in the mirror every morning.
She'd never looked so haunted.
For how rowdy and impatient Fairy Tail can be, they don't rush the conversation with unhelpful questions.
It's Lucy, they know it's Lucy, they'd recognized her in a heartbeat. And they can't feel any sort of alteration magic around her. It's her in the flesh, except… not.
"How are you here, are you from the future?" Heart laughs at that, lightly but without any support. More of an empty sound.
"Yeah, and I want to change it." They both turn at that, gazes drifting to the family in the corner.
They aren't unaware, they'd flicked their eyes to spy that commotion was happening. But as to what they could leave to their friends.
"Natsu?" Or not, but when they both turn to the blonde, they freeze.
Three feet away from them, standing side by side, are two Lucy's. Nearly identical if not for the wear and tear of life.
She isn't looking at them. Refuses to meet their gazes, actually, not before she clenches her fists and her jaw tightens.
She flings her head up in the most Lucy-like show of determination Natsu had seen in some time. Her eyes are hard and straight as she looks at the two parents.
It's when her head tilts down that she breaks. She doesn't fall to her knees and sob, no, but she does falter. Her shoulders drop and her brows crease, lines on her face growing dark and heavy.
Her lip trembles and she takes in one stuttered breath. It catches, but only once.
"There's going to be an attack on the final day of the Games." She just goes right ahead and says it. A stillness drifts through the room and all eyes go to her. Natsu freezes and Ultear rests a hand on her daughter's blonde head.
"What?" The word flops from Natsu's mouth as he tries to shake from the stupor. "The last day, that's two days from now." Makarov's by the table now, hands behind his back as he looks between the two parties.
"What can we do to prevent it?" He asks, tone sober (far more sober than he had been before Heart had walked in. But he was an old man, used to dealing with a thing or two while under the influence.)
"It's - that's complicated," she breathes and once more her eyes are stuck on Sonya. Unlike before, her eyes soften into droplets, droplets that make her iris' wobble and her lips tremble. She bites them hard, trying to stay controlled and focused, and a thin stream of blood dribbles from her lip.
It doesn't stop the salty tears.
"I'm sorry," she chokes out and reaches a hand to her face, scrubbing at it. "Sorry."
Natsu and Ultear are stuck frozen and, in a slow movement, they turn their heads so they can see their daughter.
Sonya had been tired before Heart had walked in, so she's drowsy, half aware of the world around her. Her eyes sluggishly open at the sounds of sobs amongst silence. She blinks, head heavy as it turns between her parents and rolls on her shoulders.
"Mama, what..." She sees Heart crying, sobbing with the comfort of Lucy and Makarov. Slowly, she drops to her knees and presses her forehead into the ground, sobs wracking her body, forcing her to tremble and shake, apologies dripping from gritted teeth.
Sonya gapes at the scene and her eyes fly open. She reaches for the girl but Ultear is quick to scoop her up and stands from the table. Natsu stands as well, but far less confidently. He flicks onyx eyes from Ultear to Lucy and Heart, to the sobbing mess that was his best friend (is? He hadn't really focused on that but it's not important right now.)
So he licks his lips and nods at the fallen girl. Carefully, Ultear sets Sonya down. She's still tired but she squirms from the grip and pads towards Heart.
She doesn't say anything, doesn't ask what's wrong or how she can help. She just hugs her. It's a small hug, awkward because of the position, but she hugs her and places a soft kiss on the top of that bowed head.
Heart freezes at that. Her chest stills and another breath seems so far away - so pointless, but she forces it anyway. It crawls up her throat and burns her neck but she forces herself to sit up and look at the child.
She reaches, fingers trembling uncontrollably, and in featherlight touches she caresses the small face.
"Oh, Sonya," her voice cracks and warm tears streak down her raw face. But she bites her lips and embraces the girl, burying light sobs into that small shoulder.
Sonya, frozen and unsure, slowly embraces the girl back. She pats her back, eyes drifting to her parents. They stare down at her with toothless smiles and their eyes crinkle, brows drawn and gazes heavy. But they try.
When Sonya tugs away, Heart lets her go. Not without one final squeeze but she lets the girl go and brushes a thumb across her soft cheek.
"Go to bed," Heart says with hoarse words and she plasters on a smile of her own.
It doesn't reach her eyes.
Ultear takes Sonya without Natsu. She hadn't expected the pinkette to come, not after all of that. He'd realized it as quickly as Ultear had, they'd both seen the look she'd sent Sonya, the despair that tugged at her being and it left a hole in their hearts, one that left the parents twitching.
They help Heart up and seat her at the table. They're gentle and keep their words soft, soothing, wary of what had happened.
Natsu sits across from her. His leg starts tapping immediately and he shifts, hands on the table and fingers intertwined. But his face screws up, drawn tight and he licks his lips as he looks to Heart.
"You're from the future." She nods mutely. "And," Natsu says but pauses with a short, lung-trembling inhale, "there, she's… dead?" The next nod is smaller, hardly visible if not for the bob of her messy hairs.
Natsu bites his lips at that but his foot stops tapping and he takes his hands apart. Ultear, having returned, comes up beside him and sets a hand on his shoulder. They'd assumed as much, but to have to acknowledge it was another thing.
Not that they'd let it happen in this timeline.
"Then we're dead too," Ultear says and Natsu covers her hand in his, head low and eyes down. But Ultear's aren't. She's looking right at Heart, eyes narrow but there's a gleam in them.
Hope. An odd sort of cynical hope that they died before they let that happen.
"Yeah, you - of course you wouldn't," Heart licks her lips and taps the table once, more of a twitch, "you, yes."
"Who?" Natsu's head's up and his eyes are alight, almost red behind his fringe. "Who."
"It's not so much who as what," Heart says, "and it's dragons."
Natsu blinks owlishly at that, head tilting and brows furrowed.
He knew dragons existed, he was one of the few people that really believed it. But they hadn't been seen in such a long time, year and years of no sign of them. And while Natsu couldn't attest to the strength of every dragon, Igneel had been powerful in his own right.
Powerful enough that Natsu knows it'd be a difficult fight (although he couldn't be sure, the memories had always had blurred edges and he was a hotheaded kid.)
"Dragons? How?" Makarov prods as he begins pacing once more. Was it war, on the scale of dragons?
They'd need to start preparing immediately, move people to shelters and gather all the slayers they could.
"They come from the eclipse gate," Heart says before slowly explaining just what that is. A gate, in the capital. It's how Heart had come back in time and how the dragons get brought from the past.
"Can we stop this?" The mages wait for the response, breaths held and the air grows stale in the tension. Heart nods her head.
"It uses the Celestial Keys to open."
"Well then we should be fine, right? I have them and-"
"And Yukino, that Sabertooth mage, has the rest." Lucy's stomach drops at that. Yes, she does have the rest.
Which means all the golden keys are currently in Crocus for the Games. An easy target if they're not careful. But a target for who?
"It's Sting." She finally says. The mages recognize the name immediately.
"Sting," Natsu growls but Ultear keeps a heavy hand on his shoulder, holding him in place. "And does he..." Natsu drops his head again but on the table they watch his fist clench. They tremble, knuckles white and nails tearing crescent into his palms.
"No, it isn't him," Heart says but the words come out twisted and her jaws clench tightly. She refuses to make eye contact and Natsu can't help but snort. It helps release some of the tension but his shoulders don't loosen in the slightest.
"You never were the best liar."
"He knows, about the first time Sonya… about three years ago." Natsu and Ultear both freeze at that, the air around them stiffening in a thick wariness that rolls off them in heavy waves. They hardly move to breathe let alone react to the words.
Then, Ultear squeezes Natsu's shoulder and he clenches his fists.
"How?" She asks and lets Natsu gather himself. Heart purses her lips before sighing.
"He just happened to find out. I think from a dark guild."
"When?" Natsu asks but Heart shakes her head.
"I don't know. I'd assume he already knows."
"Which means he knows about Sonya," Natsu grits out. They'd done a good job, they really had, but Sting wasn't the person they'd wanted to know about something like that.
And, in some timeline that won't repeat itself, he'd killed Sonya. Them too, by the sounds of it, but he must've put them at a heavy disadvantage.
How long could he have been cooking up the scheme? Had he planned on making his move, did he know they would compete?
Was Sonya in danger, here, now?
"Don't worry, it doesn't happen for years. I doubt Sting has any malicious intentions as he is now." The words help, a little. But the parents stay tense and they look at each other, locked in a silent conversation.
After a moment of breathlessness, they release.
"How much does he know?" Ultear asks and Natsu whips his head towards her, brows creased and head twisted.
"A decent amount? He knows a dark guild got her-"
"Does he know how?" This time Natsu asks. The words come out quick, frantic, with an edge to them that spells trouble.
"How did it happen?" Lucy asks in her copy's stead. Perhaps Heart didn't know, she doubted the girl did, but it'd be important for them to know, at the very least. To better protect the girl.
After all, they'd pulled her out from under the parents before somehow, clearly in a way that could work again if the plain fear on their faces was anything to go by.
And for how the parents tense and ripple, they know the same as Lucy.
So, with a heavy sigh and a drop of Natsu's head, they explain.
They explain how, three years ago, they'd almost lost her.
She was two, but a baby, and neither Natsu nor Ultear would leave her for more than a few seconds. They were wary and new parents, let alone the fact that she could be needy they wanted to be around her. Although she was two, so it wasn't always a fun time. But a time to remember nonetheless.
No one else had been at the Crime Sorciere headquarters. It was just the two parents and their child. The others were out on a mission, although they had left a way to contact them if need be. Not that they anticipated a need.
But Sonya had always been unpredictable. And from a young age, she'd always had a weakness. Ultear nor Natsu had acknowledged it as such, they never would. To them, it hardly counted as a weakness.
She loved stars. She loved stars. So much so that she'd frequently sneak out, or, more often than not, they'd take her and lay down in the grass with her. Sitting by her as she'd stare up at them. She couldn't really talk but she didn't need to, Ultear and Natsu understood her well enough.
They'd dragged her out.
Not through any violent means (at first.) Natsu and Ultear were still unsure, still wary because they had used some sort of magic. Something that had drawn her outdoors by her starry senses, something that kept her head tilted towards the sky and away from any danger.
(The parents had searched for the spell, the trick, but the mages refused to spill it and no books spelled it out for them. They were clueless, helpless, and only aware of the fact that Sonya could so easily fall victim to it again. After all, her love for stars knew no bounds.)
They couldn't be sure how the dark guild figured that out, or how they knew when to cast their spell and where to bring the girl.
Natsu and Ultear were quick to notice. Natsu by smell and Ultear had left an orb in the girls room. They'd sensed the movement and gone racing for her.
By then, it had been too late.
They hunted her down like madmen, racing and hearts pounding. They'd destroyed anyone that got in their path, burned down half the surrounding forest or grew them sky high, skewering enemies with the sharps tips of trees.
They'd found her.
Surrounded by ashes, the parents walked up to the kidnapper.
There was only one left. He had trembled but held onto his fake confidence. And he held a knife up to that thin, pale throat.
Natsu roared and Ultear howled. Both terrifying in their own way, eyes flashing a bright red, more demonic than such loving parents should ever be.
He'd produced only a sliver of bright red blood with his knife before he'd been taken down, hard and fast.
And yet, for the sheer terror of having lost her, for how heart-clenching and angering seeing her in an enemies hands had been, they'd yet to know the why. Let alone understand it.
They'd taken her somewhere else, somewhere hidden, leaving only a short message for those that would return to the estate. Coded and carefully done, they hadn't trusted any other way to send out their location.
And that's how Crime Sorciere found them, huddled in a cottage, far away from society. The parents were a mess of fried nerves, hair in disarray and heavy bags under their eyes. They'd almost attacked when their friends had approached.
The others didn't understand why at first. Then they saw the bandage on Sonya's throat.
It didn't scar, and if it had her skin was too pale for it to be noticeable. But that didn't matter, not when the image of her bright red blood had been burned onto the retinas of her parents.
They'd be as careful as necessary to keep her safe, they'd do whatever they needed.
And yet they fail, again.
A/N: Is it clear my writing changed as I was writing this chapter? I took a (not-so-little) break from it. Haha. Anyway! As of right now, I have it blocked to end chapter seventeen? Eighteen? Now to get there. Thank you so so much, til next time, see ya!