Hey guys!
This is to inform you that I have my college exams are right around the corner and I will be going on a mini hiatus for the same. Like, a month or so. This is the final chapter I am posting before the hiatus.
I really wanted to write more, but I didn't have enough time to compile it all. I once again had to divide the chapter for the same.
Anyway, have fun!
Warning: Procrasti-betaed, Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own FT or accidental SAO
Chapter 10
Remorse
"Lucy," the pinkette rubbed his face, sighing, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Natsu," Lucy's holographic projection bit her lip, "You didn't have to save me, you know." Lucy looked shaken from the day's events. The sudden urge to save Natsu from the explosion hadn't let her think of the consequences. Natsu realized that all this time, she had been suffering quietly from the visions, reliving the situation of her possible death.
A scene flashed in front of Natsu's eyes. Natsu gulped, realizing the scene had nothing to do with the disaster, but what happened after that. He pushed the unwanted visions out of his head. "Yeah," the pinkette said in a grave voice, "I know," he looked away from Lucy's searching eyes. "I just panicked, Lucy. And I wasn't aware of the whole safe zone-"
"I know Natsu." Lucy bit her lip. She looked towards her right sadly. Natsu watched as the blonde outstretched her hand towards where he assumed Loke was sleeping. "I wish I was there with you. But I can't just leave Loke alone."
"It's fine, really." Natsu couldn't help but blame himself for the whole ordeal. If he had been careful, Lucy would not have jumped right at him, just to save him from the explosion. And Loke wouldn't have been caught in the destruction caused by the bomb. Natsu frowned, "How is Loke?"
"Loke…" the blonde grimaced, turning towards Natsu again, "He… he didn't take it well. He saw me getting blown up in front of his eyes and… It was difficult for him." Lucy smiled sadly, "He thought I was dead and he wasn't quick enough to protect me. He had been grieving about it since the moment he logged out." Lucy sighed, rubbing her temple. She then looked at Natsu again, "How about you? Are you okay, Natsu?"
"I'm fine," Natsu answered stiffly. Lucy frowned at him. "Are you sure?" When Natsu didn't say anything, Lucy continued, "What happened? Is it the attack? Is it the impending war? Is the guild troubling you? Oh, if it is the guild, I swear they are gonna pay-"
"It's Black Ice." Lucy stiffened, hearing the name. "What did he do?" Lucy spat out, "Tell me, Natsu."
He didn't do anything, Natsu wanted to say, but a subconscious part of him still blamed Gray. He mentally rebuked himself. Instead he said, "It wasn't him." The pinkette dipped his head, visions flashing in front of him: stars swirling into patterns, the burnt city, the wind rustling the leaves and a metallic arm reaching out to the Yes button.
A stinging whisper echoed through his mind:
You are no different from the rest of them.
Natsu let out a shuddering breath, "I evoked our partnership."
"What?" Lucy sputtered, clearly not expecting this response, "But, why?" For someone who hated the very presence of his former partner, Lucy surely sounded jarred. Natsu chuckled, without a hint of humor in his voice.
"Natsu," Lucy asked hesitantly "Why did you do it?"
Natsu stared ahead, his gaze unfocused. He saw a flash of widened eyes behind a shield, before they vanished behind the tinted glass altogether. He saw the black figure slowly disappearing into nothingness. He scrunched up his eyes, trying to shut the scenes away, trying to silence the voice in his head:
Our partnership has come to an end.
"I don't know." Natsu whispered, making Lucy stare at him in disbelief. "I don't know what caused it. I don't know what urged me. I just know that he is gone and I am responsible for it." He shuddered, "I hurt him, Lucy."
"T-that," Lucy fumbled, "That's not possible. You can't just take such rash decisions out of nowhere. He must have done something!" When Natsu didn't respond, she urged, "Natsu?"
When she saw another melancholy smirk on his face, she gulped in worry. The blonde turned her gaze towards Loke, who laid on his couch, seemingly frowning in his sleep.
"Whatever it was," she heard Natsu say, "seems completely insignificant in front of what I've done." Lucy watched as his olive green eyes glazed up. He stood up from his desk and said, "I'll talk too you later, Lucy. I need some time… to think."
Lucy nodded numbly, and Natsu's image disappeared. Something told her that Natsu planned to do something silly that included anything but thinking. She stared at the point where the holographic image used to be, thinking if she should have gone to Natsu.
She heard a muffled groan beside her and turned towards Loke. Her boyfriend lazily blinked his eyes open. She quietly ran her fingers through his hair and saw him smile up at her in relief. The ginger-haired male still couldn't shake the image out of his head.
Lucy sighed and smiled back. For now, Natsu's case had to wait.
Natsu walked downhill towards the guild hideout. A scowl marred his features as he entered the hall. It was nearly empty, save for Mirajane cleaning the bar and a few members at the back. He scanned the hall for a certain redhead, scared to bump into her. When he could not find her, he sighed in relief.
"Natsu-san?" he heard a small voice behind him. He turned around to see SkyMaiden. "How do you…" Natsu recognized the voice instantly. She was her neighbor. "Wendy?" The said player nodded, fumbling with her thumbs. Natsu checked his list of friends. He frowned at the name "SkyMaiden" blaring at him. "Why can't I see you?"
"I-It's a long story. Natsu-san," Wendy fumbled with her words, "I need to talk to you," she whispered, "Just… not here." She looked around the guild, her gaze fixated at a certain group of people. Natsu nodded slowly. Wendy grabbed his arm and dragged her outside, away from the guild.
"I wanted to apologize for what SkyGoddess said about Black Ice-san." Her voice distorted at the name, "SkyGoddess". Natsu looked her in confusion, wondering why she was apologizing. He had assumed that both SkyGoddess and her partner were against Gray, just like the rest of the guild. Then he suddenly remembered Wendy screaming at her partner and running out of the guild.
Wendy was against the people of the guild.
Natsu bit his lip, "You cannot apologize on someone else's behalf, you know."
Wendy paused for a moment and said, "You're right, Natsu-san."
They turned right and walked downhill, dodging random bushes and branches. They ducked through a certain bunch of shrubs when a secluded hut came into view. "Welcome to Skytopia," Wendy said, dragging him inside. "This is my and SkyGoddess' little hideout." She turned to him and pointed at the nearby chair. Natsu sat down and glanced around the spacious room. There were a few normal household objects, some novels and a few playthings. Skytopia was a little secluded hut in the forest, solely meant for hanging out and fooling around.
"I know this is very sudden but I wanted to talk to you before SkyGoddess returned," He frowned and she continued, "Black Ice-san is not as bad as everyone thinks he is. He is very kind and helpful." She inhaled shakily, mustering up the confidence, "I can prove that he is a good person. Just ask me anything." She pleaded.
Natsu stiffened, realizing Gray was someone important to her. Wendy was trying to save their partnership. Not all of them were against Gray, he realized. The pinkette looked at her in sympathy, unable to tell her that her actions were futile.
Natsu bit his lip. He wanted to ask what the black armored player meant to her. He wanted to ask her who else didn't hate Gray. He wanted to know more about the enigma, to talk about him, to talk to him. He realized he couldn't do any of these because he had ended it all. And talking about Gray wouldn't bring Natsu anything but pain.
So instead, he asked her, "Is that armor Gray's creation?"
Wendy stared at him, confused. Her eyes then widened and averted. She nodded in affirmative, "He made the armor for me."
"Why did he make you one?"
"Um," Wendy fidgeted under his gaze, "Actually, I don't know if I should say this to you. But because he is your partner," Natsu stiffened, unable to correct her assumption yet again, "I was introduced to this game by my friend, Mystogan. He was a great friend of mine and helped me through the game. But before I could clear the stage 4," she paused, "he went missing. I never saw him again, not in the game and not in real life.
"I was scared; terrified of the game he left me in. I didn't know anybody. I lived in the world of strangers. I lived in a game where players around me died on a daily basis and didn't wake up ever again. And the worst part was that," She then looked at him, her eyes flashing, "I couldn't save them."
Natsu frowned in disbelief. Wendy, a normal little girl living across the street, seemed to have experienced the deep horrors of life in a way he couldn't even imagine. "I couldn't leave the game because I wanted to find Mystogan. So I had joined the guild, Cait Shelter. But then one day," Wendy gulped, "It was eradicated. None of the members survived."
Natsu looked at her, stunned. "That's horrible…"
Wendy looked down. "I was wandering in the dark forest alone, crying, when Black ice-san found me," she smiled sadly; "He brought me to the guild and introduced me to the master. He helped me develop my skills.
"He told me that I was special," she said fondly, "that I was one of the few who weren't swayed by the lust of the game."
Wendy sighed and opened her menu, "I remember that day, the day I was feeling down. I was scared to lose all my XPs. I was terrified to lose the only way to find my friend. When I told him I was scared to die, he said to me, 'Don't worry. I will protect you, Wendy.'" Natsu's gaze softened. Wendy then pressed button and suddenly, her armor disappeared. She smiled at him, "This armor," she said, projecting the previously worn radiant white armor in front of Natsu. "He made this for me," she said. "He told me this armor was special, that it was invincible."
Natsu gasped. "Invincible?" he asked, baffled.
Wendy nodded, "I can't die in this armor unless I am on a legitimate mission," she said, as the armor blinked away. "And missions don't kill the players, considering they have a default 10% setting to declare the players illegitimate to continue the quest. This idea, this precision… if only I could show you the structure and functions of this armor! It is fascinating."
Natsu stared in awe. This armor… It could save lives! Moreover, this was the very armor Gray used himself! A dark part of Natsu's mind wondered why Gray hadn't shared this invention with anyone else. As if reading his mind, Wendy said, "He hasn't been able to publicize it yet because he has to test it for the glitches and limitations."
"But the point is," she said, "He helped me that day. And I will forever be indebted to him." Suddenly, her voice became sharper, "I don't care if he changed his armor. I have always known him as the black armored player with a kind heart. I don't care what the guild thinks of him. He is a man who wishes to save this world. And all I want you to do," Wendy said with compassion, "is to help him save it."
Natsu stared at the blue-haired girl. Something grabbed at his heart as he heard her sincere words. No one, not even Erza, had ever been able to convince him to see his former partner the way Wendy made him see Gray. "I didn't know," he said in a thick voice, "I didn't know Gray was actually…"
Wendy looked away frowning in disdain, "Only a few people understand him. And I-" She suddenly tensed and stood up frantically. "SkyGoddess is coming!"
"What?" Suddenly, he was grabbed by his arm and dragged outside. Wendy ran into the bushes and halted at a distance, from where the hideout could easily be seen. Natsu watched as the pink armored player went towards the hut. SkyGoddess entered the hut, looked around and then walked out dejectedly. "She must have been searching for me," Wendy whispered. "Are you still mad at her?" Natsu asked.
Wendy bit her lip, "Not really. I can't stay mad at her. She's my best friend, after all." Natsu froze, hearing her statement. All he could think of was Gray. He fisted his palm tightly, making Wendy look at him in confusion, "Natsu-san?"
Natsu let out a shuddering breath.
Suddenly, something struck him.
He doesn't deserve you.
That voice had sounded awfully familiar.
The pinkette gulped, scared to test out his theory. He said to Wendy, "What ability does your partner possess?"
"Oh, um," Wendy fumbled at the unexpected question. "She is a healer and uses wind magic power. And," Wendy turned to look at him, "She has an acquired ability to control virtual objects. She said she learnt it from her sister."
"Oh," Natsu said in a small voice. He abruptly stood up, with Wendy looking at him in mild confusion. "What happened, Natsu-san?"
"I have something urgent to take care of." He then hesitated, remembering that the little player had helped her in a tremendous manner. "I just want to warn you," he said, looking at her in the eye, "Gaming avatars come in the category of virtual objects."
Wendy frowned in confusion. Then her eyes widened, suddenly realizing what he was implying. "That's not possible," she said firmly, "She has never… How dare you?" Wendy's innocent face suddenly morphed from disbelief to an angry scowl. Natsu recoiled at the foreign expression marring her face. She glared at him and said, "Get out of my sight."
Natsu stared at Wendy, shocked. When he registered what she had said to him, he quietly turned around and walked away.
The pinkette was certain of it. The voice he had heard in his mind that day was of none other than SkyGoddess'. He turned back to look at Wendy, who still sat in the same position. She then stood up and disappeared into the woods.
Erza opened the front door and discreetly stepped into the apartment. She walked through the dark aisle towards the only lighted room, with the door slightly ajar. She quietly stepped in and saw multiple holographic screens blaring from the left side of the room.
"Welcome to my humble abode." Gray taunted sarcastically, "No need to knock. Make yourself comfortable." Erza rolled her eyes and felt around the wall, searching for the light switch. The room lightened up. "Tch," Gray said, annoyed and continued tapping the holographic keyboard.
"You would ruin your eyes in the dark, Gray," Erza rebuked, sitting down on the bed near the huge window. She stared at Gray's back as the raven haired male concentrated on the screens flashing a multitude of colors. "Believe me, Erza," Gray said in a monotone, "That's the least of my concerns right now."
Erza leaned back onto her arms, looking at the raven haired male. "You didn't have to leave the guild, Gray." She said, "The master would have punished the wrongdoers. I could have-"
"You could have what? They don't give a shit about you, Erza." Erza pursed her lips, shocked at his words. She had an undying urge to beat the shit out of Gray. But knowing his current state of mind, she knew she wouldn't do any good to him; no matter how insufferable he acted. As if sensing her disapproval, Gray sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."
Erza frowned. If his behavior had made Erza worried, his sudden apology made her even more wary of him. Swallowing her anger, she said, "You know you can talk to me, Gray. Are you really okay?"
Gray scoffed, "I have an amazing collection of hardware for hacking. I have an invincible armor. I have half the game under my control. I think I am viable enough to manage on my own."
"That's not what I mean."
"I am fine, Erza." He spat out bitterly.
"No you're not." Erza said boldly, "You loved your guild and you cared about them, no hush, and I know that it pained you to do what you did."
"So what?" Erza watched as Gray tapped around the multiple screens stiffly. "They don't care. And no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to find a good enough reason to either."
"Gray." The redhead sighed, "Sometimes, you have to rely on people."
"I tried, okay? I tried to trust them. I tried to rely on the guild and I failed, miserably."
"Don't say that." Erza stood up in exasperation, "You haven't lost everybody. There are many people in the guild who care for you. And besides, you will always have me and Natsu, even Laxus and-"
Gray banged the desktop, startling Erza. He was breathing faster than normal, shuddering slightly. Erza frowned. Something was terribly wrong with him, and he had been doing damn well in hiding it. Warning bells rang in her mind, telling her it was something else that bothered him. Erza made her way across the room and stood in between him and the screens. She put her hand on the shoulder, "It's not the guild, is it?"
Gray stilled and ducked his head, shrugging off her hand. His bangs covered his face, trying to hide away from the redhead. But she didn't miss a glance. Erza stood there, stunned. What could have made him look so miserable? Almost… heartbroken? Gray bit his lip, as if fearing her impending question. He looked like a dam ready to break lose, the moment she took the wrong step.
"I failed, Erza." He whispered, "I failed to make him trust me."
"Gray," she kneeled down in front of him. He stared into a distance, as if reminiscing something painful.
"Maybe Lyon was right." He murmured gravely, "I don't deserve a family. I don't deserve to love anyone because I always end up losing them." Erza gasped and hugged him. Gray let out a shuddering breath, snuggling closer to her. "What happened? What did Natsu do?"
Erza felt him pause, as if considering whether or not to answer her.
Suddenly, the front door banged open, making her jump. She hugged Gray a while longer before he urged her away. She nodded and walked out of the room, only to see Laxus making his way across the hall.
"Yeah, unhinge the fucking door." Gray spat out, wiping his face, "And shatter the windows too, while you're at it." The ravenette turned back to the multiple screens and focused on his job once again.
"What's up his ass now?" Laxus asked Erza in a low voice, as he entered Gray's room. Her lips curved upwards as she reprimanded, "Be nice." The blonde haired man sprawled onto his bed and picked up a dart from the headboard, "I hope you didn't do anything stupid when I was away."
Erza sighed, "He left the guild."
"Hm," he said, twiddling with the dart, "Called for that ages ago."
"Laxus!" Erza glared at the blonde-haired male, who rolled his eyes in response. She looked at Gray and frowned again. Instead of being amused as she had expected him to be, he glared at the monitor with glazed eyes. Erza had to find out what happened between him and Natsu. Did Natsu say something to him? Did they fight? If they did, then Erza had to teach the pinkette a lesson.
"Found him," Gray said, standing up abruptly. Erza stared in confusion as he walked across the room to his bed. "Put on a shirt, weirdo," Laxus said. Gray bent across him to fetch his black Mind Connector.
"What are you doing?" Erza asked warily.
"I tracked the two attackers," Gray pointed at the screens. One of them displayed some sort of a source code, while the others projected different images from NeuroLink. "I traced the afterimages of the ciphers left by them when they had used the transportation portal." Gray ranted off, "I tracked down their leader." He said stiffly. With some hand gestures, Gray summoned a big screen overshadowing the others. The screen showed her his target, the leader of the North. "I am going after him."
"What? You are not going alone. It's dangerous, Gray. I am coming with you." Erza said, fiddled with her Mind Connector, sitting down on his chair. "Suit yourself." Gray said, slinging his device around his neck. "Track me on your own. Get off the bed, Laxus."
Laxus lazily stretched and sat up, looking at Gray, "You aren't going in there alone, punk," he said, activating his own Mind Connector. "Connect with me."
"I don't need your help. Now get off my bed."
Laxus remained unmoving, fixating his eyes on Gray, making the latter frown, "You aren't exactly in a state to make sensible battle decisions."
"And you apparently are?"
"I don't want you to get your ass kicked, which is exactly what would happen to you without my supervision."
Gray rolled his eyes, "Says the guy who left on a date on the final stage of the mission."
"Watch it, punk," Laxus glared at Gray, "Connect with me. And I am not asking."
"You are a shitty roommate," Gray scowled but relented, accepting Laxus' request. He then turned on his Mind Connector and said, "Catch me." The raven haired male collapsed the moment he linked in to the game. Laxus caught him before he hit the ground. "Idiot."
Laxus settled Gray onto his bed and activated his speech commandment app.
The dawn broke in the city of Magnolia, illuminating the burnt ruins of the area. Natsu walked down the mountain road, towards his destination.
When he had opened his menu to organize his inventory, he realized that it was nearly empty. After recovering from the immediate shock, he realized that the partnership dissolution had resulted in the distribution of the articles. But instead of an even allotment, they had been dispersed on the basis of the items collected by the respective players.
Natsu sighed. All he had were a few collectibles, some applications Gray had forced him to install (including the mind audio thingy, as he liked to call it), and, to his utter shock, the two Ultimate Lives.
He thought what Gray might do to him when he would realize that Natsu had the two ULs in his possession. Or worse, what Natsu was about to do. He quickly cast that thought aside and walked towards his destiny. If he thought of the consequences now, he would never be able to do what he was about to do.
He quietly stepped through the landmark gates. He looked up at the cathedral: the only building that remained upright after yesterday's attack. He made his way to the graveyard. The area remained unchanged from the last time he had seen it. The sun candidly brightened up the place, making the marbles gleam eerily. The green grass crunched beneath his feet. He walked for a moment and then paused. He stood in front of a grave, carved out of beautiful shade of white.
White Neko
Natsu pressed his lips together. A mere username didn't signify what the player stood for. It felt like mockery to him, not even using the real names of the players suffering from glitch coma. But a logical part of his brain knew that it was done to protect their identity.
Gray had told him only Lisanna's friends could see her real name. He grimaced at his inability. Just because of a mere mechanism of the game, he could not see her name. He then scowled again, realizing that the very mechanism of the game was what resulted in her being in this situation in the first place.
Natsu took a shuddering breath. Gray had also told him that the gravestone connected the player to the original user. And the pinkette wanted to test that theory. He opened his menu. His hand shook as he activated his inventory and selected the item.
The Ultimate Life.
The cylinder materialized in his palm. Before he could change his mind; he quickly activated the Ultimate Life. He watched in anticipation as the golden sphere surrounded Lisanna's grave.
"Oh, what do we have here?" Natsu gasped, quickly whirling around. He had not sensed anyone approaching him. And that voice…
"Is that what they call the Ultimate Life?" the voice ridiculed, laced with amusement. White fog slowly spread around the area, chilling him to the bone. He cursed, realizing that his vision was blocked.
A bone-chilling laughter echoed around him, making him gulp. As he watched, a silhouette slowly appeared in front of him, walking towards him slowly.
"Salamander," the player said. He had white armor with a greenish tint to it. His helmet consisted of a grey tinted shield that covered half of his face. His XP bar flashed the player's name: Reitei. His opponent said with mirth in his voice, "I am here to claim the Ultimate Life."
Natsu watched as Reitei walked over to a nearby grave and leaned on it.
"And what makes you think I would just hand it over to you?"
Reitei smirked, as if expecting the question. He caressed the grave he leaned on and then straightened up again. "I am a very impatient person, which means you have only two options. Either you hand it over to me like a good boy and save yourself from an impending war. Or, I would have to kill you."
"Why you," Natsu gritted his teeth. He tried activating his fire magic, but nothing happened. Olive green eyes widened. He looked down at his arms, only to realize that they were covered with a thin layer of ice.
Reitei smirked, clearly amused. Suddenly, he raised his arm, aiming it at Natsu. Natsu watched as blinding white energy swirled around Reitei's forearm. "Unfortunately, I don't have the time or enough fucks to give to actually ask you to hand it over.
"Prepare to die, Salamander."
Suddenly, the energy beam was fired at Natsu. He frantically sidestepped, dodging it by milliseconds. He looked at Reitei, who still smirked, having his arm outstretched.
A chill ran down his spine. He quickly turned to see the same energy beam turn around and approach him again. He knew he couldn't dodge it. Time slowed down as the beam neared him. He closed his eyes, waiting for the impact, waiting for her end.
But the impact never came. He slowly opened his eyes, only to see a shield in front of him. He turned around. A figure clad in a glistening black armor stood in front of him protectively.
"Gray…" he whispered.
"Black Ice," Reitei said in a sarcastic awe, "The famous black-armored menace. It's such a delight to actually meet you in person."
"Master Reitei," Gray declared, voice tainted with apparent mirth, "The leader of the Lamia Scale of the North. I would love to change your delight into disdain."
The master of Lamia Scale smirked at the black-armored player, "That's a shame. Believe me, I want to fight you, but I have a job to do." Natsu stiffened as Reitei turned to look at him, "I have a player to kill."
Gray chuckled without humor, "I think you misunderstood." Huge ice cannon appeared in Gray's arms from thin air, "The only way I would let you harm another nakama of mine is over my dead body." Gray turned to look at Natsu briefly. He then turned back to the master, and nearly recoiled.
A menacing aura surrounded Reitei and the Lamia Scale master smirked. "In that case, Black Ice, prepare to die."
TBC
Yes.
Bitch goin on a hiatus leaving the janta with a mean ass cliffhanger. lol jk bye
Feedback makes my happy, even constructive criticism :)
Kori
