Warning suicide in this chapter.
For the next few days Lusha felt very uneasy and anxious. Her last conversation with Gren had really worried her, the way he looked at her with his normally chilled eyes which were overcome with a burning rage in that moment and the way he spoke to her as if he was about to go into a psychotic break. For once in her life she was actually afraid of him. Now in all the years she had known Gren a.k.a Gray, she had only been annoyed or angered by him.
Annoyed by his constant teasing and manipulation. Irritated by his obsessive desire to be entertained by butting into her plans. Frustrated by that constant smirk that his twisted little brain would hide behind. Some times it would drive her completely insane. But that's all he had ever done to her in the past. Just annoy or anger her, never once had he done anything that frightened or intimidated her. Until now that is.
He didn't even have magic or was in his beast like form yet he had managed to make her now feel a deep fear that she thought would never arise. The fear of what he would do to her if he ever found out what really happened to Juvina a.k.a Juvia. It wasn't until now that Lusha started considering that maybe she had crossed a few lines back then and it would seem that tampering with Gray and Juvia's relationship was one of those lines.
However she really had no need to fear right? After all it's not like Gren would ever find out what really happened. Juvina didn't remember and there was nothing in this world that could reveal the truth. She had nothing to worry about. But if she was so sure of that then why was she still so scared?
"Morning Madame Mayor." Nakku greeted her as he walked by. His voice not only snapped her out of her worried thoughts but also startled her into jumping and dropping her office papers. "Oops...Sorry."
"What do you want?!" She snapped before getting down on her knees to gather up her fallen papers.
"Nothing. I just wanted to say hello. I didn't mean to scare you. Here let me help."
"I am perfectly capable of doing this on my own."
Nakku watched her pick up her papers and he couldn't help but noticed that she looked a little pale this morning. Pale and shakey with a few beads of sweat here and there.
"Are you alright?" He asked her.
"Never been better. Why do you ask?"
"Well you seem a little off today. I mean you jumped when I said hello and you've never done that before. Given me a hateful glare or insult me yes but you've never jumped or screamed. Did something happen this morning?"
"No and even if something did happen it would be none of your damn business."
"Hey I'm just trying to make sure that you're not in some kind of trouble."
"Trouble? Ha! I never get into trouble."
"Then why do you look like the devil is after you or something?"
"He's not the devil but he's the closest thing to it." She muttered under her breath.
"What was that?" Nakku asked.
"Nothing. Just leave me alone."
When she finally had her papers in order she stormed off, leaving Nakku feeling very concerned for her. Now she could deny it all she wanted but he could tell that she was afraid. Very afraid of something. But what?
"What do you mean she look terrified?" Elkis asked Nakku when he told her about it later that day.
"I mean that she looked terrified this morning. Scared, afraid."
"Huh that's funny. Normally she's the one who does the scaring."
"I'm serious Elkis. Something has her really freaked out. I've never seen her like that."
"Well what exactly is she afraid of?"
"I don't know. She wouldn't say but whatever it is it must be bad."
"Maybe she finally pushed someone in this town too far and now they're striking back."
"Possibly but who would it be?"
"It could be anyone in this whole town. A lot of people wouldn't hesitate at the opportunity to get even with her."
"Yeah but this is someone who's retaliation she's dreading. Think about, when you stand up to her she is not at all afraid. Same with anyone else who's ever given her a piece of their mind. But this person is someone she is terrified of. Which raises the question, who is she scared of most?"
"Well for starters it would have to be someone she can't influence. Someone who can't be bought or blackmailed by her."
"And it would probably have to be someone who is just as manipulative and twisted as she is. Maybe even more so."
"I only know one person in this town who fits that description."
"Who?"
"Gren Fullbuster."
"Him?"
"Look at the facts. He's well off when most people here aren't, he's in a position of power that she can't manipulate to suit her needs, he always wins whenever they go up against each other, and in all the years I've known those two she's never really done anything to him. I never understood why that was but now...Maybe it is because she's secretly scared of him."
"But why would he scare her? She's the mayor. She's pretty much the head hancho of Edolas."
"But that position doesn't mean squat to him. He's a dirty cop remember? And I don't know everything there is to know about Gren Fullbuster but I do know this. He refuses to let himself be controlled by anyone. He doesn't care who they are, what they can or will do, what they have, or what position they're in. He will not submit to anyone."
"So that's why he freaks her out? Because she can't control him?"
"That's my theory. She can bribe or blackmail anyone in this whole town into doing what she wants. Anyone but him."
"But what could she have done that pissed him off so bad that he'd go after her for it?"
Elkis thought back to that night when Gren attacked Yuki. How unhinged and completely deranged he was acting. Shouting, screaming, beating, and crying. He acted as if he was reliving some horrible tragedy. She had never seen him like that before.
"I think I might know." The red head said.
"What? What do you know?"
"You remember when Gren beat Yuki within an inch his life because he stole something from him?"
"Yeah. Talk about disappropriate retribution."
"Well I was there when it happened. I saw him doing it and he was an emotional wreck. It was like he had lost his mind and had become an entirely different person. He was screaming about a she, a her."
"A woman?"
"Yes. I think there was more involved in that theft then what we were led to believe."
"You think Lusha had something to do with it?"
"Maybe. It's only an idea but if she turns out to be the mastermind behind that situation then I think she may have 'unleashed the beast' as they say. Although I never thought she'd do something so stupid."
"But you don't think Gren would actually hurt her do you?"
"Nakku he almost beat a man to death over a stolen keepsake. I think he's deranged enough to do just about anything."
"In that case maybe we should keep an eye on them. To make sure that he doesn't hurt her."
"Why? What happens between them is none of our business. Besides it would serve her right to get some comeuppance for once."
"Comeuppance maybe but not killed by a sociopath."
"Nakku she is a sociopath. They both are and two sociopaths can't exist in the same area forever. So naturally they'll fight it out until one them leaves."
"You almost sound like you want Gren to hurt her."
"I don't want him to hurt her. But I must admit I would not object to him scaring her away from here."
"Elkis that's a terrible thing to say."
"Well that's how we all feel. Come on Nakku, you know as well as I do that everyone here would be happier if she would just leave this place and never come back."
"I wouldn't."
"You lie."
"I do not."
"Yes you do. All she does is make everyone's life miserable and you're the one she torments the most. So why are you so concerned for her?"
"I don't know. I can't explain it, but for some reason the thought of her getting hurt or worse scares me. I guess I'm very sympathetic."
"You don't feel that way about Gren."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"It has to do with the fact that Gren and Lusha are basically the same kind of people. Manipulative ones who are in a position of power. The only difference is that Gren is more calculating. So why are you sympathetic to her and not him?"
"I...I don't know. It's weird I'll admit but I just don't know. The point is as awful as Lusha can be and she can be awful, I would never want anything fatal to happen to her. Would you?"
"Of course not. Comeuppance is one thing but fatalities is an entirely different matter. But now that I think about it Gren probably won't just outright hurt her or something like that. That's too impulsive for him, especially since he managed to get out of doing time for assault and battery. He's planning anything he'd probably lay low for awhile first."
"Man those lie in wait types give me the creeps. You never know when they're going to do something so all you can do is just wait."
"Well be grateful that it's not you on his list right now. Speaking of which, I have to go. I have a meeting with Minajane. You're watching the kids right?"
"Yeah sure."
"Thanks."
...
Things only seemed to get worse between Lucy's parents. She would listen to her father shout the most horrible words to her mother followed by sounds of her mother screaming and stuff getting broken. Her grandfather tried her best to shield her from it but there was only so much he could do.
Then one day when her father left on a two day trip, Lucy decided to pay her mother a visit. She found her sitting up in bed, as still as a statue. Her body was covered in bruises and she looked dreadfully thin.
"Mother." She spoke to her softly.
The queen turned to face her child with eyes that were so glassy and held no emotion.
"Why have you come here Lucy?" She asked.
"I thought that since Father would be gone for sometime, we could do something together. Like ride horses or paint or just have tea and Grandfather can probably join us."
Then for perhaps the first time in her entire life, Esme smiled at her daughter and displayed affection toward her. She gently combed her fingers through the princess's extremely long blonde hair.
"You're such a pretty girl Lucy." She said. "Not at all like me when I was a girl. I was always very plain and puny. Some would say that I resembled a stork. I often wonder how is it that you turned out looking different from me and your father."
Indeed. Lucy bore little to no resemblance to her father. She had seemingly inherited nothing from him. This led many people to wonder if King Xavier truly was Lucy's father but Esme would not dare be unfaithful to him. So Lucy most definitely Xavier's child, she just happened to inherit more of her mother's physical traits. Her blonde hair, brown eyes, and body type yet she was not at all plain like her mother.
"I think you're pretty Mother." Lucy said.
"Child do not lie to me. I have been lied to too many times already."
"What do you mean?"
She was silent for what seemed like an eternity and then she started to mutter something in a tone of regret.
"I should have listened." She muttered. "She tried to warn me. She said that he would tire of me as he did her and I didn't believe her. But in the end she was right. She was right all along and for years I thought that she was the foolish and pathetic one. Oh the cruel irony."
"Mother what are you talking about?"
Again she went quiet for an unsettling amount of time and when she finally spoke again she said to her daughter,
"Lucy. I am sorry that you were born. If I had known what I would have been birthing you into I would have made myself barren years ago."
"I do not understand Mother."
"Of course you wouldn't. You're still innocent and it's sad that you won't always stay that way."
Her words made no sense to Lucy. No sense at all and she would have asked her to further explain but then Esme asked her to leave so she could talk with Lucien.
"Father you love Lucy don't you?" She asked him.
"Of course dearest." The old man said. "I love her as much as I love you."
"And you would take care of her if something ever happened to me right?"
"Yes."
"That's all I wanted to know."
She stood up and called for Lucy to come back in.
"Take her to the garden Father." She instructed. "It's looking very beautiful today."
"Yes darling but is something the matter?"
"Everything is fine."
She took one last look at Lucy and gently pressed her hand to her cheek.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
Lucien took his grandchild outside to play in the garden and once Esme saw that they were well out of sight she began to climb up to the top of the tallest tower in the entire castle. In the evening a scream from one of maids was heard and her Lucien went to investigate. Lucy then heard her grandfather howl in anguish. For a week no one told Lucy what it was that caused such a terror and during that week she never saw her mother once. At long last she went to ask Xavier and Lucien what had happened.
"Father, Grandfather." She said. "Where is Mother? Why I haven't I seen her all week?"
Lucien face was clouded with nothing but grief and heartache. He looked as if he was about to collapse and he was trembling so hard. Xavier's face however held no emotion and he answered coldly to the princess,
"Your mother is dead."
"What?"
"She fell from the tower and died."
"Xavier that's not-" Lucien protested.
"Silence! Tend to the child if you must but choose your words of comfort carefully."
Xavier left the room. Lucien then embraced Lucy and allowed her to cry into his chest.
