A while later, many of the guild members were back at the Fairy Tail guild hall. Many of them were injured, some worse than others. The most gravely injured had been carefully brought back, so as not to hurt them further. It turns out that Porlyusica had already come to the guild while the city-wide battle was still going on. Most of the people inside were still in statue form when she arrived, but she was able to use a unique concoction to restore them. Evergreen later admitted that they would have turned back on their own anyway, but better safe than sorry.
Freed was the most badly hurt of all the mages. When the others found out about his condition, it brought back some of the tension in the guild. The last thing they wanted to hear was that Fairy Tail was going to suffer another tragedy so soon after the last one, even if Freed had played a part in Laxus' plan. Freed had been brought to a room in the back of the guild, where he was being tended to by Porlyusica. The rest of the guild waited to find out what his fate would be. And of course, what Laxus' fate would be, now that he would have to answer to Master Makarov for what he had done.
In the back of the guild, Porlyusica watched over her patients. Cana had been burned, but was mostly healed. She was still unconscious, but was expected to make a full recovery. Jet, like Freed, had attempted to take out multiple lacrimas. He got lucky in that his injuries weren't as bad as they could have been. He had been severely burned, but since the burns were caused by magic Porlyusica had been able to heal most of the damage, leaving only a few small scars.
And then there was Freed. Freed had also suffered electrical burns, which were magical. As well as broken bones. The healer had been able to fix much of that damage, with some effort, using various magical potions and salves. However, there was still the injuries he had suffered to his head. His head had slammed into a wall, giving him a concussion, among other things. This injury was not directly caused by magic, and was not as easy to heal. She was trying her best though.
Bickslow and Evergreen were present too, albeit bruised and bandaged. Makarov was there as well, insisting that he had to be there to see if Freed would be okay or not. Makarov considered all of the Fairy Tail mages to be his children, even if they've done wrong. Laxus was there as well. Makarov had also insisted on that, so that Laxus could see the consequences of his actions firsthand. The men stood silent as Porlyusica worked. After a time, she finished. She looked at Makarov. He looked up at her expectantly.
"Most of these kids will make a full recovery. But Freed… his case is different. It appears as though he's in a comatose state." Porlyusica said. The others' expressions ranged from pensive to distressed. She continued, "He suffered severe trauma to the head. He has a fractured skull, and it appears that he has brain trauma as well."
Evergreen and Bickslow exchanged a look. "But… He'll be okay right?" asked Evergreen. Porlyusica's expression was not reassuring. She explained, "I was able to reduce the swelling, but I fear the damage may be permanent. As for the coma, I don't know when he'll wake up. Maybe in a day. Or a week, or a year. There is even a possibility that he may never regain consciousness. Even if he does, there is a good chance that he will not be the same as you remember him. I'm sorry I can't give you better news, but I thought you should know the truth."
At hearing this, Bickslow and Evergreen became distraught. Evergreen leaned against Bickslow, and he held her, but they said nothing. For a moment, Laxus was silent too. But then he said, "I never wanted this. I just wanted this guild to be strong." The others waited for him to continue, but he stopped there. He just looked down at the ground.
Makarov cleared his throat and said "Laxus, you and I need to speak in private. Right now." Laxus slowly nodded without saying anything, and turned to follow Makarov out the door. As they both were leaving, Porlyusica said, "Freed will need to be taken to the Magnolia Hospital. There's not much else I can do for him now." Makarov nodded and said, "thank you for everything you've done", and then exited the room followed by Laxus. On their way out, they saw Natsu standing nearby, leaning against a wall with arms folded. Makarov stopped and turned to Natsu.
"How much did you hear, Natsu?" he asked.
"Enough." Natsu said. Natsu didn't look at either of them, just kept staring at the ground. Natsu appeared uncharacteristically lost in thought. "We'll talk later." Makarov said. Natsu gave no response. Makarov and Laxus continued on to a private room to talk.
Out in the main hall, most of the tables were occupied, with Mirajane serving drinks and food. Despite the ordeal earlier in the day, many of them were committed to relaxing and having some fun. This was still supposed to be a festival after all. Most of them were not yet aware of how grave Freed's condition was. Makarov had asked the few who did know to wait until tomorrow to tell the others. He felt that telling them about it tonight wouldn't do any good. For the moment, he wanted to let them have some fun. Besides, he was still holding out hope that Freed's condition wasn't as dire as Porlyusica had said, and that she was wrong in her diagnosis. Although, he knew that this was unlikely.
Near the center of the hall, Lucy, Levy, Gray, and Juvia were all sitting at a table together. Lucy had met up with Levy when they got back to the guild, and they started talking. Lucy then invited Gray over to talk. And finally, Juvia invited herself to sit with them when she saw Gray there. Gray was the only one of the group drinking at the moment. "I can't believe I missed out on the whole thing." Gray said.
"Me too. But at least we were together, darling." said Juvia. Gray rolled his eyes, and decided to ignore her comment. Tonight, he wasn't interested in dealing with her one-sided infatuation with him. "So, what did I miss? I heard some of the broad strokes, but I wouldn't mind hearing a few more details. What happened with you two, specifically?" Gray asked Lucy and Levy. The two girls exchanged a glance, silently debating which of them should go first. Lucy decided to start.
"Well, I ended up having to fight Evergreen. It wasn't easy."
"But you won, right?" Gray asked.
"Yeah, but… I get the feeling I mainly won because she didn't take me seriously. She wasn't putting in her best effort, because she thought that she didn't need to."
"I'm sure that's not true Lucy. You have some impressive magic." Levy said reassuringly.
"She kept saying that I was weak, and pathetic. Called me 'the weak link of the strongest team'. You know, maybe I will have something to drink. Where's Mirajane?"
After taking a sip of beer, Gray said "It was probably just trash talk. People do that all the time in fights. I wouldn't worry about it." Lucy smiled weakly and said "Yeah. Maybe you're right. Just trash talk." but didn't sound entirely convinced.
Juvia, getting tired of not saying anything, decided to speak up. "Well, it doesn't sound like it was as bad as it could have been. I wouldn't have minded practicing some of my magic if I had gotten the chance. But what about you Levi? Did you do anything noteworthy?" Juvia said, turning to Levy.
"Levy. My name is Levy." Levy said.
"That's what I said." said Juvia.
"… Anyway, I ended up getting trapped with Cana and Max. Lucy helped us out of that one. Too late for Max though." Levy shrugged. "But later we ran into Laxus fighting Natsu. There was fire and lighting everywhere! Kinda scary. And Mystogan was there too."
"You saw Mystogan?" Gray asked.
"Yeah. Apparently, he and Laxus were fighting before Natsu showed up. But when the rest of us got there he refused to help. I asked him to help us, and he was like 'No, I have to go do ninja stuff', and just disappeared. Literally disappeared right in front of me. The jerk!" Lucy giggled at Levy's description of events.
"I don't think those were his exact words." Lucy said.
"Well, that was the gist of it." Levy replied.
"Mystogan has always been pretty mysterious. He really doesn't seem to want anyone to see his face." Gray said.
"Well he better have a damn good reason." Levy said.
"Maybe he's ugly." Juvia suggested.
"Uh huh." Levy replied.
"Seriously, where is Mira? I could at least use something to eat." Lucy said.
"She's a couple tables over. She'll probably be here in a minute, she's just really busy." Gray explained.
"Yeah, I know. I'm not trying to be impatient; I just haven't had anything to eat all day." Lucy said.
Just then, Laxus came walking down the aisle. Most people suddenly stopped chatting, and turned to look at him. Laxus ignored their stares and kept walking. He got to the door and opened it. He turned around and looked behind him, seeing Makarov standing a few yards back, watching him go. They looked at each other for a moment, grandfather and grandson. And then Laxus turned back towards the open door and walked out, shutting it behind him. Makarov stood there with a regretful expression on his face.
Bickslow and Evergreen entered the hall from the back, and quickly walked up to Makarov together. "Master, please reconsider kicking Laxus out. I know he's sorry." Bickslow said. "Under the circumstances you could consider showing leniency." Evergreen chimed in.
"The 'circumstances' are why I had to expel him." Makarov said, walking away. The two Thunder Legion members followed behind him, still pleading their case. As the three of them left the room, things settled back to normal again. The four friends sitting at the table all exchanged looks with each other.
"So, Laxus is gone. Somehow, I didn't expect that. But I guess I should have, with everything that's happened." Levy said.
"Yeah, I mean he did forcibly try to take over the guild. And threaten to destroy Magnolia. And got a lot of people hurt in the process. I don't blame the master for showing him the door." Lucy said.
"Yeah, its not really a surprise for me. I mean, I never had any personal beef with Laxus, but he always had a reputation for being an asshole. Besides, his father was expelled a long time ago too. Like father, like son." Gray mused.
Juvia shrugged. "Well, I never knew the man, outside of reputation. He was one of the big S-class mages though, wasn't he? Won't losing him be a blow to the guild?"
Gray made a derisive sound at that. "Not really. He rarely helped the guild. Usually just looked out for himself and his Thunder Legion. Come to think of it, we don't really have any dependable S-class mages right now. Laxus is gone, Mystogan shows up whenever the hell he feels like it, Gildarts is off… nobody knows where, and probably won't be back anytime soon. Mirajane used to be S-class, but then Lisanna… Gray trailed off. "And of course, Erza is gone too." He finished. They sat there in silence a moment. The conversation had suddenly turned dark.
Lucy decided to attempt steering it back towards a lighter topic. "So, are there going to be any new S-class promotions soon? I haven't been here as long as some of you guys, so I don't know exactly how that works."
"We do that with S-class trials, and that's a while off from now." Gray said. Lucy nodded at this. She was glad to be in the company of friends, no matter the circumstances. As she was thinking this, she suddenly noticed Natsu walking down the aisle. Unlike Laxus, Natsu didn't get a lot of stares. Apparently, what happened today had put Natsu's previous outbursts out of people's minds.
As Natsu walked by the table they were sitting at, Gray said "Natsu, you haven't been here much lately. Can't say that's a bad thing." Lucy gave Gray a dirty look. Gray just shrugged. "Whatever Gray. I've got nothing to say to you." Natsu responded.
"You just did, genius." Gray said. Before Natsu could respond, Lucy smacked the table, startling everyone. "So, Natsu, we were all telling each other about what happened today. The battles we had. You fought Bickslow right? Tell us about that. Have a seat." Gray gave Natsu a sneering look, and opened his mouth to say something (likely provocative) to Natsu, but Lucy kicked Gray under the table, prompting him to give her a dirty look in return.
"No thanks Lucy." Natsu said. "I don't really feel like it. Look, I'm gonna take off. Maybe go home and get some rest." Everyone at the table was aware that this sounded unlike Natsu. Normally he'd be eating and socializing with the rest of the guild, regardless of what had happened earlier. They all exchanged concerned glances, even Gray. "See you later." Natsu said. But before he could leave, Lucy grabbed his arm. He stopped and turned to look at her.
"Wait Natsu, before you go… can we talk soon? You and me, I mean? There are some things I'd really like to talk with you about. The sooner the better." Lucy said. Natsu considered this for a moment, and said "Sure Lucy, we can talk soon."
"Promise?" Lucy said, looking up at him seriously.
"Promise." Natsu assured her.
Lucy let go of his arm, a little embarrassed she was still holding it. "Anyway… good night Natsu." She said. "Night, Lucy." He responded. He turned and walked out the door, leaving things as they were. As Lucy turned back to the table, Mirajane walked up to them. "Hi guys." She said. "Sorry about the wait. What can I get you?"
It was now dark out, and Lucy was walking back home. She was passing by the canal where people had warned her numerous times that she might fall in. The stars were bright in the otherwise dark sky. There was a cool breeze in the air. It was a nice night, and Lucy thought it felt good after a hectic and stressful day like this one.
Lucy was happy that she got to unwind and talk with friends earlier. It was fun, mostly. She was becoming increasingly concerned about Natsu though. Before, she had dismissed his unusual behavior as something that would pass if he were left alone. But now, with the conversation she had overheard between him and Makarov earlier, she was less sure. Maybe Happy was right about him. This was why she was so insistent on wanting to speak to him. She wasn't really sure what she was going to say though. Maybe she would have a better idea after a good, long night of sleep.
Lucy arrived at her apartment building, and walked inside. She walked up the stairs, looking forward to laying down on her bed waiting for her on the other side of the door. She unlocked the door and opened it. Upon stepping in, she quickly noticed that there was someone inside her apartment. A brief flash of panic, before just as quickly realizing that the person in question was Natsu, sitting on the bed she was just thinking about. The alarm she had felt suddenly turned to annoyance. Entering her apartment uninvited was something Natsu had had a habit of doing, and it always irritated her.
"What are you doing in here, and in the middle of the night!?" she demanded. She folded her arms and waited for a response. Natsu didn't immediately respond. After waiting a moment for an explanation, Lucy noticed the serious expression on Natsu's face. The annoyance Lucy felt subsided, and the concern she earlier felt returned. "Natsu?" she asked more quietly.
Natsu stood up, and looked her in the eye. "You said you wanted to talk. Soon. So here I am. Let's talk." Lucy was caught off guard by this. "Well, yeah, but I didn't expect you to show up here tonight. I thought we would talk tomorrow, or at least in the next few days. Plus, I am kind of tired…" She said.
"Sorry Lucy, but if you want to talk, then it has to be tonight." Natsu said plainly.
"Why is that?" Lucy asked, confused. Natsu paused for a moment, and broke eye contact with her. "Because I'm leaving." He told her. Now Lucy felt even more confused.
"What do you mean you're 'leaving'? Leaving where?"
"I can't tell you that. But I want you to know, I'm probably going to be gone for a while. Maybe a long while. And I'm leaving tonight." He said.
Lucy's concern was now growing. "Wait, slow down. This is coming out of nowhere. You can't just say you're leaving just like that, and not tell me anything. Natsu, we're supposed to be guildmates. More than that, we're teammates." Natsu just maintained his intense expression. Lucy tried again. "Natsu… We're supposed to be friends." Lucy looked at him, becoming upset.
Natsu looked back at her, his expression softening. "We are all of those things Lucy. Teammates, and friends. I don't want to hurt you. That's why I didn't want to tell you."
"You weren't even going to tell me? You were just going to leave without saying goodbye?"
Natsu didn't answer her. He looked out of her window, although she wasn't sure what he was looking at, or if he was just avoiding the question. "At least tell me why you're doing this." Lucy said.
After staring out the window a moment longer, Natsu turned back to her. "Did you hear about Freed?"
"Freed? I know he was hurt pretty bad, but Porlyusica healed him, right?" Lucy said.
Natsu shook his head. "He's in a coma. Might never wake up. I'm pretty sure they said he has brain damage too."
Lucy was surprised by this. She didn't think Freed's condition was quite that dire. She knew he had been hurt badly, but assumed that once the healer got to him, he would by fine. If not immediately, then eventually. "Oh my god. I can't believe that. There's nothing they can do?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Anything's possible I guess." Natsu said.
"Is that why you're leaving? Because of what happened to Freed, and the stuff Laxus did?" Lucy asked.
"No. Its not because of Freed. Or Laxus. At least, that's not the main reason."
Lucy's expression turned pensive. "Then its because of Erza. Natsu, I know you said you don't want to talk about it, but if you're going to leave…"
"We can talk about it when I come back." He replied. Natsu turned around towards the door. Lucy was afraid that he was just going to leave right then. Out of desperation, she blurted out something she had been afraid to say.
"Natsu, I overheard you and master Makarov talking earlier, in the alley. You were talking about 'saving Erza', and dark magic. I don't really understand it, but it sounds… wrong." Natsu remained silent as Lucy said this. His back remained turned to her. "Master said that he couldn't believe you would do something like that. And I can't believe it either. It doesn't sound like you." Lucy finished.
For a minute, Natsu said nothing. He just stood there. Lucy waited for him to say something. There was a part of her that was hoping that any moment now, he would turn around and say that this whole thing was just a big joke, and he wasn't actually leaving, and everything would just go back to normal. And then tomorrow she would walk into the guild and find Erza and Freed there, both alive and healthy. And all of this would seem like a bad dream…
Lucy's fantasy was finally broken by Natsu. "Maybe you don't know me as well as you think you do." he said in response to her last comment. He turned back to face her. "You're right about one thing though; you don't understand. But you will. You just need to trust me."
"How can I trust you if you don't trust me?" she said in small voice. Natsu moved closer to her. "Its better this way. This is something I need to do alone. I'm sorry. You'll understand, someday."
"Can you at least tell me when you'll be back?"
"I don't know. If I come back, it probably won't be anytime soon."
"If? Natsu…"
This was a lot for Lucy to process all at once. She was still dealing with the loss of Erza recently. And now in the past twenty-four hours Laxus tried to take over the guild, and got kicked out. Freed is in a coma he might never wake up from. Natsu tells her he's leaving, to do who knows what, and won't tell her when, or even if, he'll return. It was too much for her to handle right now. She had no words.
"Lucy, do me one favor: don't tell anyone at the guild about this, at least right away. Even Happy. Wait a week or so." He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. Not a big smile, but a sincere one. "I plan to come back someday Lucy. And everything will be better. You'll see." He then turned around, and walked to her door, opening it. She still didn't know what to say at this point. He started down the stairs, and walked towards the front door. He turned back up to look at her, while she was standing at the top of the stairs looking down at him. "Tell Happy I'll see him again too. And I'm sorry I had to leave him behind."
"Natsu…" was all Lucy said.
After looking up at her for another moment, Natsu turned and walked out the door. Lucy walked down the stairs, and stood at the door, watching him walk away.
Later on, Lucy would sometimes think back to this moment, and wonder how different things might have been if she had done something different. If she had followed him. Or, if she had tried harder to convince him to stay, telling him how much she needed him. Or if she had ignored his wishes and told someone at the guild so they could chase after him. Something. But she didn't do any of those things. Instead, she just stood there, watching him walk out of her life, not knowing if she was ever going to see him again.
Lucy, now feeling numb, just stood in the doorway, watching Natsu gradually recede into the distance. She stood there watching him until she could no longer see him. And then she was alone. Lucy didn't know what to do now. So, she just closed her eyes, and felt the cool night breeze gently blowing around her. It was a nice night.
End Notes: I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way the last chapter turned out. I tried to combine the tone and style I'm trying to achieve with this story with what you would normally expect from the canon, and I'm not sure it entirely meshed. I'm obviously going for a darker tone than the canon with this story. As usual, any feedback would be appreciated.
