Hello hello hello! How's it going, folks?
I hereby present to you the eighth chapter of Memories of Ice, aka: MoI (In case any of you were wondering, ToR is Tears of Rain)
Disclaimer: I respect Mashima enough not to raid his house and steal his stuff.
Lucy Heartfilia was having a bad day. Fate seemed to like screwing her over regularly, she hadn't had any luck at all lately. Last week, she stumbled over a dog, yesterday she lost her wallet and today, she dropped her favorite mug, accidentally smashed a window in a rage over said mug and just that morning on her way to the guild, she stepped in some gum. Yeah, it was petty thinking she was the victim of everything, but it really felt that way.
She sighed to herself, taking a hold of a wad of blonde hair. Split ends, great. She puffed yet another frustrated breath of air and locked her eyes on the table in front of her. Voices sounded around her, but she didn't touch it. She was too exhausted to care.
"Lucy, what's the matter with you?" Natsu suddenly asked to her left, the only voice she picked up on. Her brown eyes moved from the table to the pink haired fire mage. He was looking worried. It warmed her heart slightly, knowing he cared. It didn't make her any less tired of everything, but it helped a little.
"Just thinking." She answered calmly, smiling slightly at his confused face. The guild hall was buzzing with life, even through the hard times, one of which they were going through at the moment.
"About what?" He was clearly curious. Natsu was always like that, she noted. He had always been a beacon of hope and optimism for the guild, but lately even his spirits had been down. After Leon died, Natsu hadn't been the same and with good reason. Lucy couldn't imagine what it had been like for Natsu, to lose yet another friend. First Lisanna, then Leon and they almost lost Gray not too long ago. Natsu must be terrified of losing people, Lucy thought. Understandable. Playing the inner psychologist, she thought about how Natsu might have abandonment issues.
"Just stuff." The celestial mage said, her voice low compared to the entire room filled with chatting mages. Sharing the thoughts she had just had, probably wasn't a good idea. She thought back to the day before, Gray and the fight. Natsu would never have picked a fight like that normally, something was clearly wrong. His friends meant everything to Natsu, there's no way he would criticize someone else's.
"Wanna take a walk?" Natsu suddenly asked, surprising Lucy. She stared at him with a confused look, but she wouldn't decline.
"Sure, where to..?"
She was sleeping. Peacefully and quietly, stationed on that same dresser. It must be uncomfortable, the male thought to himself. Her short blue hair laid messed over her face, her breath slightly waving through a couple of strands. Her hands were folded in her lap, as her head leaned on the wall. Her brown boots was placed on the floor beneath her feet, one of which had tipped over when she slipped them off. Her eyelashes vibrated slightly and the boy held his breath. Would she awake?
When she settled down again, Gray visibly relaxed and let the captured breath go. She must have fallen asleep at some point in the day. She had gotten there super early and seated herself on that dresser for hours, waiting for Gray to awake. He knew this, because he wasn't really asleep when she got there this morning. She had sat there, not moving an inch, patiently waiting. Gray had fallen asleep too, but when he woke up, she was away in dreamland again. Still and breathtaking. She was kind of beautiful, he thought only to shake his head and rid himself of such thoughts.
The male pulled himself up on his elbows and studied her even further. She breathed calm and silently, mesmerizing him. He wondered, who was she to him? How did his old self see her? Had she been a close friend? An acquaintance? Or a crush perhaps? He blushed slightly by the thought of that. Had he had any crushes? What about that Erza girl, maybe he had been into her? Gray didn't know, he couldn't remember anything from before yesterday, it was all a blur.
He looked down at himself for a moment, feeling a little sad. What met his eyes was his bare chest, pale and slightly cold. His skin had an icy feel to it, odd by any standards. A sliver necklace brushed against him, making him eye it with curiosity. Why did he wear this? It was big and kind of tacky. Was it important to him? Did his former self like this kind of stuff? He shook his head again, forgetting about it. No use in getting all depressed about it.
Swinging his legs to the side of the bed, the springs within the mattress squeaked and made Gray flinch by the noise. He quickly swung his head toward the sleeping girl, who mumbled in her sleep.
"Gray-sama.. Do you take Juvia as your.." The bluenette murmured, making the dark haired teen blush slightly.
She was dreaming about him, again. She clearly had feelings for him, it was obvious, but Gray didn't know what he should do with that. He barely knew this girl, having only met her yesterday. No, he had known her for longer then that. He had to keep reminding himself that he had a life before he woke up yesterday morning. Had they been together? Like together together? He shivered at the thought, not because it made him uncomfortable, but because he felt bad. Felt bad for Juvia, who had to keep her feelings in check. Being rejected by him was probably not what she needed right now.
"Gray-sama?" Gray snapped his head back to Juvia, only to see she was fully awake now and looking at him with her captivating, blue eyes. Her brows were frowned in worry as she slit off the dresser.
"Sorry, did I wake you?" Gray asked, very well knowing the answer.
The bluenette however, shook her and spoke, "not at all, Gray-sama." She smiled to him. Carefully slipping on her boots again, Juvia inched closer to Gray. Not being able to help herself from noticing Gray's bare torso, she blushed slightly and locked her gaze to the floor. Any other day, she would've ogled away, but she didn't want to make the 'new' Gray uncomfortable.
"I see, so what are you up to today?" Gray attempted at making small-talk. Somehow the atmosphere around the two was kind of awkward, so all he could do was try to make it less. What was he supposed to talk to her about? Not sharing any particular interests or hobbies with her, was making it a pretty hard task to accomplish. She looked at him for a slight second, before letting a small sigh escape her lips.
"Gray-sama, Juvia's gonna stay with you all day, help Gray-sama with his memories." She smiled and to his horror, she seemed to mean it. What did she mean by that? All day? That would become tiresome very quickly.
"Wouldn't you rather do what you normally do?" Gray asked, uneasiness in his tone. Juvia shifted on her feet, something resembling hurt showing on her face. What did he say? Something hurtful?
"That is what Juvia does every day, looks over her Gray-sama." The bluenette held a close eye to her boots, refusing to meet the ice mage's look. "Juvia wants to do whatever makes Gray-sama happy." She sighed again.
Now Gray was the one to look away embarrassed. What was with this girl? Did he really mean that much to her? Why? For what he gathered, the previous him was a douche-bag and not worthy of such feelings. It made him wonder how he had felt for her before. Did she always say stuff like that?
Grumbling for an answer, something suddenly struck his brain.
"Hey, what's with the whole 'sama' business? Do I outrank you in some way?" Gray frowned in confusion.
Juvia released a nervous laughter and took a small step back. Gray frowned in confusion. The bluenette pulled her hand to her face and scratched at her flushed cheekbone. "Juvia l-likes Gray-sama, so she.." She let the sentence die out half way through when she suddenly ducked down to the floor, her red face hidden in her hands.
Gray's eyes widened slightly in surprise and when he caught onto what had been said, his look flickered around the room, refusing to meet with the kneeling Juvia. What? She liked him? Why? And why call him 'sama' for that reason? Huh?!
"What?" His voice came out rougher than he had intended, which flinched Juvia into a standing position once again.
"Nothing!" She peeped, locked her gaze to the ceiling and shifted on her feet again. "Juvia didn't say anything, so she should be going!" The bluenette made a run for it, but without getting two feet, a larger hand locked around her wrist. She blinked down at it and then lifted her gaze to it's owner. Gray looked surprised by his own action and flinched Juvia's limb out of his grip. He frowned again, but this time without confusion.
"Just Gray." He let slip by his lips as he sighed.
Juvia stared at him, bewildered by his speed. He had managed to get out of bed and reach her within seconds. That's Gray-sama for you, she thought.
"Huh?" The confusion nested in her tone, she turned to face the ice mage.
"Call me Gray, just Gray." He smiled slightly at her face, which flamed up at his words. "The whole 'sama' thing makes me uncomfortable."
Juvia pulled her arms to her chest and blinked at Gray. "Juvia can't do that, s-she's not worthy." The water mage stuttered while closing a hand around her own wrist.
"That's not true and you know it!" Gray raised his voice slightly, not intending to get angry with her. "I may not know you all that well, but I know that you shouldn't say stuff like that about yourself!" Gray's chest clenched with inexplicable anger that he had not expected. He didn't like her talking bad about herself, a feeling that probably belonged to his past self.
Juvia frowned with worry as she twisted her fingers in her palm.
Thinking he wasn't going to get an answer out of her, Gray spoke again. "Just try."
Her fingers turning white from the pressure she put on them, the water mage chewed at her lower lip and swallowed a gathering amount of saliva. Never had she mentioned the ice mage's name without honorifics, could she do it?
"G-Gray.." Juvia mouthed out like the name was of a stranger. Gray seemed to relax slightly until she burst open and apologized. "Sama! Juvia is so sorry Gray-sama, she can't speak Gray-sama's name without honoring it!" She looked mortified by her own behavior and hugged her chest. She then quickly bowed and rushed out the room, leaving a confused and shocked Gray behind.
What was wrong with that chick?!
The wind had picked up a stormy coldness and continued to howl by her ears. The girl's blonde hair gripped onto the air, making it flicker around her face. She swallowed a mouthful of spit and made a face by the sour taste. She hadn't brushed her teeth since breakfast and her inner cave screamed for a cleaning. Her brown eyes were firmly placed on the tombstone and it's four letters. She heard a sigh and flinched when she realized it was her own, she had heaved one without knowing. The boy next to her seemed oddly calm for someone in a graveyard and she envied him of his indifference. How was he this calm? How come he didn't cry or scream or brawl out of frustration?
"Natsu, how do you do it?" Lucy asked, her voice almost bending. The pink haired boy looked to her from Leon's stone and sent her a confused look. His dark eyes seemed endless, like a bottomless pit.
"Do what?" He asked.
"Remain so calm."
Natsu lowered his gaze to the grass beneath his shoes. He let his feet stomp on the green organism for a while, probably thinking about his answer. Pulling his hand up to run it through his spiky hair, he finally sighed and looked to his blonde friend once again. "I'm not."
"Huh?" Lucy let slip.
"I'm not calm," he said and noticing Lucy's confused stare, he continued, "if anything, I'm furious."
Lucy did not understand what he meant and made sure to tell him that with a unknowing look. The pinkette sighed again and looked to the sky.
"I'm angry, angry with Leon, angry with the people who did this," he gestured around him, "and myself." He finished.
"Yourself?" Lucy frowned.
Natsu didn't meet her eyes, but he knew she was looking at him. He noticed that more often lately. "I can't seem to get over the fact that it's basically my fault the kid died." He balled his hands into fists. They hung tightly by his sides. Suddenly his chin got grabbed, his head turned and his cheek struck lightly. Lucy was looking at him with a feisty look in her eyes.
"Are you stupid?" She tapped his forehead with two fingers. He furrowed his brows.
"No?"
"Are you sure?" She asked, again tapping at his head, only this time closer to his temple. She let her fingers release the grip she had on his chin and stepped back a little. Being close enough to feel his breath was not helping on her concentration.
"Of course I'm sure!" Natsu sneered, cross about being insulted on his intelligence.
"Then you wouldn't be saying stupid things like that." She gave him a flat look, one which irritated him greatly.
"Che- What do you know?!" he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at her.
"I know that no one blames you for Leon's death." She felt odd saying it out loud. "And I know you don't really feel like that."
As always, she had seen right through him, which was annoying in and off itself. How did she do that?
"What about you? Don't you feel angry?!" Avoidance.
Lucy thought about the question. She turned back to looking at the tombstone and slowly blinked at it, an empty stare. Did she feel angry? No, not really.
"I feel sad."
Natsu whipped around and stared at her in worry. There she went again, making that horribly sad face, the face Natsu hated beyond belief. Sadness was not an emotion that suited Lucy, usually cheerful Lucy. She needed to cut it out. He had not expected her to continue talking.
"I can't even cry anymore, I cried when my mother died, I cried when Phantom Lord were after me, I cried about the smallest things, so why can't I cry about something this important?" She seemed lost in her own thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, Natsu let his hand slip into hers and wrap his fingers around her palm. Lucy let a small peep cross her lips in surprise. Natsu had never done something like this before. Sure, he had saved her life multiple times, but held her hand? Nope. Getting over her initial shock, she forced herself to relax and returned pressure on the fire mage's warm hand.
"We're gonna be fine, right?" She asked, lifting her gaze to the grey clouds.
"Yeah, we'll be fine." Natsu reassured and gave her hand a small squeeze. "I'll make them pay Lucy, you'll see.."
The two teenagers continued to hold hands as the wind blew their hair into disorder.
Keir kicked the ground in silent rage as he continued along his path. The trees around him sang their song of whistling leaves and he urged them to shut-up. If only he could get some quiet. The wind wouldn't leave him alone as his fist connected with a near standing tree.
That stupid fire mage! He had to get all high and mighty, didn't he?! Why couldn't he have left it alone and apologized? Yes, Keir did realize he had riled the fiery teen up, but that didn't give him the right to insult a member of his group, no less the person who had been like a big brother to him. This case might have something to do with Keir's main objective, but he made it a personal mission not to get anymore involved with those Fairy Tail wizards.
How could he have gotten so bothered, he'd usually never go as far as to attack someone. What came over him in that moment? His boss must be disappointed by him, he thought as another fist slammed into the tree's abused bark.
"You mean your father?"
The voice in his head mocked him, he could feel how it laughed; No attachments remember?
Silence! I don't wanna hear it! Go away!
It was quickly getting to him and he needed to relax. Too much stress on his brain would probably result in another indecent, one like before.
Before he knew what he was doing, Keir let two swords of black grow out of his hands. Gripping them tightly, he began slashing away at the defenseless tree. Stabbing, ripping, cutting, again and again, over and over. The tree gave out in less than three seconds and tilted over in defeat. The clouds above rumbled slightly, warning of another storm. Keir stood suddenly still, breathing heavily from his merciless strikes on the fallen tree.
To hell with it, he thought as he kicked a branch. He let the swords dissipate into thin air and disappear. Silently, with a shaking hand, he reached up to the hair directly on top of his head. With a quick motion, he ripped a tiny hair out and pulled it down to study it.
It was black.
Panic rushed through Keir as he threw the tiny hair to the ground, only for it to be washed away with the wind. Breathing quick, shaky breaths, the teen closed his eyes and forced himself to relax.
This couldn't happen again, he needed to calm down. His silver bangs brushed past his eyelids, caught in the wind's dance. Drawing in a deep breath, he let it go with ferocity. Running a hand through his bangs, Keir opened his grey eyes once again. Eyeing the poor tree he had massacred, he somehow offered a silent apology with a small bow. He felt silly apologizing to a tree, but it had been him who'd cut it's life short. It only felt fair.
Time to head back, he thought.
Turning to leave, Keir cut a glimpse of something shiny in the forest's distance. Frowning confused, he turned in it's direction and squinted his eyes. Another small sparkle glittered near an unusually large tree.
A sudden sense of danger tingling in his chest, Keir ducked to the ground, just as an arrow flew over his head. Cutting a few sliver strands of Keir's hair, the arrow lodged itself in a tree behind him. That was a close call, Keir thought with wide eyes. Pushing himself up, the male went over to the impaled tree. Keir ripped out the long arrow and studied it slightly. Strong wood, sharp iron head with teeth to rip through skin and get stuck, only coming out if you damage the muscle. This was clearly meant for killing, killing humans that is. Just as the teen was thinking, another arrow made an attempt at his head and bore into the same tree when Keir moved.
Putting his speed to good use, Keir launched through the bushes, already thinking of ways to kill his attacker. A black katana formed into his outstretched hand and he gripped it tightly, forcing himself to forget his earlier usage of his powers. Coming to a stop where he was sure he had seen the sparkle from the arrow, Keir scanned the area for enemies. His danger sense tingling all around him, he sneered a curse through his teeth.
"I know you're here, so why don't you come on out?!" He called to the winds, completely sure the stranger would hear him. His silver eyes flickered around, keen on catching just the slightest movement. A branch snapped behind him and he whipped around, only to come face to face with something he had not expected. A Teenage girl, only slightly younger than himself, was standing there, pointing an arrow to his forehead. She was smiling while the stormy wind took hold of her brown hair. How had she snuck up on him? Keir was the fastest in the Guard. No one had ever managed to catch up to him, let alone sneak up behind him without him knowing.
The girl's eyes squinted slightly as she snickered, an amused chuckle more like. She looked like she had been handed a present and was stocked to open it. A look that greatly unsettled Keir. She spoke only few words.
"Target 05, located."
Then she released her arrow.
It's been two months, hasn't it? I'm a horrible human being, making you guys wait for so long. I'm really sorry!
I've had writers block for the longest time. I have this other story I'm working on, which will be released at some point (Yes, it is a Fairy Tail story), but I haven't been able to write on that one either. It's horrible to have all these ideas in your head and then have no idea how to formulate them into story materiel.
Enough about that! I present to you this chapter with utmost love and appreciation for your support and patience. Thank You! I love you guys!
Sigi-san signing out!
