Chapter Six: The Hard Truth
Lucy was taking a shower at the guildhall's shower room and hoping that the hot water would calm her down. She couldn't believe that Laxus and her father allied themselves to ascertain that she would leave the guild. Didn't they realize that Fairy Tail was her family now? How could they not accept that?
Furthermore, how could Laxus still think about carrying out his plan to get rid of her even after they finally got to talk? And what was it with him holding her hand and looking at her with such warmth if he didn't want to be friends with her?
"Damn you," she muttered in clenched teeth. "You made me think that we could actually ever be…" she trailed off, heaving a sigh. "Whatever."
She knew that she had told Laxus that she hated him, but, in truth, she wasn't convinced herself. She felt hurt and betrayed, of course, but she really didn't want to harbor any hate in her heart. But, no matter what, she wasn't going to let that lightning dolt win in his quest to make her give up Fairy Tail.
When Lucy was finally done with her shower, she dried herself with a clean towel and put on a pair of jammies that Mirajane had thoughtfully placed on the shower room counter with a label that said, "Lucy." Then, she walked back to the direction of the infirmary while combing her hair with her fingers. Before she could reach out to the door, Mirajane opened it, looking surprised.
"Oh, hey, Lucy," greeted the take-over mage. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Mira-san," she replied, forcing a smile. "Thanks for leaving these clothes in the shower room for me." She gestured at her pink jammies with red polka-hearts.
"It's no problem. I hope you don't mind me freshening up a bit, too."
"No, not at all. Take your time."
"Thanks."
Lucy saw Laxus eyeing her guardedly when she entered the room. She fixed him a glare and then muttered, "I still can't believe you'd stoop so low as to trade a comrade for money."
"I guess I'm just that kind of guy," he told her simply.
"So, how much was I worth?" she asked testily, walking over to him. The thought of her father paying someone again to get his way with her made her want to scream.
"A lot, if you ask me," he replied without hesitation. "For starters, your dad could pay off all of Fairy Tail's debts and their interest. I mean your team did wreck a whole lot of properties in different towns."
Lucy stopped at his bedside, biting her lip. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Well, that was true. Makarov had run into so much trouble dealing with letters from the mayors of different towns, not to mention the Magic Council, because of Natsu and his team.
"Then," he went on, "it wouldn't also hurt for Fairy Tail to have reserved funds in case the guildhall gets destroyed again."
She had no words to say to that either. Spirits, he was good at reminding her of her sin. How pathetic and useless she was in the guild.
Seeing that she didn't have any rebuttals, he finally smirked. "So, tell me, little missy. Why wouldn't I trade a weakling like you for an offer that could actually help the entire guild?"
"Enough," she whispered, looking down at the floor. She could feel a lump in her throat. Laxus might be right. Fairy Tail might be better off without her. When it the guild's best interest, she knew she shouldn't be selfish, but—where else could she go?
In truth, Laxus felt ashamed of himself for the things that he had told the celestial mage, but he had to do it even if it was selfish. Making her feel guilty was a way to break her resolve, a necessary step to completing his job. But he had to be careful—he knew that she was also stubborn.
"I see that you've already eaten your share," she said abruptly, changing the subject. She nodded the tray of food on the side table; Mirajane earlier had brought two bowls of porridge, and one of them was now empty.
"Yeah, I wanted more, but Mira wouldn't let me eat your share," he told her, closing his eyes. He didn't really have the appetite earlier, but Mirajane had been annoyingly insistent that he would eat so he could regain his strength.
She frowned. "So, you would've eaten my share if you could," she snapped, grabbing the bowl and a spoon from the tray. "You really are a jerk." With that, she turned around and started eating hungrily.
As Mirajane showered in the guildhall's shower room, she thought about what Laxus had told her. So, Ivan had placed a dragon lacrima inside his son's body. That was why Laxus could perform lightning dragon slayer magic.
It was unthinkable, she thought. Placing a lacrima inside a person's body was not only painful but dangerous. Laxus could have died back then since he had been a sickly kid. Was that the reason why Makarov had decided to excommunicate Ivan—because he had put Laxus' life at risk?
But if Ivan's sole intention for using the lacrima had been to save Laxus from succumbing to his sickness, Makarov would have pardoned him—unless Laxus' father had other means to do what he had done.
Mirajane shook her head. No, even though he had always been cold toward Laxus, he would never have any reason to place a lacrima inside his son's body other than to save his life.
Right?
At that moment, the take-over mage suddenly didn't feel certain.
Laxus listened to the sound of Lucy's soft snores as she slept on her chair next to his bed with her head bowed and arms folded on her chest. Earlier, while she was eating her porridge, he had pretended to be asleep to avoid any more conversations with her.
"I'm sorry, Lucy," he whispered, looking at her small frame. She really looked so soft and delicate, but her appearance was a contrast to her personality. He found himself suddenly admiring her. What am I thinking?
Lucy began mumbling in her sleep, and the lightning mage couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. But then his smile quickly vanished when he saw tears rolling out from her eyes to her cheeks.
"Dad, no," she choked, her shoulders shaking. Then, her arms fell limp at her sides.
He stared at her, his heart pounding hard in his chest. What was she dreaming about? She looked like she was in some sort of pain.
"Dad, please, don't do this," she continued to sob.
Unable to stop himself, Laxus pushed the covers off his body and then dropped his feet to the floor so he could face her directly. Then, he reached out and pulled Lucy against him, hugging her tightly.
The celestial mage suddenly awoke from a terrible dream of her father locking her up in her room and telling her that she would never again see Fairy Tail. But somehow, she felt warm, and another voice was speaking to her soothingly.
"It's going to be all right," the deep voice said. The person was stroking the back of her head as if comforting her. "It's just a dream. It's just a dream."
Her mind still hazy, she looked up, and then she saw Laxus' handsome face near hers. She realized that he was holding her in his arms with a worried expression that she inhaled sharply in surprise.
Laxus was just as startled when he locked eyes with Lucy, her eyes still wet from crying. Realizing what he had done, he placed his hands on her shoulders and distanced her from him rather forcibly.
"You… were having a nightmare," he hastily explained, looking away from her. He wanted to ask her what she had been dreaming about but then decided against it.
Lucy wiped her tears with her hands, still overwhelmed by her emotions from her dream. "Yeah. Yeah, I was," she sniffled. "You can let go of me now."
He immediately dropped his hands to his lap and slowly turned to look at her again. "You should get some sleep over there," he said, nodding at the next bed.
She studied him for a moment and then cleared her throat. "No. My job is to watch over to you," she finally said. She sat on her chair and folded her arms on her chest, giving him a determined look. "This time, I'm not going to fall asleep."
Laxus shrugged. "Suit yourself," he told her, grabbing his covers and yanking them over his body. Then, he forced himself to close his eyes, thinking about how stupid he was for hugging her like that. He should be more careful with his actions, especially around her.
Moments later, he heard her snoring again, and he smiled to himself.
Baka.
Natsu woke up early and decided to head over to the guildhall with Happy to see Lucy. Last night, he had been against her volunteering to watch over the lighting blockhead in the infirmary, even if Mirajane was there as well.
But he had also understood how his nakama felt determined to help out Makarov since Phantom Lord. The poor old fellow had almost had a heart attack after discovering how his grandson had used Fairy Law to annihilate everyone. Thankfully, the powerful magic spell had only revealed Laxus' real feelings toward his comrades.
"Lucy!" he yelled as he pushed open the double doors of the guildhall. There were already a few of his guildmates sitting on the tables. "Lucy?"
"He's over there, Natsu," said Happy, pointing at the bar.
Natsu found his blonde nakama sitting at the bar and talking to Mirajane. They seemed to be in a gloomy mood. He was about to head over there to ask what he had missed when someone suddenly slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Morning, Natsu," greeted Cana. Then, she frowned. "I heard what happened here."
"Yeah?" said Natsu, looking around the guildhall. "Where's that lightning moron?" Laxus was probably fine by now. He should challenge him to another fight—this time without the help of his other comrades.
"He's in the infirmary talking to Master Makarov," the card mage told him. "I wouldn't disturb them if I were you. It looks like they're having a serious grandfather and grandson talk right now." Then, she removed her arm and raised a mug of ale at the fire mage's face before she took a draught.
I wonder what they're talking about, he thought after nodding his head at Cana. Maybe I should eavesdrop a bit.
Focusing on his dragon slayer senses, he started hearing Makarov's voice and Laxus'.
"What are you waiting for, Jiji?" came Laxus' taunt. "Aren't you going to excommunicate me?"
"I know that's what you're expecting, Laxus," was Makarov's reply. "As much as I'm infuriated by your insolence, I did play a part in your anger." There was a pause. "I thought you're better off not knowing the reason behind Ivan's excommunication. But I understand now that it's a mistake."
"All I ever wanted were answers, Jiji."
"Yes, yes, I know. So, listen to me carefully and brace yourself, because the truth that I'm about to tell you might not be something that you can bare. But you leave me no choice."
Natsu frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. So, what's this secret that Makarov had been hiding? He couldn't wait for the guild master to spill the beans, but then—
"Natsu, if you're listening to this conversation, then you're out of this guild," roared Makarov. "Do you hear me?!"
"Yikes," he yelped, wondering how Makarov could possibly know that he was eavesdropping. Not that it mattered now.
"Natsu, Happy," called Lucy, waving her hand and smiling.
Ah, there was that smile that Lucy would always wear. Forget Makarov's damn secret—Lucy was smiling at him. He strode over to her.
"Yo, Lucy!"
The truth was out. Tears were running down Laxus' face as he listened to his grandfather reveal to him what had happened years ago.
So, Ivan had implanted a dragon lacrima into his body with the hopes of harnessing his magic energy into the lacrima and then selling the magic crystalline to the highest bidder. It had never been about his fatherly love for him. It had been a means to elicit money from filthy rich businessmen.
"How… how could you have kept this from me?" he demanded. In his fury, he kicked one of the infirmary beds, and it flew against the wall, smashing it. Then turned and glared at his grandfather.
"I didn't want you to hate your father!" replied Makarov, clenching his fists.
Laxus pointed a shaking finger at his grandfather. "You had no right, Jiji!"
"I did what I thought was best," the elderly mage insisted. "Never mind that you'd hate me. I was hoping that Ivan would change someday, but I recently learned from Gajeel and Juvia that he had formed a dark guild on his own."
That stopped the lightning mage. "Gajeel and Juvia? Those two?"
The other Dreyar nodded. "Yes, they're under my orders to search for Ivan, and they've already found him. According to them, Ivan and his guild have been stealing magic lacrima crystals in different towns and then selling them."
Laxus stared at his grandfather in disbelief, his chest heaving. No. How could my own father do this?
"Listen to me, Laxus," said Makarov sharply. "I'm going to report this to the Magic Council to have them put a stop to your father's madness."
All those years of hard training with the hopes of making his father proud one day flashed before Laxus' eyes, those dark moments when he would lash his anger out on his comrades because he hated his grandfather. He had thought that although his father was aloof, he was a decent and respectable man.
"Just tell me where he is, and I'll deal with him," he seethed. There was no way in hell that he would allow his father to get away from all of his crimes.
"No. It wouldn't end well for you. Not in your current state." Makarov was referring to his grandson's unstable emotions. He knew it was a big blow to the boy after learning what his father had done. He didn't know if he did the right thing of telling Laxus the truth, but there was no turning back now.
"Tell me where he is, Jiji," snarled Laxus. "You owe me that damn much." He would have all the time in the world to feel guilty and ashamed later. But right now, if his father was doing something illegal, then he had the responsibility as a member of Fairy Tail to put a stop to it.
Makarov sighed. "Fine," he told him, crossing his arms over his chest. "But you're going to have to form a team first before facing your father. I hear that the mages in his guild are skilled and should not be taken lightly. Do we have an understanding?"
The lightning mage grinned at him in spite of himself. "That's going to be the first after many years, Jiji."
A/N: I wonder if this revelation changes everything in Laxus. I guess there's no reason for him to torment Lucy to leave the guild now, right? Or will he find another reason? Until the next chapter. Sorry if it's kinda slow, but I really want to take my time. :)
