Chapter Eleven: Tension in the Air
Guild Master Makarov was silent for a few minutes as he eyed the team he had sent to subdue Raven Tail. They had returned to the guild and went to his office to report that the dark guild had managed to escape them, making the whole thing a failed mission.
Lucy also informed him about what happened to her and Laxus: their capture and how one of the members of the dark guild had a magic canceling ability. Then, she showed him the magic canceling mark that was imprinted on the left side of her abdomen.
"And you said it was the both of you who got this mark?" he asked, his eyes shifting from the celestial mage to his grandson.
"I was able to get rid of mine," said Laxus, averting his eyes.
Makarov's raised his white eyebrows. "How did you manage to do that?" He turned to look at Lucy quizzically when his grandson didn't respond and seemed to be more interested in examining the ceiling.
To his surprise, the blonde girl blushed. "I… don't know…" she hesitated.
Laxus glanced at her for a moment before he raised an eyebrow at his grandfather. "My own magic dispelled it, I guess," he said nonchalantly. "I'm not that weak, you know."
Lucy nearly cracked her neck when she turned it to glare at him. "What are you trying to imply?" she demanded, clenching her fists.
"What do you think?" he shot back, returning her angry look.
"Alright, that's enough," the elderly mage interrupted. Then, he sighed, shaking his head. "Can someone get Levy over here and have this magic canceling spell taken care of?"
"Juvia and I will go and get her," said Gajeel. Then, he nodded at the blue-haired mage. "Come on."
Juvia gave the iron mage with an irritated look, but she followed him out of the office nevertheless.
As soon as they left, Natsu began making a fuss about the failed mission, obviously stubborn about finding Raven Tail and getting back at them for what they did to his guildmates. Proud yet exasperated by the fire mage's determination, Makarov finally raised his hand to interrupt him.
"Thank you, Natsu," he said calmly. "But I think I will have to involve the Magic Council in this matter."
"Nandato?!" the fire mage exclaimed. "Oh, come on, Gramps. They won't escape us this time, I swear!"
The elderly mage was hesitant to send the same team after Raven Tail because he knew that Ivan was quite cunning. He could still recall how the other Dreyar had used his illusion magic to hide from his father in the past, especially when he caused trouble. He had always been good at escaping.
"I understand that you want to avenge your friends, but this time, I will have to take care of this myself," he insisted. "But I thank you all for your efforts."
"No way," the fire mage declared. "It's like you're tellin' us to give up, but that's not how we do things." He turned to Gray. "Go tell him, Gray. Back me up here."
Everyone turned their heads to look at Gray, who appeared startled at being placed in the spotlight. As much as he would like to finish the job, he didn't want to disobey Makarov's orders. "Well, if Master says we should stay out of it…" he began.
"Coward," taunted Natsu, apparently affronted that Gray refused to back him up. But the ice mage just shrugged his shoulders, not daring to pick a fight with his comrade in front of Makarov.
"Natsu, that's enough!" the elderly mage scolded.
"But Gramps…!"
While Makarov and Natsu continued to argue, Lucy tried to calm herself. What on earth was going on with him? Why was Laxus suddenly acting like a jerk toward her? Was he angry at her because of what happened back in the prison cell?
She sighed quietly. Maybe she should have explained herself, but she had a lot in her mind at that time. There was no denying the attraction and sexual tension, but in truth, she didn't really know him well enough or even ready to be involved in the kind of relationship that he seemed to be expecting.
Yes, she had confessed to him that she liked him, too. Laxus was an attractive man, after all, and overwhelmingly so. And, yes, she had also kissed him back, but that was all because she got caught in the moment. Those damn lips of his...
But so much had happened, and she still needed to figure out whether her father was involved with the dark guild. Right now, all she could think about was confronting him about it. What if Jude was indeed associated with Ivan? Should she ask him if he knew the whereabouts of the illusion mage? For sure, his father would laugh at her for even asking for his help or, worse, he would ask for an exchange; he would want her to come home and marry her off to some rich man who would be able to help finance the Heartfilia Konzern.
She had already said her final goodbye to her father, determined to sever ties with him for good. But she also felt that she had an obligation to see him again and gather more information about Ivan. If she could at least help Makarov in capturing the man, then all this trouble would be worth it…
The door suddenly burst open, interrupting Lucy's thoughts. Levy had entered the office, followed by Gajeel and Juvia. She was wearing a pair of large-sized glasses and carrying a large book in her arms.
Makarov and Natsu immediately stopped bickering and turned to look at the petite mage, who was panting as if she had been running.
When Levy saw Lucy, she smiled sympathetically and said, "Gajeel just told me what happened, so I rushed into the archives room to look for an enchantment that would get rid of that magic canceling mark." She raised the book that she was carrying. "It's all here."
Lucy rushed forward to hug her. "Oh, Levy-chan! Thank you!"
"Ah, that's good." Makarov nodded, and then he turned his attention back to the attendees. "As for everyone else, I want you all to go home and rest up. Tomorrow, you can resume your usual routine and make our guild proud. I will deal with Raven Tail myself." He glared at Natsu. "And my decision is final, Natsu."
Natsu scowled. "Fine," he grumbled.
The elderly mage waved his hand. "Except for Laxus, you're all dismissed."
As everyone started to leave the guild master's office, Lucy could see Laxus walking over to Makarov's table. Before she closed the door, she heard him ask his grandfather what he wanted from him.
"Ne, Lu-chan," prompted Levy. "Shall we get started?"
"Yeah, of course," replied Lucy.
Smiling, the script mage led her to a corner and then asked for her to show the magic canceling mark. Obligingly, the blonde lifted the hem of her top to expose it.
"It'll probably take about fifteen minutes for me to complete the nullifying spell, Lu-chan," said Levy, flipping the pages of the book that she was holding.
"Thanks, Levy-chan. I really appreciate this. I can't imagine not being able to summon my spirits anymore. In fact, I almost lost my celestial gate keys out there."
"Why? What happened?"
Lucy sighed heavily, feeling embarrassed. "Well, my gate keys kind of fell off when I got captured, I guess. If it weren't for Happy, they'd still be out there in the woods."
Levy gave her an understanding look. "That must've been rough... Well, there's no need to dwell on that anymore, Lu-chan. I mean, you're here. You got your gate keys back, and you're safe." She held her hand. "I'm going to be casting the nullifying spell now, alright?"
The blonde nodded and forced a smile as she tried to wipe away the tears that formed in her eyes. She was physically and emotionally exhausted that she couldn't wait to get home and retreat to the comfort of her bed. "Yeah."
"And you should really do something about those bruises in your neck," the petite mage added. "We have some ointments in the infirmary. After this, I can accompany you there if you like—Lu-chan? Lu-chan, are you alright?"
But Lucy was already having trouble keeping her balance as she felt the world sway around her. After a few moments, she dropped to the floor, barely hearing Levy calling out her name. Then, everything went dark.
When Lucy opened her eyes, she found herself lying in a comfortable bed with a couple of soft pillows and cool white sheets. It took her a moment to realize that she was in the guildhall's infirmary and that a beautiful pair of sapphire eyes was staring back at her.
She recognized the white-haired girl wearing a sleeveless maroon dress immediately. She finds her beauty still mesmerizing. "Mira-san," she said. "What happened?"
"Levy said you passed out while she was casting a nullifying spell on you," Mirajane told her concernedly. "Laxus had to carry you here."
"Laxus? Oh," the blonde muttered, trying to sit up. When she looked around, there was no sign of the powerfully built-mage anywhere.
"Everyone had left since it's already late, but they were so worried about you," the older mage continued. "I told them that you only needed to rest for a bit. You're exhausted, Lucy. You shouldn't push yourself too hard."
Lucy nodded. "I'll try to remember that, Mira-san," she assured her. "Thanks for looking after me." She lifted the hem of her top and saw that that the magic canceling mark was no longer there. She smiled to herself. "I guess I should get going now. You should head home, too."
Mirajane giggled. "I sure will. It's been a long day."
Suddenly, to Lucy's surprise, Laxus entered the infirmary. He was wearing a white sweater and a pair of blue pants. His blond hair looked damp as if he just came out from the shower, which he probably did since he totally looked fresh and clean.
The celestial mage blinked. "I thought you said everyone had left," she murmured to Mirajane, which she knew was pointless because Laxus could definitely hear her even if he was at the doorway.
But the other girl seemed to be just as surprised. "Hi, Laxus," she greeted her fellow S-Class mage. "I thought you already left with the others."
"Was at the shower room," came his deep voice.
The celestial mage sucked in a breath, feeling embarrassed at how she probably looked—and smelled. Earth and dried sweat. Ugh. She definitely didn't want to be anywhere near him, but then he could probably smell her from here.
"Oh, finally, she's awake," said Laxus airily. "Can we go home now?"
Lucy clenched her fists. I get it, Laxus. You're angry at me, she thought. I wish you'd be more patient—I was going to explain.
"Laxus, don't be rude," scolded Mirajane. "Lucy's been through enough."
The lightning mage looked away, his face showing a hint of guilt.
In truth, he had been worried about her. When he and his grandfather were discussing things in the office, he had heard Lucy collapse on the floor and Levy yelling her name. Laxus had immediately dashed outside, lifted her in his arms, and headed straight to the infirmary.
Most of his guildmates had followed him, especially Natsu, who demanded to know what happened to her. Mirajane had tried to stop most of them from entering the infirmary so that Lucy could have some air.
Now that Lucy was finally awake, Laxus decided to make sure that she would be able to get home safely, although he was positive that she would refuse his company after the way he had treated her.
Yeah, he had to admit that he had acted like an asshole. But it's not like he could help it. The blonde chick had suddenly started becoming distant to him, avoiding his eyes, and pretending as if there was nothing between them. What the hell was her deal?
When he asked her if she liked him, she had admitted that she did. She had even returned his kiss, and he could tell that she had enjoyed it as much as he did. So, was he wrong to assume that they were going somewhere with their relationship?
But then again, she did say that they were going to talk about what happened. Maybe he should've waited?
Laxus watched as Lucy stood up and straightened her clothes, her face impassive. Then, it hit him that he should've waited. He should've!
Shit!
"I'm fine, Mira-san, really," the blonde chick said calmly. "Thanks again for everything. I better go home now."
Mirajane hugged her tightly. "Okay, Lucy. Make sure to get some more rest, alright? Your bruises should be fine by tomorrow since I already applied a special ointment on them."
"You're the best, Mira-san," said Lucy, pulling back from the older girl. "I'll see you tomorrow." Then, she headed straight to the infirmary door and let herself out, pointedly ignoring Laxus.
When she finally left the guildhall and walked along the quiet streets of Magnolia, she began mentally jotting down the things that she needed to do for tomorrow. Oh, yes, she was definitely going to visit her father again so she could get things straight with him.
There was no doubt in her mind that Natsu would drop by her apartment tomorrow if she didn't show up in the guild, so she planned to leave a note on her desk to tell him that she was going to be away for a few days.
Now that she no longer had the magic canceling mark on her body, she should be fine, Lucy thought, glancing at her celestial gate keys hanging from her belt. Yes, she should be fine. Maybe during her trip, she could finally begin her training with Loke—or Leo, rather.
"Lucy, wait up."
That deep voice. Eyes wide, Lucy spun around and saw Laxus walking toward her, his long strides quickly closing the distance between them.
"Stalking me now, are you?" she said flatly, looking up at the towering mage. "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" he repeated incredulously. Then, he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for the way I acted. I-I don't know what came over me. I was just so… mad. But I know I have no right to be mad at you. I…"
Lucy heaved a sigh well. "I understand why you're mad. I should've explained myself sooner, but…"
"No," he insisted. "I should've waited."
They stared at each other for a moment before she finally said, "I'm cold. Do you want to come over to my apartment for a minute? We can talk there if you want."
Her apartment? Now why would she invite me over to her apartment at this hour? Unless…?
"Wipe that smirk off your face right now, Laxus Dreyar," she told him sternly. "The only reason why I'm inviting you over was that I needed to leave early tomorrow."
Laxus frowned. He should really stop jumping into conclusions. "Why? Where are you going?" he asked.
Without answering him, Lucy turned around and started walking again. The lightning mage smoothly fell into step beside her, deciding that he should hold off from asking her questions until they reached her apartment. He couldn't help but wonder what the hell they were going to talk about, though, but whatever—he hoped that they could still do things other than talking while they were there.
