Hey all! I return! Read the Author's Note for an explanation and a warning, please.
Review Response: Dear Bubbles90, greetings! Glad you think so, here is a (slightly late) update!
Dear Hazel tree09, hi! Thank you, cliffhangers can be tricky for me to write sometimes. Well, except when I don't want to write them, but that's another story for another time (waves hand). Anyway, here is the resolution to the cliffhanger! Hope you enjoy! Yeah, you know a character is a good and life-like one when he/she starts running off with the plot. You're welcome, I hope you enjoy this next one!
Dear Guest, hello! Eh, sorry. Story pacing is story pacing. Here is the resolution for the cliffy though!
Dear Guest hey there! Thank you, this story actually didn't take that long to get off the ground. But that was mostly because I worked on it extensively during Camp NaNoWriMo.
Dear mun3litKnight, hi there! (Bows) Thank you, I meant for it to be intense, and you're welcome, updating is my pleasure! I ... have a few ideas for how she meets the main cast, but that won't start happening for a while. She joined Fairy Tail a year before Grey did, and he was the first of Team Natsu/main cast to join. But who knows? Someone else might show up soon...
Dear Guest, greetings! Maybe ... read on!
Author's Note: Sorry for the latish update, but as I explained in my Transformers update, the cable connecting my computer hard drive to the motherboard died a ignoble and unexpected death. I am currently using an external converter to temporarily use my internal hard drive like an external one until my replacement cord shows, and am thus trying to take it easy on my computer. So, until the cord arrives and my computer repairs are finalized, updates on this story will probably be postponed. It shouldn't take more than a week or two, but you have been warned. Until then, enjoy the new chapter!
Copyright Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any references made in this story. The only things I own are my OCs who are attempting to steal my plot.
Chapter Eleven - Lightning and Gratitude
Beyond the pounding in her ears and the blackness threatening to encroach her vision for the very last time, something roared. The darkness was suddenly battered away by dancing, snarling yellow light and Rihanna barely had enough mental capacities to process that she had actually heard something when the fingers choking out her life vanished and she could breathe again. Rihanna hit the ground with a thud, her head pounding as she sucked in air greedily like a man dying of thirst who had just found a river.
Her ears were ringing and spots of colors whirled in her vision as she forced life-sustaining oxygen down her bruised throat, unable to think past the sheer relief of being able to inhale and exhale again. After an undeterminable amount of time that might have been seconds, might have been hours but was probably just minutes, Rihanna became aware of the screaming.
Weakly, Rihanna turned her head. Her eyes were still dancing with so many false lines of color that it took a moment to realize that she was not imagining the lightning bolts sizzling through the air, brutally smiting any bandit that tried to run from, or fight against, the whirlwind figure in their midst. Whoa…
A silhouette loomed over her and she heard Mest's voice just above her head, "Wren-chan! Wren-chan! Hang on, I'll get you out of here!" Rihanna barely heard him, barely noticed as Mest started to pick her up only to become absorbed in fighting off a particularly violent bandit wielding Fire Magic. She was too busy gasping for air and staring with a heady mixture of awe, terror, and disbelief at the newcomer to the fight.
Because there, no more than ten yards away from her, currently dropkicking a bandit with an electrified foot, was the future S-Class terror, second generation Dragon Slayer, defeater of Jura and the only person other than Makarov and Gildarts that Rihanna could remember one-hit-KO-ing Natsu: Laxus Dreyar. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was wondering when in the world Laxus had gotten here, but the majority of her mind was marveling over the sheer … power being displayed by a boy who didn't look much older than Bickslow.
She could feel the static electricity arcing through the air, rolling off of the spiky-haired blond in waves as he steamrolled over the bandits that had been giving Bickslow, Conrad, and her so much trouble. Bickslow … Bickslow! Conrad! Slowly, her lungs finally feeling satisfied enough not to paralyze her, Rihanna rolled over and looked around, trying to find her brother and their client in the rapidly dissolving fray.
Mest was teleporting back and forth, weaving in between two swordsmen who were coming a little close for Rihanna's comfort, momentarily distracting her from her search. Then there was a flash of bright green light to her right and Bickslow's familiar voice shouting profanity that no child his age should shout. Twisting her head to the right, Rihanna saw Bickslow making his way rapidly toward her through the surprisingly thick throng of legs and magic spells, his tiki dolls spitting lasers and death-threats the entire way.
Rihanna struggled to her hands and knees, wincing at the throbbing pain in her neck and head the motion caused. Bickslow was suddenly by her side, his arms wrapping protectively around her while Pappa and Pippi flew a tight formation around the two of them, "Imōto! Wren, are you alright? Are you okay?"
Any reply Rihanna might have come up with was forgotten by both of them when the crack of plastic breaking filled the air and Laxus suddenly snarled, "Oi! Don't touch the headphones!" His snarl was followed immediately after by a blinding flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder that rattled Rihanna's teeth with its proximity.
As moderate silence fell over the area in the aftermath of Laxus's massive discharge of lightning, Rihanna blinked her eyes rapidly and mused silently, I'm going to go blind at the rate this is going. When the latest round of colored spots and lines faded from her vision, Rihanna found herself staring at an area of scorched grass, faintly singed trees … and unconscious bandits with smoke curling faintly off of their blackened clothes. Whoa. Just … whoa. He did all this? Why didn't he do that sooner?
Mest dusted his shoulder off and flexed his fingers as if they were stiff and sore, "Ow. Seriously, Laxus. Wasn't that just a bit overkill?"
Laxus scowled and kicked the nearest unconscious bandit in the leg, "No. Not really. Jerks messed up my headphones. I didn't get you did I?"
Mest kept flexing his fingers, "A little bit, but nothing I haven't faced in training." Giving his hands one last shake, Mest turned concerned eyes to Rihanna, running across the short distance between them to crouch down, "Wren-chan, are you okay?"
Rihanna gingerly rubbed her neck, wincing faintly at the loud protests the tender skin gave to the touch. Still, I'm alive. That's got to count for something. Mest, having spotted her wince, started to reach for her, "I'll get you to a hospital, we shouldn't be more than a few teleports from the nearest city-"
Bickslow pulled Rihanna closer to him and away from Mest's reaching hands, "Don't touch her!"
Mest pulled back, startled, "Bickslow-kun?"
Rihanna shifted a bit, trying to get a look at Bickslow's face, but his grip was too tight. Despite being unable to see him, Rihanna was fairly certain she could feel Bickslow's shoulders shaking slightly as he hissed, "You aren't taking her away. She's not going anywhere without me, got that? She- she's-" The shaking got worse and Bickslow buried his face in her hair, his shaking shoulders turning into hiccups and an unmistakable dampness in her hair.
Oh, Bickslow… Rihanna swallowed at the lump in her throat, ignoring the discomfort the move caused as she gently grabbed Bickslow's arms and squeezed. The enormity of what had almost happened suddenly slammed down on her, I almost died. I … I almost died. I was almost strangled to death… oh … oh Pantherlilies…
Her breathing reverted to gasps as her own shoulders started to shake, memories thick fingers closing around her throat while the world was mute and her sight started to go black mingling with memories from years ago. Memories of shock and pain, of steel sliding over her throat and coppery liquid filling her airways as she just laid on the floor with peoples' screams in her ears and assumed she was going to die.
Except she hadn't. She'd woken up in Earthland and gained Bickslow as a brother and joined Fairy Tail only to almost die again at the hands of some no-name bandit with weird magic. Her vision blurred as tears threatened to rise and Mest flailed helplessly in a way that would have been comical in any other situation, "Wait, no! Don't cry! It's okay now! You're okay! Oh man, I knew we should've gone for backup instead of tried this…"
Bickslow gave a low sob against Rihanna's head, unintentionally snapping her out of her budding panic attack. Bickslow needs me. He needs me to stay calm and calm him down. I don't have time to freak out right now. I can do that later when we aren't in the woods with unconscious criminals lying everywhere. Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly and blinked back her tears, squeezing Bickslow's arms a little tighter to reassure him that she was still there.
"I'm sorry…" Bickslow's voice hitched faintly as he whispered the words into her curls, "I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough. I couldn't get to you in time. If they hadn't shown up… I'm sorry…" It's okay. It'll be okay now. I'm alive and that's what counts.
She hissed softly through her teeth, shushing Bickslow as best she could from her current position. Mest had stopped flailing and was watching them now with a guilty look. Rihanna blinked at him once and then let go of Bickslow with one hand long enough to point at Conrad, who was looking distinctly lost and worried. She skewered Mest with a pointed look and dawning comprehension flickered through his eyes before he turned to check on Conrad.
Rihanna briefly closed her eyes, drinking in Bickslow's presence and waiting for him to get his tears under control. She wasn't sure how long it took, but as the minutes rolled by, Bickslow eventually stopped whispering tearful apologies and simply fell silent, clutching to Rihanna as if she was his only lifeline. Rihanna made no protest or attempt to interact with anyone else. She simply sat there and absorbed the comfort of being hugged by someone who cared for her, of being held by her little brother.
Footsteps approaching made Rihanna open her eyes again and she sensed Bickslow raising his head. Laxus crouched down a little ways from them, a thoughtful look in his eyes, "Hey." Rihanna nodded faintly at him, carefully suppressing any surprise she felt at how gently he was speaking. I thought he was an arrogant jerk before the Fantasia arc? Then again, he was a really sweet boy as a child. So is this before … whatever happened to make him so bitter? He's missing his facial scar too.
Completely unaware of her thoughts, Laxus kept talking, "You two are new to the guild, right? What're your names?"
Bickslow spoke for them, his voice shaky and rough from crying, "I'm B-bickslow and t-this is my little sister Wren. Who're you?"
Laxus gave Bickslow a lopsided smile as he thumbed at himself, "Who, me? I'm Laxus. Laxus Dreyar." His face went serious again, "So, look Bickslow-kun, I know you're shaken up after that guy … after the fight, but you should really let Mest take your sister to a hospital now to get checked out. Those bruises probably hurt and the doctors can give your sister something to make her feel better."
Bickslow's arms tightened around her to the point where her ribs hurt a bit, "I was too slow…"
Laxus cocked his head to one side at Bickslow's whisper, "Hmm?"
Bickslow shook his head and, very reluctantly, relinquished his grip on Rihanna's waist. Standing up, Bickslow quickly took one of Rihanna's hands in his, quite plainly not ready to forgo physical contact just yet. In all honesty, Rihanna wasn't ready either. She wanted nothing more than to find a nice, private place to freak out over nearly dying. For possibly the second time. Did I die the time I ended up in this world? I don't think so, but still. If nothing else, my previous encounter with Ulrich has to count as a near-death experience.
Looking around, Rihanna realized that in the time Bickslow had been crying, someone had tied up all of the still-unconscious bandits. Probably Laxus and Mest. Speaking of Mest… Turning her gaze to the slowly approaching Mest, Rihanna tilted her head and started to whistle. The low sound caught Mest's attention and he turned away immediately from speaking to a frantic-looking Conrad, his own expression greatly concerned, "Wren-chan, I don't think you should whistle, you might strain something…" Rihanna scowled and pointed at Conrad, whistling again with emphasis and gesturing a few times.
There was a pause before Bickslow finally translated, his own curiosity bleeding through as well, "What happened to everyone? Are Orazio-kun and the others alright?"
Mest blinked once, then his face eased slightly, "Yes. They're fine, a little banged up, but they'll live."
Rihanna started to formulate another question when Laxus interrupted, "How about Mest tells you all about it after we get out of here and get the three of you to a hospital. Some of those cuts look nasty." Rihanna blinked once, looking over at Bickslow and inspecting him sharply. She hissed faintly in worry at the cuts she could now see lining his arms and streaking across his cheeks. How did I miss those?
Bickslow, hearing her hiss, just held her hand more tightly, "I'm fine, Imōto, really. They're just scratches." Scratches my foot! Who knows what germs were on that wood! You may even have splinters!
Unable to voice any of those thoughts without whistling and exaggerated hand gestures, Rihanna settled for squeezing his hand back and finally letting Mest teleport them out of the area.
Laxus tapped his fingers idly against one arm, mentally brooding over his ruined headphones. During the fight, an idiot with a club of all things had managed to give him a glancing blow to the head. It had hurt, but not enough to stop him. However, it had managed to break the plastic headband part of the music-projecting devices, ensuring the need for a replacement. Again.
He sighed faintly, I really need to get ones that don't have a headband. They would be so much harder to break if they were just cord and audio pieces. But of course, that kind were really, really expensive and Laxus had other concerns and expenses to pay aside from his music-playing devices. A slight noise that wasn't Mest or the slightly screechy boarding school headmaster drew Laxus's attention away from his thoughts and he looked over at the bench where the two kids Mest had been working with were seated.
He blinked once in surprise upon realizing that the youngest, Wren if he remembered correctly, had actually fallen asleep. She was leaning against Bickslow, her face screwed up slightly in discomfort despite the painkillers and bandages they'd gotten from the hospital earlier. Huh, the doc wasn't kidding when he said the medicine would make her drowsy. I didn't think anyone could sleep through that headmaster's voice. Sound's like fingernails on a chalkboard.
He flicked his gaze away from Wren-chan to study the boy, Bickslow-kun. Red eyes stared back at him, something tense and … vulnerable flickering through them behind a blank expression. Combined with the boy's facial tattoo, and it was rather unnerving. Shifting a bit, Laxus broke the silence between them, "You should probably get some sleep too, you know. That medication you were given won't make you feel any better if you don't get enough re-"
"I owe you." The words, pained and tight yet stubborn and sure as saying that the sun was bright or the sky was blue, brought Laxus up short.
He blinked once, "Excuse me?"
Bickslow pressed his lips together into a thin, near-bloodless line, "I said … I said that I owe you. You … if you hadn't shown up, my little sister would have died. I wasn't … I'm not strong enough to keep her safe. So … I owe you."
Laxus felt his brow furrow slightly, the boy sounded as if the words he was speaking physically pained him, like he was admitting some dark secret Laxus could use to destroy him. Shrugging a bit, Laxus tried to ease the tension, "It's no problem, really. You two are members of Fairy Tail, rookie members at that, so of course I'll help you out. Besides, if I hadn't stumbled across Mest in that base, I wouldn't have even been there."
Bickslow didn't appear ready to let the matter go, "But you were. So I owe you."
Something about the emphasis on the words made Laxus uneasy, "Seriously, you don't-"
Bickslow's shrill yell startled Mest and the headmaster briefly out of their discussion, "Oh, just state your price already! Tell me what I have to do to make it up to you!"
Mest started toward Bickslow, a sad yet knowing expression on his face, "Bickslow-kun, that's not how our guild works. We help each other because we're all members of Fairy Tail, no member owes any other member for anything." Bickslow's face was scrunching up into an unpleasant scowl, his shoulders tensing the more Mest spoke and tried to convince him that he didn't owe Laxus anything.
Laxus narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then widened them slightly as realization hit him, he doesn't want to not owe me. He wants to make up somehow for the fact that a stranger had to save his little sister because he couldn't. This isn't about me, this is about making up for failing her, isn't it? Laxus couldn't fully understand the reasoning, but he was sure that that was Bickslow's motive. He needed to owe Laxus, he needed to show that he actually did care about his sister, that he hadn't failed to protect her because of negligence. Or something like that.
Laxus interrupted Mest's gentle yet unneeded explanations, "Mest. Go back to what you were doing."
Mest shot a doubtful look at him, "Laxus, are you sure? No offense, but you're not the … most amiable of people and Bickslow-kun's had a really hard day-"
Laxus scowled, "I don't need to be 'amiable' to deal with this problem. I can handle this."
Mest glanced from Bickslow to Laxus and back, "Are you sure-?"
Laxus tapped his fingers against his bicep as he intoned flatly, "Which one of us is the one who took on a dark guild thinking they were just measly bandits and then needed backup?"
Mest scowled defensively, "I had no way of knowing-! I could have handled those guards!"
Laxus tilted his head back blandly, "And I finished off their leader. Which led us to this problem. I started this, I finish it. So go back to arguing with the headmaster dude over … whatever it was you were arguing about."
Mest clenched his jaw a little, clearly unwilling to leave the conversation up to Laxus's sometimes less-than-polite mannerisms, but eventually nodded and walked back over to the scowling headmaster to resume their argument. Laxus shifted his gaze back to Bickslow, studying the stubborn set in the fellow boy's jaw and his tightly clenched fists, "You have an eye magic."
Bickslow flinched subtly, "H-how'd you know?"
Laxus motioned with casual fingers toward his forehead, "Your tattoo. My dad made me study all sorts of magic symbols and seals from other countries. That one means 'demon-child'." The look he got for stating that could have killed, but he kept talking, "Now, since I don't see a tail, wings, fangs, claws, or other generally demonic features, that means the reason for the tattoo has to be your eyes."
Bickslow nodded once, a curt, stiff motion that looked almost painful and Laxus persisted, "What can you do?"
Bickslow's jaw tightened, "What does this have to do with your price?"
Laxus sighed impatiently, "I'm getting to that. But first, what does you're eye magic do?"
There was a long, tense silence between them before Bickslow slumped and whispered, "I can see souls. People's emotional states, indications of their past, what kind of people they are, if they're lying or not, that stuff. And … and if I look them in the eye, I can make them … I can control them. Like I do my tikis."
Laxus mentally chewed on that information before nodding, "Cool. So, here's what you're going to do-"
Bickslow interrupted with an incredulous hiss, "That's it? Cool? That's all you have to say about my eye magic? Just … just 'cool'? Aren't you scared? Or … or…" his voice trailed off, at a complete loss for words.
Laxus raised an eyebrow, "Why would I be scared? I know I can kick your butt in a fight, eye magic or no, and no matter what that tattoo on your face says, you're just a kid like me. Actually, you're probably younger than me, which really lowers the potential fear factor. Plus, Jiji let you join the guild, and he's really good at reading people's characters and stuff. So yeah, just 'cool'."
Laxus was fairly certain that if Bickslow hadn't had his little sister using him as a support and pillow, he would have fallen off of his seat in shock. This kid's led one messed up life so far, hasn't he? Sheesh. "So, anyway, I assume you know about the training grounds Fairy Tail has out back, right? Well, from now on and until I say otherwise, you're going to be out in Training Area Seven at … let's see, you're probably still going to a normal school so that means … five thirty? Yeah, you're going to be out in Training Area Seven at five thirty AM every morning. Don't be late and don't eat breakfast beforehand otherwise you will throw up. Got that?"
Bickslow's response was a slow, uncomprehending blink and a one word question dragged out to the point of being two syllables long, "Why…?"
Laxus leveled a hard stare at Bickslow, doing his best to imitate the glower his father had given him when he'd asked a similar question several years ago, "One, because you said you owe me, so that means you have to do what I say. Two, because Fairy Tail doesn't need members who can't pull their weight. You want to repay your debt? Then you need to get stronger so that I never have to save you or your sister again. And in order for you to get to that level of strength, you're going to be training with me until I say otherwise. We'll figure out some exercises for your eye magic as well, can't let something that useful go to waste."
Bickslow was staring at him as if Laxus had grown an extra head and started arguing with it, his mouth flopping open and shut uselessly. Laxus tilted his head toward Bickslow, still leveling his sternest look at the other boy, "You got that?"
Bickslow's mouth snapped shut with a click, "Uh … hmm." Taking the vaguely helpless grunts as an affirmative, Laxus pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against and stalked off to check on Mest's progress. He could technically just go home now, but it was a long walk back to Magnolia and he'd rather wait until Mest could just teleport him back.
As he strode over to where Mest was talking reassuringly to two boys, Mest's clients if Laxus wasn't wrong, he got the sudden and distinct impression that he'd just done something big. For a moment, he felt like something important had just happened or changed … but he just didn't know what.
Laxus shook the feeling off with a faint shrug, I must be tired or something. It's no big deal. I'm just going to be helping out a new guild member and making sure he won't bring shame on Fairy Tail's name. Right?