Part II
She's running through the forest. Light which filters through the leaves and needles above dapples the soft, pine covered earth. Her feet make little to no sound, and her breaths come in fast pants.
Why was she running? The reason was not obvious, but she was sprinting in a specific direction, with a set destination in mind. She leaps over a log and maneuvers her way around a rather large rock, but never slows. The trees start to thin, and she runs faster, faster as the looming trees start to disappear and she finds herself in a wide open grassy field. She neglects to admire the view and continues her journey, ignoring anything and everything around her, her mind on one thing only.
A hill appears in front of her and relieved excitement shows blatantly on her face. She slows for a few seconds, but speeds up afterwards when a silhouette shows on the top of a hill. The outline is barrel-chested and is crossing their thick arms. The girl, while she should be exhausted from full on sprinting for extended amounts of time, inexplicably speeds up.
Sudden golden light shone on the outline, showing a sharp jawline, a soft smirk, and tufts of blonde hair. The clothes on his muscular frame ruffled in the slow breeze. The girl's face brightened with exhilaration, but also with a tinge of fear. She reached halfway up the hill and blanched, but did not falter in her step; rather, her strides lengthened.
A forlorn expression settled on the man's face, the smirk fading into a mere memory. His body shimmered, as if he were a mirage, and he started to fade. She cried out in pain and horror, choking and stumbling up the hill to reach him before he was gone, before he left her alone, solitary on the hill, again. His image was like clear, rippling water, fading in and out. She could see the stretching cloudless blue sky behind him, through him, the horizon line cutting through his body like a badly painted picture.
She made it to the top of the hill, finally sputtering to an abrupt halt and reaching for the fading man, who disappeared into the wind just as she wrapped her fingers around where his arm is supposed to be. Her arm fell through and she collapsed on the swaying grass, tears dripping from her uniquely silver eyes, crying for the man she always tried to save but always failed.
"Charlie, I'm really sorry, but we don't think we can stay here anymore." Lyla shuffled awkwardly in place, finally blurting out what she had come to say. The owner of the bar paused in his sorting.
"And why is that?" He asked simply. He did not sound angry or sad, but was merely intrigued.
"We… well, everything… since Laxus left, everything…" Lyla tried to explain, attempting to find the right words to reason her and Artemis bailing. Every time she walked into their apartment, she saw Laxus lounging on the couch or chair. Every time she approached the stage in the bar she saw herself giving Laxus a concert and finally succeeding in getting him to sing with her. Every time she walked through downtown she saw Artemis, Laxus and herself shopping (Laxus more or less was forced on that particular occasion). She saw them playing in the fountain, Laxus laughing and getting more than a little wet as the two girls splashed around.
She saw him everywhere, and it was driving her insane.
"I think I understand what you are getting at." An easy grin fell on Charlie's face as he turned towards the struggling girl. "I also understand the need to get away. Though I will miss you, you know."
She gaped at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish. Shock showed clearly on her face, as she never was a master at masking her emotions. "You're letting us-"
"Of course, you will visit me, correct? You both should be glad I have other family to attend to, otherwise you would be all I had." The man chuckled lightly to himself, purposefully oblivious to Lyla's short-circuiting brain. "When will you be leaving?"
"Uh… we weren't sure… whether or not you would agree." She finally sputtered out, mentally cursing Artemis and her persuasive skills. The mischievous girl really did have a silver tongue.
"Well, I can't keep you two cooped up here forever, can I? There was, inevitably, going to be a point when you two were going to leave. I'm honestly surprised it didn't happen sooner." He mused to himself, resuming his tedious task of sorting.
She was silent for a few more moments, fully wrapping her brain around everything when her face suddenly lit up with excitement. "Thank you so much, Charlie!" She wrapped her arms around the man's neck swiftly and bounded out of the room, calling out behind her, "We'll probably be leaving as soon as we can! Thank you!"
He chuckled to himself and continued his monotonous chore, while Lyla sprinted up the stairway to her apartment with exhilaration. She flung open the door and proclaimed with bright eyes, "He's not mad at us for leaving, Art!" She had already forgotten to be frustrated with her troublesome friend.
"Woo! Time to get packing, girl! This'll be a long search!" Said mischievous friend shot up from her lazy position on the couch. Neither girl mentioned that Artemis had been in the same position and spot Laxus would always take up when he lounged at their place, which was often since he had basically lived there.
Lyla wandered into her room and started packing up her belongings, deciding to leave many of the things in the apartment. Charlie most likely wouldn't be moving anyone else into their apartment anyway, so worry quickly left her mind. She had many other things to think about at that moment.
She flitted around her room, occasionally darting out to grab something from somewhere else in the house. Her lithe figure paused when it reached towards a whistle on her bed stand, her silver eyes staring unblinkingly at the shining silver object resting next to her small instrument. It was Columba, key of the dove, one of Laxus's few mementos he left behind. Her mind instantly went to the early days of their friendship, when he was forced to spend many days with the girls and she had dragged him around the marketplace. Without hesitation, she shoved the key into her pack. And though she was not aware of it at the time, the little key would have an impact on future events.
"You done, Art?" Lyla called out once she dragged her pack to the living room. She had the mind to pack a sleeping mat and other necessities for camping, as they were planning to be gone for a while.
"Almost!" The painter's voice echoed through the house, and only a minute later she came wobbling into the room to join her friend, pack in hand. "Whoo-ee, I'm going to get some muscle after this trip!" The redhead dramatically wiped her brow and Lyla rolled her eyes at her friend's display. Artemis's eyes fell on Lyla's second bag for a second before recognition lit up in her gaze and she moved her eyes to the room they had spent their life in. Lyla herself tightened her grip on the smaller backpack that contained all of her intack instruments, the source of much of her magical ability.
They scoured the room for anything else they may need, eyes brushing over the seat their dragon slayer friend often took up, and were silent as they gazed out the window at the risen sun, making them realize it was only noon. They had packed much faster than they had thought.
The girls eventually turned towards each other, staring solemnly and reflecting on their past experiences. They had decided the day of his disappearance that they would go searching for him, though they were ashamed to admit that they had not acted on their pact until two weeks had flown by.
Hazel eyes stared into silver (Lyla had given up the contacts but still packed them, just in case) and the seconds ticked by. Neither girl made any move towards the door, nor did they speak. A few thumps sounded from the bar below as the rest of the world went about their business, unknowing of the impact the disappearance of the most powerful mages in Fairy Tail had on Magnolia, which was the town over. The girls themselves were unaware of the similar thoughts running through the remaining mages of the most well known guild in Fiore, a few of them mourning, many of them stubbornly refusing to believe their family was gone. After all, the news report simply said missing, not confirmed dead.
Regardless, the silence stretched on until Artemis opened her mouth, a rare serious expression settled on her features.
"I sent it." That was all she said, and it was all she needed to say, for Lyla understood her instantly and nodded, attempting a smile as she straightened up. The singer took a deep breath before throwing her pack over her shoulders, closing her eyes for a moment.
"Ready, sister?" Lyla said, giving Artemis a crooked half-smile. Artemis returned the expression with one of her famous smirks and shouldered her own pack.
"I was born ready."
They steeled themselves, both taking silent deep breaths, then walked out the door.
Their first night passed without a hitch, beneath the navy starry skies and whispering canopy of leaves. They had settled in between two towering oaks as Lyla enacted a sound spell that silenced everything inside the spell boundaries. She wished she knew how to make them invisible, but that was outside the range of her capabilities. Their bodies lay next to each other in silence, despite the half day of walking having passed by filled with jest and laughter. Noises of the forest around them echoed quietly as the two girls faded slowly into sleep.
Hey… well, Artemis is doing this too, and, well, they said it would help with coping… I'm not sure how, though.
We've been travelling for a few weeks. It's pretty fun, if you look at it from the surface. It's hard to survive without a job, but I do singing gigs and Artemis does bar tricks. She hasn't painted in a while… I can see her tracing with her finger, though, so I think she misses it. I don't infuse magic into my songs when I sing to others anymore. Turns out I have a good singing voice regardless of magic. Funny, huh?
I just… I miss you so much. I can't live like this forever, so please come back, okay? Come back to us.
Your friend, Lyla.
It kinda helped last time I wrote to you, so I'm trying it again. Well, wrote to you in general terms, since you won't ever get these.
Wow. I just realized. You won't ever get these. I can write whatever I want and nobody will care. Nobody will see the pain in which I write with. Why did this happen?
I'm sorry. I got a little frustrated with myself.
Why am I apologizing to paper?
Whatever.
Your sad family, Lyla.
Dammit, I miss you. I miss you more than I've ever missed anything. That's a lie. I think I missed Zara more, but I can't even think anymore, the two disappearances are running together…
No, this will be a happy message. A happy letter, Laxus. I need to tell you what's going on.
We met a man named Curtis. He promised to train us in 'the art of swordfighting'. Artemis told him she would get so good she would be able to skewer him on her sword and stick him to a tree. It didn't go over well and I had to split them up again.
Curtis is our age, I think, but I don't trust him yet. He speaks in this weird way, and I don't think his real name is Curtis. Artemis calls him Curt and I think he wants to strangle her every time she does.
I don't know why he is still teaching us. Truthfully, I have no clue.
Well, that's all for this update.
Yours, Lyla.
Wow… I haven't written in a while. A lot has happened, and this may be the longest letter yet. By the way, I'm keeping all of these letters for when you return, so you can read them then. I hope you find them entertaining and informational, though most of my writings have been about missing you and bemoaning about… stuff.
Regardless, it's been a year since you disappeared. Curtis is gone, but he taught us much. Mainly Artemis, since I spent most of the time strengthening my magical power. I have learned quite a few new spells already, and I wish I did not wait so long to begin my training. I am a dragon slayer, after all, and I know that I am nowhere near being able to kill a dragon.
Wow. I don't think I'll ever kill a dragon, which I am okay with. My draconian nature calls for action and adventure, which I'm getting plenty of.
There's an idea floating around the newspaper of something called the Grand Magic Games. I'm not sure what it is, since Artemis and I rarely stay long enough in towns to get credible news, so it may be just a rumor. Fairy Tail… is not doing very good. With their strongest members gone, they are losing business and money fast. That news we do keep track of, though it is heartrending to do so. I have thought about joining, but…
Artemis and I have not given up on finding you. We will find you, and we'll bring you home. To Fairy Tail, which was always your true home.
Hopefully yours, Lyla.
We can't find you. Anywhere. It's been so long… we're losing hope, Laxus. Where are you? You can't be dead, they say you're dead, but you're too strong… they say the island is gone, but where are you? You can't have disappeared along with the island, right? Gone, like the mirage in all of my nightmares.
Where are you?
Two years. Two years… actually, if the date is correct, it's almost three… we have been training, for something, who knows what, but training. Artemis found another sword fighter, though she discovered that she prefers knives, and they train together every day. We've settled in a town for a few months, and we aren't sure where we're going next. Every day I deepen my magic storage, and I'm no longer the weakling you once knew.
That is a lie. I am still me in spirit, just… broken. My spirit is broken, Laxus, and I'm not sure how to fix it.
Artemis and I have not argued in weeks, months, maybe it has been a year… time is running together now. Every day is grey, and we need to find something to fill our hours with before the night consumes us and we remember summer days in the fountains, winter days in the snow, autumn days with sweaters and spring days with flowers everywhere you turn. You're in our memories, Laxus, and we can't seem to get over it. Because you aren't gone.
It's getting harder and harder to believe that. Please come home.
Losing hope, Lyla.
A mere few weeks after Tenroujima disappeared off the face of Earthland, Fairy Tail received something in the mail.
The guild itself was in mourning. Most of the members were still there, but many had started to leave the guild for better, stronger, newer guilds. The dedicated members stayed, of course, and would stay forever if they had to. But it didn't stop the depression from taking over, as the guild members thought about their friends, their family, their guild mates who lived with them, laughed with them, and cried with them.
One day, the morning dreary and grey like their spirits, Laki stepped outside into the chill morning air to collect any mail. Letters were no longer delivered to their doorstep since Makarov left, as many did not respect Macao as the new master. She gather up the notes and trudged back inside, throwing the papers onto the bar without much thought. Then, realizing that she had nothing better to do, she plopped herself down onto the bar stool, remembered Mirajane's bright cheery way of bartending with a wince, and started filtering through the mail.
Much of it was expenses or other unwanted notes from the Magic Council, which she sorted into a pile for Macao to look through later. There was a little fan mail, though much less than usual, and many letters questioning what had happened to the once obnoxious guild.
There was one letter on the bottom of the pile, last of the bunch, that was from an anonymous sender. Not thinking anything of it, Laki opening up the envelope monotonously and slid the contents out in front of her, freezing in place as she unfolded the thick parchment.
"Master!" She called out, eyes wide. Macao grumbled an annoyed sounding "What?" in her direction, busily drowning himself in booze, but she swiftly gained his attention. She then forced him to stare at the paper they had received, which he was equally astonished at. Before long, the entire guild -those that considered it their family, anyway- had circled the lilac-haired girl.
"Who sent it?" Droy asked.
"Anonymous." She replied, holding the paper like it was a gift from heaven.
"Why?"
There was no answer. Because nobody could explain the side view portrait of Laxus Dreyar's head and neck, the smallest of smiles on his face, with lightning flickering across his features and over the purplish backdrop.
Ugh. I rewrote this chapter way too many times, and I still don't really like how it turned out...
On the other hand, sorry for the delay... I knew there would be a slightly longer wait than usual since it is Part II now... but it turned out to be way longer than I intended ^^
-Leaf