This upcoming chapter has some child abuse... trigger warning.
Her very own bike came speeding toward her, those great white lights filled with fury. Minerva pushed herself up against the damp alley wall, dodging Gray's attempt at running her over.
"That's my bike! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Minerva spat, her hands consumed with her magic. She knew better than to run after him, so she stayed to guard the door. "Do you really not trust me?"
She received no reply as he rounded the corner, now completely out of sight. Now she went running after him, there was no way in hell she was going to lose her bike to a man -much less a fairy. A shirt was left on the sidewalk outside of the alley, Minerva knew that Gray meant business.
"So you came here for a fight, huh?" Minerva turned on her heel, the spotlight back on her again. Her mouth cocked to the side, the black paint of her bike gleaming under the moon's shine. Those two white eyes coming closer by the moment and she leaped at the last second. Those chilly blue orbs meeting her own.
She successfully leaped over the charging machine, her heeled boot meeting Gray's chest. She hit him with a force like none other, sending him flying off the seat. His body went one way and her precious vehicle the other. Unlike Gray and her cherished bike, she landed on her two feet. Clashing and clattering followed the bike, but groans spilled from the other direction - Gray. Minerva was cocky, but at least she could admit it. How dare he try to run her over, and with her own bike.
Minerva was tempted to stalk in the other direction to grab her bike but thought naught. No matter how much she wanted to run over the ice mage, she held her temper. Lucy wouldn't appreciate it if she plucked Gray's wings. She noticed her motorcycle wasn't a complete mess as the lights shone on the two of them; her shadow creeping across the length of the eery street.
Gray coughed and struggled to sit up, a blue light blooming from his fists.
"Don't even try it." Minerva kicked him and he grunted, falling back into the ground. His entire torso was littered with road rash and various scrapes. His arms were the worst as his forearms were bleeding, some of the asphalt sticking to his wounds. Settling her hand on her hips, she stood above him. She exuded confidence and reeled her foot back.
"Where's Lucy?" His voice was scratchy as he choked out the words. Minerva almost took pity on him, but she grinned.
"Why is that any of your business? She's not your girlfriend, is she?" Minerva knew she hit a sensitive spot as his face darkened. She kneeled down, mocking him. "Seems like she's more interested in me than you."
Her fist glowed a bluish black as she pulled her hand back, sending it straight into Gray's gut. He sputtered and failed to land his own hit on her. "That doesn't matter. I love Lucy, unlike you."
Minerva nodded and tutted at the ice mage. "Of course I don't. I barely know her."
Her words were insensitive and she knew it, which made the whole conversation even better. She hardly spent time with Lucy and the blonde was head-over-heels for Minerva. The thought made her feel better, she was going to win in any situation. The only problem was the frustration that Gray had been causing. He couldn't seem to let go, it was something that made him weak -something that Minerva took advantage of.
"Argh…" Gray sat up, his eyes level with her own. "Take me to her or face the wrath of Fairy Tail."
Minerva scoffed and stood, looking down upon Gray. With how annoyed she was, he was more like a fly than a fairy. "You're acting like I kidnapped her. I didn't. I thought you saw her willingly come along with me."
"But she's seriously injured. Don't be so ignorant to think that no one knows about that back alley clinic." He pointed at the dark alleyway, his jaw tightening. "You should have just brought her to us. Not to that vile demon."
Minerva rolled her eyes. Lamy was a bit boy-crazy but she wasn't vile. The other demons of Tartarus were far worse than what Gray had insinuated.
"Tch, so low of you to think I would injure her on our first date. We all just went because my friend Gajeel got injured. His fight with Jackal wasn't as easy as he expected." She lied smoothly, so very smoothly.
She only got a perplexed look from Gray as he staggered to his feet. "You mean to tell me that Leo is wrong?"
"Leo?" Minerva questioned, knowing full well Lucy had called him out earlier.
"Her celestial spirit! You would know this if you cared." Gray drawled, his eyebrows pinching together.
"Ah yes, I remember him. The flirtatious lion is probably jealous, just like you." Toxicity dripped in her voice. Gray frowned and glared at her. He made himself so easy for Minerva to tease, and it was too hard to resist prodding at him. His own annoyance gave her satisfaction. An eye for an eye in the end.
"Shut up, that's not what this is about." His face fell and he shoved his hands in his pockets. A dark cloud seemed to weigh on him and he sighed in exasperation. "Look, I'm sorry for assuming that she was hurt, just let me take her home."
Minerva could barely repress her laugh, he completely bought all of her lies. "Alright. I'm sure she's ready to leave by now. But you owe me, that bike cost me a fortune to build."
"Oh, I'm sorry about that." He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head as he looked at the bike. "I guess I kinda took things a little overboard."
"And you got your ass kicked anyways. Just be glad this involved Lucy, otherwise you would be in much worse shape." She rapped against the steel door, not ready to wait for Lamy. Gray followed in suit after he brought her bike into the darkened safety of the alley. She turned to look at the ice mage, unimpressed with him so far.
"As much as I would love for you to pay for my bike, you don't have to. I'm glad you destroyed it, it gives me an excuse to get an upgrade." Minerva chuckled as Gray's eyes widened.
"I can at least give you some money…"
The door was pushed open and the dim yellow light from inside shone on the two of them. Lamy began to hyperventilate, her eyes roving over Gray's body. "Y-You brought me another pretty boy?! I still don't know whether to hate or love you Minerva."
"I think the best would be to love. I've brought you so many at this point, haven't I?" Minerva wasn't wrong by a long shot and grinned as Gray's face was wiped with pure irritation. "But like always, you can't keep this one either. Find your own man for once."
"You're the one who's always dripping in men. How come you can't share with me?" Lamy wheezed in rapid succession as she led them to the room that Lucy was originally placed in. It was evident by Gray's fidgety posture that he wasn't so comfortable in this place. No one ever was, Lamy was an absolute pig.
Minerva shot a look at Lamy, daring her to continue her sulking. "You know my interest only
lies with women. And it's not my fault that Sting is gay or that Gajeel is in a relationship." She pushed the door open; Sting was lounging on a wooden crate.
"M'lady, Lucy is… Who's that? It better not be a new recruit." He eyed Gray suspiciously, a small look of recognition gracing his features. "Why the hell do ya have to get involved with the fairies so much? All they bring is trouble." He explained in exasperation, clearly not happy with today's turn of events.
"Hush, Gray is fine." Minerva glowered at the ice mage, "As long as he behaves. Anyways, isn't Gajeel fixed up yet? We really have to clear this place soon, or Jiemma will come after us."
Sting stiffened at the mention of her father, and she couldn't help feeling a small pang of guilt. "Y-Yeah, he is. Lamy didn't have to do much, it's just Lucy we have to worry about."
Minerva cleared her throat, eyeing the blond. "She's completely fine, Sting. I'm sure she was helping Lamy patch up Gajeel. Right, Lamy?" Her hazel eyes shot the small bunny-demon and it elicited a wheeze.
"I don't know if I would call that blonde bimbo a help. She was too handsy with him." This made everyone laugh.
"Take me to them, Lamy. I need to speak with Gajeel in private." The girl's small head of hair bobbed as she acknowledged Minerva. Dutifully, she led her out of the room.
Gray tried to come with them, but she held her hand up. "No, you stay. I didn't say you could go anywhere. You have wounds that need tending to." Minerva nudged him into the room, looking at Sting. "Get this fairy patched up, will you?"
"I just want to get Lucy and go. She's not supposed to be out this late-"
"If she really cared, Lucy would have asked to leave long ago." Another lie but Gray wasn't phased by it. He muttered something under his breath and took residence in a rusty metal chair. Another fault of the fairies, they were extremely gullible. It was just too easy to win, Minerva thought. "I'll be back with the both of them, soon."
Catching her look, Sting grabbed a box of randomly assorted medical supplies and began tending to Gray. Neither were happy with the situation but they came to a mutual understanding.
Minerva exited and walked with Lamy down a small corridor. "You best hope she's fixed or you're dead." Her voice was low and she could see the white sweat break on Lamy's face.
They walked into a room much larger than any in the small clinic. The room was dark and held a green filament, the ceilings being raised another twenty feet or so. In the middle of the room, there were rows of glass cylinders. Each was filled with a murky bile-colored liquid, which was still transparent enough to see through. These were big enough to hold any size animal, ranging from humans to the most dangerous of demons themselves. Which is why this operation is so illegal.
After Tartarus' disbandment, Lamy had taken all of her regeneration and youthonizing magic technology, and set up shop here. She had great dealings with the dark guilds, most using her curse to completely regenerate their guild mates and hideous monsters. But Minerva only used the girl on emergency occasions, such as this.
It was evident that not a single container held a body, all of them empty and flowing with the same repugnant liquid. Lamy's curse supposedly only worked on the demons of Tartarus, but she found a loophole. She kept it hidden from everyone as to exactly what she did, but Minerva was one of the only ones who didn't care. As long as she was capable of turning everything back to normal. But not seeing that familiar head of golden hair, made her doubt Lamy's abilities. "Did you even put her in?"
"Ah, don't worry Minerva." Lamy cringed in on herself as she spoke. The green lighting of the room making the small girl look sickly. "I put her in right as you left."
"Don't worry, buns." She hated Gajeel's nickname for her. Minerva's hair wasn't even in her signature style right now. "I got the blondie, right 'ere. She seems to be back ta normal, no scars or nothin'." His piercings were eerily illuminated in the room's light as he walked out from behind one of the glass encasings.
For a split second she felt relieved to see Lucy but the feeling dissipated as quickly as it came. This was still strictly business, no matter how much that prophecy bounced around her mind. Her body was limp in Gajeel's arms. It looked as if she still wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
"Good, I'm glad Lamy tended to you as well. But here's the thing, we're going to act like Lucy was never injured. A little fairy had the gall to come and find us." The more Minerva thought about Gray, the more she despised him.
Once she was done with Lucy, the ice mage was next on her list. A burning sensation enveloped her wrist as she thought of harming Lucy, and she gritted her teeth. This tattoo was going to be the death of her; the vision of their prophetic moment flashing through her mind.
"Just follow my lead, Gajeel. Don't say a word about anything that has happened today, not to one person." Minerva quickly led them all back to the dingy patient room.
Sting and Gray were silent as she walked in, looking at her with wide eyes. Gray's upper chest and arms were bandaged, he had some nasty rug burns. But it wasn't her fault that he chose to strip in the middle of battle, what kind of idiot was he? They both seemed like lost puppies. "Gajeel and Sting, you can leave now. Make sure you get the word out about next week."
Even with this big accident today, the fight club would still resume it's activities. Gajeel nodded and handed Lucy over to Gray, taking his leave with Sting. Lamy began to weep over their absence, excusing herself from the room. Her heavy sobs, echoed in the silent hallway. Minerva was extremely displeased with her performance today. She deserved to cry.
Blue eyes hardened, becoming void with emotion at Minerva's presence. Gray coddled Lucy to his chest, looking over her features with worry. "I thought you said she was-"
"She is. She just fell asleep while waiting for me to come back. Now make sure she gets home safely."
Gray cursed under his breath and stopped next to Minerva. Their shoulders were practically touching and the room's temperature dropping significantly. "I can't wait until Lucy knows how evil you are, " the most lethal venom dripped from his voice. He shoved her out of his way, kicking the door closed behind him.
Minerva was alone, the silence of the room drowning her. His words had stung her, punctured her heart severely. She didn't know what the feeling was, but the emotional pain was insurmountable. She wasn't evil, was she? Minerva bit her lip to repress the tears that were threatening to fall. What stopped her was the thought of Jiemma. He could do so much worse than the puny ice mage.
With a deep breath, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Right now she had to worry about getting home before curfew.
By the time Minerva got home, the moon was beginning to crest over the horizon; peaking it's shiny balded-head over the skyline. So far she had dropped her bike off at Sting's home and had made the long trek to her own home on her own two feet. It was a couple miles from where she lived, but leaving the bike at her best friend's house was a step in the right direction. There was no way she could get caught today. It was almost midnight.
Looking ahead, her antiquated home stood as a flower in a dirt field. Her father constantly was renovating and updating the house's features. Which meant she had to find another way in every time she stayed out too late, which wasn't often. It was just her luck that he had gotten a new security system about a week ago. Jiemma never would have bought the technology, but he needed a way to assure that she wouldn't try to escape.
Minerva grinned at the thought. No one, not even her father could keep her locked up.
She stood with her hands on her waist, sizing the quaint house up. Her dad's car sat in the driveway and there were security cameras hovering above the garage. The only thing that had changed from when she left this morning was the absence of dew on their front lawn. Minerva frowned, nothing had particularly stood out of place.
Instead of some risky procedure, she decided she would crawl through her window. This was her usual method of sneaking in, but caution was always necessary. Even for something so basic.
With a couple steps back and a great leap forward, she vaulted over her the gate leading to the backyard. Minerva used her hands to push off of the gate. Last time she touched it, the alarm was set off but not this time. Internally she applauded herself, all those gymnastics classes Jiemma forced her to take finally worth the time. She landed on her feet, immediately pressing her back up against the shingled wall.
There were still cameras back here. But these ones surveyed their grand, olympic-sized swimming pool. Her father absolutely despised the rowdy teens that tried to take an evening dive. Or one who took a skinny dip… That was an absolutely horrible day. Jiemma accidentally blew up their previous pool with his maddening anger.
Sucking in, she kept her body pressed into the wall, slowly moving along it until she stood under her window. Looking up, she could see that it stood open. Her silken curtains lightly kissing the window sill. That was odd, Minerva had sworn that she closed it before she left this morning.
Closing her eyes, she imagined being up at the window sill. A small surge of magic filled her entire body and her hands grasped the edge of the window. She was so happy that she had teleported successfully, but a large tanned hand grabbed her own. In a single moment, she was yanked through the window and thrown to the floor. As she was pulled through, her side had hit the ledge. Minerva cried out, mostly in distress than in pain.
Fuck, she thought. "Where were you?" That low voice was filled with danger. Minerva looked up and met her father's gaze. She wished it was a burglar. She wasn't capable of killing her own father.
His eyes narrowed and he lifted his hand. "Don't make me repeat myself."
Minerva scrambled to get up to her feet, her heart beating too quickly. She had never gotten caught. "I was with Sting." She managed to speak in a cool tone. It usually worked when she lied.
Even with her tall stature, Jiemma stood heads above her. His presence was darkened, the light absent from his features. Minerva wished she could run away, just as it did. "You're leaving some details out."
He wouldn't be mad if she was at Lamy's but he couldn't know about her other activities in
the night. "We went to Lamy's place, with Gajeel."
Jiemma scoffed, his eyes burning with rage as his hand marred her cheek. Minerva was an idiot to think she could deceive him. "Do you take me for a fool?"
Her face felt raw and burned, tears briskly approaching the edge of her lashes. She didn't dare look at him again, lowering her head in shame. Minerva's cheek stinging and pulsating as a stray tear slipped from her eye, burning a trail down her face.
That same calloused hand lifted her chin up. Jiemma looked at her with hollow eyes and yet his words were soft. "Pathetic. It only took one hit this time. I thought you were stronger Minerva."
Delicately he wiped the tear away, his fingers bruisingly gripping her chin. Her eyes still hadn't met his and he frowned. "Look at me when I speak to you." Anger was always underlying in his words, no matter how gentle he was.
She complied, her lip quivering with fear; she was looking into the eyes of the devil. "Now tell me, Minerva…" His hand softly pet her hair, treating her like a broken doll. "Who's name is on your wrist."
With the smallest movement, she shook her head. Minerva was completely at a loss of words, how did he know? His hand trailed down from her chin to her neck, those hardened fingers lightly skimming her throat. "I don't even know who they are…" Minerva breathed out, fear digging into her skin.
The hand of the devil clasped around her throat, his nails digging into the soft skin. Minerva's breath was completely taken away. Grasping onto her father's hand. Jiemma's eyes filled with the beginnings of insanity as he continued to grip her throat. "You're not the daughter I've raised. When did you protect pansy fairies?"
He sneered with disgust, his hand flaring a dark and violent purple. Her throat erupted with blistering pain, the struggle to breath worsening. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she clawed against her father's arm. "I… don't…" She scrambled to get out. To feel a release.
She had beaten Gray to the curb but that was just to show him a lesson. And Lucy was different, she was unlike anyone she had ever met before. But Jiemma knew about everything, he always seemed to know. This wasn't any good for her upcoming plans.
Jiemma's eyes flashed with sympathy for only a brief moment and he released her. Minerva fell to the floor, a sniveling pile of utter failure. Jiemma didn't look at her as he left, "You have training in a couple hours. Get your act together before then or you will face greater consequences." The man was stone, his words holding truth.
The door slammed shut and Minerva curled in on herself. She allowed all of her neglected emotions in, the barrier of apathy coming down. Rejection, failure, disappointment, the list could go on. These flooded her at an unbearable force and she wept, the tears never ending.
Her whole body wretched with insurmountable pain, everything crashing down on her. Gray's words violating her mind. She wasn't good, but she wasn't evil. Everyone had to take a side, right? How come she couldn't follow her father's orders? Why hadn't she murdered Lucy yet? Questions like this had bounced around her mind, her body quaking with despair.
The more she dwelled on her thoughts, the more they consumed her. Overwhelming feelings and emotions at play within her body. And Minerva was trapped. She sobbed until she couldn't, the tremors subsiding as her energy was lost.
Minerva would take care of her wound and duties later, the chasms of sleep taking her in.
Lucy woke up with a startle, her dreams a distorted flashback of what occurred only a couple hours ago. She was in her own bed, the pink comforter tucked in at her sides. Lucy threw the covers off of herself, only one thing on her mind -her lacrima phone.
Oh how she wished Minerva had been by her side when she had awakened, but that, sadly, wasn't the reality she lived in. She was sure that the Sabertooth mage returned home safely. Minerva was just too capable.
Scrounging through the items in her school bag, she couldn't find the damned device anywhere. Lucy picked every piece of her room apart in the search for it, but it was no luck. She huffed and plopped down on her bed, the previous hours relaying through her head. The ride with Minerva had been fun but her little "club" was a shock… And then there was her battle with that insane and fiery red head.
At the thought, Lucy frantically looked over her body for any injuries. Her wrists weren't burned and her stomach…
Lifting her night shirt, there wasn't a scratch. And no blemishes on her skin to signify that she had been injured. Weird, she thought. She distinctly remembered the pain she had suffered not too long ago, but nothing, not one thing to confirm it. Maybe it had been a nightmare after all.
Her bedside table rattled, the piece of furniture chattering. It was her pink lacrima phone! Picking the gadget up, there was an incoming call from Gray. She pressed down on the red button, sighing.
When she scrolled through her notifications, she had many messages and missed calls. Most
of them being from her current problem, Gray. She really felt so bad for the guy, he was one of her best friends after all. She wished that he would get the hint already. No matter how Lucy explained to him she wasn't interested anymore. At this point it was a matter of his stubbornness or that he really didn't understand, she doubted the ladder choice.
The rest were from Natsu, Yukino, and… Minerva. She grinned at the text, excited for what she could have possibly sent her.
She left her phone open on the message as she got ready. Lucy was giddy and filled with a newfound energy, there was no way she could decline Minerva.
Minerva: Last night didn't go as I expected and I'm sure you weren't impressed either. Would you be willing to let me take you out again?
She was so sure that today was going to be much better. That was until there was a timid knock at the door. The person she had least wanted to see standing behind that door.
It feels good to finally have somewhat of an update schedule! I worked on this baby for nanowrimo. Even if I didn't write much for this story, I did get a couple chapter on the backburner. I will (try) to update every other Friday.
But for story notes, everything will surely get better for Minerva! I couldn't let her be stranded with Jiemma, even for all the other kids in Sabertooth. I hope this won't get darker than necessary... But the next couple chapters will be much more fluffy! I swear (x
Leave a comment if you enjoyed!
~Newg