Hey guys! Here's another chapter! I really hope you like it! I'm gonna try and go off of episode 31.
When word got out that I had healed in under a week, there were red flags raised everywhere. A lot of mages in our guild had thought that I was simply that advanced with magic, but the mages that truly knew me personally had known something was up since I walked into the guild with a bright smile. After that, I started to distance myself from the guild, trying to wait until the heat died down. I took small job requests from the board, keeping myself busy and earning money to pay off rent on my apartment. I came back home with some groceries, putting them away until I heard a crash in my living room. I found myself almost at a loss of words once I saw Gajeel in my apartment.
"Gajeel? What the hell are you doing here?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Your guild is fucking insane." He grumbled.
We sat in my apartment together, conversing after I made Gajeel and I some tea. I felt like I had gotten to know Gajeel a little more whenever he stopped by my apartment. Of course, he was 'ordered' to keep an eye on me by our master, but sometimes I think he had other intentions when he came to visit.
"So what? You're here because you want me to come to the guild? I wonder if they're done with the construction by now." I folded my arms.
"They're not done yet. It's almost completely rebuilt though." Gajeel replied.
Gajeel shifted on my couch and gave me a more serious look.
"Your master's been a little concerned with your behavior as of late. He just wants you to drop by the guild, see how you're doing and stuff like that." Gajeel informed me.
"I mean...it's not like I've been avoiding everyone- -"
"Actually you have." Gajeel smirked.
"Okay, listen, I've just been waiting for the right time, for the heat to die down, you know?" I stammered.
"Why? Because of that whole healing in a week fiasco? Yeah, heard about that, thought it was funny to be honest." Gajeel snickered. "How did you heal so fast? If you don't mind me askin', red."
"I know a guy that gave me something extremely rare. The side effects included sleeping a lot so that my body recovered. It only lasts a week. By then, my entire body was healed." I replied. "And stop calling me red."
Gajeel's smirk faded away and he finally got up from my couch, putting down the cup of tea I had given him.
"Listen, if you're going to report to Makarov about all of this, that's all I'm going to say to you. I'm not giving you the identity of who gave me those pills. I would be betraying his trust. He's a really good friend of mine." I told Gajeel.
Gajeel nodded and walked towards the window, ready to jump out.
"Well you better make sure you stop by the guild or else I'll be bringing you back there, red. Your master was bein' serious. He doesn't want you to be divided from the guild." Gajeel warned me.
I sighed, but nodded anyway, waving off Gajeel as he left my apartment. I looked down and noticed my usual outfit was dirty, so I grabbed a new pair of clothes and hopped into the shower. After getting out of the shower, I used fire dragon slayer magic to dry myself instantly, almost laughing at my reflection once I saw how frizzy my hair was. I brushed my crazy long hair out, getting out the tangles before putting it into a braid. I grabbed some shorts and a tank top that matched before putting on one of my sweatshirts that zipped up, only zipping it half-way before I inspected myself in the mirror one more time and left for the guild.
"FIGHT ME, ICE PRINCESS!" Natsu shouted.
"WOULD YOU BACK OFF, FLAME-BREATH?!" Gray punched Natsu.
"Ember! You're back! Could you please stop these two from fighting? It's driving me insane." Lucy nearly whined.
"Not a problem. Let's see if I can channel my inner Erza." I joked.
I approached Natsu and Gray, grabbing the both of them by their hair, and yanking them both away until they were several feet from each other.
"Now. If I see you two fighting again, I won't be responsible for my actions." I smiled tensley.
Gray and Natsu looked at me in surprise and fear, nodding their heads frantically when they saw the deadly look on my face.
"Aye sir!" They replied in unison.
I went over to the bar, enjoying the sunshine as I watched everyone else work on rebuilding the guild hall.
"Thanks for doing that." Lucy smiled. "So where have you been? Mira told me you went on several missions."
"She was correct. I just got back early this morning. I had to get money for my rent so I went on some S-Class missions. They pay a hefty penny." I replied.
"My rent! I almost forgot about that!" Lucy cried.
"I already paid for your rent this morning. You should be good for another month or so." I told her.
Lucy stopped panicking, looking at me in complete surprise once she realized that she had heard me correctly.
"You what? But how- -" She grew flustered.
"I'm sorry if you're upset with me...I just...wanted to apologize somehow." I sighed.
"Apologize for what?" She asked.
"For when you asked me that question about my magic. I just felt guilty that all of that occurred after you asked and...I wanted to do something nice..." I blushed.
Lucy gave me a small smile and pulled me in for a hug.
"I was never mad about that, in fact, I actually felt guilty because you and Natsu fought. Thank you, but you don't have to pay my rent to apologize okay?" She assured me.
"Of course. I'm just not good with words and it's been a long time since I've interacted with people so...I apologize." I bowed my head.
"Ember! It's fine!" Lucy laughed. "Well now that I have money I can save, how about we get some lunch? My treat."
"Yeah, sounds good." I chuckled.
I glanced over at Loke, noticing that he was flirting with his usual group of hot fangirls. I was instantly reminded of the first time we both met.
FLASH!
I stood at the train station and arrived just outside of Magnolia. According to Sorcerer Weekly, Fairy Tail had a new member. I was barely able to make it out of the train without feeling immense guilt. I grew nervous instantly, afraid to even consider going back to Fairy Tail, I knew that I wasn't ready and I also knew that the time wasn't right yet. Mentally, I wasn't prepared to see everyone again, and until I had an excuse to return, I would remain alone.
"Hey there, beautiful."
I nearly jumped out of my skin and screamed as I got prepared to fight off whoever stood right behind me.
"Whoa! Relax! I just saw you looking like you were ready to have a heart attack! Are you scared of trains or something?" The guy asked.
I turned around and then laughed at the irony of it all. It was the man from Sorcerer Weekly: Loke.
"Ummm...are you sure you're okay?" He looked confused and concerned.
"I'm sorry...I'm just...this is such a weird coincidence. I actually came back to Magnolia just to meet you. You piqued my interest." I calmed down.
His eyes narrowed at me, making me shift uncomfortably on my feet. I followed his gaze, realizing that he was staring at my Fairy Tail mark which was on my left breast, it was barely visible because my shirt mostly covered a great portion of it.
"You...you're apart of the guild?" His eyes widened. "Who are you exactly?" He became defensive.
"I'm Ember Scarlet- -"
"Damn...you really have the family resemblance. You must be Erza's sister right?" He relaxed a little.
"Yeah. It's nice to meet you Mr.- -"
"Just call me Loke." His flirtatious grin returned.
"Would you stop cutting me off?!" I snapped.
"Sorry, I have that habit sometimes. It just happens whenever I talk to a beautiful woman." Loke wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Now why would you come all the way here just to meet me?"
"I wanted to meet you in person to see if Makarov didn't lose his marbles yet." I blushed. "You seem like a good mage with good character, so I'll just be leaving now." I stammered.
I turned around and made a move to walk away, but Loke quickly grabbed my wrist to stop me from leaving.
"Now hold on just a second. Why are you in such a rush?"
"Well...I haven't really bee- -"
"Been to Magnolia for years? I've heard the tales. Well instead of just bolting before I can really get to know you, how about you come on a mission with me? I was just about to board the train. I'll pay for your ticket." He gave me a genuine smile.
"Um...sure." I blushed a deeper shade of red.
"Great! Let's get going!" He grinned.
FLASH!
Oh Loke...
"Actually Lucy...would it be okay if we got lunch some other time?"
Lucy's smile disappeared in almost an instant when she saw the saddened look on my face.
"Yeah, sure. If that's what you want." Lucy muttered. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah...I'm fine."
It had been mostly a week since I had spoken to Lucy after that, or anyone else really. I felt a new spark of determination flare within me that day. I didn't want Leo to disappear, so I would just have to work harder.
It can't be that hard right?
And so, for the past few days, I had been researching and found more sources about Celesital Spirits, and Celesital Mages, everything that had to do with celestial magic really. Sometimes I spent all of my nights reading books instead of getting more sleep. I glanced over at Loke from the picnic table I was currently at, trying to blink away the tears at the thought of him dying. What had me so worked up over Leo was the fact that I thought he was innocent in all of this, that he didn't deserve to die. I slammed my book on the table in frustration, unsure of what my next move should be. I wanted to tell someone, anyone, about Leo's predicament, but I knew it was the last thing he wanted and I tried to respect his wishes.
I can't even think right now! This is pointless!
I shut my eyes tightly and willed the tears to go away.
But Leo...I have to do something for him. He's running out of time.
The more I was reminded of Leo's situation, the more determined I became.
I can't give up. I must keep trying.
I tried looking for a loophole, for any possible solution for Leo. Based off of his situation, it was incredibly hard to see any possibility of him returning to the Celestial Spirit Realm. It was a surprise that Leo had lasted so long, but considering he was king of the zodiac, it also was not surprising.
He was a powerful spirit, but like the lion he is, he's too prideful to ask for help.
"Excuse me, ladies." Loke separated from his group of fangirls.
"Ember."
I continued to read, turning the page and scanning my eyes over more words that were imprinted on each page.
"Ember."
As I read, I grew more frantic, more desperate.
I can't fail! I just can't- -
"HEY!"
A fist pounded on the table, and I jumped in my seat, accidentally dropping my book in the process. I kept shaking and tried to recollect my thoughts, because at the moment, I couldn't even think of a response.
"What's gotten into you?" Loke gave me a look of concern.
I kept trying to think of something to say, anything really, because I was now starting to get looks of worry from the other members.
"I- -uh...I...I'm..."
"Is everything okay, Ember?" Mira came over in a hurry.
"I...I'm- -"
"What's going on with you?" Loke put his hands on my shoulders.
"Huh?" I blinked in confusion.
"Jeez...you've got bags under your eyes. When was the last time you slept, god damn it?!" Loke grew angry.
JUST SAY SOMETHING!
As attention was now being drawn to us, Mira gently grabbed my chin to get a look at my face and gasped at the sight of me.
"Oh dear." Mira muttered.
"I'm...I'm fine." I finally formed words.
"Damn Ember...you look like shit." Gray looked completely worried. "Loke's right, when was the last time you slept?"
God...where's Natsu when you need to create a distraction?
"What's going on?" Erza came over.
Oh for fuck's sake...
"Ember hasn't been sleeping, god knows when she's eaten either." Loke grumbled.
Erza's eyes widened at my appearance and she immediately became concerned. I felt terrible almost instantly, but I wasn't sorry for trying to find a solution for Loke's problem.
"Ember. What have you been doing? Why haven't you been taking care of yourself?" Erza's voice wavered.
"I was just...I'm fine." I tried to assure them.
"I'll be right back with some food. I can hear your stomach growling." Mira grew serious.
"I'm fine, you don't gotta do that." I said.
"I'll be right back." Mira repeated before leaving.
Loke's gaze fell to the books that were currently gathered around me. His eyes widened when he glanced at some of the titles of the books, finally realizing what I'd been trying to do as of late.
"Why do you have so many books about celestial spirits and magic?" Gray asked.
Gray picked up one of the books I'd been reading, and inspected the content by skimming through the book, trying to find answers towards my behavior.
"I- -I was just doing research." I said.
I massaged my temple for a minute, feeling a headache forming.
I just needed to think, then maybe, I would be fine.
"When was the last time you slept or ate anything?" Erza nearly shouted.
"...I don't know." I mumbled.
"You don't know?!"
"Shut up...I need to think..." I held my head.
"Think about what?! Another lie to tell me? Trying to reassure me that you're alright when it's clear that you're not?!" Erza snapped.
"JUST SHUT UP!" I screamed at her.
Erza was stunned that I just yelled at her in such a way, and was at a loss for words. I stopped when I saw the look on her face, feeling guilt almost instantly, but before I can apologize, Loke cut in after getting fed up with my behavior.
"Erza's right, Ember! Don't go yelling at her! She's concerned about you and she has every right to be! You're not a kid anymore! You need to be more responsible!" Loke glared at me. "You can't keep doing this! You need to take care of yourself!"
"I just need to think..." I mumbled.
"THINK ABOUT WHAT?" Loke grabbed me by my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. "I bet the reason you can't think is because you haven't slept in who knows how long!"
Before I could even reply, Mira came back with a sandwich and set it in front of me.
"Here you go, eat up." Mira told me.
Erza, Gray, Mira, and Loke sat down at my table and all continued to stare at me as they waited. I kept glancing back at the plate in front of me, and the books beside me.
"Can I save it for later?" I asked.
"If you don't eat this sandwich, I swear I'll shove it down your throat." Loke nearly growled.
Jeez...he even growls like a lion.
"But I'm not hungry..." I sighed deeply.
Before I could blink, Loke's face was an inch from mine. I was almost scared of Leo, for I had never seen him look so angry before.
"Eat. the. sandwich." Loke spoke lowly.
I could feel myself shaking as I picked up the sandwich and started eating it. I hated turkey, but at the moment, I didn't care, I was a little more afraid of Leo.
"I'm sorry that I gave you turkey, I know you don't like it, but it's all we had." Mira smiled.
"I guess I'll have to keep an eye on you from now on. If you're going to act like a child, I'll have no choice but to treat you as one." Erza said.
I did feel a little better...I guess all I needed was something to eat.
"That's not necessary. I'm fine now." I told her.
"Oh no, clearly you're not fine. You obviously haven't been taking care of yourself. I bet this is the first time you've had something to eat in days. I'll be watching you closely."
"Erza. It was just a slip up...I'm fine now." I argued. "Whenever I get wrapped up in something, it's hard to keep track of time. It won't happen again, I promise."
"You're damn right it won't happen again. I'm going to watch over you and make sure it doesn't happen again."
I sighed in frustration and looked to Gray for help, but he looked just as angry as Erza was.
"Sorry to break it to you, but I'm with Erza on this one." Gray folded his arms.
I picked up my books and started walking away, feeling extremely annoyed and irritated at the moment.
"I don't need help. I'll be fine." I grumbled.
"Just like how you were fine a few minutes ago?" Gray sarcastically asked.
"Oh shut up, you stripper." I glared at him. "I won't let it happen again, I've just been frantic lately because of- -"
I froze in my spot and shut up instantly. Loke grew tense as I almost slipped up, knowing that he wanted the fact that he's a spirit a secret.
"Because of what?" Gray raised an eyebrow. "Does it have something to do with all those books on celestial spirits and magic?"
Shit...I should probably just go.
"Answer him, Ember." Erza glared at me.
"I'll talk to you later. After I've taken a nap..." I said quickly.
"Hey! We're not done here!" Gray stood up from his seat, ready to go after me.
Loke beat Gray to the chase and got up from his seat as well.
"I'll talk to her." Loke said.
I kept trying to put some distance between me and the guild hall. I didn't want Leo's secret out, not like this at least.
I can't believe I almost slipped up like that. Talk about embarrassing.
"Hey!" Leo called out to me.
I picked up the pace and ignored Leo, the last thing I wanted was another lecture.
"WOULD YOU SLOW DOWN?!" He yelled.
Leo ran over and caught up to me with his speed. I screamed from being so startled and dropped all my books.
"Hey! Would you just stop for a second?! You're outside of town for crying out loud! Were you even looking where you were going?!" Leo snapped.
I then realized I was in the forest.
Whoops...
"I...I definitely meant to come over here." I lied.
"Sure you did." Leo lowered his voice.
"I'm sorry..." My voice wavered.
Leo looked surprised to hear an apology from me.
"I just...I've been trying to do everything in my power to find a way to help you." I could feel the tears strolling down my face. "I didn't care about food, I didn't care about sleep. Time is running out and knowing that you're going to die any day now...I'm so scared."
Leo moved quickly, and for a second, I thought he was actually going to attack me, or yell at me for being so stupid. Instead, I was being pulled into an unexpected hug. I quickly returned the hug and kept clutching Leo's jacket in a tight grip, almost as if he was my lifeline.
"You...you idiot." Leo's voice cracked. "Don't go worrying about me now. I told you that I'll be okay...I wanted to enjoy the time I have left."
I finally had enough with that garbage and pushed Leo away from me, glaring at him through my tear filled eyes.
"I'm not ready to let you go!" I yelled at him.
"Ember- -" Leo reached out for me.
"You're one of my best friends! You've shown me nothing but kindness! Ever since I met you, you've been nothing but nice to me! You've helped me come out of my shell! You were part of the reason I even returned to Fairy Tail in the first place! Besides wanting to see my family again, I really wanted to see you again."
"Ember...I had no idea you felt this way." Leo walked over to me.
I could feel my face heat up as he gave me one of his sincere smiles.
"I care about you too, so very much...but there's nothing I can do about this. You have to let this go. Sometimes...there's nothing that can be done. Things just happen...this is one of those things that's just inevitable."
"You want me to stand by and act like nothing is wrong?!" I glared at him.
"I've come to terms with the fact that I'm going to die...in fact, I might even be at peace with all of this. I just want to enjoy what time I have on this world."
I continued to stare at Leo in disbelief.
"I've held out for this long...it was good run. At least I got to be apart of an awesome guild like Fairy Tail...at least I got to meet you." Leo smiled.
"I don't believe you." I said.
Leo's smile faltered as he gave me a look of confusion.
"There's always a way...so don't give me that bullshit. I thought that being at Fairy Tail would have taught you that you should never lose hope. I...I can't believe you're just gonna give up without a fight."
Leo's smile faded away, as he looked down at his feet. I gathered up my books and started making my way back to my apartment.
"You may be ready to give up, but I'm not. I'll see you later."
I didn't look back at Leo, but I could tell that he was probably shocked.
Erza and Gray never kept their eyes off of me when they decided to bring me along with them for a mission at Fort Term. I didn't even know the details of our mission, but it involved kicking some ass, so I was up for it considering I wanted to take out some of my anger. It gave me a chance to get to know Lucy some more and that made me just a little happy as well.
"Damn these guys don't put up much of a fight." Natsu commented.
"So who did these guys steal from? Little kids?" Gray mocked.
"Don't act like this is over!" One of the theives grumbled. "You'll be sorry just you wait!"
"Our master will make you pay for this!" Another one groaned.
"Oh we beat up that jerk a while ago." Happy grinned.
"All finished upstairs." Erza came back over to us, looking pleased with herself.
"Sweet! Nice work, Erza!" Lucy smiled.
I punched another guy in the face hard enough to send him crashing into an ally of his. Both of the men whimpered with pain as they couldn't move to get up and just stayed down.
"Done." I mumbled.
This is almost boring. You would think that these guys would put up some kind of challenge. I'd rather be on another S-Class mission.
"Good job!" Lucy grinned at me.
Lucy's smile was slightly contagious, and I found it incredibly hard not to return a smile.
"Thanks." I cracked a small smile.
Another thief started trying to flee the scene, and Erza made sure that he didn't.
"Get back here!" She yelled.
She kicked the guy really hard and had her foot crushing his back as she pinned him down to the floor.
"Unfortunately, it seems that you haven't learned your lesson." Erza grumbled.
One of Lucy's celestial spirits began making a commotion, something about Lucy teaching him a lesson, and so she sent him back to the celestial world before he could finish his sentence.
"And away you go!" Lucy said hurriedly.
After leaving the castle, we all sighed in disappointment as we walked together.
"I was really hoping they'd be more of a challenge." Erza said.
"AW! I WANNA FIGHT SOME MORE!" Natsu whined.
"I know how you feel, but save it for the next job." Gray told him.
"Those guys were just pathetic..." I folded my arms.
"Look at this gem I got! Pretty cool don't yah think?" Happy showed Lucy a small gem.
"Stealing from thieves is still stealing!" Lucy snapped.
I froze when I saw Loke standing a few feet away from us.
What the hell is he doing here?
"Hey isn't that Loke over there?" Happy pointed out.
Everyone else looked over at Loke as well. We all went over, but I stood behind Natsu and the others as I watched Loke at distance.
I was still pretty angry at him.
"What's up guys?" Loke asked.
"Just beating bad guys and being awesome." Natsu replied nonchalantly.
"Same old, same old." Loke smiled faintly.
When Loke noticed Lucy, he grew stiff and jumped away at the very sight of her, like she was the ugliest bitch in all of Fiore. I knew it was because of his sore spot with Celestial Wizards, but this was just ridiculous because of the kind person that Lucy was.
"Hey! I'm glad we ran into you! Thanks so much for- -" Lucy started.
"Sorry gotta hit the road! SO LONG!" Loke ran away.
Loke was gone before any of us had a say in it, but Lucy refused to let it go, finally snapping.
"What is that guy's problem?!" Lucy grew angry.
"I don't know what you did, but you really freak him out." Gray said.
"Yeah, he avoids you like the plague." Natsu added.
"It's not my fault he's crazy!" Lucy yelled angrily.
I came over, ready to go home and hoping to go do some more research.
"Let's just go home. There's nothing more to do here." I spoke up.
"Hey, I was just thinking, since we finished our job early for once, what do you say we stop by a spa and take it easy?" Lucy suggested.
"Lucy." Erza looked to her.
"Uh yes ma'am?" Lucy flinched.
Gray looked terrfied, ready to hear Erza yell at her for suggesting such a thing, but she did the opposite instead.
"I think that's a fine idea." She smiled.
Gray and Lucy relaxed from her response.
"Ready to get going then?" I asked.
After arriving to the spa, I headed for our room, leaving Lucy and Erza as they headed over to the baths. I decided to catch up on some sleep which probably lasted ten minutes, because it wasn't long before Natsu, Happy, and Gray came in making a lot of noise.
"Thanks for waking me up." I grumbled.
"What's up with you?" Natsu gave me a look. "Why didn't you go with Erza and Lucy to the baths?"
"Didn't feel like it...I already took a bath earlier anyway. Didn't see a point in getting wet again." I shrugged.
"Have you eaten yet?" Gray asked.
"Nah...don't wanna..." I yawned.
"Well you're gonna. Let's go get some chow before we get ready for bed." Gray told me.
"You go on ahead, I'm just gonna go back to sleep...or try to at least." I laid back down.
Before I knew what was coming, I felt myself being lifted into the air. Natsu picked me up and held me in his arms, bridal style.
"I could hear your stomach from across the room you idiot. We're going to get something to eat whether you wanna or not." Natsu grumbled.
"P- -put me down!" I blushed.
"If I do will you behave?" Natsu smirked.
My god Natsu, I could have interpreted that in so many ways...
"Whatever!" I grew flustered.
I got out of Natsu's hold and smoothed out my robe as I landed on the floor on my feet.
"Let's just go..." I sighed in defeat.
Natsu only stuck his tongue out at me before following me out the door, with Gray tagging along with us.
"So what's up with you lately? Gray and Erza told me that you haven't been eating or sleeping. And that you've been obsessed with reading all the time." Natsu asked.
"It's nothing...I'm over it." I lied.
"Doesn't sound like you're over whatever this is. Obviously we still need to remind you to eat and you still seem exhausted." Gray pointed out.
"Aye." Happy joined in.
"I was just doing some research. That's all...I got wrapped up in it and lost track of time."
"I can tell that you're lying." Natsu told me. "You're not telling us everything."
"W- - what?" I stammered.
"Your nose wrinkles up when you lie sometimes." Gray said. "It's kinda cute though." He smirked.
"Oh shut your trap!" I snapped.
"There's no need to be so shy about it." Happy teased.
"I'm gonna be having grilled cat tonight if you don't shut up." I grumbled.
"Aye, sir!" Happy sweated profusely and shut up quickly.
When we finally got to the restaurant, I picked out something small to eat, something that I would be able to stomach. Natsu and Gray made sure that I ate as they had some dinner themselves. After finishing our food, we made it back to the room, thankfully, in one piece.
"Let's get this party started!" Natsu grinned.
"Aye!" Happy held a pillow.
"Oh come on! I'm trying to sleep here! Why don't you take your party outside?" Gray whined.
"For once, I'm with stripper boy over here." I smirked at Gray.
"Oh shut it." Gray playfully glared at me.
"It's a sleepover! You know what that means right?" Natsu bounced excitedly like a child. "You gotta bust out some pillow-foo! Or are yah too scared?!" Natsu taunted Gray.
"Of you? Yeah right..." Gray rolled his eyes.
Erza and Lucy stepped into the room, all dressed in their robes.
"Hmph. Well my arsenal is equipped with the most powerful pillows."
Oh brother...I'm gonna go knowing where this is headed.
"Most powerful?" Lucy stared at her.
"WHATEVER ERZA! YOU'RE GOING DOWN!" Natsu yelled.
"Grow up you guys..." Gray sighed.
Natsu threw a pillow at full speed at Erza, but after she dodged, it ended up hitting Gray's face smack on.
"YOU'RE IN FOR IT NOW! Oh would yah look at all of these pillows?"
Where the hell did those come from?! They weren't there before!
"Lucy. You might wanna run." I grabbed her hand and pulled her along with me.
"What why? It seems like fun!" Lucy smiled.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." I smirked.
"What?" Lucy's smile faltered.
Before Lucy could blink, she was hit with a pillow so hard that it knocked her out of the room. I helped Lucy onto her feet and we both left in a rush.
"I told you to run." I laughed.
"Well I didn't know what you meant by that!" Lucy snapped.
"What did you think I meant?"
"Oh whatever!" Lucy huffed and folded her arms.
"So Lucy...how are you liking it at the guild? You haven't been here long right?" I calmed down.
Lucy and I continued walking throughout the town. It seemed calm and quiet when there weren't people around.
"I love it at Fairy Tail. I have Natsu to thank really...he's the one who brought me there." Lucy smiled as she thought about the fond memory.
"I'm sorry if they all seem a bit...overwhelming at times. But they mean well..." I said.
"I know they do." Lucy sighed. "But it doesn't matter, I feel at home now." Lucy grinned. "You guys feel so much like family to me already."
"Good. I'm glad you like the guild." I smiled.
"So I heard from the others that you haven't been eating or sleeping lately. Is everything alright?" Lucy brought up.
I sighed as we slowed our walking.
"I'm tired of lying Lucy..." I mumbled. "I'm sick of pretending everything's alright."
"You can tell me anything, Ember. I won't tell the others."
"Well...it's about celestial spirits...it's about Lok- -"
"Aw, yo! What up girls?" A guy interrupted me.
"That outfit looks great on the both of you." Another guy said.
We both turned around to see two creepy guys behind us. One kept shaking his head almost uncontrollably, the other looked like some weird gangster.
"Let's have a funky good time, yo!"
"You guys can't be for real!" Lucy looked at them in disbelief. "Sorry, but I'm hanging out with my friend tonight."
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The one time I'm about to tell the truth, these asshole's go and interrupt!
"Aw! Now don't play me like that, yo!" The thuggy looking guy said.
"We're not interested." I said through clenched teeth.
"There's no need to be shy!" The shaky guy grabbed my hands.
"You're really pushing it, huh?" Lucy whined as the other guy grabbed her shoulders.
"I swear to god, you're asking for an asskicking- -"
My eyes widened as I froze.
I couldn't move...
I looked over to Lucy, she looked scared and appeared to be having the same problem.
"L...Lucyyyy..." I felt my entire body go numb.
Shit! These guys are wizards!
"Oh don't worry baby, we're gonna have a great time!" Shaky guy grinned and pulled me closer towards him.
LET ME GO YOU CREEP!
"It's gonna be a funky party, yo!"
In a flash, shaky guy was flying the other direction.
"Oh that was whack, yo!" The other guy whined.
Another flash of green and orange was seen before the other guy was taken down.
It was Leo!
"You're not hurt are you?" Loke smiled at us.
When Loke realized he had also saved Lucy, he began hiding again.
"I'm really sorry..." He mumbled.
"For what?!" Lucy asked.
"These two are renegade wizards. They've targeting female tourists who walk alone. I was after their bounty, so you actually helped me out." Loke came out from hiding and attempted to be nice towards Lucy. "Anyway, I better turn them in before they decide to wake up."
Loke grabbed the two assholes by their shirts and proceeded to drag them away.
"So you basically just used us? Thanks a lot..." I grumbled.
Leo ignored me and continued on his way.
"Hold on a sec!" Lucy stopped Leo.
"What is it?" Leo stopped.
"Thanks for saving us from those guys. And for getting my gate keys back to me." Lucy smiled at him.
"No prob, it's nothing really." Loke returned her smile.
Oh now he's nice to her?
"Hey...how about we all go out together?" Lucy suggested.
I blushed as I realized how that sounded.
"I'm not into that, Lucy, but I'll see you later. I'm gonna head back. See you later, Loke." I began walking away.
"Not like that!" Lucy blushed.
"I'm still gonna get going, later guys." I waved at them as I walked back to spa/hotel.
After getting back home to Magnolia, I could tell instantly that Lucy was still pissed about Leo, knowing that whatever he did or said to her probably set her off. She wouldn't tell me what happened, but I knew this tactic. Leo was only trying to get her to stay away from him, he wanted to prevent Lucy from really being friends with him. It wouldn't work though, just like it didn't work on me. Meanwhile, Natsu and Gray kept fighting about that stupid pillow fight from the night at the spa. They were both hurt and kept arguing about who won.
It was annoying really.
"BUT I WON THE PILLOW FIGHT! Right Lucy?!" Natsu and Gray argued.
Lucy turned around with a deadly and serious look her face.
"Put a sock in it." She spoke lowly.
Natsu and Gray looked terrified of Lucy, she almost seemed as scary as Erza at the moment.
"We're sorry, we'll be quiet now." They whimpered.
"Wow, I thought Erza was the only one who could keep those two in check." Mira commented.
"She's a real man." Elfman added.
"What's wrong? You seem like you're in a bad mood." I asked Lucy.
"Deal with it. I'm always like this." She ate her lunch. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now." She sighed.
"You can always talk to me."
"No thanks...I'll pass." She mumbled.
"It's Loke isn't it?" I asked. "What did he do this time?"
Lucy's eyes widened and she blushed at the mere mention of Loke.
"N- -nothing!" She insisted.
"He tried doing something stupid because he didn't want me to get close to him either." I said.
Lucy fell silent and continued to listen.
"Don't take it personally. He's afraid to have any sort of relationship with anyone. Especially because of his situation." I mumbled softly.
Before Lucy could respond, a couple of Loke's fangirls were making a commotion about how Loke broke up with all them, complaining to Mira that he stood them all up. I grew frantic right away.
"Ember, what's wrong?" Lucy put her hand on top of mine. "You're shaking."
Loke's always here, but why isn't he here now? He never breaks up with his flings... Is his time almost up?
"You remember back at the spa...when I tried telling you something?" I started shaking.
"Yeah..."
Come on Ember...just tell her about Leo's situation! She's a celestial wizard! She has to know something! Anything!
I worked up the courage to finally confess to Lucy about Loke's situation. I didn't care if he got angry, but at least he'd be alive later. Currently, that's all I cared about.
"It was about- -"
"HELP ME LUCY!" Mira cried.
"Is this the tramp he's marrying?!"
"She dresses like a bimbo!"
"He's marrying her?!"
"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DRAG ME INTO THIS MIRRAAA?!" Lucy ran off.
I froze as the girls looked at me next.
"OH! It's gotta be her! He likes this piece of trash doesn't he?!"
I turned to glare at the fangirls, throwing my drink to the floor as I got up from my seat.
"Because of you dumb bitches I'm back at square one! I was SO CLOSE to finally admitting the truth and you just have to fucking ruin it by being petty wenches over one guy! Find another guy that doesn't date four fucking women at once why don't you?! YOU HAVE YOUR ENTIRE LIVES TO FIND SOMEONE SPECIAL!" I exploded.
People around us froze as they stared at me like I had suddenly grown three heads. I was a sight to behold right now. I would have laughed if I could see myelf right now too, but this exact moment wasn't the time for jokes.
"AND CALL ME TRASH AGAIN AND I'LL TEAR OFF YOUR FAKE ASS BOOBS!" I screeched at them.
The fangirls slowly backed away from me and finally I began making my exit.
Hours later, I managed to calm down. I hadn't seen Lucy, since earlier today, and finding Leo would be near impossible if he didn't want to be found. I kept reading my book again among my pile of other books before hearing Erza scream at something. At first I thought she was yelling at me for reading and I put my book down quickly and took a bite out of my sandwich that Mira had gotten for me.
"Loke quit Fairy Tail?!" Erza stood up and looked at Mira in disbelief.
I froze and stood at the front door of the guild in shock.
Shit...it's time. I gotta find Leo, and fast.
"Go get Lucy! We have to find him!" Erza told Gray.
"You got it!" Gray nodded and ran out while bumping into me.
"Ember...are you okay?" Natsu came over. "You're crying."
I put my shaking hand over my cheek and realized that I was crying.
"I'm fine...just shocked at the news is all."
"You're lying...do you know something?" Natsu grabbed my hand before I could leave.
"I have to go...I have to find him." I tried yanking my hand from his grasp.
"What aren't you telling us?" Natsu questioned me.
"Natsu, question me later, but you have to let me go! I don't want to hurt you!" I grew anxious.
Natsu looked surprised, but hesitantly let me leave.
"I better get an explanation from you later. Promise me." Natsu looked at me desperately.
Natsu held out his pinky finger and gave me a sad smile.
FLASH!
"Come on, Natsu! You, me, and Ember are all married now! You gotta kiss us!" Lisanna whined.
"I DON'T WANNA!"
"Um...Lisanna...isn't a boy only allowed to marry one girl?" I spoke timidly.
"Well I'm getting married to Natsu first! But if something happens to me, then you're married to Natsu!" She grinned.
"WHAT?!" Natsu cried.
"But why would something happen to you?" I grew worried.
"Just in case, silly! You gotta be prepared! Who's gonna take care of Happy and Natsu if I'm not around?" Lisanna laughed at my behavior.
Lisanna sure can be weird sometimes...
"Natsu! Pinky promise! You'll be married to Ember should anything happen to your beautiful wife Lisanna!" Lisanna got in Natsu's face.
"But why?! I don't wanna get married!" Natsu yelled.
"PINKY PROMISE!" She snapped.
"Alright fine!" Natsu grumbled.
"Now give Ember the pinky promise!" Lisanna ordered.
"Fine!" He frowned.
Natsu held out his pinky finger and in seconds our pinky fingers were both intertwined.
FLASH!
"Promise." I gave him a warm smile and interlocked my pinky with his.
After running around Magnolia in a rush, I fell to my knees gasping for air.
Where could he have gone?! THINK!
Karen Lilica...she meant a lot to him, she died because she didn't listen to Leo. She holds a lot of painful memories for him.
He has to be at her grave! It's the last place I can think of!
I stood up on my aching feet again and ran towards Karen Lilica's grave. Sure enough, as soon as I got there, I saw Leo standing at her grave. I stood back when I saw Lucy already talking to him. She must have finally figured it out that he's a celestial spirit.
"LEO!" I ran towards him.
"I can't believe it...that's what Ember has been trying to tell me this entire time..." Lucy mumbled.
I finally caught up to Lucy and Leo. Leo seemed surprised that I had shown up along with Lucy. Lucy was growing more desperate as was I.
"Hold on there's gotta be some way that I can help you! I can summon your gate right?!" Lucy asked. "Tell me why you can't go back to the spirit world!"
"Tell her the truth, Leo." I glared at him. "She deserves to know!"
"You don't need to save me." Leo sighed and turned back to Karen's grave.
"If you don't get help soon, you're as good as dead!" Lucy told him.
"LEO!" I snapped. "Lucy can help you! I know she can!"
"I...I broke a fundamental law that applies to both the wizard and spirit. And as result I was banished from the spirit world for all eternity." Leo confessed.
"Just what did you do?" Lucy mumbled softly.
"I can't deny my crime. So I have no choice, but to face punishment. I'm a disgrace to my own kind. I was contracted to Karen, but she died because I killed her."
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! I tried following the episode and I had so much fun writing this! I loved Leo, so yeah...maybe he'll get together with Ember, maybe not. I'm sorry if you guys didn't like Ember so much in this chapter, I'll try to improve with her character development! I'm too lazy to go back and make changes now!
