Chapter 33: Macbeth
Dreamer blinked up at the ceiling. Origami dragons hung from strings above her hospital bed. A cool breeze from an open window gave the illusion that they were flying, paper wings fluttering above her. She smiled, knowing Piper and Mira must have made them.
Piper. Mira.
She tried to sit up but grimaced as pain seemed to burn from somewhere untraceable, in her muscles and joints, skin and chest. She was sore, as if she'd just finished a twenty-four-hour training regime with Erza.
"Oh! Carla, she's awake again!" A high voice called out nervously, barely above a whisper.
"You needn't worry, child," a chiding voice responded. "She is still restrained."
Restrained?
She was suddenly aware of tightness around her forearms and ankles.
There was an uncomfortable ache in her chest. It had really been bad enough that she'd needed to be restrained? She wondered what sorts of things she said and did—or tried to do, while lost in the throes of misery and nightmares. She was glad she couldn't remember. However long she'd been in here felt like nothing more than a long, though perhaps restless, nap.
"It's okay." When Dreamer spoke, her voice was hoarse—throat sore as if she'd been screaming all night. "I'm clearheaded." She blinked and waited for her eyes to adjust to the figures sitting across the room from her.
One was a young teen, with dark-blue hair that hung past her waist. She wore a shoulder-less green dress, and had the biggest brown eyes Dreamer might have ever seen. At her side was a Happy-sized white cat, who's expression was anything but happy.
She recognized them as two of the somewhat newer members of the guild. New as in, Wendy Marvell and her cat Carla whom joined Fairy Tail after the battle at Nirvana. Dreamer hadn't interacted with them much, but then again, she'd been a bit preoccupied with someone else who showed up at Fairy Tail just after Nirvana…
Wendy sighed in relief. She'd been wringing her hands in her lap, on edge as she waited for Dreamer's response. Carla crossed her arms, almost as though she didn't believe that Dreamer was clearheaded at all.
"How are you feeling?" Wendy stood up and walked to the side of the bed. Genuine concern shone in her brown eyes.
"I hurt," she answered honestly.
"Oh no!" Wendy's lip trembled. "I can try to relieve some more of the pain if you'd like." She held up her hands in preparation to cast a spell.
"You will do no such thing!" Carla's demanding voice cut her off. "You've already expelled enough of your magical energy on her today."
Wendy looked uncertainly between the cat and Dreamer. Her desire to help was almost tangible.
Dreamer smiled gently at her. "It's okay. It's bearable."
The blue-haired girl didn't look convinced, but she glanced at Carla once more and then gave a slight nod. She dropped her hands and clasped them back together in front of her.
"If it's okay," Dreamer continued, wincing slightly, "could I have the restraints removed?" She felt the need to adjust her posture, to move some of the stiff, aching muscles in her back.
"Yes, of course!" Wendy immediately set to untying the leather straps that bound her down to the hospital bed. Carla watched in disapproval, little paws crossed over her arms. Once the restraints were removed, Dreamer managed to sit up and lean against the pillow with a heavy sigh.
She felt raw skin and scabs stinging on her arms and sides. She'd likely scratched at herself in a wild fit, which was the reason they had to tie her down. Shame added another layer of pain to her body. "I'm truly sorry you have to see me like this…" She'd cry, but her eyelids felt raw too, tear ducts empty from overexertion.
"It's okay!" Wendy quickly got her a glass of water and straw. "It's… a little bit scary, but… really I just want you to get better."
"Hmph." The white cat narrowed her eyes and watched as Wendy helped Dreamer drink. "Let her apologize. If she were more responsible with her magic, this entire situation could have been contained."
Dreamer pulled away from the straw and looked down at the bed sheet. She knew Carla was right. She glanced back up at Wendy.
"How is everyone? Syllest?"
"I think Juvia is watching her," the girl answered. She fretted around Dreamer, making sure the water cup was within reach, that her sheet wasn't falling off the bed, her eyes darting from Dreamer's scratches, to the pillows supporting her, to the open window—as if she were questioning whether she should treat some of the wounds, fluff a pillow, or close the window.
"Juvia?" Dreamer blinked. She tried to imagine the water-wizard with Syllest but couldn't picture it at all. Plus, why on earthland was Juvia watching her? It seemed like a completely random combination. She was about to ask, but Wendy started to speak.
"She's worried about you, but we haven't let her come in," she added the last part quickly.
Dreamer nodded in approval. "Good." She tried to stretch the aching muscles in her arms. Even small movements were difficult. It would take some time before she had full mobility again. "And Piper? Jezran and Mira?"
"They come in to visit you a lot!" Her small face lit up in a warm smile, made brighter by the morning sunlight filtering in through the blinds. "And they bring presents almost every day." She stepped to the side, revealing a pile stacked to the ceiling of wrapped boxes and a random assortment of treats. Dreamer sweatdropped. "And it's not just them," she continued. "A lot of other Fairy Tail members have come to check on you too. Erza, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, the Thunder Tribe. Nab, Macao and Wakaba. Levy, Kinana…There are so many people who care about you."
She felt a flush touch her cheeks. "R-Really?" She hadn't expected that. That many people had come to visit? It was surprising that so many people even knew she was sick. Geez, it was surprising that many people even knew her. Most could hardly remember her name on a good day.
She'd never been at the guild hall when she was going through one of her episodes. She was always on the Excalibur Estate, locked up and out of sight. She'd never had any idea that so many of her guildmates cared.
"Fairy Tail is really amazing, isn't it?" Wendy said, in awe. Dreamer caught Carla huff and look away, out of the corner of her eye.
She had to agree. Fairy Tail was something special. The selfless kindness of its members was surreal. She closed her eyes and exhaled a long breath as she thought of all their grinning faces. While she was imagining their smiles, a certain smirk crossed her mind.
She swallowed dryly, the flush never leaving her cheeks. "Um… What about…" She wasn't sure why she was suddenly having difficulty finding words. "Have I had any other visitors?"
Wendy cocked her head slightly, not catching on at all.
"No." Carla answered this time. "That assassin hasn't bothered to pay you a visit even once." Her tone was blunt and unforgiving.
Dreamer felt disappointment gather in her stomach. She didn't know what she'd been expecting anyway. Midnight paying her a visit of his own volition? Checking in on her? That was about as likely as Porlyusica saying she loved humans.
"You're better off for it, if you ask me," the cat continued. "Your choice to indulge in the company of that monster is foolish, to say the least."
"Carla!" The girl snapped at her cat and shot Dreamer an apologetic glance.
"Someone has to say it," Carla said, completely unyielding. Her tail was swishing in frustration, causing the ribbon tied to it to loosen slightly. Her pure irritation might be enough to flick the bow to the ground. "By bringing that man into the guild, you've put everyone in danger, including Wendy. That is unacceptable. And if you truly cared about all of your friends as you claim," she gestured at the pile of gifts, "then you would not have put them in danger by bringing a member of the Oracion Seis, of all things! —into our home!"
Dreamer's fingers gathered a handful of the sheet into her palms. She trembled slightly, guilt adding insult to injury.
"Carla, that's enough!"
"Child, you know very well what that man is capable of! You were there on Nirvana as well. Don't placate the woman!"
"I'm not!" Wendy stepped in between Dreamer and Carla, arms outstretched defensively as she faced the white cat. "You're not being fair, Carla!"
The cat's eyes widened, surprised at the young woman standing up to her. Her tail stopped swishing immediately.
"I know Midnight used to be bad, but think about everything he's done since he's been in our guild!" Her tone was passionate. "You didn't even tell her about how he and Piper saved Love and Lucky from disbandment!"
Dreamer blinked. Midnight and Piper what? Was she dreaming? Was someone pulling a prank on her? What version of reality was this?
"One good deed does not make up for a lifetime of misdeeds," Carla argued.
"People can change, Carla!" Dreamer could hear the tears catching in her throat. "If Dreamer believes in him, then… I do too! In fact, most of the guild believes in him now, too! So… It's not fair for you to yell at her like that! Please, I know you're worried about me, but don't take it out on other people!"
Carla's eyes softened, some guilt painting her expression. She sighed and lowered her arms, an ear twitching. "…I suppose you are right, child."
Dreamer watched the exchange in awe. Wendy dropped her arms and wiped tears out of her eyes. She looked back at Dreamer with a smile.
"Wendy…" She looked her over. Long blue hair—an innocent face and eyes that showed all the hope in the universe. The faith in this girl's face was powerful enough that it could probably soften the hearts of killers. "I'm envious of you."
"Me?" She blinked, stunned.
"Yeah." She gave a smile in response. "You're so sweet… You can change people's hearts without using magic. The power and hope you have inside of you is real, unlike my charm magic…" She sighed. "It's so fake, the way I manipulate people's feelings. I'm just a fraud."
"That's not true at all!" Wendy took her hands in her own. "You really do make people happy! What about all your friends? They love you because you're you, not because you trick them into caring for you. I think you're a really beautiful person, Dreamer!"
Dreamer gasped slightly, caught in the sincerity of wide brown eyes, and then stifled a giggle. "You see? You're doing it right now."
Wendy blushed. She was about to respond when the door creaked open. Three sets of eyes glanced in that direction.
There was a dull pain in Dreamer's chest as her lungs took in a quick gasp of air.
It was Midnight.
He was in more laid-back attire than usual. No oversized, fur lined coats or scarves, or elbow-length gloves. He wore black jeans, a long-sleeved black and red striped shirt overlaid with a gray halter. A black choker above the dream catcher pendant. His make-up was as dark and thick as always, but there were no beads or braids in his hair, and it looked as though he hadn't straightened it. It was curlier than she'd expected.
His red eyes found hers. His face was carefully guarded, as usual—totally void of expression or reaction. Carla folded her arms and glared at him.
"Shouldn't you be dusting railings?" She snapped, harshly.
"Shouldn't you be choking on a furball?" He said back, casually.
"Well, I never!" Her paws curled into angry fists, eliciting a slight smirk from him.
"Carla!" Wendy scooped the cat up and held her close against her chest. "You're being so grumpy today!"
Dreamer righted herself a bit more on the bed. "Wendy… Carla…. Why don't you guys take a break for a little while?"
"And leave you alone with the assassin?!" Carla said. "I think not!"
Midnight said nothing to persuade or dissuade the choice. He leaned unconcernedly against the door frame, waiting.
"Hey, kitty!" A voice called into the room from the hall. "Quit being so uptight. You can leave the door open and I'll keep an ear out to make sure things don't get out of hand in there."
It was Gajeel.
"Carla, please…" Wendy squeezed her. The cat huffed and wiggled out of her arms. Her wings sprouted and she flew from the room, still showing her clear dislike of the situation. She didn't pass up the opportunity to scowl at Midnight as she flew over his shoulder.
"We'll be back soon," Wendy assured Dreamer. "If you need anything—"
"I'll call," she promised.
The girl nodded with a smile and followed after her pet cat. She left the door cracked open behind Midnight.
"Hey," the iron-slayer called in again, "keep it G-rated in there. There's some things I ain't interested in hearing."
Midnight smirked, which contributed to Dreamer blushing from ear to ear.
"It's not like that!" She yelled in response.
"Whatever you say, Debra."
She sighed and shook her head, losing all energy to argue. An awkward silence settled in the room. Midnight made no effort to come any closer. He stood with his arms crossed, eyes fixated on her.
"You look absolutely pitiful," he said finally—his tone condescending.
"Thanks. That's just what every girl wants to hear." She smiled at him, somehow relaxed by the cruel banter.
He continued to look her over, unashamedly. He paused only for a moment, to glance at the pile of gifts by the window. He made a face at the unnecessary extravagance, then settled his gaze back on Dreamer. She felt exposed under his stare.
"Is it true that you've been working with Piper?" She asked, desperate for anything to fill the space. His silent staring was making her self-conscious.
Nothing.
"Wendy told me you guys saved Love and Lucky from being disbanded? What's that about? That couldn't have been you, right?"
Still nothing.
She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and shuffled a bit deeper into the pillows. She sighed and averted her gaze from his unbreaking stare.
"Why are you here if you don't want to talk?"
Finally, he unfolded his arms and placed his hands on his hips.
"You must have a death wish."
"What?" She blinked uncomprehendingly. Her eyes followed him as he walked in and pulled a chair to sit on. He sat casually, crossing his legs and leaning forward to continue with that penetrating stare.
"Or at least, that's what I thought before." He cocked his head slightly. His smirk was victorious. "But I think I have you figured out now, sweet Dream." The mockery drawled along his light tone.
"Oh?" She fidgeted and covered more of herself up with the sheet, as if to protect herself from those eyes.
"It's not that you want to die," his voice dropped to almost a whisper. "You like to suffer. You enjoy tormenting yourself, almost as much as I enjoy watching you squirm."
"Mavis, stop being so creepy for five minutes," she rolled over, turning her back to him. She could feel him leaning closer to her.
"It's true," he said, quietly. "Pulling me from the wreckage of Nirvana, removing my nightmares and the nightmares of that boy, pushing yourself until you broke…" He was nearly growling. "You're punishing yourself."
She tensed. "I don't know what you're talking about."
She heard the chair squeak as he leaned back. "You feel responsible for Resmond killing your sister. You feel like you deserve to suffer because you couldn't save her. And no matter how hard you push yourself or how much pain you endure, it's never enough, because it won't make up for the fact that she's gone, and there's nothing you can do about it."
His words sliced through her like a blade. An unwarranted sob wracked her body. She wept into the blanket, her already sore body shaking painfully.
"What do you want from me?!" She yelled hoarsely. "Did you just come here to make fun of me?! Go away!" His teasing was one thing, but this? Mentioning Rosy, bringing up him and what he did, what he took from her… This was cruel.
There were a few minutes of silence as she cried. Every sob made sharp waves of pain sting her chest, but she couldn't stop. Memories of Rosy's smiling face flashed through her mind. Memories of her big sister rocking a sleeping baby in her arms, talking about her dreams of moving to an island and raising Syllestra in the sand. Of course, you can live with us too, Dreamer! Her big sister, who'd raised her, who'd loved her in place of the parents she couldn't remember. Memories of her beautiful eyes, so full of joy and trust, love and hope, and peace.
Memories of her bloodied body, slumped on the living room floor.
"No." Midnight said finally, his word pulling her briefly to reality. "I came to tell you that I understand."
She blinked through tears. He what?
There was another period of silence. She could hear only her own heartbeat.
"When you brought me here, I thought you were a fake fairy insect who'd never felt pain." His voice began to tremble. Her shoulders tensed as she listened to the child inside of him coming to the surface, as it did on occasion. "Now I know… You might still be a fairy insect, but you do know suffering. You're real."
"Midnight…" She finally rolled back over to face him. His head was turned, eyes carefully avoiding hers. He dipped his head so that dual-colored hair would hide his eyes as the tears gathered. It wasn't long enough to hide his trembling lips, however.
"You're searching for freedom too." This was a whisper. A revelation.
For an indescribable moment, they cried in silence together.
"Thank you…" She wiped her eyes with her knuckles. "For empathizing with me."
He scowled bitterly. When he lifted his head, and opened his eyes, they were dead-set with determination. He met hers again, the red in his gaze flashing with bloodlust. He gripped the fitted sheet of the hospital bed and leaned close to her again. "I'm going to kill Resmond, slowly. I'll make him suffer the worst nightmare he can imagine, and I'll squeeze the life out of him as painfully as I can. He'll suffer a thousand times the fate of your sister, drowning in his own blood, screaming her name. He'll beg for death, and I won't grant it to him, not until I've extracted every ounce of agony and played it into the night like the sweetest lullaby! His screams will echo in an endless nightmare—they'll chase him to the depths of hell!"
The ravenous excitement in his voice startled her. What exactly had happened since she'd been unconscious? She didn't know whether to be touched by his passionate desire to avenge her sister, or terrified.
"H-Hey…" She reached out and touched the back of his hand. "Calm down." She wished she could use her magic as she looked into his eyes, but she was still too weak. She prayed he would hear her voice instead.
Amazingly, he did. He closed his eyes and breathed out a slow breath. When he opened them, he had regained complete composure, all traces of wild sadism gone. A smirk flittered on his lips. "Do you regret bringing me to your guild yet?"
She smiled weakly at him. "Every day."
This answer seemed to satisfy him. He chuckled, eyes gleaming with amusement. Then gently removed her hand from the back of his and stood up. "Get better," he ordered.
"You…" she thought of the fiery passion in his voice as he talked about putting an end to her pain. She thought of how certain she'd been that he wouldn't dream of coming to check on her. Now, here he was, ordering her to get well. "You really do care, don't you?" Peculiar warmth filled her chest.
"No," he turned his back on her. "I'm bored. It's no fun wandering around this pathetic guild hall without a Dream to torture."
She laughed, which came out as a horrendously girly giggle. "Thank you for coming to see me, Midnight. It really made me happy. More than you know."
He scoffed and headed for the door. "Making you happy is the last thing I care about."
There was a snort from outside the door.
She couldn't stop smiling as she settled back into her bed. He paused at the doorframe, still turned away from her.
"Dreamer," he said quietly.
"What is it, Midnight?"
"Call me Macbeth from now on."
Her heart skipped a beat. "A-Are you sure?"
He walked out the door.
Gajeel was sitting against the opposite wall of the hallway, grinning. "Call me Macbeth," he mocked Midnight's voice as the dark mage walked past him. "Bet you think you're so cool."
Midnight shoved his hands in his pockets and kept walking. But the collar of Gajeel's shirt tightened harshly around his neck without warning. Undaunted, the iron dragon slayer just laughed.
"That's it?" Gajeel called after him. "I thought I was about to hear a good show! I brought popcorn and everything. You could have at least made out with her!"
Gajeel's own fist collided with his jaw. Midnight's finger twitched.
"Make me hit myself again and I'm gonna shove a metal rod through your teeth!"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You wanna fight? Come use your hands like a man!"
"My, my, Gajeel. If you want me to touch you, you could just ask."
"Gihi…" Their voices began to fade. "Hey, do I get to call you Macbeth now, too? Or is Donald the only special one?"
Dreamer overheard the conversation through the open door and pulled her sheet over her head, cheeks burning.
Stop grinning like an idiot… she thought to herself. Don't forget his monologue about making someone suffer a horrific death.
No, not someone. Resmond did not qualify as a human being.
"Macbeth…" she said his name out loud, feeling it flow off her tongue, remembering when he'd threatened her into using his pseudonym. Something had changed since then. Something that made her feel feverishly hot and giggly.
She sort of hoped Wendy and Carla would come back soon to check her temperature.
A/N: Cheezy, I'm amused at how badly you want that Piper filler. xD Unfortunately, I had planned for it to be released as one of the post-fic fluff chapters, since it really has no place in the story-line, and it's written entirely from first-person Piper's point of view. It would be really out of place if I just threw it in randomly somewhere. As for Syllestra learning the truth about her relationship with Dreamer... Well, I can't tell you all of my secrets, can I? ;)
Simana, actually, I do write my own original stories. I have one that is being edited for publishing, believe it or not. I took a break from it temporarily to work on this fic, because I wanted to see what total strangers thought of my writing abilities before I tried to push something out into the world.
Development Section
Alright, I've done the development of Team Derelict Heart as well as Syllestra. I'm not going to talk about Resmond for now. You know all you need to know about him for the time being. I will say that he's potentially the most difficult villain I have ever created.
It's easier to talk about his henchmen, Giseld and Jacque. Creating opponents in this story was irritating. I really wanted to utilize characters from the anime if at all possible. (I'm leery about filling the story with so many OC's that the original characters become irrelevant). But that just wasn't feasible with Resmond's underlings, in part because the cast of small-time villains to choose from in the anime, that are around before Tenrou island, is a small pool to choose from; and I can't tear a villain away from whatever guild or person they already have fealty toward. So, I had to create Resmond's henchmen from scratch. Jacque was easy. Lowest tier coward villain who only serves Resmond to stay alive. Giseld, on the other hand, was a bit tougher. It wasn't hard to create an "obsessive girlfriend of the villain" type, it was her magic that was giving me hang ups. I was cautious about using snake magic because dammit there's enough of that to go around in anime. It's not unique or exciting. But, first off, I couldn't get the image of Midnight lifting his pant leg to reveal a hooker boot with snake fangs in it out of my head, and second, it makes her the ideal opponent for... someone else, later on.
There is only one more major OC I will introduce in this fic, and that OC is also one of Resmond's underlings. I'm eager to introduce that one, because I am as proud as the development of them as I am of Piper, tbh. Hopefully that OC will make an impact on you as well.
But for now, enjoy the story! You're due for a filler in a couple of chapters! Let me know your thoughts on everything so far, and thank you for your continued support!