Turf Wars Chapter 9- Discord

Sorry that it has been awhile since the last update. School started again and this semester is already killing me even though it's only been a week. So this was a transition chapter because the second half and final half of the story starts after this. Only like 11 chapters left. Anyway, sorry for the future irregular updates, and enjoy the chapter.

…

Elfman shoved an old Saber student into a locker as he and Lisanna walked down the hallway. The halls parted for them to pass, no students, especially Sabers but even Magnola students too, kept away from them. After the incident with Mira and Erza a month ago, fighting had started up again. Not much, but enough to keep up the façade that the students hated each other. Fights were most frequent between the siblings and Natsu and Gajeel. Cobra and Sting would join in a lot of times, Gray and Jet and Droy would pick fights too.

Levy and Lisanna had grown apart after Levy declared that she was done fighting, done hating her new friends. And that only fueled Lisanna's anger more. Her confused feelings for Natsu were burned to fuel her hate. But it wasn't hate toward the students that she felt. And it tore her up every night and no amount of makeup could conceal the dark rings she wore after a month of restless sleep.

"Move," she snapped toward a couple students that stood too close to her and Elfman's lockers. The students scrambled away, fearful looks in their eyes. She shuffled through the mess of papers in the locker, the numerous red marks on them reminding her of her steadily dropping grades. She tried to ignore them and grabbed her books before slamming the locker shut in frustration.

…

"Go ahead, I'll catch up later," Lisanna said, her tone emotionless as she watched Elfman and Sting walk home. She spotted Levy and Lucy walked home together with Wendy running to catch up to them. She watched them leave, her mind in utter chaos as she headed to the gym. Luckily Laxus had a bad habit of forgetting to lock all the gym doors after school so the janitor's door was always open. It led to the supply closet that smelled like bleach and that led to the gym floor.

Lisanna opened the door and walked into the gym. She had just left this place, the gym clothes she still wore proof of it. The silver haired senior headed to one of the smaller rooms that was connected to the gym, the one that contained all the punching bags. She needed to let off steam.

Checking the tape on her knuckles, the teenager took her stance at the punching bag, giving it a couple slow punches to ready herself. She took a deep breath and unleashed a barrage of punches, the bag never having a chance to settle down as it swung, creaking on the bolts that suspended it from the ceiling. Sweet started to bead on the girl's forehead as time went on, her punches slowing down and the force behind them lessening.

Still, the girl kept punching, she arms swinging until she couldn't move them anymore. With one last halfhearted punch the girl let herself lean forward until her forehead rested on the punching bag. Her knuckles hurt and the bandages were tainted with blood and dirt.

A sob escaped the girl as tears starting flowing down her cheeks and dripping to the floor uncontrollably. Lisanna sunk to her knees, falling forward so she leaned on her elbows as she banged her fist on the ground, a little bit of pent up anger still trying to escape. All the while tears flooded the floor as she sobbed.

A shadow moved at the door as its owner walked into the room, toward Lisanna. "Why the tears?" came the voice, startling Lisanna.

Her head shot up, her eyes blotched from the crying, as she stared up at Natsu. "Why are you hear?" she managed to get out. She wiped the tears off with the back of her hands and she sat up.

"Saw you come in here and was curious," the pink haired teen said flatly as he took a seat next to the girl. "So, why are you crying?"

"Why do you care? Aren't you afraid of Erza getting mad at you for not kicking me while I'm down?" Lisanna snapped as she let herself fall forward onto her elbows again.

"I ain't one to kick someone while they're down," he replied calmly. "Why are you crying?"

"Cuz I'm angry," Lisanna yelled, her fist hitting the floor again as she got a second wind. Her tears still falling, but less than before, "I'm pissed." A sob escaped her.

Natsu sat there silently, watching the girl, waiting for her to continue. "I'm pissed at Mira, at Erza, and Levy, at this school, at this stupid rivalry, at Sting and Elf, at you, and my feelings, at the fact that I'm here crying in front of you, at everything," the girl ranted, her first slamming down at every point she said. "I'm frustrated, but mostly I'm pissed at myself, cuz I'm weak and I'm scared. I haven't gotten a good night sleep in over a month, my grades are slipping, I feel like shit," the girl said, her fist pounding and tears still flowing.

"Why are pissed at yourself?" Natsu asked, his voice not quite soft, but not callous either.

Lisanna sobbed again. "I'm pissed that I am too scared of my sister and losing her to go against her. I'm pissed that I lost my best friend because of this stupid rivalry that I don't even give a shit about. I'm pissed, I just am," the girl said, an angry groan escaping her lips.

"I don't know what to tell you," Natsu said slowly. "Gajeel and I don't want to keep this fighting going either, but do we have a choice? Erza is as scary as your sister."

"But she isn't your sister!" Lisanna screamed at Natsu, rising from her position. "She isn't related to you, you probably don't even see her that often. Mira is my sister, my blood, my family, and besides Elf, the only family I got. If I make her angry, I have no home, no one left. Elfman ain't gonna go against her, he's more scared than me!" Lisanna yelled, moving to a cross legged position as she wiped more tears from her eyes and the snot from her nose. "I lost my parents, I don't want to lose my brother and sister too."

Natsu sat there quietly. He didn't know what to say. He knew that she lived with her brother and sister but he didn't know that she lost her parents. Besides, what could he say? No one wanted to keep this fight going, but the only one that was baring the blunt of it was Lisanna. He and Gajeel hadn't seen Erza since last month when she came to school, but she sees her sister almost every day. She has to keep the façade up, to keep her sister happy. She also takes the burden from her brother, knowing that he is too kind to really want to fight. But she is too. She hates fighting, especially this pointless fighting. Natsu looked at Lisanna, her elbows on her legs as she buried her face in her palms.

The boy scooted forward and wrapped his arms around the girl. He felt her stiffen at his touch, but he just wrapped his arms tighter. "We'll think of something. I promise," Natsu said with a grin that Lisanna felt more than saw. She sobbed again as she wrapped her arms around the boys torso and buried her face in his neck. She started crying again, but she didn't feel ashamed, she didn't feel embarrassed, she felt bad that she was getting his shirt soaked with tears and snot but he didn't seem to mind.

The principle turned from the doorway after having watched the whole thing. He had planning to do.