~CHAPTER 5 - A PROMISE TO REMEMBER~
~LUCY~
"Lucy, how about this one?" Cendi poked a piece of paper that said something about taking out a few thieves. I massaged my sore shoulder and looked it over, nodding to show agreement. Cendi yanked the sheet down and it came off with ease. She skipped over to the register and the man behind the desk logged down our choice. The moment he was done we ran out, both eager to get something done.
"Say, Cendi, how long do you think this'll take us?" I asked, our steady jog not working me up in the slightest. She frowned for a moment, calculating.
"If we don't use your magic, then maybe an hour. If you call your spirits out, then maybe around fourty-five minutes. I'm including the trip there and back." She finally answered. I grinned.
"No magic, then."
"Aye!" She responded happily and we both laughed.
I'd been living with Cendi for the past month, and now I didn't know what I would do without her. She reminded me of what I couldn't remember, but not it the nagging, I-must-remember kind of way. Her presence calmed the turmoil in my mind, finally giving me a break from the pain flashes and snippet attacks. We'd grown extremely close, so close that the people in the village called us sisters.
Even though she couldn't use magic, Cendi could hold her own against four or five men with ease. Her agility and strength was impressive, and after I gave her a few of Capricorn's pointers she became deadly. We made a solid team, completing most jobs with ease. Villagers who had a problem with a person or a beast came to us first, knowing full well that we would deal with it on the spot. Her drawing skills were unmatched, and on the rare occasion that I had a dream about my memories, she would sketch them out for me. My slowly growing collection included the frames I saw in my memories, as well as outlines of people I felt like I should know.
We found the thieves in record time, and that was entirely their fault. They decided that the best way to avoid capture was to come out and flirt with us. Although they put up a decent fight, all three of them bit the dust in under twenty minutes of light sparring.
"Pathetic." Cendi scoffed, brushing dust off of her shorts. The thieves groaned as one and I rolled my eyes.
"You don't say." I pulled out a length of magic binding rope and rounded the trio up. Cendi joined me at the tail of the rope and we tugged the thieves back to the village. The mayor greeted us with his usual proud smile, several thousand Jewels as our reward, and a ticket for a free meal. We accepted it all with thanks and set off for this time's restaurant, a little place we both loved that had no official name. We called it the Corner, since the restaurant took up a street corner, but the rest of the town had its own name for the place. The owner, an elderly lady who we all called grandma, met us at the door.
"Another ticket today, girls?" She asked sweetly. I smiled and handed her the slip. She barely glanced at it before waving at a window booth that she reserved for us and we sat down while a mute waitress who we knew as Nuena came up with a fruit smoothie for me and orange juice for Cendi.
"Thanks, Nuena." I took a delicious sip and sight, leaning back into the seat. Nuena smiled and cupped her ear in a 'tell me' gesture.
"It was too easy. The bastards came out to flirt and we knocked them out." Cendi summed up our job. Nuena clapped her hands and gave us an enthusiastic thumbs up before running back to the kitchen. We didn't bother to look through the menus – we knew the things front to back.
"What are you thinking of getting today?" I asked, leaning on the table. Cendi tapped her chin.
"I'm thinking some chicken breast with a light salad and a big apple pie for the finish." She said slowly. "Or maybe—"
An eerie scream cut her off and we both shot up, staring around in alarm. Another scream pierced the sudden silence and people began to panic, running out of the restaurant in a mass of flailing limbs and tangled clothes. A bullet shattered the glass at our window and I ducked just in time to avoid a head shot.
"Lucy!" Cendi screamed as I tumbled into a roll.
"I'm fine!" I shouted back and crouched behind the booth, using the seat for cover. A couple more shots rang out, but none came close to us. Beckoning to Cendi, I crept out of the broken window and froze when I saw the chaos on the street.
People with magic guns were marching in from the surrounding hills, effectively trapping the villagers in a deadly circle. Screams rang out, full of pain and fear. A few were cut short, but the ones that lasted burrowed deep into my mind and replayed without mercy. Cendi recovered first and grabbed my hand as she bolted towards the eerie sounds. I woke from my stupor and pulled ahead of her, pushing my legs in a flat-out sprint. We dodged bullets as we ran towards the center square, ducking behind any available cover. A few stupid wanderers decided to attack us and we took them out with ease, my whips staying on my hips and Cendi's little daggers tucked away in their holders. I didn't dare summon any spirits, not when I could manage by myself. We skidded around the last bend to find most of the villagers packed in the center square, cornered from all sides by armed men. As I watched, triggers were pulled and shots were fired, the bullets cutting into flesh. Screams slapped my ears in an explosion, but I was frozen to the spot, unable to do anything. It felt like a curse that had me trapped in paralysis. The last few stragglers fell and the attackers surged forward with shouts of glee, their greedy fingers reaching for the fallen. Ready to rob the innocent of not only life, but also of any remaining possessions and dignity. I gripped Cendi's hand and we rushed forwards with twin screams of rage, neither using our weapons. Our bodies and anger were more than enough. The attackers fell with pathetic ease and within minutes we were surrounded by more fallen bodies, these ones guilty of murder. As much as I would've liked to end their miserable little existences, I wasn't a killer – they were merely knocked out. I couldn't bring myself to end a life. I stood panting in the remains of the massacre when Cendi screamed, a single, impossibly high note that made my heart freeze. I spun around to find a sword protruding from her stomach, her attacker standing behind her with a mad grin as he slid his sword out and Cendi crumpled to the ground. One solid punch and he was out, but Cendi was injured. Fatally injured.
"CENDI!" The scream was ripped from me and my legs crumbled under me, sending me crashing down by her side. Tear blurred my vision, but I could still see something weird. The edges of her body were disintegrating into pale sparks, each one drifting up and fading. She sat up and her hair began to vanish, but her eyes stayed alive as ever. Understanding flashed through them like a swarm of little fish.
"Lucy, I'm sorry. I didn't know I wasn't real." She said gently, cupping her hands under my chin. "I never meant to hurt you."
"I know, Cendi. I forgive you." I whispered, my words slurred as I tried to restrain sobs. "I'll always forgive you."
"Take my drawings. Keep them safe for me, please." More of her body was fading and she spoke faster. "Write to me. Tell me all about your future adventures. I'll read your letters, I promise. Pinky promise."
She offered me her pinky and we linked our little fingers right before hers began to fade. "I will."
"One last thing." She threw her arms around my neck in a crushing hug, but her body was almost gone. "Promise me that you'll try to remember. I'm sure that they all miss you." Her last words were mere whispers.
"I promise. I promise that I'll remember, and I never break my promises." I replied in time to see her last smile before she vanished completely. Right as she disappeared, the villager's bodies began to fade as well, leaving me alone in the square. I let loose a scream of grief as the second wave of attackers poured over the hills. A snarl curled my lips and my whips slapped the ground, harsh cracks echoing through the alleys.
Time for punishment.
~WENDY~
A month into the season and I was beginning to believe Gajeel over everyone else, even Master. They all told me that it would go smoothly, that Lisanna would keep Natsu under control, and only Gajeel and Levy didn't believe a word of it. Yesterday, a fight between Natsu and Gray quickly lost control and half the of the guild hall exploded. Lisanna stepped in to try and calm him down, with no success whatsoever. In the end it was Gajeel that slammed his hand into the back of Natsu's neck, knocking him out, but the fire dragon slayer slumped forward and into Lisanna's waiting arms, so everyone seemed to think she'd somehow done it. When Levy protested, the whole guild bore down on her, so the two kept quiet. I, however, was joining their cause.
"Gajeel?" I asked timidly, approaching the sulking shadow that he chose to imitate.
"What you want, squirt?" He snapped back.
"Um, I think you're right." I muttered. Levy's head snapped up at my words and her elbow came in contact with Gajeel's side. He merely grunted in response, getting an exasperated sigh out of Levy.
"I guess I have to apologize for Grumpy here." She said teasingly, jabbing her thumb at the looming dragon slayer. "He's just struggling with the effects of the season."
"Oh, ok. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, squirt. You'll have them same thing in a few – oi!" Gajeel was cut off as Levy slammed her book down on his shoulder.
"Don't be rude." She snapped. An enraged roar drew our attention back to the center of the guild hall where Natsu stood in a mini-crater, very much awake and coated in flames. Gajeel swore and Levy hit him again. The guild immediately rushed to their positions, pushing Lisanna away from Natsu as he truly lost it. I could only stare as his flames rose higher and another deafening roar shook the building.
"Woah…" I trailed off, hypnotized by his display of power. I had no attraction towards him – my attention was already for someone else – but it was impressive nonetheless.
"Shit." Gajeel pulled me and Levy back into the shadows of his corner and we watched the scene play out. After his power demonstration, Natsu attacked the nearest guild member, who happened to be Erza. She stood her ground in her Flame Empress armor, but just barely. The surprise on her face as Natsu's blows pushed her back was suppressed but still evident. A few more members offered their support, but only Gray lasted past three attacks.
"He's not…" Levy muttered worriedly, biting her lip. Gajeel groaned softly.
"The idiots. He's just venting the pressure from keeping himself in check for the whole first month." He growled. My mouth hung open.
"You mean he's just playing with them?" I whispered and Gajeel nodded. I tried to swallow, but my throat had gone dry. This was really, really bad.