Author's notes - hey everyone! I'm really excited to keep this story going and I have some really good ideas for it, and I hope I can include them all. I go back to school this month, luckily for me it's my last year of high school. Best year of school my ass.
Anyway, here's the next chapter. Leave reviews please!
The aroma of freshly cooked bacon filled Gray's senses early in the morning, as it usually did. Lyon was getting ready to leave for work, which meant Gray had time to kill in order to avoid his adoptive sibling.
His stomach growled in protest, but Gray pushed his hunger to the back of his mind and threw the covers off his body. He lay there for a moment before crawling out of bed and walking to his dresser, grabbing clean clothes and walking out of his room, straight across the hall, into the bathroom.
Gray stripped his remaining clothing articles and got in the shower, letting the cold water wash over his body. He tried to not remember the events of yesterday, other than the facts that the fridge was now stocked with beer and he'd gotten his paycheck.
Tensions in the house were high like they normally were when Gray and Lyon were in the same room. The two always seemed to have something to fight over, whether it be something stupid-like who got the last slice of Ultear's apple pie-or something serious-leaving Ultear alone for more time than necessary.
Both Gray and Lyon swore that they would stay with Ultear. That she was safe, that she was happy, and had everything she would ever need. So, the duo had found jobs and had enough money to keep their former guardian's house-Ultear's childhood home. They worked as many shifts as they could, selling things that weren't a necessity, and only spent money on the house, food, and bills, occasionally the vehicles when it was needed.
They always had enough to get by.
He'd thought about leaving multiple times. He had a steady job, he could easily keep enough money to pay rent at an apartment and have enough to buy food, but the only thing would be how he would cook for himself. Gray wasn't a very good cook, and he definitely didn't want to burn anything to the ground anytime soon.
Promise me you'll keep her safe! Gray could remember hearing the straining in her voice, how she was fighting back a scream of pain.
What was he thinking?
Gray shut off the water and pushed the curtain aside, grabbing the towel to dry himself off. Once he was dry enough, he pulled on his clothes-his work uniform. He wore a light blue button up shirt tucked into black pants, his pendant hidden by the light colored fabric covering his chest.
Upon being dressed and brushing his teeth, Gray walked into the kitchen, where Ultear stood at the sink with her back to him.
"Morning Ultear." He greeted as he plopped down at the table, dumping a large helping of bacon onto his plate.
"Good morning Gray." She spun around and beamed at him. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Yeah," he lied through a mouthful of toast, scooping scrambled eggs onto his plate.
"That's good. How long will you be gone today?"
Gray glanced at the clock on the wall, finding it only being twenty till six. "I should be back by five."
"I'll have dinner ready for you then." She smiled and patted a navy colored lunch box. "I made sure to pack your lunch with your favorites."
"You're a lifesaver, Ultear."
She laughed and sat to Gray's right. Soon, her laughed faded, as did the smile on her lips. "Gray, I'm sorry about last night. I thought that if Lyon knew you saved people, he'd-"
"It's fine, Ultear. But now you owe me those cookies I was supposedly out getting ingredients for." He smirked at her and she began laughing.
"Okay, I can do that." The doorbell rang and she popped up. "I'll get it, eat your breakfast."
Gray took another bite of toast and reached for his glass of water when he heard Ultear speak.
"G-Gray!" She called out, her voice shaky.
He sprang up from the table, all but running to Ultear's side.
"Ultear." He whispered, pushing the smaller girl behind him, shielding her from the door. "Go to your room."
"But Gray-"
"Go."
Ultear moved behind him and disappeared into the kitchen. Slowly, Gray moved forward, his hand lingering on the pocket knife he had on him. He peered through the hole in the door and saw a man standing on their porch with his arms behind his back. There was something unusual about this man.
He wore the camouflage that an army man would wear.
"What the hell?" He muttered before opening the door. "Can I help you with something?"
"Good morning, sir. Might you be the young man who saved the bank yesterday? Fullbuster, I think was his name?"
"Yeah. Who are you?"
"Sergeant Macao Conbolt. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fullbuster." He extended his hand to Gray.
"Call me Gray, Sergeant." He clasped the man's hand and gave it a firm shake. "What can I do for you?"
"Ah, it's more what you can do for me and my comrades. May I come in, Gray?" The man's eyes were an unusually dark color, but yet they seemed welcoming to Gray. His hair was a strange shade of blue black, and he had stubble growing over his chin and cheeks.
Gray pushed the door open wider, letting the Sergeant in. He led the man into the kitchen, where Ultear stood with a frying pan in her hands, ready to strike someone if needed.
"Ultear, this is Sergeant Macao, would you get him a cup of coffee?"
Immediately Ultear brought the frying pan down to her side. "Of course. How do you take it, Sergeant?"
"Black is fine." Macao turned his attention to Gray. "Do you know why I'm here today?"
"No sir." He lied, hoping Ultear would leave as soon as she handed over the coffee.
"Well, I was sent here by General Dreyar to find you." Macao began, eyeing the food on the table. "Do you mind if I steal a bite?"
"Help yourself." Ultear called over her shoulder as she reached on her tip toes to grab a coffee mug on a high shelf.
Macao dumped eggs on the plate in front of him-the plate that would've been Ultear's-and reached for the bacon.
"Shoot." Ultear muttered, walking to the pantry and grabbing a small step stool, placing it in front of the cabinet
"Why were you sent after me?"
"Well, you see, we're being deployed to a place by the name of Magnolia soon, so we came back here to look for more troops. Word had gotten to us about the ordeal at the bank yesterday, and well, Gray, that took a lot of bravery and courage, what you did. We told the General, my partner and I, and well, we all agreed."
'Don't say it.'
"Gray Fullbuster, we would like to recruit you in the army."
The sound of porcelain shattering followed Macao's words, drawing both men's attention to the girl who was beginning to shake behind them.
"I'm sorry, but I can't." Gray said, walking to the pantry and grabbing a broom and dustpan. He set the items against the countertop and took Ultear by the shoulders, taking her to the seat he occupied moments before.
"But just think of how much potential you have! You would be a great comrade, Gray. You could reach my ranking in a matter of a couple years I would say."
Gray knelt in front of Ultear, trying to calm his adoptive sister down. "I can't leave my sister. If I go, she has no one, and I made a promise to keep her safe."
"Think of all the people you would save if you served alongside us."
"I promised her mother I would keep her safe. The woman who gave her life to protect her, myself, and our adoptive brother. I watched her die, and she was like my mother. She took me in, alongside my brother, who watched our parents die in an attack on our village. I promised I would keep Ultear safe, so I'm sorry, Sergeant, but I can't go with you."
Macao took a drink of coffee and stood. "I understand, Mr. Fullbuster. I'm sorry for pushing on you. I'll see myself out. But, before I go," Macao reached in his pocket and took out a small piece of paper and placed it on the table. "We leave in two days. If you need anything, or change your mind, give us a call and ask for me, alright?"
Gray nodded and watched the man leave. As soon as the door was shut, Gray took Ultear's face in his hands. "Ultear, breathe."
She took a deep shuddering breath and locked eyes with Gray. "Y-you can't leave m-me. You can't d-do that, you know you-"
"I'm not leaving. Look, I'll call off work today and you and me will just stay here all day, okay?"
"O-okay."
"Come on, let's go to the living room." Gray pulled her up and led her into the living room, easing her down onto the white couch. "I gotta call work, so I'll be right back, okay? I'll just be a minute."
He hurried into the kitchen, dialing his work number and stating he had a family emergency and wouldn't be able to make it to work. Gray then untucked his shirt and walked back into the living room, plopping down next to Ultear.
She'd gotten the remote control to the wide screen television-she insisted on getting for family movie night, that they've never had-and was scrolling through the movie channels. She clicked one and Gray groaned.
"50 First Dates again? You've watched this so many times, Ultear."
"It's one of my favorites!"
"I'm beginning to think you have short term memory loss by how many times you've watched it." He joked, until Ultear's palm slapped his chest.
"Dammit woman, take a joke!"
Ultear began laughing, the tense moment in the kitchen forgotten. Gray laughed too, settling into the couch to watch the movie for what seemed to be the millionth time.
...
The rain follows Juvia everywhere...
A glass slamming on the table beside Juvia jolted her from her thoughts. Her attention was now on her long haired best friend, who was downing his own mug of beer.
"Drink up, Rain Woman, we're celebrating."
"Gajeel-kun." Juvia greeted, looking at the man beside her, seeing that he'd changed into his regular attire; a black tunic cut to reveal his muscular arms and baggy beige pants tucked into his army boots. His signature gloves still adorned his hands, iron spikes protruding from the knuckles.
"We found what Jose was looking for, we got the guy to make the thing, so we're celebrating. Drink up." Gajeel shot Juvia that classic smirk, the one that meant he was proud of her and his own abilities.
Juvia smiled and reached for the glass, taking a drink before setting it back down.
"Aria said you did good in the attack." Gajeel said, signaling the barmaid to get him another round.
"Juvia took down many men, even a couple going after Aria."
"I told him you were kick ass in a fight." Gajeel smiled widely as another mug was placed in front of him. "Maybe I should start taking you with me when Jose sends me off somewhere different from the rest of you. Then I wouldn't have to watch my own back."
"Juvia would like that." She took another drink. "Then she could make sure Gajeel-kun was always okay."
"Plus, you and I make a badass team, Juvia. Remember what I said when we first got here?"
"'They'll all face the wrath of the Iron Dragon and the Rain Woman one day,'. Juvia couldn't agree more."
The two smiled at each other before turning back to their drinks. Juvia caught sight of one of their comrades, an inferior, as Jose called them. She had dark blond hair and a large chest, the tiny gray tank top she wore barely keeping them from being exposed. The girl was staring at Gajeel, obviously infatuated with the brute.
"Gajeel-kun, have you ever thought about finding love while we are here?"
His drink was promptly spat out over the countertop, Gajeel's unnatural red eyes wide as he stared at Juvia. "What the hell kinda question is that?"
"Two o'clock. She's been staring at Gajeel-kun for a while."
Gajeel's eyes left Juvia's for a moment before latching back to her. "Ain't interested."
Juvia sighed and looked out of the window to her left. "Sometimes Juvia wishes she would find love..."
...
During the movie, Ultear decided it was a perfect time to paint her toenails. And Gray discovered he hated the smell of it.
Also, he hated the words that left Ultear's mouth immediately following.
"You've got to be joking." Gray said, a less than amused look on his face.
"This is no joke." Ultear crossed her arms over her chest and smiled softly.
"You mean you actually need ingredients for those damn cookies?"
"Yes, I actually need ingredients for those damn cookies." She mocked him, a smile on her face. "And now you have me craving them, so you're going. No questions asked."
"Fine." Gray jumped to his feet and snatched his keys off the peg next to the fridge. "I'll be back in a few minutes. And I swear to god if you're watching that movie again-"
"Quit mouthing and leave already!" Ultear laughed at his whining. "The quicker you get back the quicker you'll get cookies!"
Gray all but ran to his car.
...
It wasn't until Gray made it to the store that he realized he had no idea what Ultear needed. Just as he was about to call and ask, his phone rang in his pocket.
"Hey Ultear, you never told me what-"
"Gray, help me!" Her voice was thick with panic and Gray froze, causing someone to run into his back.
"What's wrong?"
"Someone's trying to break in! What do I do?!"
Gray's heart stopped beating. "Get to my room and hide. I'm on my way home."
"Gray hurry, they're-" Ultear's scream was the last thing he heard before the line went dead.
"Fuck!" Gray yelled as he sprinted out of the store and jumped in his car, whipping it into reverse and nearly taking out an incoming car. He swerved to narrowly missing another vehicle as he flew down the road to his house.
I shouldn't have left the damn house! He mentally cursed himself.
After what seemed like an eternity he pulled into his driveway and threw the door open, and ran towards the front door, which was off its hinges. "Fuck."
Gray reached behind the refrigerator and pulled out a gun; the one Lyon insisted on stashing in case of an emergency.
"Ultear!" Gray called out as he ran towards his room. As he passed every other door, he realized they'd all been carelessly thrown open, leaving dents in the walls or doorknobs jammed into the walls behind them.
His door, however, had been broken through, or rather, shot through. He walked into the room, seeing multiple shell casings littering the ground, as if many guns had been firing. Blood spatter was on the wall, his desk, the carpet. And there, at the edge of his bed, he saw a foot.
A small, pale foot with a dark purple paint in the nails.
"Ultear!" Gray yelled, running around the bed and finding Ultear face down in a puddle of blood. He flipped over his adoptive sister, finding multiple gunshot wounds in her chest and abdomen.
He felt for a pulse, but it was useless. She was gone. Too far gone to be revived.
Everything inside of Gray went numb as he stared at the lifeless body on his bedroom floor. He'd broken his promise to Ur, Ultear's birth mother, his and Lyon's adoptive mother.
He failed to keep her safe. Because he left her alone, she was unable to fend off the people who broke in, who killed her. The same people who killed her mother years ago.
Gray found himself unable to stare at her any longer. He stumbled to his feet and down the hallway, plopping down at the kitchen table, where the remnants of breakfast still sat. He held his head in his hands as tears streamed down his cheeks.
What has he done?
He caught glimpse of a scrap of paper, not remembering how it got there. He picked it up, finding a phone number, and a familiar name.
Gray pulled his phone out of his pocket and punched in the number with shaky hands. It rang once, twice, thrice, until a click.
"How the hell did you get this number?" The voice was rough and unfamiliar.
Gray cleared his throat, hoping his voice didn't give away the fact he was crying.
"I need to talk to Sergeant Macao Conbolt."