Erza was the first to head to bed, opening the door Adie had slammed and disappearing into the tiny shared bedroom. Gray wordlessly followed suit, entering for the room he would share with Natsu. Happy had fallen asleep nearly an hour earlier, his body strewn across the parlor chair. Occasionally, he would whimper in his sleep, earning worried glances from Natsu. Lucy knew all too well what his dreams consisted of, making her dread the sleep that slowly pushing itself upon her.
Natsu, Lucy, and Morpheus were left to sit alone in the dimming light. The spirit quickly interrupted the thick silence, asking Lucy to dismiss him.
"Return," she whispered, prompting Morpheus to wordlessly disappear before them. She held his key between her fingers, trying to take in everything that had happened in the past day and a half.
"No end to these surprises, huh?" Natsu asked as he plopped down next to her.
"Seems not," she sighed, closing her eyes. It was all so overwhelming! How did they ever get here?
"You got a new key, though, Luce," he smiled half-heartedly, nodding at the silver object that rested between her fingers. Lucy could tell from the way he eyed the key that he was wary of the new spirit.
"What? You scared of him?" her lips curled upward as she lazily waved the key in the air. It was her first real smile in days.
"Me?" Natsu was incredulous. "Afraid of that giant...cat?" he spat, slightly puffing out his chest. "Not a chance in hell!"
"That was the first time I saw you shut up without a fight," Lucy remarked, thinking back to Morpheus's earlier threat. Natsu had quickly balked at the confrontation, much to everyone's surprise. She almost felt proud at his ability to cease argumentation when it was prudent.
"He was going to slit my throat!" Natsu tried to argue, his face turning red. "Besides, I didn't want to upset your new spirit."
Lucy glanced at him from the corner of her eye, her smile slowly fading. "Good idea. Probably for the best."
"Yeah," Natsu whispered as he stared at the floor. A smile was tugging at his lips as well. He looked at the door to the girls' shared bedroom. He knew that Lucy was avoiding that room...
"You going in there tonight?"
"No," Lucy answered softly. "I-I just don't feel that it's the best idea...."
"Yeah, I get it." He studied her face in the dim light. "You can sleep in my room--"
"What kind of suggestion is that?" Lucy's voice grew louder as she glared at the dragon slayer. Just what is he getting at?
"What? I-I mean--" he began to wave his hands frantically, "n-not like that! Where is your mind, Luce?"
"My mind?" she echoed, suddenly confused. The color of his face told her that he hadn't meant that.
"What about it?" she snapped.
"I will sleep out here. You can have my bed in there," he quickly explained, his ears growing red.
"Oh," Lucy's voice was flat. "You mean alone."
She unsure of why she was slightly upset that he hadn't truly been suggesting they share a bed. The meaning of her words were obviously missed by Natsu.
"Gray's in there," he pointed out. "So not alone, alone."
Lucy sighed, somewhat frustrated that he couldn't read her mind. She supposed it was just her way of venting after a long disturbing day. It wasn't every day that she murdered someone after all, she thought darkly.
"Probably not wearing anything," Lucy finally retorted, shaking her head at the thought of sharing a room with Gray, of all people.
"Eh, probably right," he shrugged, deciding that his idea was less favorable. "Maybe you are better off out here."
"I think so," she whispered, her voice filled with defeat. She had rather enjoyed standing outside in the setting sun, her hand tightly held in his. She had wanted to tell him that she had savored that moment, though she knew it wasn't the time nor place. Lucy stared at the key in her hand, its weight drifting between her fingers.
She was better off sleeping out here.
She had a lot to think about.
***
***
"I thought we would do it together?" she asked, feeling both deflated and useless.
The woman looked at her; pale blue eyes smiling sadly, "Dee, this is something I have to do." Thick black strands of hair fell over one eye.
"I..I don't understand. You said you wanted us to do it together. Protect other spirits—" she argued, the words leaving her mouth without much thought.
"I do," the raven-haired girl interrupted. "But right now, I have something more important....er, something I need to do." Her ivory hands brushed her hair from her eye. She tucked it behind her ear, glancing over her shoulder in anticipation.
Her—no, Dee's--own glance followed the black-haired girl's. She recognized the stranger's face. It had been awhile....
"Lilith! What are you doing?" Fear began to creep into her voice and being. Why was Lilith taking up with that kind of company? Again?
Another soothing smile. "Dee, I know what you are thinking, but please understand--"
"Do you not remember what happened last time? With her?" An accusing finger pointed toward the cloaked woman as the visitor patiently waited for Lilith.
"Dee," came the pained smile. A look of longing replaced the fear in her pale blue eyes. "It wasn't her fault."
"Bullshit! You were with her, weren't you? You can't be that naïve, Lil!"
A deep sigh. Her porcelain features were marred by her frown. "She wasn't responsible. We had been overtaken, and I had been the foolish one."
Defeat. Complete and utter defeat. "What about your promise? To search for Mother?"
Another sigh. Slender fingers reached to push pale blonde strands away. "In time. I promise. Right now, there is someone else I need to look for--"
"Why are you keeping things from me?" Panic was beginning to rise. Feelings of abandonment and fear of solitude. Loneliness.
"I'm not abandoning you, silly." Her smile slowly faded. "I have to find someone I care dearly about. And she," she pointed toward her waiting companion, "has informed me of his whereabouts."
His. "Who is he?"
A slight blush crept over her pale cheeks. Her eyes darted about, avoiding the questioning stare. "I'll tell you later, Dee. There's so much to tell!" Her eyes lit up at some silent memory that was locked away.
"But," she smiled sadly. That smile. Always that same smile. Black hair hid her face once again. "I'll be back soon enough. Then we can look for her. I promise."
"I bet," came the disgruntled reply. The words left her mouth before she could stop the feeling of emptiness and hopelessness.
"Adassandra!" her pale eyes widened. "I will be back! Why do you not believe me?"
She studied her sister's face carefully. Lilith's hand reached out to cup her chin. "Besides, you were always Barsky's favorite. I can't let you leave him alone."
"It's not fair! I feel like you are hiding things from me!" Defeat. Always defeat. "I don't want to clean up your mess again." It was a well-placed jab. It was unfair.
Icy blue eyes widened slightly before all signs of intimacy left her expression, "There won't be a mess to clean up, Adie."
The warm hand left her cheek as Lilith turned to walk away, pulling the coat tighter around her frame. Her hand reached out to grab Lilith, but she was too far away. While her sister's hands were soft and gentle, her own were calloused and blistered from use. The skin no longer soft and supple, instead hardened from their burden.
Lilith's back remained to her as she slowly walked toward the other woman. She raised a hand slightly, "Bye, Dee. Love ya."
It was a whisper. Barely audible.
Was it ever really spoken?
The two women began to walk way, the other woman turning to cast a look over her shoulder. Dark eyes met her own. Her black hair—like Lilith's—whipped around as a crude grin curled the corners of her mouth upward.
She shuddered. She did not trust that smile. It was evil. It was tainted. And it was going to take over her sister. She silently hoped that Lilith knew what she was doing. She wanted nothing more than to trust her, but something was telling her to bring her back. She tried to take a step toward Lilith, opening her mouth to scream. The words never left, as blackness took over.
***
***
Lucy sat upright, looking around with wild, frantic eyes. Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized it was just a dream.
Just a dream! she thought, though she didn't feel as if it were so. She looked at her hands. The fingers were familiar: long and slender, the skin was soft and free of marks. They were her hands, not that of a stranger.
"What's the matter, Luce?" came the drawling voice as Natsu rubbed his eyes. He was sitting upright on the floor, where he had made his bed for the night.
"N-Nothing," she lied. She could feel the sweat causing her shirt to cling to her back.
It was just a dream, she told herself again, willing her heart to stop pounding. But it had felt so real!
It wasn't her in the dream, she was sure of. The raven-haired girl looked familiar, though Lucy knew she had never met her. She tried to recall the conversation she had observed, but the entire thing seemed so distant. Lucy was sure that she was observing the interaction from someone else's eyes.
Dee.
Lilith.
Lucy gasped, realizing what she had just seen. Was it possible that it was an actual memory of Adie's that she was witnessing? With what had been happening lately, she wouldn't disregard such a notion...
"If you say so," Natsu yawned his answer, rolling over.
Lucy swallowed, but her mouth was dry. A sudden movement caught her attention. A tiny, black moth slowly spread its wings as it perched on the scant blanket she was using to cover herself. She squinted before rubbing her eyes. Was it what she thought it was?
Indeed it was.
She reached out a finger, allowing the creature to lift itself onto it. She brought it closer to her eyes, watching as it rubbed its wings together.
Had Morpheus done this? she silently wondered.
Was he giving her access to Adie's memories or dreams? Lucy didn't understand his motives, even if her theory was true. She felt slightly guilty at the intrusion of the demi-spirit's privacy. She had felt each and every emotion Adie—Dee—had felt upon her sister's departure. It must have been the last time Adie had ever seen her sister. Despite the invasion of privacy, Lucy felt almost relieved to know that even though she acted distant, Adie indeed felt something. Lucy almost wanted to cry at the desolation she had felt as she observed the entire interaction through alien eyes.
"You shouldn't have," she whispered to the moth, watching it dance on her finger. It hummed its foreign response.
"Shouldna what?" Natsu grumbled from the floor.
Lucy looked at him as he curled against the base of the sofa. He had insisted on sleeping in the living area, with Lucy, instead of his bed in the shared room with Gray. She had decided to sleep on the sofa as a way to avoid the strained atmosphere between her and Adie—though the latter hadn't acknowledge that fact. Lucy had actually expected a royal berating from the demi-spirit, but she had been met with none. She wondered what was worse from Adie: verbal assault or nothing at all. She decided that she would speak with Adie tomorrow.
She would apologize.
"Go back to sleep, idiot," she whispered to Natsu as she studied the tiny intruder through narrowed eyes. It lightly launched itself from her finger, fluttering through the air. Lucy followed its movements before the small being softly faded into the darkness surrounding her.
It was the last thing she could remember as the heaviness of sleep began to take over her.
***
***
They were assembling outside the village; the cold morning air whipping at their skin. Their clothes were dry from the day before, neatly laundered by the inn staff. Lucy's teeth chattered as she pulled the collar of her jacket over her chin and mouth.
"Cold?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "What about it? Want to show off?"
Gray shook his head, jerking his thumb behind him. "Nah, just going to tell you that Fire Breath over there can fix that."
A small grin played on his face as he quickly joined Erza and Natsu, leaving Lucy to wonder at the meaning of his crude statement.
"You ass--" she began, quickly faltering as Adie approached.
The blacksmith had been the last to awaken that morning, and she insisted on staying behind to pay the innkeeper for his hospitality, prompting them to seek out the front gate. Lucy didn't want to summon Morpheus where the villagers could see, as it may be daunting to the non-magic townsfolk. Besides, Lucy had no way to know what kind of transportation Morpheus was to provide.
She met Adie's eyes, noting that the woman seemed more gaunt and pale than the day before. Lucy briefly wondered if the blacksmith was ill. Her dark jacket was secured around her body, the fur-lined hood whipping in the breeze. Her pale hair was completely pulled back from her face, tied in a loose ponytail.
You can do it Lucy! She silently prompted herself. Just say what you want to say and let that be it!
Adie's icy blue eyes met Lucy's before quickly darting away. Her face betrayed nothing as she stiffly nodded at the Spirit Mage. The brief exchange eerily reminded Lucy of the dream from the night before, and her resolve quickly crumbled as Adie continued past her. Before she had completely lost all confidence, Lucy forced the words from her mouth.
"I'm sorry," she squeaked, her voice being carried away by the wind.
At first, she had thought her remark had been lost on Adassandra. She was quickly proven wrong as the sounds of boots crunching on the snow ceased, and Adie's body grew stiff. Lucy saw her fingers twitch. Fear suddenly flooded her...maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all.
"What?" came the hoarse reply, though Adie made no attempt to look at her.
Lucy balked, realizing Adie had indeed heard her. She quickly looked past the demi-spirit, seeing her friends playfully throwing snowballs. Gray was making his from ice, which apparently was angering Natsu....
When Lucy didn't reply, Adie spun around, her eyes locking on Lucy's, "Did you say something?"
It's now or never, Lucy. "I said," Lucy cleared her throat. "I'm sorry."
Adie's jaw locked as her face betrayed nothing of her thoughts. Lucy remembered the dream from the night before. She knew that, beneath the exterior, this woman had to feel something.
"You're sorry.....for what?" Adie's voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes growing dark.
"For....f-for...Veleda!" Lucy couldn't bring herself to completely verbalize that thought.
"Fine, you are forgiven, Lucy," Adie replied coldly, turning to walk away.
Lucy's mouth hung open at the sudden forgiveness. It wasn't what she was expecting! She quickly reached out a gloved hand and grasped Adie's wrist. She thought the woman winced at the contact as she quickly turned to face Lucy.
"What is it?" she hissed, glaring angrily at Lucy before her eyes drifted to her forearm. Lucy slowly unlocked her fingers from around Adie's wrist.
"I-I want to know what's bothering you," Lucy explained, her heart starting to beat faster. She didn't like confrontations, but she knew that this was necessary.
"What's bothering me?" Adie repeated slowly, as if calming herself. "Nothing's bothering me. Except you."
Lucy blinked a few times before composing herself. "I know that you cared about her. And I'm sorry for what had happened. For what I did. But you don't have to go through this alone. If you only tell me—us—how to help you--"
"Help me? Help me?" Adie's whisper was growing more hoarse with anger. "You with your perfect human life and gaggle of friends want to help me? I don't need your help! How many times do I have to tell you that? Which part do you not understand?"
Lucy slowly began to grasp Adie's anger. Perfect human life. "My life is far from perfect," Lucy's head fell in defeat. "It may not look like it, but I've been through a lot. It's not always easy, but my gaggle of friends have helped me make it."
Lucy could see the registration flicker over Adie's face as she alluded to the latter's previous statement. Lucy took the silence as an initiative to continue. "If you would only let us....let someone—anyone—into your life, then you would understand what it means to have friends and companions who care about you."
"I don't want any of that—" Adie answered coolly.
"But you do," Lucy pointed out, sudden boldness pumping through her veins. "I think you do. You are jealous...of what, though, I'm not sure of," she allowed her eyes to meet Adie's surprised gaze.
"Jealous?" Adie scoffed, "you have nothing that I want!"
"Not even my 'perfect human life'?" Lucy ventured. The sudden widening of Adie's eyes told her everything she needed to know.
That's it! Lucy told herself, confirming her silent theory. "Y-you want to be human?"
"You had no right to kill her," Adie suddenly sneered, avoiding Lucy's question. She took a step closer to Lucy, her finger pointing accusingly.
"I'm sorry, Adie. I don't know what else to say," Lucy furiously explained. "She showed me things...I couldn't let them happen! I saw you and your sister, even--"she fought back the tears that were slowly filling her eyes.
Adie's face softened slightly, but whether it was a result of Lucy's tears or words—Lucy didn't know. "You saw Lilith?"
Lucy nodded, sniffling quietly. "You two were together, those black rings around your necks. Someone was behind you...Ultear, I think. She had both of your keys. I saw her put them together. And then....everything exploded."
Adie stared at her, incredulous at what Lucy was sharing. "Our keys? But...but how?"
Her questions were lost on Lucy, who was unsure of what Adie was asking of her. Lucy mustered her remaining courage. "Your sister has black hair and eyes like yours, right? I'm sure it was her," Lucy insisted, hoping to appease Adie's concerns about her abducted sibling.
Recognition and belief flickered across Adie's face as Lucy described Lilith's appearance. Lucy took a deep breath. "Every one of my friends, everyone you have met was dead. And both you and your sister were prisoners. So, you see, Veleda gave me no other choice--"
Adie took another step toward Lucy, a shaking finger pointing at her. "It was not meant to be you! You should have not taken that burden, Lucy!"
Lucy's mouth fell open at the sudden change in Adie's demeanor. "W-what are you s-saying?"
Was this why Adie was so angry with her? She wasn't angry at what Lucy had done, only that she had done it....
Adie's gaze grew sad, as she shook her head softly, a few strands of pale blonde hair falling free. Her voice was shaking as she spoke. "That was my burden. It was....it was my duty!"
Confusion washed over Lucy as she took in Adie's cryptic words. "Duty?" she mouthed the words.
"Your duty?" Lucy's voice was louder this time. Stronger.
"Forget I said anything," Adie replied, her mouth pressing together in a firm line.
Her former regressions were quickly replaced with the familiar stony demeanor. Adie quickly turned to walk away, leaving Lucy to stare after her. Lucy had a brief premonition of her dream from the night before. She could feel the lingering feelings of abandonment.
"But--" she began, reaching out toward Adie.
"Just summon Morpheus," the demi-spirit called back over her shoulder. "We need to get this damned show on the road."
Lucy blinked back her drying tears, confusion ebbing through her. What was Adie's meaning? Lucy wondered if it had something to do with her power as a Celestial Spirit? She thought back to Adie's use of her key on Loki when he was too injured to send himself through the gate. Would she have been able to truly save Veleda?
No, Lucy told herself, the key would have still been able to fall into the wrong hands.
"Collect yourself, Lucy," she muttered to herself, hoping to regain her composure.
Even if their interaction was brief, Lucy had gained some sort of insight into Adie's inner workings. She had also been able to alleviate some of her own guilt in the process. She knew it would be a long and slow process, but she would gain Adassandra's trust. Morpheus must have allowed her to see that dream for a reason.
There was definitely a purpose.
Her own conclusion was that it was to see the hurt that Adie had endured on her sister's part. She was emotionally scarred like each and every one of them, though she refused to see their similarities. She refused to depend on another person. Lucy ruminated on those thoughts slowly finding the key she had attached to her ring the night before. She pulled the key loose, opening her mouth to call forth the intended spirit. The sudden plop and puff of smoke interrupted the ritual, as the large black cat stared at her through golden eyes.
"Well? What took so long?" he snapped.
Lucy stifled a shriek as he suddenly appeared without her actually summoning him. "How did you--?"
"Eh," he shrugged, "You should know by now."
"Wha? Know w-what?" she asked, suddenly confused.
He sighed, shaking his head, "Stupid girl," he muttered, before meeting her gaze.
"Hey, say that again, you mangy cat!" she warned him, her eyes flashing their anger.
He ignored her goading. "You should know that you are powerful enough to summon us without verbally calling us. It's not rocket science, y'know!"
"Would everyone quit attacking my intelligence today!" she yelled, waving a fist at Morpheus.
"Hey, it's the giant cat!" Natsu guffawed from somewhere behind them.
Morpheus turned to look at him through narrowed eyes, but Natsu was silently pointing to Gray, as if indicating that Gray had said it. Adie was shaking her head in annoyance, as Gray began to chase Natsu while growling profanities.
"Some bunch you have, Mistress," Morpheus replied casually, clicking a long claw against his front incisor.
"You're telling me," she groaned. She suddenly remembered the questions she had been saving for him.
"M-Morpheus?" she began slowly. His eyes eyes were studying her companions, but she knew he was listening by the way his ear twitched in her direction. "You planted one of your messengers on me last night. Why?"
He didn't meet her gaze, and she immediately knew he was hiding something. "Explain yourself," she commanded, her voice growing louder.
"Hypothetically speaking," he began, his voice silky and his gaze averted, "let's say I had--"
"You did," Lucy settled her fists on her hips, her expression nonplussed.
"Back to my previous statement," he ignored her, continuing off of his earlier start. "What good would it do? Hmm?"
This time his golden gaze bore into her as he raised one white-specked brow, watching her expression with amusement. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Lucy sighed, shaking her head in frustration.
"I...I don't know," she admitted weakly.
"Then, perhaps when you do have an answer, you won't need to ask me questions," he smirked, as his gaze wandered over her friends, once again.
He sighed, looking skyward in disdain, "What a lousy group of imbeciles."
"Hey!" Lucy shouted, glaring at him angrily. She was becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of answers she was drawing from both Adie and Morpheus. "Let's just get this over with, OK?"
"Yes, my Lady," he bowed, the shrewd smile still spread across his feline face.
"Enough," she hissed, quickly stomping past him. "Just get us to Wisteria. That's an order."
Morpheus remained as he was, his head bowed in recognition as she stormed by him. He followed her as she joined the group, calling for Natsu and Gray to act like 'adults'. Erza and Adie were quiet and aloof, watching everyone in quiet contentment. Lucy turned around, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at Morpheus.
"Well?" she asked, her brow rising in expectation.
"Well, what, Mistress?" he asked smoothly, a small smile of satisfaction crossing his face as her cheeks flushed pink.
She waved her arms wildly, "Aren't you supposed to help us with transportation!"
"Ah, yes," he tugged at his whiskers, "why didn't you just say so?"
Lucy's expression turned dark as Natsu's looked at everyone questioningly, "Transportation?"
"Not now," Erza murmured as she watched the spirit remove a small instrument from his pocket.
"What's that?" Natsu asked, eyeing the odd instrument warily.
Morpheus ignored the dragon slayer's question, bringing the tiny object to his mouth and blowing into it. A shrill noise wailed through the air as looks of confusion passed over the mages' faces.
"A flute?" Erza murmured to herself.
Morpheus nodded, "Any second now..."
As if on cue, six Oneiroi swiftly swooped down to meet them, coming to a landing yards from Morpheus. He quickly met them, rubbing each of their heads. Lucy could only wonder what exchange was occurring between them.
"They are our transportation?" Natsu snorted. "Again?"
"Fool!" Morpheus barked as he stepped back from his friends. "You aren't going to ride them! That was a one time event, forget it ever happened!"
"Huh?" Natsu gaped, suddenly unsure of why Morpheus was so upset.
The spirit clapped his hands together and the Oneiroi grunted as they robotically lined up in pairs. In the blink of an eye, and odd carriage had appeared behind the horses. Lucy was taken aback by its sudden appearance, unsure of what it actually was.
"This," Morpheus bowed slightly, "is your transportation. Welcome to my chariot."
"Aren't chariots, uh..." Natsu began, using his hands to emphasize shape and size. His face was beginning to turn green at the thought of riding in a confined space.
"Get in," Morpheus growled as he swiftly opened the door. He pointed a razor-sharp claw toward the interior of the carriage. "Don't worry, it's larger than it looks. Not that you'll be in there for long."
"This is just getting more odd," Gray shook his head, whispering under his breath.
"Aye," Happy quipped.
Lucy took the first tentative step toward the carriage, attempting to duck into its demure depths. Morpheus leered at her. "I hope you find it suitable."
Inside, it looked like a train car, with one long bench seat circling the interior. Large windows were on three sides of the carriage, allowing for a great view, Lucy was sure. It was certainly enough room for all of them, as it was much larger than it looked
"Nice," Gray affirmed as he followed Lucy, taking a seat opposite of her.
Slowly, the rest of them filed in, Erza following last, dragging an unconscious Natsu by his ankles. Lucy raised an eyebrow at the sight. Erza shrugged her shoulders.
"I didn't feel like dealing with him," she answered honestly.
Lucy couldn't help but to laugh as Erza carefully sat him between Lucy and her. Natsu's body slumped over, so that his head was resting against Lucy's shoulder. She could feel her face turn red as her friends avoided eye contact. Adie took a seat by herself, leaning back and allowing her head to rest against the window. She closed her eyes as Morpheus entered the carriage. He looked over them, smirking when he saw Natsu's condition. His eyes fell onto Lucy.
"Please relax, we will be in Wisteria shortly," he bowed formally. The door slammed behind him as he disappeared outside.
"Where's he going?" Lucy wondered aloud.
"Someone has to drive this thing," Adie answered, her eyes still closed. She quickly shifted, and Lucy thought she could see bandages creeping up the blacksmith's neck. She had forgotten about Adie's injury.
The jolt of the carriage told them that they had disembarked. Stillness ensued, and Lucy watched as the clouds floated by. Soon, everything was blurry and unintelligible. She returned her attention to Adie.
"How is your arm?" she asked hesitantly, shooting a glance at her other companions.
"I had forgotten about that," Gray murmured, his eyes wandering over Adie's concealed injury. Erza remained silent. If she, too, had forgotten, it was unbeknownst to them.
Adie peeked at them through an open lid, "My arm?"
"Y-You were injured," Lucy reminded her, "I saw it!"
"Oh," Adie replied calmly. "It is fine. Thank you for your concern."
Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but the sudden jerking movement of the carriage prevented her from doing so. Natsu lurched forward, his head falling into her lap. The door quickly flew open and Morpheus strode inside, bowing once again. Lucy looked at him, suddenly confused.
"What's going on?" she warily questioned, her hand on Natsu's head.
"Going on?" Morpheus mimicked absent-absentmindedly, his eyes wandering over the man in her lap. "My Lady, we have arrived to Wisteria."
***
***
Lucy was feeling slightly weak as they walked toward the familiar village. Did Morpheus' power drain her that much? she wondered. She often felt tired after summoning her spirits, but not like this.
"You alright, Lucy?" Erza asked, casting her a worried glance from the corner of her eye.
"Oh, yeah," Lucy smiled half-halfheartedly, "I'm fine. Just a bit tired, that's all."
Adie was walking ahead while Erza supported Natsu—who was still unconscious from her blow earlier.
Lucy glanced over her shoulder. "I still can't believe how quick that was."
"Tell me about it," Gray answered, "I wanted to at least get a nap in."
It had only taken them a mere handful of minutes to reach Wisteria. The trip to the mountains had taken them weeks! She had stumbled out of the carriage, confused at the change of scenery around them. Her reaction must have amused Morpheus, who chuckled before dismissing his Oneiroi—and subsequently, himself.
"Make sure to call on me in the next day or so," he had cryptically replied before disappearing to the Celestial Spirit World.
Lucy had stomped her foot in irritation at her spirit's sudden brashness. Why were all of her spirits suddenly deciding when they could appear and disappear? What was the point of making contracts? Either way, Lucy was unsettled about what they would find when the reached Daylon's shop. She knew that Barsky had been ill, but she had no idea as to what his current condition would be. She didn't even know if he were still alive.
They silently followed Adie as she walked the familiar streets. Lucy's mouth remained agape as she watched people smile and wave at Adie, as if they were close companions. The woman returned their acknowledgment with equal fervor. It seemed so out of character for Adassandra, or so Lucy thought. She briefly recalled what the mayor had said about Adie's contribution to this town. Lucy smiled, realizing that it was most likely Adie's only place of happiness. All traces of her family were tied to this tiny, striving village.
They slowly trekked the sloping alleyways, taking the main street to the shop. Lucy was talking to Gray when Adie suddenly stopped. Lucy looked past her, spying the shop just over a few yards' walk from where they were. She could see the portly mayor chatting with an elderly male on the front step of the weaponry shop. The taller man was carrying a bag of some sorts. It was black and sleek with worn handles—it reminded Lucy of the doctor's bag the physician who treated her mother had carried. Her heart leaped into her throat as she realized what the tall man's appearance could mean!
The tall gentleman was shaking his head, taking a moment to push his thin-wired glasses up the bridge of his nose. The husky mayor was holding his hat over his chest, dabbing at his forehead with a kerchief. Lucy froze, knowing full well what the conversation was about.
Barsky!
Her eyes returned to Adie's rigid posture. "Adie?" she called out weakly.
"Something's wrong," Adie whispered, not moving as she watched the exchange with silent fear.
Erza and Gray glanced at Lucy, knowing full well what was about to occur. Before Lucy could say another word, Adie quickly strode up to the front door of the shop.
"A-Adassandra!" the mayor quipped, his hand shaking as he dabbed the tears from his eyes. "I-It is g-g-good to s-see you--"
"What's wrong?" she asked, looking from one man to the other. The trailing mages quickly approached, standing back as the exchange unfolded.
The mayor's eyes darted toward the doctor. "This is Barsky's apprentice," he explained quickly, gesturing to Adie. He sniffled, wiping his nose on the handkerchief.
The mayor's watery eyes turned back to Adassandra, "This is the closest physician we could conjure—"
"For what?" she hastily interrupted. The short, round man jumped at her sudden question.
"W-well--" he glanced toward the doctor, pleading silently with the lanky man.
The physician cleared his throat, "Young lady, it seems that Mr. Barsky is extremely ill."
Adie's face paled as she watched the physician through narrowed eyes, "Out with it, already! Don't sugarcoat it."
"Adie," Lucy interrupted. Adie waved her pleas away dismissively.
The doctor nodded, before continuing. "I-I'm sorry, Miss."
"Sorry?" she weakly whispered, obviously unsure as to where the conversation was headed.
The sound of sniffling caused her to glance at the portly mayor, hoping one of them would give her an answer. The town's representative waved for the visiting doctor to continue. The tall, graying man used his forefinger to push his round glasses up his nose as he studied Adie's expression. Lucy knew the words he was about to tell her, and she was immediately overrun with grief and guilt. She wanted to curl up somewhere and fade into nothingness. She knew all too well what it was like to lose the one person who cared for you the most. It would kill Adassandra, she knew. It was already killing Lucy to carry that knowledge.
"My dear," the doctor's voice was grim as he prepared her for the news, "Mr. Barsky...he is dying."
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Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. I do credit myself for the OC's
A/N: thanks to all who are out there, reading and reviewing. You keep me motivated! I appreciate your time and consideration! We are getting somewhere, I promise!
Enjoy & Happy Reading!