Good Meets Bad

Chapter 34 – Reina

NOTE: This chapter was beta read by my beloved beta reader, Rosella6199. Hii!

Genre: Romance, Humor, Friendship, Hurt and Comfort, Drama, Action

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

After hours of talking and holding each other, Lucy and Jellal were locked in a passionate kiss. She held onto him like he was her lifeline, and he treated her like they were walking on ice and didn't want her to fall. Gasping for air, they parted and leaned their foreheads against each other, brown irises meeting the other pair. A silent message passed through their gaze, and Lucy smiled gently.

"I love you."

He closed his eyes and smiled as well. "And I you."

Minutes passed and someone knocked on the door. Lucy sighed and inclined her body back on the bed. "Who's there?"

"Reina."

She met Jellal's eyes and he nodded. She cleared her throat. "Come in then."

The door slid open and the cerulean-haired-girl stepped in the room, her face impassive as she bowed her head in greeting. Her lips settled into a small smile. "I'm glad you're finally awake, Lucy-san."

"I can say the same," the blonde said, smiling widely. Her eyes twinkled brightly under the light. "Did you come to only tell me that? I bet there is more."

Reina bit her lip wearily and she exhaled slowly, batting her eyelashes in anxiety. "I just… I want to know who I really am."

Lucy arched a brow. "You are Reina Fernandes, the sister of Jellal Fernandes," she said, lips curling in amusement. "Be specific."

"I mean," she paused, "Why were you planning on killing me? What is my purpose?"

The blonde went quiet and she sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Are you saying you wish to know the whole reason for your existence?"

Reina nodded and Lucy pursed her lips, flicking her eyes to Jellal who shrugged. "I'm alright. I won't interfere, and you can pretend I'm not even here."

She cracked her knuckles and smoothed out the folds of her blanket due to her nervousness, nodding. "Okay. I will tell you, but I will warn you that it will be a hard pill to swallow. Are you fine with that?" she asked, staring into Reina's odd-colored eyes.

"Just tell me already," she replied impatiently.

Lucy chuckled in amusement and smiled wryly. "Fine then. I will tell you who you really are. You are prepared to know after all," she said. Her smile dropped and she stared blankly into the girl's eyes. "Don't blame me if you feel horrible afterwards, you chose this."

Reina licked her lips. "I understand."

Lucy sucked in a deep breath and went silent for a couple of minutes before starting. "First, let us begin with the story of your parents, Daiki and Hana Fernandes. My father, Jude, was friends with your father and our mothers were best friends since childhood. They all went to the same schools ever since they were children and could never be separated from each other. At first, Daiki loved Layla and Jude loved Hana.

"They were good friends, and for this, they helped each other out. But Layla loved Jude, and Hana loved Daiki, so there were complications with their friendship. At this point, our fathers fought and so did our mothers, so Layla went to comfort Jude while Hana went to reassure your father. It was a very messy situation, but they all gathered up their pride and became friends again. After a while, your father fell for your mother and the same happened with my parents.

"But then came the difficulties with her first baby, Jellal Fernandes," Lucy said and stopped to eye the said man who merely ushered her to continue. She sighed and smiled coyly. "Hana's body was weak, and she had trouble with giving birth to him. When he was born, he also had problems. His heart was weak and he was so small that they wondered if he was a few months too early. That is where my mother comes in once again.

"Despite being part of the police, she loved conducting experiments and was also a doctor at the same time. Due to her busy schedule, she rarely dedicated her time to medicine and so focused on capturing criminals instead, until she heard about Hana's first baby. I bet you are wondering what she did, and why Jellal is living so healthy right now. Well, to put it simply, she saved your life." Her lips tightened into a straight line. "Until now, what she did to you was a miracle and no one understood how she did it, but after the surgery, you were a healthy baby boy and you were crying nonstop.

"Because you were her first successful experiment, she branded you with a mark. She wanted the mark to be seen at all times to remind the world that you survived and that she did that. Yes, she was a bit arrogant about that part but trust me, she was really happy that you were a success. She wanted nothing more than little Jellal to grow up as little Lucy's friend, for she didn't plan on having any more children and she didn't want Lucy to grow up isolated.

"Now then, after a year or so, Hana got pregnant once again. This time it was another boy, and they were ecstatic to have him. She raised the baby better than before because she didn't want him to end up weak like you were before. She made no mistakes and they were certain that they wouldn't have to disturb Layla when she gave birth to him. But it turned out they were wrong. He was born silent, his heartbeat barely audible and his body so little that they could hold him with one hand.

"My mother rushed to the hospital and wanted to do what she did to you, but she failed. The baby died, and Layla was devastated more than your parents were. She failed her friends, and for that, she didn't want the same thing to happen again. She told Hana and Daiki to wait a few more years before having another child, and although she never told the reason why, they agreed.

"She started to create an artificial heart, one that could function well and work just as the real deal. She knew it sounded like an illusion, and my father kept telling her that it was impossible. She never gave up though, and also started creating serums that could help Hana's future baby. She gave up nearly all of her time for them, and she never regretted it. When she was certain that everything was in order, she told Hana that it was time.

"She got pregnant again, and this time it was for Reina. They knew she would survive, for they didn't doubt their friend. Layla was having worries but didn't voice them out and only wished for the best. When Hana was due, my mother was already with them and brought the things she created. As expected, the baby was born with a weak heartbeat and a frail body. That was when she conducted her greatest experiment ever.

"She tampered with you, Reina. The heart that is beating so loudly in your chest? That is not real, but artificial. It may look real, but in reality it isn't. She injected you with her serums; hence the reason why you are so intelligent and why your eyes are different. They are side effects from what she gave you. She was worried at first that you would be a failure, and she also knew that the thing inside you could never keep you alive for long." Lucy's voice wavered in the end and she met Reina's eyes. "She knew you would die sooner than us.

"It is a fact that your parents knew, and they accepted it. They were merely happy that you could live for as long as you could, that you could cherish the life that was given to you with your brother. You were branded as well as a success and lived on with your parents in peace. But then the media found out about Layla's genius product and the people wanted it. They demanded her to make more but she refused, saying that it was only a one-time thing and that a baby should never be tampered with. You were an exception though.

"She overhead gangs who were planning to kill you and rip out your heart to preserve it until they could use it, and she was enraged. She started killing them like when they threatened to kill me when I was still in her womb. She went ballistic. When she was finished annihilating them, she came up with an idea to ensure that your heart would be kept safe. She asked one of her dear friends to make a clock that would act like a timer until your death.

"She gave that clock to me and told me that when it starts buzzing, I was to kill you and take your heart to keep it safe until it is desperately needed. Jellal was never my target in the beginning, but you, Reina, the real walking miracle. That thing beating inside you costs a fortune as well, since Layla was the only one who made it and no one else, selling it would make you the wealthiest man in the world. That was what the gangs wanted. They wanted the money, not the heart. They wanted to sell it, not use it.

"I remember Jellal telling me that his parents were going to pick him up from school when it was a rainy day, and I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from telling him that I knew he was lying. Yes, my parents killed yours, but Hana and Daiki wished for it. The whole country knew their faces but not their children, and for that, they were constantly targeted. They wanted you two to live peacefully, so they wanted my parents to kill them instead," Lucy stared blankly at her clenched fists and closed her eyes. "And that, Reina, is the reason why you are here. You don't really have a reason for your existence, you are just very important."

The cerulean-haired-girl didn't answer, but the other Fernandes did. "So… the clock you always have with you… the only purpose is to inform you of her death?"

The blonde shook her head. "No, it also serves as a key to a custom-made vault where my inheritance is. I have no doubt that they are after that too, but I've kept this clock safe and I will never let them have it. This clock can also activate bombs that are located around the country. I can detonate the closest one by pressing the button on top. Don't worry though, there's a switch that disables that just in case I accidentally do press the button. I have to open the clock just to do that though."

Jellal nodded and slowly turned to face his sister who was deathly pale, her hands gripping her skirt tightly and her eyes wide with an unknown emotion. Lucy inhaled sharply and looked at the girl from the corner of her eye. "You seem rather calm about this, if not for that expression on your face. Are you regretting you asked?"

She slowly shook her head.

Lucy's lips twitched. "Good."

"I'm just…" Reina paused for a long time, her face scrunched up in frustration. "I'm just shocked."

"Sure you are," the blonde whispered quietly. "I know I would be."

Jellal frowned worriedly and looked at his girlfriend. "So… where's the clock now?"

Lucy's eyes widened in realization and she sat upright so quickly that the world around her spun. She moaned and clutched her head. Jellal rubbed her back and she huffed. "That's right…! Where is it?!"

"I have it here."

They both turned to Reina who was now holding the clock that was still attached to the string of pearls she wore to the ball. Lucy's eyes softened and she slowly took it. "Thank you," she whispered, holding it close to her chest. "This may be attached to how your heart beeps, like a wireless heart monitor, but to me, it's a memento from my mother. When she gave me this, she died the very next day."

"How?" Reina asked, her voice hoarse and rough like sandpaper.

Lucy curled her fingers around the item and stared at it agonizingly. "I'd rather not tell. It's a painful memory."

"Oh." Reina looked away. "Okay."

A few moments of silence passed between them, with Lucy being comforted by Jellal while Reina refused to be touched by him. The blonde reminisced about the past, how she grew up and how she was set on finding the siblings. Then she reached the point where she recalled jumping in front of the gun to save not her skin, but someone else's. It was like a dream.

Reina heaved a sigh and turned to the two. "I—"

Zzzzzz. Zzzzzz. Zzzzzz.

The three froze as Lucy slowly uncurled her fingers to stare at the clock that started vibrating.

Laxus sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, searching through the stack of papers on the desk. He groaned. "Why the hell does Jellal have to disappear all of a sudden? Now it feels like I'm the president. This is hell."

"Stop complaining," Levy grumbled, pouting. "We have no choice anyway."

Natsu's head tipped and he jumped in surprise as Loke slammed his hand on his table, green eyes staring into his onyx ones. "Wake up, you stupid pinkette," he said.

"But it's still so early!" Natsu whined, stretching his arms and yawning. "And it's a Saturday! I'm supposed to be at home, chilling!"

"Stop complaining, Natsu," Lisanna said and giggled. "It's so that Jellal can relax when he decides to come back."

The pinkette crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm surprised the old man hasn't expelled him yet. He should be. We haven't seen him in months."

"Well," Mira paused to frown, "I'm sure he's just worried over Heartfilia-san. After all, she is still in coma."

"Juvia thinks she is already awake," the bluenette said, handing over another stack of papers to Laxus whose eyes widened at the height of it.

The blonde sighed. "Are there more?"

Juvia nodded and Laxus groaned. "Well, shit."

"I don't understand," Laki said, blinking. The others froze in the room as the purple-haired girl continued. "What happened to Heartfilia-san?"

Levy started sweating and Loke hurried to speak before she could. "A-Ah! She's just… a-apparently she got into an accident and is in coma right now so…"

"I forgot she wasn't there when the gangs surrounded Lucy," Lisanna whispered to Mira. "This is bad."

"I can only hope she doesn't find out the truth," the sister whispered back, visibly gulping as Laki stared at them in suspicion.

"Something seems wrong…"

"N-Nothing's wrong!" they chorused.

Laxus groaned once more to cover up the tension in the air. "There are honestly too many papers. Are we the presidents of the country or something?"

"Probably," Natsu joked, laughing hard afterwards.

Levy rolled her eyes. "Idiot."

"Well, if you say so…" Laki said and everyone mentally sighed in relief.

Lisanna blinked and reached over to get something from Laxus' desk when the door opened and a certain redhead stepped in, breathless and sweaty. Their eyes widened.

"Erza!"

The said girl passed a hand over her forehead, bowing from the waist.

"Can I borrow a few minutes of your time? We need to talk."

A/N: First things first, THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE IN THE REAL WORLD. I know that much, but hey, this is a story soooo anything is possible here. Please don't kill me for bomboarding you guys all of a sudden with this information, but I'll have you know that I think there are only two chapters left before GMB ENDS *cries* And second of all, tomorrow is GMB'S anniversary! YAY! May 11th! I don't know, maybe it's still may 9 there with you guys but it's the tenth here already lol. So please give your all because GMB is at its last stand!

Anyhow, I hope you liked this chapter and if you've got any questions, ask them on my ASK FM or drop them in your review below!

"She breathed her last."

Byee! -Anne :D

- Please support/read my other stories: Celebrity Issues, Forgotten Memories, Fragile, The Devil and the Assassin, Life's Challenges, Queen of Stars, A Love That Lasts Forever and Going Against The Current.