Chapter 51: End of the Line

"Your mother's diary? What's it doing here?" Laxus questioned his fellow blonde and the woman shrugged.

"What I don't get is HOW it got here. There was a fire back at the Heartphilia estate when I was younger in my mother's bedroom from sheet heaters, and everything in there was replaced after reconstruction. I'm pretty sure her diary never made it."

Lucy studied the book carefully with slender shaking fingers. Her doe brown eyes blinked repeadetly as though she was trying to make conclusions in her head. Laxus collapsed on her bed and watched as she sighed and threw it on the other side of the room into her trash bin. Laxus rose a brow to question her and she just shrugged.

"It's obvious it's an illusion. A low level demon is trying to play with my heart strings and take over the stigma now that Im in some what control." Laxus was caught by surprise. He never even thought about that, and he was always on guard. Lucy stretched and laid on top if him, head snuggled against his chest. The woman giggled which made the lightning mage grunt.

"Yosh! Juvia was right! I am waaayyy to comfortable with you."

When Lucy and the others returned back to the castle, Lucy scoffed at the object on the doorway.

"Again?!" She exclaimed and picked up the pink diary. No one questioned her. If she was in danger she would inform them. That's what being a hunter does. Forces you to humble yourself and ask for help. Lucy said nothing though, as she clicked away in her high heels to her Yokai dorm.

Several minutes later Juvia came in without knocking. It didn't matter, they trusted each other.

"Lucy! Juvia wants to know what happened on vaction with Lucy and Laxus-San!" Lucy looked up from her writing and laughed. "It's nothing! I mean we did nothing!" Juvia eyed her carefully with an ever growing smirk.

"Really, Lucy? Because Juvia saw something intresting at the hotel."

Lucy froze up. There was no way Juvia saw them at the cove, did she?! Lucy's mind flashed back to the endeavor.

Shivering at the thought, she turned back to the blue haired mage. "Like what?" Lucy questioned nonchantly as Juvia began to blush.

"Juvia came into Lucy-chan's room and saw Lucy and Laxus-San... In the same bed! With Laxus's-San shirt off!"

Lucy almost sighed in relief. Juvia saw one of the only innocent scenes between the two. Although the memory of waking beside him made the woman blush. He looked so cute when he was feigning sleep. And yes, feigning. He said he had been awake for an hour and was waiting on her to get off of him. Laxus was really calm in the early hours.

"I promise, Juvia-nee. Nothing's happening!"

Kuma's P.o.V.

That night I couldn't sleep.

School kicked back up in the morning and I was in my Yokai Dorm. Ma and the others were heading on one more mission before the Fantasia starts.

Walking over towards my bed, I bent over to a certain floorboard and opened it. Pulling out a bottle of Cinna-Sugar Twist vodka, I remind myself that Im running low and need to restock. The last things in my supplies was little shot bottles.

Walking unto my balcony I felt at ease. This was really the calm before the storm. I feel something on my head and immediately know that it's Neeya. She tried to stifle her giggle as I playfully wondered out loud who could it be. I giggle along with her and leaned down to rest my head on the balcony. Staring off into the ocean I smiled.

The tower wasn't there anymore.

"It use to be there, Kuma? We were this far away from help. So close.." My head nodded sadly as I took another swig of my drink. Neeya yawned and said she was headed to bed. Wishing her good dreams, I stand back up and lean against the railing looking at the bright moon. It looked strangely blue tonight. Taking another swig an unfamiliar voice coddles me.

"You know, drinking so young can really mess up your pretty body...and your life."

Turning around, a man stands there. He looks about Uncle Natsu's age with black spiky hair and tearfully sad charcoal eyes. He wore all black and gold, the colors of our royal guard and family. His skin was pale and he was standing right beside me.

He didn't have a scent!

"Who are you?" I asked nonchantly, taking another gulp of my liquor. Who was he to tell me what to do? He stared at me with confused eyes for a good long while before bending over into a chuckling fit. My head tilted to the side in my own version of confusion. What was so funny? I was dying to know.

The man stopped laughing and stood up straight with a surprisingly dazzling smile.

"I'm the very man you hunters are here to kill."

"ZEREF?!"

"That's right...!" He sing songed and stole my bottle and taking a nice long drink. "Although your only half right." He continued and turned around to walk into my bedroom and strut towards the vanity mirror that Mom gave me for my ninth birthday. He smirked into it, watching me from the reflection as I grabbed Neeya from her pillow. She groaned in confusion before going back to sleep. Zeref chuckled once more before he sat the vodka down and smirked.

"I'm myself's inner concious. Who you see right now, is not real! I'm targeting you from my unconcious body. If someone walked in right now, they would only see you. Holding a cat and a bottle of alcohal on your dresser. They'd think you drunk to much and would hardly believe a word you say." I knew something wasn't right about him. He seemed off. He's a figurement, a doll of the real Zeref's mind. Watching him closely, Zeref sighed happily as he sat in one of my desk chairs.

"How does it feel to meet your father for the first time?" He questioned and I scoffed. Hell yeah he's my dad.

"Yeah right, more like sperm donor. My real papa's name is Mystogan! So bleh!" I stuck out my tounge and he chuckled.

"Your intresting, Pet. We'll have fun together!"

With that, Zeref dissappeared into thin air.

Neeya:And then!

"SON OF A—!"

"Profanity, Miss Scarlet."

"I was gonna say fudge cake!"

Principal Morioka chastised as she briskly walked passed me with a job set clearly on her face. Groaning, I look at my bike and sighed.

Flat tire.

'It takes me thirty minutes on bike to get home! And I can't mooch off of Cobalt since Aunt Juvia got him out for an early dissmissal!'

Having no choice, I lock the bike back up an decide to start heading home on foot.

Thank the maker that I wore high tops today.

"Kuma!" Turning around, I see Dennevah and Koga running towards me hand in hand. I snickered to myself. I always knew it was gonna happen. Neeya's with them.

"Where ya headed?" Koga asked with a smile as Neeya sits on my head.

Rolling my eyes and glaring daggers at my rusted old bitch of a bike, I muttered "Home." They all turned towards it and began to laugh there heads off. Even Neeya giggled a bit. "Shut it, jerk faces!" Since both of their guilds were out of town, I smirk and think of the positives. Taking off my school blazer, I fold it and start unbuttoning my blouse. A couple of jocks stopped and had a nose bleed. Rolling my eyes, I remove the skirt too and Koga looked away bashfully. I forget that guy is like a saint when it comes to the skin of women. I kept a pair of Nike running shorts and running bra underneath my regular clothes for dance practice and track. Tying my hair up in my usual high pony Dennevah says she'll deposit the clothes in my room and see me tomorrow.

"Oh yeah! Track tryouts tomorrow too!" Koga called and I nodded. Jogging in place for a bit I felt Neeya sit on top of my head once more. Stuffing my earplugs in my ear, I turn up the player that was currently on the radio and start my looong trek home.

Draping my earplugs across my shoulders, Neeya is softly snoring. How she could sleep while I'm running was beyond me.

"I never took you as the type to run track."

Cutting my eyes at Zeref, I huffed and scoffed, trying to pick up the pace. He kept up just as easily. I was about to break into an all out sprint, but he just shook his head and smiled. "Uncomfortable, oh grown daughter of mine?" Growling a warning deep in my throat, Zeref just snickered and kept his pace. "Go. Away." I demanded and the dark wizard just smiled sadisitically.

"What's the magic word?"

"Fuck off!"

"That's not it, Akashiya."

Wanting to just rip his damn head off, Zeref chuckled and rose a brow. "I'm just simply curious, Kuma. Why are you a Demon Hunter? Protecting my castle. My name, my legacy. Yet you seem to hate me with every fiber in your soul!" Turning left on Bankard Blv., my eyes closed before reopening in annoyance.

"I'm not protecting you, Im protecting my queen. I'm doing this for Aunt Moka because after the whole Tower of Heaven buisness, I had nothing better to do. Besides, what's it to ya?" Zeref seemed to be in deep thought and snapped out of it after a while.

"Moka, huh? Is she...alright with life?" He questioned which made me confused. He was just teasing and playing to seconds ago. And now he looked concerned, sad and worried.

"I wouldn't know, considering as though she only talks and deals with buisness and not personal." Zeref's mouth formed an 'o' and he smiled a little.

"Right."

"Anyways, seriously go. Aunt Lucy's here."

Zeref chuckled and dissappeared just as a motorbike pulled up. Dressed in all black, the figure of a big busted woman pulled up on the side of me.

"Need a lift?" Aunt Lucy questioned, removing her helmet. Taking a breather I hop on behind her and a bunch of black smoke wrapped around my head and Neeya's, hardening into a helmet. Looking out side the thing, the motorcycle revves, which sounds mysteriously like a horse, and takes off. Aunt Lucy's helmet appeared back on and she swung one of her sickles in the air in a huge circle. Once. Twice. A bright light flashed and now the two sickles were a scythe. Aunt Lucy laughed and sped up even faster.

We were in for one helluva ride.

Three Days Later.

"Uncle Gajeeeeelll! Why can't I have my weapon yet!"

Gajeel ignored Kuma as she whined and moaned, playfully tugging on his long hair. It was taking every preserve of the willpower he had built to become a general to not lash and break her fingers. No he was more grounded than that. A simple child wouldn't make him sna—

"Would ya leave me the fuck alone?!" Gajeel snapped as Kuma pouted.

"But I wanna cool weapon too! I mean Aunt Lucy has hers! Cobalt has his! I'm the freakin' princess of this joint, why can't I get one?!"

Gajeel sighed and dog-eared the page he stopped on. No point in trying to read now. Shaking his head as if that was his answer, he set the book on the Yokai's library table and began to walk down towards the training grounds. Knowing she would follow, Gajeel heard Kuma's rushed steps to catch up with his long strides. "Hey! I was talking to you!" She exclaimed, taking three quick steps to match his long glides.

"Look, your not ready for a weapon. Neither is Bunny-girl. The blonde idiot just gave it to her because he thinks its fun seeing how well her body can adjust to using so many new things. Like the Stigma. But because she's a soldier, it wouldn't matter if she got the weapon early or not." Kuma made a noise of confusion but Gajeel made no move to explain.

"So why can't I specifcally get a weapon?"

"Your not ready."

"But WHY am I not ready? Are you just not teaching me fast enough? Cause all of my tests I passed easily!" Kuma was going to argue this subject into the ground. Something told Gajeel if they didn't reach a conclusion fast, she was going to aim for blood.

What really confused Gajeel about this girl, is that she was nothing like the element she controlled. If anything, she acted more like that pyro-maniac Natsu. She wasn't stable at all like the ground. When she fought, she didn't consider the consequenses. When she thinks, she doesn't have a base to tell her thoughts, just opinions. Hell, even her emotions were wild like fire. Everything about her was uprooted and tossed around. She was carefree and went with the flow like water, which is just part of the reasons she wasn't ready.

That was just her Dragon Slayer side.

Her vampire side and Princess card was Takara Akashiya. Her vampire side didn't need as much blood as Wendy or her brothers needed it because she simply ignored this side of her. Yet when she draws it out for battle, Kuma has no control over Takara whatsoever. Takara was a killing machine in the making and yet Takara had to be queen if Kuma got picked to be the one sitting on the throne next.

And lastly, she let the past controll her.

Kuma never smiled. At least not as much as Natsu did. She was just like both her mothers in the sense. She stayed busy to keep her minds off of things. This career she had, acting and singing, was just a distraction for her. She didn't really enjoy it. Not like how Mira enjoyed modeling and singing. It was her escape, which is why she was so good at lying. Because of that escape of hers, she confuses her lies with the truth which would get her hurt someday. And if she didn't get herself together, it would be soon. She didnt ask for help, nor advice. Kuma kept everything locked inside untill someone has to beat it out of her. If even then, it was just a part of the problem.

"...Uncle Gajeel! Are you even listnin' to me?" Gajeel shook his head no. Kuma sighed and gave up. If it was one person who could put her in her place easily, it was Gajeel Redfox.

"If you learn what being a Dragon Slayer and a Vampire means, we'll see to it that a weapon is considered." Gajeel grumbled in his deep voice. Kuma smiled widley and jumped on Gajeel's back.

"Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Gajeel just grunted, not even trying to throw the girl off of him.

-Let's check on Lucy!-

"Huh...huh..huh... What I seek is thunder! Izuchi!"

Lucy drew a pentagram made of blue light with her fingertips. The shape brightened and released a spiral of thunder. Laxus ate it without any trouble. 'Shouldnt he only be restricted to only eating lightning?!' Lucy thought angrily.

"This is impossible!" Lucy cried out and Laxus cackled. She dodged a lightning bolt and threw her sickle towards him. Laxus ducked and she pulled her weapon back in with the chain. "Just say ya' give up, Blondie."

"The day I burn in hell, Sparky! What I seek is the burning field, Kurenai!"

A wall of fire blew at the blonde male and he quickly evaded as a bolt of lightning. Lucy's task was to hit him with lightning or thunder. Because he was basiclly lightning incarnate, she couldn't just hit him straight on.

But now she had him.

She had thought he would quickly evade and so she used that to her advantage to get on his side of the fire. He couldn't see her and so he looked around, confused.

"What I seek is thunder! IZUCHI!"

Laxus turned to late to dodge the bolt of lightning. He lifted up his arm lazily and let the lightning coil around it.

"Nice, Blondie. Practice is over for the day." Other than a gloss of sweat on his forehead, Laxus looked completely fine. Whereas Lucy was sweating buckets and collapsed on the ground, a ghost flying out of her mouth. Laxus rolled his eyes and grabbed his water bottle. Pouring the cold water across her face and body, Lucy was revived to life. Unconciously she had opened her mouth wide, signaling she wanted some of that water in her when Laxus smirked. His perverted mind taking it the wrong way.

"Be careful, Luce. You could be asking for anything to be put in your mouth." Lucy's face darkened from the red that she already was and flipped the man off. He laughed and helped her off the ground.

"Stop being a perv, Laxus." Surprisingly that came from Mirajane who was heading down the hallway with Juvia and Cobalt. Laxus rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, Mira. You can ride this di-" Cobalt immediately started walking before Laxus finished his statement.

"Nooooope! I'm out!" Cobalt yelled, pulling a blushing Juvia along. Lucy laughed and waved at the mother-son duo who went looking for Gajeel. 'Theyre a really cute and akward family.' She thought lovingly. Why Gajeel just wouldn't hook up with Juvia, Lucy didn't know. It was obvious Cobalt wanted to call him 'Dad.'.

While Laxus and Mirajane play argued about innuendos and sexual assault to fellow co-workers, Lucy cell phone began to rang. It was a text. Swiping the screen and entering her pin she read the message with a raised brow.

•••• Why haven't you read your mother's diary?••••

Lucy, seeing as though Mira and Laxus were still fighting, actually had the nerve to text back.

••• Because it isn't my mother's. It's a fake. Who is this? I'm tired of this game.•••

••• Oh, but dear Lucy Heartphillia, Im the father of the man your standing next to right now. And I assure you that IS the diary. Your welcome.•••

Lucy gasped and almost dropped her phone when she was finished reading. Mira looked at her with concern. "Is something wrong?" Laxus too looked worried.

Lucy smiled and locked her phone back up with a click of a button in case Mr. Lightning got any ideas. "I'm fine! Just had a weird thought is all. Hey, do any of you know where Kuma is?" Laxus rose a brow but nodded. "Yeah she texted earlier saying something about her and Erza waiting for you at the house." Lucy smiled and nodded.

"Ok, great! I'll just take a quick shower and head on my way. Bye guys!"

"Hey Lucy! Glad you could make it."

Lucy thanked Erza for inviting her as she walked into the apartment. Kuma was talking to Levy and Bisca dully while Kana drunk her alcohal on the other couch, ready to get the show on the road. Juvia was there too, trying to cheer the in-excited Kuma up.

"Alright girls! Mira said she couldn't make it and Laki is out of town so we can get this party started." All the girls began to cheer and drink their alcohal. Kuma wasn't alowed to, which bummed her out. No wonder Levy said she looked bored.

"Now the reason that we are all here is to discuss our float themes." Erza adressed and Lucy and Juvia looked confused. "Float...themes?" They asked together, tilting there heads at the exact same time and blinking twice in unison. Kuma looked at them like they were idiots.

Geez she was scary.

"For the Fantasia." She answered dully and sat in a corner. It was bad enough that her supplier was being checked by the police, she had virtually nothing in her stash at her dorm. Those shot bottles went through easily within a day. Playing with her fingernails, she looked up to see Erza glaring at her with a smile on her face.

"Is something wrong with the couch where the rest of us are?"

Kuma never moved to the couch so fast in her life! Putting on the brightest smile ever, she said a quick "Happy Fantasia!" And started drawing in her sketchpad, laughing nervously as she went. Everyone in the room shivered as they went along with the topic at hand.

"The Fantasia parade is a sort of celebration for the Harvest Festival, girls. It's got bright lights and tons of magic shows!" Bisca exclaimed and Levy nodded her head. "She's right! And sometimes people in the guild have corresponding magic and so we pair them up on the floats."

Erza smiled softly and nodded. "Exactly. For example, the Strauss siblings pretty much have their own float. But Jet, Droy and Alzack ride with them since there magic doesn't really correspond with anyone else's." Kuma was still strangely quiet as she sketched in her pad, her movements quick. Kana took a curious glance at the picture and almost choked on her drink. "You drew all that in twenty minutes?!" She exclaimed and Kuma nodded with a smirk. Continuing to draw everyone grew quiet as they too wanted to see the picture. When Kuma was done twenty more minutes later, she held it up for Lucy and Juvia to see.

In the picture there was graffiti and streamers and bubbles everywhere! Surprisingly Laxus and a very young Kuma were on a float. A girl with white hair and Natsu were on it too. In fire and lighting in the sky was the name 'Fairy Tail'.

Lucy and Juvia were excited with that one picture!

Erza smiled even wider at the picture and held a hand to her heart when she saw Lissana and Natsu. Those days seemed much more simplistic.

"That was my first Fantasia. That's Cousin Lissana and surprisingly I convinced Onee-chan to ride with us. Fantasias are so pretty. Especially that one. It was my first so of coarse it's my favorite!"

After the meeting, Lucy went to the guild hall. Night had fallen so the members were leaving the building to go home and rest.

"Blondie, what are you doing here so late?" Turning to her demon partner, she smiled and shrugged.

"I gotta ask Master something." Laxus rose a brow and followed her back inside.

"Oh really? What about?" Lucy laughed, quite nervously, and put some distance between the two.

"Now now, this is a private matter, Sparky! Besides, don't you have another round tonight with Mirajane? Appearently she gets a partner tonight." Laxus glared at her suspiciously and headed towards the door slowly. How would she know his schedule without looking through his music player? Smirking, he nodded and said a quick bye to head towards Yokai.

Lucy sighed and almost jumped out of her boots at Master Makarov's voice.

"And what is this question you must ask me?"

Turning around, the blonde again laughed nervously and looked around to still see people in the guild. Seeing that, Gramps beckoned her to his office and she followed with her cell phone in her hand. Once inside she had no intentions to beat around the bush.

"Your son, Ivan, is stalking me!"

Makarov almost fell out of his chair when he heard that.

"Say what?!" He questioned and she nodded. Not even a second later did her cell phone ring. Gulping she unlocked her phone and read the message.

•••Stalking is a harsh word, isn't it?•••

Gasping and groaning, she showed Makarov the text. The man instantly took that as proof.

"I don't know what to do!"

Makarov grabbed the phone and threw it in a weird looking box. "We've had things like this before. This box has a special aura that cancel out the frequency signals of the bug Ivan has planted in your phone. No need to worry, dear child. I will take care of this. In the meantime tell Gajeel what has happened, he may have use for this."

Lucy nodded and Makarov, the pervert that he was, smacked her butt as a goodbye. Lucy frowned but brushed it off, deciding to look for Gajeel tomorrow.

Let's Check on Kuma!

"Fantasia's in two days! Are you coming?"

Moka smirked at Kuma's giddiness. Nodding, Kuma rubbed the back of her head from the hit Gajeel gave her.

"What did I do?!" She demanded and Gajeel smirked with a simple 'gi-hee'. Kuma sighed and stroked Neeya's fur. The purple cat giggled and opened and closed a pocket knife. Kuma caught a glint of something shiny outside the castle. Moka saw it too and sniffed the air. She sighed and relaxed.

"It's just Tskune. I asked him to fix the railing outside." Kuma dropped her bag and smiled. "Oh! I haven't spoken to Mr. Aono in a while. I'll go say hi!" Running off before either adults said anything, she ran outside to greet the school's bus driver.

"Heyo!"

Tskune smiled and waved. "Hey! Where have you been? Moka's been worried about you." Considering the vampire Moka was just talking to her two seconds ago, Kuma chalked it up to him meaning his wife, Mrs. Aono. Her now social studies teacher with pink hair. To say she was shocked when inner and outer Moka split for good was an understatement. "Has she? Aw, I'm sorry! Hey, maybe you two could come to the Fanatasia parade!" Tskune 'hmm' in thought as he screwed on a bolt to the side of the castle.

"I guess we could go! Everyone deserves a break once in a while. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Moka told me to give you this."

Out of his pocket, Tskune pulled out a pocket knife. The handle was purple and bedazzled.

"She said you'll be chased after a lot now, so quick coverage could help."

Thanking him, Kuma waved goodbye and went back inside. Grabbing her bag, she called it a night and headed home.

Erza was going to kill her, ten minutes late for dinner!