The Hurt, the Brave, and the Dead
I stood there frozen in shock wondering if what I was seeing was real or an illusion.
"How'd you get in here?" I asked while searching for anything that could be a weapon. A ballpoint pen. One of my thick romance novels. All while considering the possibilities, I couldn't believe my eyes. Why is Lisanna with Zeref? Why the hell does she look so cold? Dammit this isn't good!
"I'm not going to harm you, Miss Heartfilla. I'm just here to talk." Zeref said as I folded my arms together as a means of protecting myself from being shocked from hell and back, "We have nothing to talk about. If anything any contact we have right now would be me choking the air out of your lungs."
At that moment I decided to turn my attention to the soulless white haired and blue eyed doll completely sure that was Lisanna beside him, "And you! How could you do this to us, Lisanna? Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?! Your sister is desperately trying to find you, and you were completely conscious with him of all people the whole time?! Did you know how worried Natsu was? He came across a woman that looked just like you, and it took me a lot to snap him out of it!"
The woman tilted her head and smirked! Never before had I found Lisanna infuriating until now. After all that worrying and grieve she caused us this is what we get in return?! I was completely sick of it, so I took my anger out on her, "I just hope you haven't told this bastard anything that might concern the Agency, I bet not even your sister will be able to keep you away from that punishment. I'll never forgive you this." I snarled as before turning to Zeref and demanded, "So talk, then get the hell out of my apartment!"
"Patience, Miss Heartfilla. To be honest I don't see why he loves you."
"Excuse me?"
"Natsu, I do see why he could have chosen you to be his partner. You've got good skills in the field, and you're attractive, but that personality of yours could use more improvement. Also you did look good in that red chiffon dress at the party." My brows furrowed in confusion before I realized he was talking about the dress I wore to the party that was weeks ago.
"You've been monitoring us, so why the charade?" I stated
"I needed time to prepare, to set up this grand stage."
"This isn't a play!"
"Don't-"I stopped at the sight of my apartment door opening and the familiar face with pink spiky hair, "Lucy you- YOU."
His demeanor did a 180 as he caught sight of Zeref in all the places at my apartment, and not to mention the fact that Lisanna was there. His eyes darkened tremendously, all the questions he wanted answers to, angry, and disbelief were immediately suppressed as Natsu calmly kept his temper in play. While I heard Zeref drawl what sounded like carefully planned words as if he was expecting Natsu, "Well speak of the dragon, you're here."
Just when I thought things couldn't go any worse, Zeref turned around and said something that made all the blood in my body go south, "Before I go Miss Heartfilla, have you ever wondered why the doctors haven't called you or Michelle Lobster about your father's cancer developments?"
Natsu practically snapped at that point lunging for the man ready to beat the bloody crap out of him, but before he could get to Zeref, an army knife was pressed against his throat by the hands of Lisanna. My thoughts jumbled with my helplessness. One wrong move and it'd be over for the both of us. Nothing was more terrifying than seeing Natsu against Lisanna. Natsu glared at her while Zeref walked past him. "We should do this again some time. I'm sure your father will be dying to see you. Well then good day to the both of you."
Retracting the blade from his throat, Lisanna left with Zeref like a ghost and all the tension in my apartment vanished with them only leaving exhaustion and confusion in their wake.
My legs gave out at last as my arms wrapped around my shoulders. I still couldn't shake off that cold paralysis that didn't come from the bareness of my skin against the winter cold, granted I was still wearing a bath towel. Natsu rushed over grasping my hands and shoulders. "Lucy."
There was no room for the 'are you okay?' or 'what did he do to you?' time was slow but quick as I could hear my partner request that I put on some clothes. Nodding numbly,I let Natsu guide me to the bathroom like I was about to break in seconds. Zeref's words had sunken in and took a hold of that seed of worry and doubt inside me and let that consume me whole as I put on a long sleeved brown turtleneck, dark blue jeans, a black trench coat, knee long brown boots, and a grey scarf.
Opening the door, Natsu took my hand and we were off to the hospital. The car ride there was practically brimming with choking tension. Before going through those hospital doors, Natsu grasped my hand as I could feel the warm strength through it.
"He's going to be alright, Lucy."
Nodding, we both stepped into the sanitized building. Going to the counter I asked for my dad's doctor, Ms. Tachibana. The orange haired doctor greeted me with a small smile and a short hug before she led us to her office. Once Natsu closed the door to the small office, I asked her, "How is my father, Ms. Tachibana?"
"I'm sorry to say this, but you father has cancer again, not the pancreas cancer," I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding while she continued, "But he's at the second stage of small cell lung cancer."
"Lung cancer?" Lucy repeated. She wasn't an expert on cancers but she knew the basics of lung cancer. "He doesn't smoke, nor has my family ever had lung cancer in their systems and I'm sure your hospital doesn't have radon or any other chemicals that could be harmful to my father's lungs… When did you find it?"
"We found it a few months ago while doing a regular checkup on your father's panaceas when he start to cough a fit, and immediately we did a MRI. We're doing everything in our power so find out the cause and stop with cancer from spreading."
"Thank you, Ms. Tachibana. Why didn't you notify me when you found it?" The orange haired woman smiled before glancing at the time on her wrist. "You're welcome, but that's not my place to say, it's your father's. We had him moved from his previous hospital room. I have to go to a meeting right now but," the doctor scribbled on a white paper and handed it to me explaining while plucking a red binder from a stack of colorful stacked binders and getting up from her seat, "Here's the number of the room. Once I'm done, I'll check your father."
The two of us stood and shook hands with Ms. Tachibana before exiting the office with her. Peering at the paper I said, out loud, "Room 421."
Natsu squeezed my hand again and said as we walked to find the room, "Cheer up, Lucy. He's not going anywhere. You can hug him all you'd like."
"Got any scotch better yet whiskey?" Mirajane smiled despite seeing one of her friends with a bullet hole in her chest in a thin hospital gown. "No, but I bought some fruit-"
"Cocktails?" Cut in Cana who hasn't had a sip of alcohol in two weeks as Mirajane looked to the side of the hospital bed and saw a familiar first aid kit with a decorative sky blue unlatched padlock, "Does it look like I have a bar shaker with me? Is Porlyusica still here?"
Cana nodded pointing to the door behind the white haired woman, "She went to get more iv bags for me. Wendy's here though."
The door creaked open and a head of blue hair popped into the room exclaiming at the sight of the awoken patient, "Cana!"
The adorable 15 year old rushed over to hug Cana. "I was so worried, do you need anything?"
"A glass of whiskey would be nice." Mirajane shot the alcoholic a look as Wendy started to berate Cana still terrified by the fact that one of her family was nearly killed, "You can't Cana! Even though the bullet missed your heart," The teenager paused for a moment bowing slightly to Mirajane in greeting before continuing to scold the older woman lying in the hospital bed. "It's still lodged in there!"
The brunette more or less tried to shift her body in discomfort feeling guilty for the young prodigy's worry, "Sorry Wendy..."
"So how's it going with Romeo?" asked Cana with a grin obviously wanting to get the gloomy mood out the window. Wendy who in Mirajane's opinion could have been Erza and Jellal's child since the bluenette turned red like Erza when she was embarrassed. "C-Cana!"
Cana poked the red Wendy with a teasing smile as Mirajane asked in a sly tone, "Wendy, is he cute?"
"Not you too, Mira-san!" groaned Wendy as the door busted open by a very panicked Evergreen, something that both Cana and Mirajane haven't seem for a long time. "Wendy! Porlyusica is in the hospital!"
"What?!" Mirajane stood up from her seat, Cana could barely move her legs let alone her arms so instead she demanded what the hell happened to the old hag, and Wendy did what any girl her age would do. The young medic suppressed her tears and emotional distress looking to Evergreen asking, "Can you please take me to her?"
Jude was surprised when the door busted open and his only daughter and a pink haired man came into his hospital room like he was going to die any second.
"Dad!" cried out Lucy as she raced over tightly hugging him as he felt the tears fall from her eyes.
"You know I was starting to think that you are still angry with me, Lucy." teased Jude with a small chuckle before a cough erupted from his lungs followed by another just stronger and louder than the first. Lucy watched completely horrified and angry at the fact that that bastard did this to her father, one of the few family members in her life.
After the coughing fit Jude gave Lucy a weak smile before gesturing with his hand to the man right beside his daughter, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend here?"
The blonde blinked vaguely remembering that not once did Natsu and her father met before until that moment. Clearing her throat Lucy said, "Uh, well dad this is Natsu. Natsu Dragneel, he's my…"
The weary man noticed that she paused then frowned before looking to the pink haired man and furrowing her brows. Jude frowned wondering if there was something complicated about their relationship and opened his mouth to wave it off, that's when Natsu cut in with his hand extended to the sick man, "I'm her partner... Well more precisely her fiancé, sir."
The former business man blinked in surprise. A fiancé? He knew that his daughter was dating a honest playboy (Lucky was it?) before, but now her partner? Not that he had anything against Lucy dating her partner. Jude had heard rumors about the Agency that his daughter worked at being well known for having pair teams that end up being married. He just didn't think that would happen to his little girl so soon. Jude grasped the man's hand and shook it. "Nice to finally meet the man who's been watching my daughter's back."
"I'll continue to do so, sir." Lucy's father glanced toward the blonde seeing a mortified expression on her face like she wasn't expecting her fiancé words. This confused the man since he thought logically, assuming that she was here to introduce Natsu to him properly other than to visit him after so long of course. So you didn't come here to introduce your fiancé to me?"
"Uh no. Dad, has there been anyone lurking around outside your hospital room or did anyone come in here unexpectedly?"
"No. Not that I know of. The only people that come in here are the nurses that change my IV bag, Ms. Tachibana, the elderly janitor, and that nice young man who brings me the complimentary flowers. He should be here by now, somehow he knows just when to change them." Jude told them as if on cue the door opened and a rugged man with dark crimson spiky hair wearing a male nurse outfit and carrying a vase of fairy bells, extremely poisonous flowers that could very well be coated in chemicals.
Natsu instantly recognized him as one of the most dangerous poison experts that earned their living by selling their 'homemade' poisons, Cobra. The flower man froze the glass vase shattering the silence and ran like his life depended on it. "Natsu!"
"Got it." Without another word, the pink haired man ran after the snake as Lucy did a full sweep around the room making sure that there wasn't anything else that might jeopardize her father's health while asking the person a barrage of questions, "Did you smell anything sweet or bitter? Did you hear the door open while you were half asleep? Any voices?"
"No. Anyone who came here were just the doctors, nurses, and that guy. And do you really think I'd be hearing voices in my sleep, Lucy?"
"Well no, but still! Did he do anything to the medical equipment?"
"No, he only comes to deliver the flowers."
"Do you know who sent the flowers?"
"There was no card, and I assumed it was from one of my old friends."
Pinching the bridge of her nose Lucy heard Jude continue, "We conversed a little, and he isn't a bad person, Lucy."
"Dad, he's one of the most wanted criminals in the world!" Lucy turned from him.
"I get that, but don't you think people want a second chance in life?" The blonde paused before twisting the knob and exiting the room to chase the potential cause of her father's disease.
Jude sighed, he couldn't lie that having his once distant daughter being concerned over him made him the happiest father in the world. Hearing the door open he grinned and held up a hand, "I didn't expect you to show up here, Igneel."
"Well I had to see you, Jude."
"Is it time to carry out phase one?" Igneel nodded sitting beside his old friend. "They grow up so fast, don't they?"
"Though I never expected your son to show up through that door, he's a splitting image of you."
"I could say the same about your daughter, Jude."
"Right? Thanks for sending the flowers… But these were Layla's favorites."
Igneel frowned, "Really? I was sure that these were your favorites….. You're not going to ask?"
"Why would I? You always had a thing for wandering, Ig. Only time it's for the end." Jude turns head slightly to see the clear sky. "The doctor's said I only have two weeks at best."
The pinked haired man opened his mouth, but the patient held up his hand, "Don't, Ig. I know for a fact that even if my daughter found the cause and you got Porlyusica or Grandeeney here, they wouldn't be able to help me. Besides maybe it's time for me to see Layla again."
"What about your daughter?"
"What about your son?" countered Jude, "She's strong just like Layla. Lucy can take care of herself. What about your little summer, Igneel? Do you think he's ready for you have planned?"
"Probably not, but he'll get through it. Natsu has to whether he likes it or not. He may end up hating me for eternity, but if it's to stop Zeref he'll understand the risks I'll take to get through it."
"So this is it isn't it?" sighed Jude as he looked towards the wandering soul.
"Yeah."
"Igneel…. One last request for a half stuck dead man?"
"Go on." Jude licked his lips in nervousness
"Say goodbye to Lucy for me." Igneel paused voicing out his thoughts, "No regrets?"
"No regrets, partner."
Erza stood in the muddy ground with Laxus who accompanied her to his grandfather's grave in the local cemetery.
Makarov Dreyer
A loving grandfather and an honorable man
"Thank you, Laxus." Were the first words out of Erza's mouth after the two had stood there for a couple of minutes as Laxus shrugged, "This has been long overdue, so you don't gotta thank me. He's had a better death thanks to Jellal, despite the ways he did it, he respected gramps wish to die an honorable way instead of dying from something as cowardly as poison. I can't forgive him right away, but maybe in time I will. We all make choices in life it's just a matter of living with them."
"When did you guys have the funeral?" asked Erza as she silently thanked the man that had taken care of her since the tender age of eight.
"A few days after we found his body, unfortunately we had a run in with my old man at the will hearing, bastard tried to stake claim. It wasn't pretty, believe me."
"Ivan Dreyer's still alive?"
"Alive, and still plotting to take over, but that's never going to happen." The blonde growled as he thought of his father and the bad memories before even Mira came to live with his and Makarov. "Besides we don't have the time for that. We've got other things to worry about than my stupid father."
"Like Zeref?"
"Like Zeref." The blonde affirmed turning around to see the hollow cemetery that was surrounded by several men in cliché black suits. "We got company."
"Think they're from Zeref?" Erza asked not batting an eyelash.
"Maybe if we save one for interrogation, we'll know." Laxus cracked his knuckles for fight.
Erza rolled her eyes. "No shit, Laxus. How many?"
"Ten. Maybe more." He guessed while wondering how his wife was holding up.
"With guns?"
"With guns." The muscular blonde confirmed, "Wanna bet, Titania?"
"I thought Mira banned you from betting?"
"That was before Natsu and Lucy. With all their sexual tension going on, it was hard not to make bets out of our paychecks." shrugged Laxus as the group of men closed in on the two who were patiently waiting to beat the living daylights out of them.
"What do you think their goal is?"
"Distract us. Stop us. Don't know. Don't give a fuck about it." Erza got up loading her pistol and dialed the Agency's number. "Try not to get shot."
"Try not to disappear on us again."
Sorry this took so long to update. I've been spending my time on tumblr, dramas, manga, you know shit like that.
I've been dragging this for too long, and I might end the story in a few chapters with new characters like Wendy and Cobra.
Hell I'm actually wondering if you guys don't review cause you view this as- oh I don't know dark with whole killing and stuff.
So review about anything really.
Also Kyoukai no Kanata is just simple heart breaking, cause of Akkey and Mirai. At least we got a shot of Hiroomi shirtless, but the feels!