I'm back with chapter 22, so please R&R and I shall see you at the bottom of the page.
POV: Narrator, Lucy, Natsu
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
"Leaving for the night?" Porlyusica asks, not bothering to look up from the files she is looking over, sounding bored.
Mirajane nods, a satisfied smile adorning her lips, "Yeah," she answers cheerily as she usually does, "I was supposed to leave earlier, but got caught up on some paperwork. I'm only hoping that I didn't miss dinner again," she says while slinging her bag onto her shoulder earning a stiff nod from the pink haired doctor.
"It's almost Elfman's birthday, isn't it?" Porlyusica asks looking up at the nearby calendar which holds a picture of a scenic beach view with a glorious sun set in the background.
"He'll be turning eighteen in a few weeks," Mirajane says, excitement pouring out of her, "I plan on taking him and Lisanna to Crocus for that very occasion," she beams already moving around the desk to head on out.
Porlyusica smiles, a sight so rare that it perks up Mirajane even more, "I remember when I first met you three," the old woman sighs while closing her eyes, seeming to let the memories run through her mind, "You were only twelve when I took you in, right," she asks looking over at the white haired beauty who is leaning on the desk, her head leaning dreamily onto her hands.
"You took us in after our parents had died in that awful car crash," she whispers recalling the events as if it were only yesterday that that had happened, "Once I entered high school we then moved into Fairy Hills after it was completed and now we have a house of our own,"
"How time has passed," the elder woman sighs looking behind Mirajane at nothing in particular. The hallways to the hospital are mostly empty other than a few nurses and janitors here and there in case an emergency decides to occur, "Mirajane," said woman looks up at the only non-blood related family she has left, "Please take care of yourself and those other two brats," she says, a mournful glint residing deep within her ancient red eyes.
Mira laughs a hearty laugh wondering what was up with her, "I wouldn't have it any other way," she says before pushing herself away from the desk and heading on toward the nearby exit, "Goodnight, I'll see you in the morning," and with a final wave walks on out of the sliding doors into the cool awaiting night.
Back in the hospital, a single tear streams down the withered face of the usually well composed doctor.
My pen taps repeatedly on my desk in a constant tempo as I look down at the slip of paper that stares up at me tauntingly before then looking out my bedroom window at the night sky. Behind me I can hear Wendy and her friend Chelia – a young girl around the same age as Wendy with short pink hair and sparkling blue eyes – busily talk and skim through my magazines chattering about the various amount of models and actors and upcoming movies.
Sighing, I look back down at the paper that Loke gave me last night feeling my head swim painfully in circles. The paper reads:
Princess, I know you know the first five rules, so here are the last four in case Natsu hasn't explained them to you yet.
Rule 6: Don't walk alone with strangers
Rule 7: Stay home and don't go out at night
Rule 8: Don't accept answers when you haven't even asked a question
Rule 9: Always know that you're being watched
The last one still makes my skin crawl no matter how much I try to get it out of my head. It's also the one that makes the most sense since the eyes that I've felt watching me have returned with a force that keeps me on edge.
"Lucy, what are you doing," looking up from the note, I turn to see both girls looking up at me expectantly, a strange expression on both their faces, "Are you and Natsu dating?" Chelia asks, a glint of mischief glowing within her blue eyes and if I were drinking water I'd probably spit it all over my desk.
"W-What!" I screech dropping my pen on my desk and almost falling back in my chair, "N-n-no, we're j-just friends," I stutter feeling my face immediately burn up more once the girls start giggling on the floor uncontrollably, "Wh-why would you think s-such a thing," I mentally curse at my incapability of completing a single sentence without stuttering making it seem like I'm trying to cover something up.
Damn pre-teens and their sneaky questions catching you at the wrong time.
Still smiling and giggling to themselves, both girls duck their heads back to the magazine they were looking at earlier.
How did I get stuck babysitting?
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" a piercing scream slices through the warm night air, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"
A sigh from my right has me turning to look at Gray who's hidden within the shadows along with me, the tired look he gives me is understandable, it's the look that everyone here all share. I shake my head holding back the urge to groan in frustration as I turn my attention back to the running woman feeling my heart squeeze in pain.
Mirajane runs down the alley that we've corralled her in searching fruitlessly for a way to escape from us. She knows we want her; she knows what it is we want but even then continues to run. She doesn't know who we are, can't register through her fear that we want to help, and doesn't understand that she's not even alive anymore, just like the others.
"What do you want from me?" she asks once her path is blocked by a protruding fence and we all jump off of the roofs of the surrounding buildings slowly surrounding her while remaining deep within the shadows away from her view, "I don't have any money or anything expensive on me, so please leave me alone," tears stream down her pale cheeks and her hair and clothes is a mess from trying to run through some bushes to get away from us. Her right shoe is missing and parts of her pink sweater are ripped off and dirty from the countless of times she fell while running away. This strange sight of her, a look that is far from the real Mira I know, makes it much easier for me to complete my job though it's still heartbreaking.
"I'm sorry Mira, but you know very well that that's not why we're here," Juvia's somber voice cuts through the heavy silence like a heavy cleaver.
Mirajane's eyes widen as she looks around, her eyes looking wild and a bit crazed under the single light of the alley light above her head, "J-Juvia?" her shock shoots through me like a misfired bullet and I can clearly hear the others flinch beside me.
Said blue-haired woman emerges from the shadows, her blank expression looking at the white haired woman whose sobs grow silent as she slowly sinks to her knees. Her once blue eyes that were so full of life and strong determination are now broken and pleading up at the younger woman that stands before her. The sight of this makes my stomach churn threatening me to lose my dinner, but I hold up remaining unmoving along with the others who watch.
"J-J-Juvia," Mirajane gasps, her breath coming out in short quick pants, "Please don't do this," she pleads, thicker tears escaping the brim of her eyes, "I'm begging you, please don't do this,"
Juvia Lockster's eyes harden as she steps forward away from the shadows which hug her seeming to be unwilling to let her go. The clacking of her advancing heels ricochets across the alleys walls like a ticking clock that seems to count down the seconds of the inevitable. Once she reaches the older white haired female she stops and places a light hand on the woman's head as if she were touching a young child that had done something bad. We can't see her expression, but Mirajane's expression looks hopeful as she keeps her wide fearful eyes on the young woman before her.
"I'm sorry Mira," It's the only thing that Juvia says, the only thing that needs to be said. Mirajane's eyes widen with both fear and understanding and before she can scream for either help or terror we all turn our heads just when the sound of a gunshot rings through the air like a detonated bomb.
Now don't shoot me, but it had to happen.