I'm going to die here. This is it. This is where I die. They're going to end my life and bury me in a shallow grave. I know it!
Izuku stood near the door to the apartment with a still-snoring Katsuki in his arms. He was surprised the cat was still asleep through all this. Then again, he didn't blame him. He was probably exhausted after everything that happened.
"You guys are really just making yourselves at home, aren't you?"
He looked to the side to see Lucy giving them all a look and sighing.
"It's a very nice place you've got."
"Yeah, all this for 70,000 a month? This is a steal."
"Please don't make a mess of things."
He leaned against the wall as he saw Natsu, Happy, and…a dog…he thinks, rummaging around and looking for food. Gray and Erza were lounging around and drinking tea. However, it didn't take long for Gray to grab something from Lucy's desk and start reading it.
These people…really have no idea what personal space is, do they?
"Why don't you sit down, Izuku? It can't be comfortable standing around like that."
"I-I'm fine…"
"Seriously, sit down. I said we gotta have a chat!" Natsu stopped his looking and pointed at a chair.
"Don't make him do anything he doesn't want to, Natsu," Erza shot him a look. "Though I do recommend sitting down Izuku. There's no need to look so tense."
"I'm okay."
She raised an eyebrow, and Izuku found himself pulling up a chair and sitting down.
He watched the others talk and look through some things while Lucy tried to get at least some of them under control. Starting with Gray, and snatching the papers out of his hand, saying he couldn't read it. She even denied Erza the papers when she asked.
They're all pretty comfortable around each other, I guess they would be if they've known each other for so long…
"So, why was it decided we'd be staying at my place again?" Lucy walked over, dragging a cat and the dog over and dumping them on the couch beside Erza.
"Well, you are an attractive girl, not to mention that I don't entirely feel comfortable leaving you alone here with Gray and Natsu."
"Natsu tends to break in anyway so…"
"We're doing this just to be safe. There's a risk that some of those Phantom guys might have followed us back to Magnolia." Gray leaned back in his chair.
"Mirajane mentioned something like that," Izuku mumbled.
"So it's better for a team to stay in one spot than to be separated. So if something does happen, you won't have to deal with it alone."
"I see…"
"They'd be a bunch of idiots if they decided to come to our home turf. Especially with everyone back here."
"They've already come by once, Natsu. It won't stop them from coming again. Not to mention some of the others are hurt."
Izuku stared down at the wood floors as he listened to them. Going over the concern of Phantom following them and what to do next. This was just the first day of fighting; there was no way of telling what was going to come the next day and the day after that.
He supposed it was better that they were all occupied on that topic. Better for their focus to be on that rather than him. If he could, he'd find a chance to slip away and go. To where? He had no idea, but it would be better than having that talk with Natsu in front of everyone.
His time was up. All those lies he told were beginning to unfold and crumble around him. Everybody had a different account of what kind of powers he had. None of it would match up, and all the suspicion would be turned onto him. And once the truth came out, he was done for.
"Izuku?"
He shook himself out of his thoughts and looked up to see the others staring at him.
"H-Huh?"
"Whatcha thinking about?"
"Is everything okay? You're looking a little pale."
"I-I'm fine!" He looked to the side. "Sorry, I was just thinking about some stuff."
"Like what?"
"Nothing, nothing, just…about this whole Phantom Lord stuff." He shifted so he was facing away from them. "I don't…what's supposed to happen now? Was this just a one-off fight? O-Or is Master Makarov going to want to go back? What if those other people from before come back?"
It was only after he stopped talking he noticed how quiet everyone got.
"Hold on. You don't know what happened to Gramps?"
"How could he Natsu? He fell asleep the minute we got back to the guild."
He dared a glance over at Erza, who looked away.
"What…What happened? Is he okay?"
"His magic is gone."
Izuku flinched and looked at Gray, who stared him dead in the eye.
"Someone at Phantom took his magic," he continued, "and now Gramps can't use it."
His throat felt dry as he stared at Gray. He could hear the silent comparison, what he did to Gray, someone did to Master Makarov.
"Oh…" His chest felt tight. "Wh-Where is he? Is he…"
"He's with Porlyisica at the moment. She's looking after him." Erza said. "It was likely the work of the Element 4's Aria of the Heavens, and his Drain spell."
"The Element 4. Wait so, he's on par with those wizards from earlier? Juvia and Sol?" Izuku asked.
"Arguably, he's the strongest of them."
Izuku bit his lip and looked down. There was someone else with a power similar to his, the ability to take magic from someone and leave them to die. If that was the case, did that mean his soul was trapped with this Aria guy? Just how common was that kind of magic?
"You know, I'm pretty sure that was the creep talking to that Gajeel jerk back at Phantom's guild hall," Natsu spoke up. "That was how I found out about them trying to kidnap Lucy."
"Oh, that's how you found out." Happy looked up.
"Yeah, and I heard something else that they said."
Izuku saw Natsu turn towards him, and quickly averted his eyes.
They must have found out. They know what I did. I'm done for!
Izuku grit his teeth and looked at the door, he could try and make a run for it. He knew he wouldn't get far, but he could at least try. He flinched when he felt claws dig into his arms. Katsuki wasn't asleep, at least not anymore.
"What else did they say?" Erza raised an eyebrow.
Natsu huffed. "Well, that wind guy can get rid of someone's magic, right? He said that the one who stopped those other two jerks from taking Lucy could do the same thing. And he was talking about Izuku."
He felt all eyes turn to him. He refused to look at any of them and kept his gaze trained on the floor. He tried to think of where he would go, how far he'd have to run before they gave up.
"Taking magic," Lucy asked. "That doesn't…I thought he could dispel magic. He stopped that spell that was to trap me. He got rid of it by touching it." She shook her head and looked at him. "Izuku, what magic did you use?"
"I had been under the impression he could use Ice Make magic, similar to Gray." Erza didn't miss how both of them flinched at that. "But I haven't seen him use it since then."
"Izuku had told me he couldn't use magic in the first place." Natsu crossed his arms.
"Well, clearly that was a lie." Erza narrowed her eyes. "Do you care to give us an explanation, Izuku? Why would you lie about something like this?"
He kept his head down and tried to think of some way out. Of all the people to be outed by, he didn't think it would be Natsu. He expected Gray to say something first, not Natsu, after overhearing a conversation!
Katsuki still kept his grip on Izuku tight. That was probably the only way he could tell Izuku to keep it together without revealing he was awake. And he was trying, honest! He was trying his best!
Should I beg for my life? Or just promise to leave and go far away so they'll never see me again? So they won't have to worry about me hurting anybody. I should have left earlier. I should have gone while I still could!
"Izuku." Erza raised her voice.
"I…" He stopped after a moment. "I don't think…i-it's not…"
He couldn't think of the words to say. He just wanted to hide and get away from all of them. He wanted to leave until he knew he was safe.
There was no good way to lie about any of it, nothing he could really use to cover himself anymore. The truth, or at least the suspicion was out there. And until he confessed, it would be bothering them.
Didn't he owe them at least some kind of explanation? They've taken him in and helped him get back on his feet. They could have turned him away or ignored him while he was there. They gave him some companionship, yet…how quick would they be to turn on him?
Izuku dared a look at Gray, who didn't look at him at all. Instead, he was focused on his hands, making a small ice construct, then destroying it, then making another.
"I don't…I don't like talking about it." Izuku looked away. "I-It's not something I want to talk about. I avoid it if I can."
Lucy frowned as she looked at him, then at Natsu. "Wait, hold on. Does whatever magic you use have something to do with why you were trying to leave the guild?"
"He was trying to what?" Erza looked at him. He shrunk under her gaze.
"I-I thought it would be best if I did. It'd be better for everyone."
"Says who?" Natsu stood up and jumped over the coffee table to get to him.
"Me. I-I know you meant well, Natsu, but it would be better if I left. I would have been better if I left a long time ago!"
"Why? I don't get it."
"Because his magic is dangerous." Gray finally cut in and looked at all of them.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Erza raised an eyebrow. Gray stared at her, then at Izuku.
Natsu growled and pointed at him. "And how do you know, you pervy popsicle?"
"Hey now, let's all try to calm down." Lucy stood up and stood between them. "I'd rather you all not break into a fight in my apartment. So can you please tone it down a little?"
"He's…He's right, though." He mumbled. "It is dangerous, a-and I didn't mean to but…it's just…I…" He struggled to find the words as everyone turned their attention to him. "I didn't mean to, but now that I'm aware of it, I'm trying to be careful. I really am!"
"What do you mean by that?" Erza stood up as well.
Izuku got to his feet and began to back away, making the others pause. He looked between them, then down at Katsuki in his arms as he felt him tense up.
"I…it's just." He looked at Gray, who turned his attention back to his hands. "It's not a good power to have."
"And what power would that be?"
Izuku swallowed hard. He supposed there was no other way out of this situation. The very thing he dreaded the most, he just had to hope and pray their reactions wouldn't be as harsh as he imagined. And if they were, hope they'd give him a head start before they run him out of town.
He owed them this much, right?
For hurting their friend and lying to them this entire time. For being a threat right under their noses. For being a reason this whole war with Phantom started. For Master Makarov getting hurt.
"So uh…You know when Gray got sick? When he didn't have any more magic and couldn't absorb any Ethernano?" He kept his head down as he spoke. He could feel all their gazes on him. The spotlight was on him now, and he couldn't escape it.
He hated the way his eyes burned with tears and the faint wisps of smoke that began to appear near his arms.
"I-It…It was me." He whispered. "It was my fault. I took his magic, and I could have killed him. I'm so, so sorry."
He couldn't bring himself to look at them, but the silence he was met with killed him. He tightened his grip on Katsuki and took a step further back.
"I-I…I know it's a bad power. I know that, and I'll leave! I'll leave you all alone, I'll leave the guild, and you don't have to worry about me ever again. I won't bother you, I won't hurt anybody ever again and-"
He stopped as purple smoke began to surround him. "No! C-Come on, not now!" He tried to wave away the smoke, and it grew denser instead.
"What is that?" Gray narrowed his eyes.
"I-I don't know!" Izuku shouted. "It just, it's just smoke. I-I didn't take it, I promise! It just appeared!"
The more he panicked, the worse it got. The smoke began to surround him, and he tried to back away toward the door. If he could just get out, he'd be fine!
He didn't get far as Erza marched up to him and grabbed his shoulder. It kept him in place and forced him to pay attention to her.
"Calm down. Panicking is making it worse."
He looked past Erza and saw the faint figure of En in the smoke. He made a gesture with his hands, trying to calm Izuku down. Saying the same thing Erza had.
Panicking would make it worse.
He swallowed hard and forced himself to take a deep breath. To ignore the burning embarrassment of everyone's eyes on him. He didn't dare look up at any of them. He was too afraid of what they'd say, what they'd do.
Slowly the smoke dissipated and left the room clear again. Left him in the spotlight to confront all of them.
"Now then," Erza spoke up. "We're going to talk about this calmly, am I understood?"
Izuku nodded, and the others voiced their agreement as she looked at them. Even Gray had nodded silently along.
He was marched back to the chair he had been sitting in earlier and was sat down, and Erza took up her previous spot.
"How about we start over, regarding your magic and its apparently dangerous properties? Shall we?"
Izuku continued his trend of keeping his head down as he nodded.
"I…uh, Gray wasn't wrong when he said my magic was dangerous. S-Seeing as he had experienced it firsthand. And I'm sorry about that, a-at the time I didn't know and…I…there's not really any excuse. I don't think so anyway…"
"So, explain exactly what your magic does." Erza crossed her arms.
Izuku looked down at his hand and eyed the faint indent in the middle of his palm. "I can t-take magic. I can steal it from someone."
Lucy looked up at that. "So, it's similar to a draining spell?"
"No." Gray shook his head. "Not even close."
"What do you know, you pervy popsicle?"
"I know plenty, you overgrown lizard!"
"And they're back at it again." Happy scooted away from his best friend.
"Enough! Both of you, behave yourselves!"
They both stopped at Erza's shout and backed away from each other.
"Gray's right. I wouldn't call it a draining spell or magic. At least, I don't think so." He continued once they settled down again. "It's more like…it feels more like a curse that steals magic outright. Taking someone's ability to use magic altogether." He tried to piece it together. "Like ripping a piece of a person away from themselves."
The others went quiet at that, watching Izuku as he shifted uncomfortably.
"It takes that vital piece of a person, and then they're trapped in my magic, in that place. B-But even if I do take it, I can give it back! When I realized what happened, I gave it back. Th-That's how Gray got better. And I've been managing myself from then on! I'll only take what I need, but I take from Lacrimas. I won't hurt anybody again. Not like that…"
The silence was deafening. He was waiting for some kind of yelling, for one of them to start attacking him.
Instead…
"What do you mean managing it, and taking what you need?"
Erza came closer, and he stiffened up.
He tried to loosen his grip on Katsuki so he didn't suffocate the poor cat. Even he was tensed up and ready to lash out at any moment—anything so they could both flee if- when the time came.
"I…don't absorb Ethernano normally. Like you all do. I can't. My only source of magic is other magic sources. If I don't, then I get sick."
Once again, they all went quiet as they took in what he said. Izuku was still waiting for some kind of retaliation.
"All those times when you were ill…when you could barely even go through training."
"Wait, all those times when you fell asleep in random places was because you were sick?" Natsu asked.
"K-Kind of. Yeah…"
Erza clenched her fist as she looked at him. "Why didn't you tell anybody?"
He flinched and slowly looked up at them. "Huh?"
Erza glared down at him. "Why didn't you tell anybody what your magic could do? The responsible thing would have been to tell us about this. We wouldn't have judged you. And your health wouldn't have repeatedly declined! You should have told us when you came to the guild."
"I didn't know I could do that until…after." Izuku glanced at Gray.
"Still, even then, you should have told one of us. Or even the Master."
Izuku turned his gaze back down. "I…wasn't sure how any of you would react."
"What do you mean by that?" She crossed her arms.
"I…"
"Look at me when you're talking."
He slowly looked up at her. His hands were shaking violently, but he still tried to keep it together. "I hurt one of you, a-and if I told you it was me, I didn't know what would happen. What you would do to me."
"Why do you think we'd do something?" Natsu asked. "I mean, you helped him after you figured out what you did wrong, right?"
"But it doesn't change the fact that I hurt him!" He struggled to keep his voice even. "A-And if you all found out it was me, what kind of magic I have, what if you all didn't want me around anymore? Because why would you want to keep around someone who hurt another one of you? T-That doesn't make sense!"
"So what did you think we'd do? Run you out of town or something?" Natsu was standing now, and marched over to where Izuku was.
"Hey, hold on now…" Lucy tried to pull him back.
After a moment, Izuku nodded. "You all would have every reason to…"
Natsu growled and pushed Erza to the side, then grabbed Izuku by his shirt. Before anyone could stop him he pulled Izuku toward him and headbut him as hard as he could.
"Natsu!"
Izuku fell to the ground and dropped Katsuki as he held his head. The mentioned cat yelled in anger and tried to scratch at Natsu's legs.
Natsu didn't care as he towered over Izuku. "What the heck are you thinking?! I already told you, didn't I? You're part of Fairy Tail, so what if you've got some freaky weird magic. You've been here long enough that you leaving would be weird! Everyone would be sad, and if you left now, what would Gramps think once he's back on his feet?"
He stared up at the dragonslayer, then looked away. He had no answer to give him.
"Besides, if you just up and left, did you really think we wouldn't go looking for you?"
"I…Yeah I knew you would. But I kinda hoped that I would be far enough away that you couldn't find me…or you would given up at some point."
Natsu stared at him before leaning down and grabbing his shirt again, only to start shaking him violently, again.
"Natsu stop, you're going to hurt him!"
Erza grabbed his arm and stopped him, then separated the two. She pushed Natsu aside and put the dazed Izuku down in the chair.
"If you truly wanted to leave, we would understand. We wouldn't have any right to stop you." He blinked back into focus and looked up at Erza. "However, leaving because you feel obligated to, we wouldn't allow that. Especially if it's to the detriment of your own well-being."
"So what, you'd hold the idiot hostage because you think he can't take care of himself?" Katsuki summoned his wings and got between the two. He glared at Erza head on.
"So good of you to join us Katsuki," she raised an eyebrow. "Though I suspect you've been awake this entire time and listening in. Haven't you?"
"Like it's any of your fucking business!"
"Kacchan, stop."
The cat looked over his shoulder and glared at Izuku. He huffed before floating down and going back to Izuku's side. He looked at the rest of the room, all of them still somewhat staring at Izuku.
"So…now you all know I guess." He turned his gaze to the ground. "What's supposed to happen now?"
-FH-
They had decided to take a break from the conversation and tend to some other things.
Lucy sighed as she sat on her bed, and toweled her hair dry and looked over the rest of the room. She had chosen to taken a bath, then Erza had. When Natsu and Gray denied the chance to wash up, Izuku had chosen to take their place.
Katsuki had opened the window and flown out for a little while. Promising to stay nearby, that he just wanted some air, and time away from the idiots.
"So, I guess we know about Izuku's secret, right?" Lucy spoke up and caught their attention. "Considering how long he's known, and that he didn't even know he could do that, I wonder how long it's been eating him up."
"I don't doubt that it's been troubling him for quite some time. I only wish he had come to us sooner."
"I don't get what the big deal is. He messed up, but he fixed his mistake, didn't he?" Natsu sat up from the floor.
"Yeah, he helped Gray!"
Erza and Lucy gave the dragonslayer and his cat a look before looking at the ice mage.
"Gray? What are your thoughts? I mean, you were the one who was on the other side of his magic after all."
He looked at them all, then shrugged. "Not really sure what you want me to say about it. It's something that happened, but honestly him not knowing his own abilities tracks. I can tell you he's being honest there."
"Oh?" Erza perked up. "How's that, if I may ask."
"..." He clenched his fists at the memory. "When he took my magic, I was trapped in this weird place. In a barren field where everything was dark. When Izuku saw me, when he was asleep, he thought it was a dream. He thought I wasn't real, that I was in that place because he was worried about me. When I asked if that place belonged to him, and if he was the one that did that to me, he panicked and vanished. Then I got better afterwards. It's pretty straightforward."
"Wait, you were awake that entire time?" Lucy stood up.
"Yeah."
"And you were all alone, that must have been awful."
Gray was quiet before nodding. "Yeah…"
"He knows the ramifications of his power now, which I suppose is good. It's better to know what something can do before using it at random. I suppose him avoiding everyone makes sense now as well."
"He was trying to protect everyone from himself." Lucy looked at the bathroom door. "That must have been really lonely…"
"To be fair, I don't think he really knows how to be around people."
"Just because it might be true, doesn't mean you have to say it cat."
"Do you think, after all this, he'll stick around?"
They all looked at the ice mage.
"He was expecting the worst, even from us, but never got it. I think he was more surprised at our lack of reactions, compared to what he was expecting."
Erza eyed the bathroom door and nodded. "I'm not sure if he'll stay, though I hope he does. But in the end, it is his choice and he may feel he is doing the right thing. We wouldn't have any right to stop him. If that is the path he wishes to walk, then all we can do is wish him the best."
"It ain't the right thing, and we know it! He's just afraid of hurting someone, but he's practically harmless now! It's not like he'll hurt one of us just to do it."
"Harmless is the last thing I'd call him." Gray glared at Natsu. "...but he wouldn't do anything deliberately. Not without a good reason. I'm pretty sure he's used his magic on other people, and managed to leave them alive."
"What makes you say that?"
"...You all probably remember, but when I found him, he had metal on his face. Remember?"
They nodded quietly before Natsu looked up. "That metal for brains, jerk! What's his face-"
"Gajeel?"
"Yeah, that guy! He kept talking crap about Izuku when I was fighting him. Calling him a…" He stopped himself, then looked at the door to the bathroom. He huffed. "I'm gonna give him a beatdown the next time I see him."
"So, you're saying that he took magic from Gajeel?" Erza asked. "Yet, he was still in fine condition. He was even fighting Natsu."
"Did he just…drain his magic instead of completely taking it?" Lucy asked. "Can he do that?"
"Maybe; I'm not sure if he even knows the limits of his powers yet."
"Well, we don't know. And there's no point in thinking too hard on it or pressing him for answers. Right now, we should just try to keep ourselves together."
"Lucy's right. We gotta deal with those Phantom jerks first."
"So we're in agreement, just treat him normally, right? I don't see that being too hard for any of us. Izuku is just…Izuku."
As they talked it over, they didn't notice Katsuki sitting outside the window and listening in.
-.-
He stared up at the ceiling and watched it ripple and sway through the surface of the water.
He wasn't sure how long he had been submerged in the tub, but it was quiet, peaceful. He was away from the others, and right now that was what he needed. Just a minute to himself so he could gather his thoughts and pull himself together.
They reacted a lot better than I had thought they would. They didn't run me out of town or tell me to get out of here.
He had been expecting the worst but was surprised at the whole thing. He supposed this was better than the alternative.
There was something in his chest that warmed. They wouldn't have kicked him out to begin with, even if they did learn about his cursed power. Granted, it was just them. He wasn't sure how the rest of the guild would react, let alone Master Makarov.
Somewhere, deep down, he wanted to stay. And them not kicking him out right then and there made it a lot harder to keep that feeling down. He wanted to stay. Fairy Tail was warm and safe. He was guaranteed three meals a day and kindness from everyone despite…well being himself.
But wouldn't that be selfish of him? Knowing the kind of danger he posed, and what he may do to everyone, the only one that would benefit from him staying would be…well himself.
Do I really get to be selfish in a situation like this?
His lungs began to burn as he thought it over.
Where would I…where would Kacchan and I even go?
The ceiling that he stared at was silent as ever, and offered no answer.
When he couldn't take it anymore he pushed himself out of the water and took in a gulp of air. He breathed in and out, and felt his heart hammer in his chest. As he slowly evened out he leaned back against the tub and stared at the ceiling again.
He kept going over it in his mind. The pros, cons, worst and best case scenarios. But it all seemed to loop together and come down to that one question.
Would he stay?
Feeling he was getting nowhere, he stepped out and quickly toweled himself dry before dressing in the clothes he was wearing before.
He couldn't hide in the bathroom forever. He had to face them at some point. Then just hope they all wouldn't be awkward around each other.
One can hope.
He tried to finish toweling his hair dry, or as dry as it could get as he passed by the mirror. He froze for a moment, then took a hesitant step back and slowly glanced at himself.
It had felt like a long time since he last looked at a mirror. Even back then, before the Nomu had destroyed his home, he didn't like looking at his reflection. Yet when he caught a glimpse of himself, he took that quick image and stowed it away in his mind so he knew what he'd look like.
He was different now.
It had felt like forever ago since the world had been whole, and peaceful. Before everything descended into a nightmare scenario. All that seemed to match his reflection painfully well.
He looked tired, with dark bags beneath his eyes. He was still a little pale, but he had gotten some color back. Then his hair, it was a lot longer than he realized. The messy green curls went just past his shoulders, with a few wisps of white that were barely visible.
I'm a little too young to be going gray already. I wouldn't be surprised if stress took years off my life too.
He was different now. A lot had changed between the start of it all and now. Hell, even when he was taken in and to his current point.
He changed.
It was like looking at a stranger, but knowing deep down it wasn't.
He quickly looked away and tried to tame his hair. He approached the door, and pressed an ear against it before opening it.
They were still talking, he couldn't quite hear what they were saying. He only hoped they weren't talking about him. He stayed there for a moment before sighing and opening the door. He slowly peeked out before completely stepping out.
"I uh, I'm done if anybody else wants to wash up."
"Nah I'm good."
"I'm already in bed, so I'm fine."
"One of you, go bathe now." Erza shot Natsu and Gray a look.
"But I already got into bed."
"That's my bed, and you're all sweaty and gross." Lucy frowned. "If you're gonna be laying around my apartment, please wash up."
He groaned and slowly got up and off her bed.
"Just don't come out of there naked, Droopy Drawers."
"What did you call me Flamebrain?"
"You heard me, you Pervy Flasher."
"They can't go two seconds without insulting each other, can they?"
"Nope!"
Lucy sighed and shook her head. "Is there some kind of quota they need to meet or something? Something for how many times they need to fight in a day?"
"Knowing those two, probably."
"One of you just go, now!"
The two mages startled, and Natsu was the first to run off. He pushed past Izuku and slammed the door behind him.
Erza shook her head, then looked up. "Goodness, Izuku, your hair is a mess. Come here." She motioned for him to come over. He looked hesitant but slowly made his way over. She had him turn around, summoned a ribbon from one of her armors, and begun to braid his hair.
Izuku kept his gaze down and was ready to fall into an awkward silence before she continued.
"You've grown out your hair quite a bit. I'm surprised it didn't bother you during training."
"It, uh, it kinda does. I'm not too used to long hair."
"Why haven't you gotten it cut then?"
"I uh, never had too much time too. It just became something that fell on the back burner."
Erza hummed as she continued. "Well, I know Mirajane is skilled at cutting hair. If you ask, she'd be more than willing to help."
"Right…"
He went quiet as she continued to do his hair. He glimpsed at the others and saw Lucy reading something as she sat on her bed, and Gray was starting to drift off on his spot on the floor.
"Hey, I have a question. If that's okay with you all."
"Of course. What about?"
He fidgeted with his hands. "So, with Phantom attacking Fairy Tail, is that allowed? Are guilds just allowed to go into a free for all when they want?"
"No." Erza was quick to answer. "Under no circumstances are guilds to fight with each other. But since Phantom attacked us first, we had no choice but to respond in kind."
"...I guess that means everybody's gonna be in hot water once this all over. Doesn't it?"
"Sure, but Phantom struck first. No way the Council is going to overlook that."
"Honestly, the Council is the least of my worries." Erza nodded at Gray. "At the start of all this, I had figured both guilds would end up destroying one another."
Lucy stopped her reading and looked up in shock. "Wait, what? Really? Why would you think that?"
"Honestly, it's fairly simple. Fairy Tail and Phantom are both equally matched in power. Not to mention, both masters are members of the Ten Wizard Saints. There, I'm finished."
"Ten Wizard Saints?" Izuku looked up as he felt the braid she had made for him.
"You've never heard of them?"
"No, not really."
"I've never heard of them either," Lucy said. "Mind filling us in?"
"They're essentially the strongest wizards of the continent. It's a highly coveted title only the Magic Council can bestow."
"Wait, really? The whole continent? And Master is one of them?"
"Master Makarov's one? I figured you had to be strong to be a guild master, but I had no idea he was at that level." Izuku mumbled. "And to think Phantom's master is at that level too. Are there official rankings? Like, who is in what spot?"
"Actually, there is. As of now, the top 4 are often called the 4 Gods of Ishgar. Granted the rest of them, there is a toss-up of the order of the strongest."
"There's no real measurement?" Izuku asked. "Like, numbers of missions completed, or collateral damage caused, or prevented? No statistics?"
"No, nothing like that…hold on, is that what your home was like?"
Izuku flushed and waved his hands around. "Y-Yeah, but, I mean, it was a real big deal back there. Back home, there was a huge ranking system, but it was mostly fuelled by popularity."
"Popularity? Really?"
He nodded.
Actually…what if some of the 10 Wizard Saints are alternate versions of heroes back home? Hold on…
"Do you guys know any of the 10 Wizards Saints? Like, by name?"
Erza raised an eyebrow. "They are relatively famous, it would be hard not to hear most of their names at some point."
"Well, I haven't heard any of them," Natsu said, perching on the arm of the couch. "Other than Gramps. But of course, he'd be up there. He's Gramps!"
"Since when are you here?" Lucy shouted. "And don't drip water all over the floors!"
Natsu shrugged and set himself alight to dry.
"You're gonna set something on fire!"
Erza shook her head and looked back at Izuku. "Aside from the ones I've already told you about, I believe the rest are…let's see…" She hummed as she thought it over. "I believe one is a member of Lamia Scale. Iron Rock Jura, that's right. As for the others…One of them is known as the Empress of Ice, Rei Frieren."
"Empress of Ice…"
Gray looked up, then looked away.
"Then there was someone else, I don't know his exact name, but some areas have begun to call him the Destroyer of Darkness. Rumor has it he's actually one of the younger members of the Ten Wizard Saints."
"Destroyer of Darkness? What do you need to do to get a title like that?"
"Apparently, he's mostly known for sticking to the outskirts and taking care of monster populations. Places that usually get looked over and such. He doesn't really like the spotlight, from what I hear."
"Wow, he must have done a lot to earn that title, on top of being a Wizard Saint. That's insane…"
So, there are no alternates in the Wizard Saints group…not that it matters. I wouldn't have been able to meet them anyway.
"Do all Wizard Saints have some titles attached to their name?"
"I feel it would have to, with something like that." Lucy shrugged. "But still, thinking that we have to go up against a Wizard Saint…"
"We can take Phantom, no problem." Natsu looked over at her. "Just because their Master is a Wizard Saint or whatever doesn't mean he's stronger than Gramps. Besides, when we went over there, we kicked all of their butts!"
"Those were regular members, idiot. They've got nothing on Jose."
"He can't be that tough if he took a cheap shot at Gramps! Just wait, we're gonna go back and give them all a butt-kicking they won't forget!"
"No, we won't." Erza shot him a look. "Right now, without our Master, we have no real instruction on what to do. For now, the best thing to do is act defensively and wait for him to recover. We don't know what Phantom will do now, how they intend to strike back, and when."
"I'd say we've got a pretty good chance. We took out a bunch of them earlier."
"That's just one of their locations, idiot. They've got a bunch of bases all over Fiore."
Fire surrounded him as he began to shout. "Well, we'll fight them too!"
"What part of acting defensively do you not understand?" Erza raised her voice. "If you run off without telling anyone, I will hunt you down and will not go as well as it did at Galuna Island."
Natsu flinched and put his fire out. "A-Aye, sir."
Happy shivered at the memory and watched the others look down in shame. Save for Izuku, who just looked confused.
While he looked around, he realized Katsuki hadn't come back inside. While the others continued talking, he got up and hopped off the couch. He sprouted his wings and made his way over to the window. He poked his head out and looked around until he saw a blonde tail waving around from above.
He gave his wings a flap and made his way to the roof of the apartment and saw Katsuki sitting at the edge. His ears twitched every now and again. He had been listening in the entire time.
"What do you want, you blue bastard?"
Happy flinched and landed a short distance away. "Just checkin' on ya. Izuku is back if you wanna go back inside."
"Tch." He looked away. "I'm fine out here. You lot are too fucking loud. It's a wonder how you haven't been kicked out yet."
"I think everyone in town knows how loud Fairy Tail can be. So I'm pretty sure they don't mind."
"Whatever, fleabag."
Katsuki went quiet as he stared off into the distance. His tail twitched irritably the longer they sat quietly.
Happy tapped on the roof tiles for a short while, before turning to him. "So, with all that stuff about Izuku. Did you already know?"
"Of course I did. What, you think that idiot could have kept the secret for long? Of course he would tell me because he can't keep a cool head to save his fucking life. The dumbass can't survive on his own. He needs someone like me around to keep him alive."
"Yeah, I get it. Natsu can be a dummy sometimes too, but he's really good at getting himself out of a mess."
"That pink-haired freak is the definition of trouble. It's a wonder how he's still around."
"It's really hard to keep him down, but that's Natsu for ya."
"Hmph."
Neither had heard another loud outburst from inside, not even a snarky remark that Natsu would usually shout. It seemed like they were all finally winding down for the night. That or Erza was keeping them all in line with her glare alone.
"You know, I'm glad that you guys didn't leave Fairy Tail." Happy finally said. "I like not being the only other talking cat. It's pretty nice, I gotta admit."
Katsuki huffed and got to his feet as he summoned his wings. "Yeah, well I'm not here to be your friend fleabag. I'm just here for De-Izuku, and to keep his sorry ass out of trouble. So don't go thinking we're gonna be all buddy-buddy."
"Aw, come on, haven't you ever wanted to see another talking cat like you?"
"I've seen plenty of talking cats for a lifetime. You blueberry fuck!"
Happy didn't get to respond before Katsuki took off and darted back inside. Likely returning to Izuku's side and dishing out his mean nicknames.
"Hey buddy!" Natsu stuck his head out the window and looked up. "What are ya doing out there? Come on, get back inside."
Happy smiled to himself and made his way back into Lucy's apartment. The window was shut behind him, and they all began to settle down for the night.
-FH-
She was in that place again, that awful place.
The smell of sweat and blood, the sound of crying, and tools clacking against stone. Exhaustion weighed down her body, so much so that the pick was like lead in her hands.
Her armor was gone, in its place were worn-down rags and bandages. Her heart seized in her chest as she realized this. She was exposed to the world. She had nothing to protect her from the dangers around her.
Her calloused hands shook as she reached for her magic but couldn't find it. All of her armor and weapons were gone. Any chance of protecting herself and others was gone. She felt like a child again, helpless and weak with no power to her name.
As she looked around and tried to gather her resolve to stand and make her way out of there.
I can do it. I can get out of here. I've been able to escape once I can do it again. Just take a step, and then another. I'll reach it. I'll be free again, I just need-
Her thoughts ground to a halt as a dark aura surrounded her. It suffocated her as an all too familiar voice whispered in her ear.
"Again? You aren't free, you were never free."
A hand gripped her throat and burned her skin.
"The only freedom you'll find is in death!"
The terrifying darkness descended on her. It wrapped around her and began to devour her. Pain consumed her entire being. She couldn't tell which way was up or down. It clung to her no matter how hard she fought to get out of its grip. She could feel her body breaking down under its weight.
She looked up one last time to see the face that had haunted her dreams for years now sneering down at her.
Her eyes snapped open before she was killed. She could hear her blood roaring in her ears and feel her heart pounding in her chest.
Erza stared at the plain wooden ceiling as she forced herself to control her breathing. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out. She listened to the sounds in the apartment. She could hear Natsu snoring away while Lucy shifted around in her bed. If she listened closely, she could hear Gray's quiet breathing and Happy's dreaming mumbles about fish.
She was safe. They were in Lucy's apartment, and they were all safe.
She slowly sat up and looked around, and did a headcount. She saw Lucy burrowed in her blankets, and Natsu was near the bed with Happy on top of him. Gray was on the floor next to the coffee table. Another glance around the room, and she saw Katsuki's form curled up on the ground beneath Lucy's desk. However, Izuku wasn't with him.
That sent her on high alert, and she scanned the room again. The window above Lucy's bed was shut tight. However, the door to the apartment was slightly ajar.
She stood up and reached for her magic as she moved. So at least, she would have a weapon ready to summon if she needed it.
Don't tell me he ran away while we were sleeping! Or that Phantom…
She kept her footsteps quiet as she made her way to the door. She kept her breathing even as she approached it. She steeled her nerves as she quickly opened it and stepped out into the hallway.
She saw nobody there.
Did he already leave? He-
"Erza?"
She looked down and saw Izuku sitting near the doorway with his knees drawn up to his chest.
She sighed and let go of her magic.
"Izuku, do you know how late it is?"
He nodded and looked down. "I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep."
She reached back and slightly closed the door. She let out a sigh and looked him over. He looked exhausted, but at this point, that was a common look on him.
"I wasn't going to run away, s-sorry if I made you think that. I just needed some space."
Erza nodded as she continued to look at him. Now that she was looking closer, she could see red around his eyes. He had been crying earlier.
The conversation from earlier must have left him rattled…
"I take it our talk from earlier is still bothering you?"
"Not really. It's just…" he trailed off when he looked at her. He sighed and nodded. "Yes."
She forced the tension to leave her body as she made her way over.
"May I sit?"
When he nodded, she sat down beside him. He said nothing for a while, and neither did she. She glanced at him every now and again to see him staring ahead at nothing.
She tried to find words to try and comfort him in some way, but with the way he tried to keep everyone at a distance, it was hard, much like herself.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do…" He finally mumbled. "I don't know what's supposed to come after all of this. After Phantom, after Master Makarov wakes up."
"You still want to leave."
"I should." He looked down, as his eyes began to water. "I should leave after all this stuff with Phantom. I don't want to just up and leave now all of a sudden. It's…I owe you all that much."
She frowned. "Are you still set on leaving? Truly?"
"I need to."
Erza stared at him for a moment before sighing and leaving against the wall. "If you want to leave, we have no right to stop you. Even if we prefer you to stay, it is your life, and you need to decide what's best for yourself. I will say, though, you feel as though you have to leave, but do you want to leave?"
He took a shaky breath and shook his head. "I like it here," he clenched his fists, "but I don't get to want anything. Not when I already hurt people the way I did. The last thing I want to do is hurt anybody again. Wanting to stay is selfish…but I don't have any right to be. Not now."
"So you're running away."
He nodded. "I know you all are okay with me and my…magic. Curse. I'm not sure what to call it. But the others in the guild may not be. Even if Master Makarov is okay with me, that doesn't mean everyone else will be."
"You think everyone in Fairy Tail is cruel enough to reject you? Over a power you didn't know you had until recently?"
"I've been rejected for less."
She clenched her fists until her knuckles were white.
"Besides, it's just…I've hurt more than one person already. I-I had hurt Gray, but I gave it back when I realized what happened. That was unintentional, but I still did it. And then…when I did it again, it was on purpose."
Her silence was enough of a response for him to continue.
"I did it earlier when Sol and Juvia came to try and take Lucy…" His shoulders sank as he spoke, shame weighing heavily upon him. "When he had hurt Kacchan, I was angry. I lashed out, and I took his magic from him."
"But you gave it back."
He nodded. "Of course! I-I was mad, but I couldn't keep it. But even then, I said I would only give it back if they left. They did, but that doesn't change the fact that I bargained with someone's life. I hurt them. And then with Gajeel, when the guild hall had been attacked…I was just hoping for a way to fight back and get away from him."
"So you tried taking his magic, but you didn't take all of it?"
"I didn't take the Magic Factor- the core of his magic. I guess one way to describe it is like, draining a well?"
"So instead of taking all of it, you only took some? I wasn't aware you could do that."
"I didn't really know either. I only know how to use it as an all or nothing, unless there's some kind of interruption."
Erza looked up at that and felt her temper begin to rise. "There was someone there to stop you? I thought only Gajeel had been in town when the guild hall was attacked. Are you saying that coward brought someone else to hurt you?"
"N-No!" He raised his head and shook it. "It was just him, I think. I-I don't know. While I was taking his magic, there was something there. I don't know how but, it cut me off."
There was something in his magic?
"And then what happened?"
"We were both surprised, and then he got mad, and…he left when he wasn't angry anymore."
It took almost all of her willpower to not say anything, and keep herself calm.
"I won't lie, with me trying to steal his magic he had every right to be angry. How he acted…was what I thought would happen if I told anyone else about my ability."
She stiffened up, and looked at him. He refused to meet her eyes, instead burying his face in his knees. His braid was a mess, almost entirely undone, with tufts of curly hair sticking out in different directions.
Time and again, he had lost his footing in this world, with no real place to belong to. Time and again, the world has failed him. Never offering any real stability for him, and the minute he had it, he was so ready for it to be ripped out from under him. It seemed like something always came to take away whatever peace he managed to find.
She understood painfully well.
Erza forced her emotions down as she sighed. "I think there are times in life where it's alright to be selfish. It's alright to want things, even if it seems so out of reach. There's nothing wrong with wanting a home to call your own. I understand the fear you have of your abilities, but you understand and respect the kind of danger it carries. Even if you had used it on purpose, it was for the sake of others. You're not malicious, you give back stolen magic when you can, when you could keep it."
He began to raise his head to look at her.
"You judge yourself very harshly, but you should allow yourself some grace. You deserve space to make mistakes and correct them. If you truly want to leave the guild and believe that is what is best for yourself, then I won't stop you, and I won't let any of the others do so. However," she saw him jump.
"You can't always run away." She said. "Running won't always be an option. There are times when you will have to face what you're afraid of. There are things in life worth fighting for. You can pick your battles but don't take the easy way out every time. Understand?"
He said nothing as her words sank in. After a moment, he nodded. "I understand."
They sat there for a little longer before Erza got to her feet. "Come on, let's get you back to sleep. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow, and you need all the rest you can get."
She reached out a hand to help him up. He was about to reach for it, but stopped himself. He looked at his own hands, then at her. She nodded and kept her hand outstretched. After a moment, he finally took it and got up. Izuku was quick to pull his hand back, but she held her own up.
"See? No magic stolen."
He nodded, and she guided him back into the apartment. She locked the door behind them and turned to see Izuku slowly tip-toeing his way back to the desk and lying down beneath it. As he settled down, Katsuki grumbled a bit and woke up just long enough to set himself closer to the boy and fall back asleep.
Erza laid down on the couch and stared at the ceiling as she listened to Izuku's breathing slowly even out. Eventually, he began to breathe in time with Katsuki's snores.
She allowed herself to get comfortable as she began to drift off.
Judging yourself too harshly and giving yourself some grace…not running away and facing what you're afraid of. That's rich, coming from me. But hopefully, it gives him some peace.
-FH-
There was death in the air. A dark miasma filled the room and filled everyone within with fear. None of the wizards within dared to show it for fear of what their master would do to them.
Gajeel leaned against the wall and tried to ignore the building dread. Jose called him to this small meeting, which could only mean he had something to say to Gajeel or he intended to use him as an example. Neither option boded well.
Gajeel saw the members of Element 4 stand before the master's throne, all of them quietly waiting for him to say something. Sol, in particular, struggled to keep his hands from shaking.
"I have heard quite a few interesting things today. Some we expected, and others, a slight hiccup in our plan."
They tracked Jose as he stood up and began to walk down to their level. He walked past the Element 4 team and paused. They waited for him to say something, only for the dread in the air to intensify. For two members of the team, it felt more intense.
"I sent you all to do one thing, kidnap Lucy Heartfilia. It was quite a simple task, all of those Fairy Tail whelps were at one of our guild locations battling it out, and you could have snatched the girl. Instead, I come to find you were chased off by some child?"
Sol and Juvia couldn't take in any air as Jose shouted at them. They could only stand there and take his rage, and try to survive long enough to see the end of it.
Before Gajeel could have the thought that he was in the clear, the wall beside his head was crushed by a malformed shadow oozing with anger and the stench of death. He kept his face passive as Jose looked him in the eye.
"The very brat that you left as a gift for Fairy Tail. Tell me, my boy, was there a reason that you didn't beat that boy within an inch of his life?"
Gajeel said nothing as he remembered the sensation of his magic leaving his body. A cold, suffocating sensation as it was being harshly ripped out of him before that voice appeared and cut the brat off.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
He clenched his fists as he remembered the brat trying to run, then covering his skin with his iron magic before he began to beat him senseless.
"The little fairy brat went down easy, I didn't think he'd get up so quick."
Jose scowled at him, before recalling the shadow creature he summoned and turning away. He walked past the Element 4 again and up to his throne to sit down. He waited for a moment before easing his magic.
He said nothing as Juvia and Sol took in hurried, quiet gasps of air. They refused to meet his eyes as they gathered themselves.
"We are going to end Fairy Tail and take Ms. Heartfilia, and get what we deserve. When we get there, I expect Ms. Heartfilia to be brought here, and all of Makarov's children dead. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir." They said in unison.
"Gajeel." He glanced at the dragon slayer. "I would hope you do your job next time to make up for your mistake. Put that boy in the ground. Are we clear?"
"Crystal."
"Get out of my sight, all of you, and be ready to move out. We have a guild to destroy."
-FH-
"Can't you track down Mystogan?"
"No, I can't get a read on him."
"What about Guildarts?"
"...I'm not even going to try. I'll probably get a similar reading to the other two. I doubt he'd even get here in time."
"What's our stock of explosive lacrima look like? Oh, and books for the holder types?"
"Should we send someone to go stay near Porlyusica's house? The Master is there, and what if some of those Phantom punks go running around there?"
"I'd be more scared of Porlyuscia, but that's a good point…"
"Why are some of these lacrimas empty?!"
Lucy stood to the side with Plue in her arms, Izuku was right beside her and looking around at everyone.
"They're really worked up…"
"I don't blame them. Everyone is still upset over what they did to Master." Lucy sighed. "And we don't know what Phantom will do next."
"The real question is, when are those sorry fucks going to show up again? Or are these idiots going to go charging into one of their bases again?"
"I doubt Erza would let them. She even said that they have to play defensively, and I doubt anybody really wants to go against her orders."
They had all woken up early to head to the guild hall. Apparently, almost everyone else had the same idea. They had all begun to make plans and take stock of what resources they had. They needed to be ready for Phantom.
Izuku watched as people counted through their lacrimas and spellbooks, redressed injuries from yesterday, and tried to talk strategy with each other. The longer he stared at them, the more he began to think.
"How are you all doing?" Mirajane walked by with a smile on her face.
"Oh, Mira, we're okay. What about you and the others?"
"Everyone seems to be doing alright. Right now, we're just trying to see what we have available. I was about to contact someone that can hopefully help us…"
"Is there any word on Master Makarov? How is he doing?"
Mira sighed, and Izuku felt his heart sink.
"There hasn't been any change in his condition. Alzack and Bisca made the trip early this morning to check."
"I take it the old lady wasn't too happy to see them, was she?" Katsuki raised an eyebrow.
"The two may have mentioned getting chased out by a broom…"
"That sounds about right." Lucy nodded. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
Mira shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. Take it easy for now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Before she could continue, there was a shimmering light that appeared around a Lacrima on the makeshift bar. "Hold on, I'll be right back."
They watched her rush over and begin to talk to someone.
"Everyone's really frazzled without Master Makarov, aren't they?" Izuku muttered.
"Yeah no shit, Captain Obvious. What the hell are you supposed to do when you lose the guy in charge?"
"Guys…" Lucy looked at them.
Izuku looked down. "Sorry…"
Lucy frowned as she turned her gaze back to everyone else in the guild. Her eyes kept returning to those still injured and still trying to help out.
"You know, I've been thinking…" She felt them look at her. "All this was started because of me, they were after me in the first place, and you and everyone else got caught in the crossfire. If I were to just turn myself into Phantom, maybe all this would stop, and they'd back off."
"Tch, doubtful." Katsuki glared at her. "Didn't Bookworm say something like they were bad terms anyway? Pretty sure these sorry fucks would keep on going. Besides, is now really the time you wanna wuss out? When all those losers already fought and got the shit kicked out of them? You're just being a coward at this point!"
"Hey, be nice!"
"I'm only stating facts, nerd. If she fucking leaves, then that means everyone did this for nothing. That means you got your shit rocked for nothing!"
"That still doesn't mean you need to call her names."
"Oh fuck off." He huffed and looked back as he flew away. "Like you weren't planning on leaving anyway."
Izuku frowned and looked down. He clasped his hands together as Erza's words ran through his mind again.
"So, you're still planning on leaving?" Lucy looked at him.
Izuku opened his mouth to answer, then shut it. He waited before sighing. "I'm…not sure. I'm still thinking. Listen, I'm sorry about what Kacchan said. He's-"
"I know, he's just like that. But do you feel like that? Me leaving would make everything you went through for nothing."
"N-No!" Izuku waved his hands. "I wouldn't, honest! It's just my luck I'd get a beatdown the night I tried to leave Fairy Tail, but it wasn't your fault. B-But when it comes down to it, I don't think you should leave. Everyone here cares about you, and I think you leaving, even if you felt it was best, would make them sad."
Lucy glanced at him before shaking her head. "You know, the same could be said for you." She saw him freeze before looking at her. "I know a few people that would be sad you left."
He looked away and shrugged. "No offense, but it's a little funny hearing you trying to talk me into staying in the guild when you think leaving would be best."
"I guess it is, isn't it?"
As they looked over everyone, there was a tremor, catching everyone's attention. Everyone stopped and looked around, feeling the tremors growing stronger and stronger.
"What the-"
"Outside!" Someone Izuku didn't recognize slammed a door open and looked at everyone in a panic. "It's Phantom!"
They all began to shout and clamored over one another to get out of the basement. They all ran outside and gasped as they saw a large building in the distance, looming over the guild hall.
"What the fuck is that?"
Natsu stared at the thing and felt nauseous even looking at it. "What the heck is that?"
With each step, the ground shook beneath the weight of the walking guild hall.
"How the hell are we supposed to fight that thing?"
"They're crazy!"
Erza stared up at the approaching building and felt her hands begin to shake. "I never thought that they'd go to such extreme lengths to attack us!" There were still so many that were wounded. They had more supplies to gather, and nobody was ready to fight. Not yet!
The air went still as the guild hall stopped moving and settled down into the water as if it was bracing itself.
A feeling of dread filled Izuku and was almost enough to make him stop breathing. "What is this?" The feeling only intensified as one of the walls of the building was lowered, and a cannon began to extend out. Facing all of Fairy Tail.
"No way. Are they trying to kill us?"
"All of you, get out of here, now!" Erza shouted. "Run!"
All of them could only stare in shock as a dark light surrounded the end of the barrel.
Izuku felt like time had slowed down as he watched it gather more and more magic energy. His body shook the longer he watched it. They were all going to die. Just like that, this place he had found a home in, temporary or not, was going to be destroyed. Something else was going to be taken away from him.
Erza's words echoed in his mind, and he felt his body move before he could think. Instead of heeding her warning and running away, he found himself running in the direction of the cannon.
-FH-
Finally got this chapter out!
A big thank you to Bola and KeeperofHounds for beta-ing this for me!
Discord: /yFZPD5K
