I had an authors note about the review issue, but it's solved now...
Enjoy!
"He did what?" Nashi asked, tracing a finger around the top of her mug. Simon sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"He left." He reported. "He wouldn't say why, but he's gone to go and do something."
"And he didn't even say what..." Drake mumbled, crossing his arms. "Wonder whats wrong with him."
"Hopefully nothing." Ultear said. "He got pretty defensive when we asked..." Nashi looked down at the table, wondering just what Damien had in mind. Even if she thought her absolute hardest, Nashi had absolutely no idea what he could've been doing.
Had he done something in the past?
Nashi pushed the worries from her mind as Ultear cracked her back and sighed.
"Whatever." She said. "We've got something else to talk about, and it's far more important than Damien's mystery mission."
"Care to explain?" Drake asked. Simon crossed his arms and lowered his gaze.
"The matter of whether or not we're staying here, in this timeline." His words cast a silence over the table, as no one had no idea what their answer was. Nashi herself wasn't sure what she wanted. On one hand, going back - or forward, who the hell knew - was risky because they had no clue how to control just how they were supposed to get back. Or they stay here, in a time where they didn't belong, twenty years behind in the innovation and the people they knew, which didn't seem all that great either. Overall Nashi was no a fan of their current situation.
"I suggested last night that we give it a few days." Ultear spoke up. "See if we, you know, want to even stay here at all. You never know right?"
"...I guess." Nashi agreed, taking a sip from her mug. "Plus we really have no way of getting home to our exact time period unless we're lucky as all hell."
"Uh huh." Drake said, downing his drink. "Guess we have to wait for Damien anyway so a few days it'll be." Simon nodded, and then his gaze drifted to behind Nashi.
"Shit." He mumbled. "There's Mira." Nashi looked over her shoulder and saw that Mira was standing there. She felt a rock settle in her stomach.
"So who's telling her?" Ultear asked.
"You guys should." Drake spoke up. "You guys saw him leave so it's only fair, you know?"
"I guess you have a point." Simon agreed. Looking over at Ultear and nodding, they both stood and moved to go and speak with Mira, who looked over as they approached her.
This left Nashi and Drake to their own devices. Now normally this was not a big deal. However...
"You're squeezing my boob!"
Nashi flushed as she recalled getting groped by her best friend. Of course he hadn't meant to do it and of course he'd released her the moment she told him, but they hadn't actually managed to speak since. The whole atmosphere since the incident had left them unable to come up with the words. Drake coughed.
"So..." He said, not even looking her way.
"Mm hm." She replied, staring down at her cup. After a few awkward seconds passed, Drake groaned.
"Ugh fuck this." He looked right at Nashi. "Look, I'm sorry for groping you. I didn't mean to, obviously, and I'd never do it again. Outside of your permission, I suppose."
"Why would I ever let you do that?"
"Not my point." Nashi grinned as he gathered himself. "So again, I'm sorry, so let's stop avoiding this like preteens who saw each other naked at summer camp. We cool?"
"Of course we are." She replied. "It's fine. Like you said, total accident. It's was more the fact that you squeezed than anything else."
"I was panicking, I'm really sorry."
"If you stop apologizing I'll forgive you." Nashi said, making him smirk and nod once before looking out the window.
"Can I be honest with you, Nashi?" He asked, and she hummed a positive response. "I'm not sure I want to go back to our timeline."
"Huh?" Nashi asked, confused. "Why?"
"Well, I don't know." He looked back at her. "I know we've got a lot back in our time we've got to do and loose ends or whatever, but I'm just not sure I want to go back." Nashi gave this viewpoint some thought. She could see why staying in the future would be an alluring option.
But...
She couldn't agree with it.
"We don't belong here." She said, making him raise an eyebrow. "I mean, I want to stay for a few days as well but we just don't belong. we should be in our mid to late thirties, Drake. We're twenty years behind here and that isn't something I want to deal with constantly."
"True." Drake agreed. "I'm jut spitballing." His eyes flickered. "Although here... We don't have to deal with any threats." Nashi lowered her own gaze.
She knew what he meant. Arguably better than he did.
"You think you understand, don't you? That because you're so powerful you can stand up to them? That's exactly what they want..."
Blake's words ran through Nashi's mind, and it made her apprehensive. What had the Olympians wanted when they sent Kronos after her and the others? Why had it happened? Why were they after her specifically?
And were they still waiting?
"You don't know that." Nashi said. "They're still watching for all we know. We're still in danger as long as they exist." Drake nodded in understanding.
"Yeah. Ask Elise, maybe she knows something about..."
BAM!
Drake and Nashi jumped as the door to the bar was swung open, and none other than Crime Sociere stormed inside lead by none other than Jellal.
"Simon?!" The blue...slightly grey haired man shouted. "Where are you?!" Nashi smiled as their intent became clear. Jellal saw Simon, and the speed in witch the old man rushed to hug his son was inhuman. Meteor was not used, but Nashi eyes still had trouble trailing him.
"Jeez!" Simon shouted. "Dad! Dad! Can't breath!" Jellal didn't reply, just hugged him tighter. Nashi wasn't exactly sure if the sounds coming from Simon were healthy. She smiled over at Drake, who looked rather indifferent. She frowned.
"What?" She asked. He looked over at her.
"If Crime Sociere if here, that means he's here too..." Nashi realized this as well, and smirked at her friend.
"Erik!" She shouted, making Drake choke. "Erik! He's over here! Erik!"
"Nashi!" Drake growled, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Shut up!"
"Drake?" Both looked over as Drake's father Erik came into view. He looked so much older and ragged, but the look on his face was pure shock. Nashi slithered out of Drake's grasp and stood off to the slid to watch the exchange. Drake coughed.
"Uh, hi." He said, pocketing his hands as he stood. "You look like shit, old man."
Erik did not reply.
"I see you and Mom hooked up again, huh? Good job I suppose. Also heard that you were around a lot more. Suppose fucking one child up makes it easier to spot your faults with the second. Whatever, it's good to see...!"
Drake was cut off as Erik engulfed him in a bone crushing hug, causing him to gasp in surprise. Or for air, Nashi couldn't tell.
"Thank God you're okay." Erik whispered, barely audible. "I...I can't even express how happy I am."
"Dad is this a display of affection?!"
"Of course it is you jackass." Erik broke the hug to stare at his son with a wide smile and tears trickling down his face. "You're my son. I love you for fucks sake." Drake looked downright stunned, and Nashi could assume why. He'd probably been expecting to get banter and insults thrown his way, so Erik reacting the way he had had thrown him so far off he couldn't recover.
"I...I uh..." Drake said, unable to conjure words, making Nashi laugh silently. Erik hugged him again.
"When Erza and Kinana called, said you'd all returned...God I've never seen Erigor fly the airship so fast. No one even slept...You're really home..." Drake slowly hugged his father back with a contemplative look on his face.
"Yeah...Us too." Nashi looked over at Jellal, who had finally released Simon.
"What happened. Tell us everything!"
"And then he used the malfunctioning spell to get thrown here." Simon finished, sitting to Nashi's left as they explained the situation to Jellal. Jellal hummed, hand rubbing his chin.
"Fascinating." He said. "I've never heard of Arc of Time behaving in such a way...Meredy!" Meredy looked over at Jellal from the bar as he called for her. "Did Ultear ever talk to you about possible ways for Arc of Time to malfunction?" Meredy made a face as she thought.
"I don't think so." She said. "If she did it must've not been very important because I can't remember."
"Hm." Jellal made a face. "Interesting. And you say that this man, Kronos, had no idea what had happened either?"
"Not from what I could tell." Nashi explained. "He looked pretty stunned himself, right Ul?" Ultear, who was on Simon's right, nodded.
"Yeah. But it's never happened to me either. Is there any reason you can think of Jellal?" Jellal frowned.
"No." He looked at Ultear. "Have you experienced a malfunction before?"
"Not before the Games, no."
"The Games...So before you stood inside the walls of Crocus."
"I guess so, why?" Jellal stared at Ultear for a few seconds, before he looked down.
"It would make sense...Time doesn't flow correctly here anymore...The blood red color of the magic..."
"Huh? What was that Dad?" Simon asked. Jellal ignored him for a moment, looking deep in thought. After another few seconds Jellal turned his head another way, this time towards Macbeth, who was leaned up against the corner of the bar listening to the conversation.
"Macbeth, what do you think?" He asked. "Could it be the Time Wound?"
"Definitely very likely." Macbeth answered without hesitation. "Having Arc of Time specifically malfunction within the city...It fits."
"It does. Interesting..."
"Can someone please explain what you're talking about?" Nashi said, raising her hand to garner their attention. "I'm really confused. Time Wound? Time doesn't flow correctly? I'm seriously confused." Jellal chuckled.
"I suppose this would be rather confusing without the correct knowledge." He grew serious and regarded the three of them closely. "It's rather simple. The reason you three cascaded through the annals of time is because of Ultear Milkovich."
"Huh?" Ultear asked. "What does she have to do with this?"
"Ultear was in the city during the Eclipse incident." Jellal explained. "And while she was here, she diverged the timeline from one where many lives were lost. Using the spell Last Ages, she gave all of her time to set the world clock back a single minute. In doing this, however, she caused something else to happen."
"Which is?" Nashi asked, knowing full well their answer. Jellal leaned back.
"Time within the city of Crocus flows incorrectly. And manipulating it...Has apparently disastrous effects."
Damien landed on the outskirts of the town he recalled leaving Steph at, and took a deep breath and he looked around. the thirty-one years he'd been gone had definitely had an effect, because it was much bigger than before.
"Please be here..." Damien murmured to himself. "Please...Just please be here."
He wandered inside the town and looked around, looking for anyone that might have looked like his sister. He didn't spot any blondes that reminded him of his sister, but then again all he had to go off of what she might have looked like was Edolas Steph, who was seventeen last he saw here. So he really had nothing to do go whatsoever.
That didn't matter at all. He had to find her.
After a few minutes of randomly wandering the streets, Damien decided it would be best to check at some kind of bar for her, or even information. Anything right now to quell his rapidly increasing heartbeat. Walking towards a smokestack he saw in the distance eventually led him to what was obviously the local watering hole, so he opened the doors and walked inside, making a beeline right for the counter, and the bartender.
"What'll you have, kid?" The man asked gruffly.
"Nothing." Damien replied, a few regulars watching him. "I just wanted to ask you a question."
"Shoot."
"Does a blonde woman by the name of Steph live here? She'd be in her thirties if it helps any." The man made a face.
"Only blonde like you're describing used to live by Devin's ranch." The man replied, setting down a clean glass. "He raised an orphan blonde by that name."
"I-I'm sorry, used to live by his ranch?" Damien asked. "As in she no longer does?"
"Not last I checked." Damien looked down at the table, a million possibilities flying through his head. "She your aunt or something?"
"...N-No, sister." he replied. The mans face softened.
"Ah, sorry. Didn't know. Could've guessed by the face, though. You remind me of her a little." Damien slowly retreated from the bar, before he sprinted out and towards the ranch, which if he recalled correctly was to the west of town. As he sprinted, he tried to push any bad possibilities from his mind.
"Just...Be okay...!"
Once he made it to the ranch, Damien stopped at the door and slammed his fists against the door. Once it was answered, a young man maybe in hid mid-twenties stood there.
"Can I help you?" The man asked, looking a little tense.
"Blonde...Woman...Steph..." Damien said through labored pants as he caught his breath. "You...Know her?"
"Steph?" The man asked. "How do you know her?"
"Do you know where she is?" Damien asked.
"Look, uh, I don't know what you're doing here but..."
"Who is it?!" An older voice shouted from inside, making the man sigh.
"No one Dad." he said. "Ignore it."
"Let them in! I own this property so Ill talk to them." The man rubbed his eyes and growled before stepping aside and allowing Damien inside. Damien proceeded towards the voice, which led him to the living room, where an older man was waiting.
Wait...
Oh.
The mans eyes widened as he looked over at Damien. Damien managed to grin lightly.
"Sorry I'm late." he told Devin, who couldn't speak. "Still know where my sister is?"
"...It's...Oh my God son...You haven't aged a day!"
"My God you have no idea how right you are." Damien said. "Sister. Where is she?" The man watched Damien for a moment or two longer before he sighed.
"Right, right. Sorry kid, your sister...ain't here." A rock settled in Damien's stomach.
"Where is she?"
"No idea."
"What?! How could you not know?!" The man began to walk out of the room.
"Gimme a sec, kid. I got to go find something." Damien waited what seemed like an eternity before Devin returned, gingerly holding a piece of paper in his hands.
"What is that?" He demanded. Devin handed it to Damien.
"You're sister left this for me about twenty years ago." he said. "The Grand Magic Games were being broadcast and she saw you and your friends disappear...She ran off. Here, read it." Damien took the paper carefully, and regarded it slowly. The ink was smudged and barely legible, but he would manage.
Devin,
I can't describe how I've loved acting as your daughter all these years. The people in this town are like family to me and I wouldn't have had it any other way. But, times change, and I cannot, and I will not, sit here and be your precious little farm girl any longer. My brother, the others, they're out there somewhere. i don't know what I'm looking for or how I'm supposed to find it, but I'm going to bring them home. And then we can all go home together. That's what Onii-chan would've wanted. I know the only reason I'm here today is because he disappeared...But I'm going to be the reason he comes home. I swear to God I'll find him... I'll save my brother. I owe him that much for saving my life. I swear on my life I'm going to return the favor. I don't know if I'll ever return, or if you'll be mad, but please understand this is what I want. And that's what you always wanted for me, right Devin? What I wanted? Make sure the townsfolk stay happy for me. I'd be upset if Carol or Richard were upset cause I'm gone.
I'll give you a piece of wisdom my very own brother told me. Sometimes you have to fight through hard times, but don't lose hope and cry. Be happy and and stay strong. Maybe one day I'll come home. If I don't...I'm so very sorry. But no tears, not for me. If I could do it, you can too!
And don't worry, I'll write you!
~Steph
Damien stared down at the paper, brought out of his stupor as a teardrop fell from his eye and hit the paper. Devin looked out the window.
"Few years back...Got a letter that said she was sick over in Stella...Never got another letter." Damien looked over at Devin with wide and hurt eyes, and the man placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"Y-You mean...?"
"I'm sorry kid. I don't think she survived to see her older brother again."
They had only returned to the guild hall in Magnolia a few hours a few hours ago, and Nashi already felt overwhelmed. So many things about her home had changed, and she wasn't sure she was comfortable with it. The town layout was different in a few places, the waterway had been drained in an area and rerouted, and the market had changed it's layout too.
That and Damien had not come back yet.
Maybe he hadn't known they'd gone back to Magnolia, but he'd be back soon, at least they hoped as much.
"So what did your Dad say again?" Drake asked, making Simon sigh.
"After he figured out what caused us to get sent backwards and then forwards, he talked to Macbeth about figuring something out and they disappeared back to the airship...Haven't seem him since."
"Wonder what they're doing." Nashi said, doing exactly as she thought. Jellal had seemed incredibly interested in figuring whatever out, and he'd gone to do exactly that. After he'd explained why they'd gone back in time, at least his theory, it made a lot more sense to Nashi. If only that helped them get around.
"So, now what?" Drake asked as their previous conversation died away.
"Dunno." Ultear replied. "We still have to wait for Damien before we really do anything concrete."
"Man this is just so strange." Simon said. "Like, everything's so different."
"Yep..." Nashi agreed. "I just feel like staying here would be weird..."
"Luke I'm telling you it's a bad idea!"
"I don't need your god damn advice Kaida!" Nashi looked over as the bickering pair approached them, yet glared at each other. "Like seriously let me do me!"
"If I let you do you you'd have died several hundred times by now! You're a god damn idiot!"
"Oh man how are you still single?! How many guys could turn down a girl who constantly attacks their choices?!"
"Maybe other guys who have half a fucking brain would appreciate someone to knock some fucking sense into them!"
"I don't need your sense!"
"Fuck you!"
"No fuck you!" Nashi watched with a bemused smile as the two butted heads, only for Lilly to flick them both in the head.
"Stop it." She said.
"He/She started it." They both muttered under their breath. Nashi shook her head at this.
"Watching them do that is pretty funny." She said.
"Although they sometimes do it for some petty shit..." Drake muttered under his breath. The group laughed at this before Luke made his way over to them.
"Hey guys!" he greeted with a smile. "Enjoy being back home?"
"It's pretty jarring." Nashi said. "What's up with you?" Luke smiled even wider.
"I came to talk to you, actually." He said, making Nashi raise an eyebrow.
"Okay. What is it?" Luke just watched her before he looked down chuckled.
"I never thought I'd get to say this, but..."
"...?" Nashi waited, and Luke looked back at her.
"Nashi, I want to fight you!"
So this chapter was a roller-coaster, huh? Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed, leave a review!