Nashi's first thought as she began to wake was wondering why she was sitting up in bed. That being said, the memories from before she feel asleep flooded back to her, making her eyes snap open. One of her eyes was obscured by what was serving as her pillow, which seemed to be exactly what she figured it was. Her other eye saw her parents living room, confirming what she thought. Lifting her head off of her mother's boobs, she looked around the room to find no one but her mother there.
"Sleep well?" Her mother asked. Nashi looked towards her to see a soft smile on her face.
"...H-How long was I asleep?" She asked weakly.
"All afternoon," her mother answered as if that was nothing.
"And you stayed with me the whole time?"
"Of course. You needed your sleep, that much was evident." Nashi felt bad that she'd subjected her mother to that, so she sat up straight and moved away. Thankfully she wasn't stopped, as she doubted her own strength to keep away.
'Do you feel better?" Her mother asked. Nashi nodded quietly.
"A little bit," she replied. "Still upset about the whole 'end of the world' thing, but...I guess I can't avoid it."
"Wouldn't be fate if you could, now would it?" She replied. Silence came down on them, mostly because Nashi was trying her hardest to hold the tears back. The sleep she'd gotten had helped her calm down, but her mind was beginning to race again. She hated this. She hated being the reason everything was going to hell. It wasn't fair.
"Nashi." She heard. She turned to look at her Mother, seeing a stern look on her face.
"Yeah?" She asked weakly.
"This isn't something you've caused," she said. "Please, if you take anything away from this, let it be this. What is happening, what will happen, none of it falls on your shoulders. If the prophecy Anhkseram left us is to be believed, this was always going to happen. There's nothing you could've done to change this outcome. We were going to end up here no matter what."
"That doesn't help," Nashi blurted out, her voice cracking. "It doesn't change the fact that I'm at the center of this. That my mere existence is the reason that the God of Death is going to wake up, and the world might end. It's horrific to even imagine."
"Then I'm at fault as well," she said sternly. Nashi made a face.
"What?" She demanded, raising an eyebrow.
"I gave birth to you, didn't I? I'm the reason you were born into this world. I'm at fault for bringing this on everyone."
"That's-"
"Your father is at fault for helping me with that. As a matter of fact, his parents and mine are at fault for birthing us."
"Stop being ridiculous!" Nashi exclaimed.
"Not until you do the same," She replied coolly. "Nashi, we're dabbling with forces we have no control over. This is the realm of Gods. No matter what, when, or who, this was bound to happen. You just happen to be the one holding the wheel when it did. There's no shame in that. And there's no shame in asking your family to stand by your side."
"I just don't want anyone to die for me!" She shouted.
"And we don't want you to die for us," her mother replied. "Seems we're at a crossroads." Nashi grit her teeth in irritation, but she knew there was no fighting this. She could scream and cry all she wanted, but no one was going to budge. That was just the way they were. Even still...
"Not even if the world ends?" She asked weakly.
"Did you listen at all?" the reply came calmly. "If you had, you'd know that we don't know which outcome will lead to what. If we let the Demon Lords have your soul, we may have no way to stop Zomrus from rising. You were the one standing against him in The Oracle's visions. What if letting you die dooms the world anyway? What will you do then?"
Nashi growled and held her head in her hands, trying to wrap her mind around this ordeal. If they fought the Demon Lords and dimmed their power, then Zomrus could awaken. But if Zomrus woke up anyway, and she was not alive to stand across from him, the world was doomed anyway.
As she sat there, her mother scooted across the couch and wrapped her arm around her again, which she appreciated.
"We'll see what team is assembled tomorrow," she said soothingly in her ear. "Until then, we can take all the time you need." Nashi gulped, but nodded weakly.
"Okay..." She agreed.
The night went away far to fast for Nashi's liking. She woke up that morning horrified of who would be present for the team to take down the Demon Lords. She didn't want to know who had volunteered for this. She knew they needed to assemble a team of people who could fight them, but knowing that her own friends were most likely going to come...She hated it.
Her mother had told her in advance that the guild hall would be empty, save for those on the team. She didn't want to walk through those doors. She didn't want to know who was coming, who could die because of her. Even still, as she stood outside those doors, she knew she didn't have a choice. Her mother gave her a reassuring look, but she felt no better. This was the last thing she wanted. Even still, the door was opened, and she came inside. She saw faces she expected, like Jellal, Erza, Michael, Sting, Ultear, Gray.
But some of the people present stunned her.
"Ah, we're all here then," her father said from the bar. He had a serious look on his face, "then we can start."
"W-Wait," Nashi said, "e-everyone here is coming?"
"Everyone here volunteered," her father corrected. "We forced no one."
"B-But..." Nashi looked around the room wildly. "Winter? Chelia? Why are you here?"
Nashi had not seen Winter since they had defeated The Olympians. The girls white-hair was up in a ponytail, and she was wearing a black vest over a black shirt, with matching pants and combat boots.
"What?" Winter asked, "did I surprise you?"
"Yes!" Nashi said, eyes darting over the room to the other pair that surprised her. "And you, Rina? And your Dad? Why are God Slayers here?"
"Am I not allowed to be here?" Rina asked. Her bright green hair was cropped short, and wore a similar outfit to Winter except she was sleeveless to show off her tattooed arms.
"After what we learned from Zentopia," Her father said, "we made the call that it was possible for God Slayers to hurt the Demon Lords. After all, they're portions of Zomrus. They can help us."
"B-But-"
"Don't try and stop us," Winter said, "we already got the whole spiel from your Dad. We're coming."
"Does that mean that- Nashi asked weakly, eyes darting around.
"If you're looking for us," a voice said, "we're over here." Nashi's eyes followed the voice, and she found Katsuchi and Tetsu sitting next to Ultear and Simon.
"...No," she said weakly, "not you guys, too..."
"Yes, us too," Tetsu said. "Sorry to disappoint."
"B-But wait-"
"Let's get down to business," her dad said, "we need to talk about what we're going to-"
"Wait!" Nashi shouted, overruling him. "Wait, wait wait! Just wait!"
"Nashi-" her mother started, trying to use her free hand to hold her shoulder, but she shook her off and stormed into the middle of the guild hall.
"You all realise how dangerous this is, don't you?!" She shouted, tears threatening to fall. "Don't you get there's no do-overs here?! This is life and death! Some of you aren't nearly close enough to me to justify your place here! Rina, Orga, why are you here?! We're not that close!"
"We're not," Rina agreed coolly and she kicked her legs up on the table. "But Michael is, and I care about Michael. If I can help keep his sorry ass alive, I will."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Michael called.
"Besides," Rina said, "this is end of the world we're talking about. And if I can help, you best believe I will."
"Same for me," Orga huffed from behind her. "I'm not letting my little girl go fight some Gods all on her own." Rina looked embarrassed by his words, but didn't say anything.
"B-But..." Nashi tried, before turning. "What about you and Chelia, Winter?! You don't need to do this!"
"I'm glad you didn't say we weren't that close, because it would have hurt my feelings," Winter replied with a soft smile. "I'm doing this because I care about you, Nashi. Same reason I've fought by you and your friends sides every time you needed me. Besides, Drake would kill me if I let you go without a fight." Nashi was so frazzled she barely even registered her friends name.
"This is insane," she hissed, "I can't believe we dragged this many people into this! Don't tell me Neptu is here too!"
"He's not," her father said, "We want to get going fast, and they have some stuff going on. They won't make it."
"Good! That's less people who're going to potentially die because of me!" She cried, "this is insane! I can't sign off on this! There's too many people. I can't let you-"
"As respectfully as possible, Nashi," Rina said, "this is not all about you."
Nashi felt silent as she turned to the girl in question.
"I mean," she continued, "obviously the fight is over you, but the overall fight isn't for you. It's for the whole world. You just happen to be the key to it all. Maybe this sounds harsh or like I don't care, but I'm fighting for the world here. I would no matter who or what the fight was over. It's what people like me should do. Those who have the power to stop the worst from happening are obligated to do it. Same with you. If the rundown of the situation is accurate, we need you very much alive and not dead. So I'll keep you alive. That's all there is too it. You don't get to object to that."
"It's important to mention that her point doesn't detract from why we're here," Nashi turned to Simon as he spoke. "I'm here because I won't let you go, Nashi. Ultear too. I care about you too much to let them have you back. Say whatever you want, warn me however you want. I won't let them take you back."
"We love you too much," Ultear agreed. "I don't care if I need to fight Gods. I'll do it until I can't anymore, got it?"
Nashi stared at her for a few seconds, before turning to cast her eyes over everyone else. No one said a word as she looked at them. All of them had the same steely-eyed glare to them. No one was backing down. They were insane, they had to be.
Even still, she couldn't find her voice. She couldn't find any words in her mind to stop them. She couldn't do anything to stop them, and honestly that made her feel even worse.
Despite this, she slouched her shoulders and took a step back, keeping her eyes on the ground. If that was the decision they'd made, who was she to stop them?
"Anyway," her Dad said, "now that we've sorted that out-"
"What the hell's going on in here?!" Nashi jumped as the door to the guild hall crashed open. Turning, she saw Elise storming in with her Mom close behind. She looked livid.
"I'm sorry," Levy said weakly, "I let it spill to her..."
"I wasn't invited on the strike team?!" Elise demanded angrily, "what is that about?! I'm, coming too!"
"No you are not," Nashi's father said, "you don't have any magic that can hurt them."
"Sure I do! I stole God Slayer iron from Tetsu, remember?! Look!" Nashi watched as iron scales on Elise's forearm turned black. "I can help. I'm coming."
"Elise," Her mother tried. "How long can you use it without hurting yourself?"
"I'm not staying back!" Elise remarked angrily. "Not in this fight! If I can help in any way, I will! Damien can't even use his strongest form, why is he here?!" All eyes fell to Damien, who had been quiet up until this point. He looked up, and Nashi saw how tired he was.
"I'm here because I'm the one opening the gateway," he said. "I'm going whether you like it or not."
"So you want Steph and I to just hang back, is that it?!" Elise demanded, "I bet she had no idea this is happening either! I'll fight! I don't care what happens!"
"And get yourself killed?" Her mother demanded, grabbing her hands. "Elise, you need to sit this one out."
"No!" Elise shouted back. Nashi could see tears in her eyes. "I can't! I can't sit back and watch Nashi give up everything again! I did last time, I won't again! If I can stop the worst from happening, I will! Don't you get that?!" Her mother looked pained.
"I know," she said, "trust me, sweetie, I know. But this isn't just some fight."
"All the more reason to be in it!" Elise turned to Nashi then, surprising her. "Nashi, I can fight! I promise I can!"
"E-Elise..."
"I didn't save you at Mt. Olympus! I...I didn't save you when we were kids! Let me save you now! Please!"
Nashi's mind went back without meaning too. She viewed the memories of Elise bullying her with Rocky and Sammy. These memories carried pain, which she felt. But whether it was through the memory or watching someone she carried about cry, she couldn't tell. She pressed her mouth into a line, her mind racing with thoughts and memories. One stuck out to her.
"You saved me once already," she said, cutting into the silence. "Back at Phantom Dove." Elise's face paled.
"Wha-"
"Those...'men' wanted to take me away. You went instead. You have saved me before. You don't need to carry around that guilt."
"...As if that compares to what you gave up for me!" She shouted back. "God damn it, Nashi, you're the best friend I have! I want to fight for you!"
It was this that made Nashi realise.
All this time, she had been so focused on her own interpretation of the problem before her. That these people were fighting to save the person they thought she was, and that she couldn't let them die for a lie. But they didn't know that. And if they were about to die, they deserved to know got to her feet, balling her fists as she did so.
"E-Even if I'm not the same person?" She asked. Silence came over the guild.
"What?" Elise asked, "what are you talking about?" Nashi gritted her teeth and cast an eye at her mother. Her mother smiled softly and reached over, gripping her hand tightly. Gathering her strength, Nashi opened her mouth. She explained exactly what she had explained to her mother the day prior, how she did not really feel the memories as her own and that she still identified as Luna more than Nashi. As she paused, she expected a wave of disbelief and vitriol. That wasn't what she got.
"That's it?" Ultear asked, "c'mon Nashi...Or Luna, if you prefer. You're being ridiculous."
"Huh?" She asked, confused.
"Did you think we'd care about that?" Elise demanded, "did you stop to think for even a second that you had us all fooled? Why do you think that is?"
"I-I..."
"You fooled us because you're just the same you've always been," Simon said with a reassuring smile. "You're kind, you're thoughtful."
"You're so selfless it's annoying," Ultear added, "and you think too lowly of yourself for someone so amazing."
"You're almost as annoying as Drake," Elise said, "and just as fun to hang out with. Damn it all if I wouldn't die for you a hundred times over."
"You've got a fire in you no one could hope to match in intensity," Damien said, "one impossible to emulate."
"You'll always be my baby girl," her father said. "Nothing and no one can change that."
"You're still the girl that got us out of that hell we were in," Katsuchi said, "I owe you my life for that, and if I have to lay it down here, I will."
"We owe you that much," Tetsu agreed.
"I wish I could've done more for you up until this point," Winter added. "I'm tired of watching you all sacrifice yourselves from the sidelines. Let us help."
"I wish you would have said something," Michael said. "we could've been there for you. You didn't need to bear that burden on your shoulders alone."
"Has it taken you this long to realise?" Rina asked. "You're not alone, Nashi. Even if you don't realise it, you're currently surrounded by people who love you so much they'd die for you. Take it in and accept it, for once. Sounds like you need it."
For what felt like forever, she couldn't connect the dots. Like the things they had said weren't computing in her brain. Could they still love her, after finding out she wasn't the 'real' Nashi? But it was only then she realised. They didn't care about her hangups. They didn't care about the fact that she technically wasn't the original Nashi. They loved her all the same. Somehow it had taken until now for her to see that.
They had been a team. They were a team. And as far as they were concerned, they always would be. Not even angry Gods concerned them.
It took her a moment to realise tears were streaming down her face.
"Y-You're all so stubborn," she choked out, the emotions hitting her full force. Sobs began to wrack her body, but before she could collapse into a heap on the floor, Elise caught her and held her up with a hug. "I-I don't...I can't understand it..."
"Stop trying too, then!" Elise said with a small laugh as she held her tightly. "All you have to understand is how much you mean to us. Hell, just understand that we love you, and that's enough!" Soon the hug expanded, Simon and Ultear joining her. Damien did as well, and then her parents. She was surrounded by people hugging her.
People who loved her.
Maybe it didn't matter that she wasn't the original. That she wasn't completely whole. Maybe all that mattered in that moment was the overwhelming sense of belonging she finally felt among them.
Nashi let out a laugh between the sobs.
"Maybe we should wake Steph up. It wouldn't be the team without her."
You know, as I try to get these out fast it really does hit me how bad my work ethic is. I need to work on that. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!