I don't own anything but I may own your soul.
A/N: Thank you for all of the reviews.
"You told her!?" Ultear yelled.
Meredy hadn't seen Ultear so angry before while Natsu just gave her a raised brow.
"Obviously." Natsu answered.
"You...fucking...dumbass! What if you didn't bring her back!? What if she went to the authorities! Have you completely lost it!?" Ultear shouted.
"Ultear, Meredy will find out eventually and besides keeping it from her is just wrong." Natsu said.
"She's a child! She didn't have to know until she was older! Yet, you wanted to give her severe trauma! What a brilliant thing you did!"
Ultear wanted to kill Natsu but luckily for him. Meredy was behind him. Meredy is looking a combination of nervous and being scared. Ultear took in a deep breath. Calm down. Meredy is here.
"My mom did that to me, turned out just fine enough." Natsu brushed off Ultear's concern.
If he could grapple with things far worse than what Meredy had to find out. Natsu was sure that Meredy would be okay in the long run. Ultear's anger flared at Natsu's casual dismissal. However, the woman had to remain composed.
"Just because your mom did it, doesn't make it okay for you to do it to other people." Ultear told Natsu.
"Neither is keeping Meredy out of the loop like that." Natsu countered.
Meredy stood up for herself. She stepped out from behind Natsu's body. Meredy tried facing Ultear like Natsu had but she faltered for a moment. However, if Natsu could do it. Meredy could do it too.
"He's right. I don't need to be kept from the truth, it's why I chose to come back here." Meredy spoke.
Ultear was taken aback by Meredy's statement. Natsu was one thing but Meredy? Ultear had a soft spot for the girl. She lost her ability to be aggressive as she conceited rather quickly.
"Ugh, fine. Just fine. We have crossed the bridge and nothing can be done about it now."
Meredy hyped herself up.
"I want to know why you were there and why you chose to spare me." Meredy said.
Ultear stiffened. They were forcing her hand at this point. Natsu seeing as how things were going to be more personal. He decided to leave.
"Oh no you don't, you're staying too." Ultear sneered.
If she had to get through this talk, he would he too because he started this entire ordeal. Natsu wasn't getting off that easy.
"Long as you don't mind telling me too."
"Shut up and listen for once." Ultear snapped at him.
Natsu shrugged not really saying if he would be quiet or not. It further annoyed Ultear. However, she would address Meredy.
"We were there because we were to collect a key needed to resurrect a very important person."
Natsu got a weird feeling in his gut at that answer. Why do you need to kill people to revive someone unless you were trying to revive someone or something that is very powerful. Meredy looked at Natsu for assurance.
"This is news to me." Natsu said.
"Yes, Natsu didn't know why he was there, he was there to kill people and make sure that they died. Remember Natsu screams of death mean victims. I wasn't born yesterday." Ultear snapped at him.
Well...shit.
"Plus someone was in charge of making sure every housing had bodies." Ultear told him.
'This woman...' Natsu thought.
"Why didn't you rat me out then?" Natsu asked.
"Because unlike some people, I don't blabber about everything behind people's back. However, we will have our conversation after Meredy is satisfied with the answers." Ultear told him.
Which meant he was screwed. Ultear put her focus back on Meredy.
"As for your second question. My mother abandoned me to people that experimented on me and tortured me daily. One day I escaped to return to my mother only to find out that she replaced me with two other children. She had been happy for years while she let me rot in that place. I hated her. After that, I meet Hades. Your tragic childhood reminded me of the position I was in but I didn't want to be molded into something I never wanted. Which is why I took you in, so you didn't have to become me and grow into your own person. Something that Hades doesn't want us to be." Ultear said.
"I thought I was the only one that got that vibe from him." Natsu commented.
Ultear raised a brow.
"You actually have two brain cells that aren't fighting for third place." Ultear commented.
Meredy didn't understand what Ultear meant given her age. Natsu however, had been called various things by his mother to describe his stupidity.
"Least I'm not as sharp as a marble." Natsu threw it back.
"Your IQ may actually match your age but do you have anymore questions for me Meredy?" Ultear asked.
Right, Meredy was still here. The girl looking conflicted as she once again went to Natsu for confirmation. Ultear felt a feeling go through her chest. Meredy seemed to trust Natsu more than she did and it caused jealously to fill her chest. Why trust him over her!? They both attacked the town. Both were responsible, more her than Natsu but that was beside the point. Did Natsu's act of idiotic honesty cause Meredy to trust him more than her? It couldn't have or could it? Natsu could have done Ultear a favor, he could have but looking at Meredy. Natsu knew what was way more important over him being potentially blackmailed by Ultear.
"Don't worry, Meredy. She's telling the truth. Her story is consistent." Natsu said.
Natsu was pained by the loss of his mother. Meredy may not have the mom of the year material. However, they had to find Ultear in the closet city. Which left Ultear trying to find Meredy in the middle of the night. It proved to Natsu Ultear gave a damn about Meredy. In a nutshell, Natsu rather genuinely help the pair reconcile with the other, over trying to get out of being blackmailed by helping them. To Natsu, family, is important. Meredy took Natsu's answer as she faced Ultear.
"I...I need to think about it, I'm still horrified at what you did." Meredy told Ultear.
Ultear gave a nod. She couldn't bring herself to say anything to Meredy. A silence fell on everyone.
"We can head to a hotel room for the night. It's late as is." Natsu spoke.
Ultear hate to agree with him besides the pair still need to have a chat. After renting a hotel for the night, and making sure Meredy was actually asleep. Natsu along with Ultear headed outside to the back of the hotel.
"Have you any idea what you could have compromised? You act like I wasn't going to tell her." Ultear said.
Natsu crossed his arms.
"She's going to be okay, it's not the end of the world. If she had run away and stayed away, obviously we wouldn't be here." Natsu told her.
"Fuck you!" Ultear snarled at Natsu.
"Not by you, harlot." Natsu said.
Ultear grabbed Natsu by the collar and lifted her to face him. Why wasn't he showing fear!? Why wasn't he scared of her!? Even now when she was ready to deck him.
"Fucking pervert like I'd ever."
"Feeling is mutual."
Ultear tossed him away from her but Natsu caught himself as he found proper balance.
"Christ you're a dick. Natsu I'm raising Meredy, I'm her guardian. If you had a problem with how I was keeping things from her. You need to tell me first instead of going gung ho like you did. That straightforward mindset is going to royally fuck you in the ass one of these days. You got lucky this time because things worked out but who says that'll work out again in the future?" Ultear stated.
"Way I see it, if she finds out about it from someone else. She'll always have lingering doubts." Natsu said.
"What do you mean by that?" Ultear asked.
"The first narration of that story is what will stick with them the most and that's very dangerous because what if Meredy learned years later. In the middle of a mission, she would act solely on emotions." Natsu told Ultear.
"Which is why I was waiting until she was a adult to tell her. Secondly, not without proof to back your story. Even if she found out about it down the line, she would believe my story over theirs." Ultear countered.
Honestly, did he have a screw loose!? Natsu shrugged his shoulders.
"Don't keep things from her." Natsu said.
"Keep your head where it doesn't belong and tell me if you have a problem. I'm pissed because you went behind my back Natsu." Ultear stated.
Natsu didn't see the reason as to why she was pissed. They had avoided a ticking time bomb that could have gone off at the worst time.
"That's because you spoil her. Ultear parents need to get their children ready and you exactly can't be their best friend." Natsu said.
"And how would you fucking know? You're a teenager Natsu." Ultear asked.
"You think my mother would want me to challenge you like a fucking idiot? No, she insisted I was humiliated to learn humility. I'm not stupid enough to fight all of Grimoire Heart, much less you. However, she beat me every day for me to have learned that lesson. Which meant I wouldn't be alive if I didn't learn it. As a result, I'll raise Meredy how I was but with a lot less abuse." Natsu snapped at Ultear.
Ultear seem to cool off at that because she wanted to raise Meredy with love and care. Ultear seem to move in a particular manner as her left arm face Natsu. She crossed her arms while looking away.
"I want to raise Meredy with love and care. I want to give her something that was taken from me and I want her to know, I'll always provide it." Ultear said.
Natsu knew she meant well but Meredy needed someone to give her that push to be out of her comfort zone. Yet, Natsu wanted to know if he was loved.
"Fuck, now I'm starting to see why mom always wanted me to get married before raising a child." Natsu commented.
One had to be the loving and nurturing one while the other was the disciplinary and bring their kids out their comfort zone one. That way, the child would know they would be loved by both parents.
"That's kinda the point you ape." Ultear said.
Natsu had enough of being the bigger person today but would concede to himself. That Ultear is probably right, he should have went to her first.
"Whatever, let's just accept we both care about Meredy in our way."
Ultear scoffed. This was as close as she was going to get to in making him admit she was right. Ultear was satisfied by proving her point.
"And that's why you're still alive and Natsu?" Ultear asked at the end.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"We have shit mother's."
Natsu still very much loved his mom but that didn't change the truth. He gave out a dry chuckle.
"Clearly."
For once, they could bond over something.