BROKEN AND BRUISED
CHAPTER 14
Lucy woke up once again in a pile of limbs, she heaved a sigh before she started removing a hand, a leg, and a head off of her nicely. She stood up slowly and made her way quietly out of the pile, she sat at the swing and breathed out. Apparently this morning her leg decided to hurt really badly. She really shouldn't have pushed it too far but she couldn't sit in the house anymore with all of them free. She wanted to be the first person to experience the free world with them, and she enjoyed it very much.
She winced when she sensed a shot of pain tingling her leg, before she could put her hand on her thigh to ease the pain another beat her to it. She looked up to see the worried gaze of her brother.
"You pushed yourself way too hard Sunshine. We could have done this later when you were better." He spoke softly but his words had an edge to them.
She shook her head. "It's alright. I wanted to do this as soon as possible and no leg injury of mine was going to stop me."
He sat next to her on the swing and pulled her legs up on his lap, she relaxed back in the soft pillows as he started swinging softly.
They were enjoying the soft breeze in silence when the blonde spoke up. "Do you think I am able to do it now?"
Cobra nodded his head. "You should be able to, you have gotten stronger."
The blonde kept quiet as he stared at her. "You miss him don't you?"
"Of course I do, he should be able to see this place as well you know…" the blonde trailed off at the end of her sentence. Cobra knew where her mind was going so he picked her up bridal style causing her to squeak then walked into the tent to grab what he wanted before he walked to his destination.
Arriving at the clearing the blonde used to train in with her brother he set her down but leaned her weight on him to relieve her leg. He handed her the key pouch and moved a bit so he wasn't in her way.
Lucy silently understood what he was saying. She took out the black key and inspected it before she stretched her arm before her then chanted. "Gate of the crow I open thee! Corvus!"
For a while everything stilled, Lucy and Cobra looked around them noticing an eerie silence when suddenly a huge black magic circle appeared on the grass, shadows leapt from it and started morphing together to from a spirit Lucy has missed greatly. He was on one knee with his head bowed, he stood up and their eyes met. His dark orbs widened at the sight of the blonde before him, she looked more mature and stronger than when he last saw her, but his eyes then zeroed in on her thigh injury and before he could question her about it, the blonde flung herself on him. He grabbed her and steadied her before he tightened his hold on her, Lucy' figure was shaking as little sobs escaped her. She had missed him so much.
"I- I did it!" her voice cracked as she continued to hold onto him. He smiled into her shoulder as he whispered to her. "You did Princess."
A couple of minutes later, Corvus went and greeted the poison dragon slayer with a pat on his back. They talked a bit but then Corvus turned to Lucy to see her eying him.
"Yes I know, I look different." He stood tall in front of her, looks wise he looked practically the same but what was different was the fact that first he appeared with his wings, second he has two battle axes strapped to his back and third his power felt different.
Corvus could literally see the questions swimming in her brown orbs so he held up a hand and called out for her attention. "Princess, before that we need to seal the contract so that I use my own magic power and not yours. Then I will tell you all about me."
The blonde nodded but then tilted her head confusingly. "How do we seal the contract?"
A wolfish smirk spread on Corvus' handsome face and Cobra knew he wasn't going to like this. "Well of course I need to mark you."
The blonde widened her eyes and the slayer let out a deep warning growl. Corvus' rolled his eyes at the slayer before he faced him. "Do you really think I would hurt her?" he leveled him a glare and the slayer equaled it with one of his own.
He was right, Cobra knew that Corvus wouldn't hurt his little sister. But his dragon instinct kicked in at the mention of a mark, and he only knew of two marks and one was out of the question while the other seemed ridiculous in this situation. So what irritated Cobra was the type of mark.
Corvus looked him in the eye and understood his concern, but he could have just asked and he would have been happy to reply instead of all the growling. He breathed out and returned to the blonde. "Lucy, all I need to do is choose where to put my mark, and in times of need you wouldn't even need my key to call me out, you can just touch my mark and say the usual chant."
Lucy nodded slowly after she registered the information. She asked hesitantly. "Um, where do you want to-"
"Oh I already chose long ago, that time when I lent you my power my mark appeared on your back between your shoulder blades." He interjected as he smiled, Cobra was still not happy with the idea of his sister being marked but it was her choice and not his.
"And how is it usually done?" The blonde questioned.
The spirit chuckled nervously as he shot a glance back at her brother whose worry doubled when he saw the look in Corvus' eyes. "It's usually sealed by a kiss."
The blonde widened her eyes while Cobra growled loudly. Lucy took a deep breath and recollected her thoughts, she was trying to control her emotions about the matter of the place and the kiss. She could see that Cobra was reining in his dragon in respect of her decision but she know that she did want to have a contract with Corvus so she steeled her nerves and moved on.
She gave a nod of approval before she turned her back to him and raised her hair with her hands, she didn't know much about the situation but she trusted Corvus with her life, so she entrusted him with this.
His power started to steadily increase as he neared his head near the place he chose. Shadows erupted all around him and danced between them as he put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the bare skin between her shoulder blades.
Lucy' body jolted and she gasped when she felt a shadowed soul latch onto hers, mending itself securely around her bright one and securing its grip on it tightly. She felt magic pump through her whole being making her glow faintly before it dissipated. The others woke up and came to investigate the sudden surge of magical power only to find out that it was Lucy' though it felt different.
The blonde's body sagged and Corvus caught her before her eyes dropped.
After a couple of hours the blonde woke up to find herself laying on the bed of her old room. She slowly straightened up and groaned once she felt her body ache all over.
Footsteps were heard before a knock sounded, when the blonde gave a quiet come in Cobra flung the door open and walked in. She could sense his worry on her wellbeing from a mile away, he brought a chair next to her bed and sat on it. He leaned back and put one foot over his other knee and clenched his teeth. She could clearly see he wasn't happy with the situation.
"I'm sorry." She weakly whispered, her body still feeling heavy from the whole ordeal. She felt extremely guilty for what happened, this was supposed to be a fun trip and now she ruined it for everyone.
"You didn't."
Her head jerked towards the slayer and she narrowed her eyes. She completely forgot that he could hear souls.
He chuckled before he heaved a sigh, the tension in his shoulders easing up. He put his foot down and leaned his elbows on his knees then brought his hands together. Lucy could tell that he was serious about something.
"Birdie said that it will be better if you took a while before you called him back again since it was your first experience with his world, Avenir. He told me to relay to you that all spirits are different, some like to show their marks on their master's body while others didn't and also the master's wish comes into the situation as well. Since Feathers here likes to show off, your mark is showing and it's of a black crow head cowing."
He stopped to make sure that she was keeping track of everything that he was telling her. Once she nodded her head he continued. "He also said that you will be able to use his power with a bit of training since you are powerful enough. He told everyone is his world about you and now they are eager to meet you, he also said that Elizabeth missed you, plus that the blue key you have is of Hydra and that it was good you didn't try to summon him or you might have died, this key needs a lot of magic." the blonde smiled at that, but she could still feel the concern washing off him in waves, her bond with him made that crystal clear. He was afraid of something.
"Erik-nii, why are you worried?"
He wrung his hands together before he took a seat next to her on the bed and grasped his hand with hers. "Lucy," the blonde widened her eyes when she heard him use her name. "Corvus said that his powers make you in direct contact with shadows and since you are of pure light you could be affected. So please, don't ever use them on your own. He said that even he sometimes finds it a bit problematic to control them."
Lucy nodded her head at what he was saying, she completely understood the situation and she would abide by Corvus' words for the time being. She would continue to train to become stronger and maybe to reach a point where those shadows won't affect her. "Don't worry Eric-nii, I promise I will wait and be careful with everything."
His shoulders sagged because of the relief he felt at the moment. He knew Lucy would never break her word so his worries started to dissipate but still a lingering doubt in his gut remained. Something bad was going to happen in the future, he was sure of it.
…
Two days after their stay in the cabin they returned home to find none other than Nobu-san, her father's lawyer waiting for them in front of the door.
He walked up to them and stretched his hand out for a handshake. "I was just about to ring the bell. How have you been doing Lucy-san?" he turned towards Cobra. "And you Erik-san?"
Lucy answered and shook the man's hand because she knew her brother was going to get ticked by the formalities. "We're good thank you for asking Nobu-san. And how are you doing? Is there anything wrong?"
He smiled at her and gave her hand a good squeeze before he let go. "I am quite good. Actually Lucy-san, there is something concerning Erik-san that needs to be done."
This caused the whole group to raise an eyebrow, then one by one they moved their gaze towards Cobra who looked confused just as them. He noticed their weird expressions and snapped. "Oi! I didn't do anything!"
The lawyer laughed heartedly. "Oh dear it isn't anything like that. Your father just left something for you that is all."
Lucy, who seemed to recover from the shock of the situation, invited the man inside for a cup of tea and to discuss the situation further in the safety of her house.
After they settled down the lawyer brought out his briefcase and got a file from it. He put it on the table with a pen then shuffled more in his suitcase to fetch a closed letter. He handed it to Cobra and explained. "Jude-sama told me to give this letter to you when you get relieved from your time in prison."
Cobra took it carefully before he eyed the man warily. He couldn't take it anymore he knew something was wrong, he put the letter down and sneered at the man. "Alright spill it, what are you hiding?"
"Cobra!" the blonde snapped at her brother's rude behavior.
"Sunshine he is hiding something and while I can easily find out what it is I want to hear him say it." The slayer fought back. The rest all kept to themselves not wanting to interfere with the family discussion at all.
The blonde was baffled at her brother's words, she faced the lawyer who started sweating and fidgeting in his place. "What is he talking about Nobu-san?"
The man in question flinched at the dry tone the blonde used on him, he breathed in before he bowed his head. "I must apologize to you both. Jude-sama readied everything in advance because he knew he didn't have long to live, the fact that he was getting better was a lie he made up to make you feel better Erik-san. To ease your worries a bit, he told me all the time that he didn't like to see the concern in your eyes, or the hurt expression on your face whenever you looked at Lucy-san, so he decided to lie to you in his last days. I truly am sorry, in his will I was asked to not inform you of this but I couldn't do it. I truly apologize." The man bowed deeper.
Cobra fisted his hands and clenched his teeth, his body was shaking all over, and he was surprised that he couldn't detect Jude lying to him at all. He peered at Sunshine to see her white as a paper sheet, her voice quivered as she spoke. "I read the files, they said it was curable."
Nobu-san cleared his throat as he straightened up. "Before he left on his business trip he did another test, it was found out that his health was deteriorating fast, the treatment wasn't going to cure him at this point Lucy-san, it was just going to grant him a bit more time."
Suddenly the pent up rage Cobra was feeling vanished, it was replaced by an unbelievable warmth that filled his heart to the brim. Just what will this family do to him? He watched the blonde as a few tears escaped her eyes, Lucy was being unexpectedly quiet about this, but he knew why. What good will it do to get mad about it now?
He took the letter and opened it up. He read it slowly before his jaw went slack, Lucy noticed this and leaned to him. "What? What's wrong?"
Cobra gripped the paper tightly before he chuckled. "Nothing, Jude just likes to make fun of me even in his death."
He handed her the note for her to read, a couple of seconds later the blonde was in a fit of giggles. "I can't believe he did that." She looked up at her brother. "Just how much did you lose in poker?"
The slayer growled at her causing Lucy to break into another fit of giggles. The lawyer eased the tie around his neck when he felt he could finally breathe after that intense moment. "If you could please sign here and this money will be yours." He handed Cobra the pen and the slayer signed his name. Nobu-san picked his stuff up and bid farewell to the group, Lucy went to escort him out but stopped him before he left. "Thank you for telling me, about my father."
"Of course Lucy-san, and I deeply apologize for keeping it a secret as well." He bowed once more before he left. Lucy sighed then went inside the living room, she saw Sawyer rolling on the floor from laughter. He stood up holding his stomach while he pointed a finger towards the slayer. "Just how bad were you in poker?!"
The slayer growled warningly but Sawyer didn't listen to him. To think that her father did what he did, it brought a smile on her face. All the money Cobra lost playing against her father was saved in an account that Cobra now had control of, and it was a lot. She giggled as she saw her brother's scowl turn deeper the more Sawyer made fun of him. Then something unexpected happened.
Cobra threw pillow with an incredible force towards Sawyer who flew back into the couch making the rest widen their eyes. Seconds later Sawyer was on his feet with an attack of his own, soon enough a fight broke out dragging the others into it with Lucy staying on the side lines as to not get hurt.
Lucy laughed as she dodged a pillow, before she grabbed one and hurled it to Richard' face.
'Honestly…' the blonde thought as she dodged another pillow. 'They have the Fairy Tail spirit in them.'
As their fun continued Cobra found himself pushed into a corner, he watched the scene before him with a smirk on his face. His family was sure as hell crazy and he wouldn't trade it for the world, his eyes drifted to the window and gazed at the sky. 'Thanks old man.'
A pillow hit him in the face making him whip around frantically. He found the culprit who had her small trembling hands covering her mouth, he stalked towards her like a predator making her cower until another pillow hit him from the side only to be followed by the blonde's voice urging Meredy to run.
This day was just getting more and more fun. That night Cobra and Lucy talked about what happened with Jude and their feelings about the matter. Both of them weren't mad, just hurt that they couldn't spend more time with him.
XXX
Lucy sat at the table with her family, although a lot of them were missing. She noticed the depressed cloud that is hung over her daughter's head and decided to address her about it. But first they needed to have breakfast for this conversation to hold on. The food soon arrived and they dug in.
It has been six years and a half since the Tenroujima accident, Lucy has been visiting their graves every single month to put flowers on the tombstones, she has also been sending money to the guild and hoping they were all well. Jellal, Meredy, Ultear, Sawyer and Midnight are right now on a mission, which is probably why her daughter is depressed. Slightly after their release, Jellal decided he wanted to act upon his sins, so he created a guild called Crime Sorciere and Lucy was the first honorary member of it and the rest soon followed. She got her mark on her right thigh in black, just above the scar from the crystal chard. Her kids wanted to join but she refused telling them that they needed to be older. Truth was she didn't want to endanger her kids if word got out that they were both dragon slayers and young at that.
Even more so now that they started attending school, she told them to keep the fact that they are mages a secret for one it was a normal school and for two the principal didn't want any commotion to happen between the students so he agreed on letting them stay in the school if they didn't show their magic and Lucy was beyond happy with that idea.
They still had a couple of months at school and she was relieved that they were happy there, they even made lots of friends and it was a big bonus that it was very close to the mansion so it wasn't a long walk.
Today though, was a Saturday, which meant it was fun day, and fun day was never spent at home. Lucy also knew that the rest would be coming back tomorrow so it should brighten up her daughter's sour mood.
Cobra gazed at the little girl and smirked, he grabbed a strawberry from her plate and plopped it in his mouth causing the little blonde to gape at him before smacking him on the arm. "Uncle Coco!"
He flicked her on her forehead. "This is what happens to people who are gloomy Munchkin, they lose chances."
She stuck out her tongue and started to swallow her strawberries, he told her to slow down or she'll choke and she listened to him. Lucy looked at the empty seat beside him and sighed. 'What is this girl doing now?' she wondered and soon enough a shriek came from upstairs, some heavy footsteps later and the girl in question came tumbling down the stairs. Sorano got up and quickly headed to the dining room, she said her good mornings and kissed the kids' forehead then hugged Lucy before she took her seat next to Cobra.
"Sorry I'm late, stayed up late working on new deals." Lucy smiled at the silverette as she thought of how much work and effort she put into her job. The blonde was ecstatic that Sorano was taking this partnership seriously, she was so proud of her. The silverette also learned a new type of magic, one that Lucy and the rest didn't approve of and told her to only use it when it's necessary because it endangers her life, Angel magic.
From the jobs Lucy went on the last couple of years she got a lot of new keys, one that was even a legendary though she still couldn't summon him nor the one her father left her. The new one was of the sea serpent Cetus, and the other silver keys were of the wolf Lupus, the foal Equeeleus, the red phoenix Ankaa. She had gotten much stronger and is able to use the power of almost all her silver keys, though she still couldn't use the power of the zodiacs. Now she is training on channeling her magic through time and space to open up portals, which is taking a lot of her power but when Jellal brought her a book about that matter she just had to try it.
"Mommy is Richard going to be back as well tomorrow?" her little boy asked and she nodded. Red turned back to his brother as they continued to chat about the glories of their father. Once they grew older, Lucy got news articles from all around of places Laxus went and did missions in, to tell her kids because they kept insisting on stories of their father. She thought back about Richard, after he was released he immediately got in touch with brother, Wally and decided to visit him. At the moment he was with his brother and would be back tomorrow.
Now that Lucy was done with her food, she decided to address the elephant in the room. "Alright Layla what's wrong?"
"Nothing…" she mumbled with her eyes downcast. Lucy quirked an eyebrow at her daughter's weird behavior. When she turned to ask if the boys did something she watched them shake their heads with wide eyes. Then Justin leaned in and whispered something to Lucy that made her open her mouth in shock.
Oh poor Jellal, Macbeth and Sawyer. They had a lot of groveling to do when they came back tomorrow, Richard was off the hook because he promised her something in return but the blonde wondered how the rest would get away with this.
Over the last few years, there were many rules in this house. But one stayed at the top, and now those three broke it so she could only pray for their punishment not to be hard.
An idea struck Lucy that might lift her daughter's spirits. "Hey how about we go to the market today?"
The kids perked up immediately and nodded their heads, they went to prepare themselves while Lucy hoped everything would be alright.
Boy was she wrong…!
…
Sorano, Erik and Lucy accompanied the kids on the road, they were in a street market and the blonde took notice of how it was jam packed with people. Erik noticed that too, moving closer to keep watch on the kids.
They were currently in Crocus, coming back here after the whole ordeal a couple of years ago was reminiscing, good and bad memories both. The blonde still met up with the Princess from time to time to discuss about, well anything. Unfortunately, due to how much work Lahar had, Lucy couldn't even catch a glimpse of him these last years.
She sighed in irritation as someone bumped into her, it was too crowded in here and she didn't like that at all, especially if her kids got lost. After apologizing for the man who didn't even listen to her, she turned looking for her kids and when she saw the frantic look on her brother's face she knew something was wrong.
She quickly rushed to his side, he saw her coming and met up with her. "What happened Eric-nii?"
She noticed her boys are with him but not her little girl, she took in a sharp breath and looked him straight in the eye. "What's wrong?"
"It's Sorano, she dashed out of here with tears in her eyes. I don't know what happened and I can't find Munchkin anywhere with all these smells around me." He breathed once he was done with his explanation to see the boys agreeing with him on the fact that they couldn't locate their sister nor their aunt.
"Damn it!" Lucy cursed under her breath, her heart beat rapidly as she looked around her only to see a continuous mob of people pushing her out of the way. She stood her ground and let her magic seep into the air, growling out at the people to move out of her way, she dashed into the line forming noting her brother on where he needs to look.
'We have been too lenient, too relaxed. I need to find them both.' The blonde skid to a halt as she turned to an alleyway where she heard sniffling coming from. She noticed the sagged form on the wall that was shaking and was quickly by her side.
"Sorano! What happened?" she clutched the silverette's shoulders and shook her lightly. "Sorano?" her voice broke in a whisper as the girl continued to sob. Lucy brought her into a hug and let her cling to her. She patted her on the back and shushed her as she told her that everything will be alright.
"I- I saw her." After a while Sorano finally admitted while tilting her head upwards. The blonde gently wiped away her tears. "Who Sorano?"
She hiccupped as she buried her face into Lucy' chest once more. "My- my little sister." It was a soft reply, but Lucy heard it. The blonde widened her eyes at the news, Sorano never told her that she has a little sister, she even told her that her family was dead. As much as she cared for Sorano she was still really worried about her daughter so she decided to question her about this matter later, of course if she wanted to talk about it, if not Lucy would respect her privacy.
"Sorano…" she called out softly to not startle the still sobbing mage. "I need to go look for Layla, do you want to come with me or maybe I can summon a spirit to keep you company?" and safe but she wasn't going to say that, she knew that Sorano is more than capable but in her state at the moment the blonde couldn't help but fear the worse of what would happen if she was left alone.
Sorano' head whipped towards the blonde. "Layla is missing?"
The blonde nodded solemnly. "We lost her in the crowd." Sorano could see the concern and worry show on Lucy' face, this wasn't the time to cry. She steeled herself and got up. Lucy after she saw that Sorano stood up followed her lead and called out to her. Sorano turned as she was walking out of the alley. "Come on, we have to find her."
Lucy felt a smile tug on her lips before she remembered her daughter, she admired how Sorano easily put Layla' problem above her own, that just shows how much the silverette cares for the kids. Not just her, all of them do. Lucy followed her out and together they sprinted down the road, calling Layla' name and asking people about her.
Meanwhile, Layla sat at the floor next to a barrel as she waited for her family to find her, she figured it wouldn't be long now until they do. She knew she shouldn't have followed her brothers after they discovered about the many food stalls, with this much of a crowd they were sure to get lost. And they did, well she did. She didn't notice how the people were starting to thin out, almost disappear. Her eyes were dropping as she laid tired on the floor, that was until she heard a voice from beside her.
"We meet again little girl." Brown eyes snapped open at the sound of the man who came to visit her before and if she remembered correctly, she promised her mother to never talk to that man again, and to scream at the top of her lungs if she ever encountered him again.
Which is exactly what she was going to do. She readied herself and screamed loudly. The man quickly put his arm around her mouth and harshly reprimanded. "Calm down little girl, I am your friend remember? It's me Ivan."
She struggled against his tight grip and did the only thing she could think of, she bit his hand hard enough to make him whimper in pain and let her go. She scrambled to get away from him but he grabbed her by the hand roughly making her stumble back. "I was going to be nice you know, this isn't any way to treat your grandfather." He hissed as he yanked her with him while she struggled to free herself.
"You are not my grandpa!" she screamed again but he clamped her mouth shut. "Oh yes I am, after all I am your daddy's old man…"
The little girl widened her eyes at the words he just said, she couldn't believe it. He was the man who hurt her mother, who hurt her father. For the first time in her life, Layla felt an indescribable rage and with all her might and willpower, gathered light magic in her free hand and punched his leg.
He wailed in agony as he clutched his leg, in the process freeing the little girl from his grip. She screamed again and ran away from him, he was right behind her when a whip struck the land next to him. He looked up to see the fury radiating from another blonde, one he particularly didn't want to see at the moment.
"You… Fucking… Bastard!" her whip recoiled back and shot forward once again, hitting the floor where he used to be if he hadn't move. What he didn't expect was for the whip to dissolve in a river of water with gold flecks.
Lucy moved her wrist and the whip slashed at his leg, making him groan in pain before he let out a shikigami torrent that aimed at the blonde. That was until the paper dolls were dissolved into ash with a poison dragon roar. Ivan tilted his head to see a maroon haired man glare at him, he bared his canines at him and growled. Behind him hid two little blondes who he assumed were also his grandkids, the man came and stood next to the blonde woman.
He heard the girl cry out to her mother and turned around to see another woman, who had silver hair, hold the girl in her arms. He cursed, he was outnumbered and they could take him on, that's why he secretly sent for a signal of backup. His companions saw it and came rushing to his aid.
While all of this was happening, two teenaged boys were walking home from a mission, they were tired and exhausted and it really helped the fact that the people in the market were lessening, that is until they noticed the tense atmosphere. They shared a glance before they shrugged and kept moving. They stopped abruptly when they saw a building in the distance explode, curiosity getting the best of them they moved fast and without a sound to the location of the building. They heard some of what the people said, that there was a blond and an old man fighting and they wanted to see that.
Their companions took to the air with their wings and rushed behind them, arriving at the scene they saw something they never thought they would see.
Rubbles were found on the road as a cloud of dust spread around the area. Then they heard it, a raged voice screaming at the top of their lungs. "STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM THEM!" shadows lunged through the dust to attack the man that they now noticed.
"Shadows?" the blond one exclaimed from his spot on the roof of one of the intact buildings.
The black haired man who sat next to him kept quiet, he didn't know anyone out there who could use shadows.
"I am their grandfather, I have the right to see them." The man who was now panting held up his hand and let out another shikigami attack, the blonde dodging it swiftly. And that's when they were able to see her.
The blonde was wearing a black leather corset lace up with a matching black leather pants that had its ends tucked inside black high heel boots. Her long blonde hair swayed in its ponytail as the few strands that were left undone danced with the wind. She glared at this man with such disgust it made their skin crawl, her black voids were swirling with emotions as her scarlet lips commanded the shadows.
Instantly a ball of shadows formed in her hand and she hurled it straight at the man's stomach. "You have no right to call yourself their grandfather. You have no right to touch them or even see them." She grabbed him by the collar and lifted him to meet her gaze. "Mark my words Ivan, the next time I see you near my kids I will have your blood on my hands."
Ivan shivered in his boots, he didn't know the blonde was like that. He knew that she was a weak celestial mage and nothing of this sort. She let him go and he fell flat on his ass, he scooted away from her when she turned her back to him, multiple bodies lay before her and she instantly recognized her brother's work. She was about to reunite with her kids when a tug on her leg made her turn around. She didn't know what to expect when she turned around but not this. Definetly not this.
There was a green exceed who was wearing a pink frog suit looking at her with a smile on his face. He waved his little paw at the blonde and she did the same, albeit awkwardly.
Back on the roof, the black haired teen was panicking at the loss of his friend. "How did we not notice he was there? And when did he get there?"
The blond beside him tried to calm him down. "Relax would you, I'm sure Blondie over here would give him back to us, and if not we will take him back by force."
They saw the man, who now they know as Ivan, smirk. He gathered magical energy in his hand and shot it out while yelling. "Why don't you just join your parents and die Blondie?!"
Lucy looked with wide eyes at the shikigami attack that was headed for her, she grabbed the exceed and jumped of the way where the torrent split into three and all headed her way while she was midair, this time she wasn't lucky to get away unscathed. One torrent was heading in the little exceed's direction so she turned her back at the last minute and got blasted back while still holding onto the little feline. She crashed into a building and groaned, her little kids started screaming for her name but she hit her head really badly and was right now seeing everything in motion.
Red gritted his teeth as he freed himself from Sorano' grip and rushed at Ivan. Sorano called out to him and even Cobra was about to follow but was stopped by another guy from the back-up that the fucker called.
Justin and Layla soon followed and Sorano stood there shocked before she gathered her nerves and ran after them. Red reached his supposed grandfather and coated his fist in lightning.
"Don't you dare hurt my mother!" he yelled as he punched the unsuspecting man in his face. Justin came running next to him with his leg coated in lightning. "And don't ever call her what you did!" he shot his leg forward towards the man's gut.
Ivan was pushed a few feet back making both the occupants of the roof to widen their eyes in surprise. They didn't know that these kids were so powerful, and their mother looked too damn young to be a mother. Sorano came up from behind him as he was standing up and delivered a kick to his groin, causing him to clutch it as he fell down once more.
"Don't mess with us again asshole." Red and Justin clapped and cheered for their aunt, Cobra sidled next to them with Layla in his arms, he was able to stop her from running into the fray after he beat down the other guy.
"Is this how you treat your family?" he rasped as he tried to regulate his breathing.
"You are not our family." Layla replied from Cobra' embrace.
"You hurt mommy, and daddy." Red continued.
"You were even hurting Layla." Justin finished.
"And for that, we will never forgive you." both boys said simultaneously. They took in a deep breath and stood side by side. They opened their mouths as a torrent of lightning shot out while yelling. "Lightning dragon ROAR!"
The lightning combined itself together to form a bigger torrent and hit Ivan in his chest making him fly back and fade into unconsciousness.
Both boys slumped over from fatigue and Cobra with Sorano picked them up.
"I don't think they need any training today to relive their excessive magic huh?" a certain blonde noted and Cobra quickly went over to check on her. He noticed a shallow gash on her back but the worrying injury was her head and left shoulder, she used them to lessen the blow and they were now gushing blood.
"Mommy…" Red croaked out before he fell asleep. Lucy patted him on the head giving him a smile. "You all did really good dear."
"Come on let's leave. We need to check up on your injuries." Cobra commented as he started to drag the blonde and the rest away from the scene.
"Shouldn't we call the rune knights?" Sorano asked tiredly.
"We can't. We don't have evidence incriminating the fucker." Cobra replied.
They left the road and retreated. The blond on the roof was still looking at the damage the woman and the kids have done, he still couldn't believe that these little boys were dragon slayers. But still, something was wrong. He didn't know what it was but he felt it, he saw the man's comrades haul him up to take him.
He looked at his partner and remembered what was wrong. "Oh shit!"
He noticed the frantic expression settling on his companion's face who shouted out. "They took Frosch!"
The man quickly dissolved into shadows to follow after them while his blond haired companion cursed under his breath and shouted at his partner to wait up.
They followed them awhile before they saw the blonde bombshell and her family get on a train. The black haired man's rage started to bubble to the surface as he watched the train depart, first he was back from a mission so he was pretty low on magic and couldn't keep himself in the shadows for long, now Frosch is going god knows where and his idiot companion hadn't even arrived. He took a deep breath before slowly exhaling it, trying to compose himself before the idiot showed up. What he could do at the moment is know where this train is heading, so that's what he did. He walked up to a front desk and asked about the destination of the train that just departed. Once he found out, he bought two tickets and sat on the bench, he didn't have to wait long as he saw his partner running towards him like a lunatic.
"Rogue…" he took a deep breath before he continued, "Did you catch them?"
Rogue growled before he answered with an edge to his voice. "If I did, will I be waiting here like a fool Sting?"
Sting' shoulders sagged before he sat next to his partner. "So what're we doing?"
Rogue closed his eyes for a minute to keep himself under control. "I got tickets, we're going on the next train to get Frosch back."
His partner slowly nodded his head, he looked up to see the sun setting, leaving behind it splotches of orange and yellow. It was soon going to be night time and they still haven't reported back to their guild. Sting hoped that they would be able to get back as soon as possible.
…
That hope dwindled when they arrived at their destination. When they got out of the train they followed the distinct aroma of vanilla and strawberries to reach a giant mansion located in the midst of a calm town. When they went to enter the perimeter they were rejected by runes that indicated that they weren't identifiable guests and so they can't come in.
Rogue was about ready to unleash his shadows if it wasn't for Sting' proposition to take shelter for the night and wait till morning because according to Sting no one was awake at the moment since it has gotten pretty late.
So here they are right now, in the forest setting up a temporary camp to occupy for the night. Rogue was gathering firewood while Sting and his exceed were searching for food.
Sting looked from his peripheral view towards his partner and sighed at the scowl on his face. He turned towards Lector and shook his head, indicating not to mess with the black haired man at the moment because Sting knew how much Frosch mattered to Rogue.
In their guild, feelings is something that is frowned upon. The only thing that matters is strength, so they couldn't show their affection to their exceeds in the guild but that didn't mean they were none existent. On the contrary, it's because they love their exceeds that they don't show any sign of caring. So right now, seeing this expression on his partner's face angered the blond haired man quite a bit, for in his eyes he seemed weak. Just because Frosch is gone doesn't mean that Rogue has a right to show this kind of vulnerability, this weakness.
But Sting didn't voice out his opinion, he knew that his partner will wake up soon from this foolishness.
…
Sun rays filtered through the leaves of the tree that Sting took shelter under, which caused him to crack an eye open and groan as he popped his neck to the side. He heard a crunch from the bushes near them and stilled, he looked towards his partner and threw a pebble at Rogue that he picked up from behind him.
Rogue sat up straight with an angered expression on his face and opened his mouth to shout at his idiot partner before Sting shushed and mouthed for him to listen. Rogue shut his mouth and looked around him, he then picked up a few voices coming their way.
"Man I hope she likes this or else I'm doomed." A voice said before it was followed by several chuckles.
"You're gonna need more than a giant stuffed bear to earn her forgiveness." Another voice calmly announced before a stumble was heard.
"What did you do this time Sawyer?" a third one drifted towards the two dragon slayers hiding on a tree stalking these people who showed up. They soon came into their vision and they both leaned on the tree branch to have a clearer view.
"What do you mean what I did?!" the man, Sawyer, exclaimed as he pointed to a blue haired man and a black haired man as he continued. "Don't you mean what we did?"
The blue haired man gave him a quizzical look causing the others to stop and stare at him.
A pink haired girl came up next to the confused man and nudged him on his side. "Don't tell me you forgot Jellal?"
Jellal turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Forgot what Meredy?"
An older woman sighed as she shook her head. "Honestly you are a lost cause, weren't we supposed to be back two days ago but got delayed because of our job?"
Jellal nodded slowly, this time Sawyer continued. "And do you remember what yesterday was?"
Jellal contemplated for a second before he widened his eyes and cursed. "Holy fuck, how the hell could I forget about that?!"
Meredy came up next to him and put a consoling hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure she won't be that mad."
Sawyer snickered before he talked. "That mad? Obviously you don't know the rage this little girl has. Midnight once made her upset and she didn't speak to him for a week." The black haired man nodded at his words.
"And also this one time Richard burned her favorite book and she wouldn't calm down till he bought her another one." The older woman added.
Jellal started pacing as he heard their stories before a voice cut through the others. "You aren't making this any better you know guys?"
Jellal stopped pacing before he turned to the girls. "But wait, why aren't you guys panicking?"
Meredy smiled weakly at him when Midnight replied. "Because Ultear and Meredy weren't invited, it was uncles and brothers only event."
Jellal blanched before he was dragged by Ultear. "Come on you idiot, she is waiting for you."
Suddenly Jellal straightened up and got into a battle stance, the others mimicking him shortly after.
"Who the hell is out there?! Show yourself!" Jellal' voice boomed in the forest as he glanced around him.
Two men hopped off a tree branch with an exceed and landed on the dirt pathway. They got up and looked them dead in the eye while Sting spoke up. "We are here on a business in this town, do not interfere with us."
Jellal cracked a smirk that spelled trouble. "Heh, business you say? In this town?"
Sawyer narrowed his eyes as he interjected. "Only this isn't a town."
"This is our sister's property." Meredy finished as she readied magic in her hand.
The two men tilted their heads and widened their eyes. "Eh?"
Sting looked around him, it was true he did find it weird how there was a mansion in the middle of the town with little buildings scattered around it, but he honestly believed that it was the mayor's house. He turned to Rogue who had the same expression as them, and it was clear to the both of them, the only way out of this is through fighting. They both readied themselves as magic gathered around them, the other group reciprocating their actions.
That is until a voice cut through the tension. "Do you seriously want to die at the hands of Sunshine for ruining the forest?"
Multiple heads whipped towards the newcomer who had a smirk on his face. He looked towards the dragon slayers and his smirk widened. "Don't worry, these two are with me." He then turned towards the rest and beckoned them to follow him. "Come on, you know you can't delay this any longer."
Jellal and Sawyer sighed as Midnight simply chuckled, they relieved themselves from their stances and followed Erik back to the mansion.
…
This wasn't what they expected to see when they reached the entrance. Lucy was sparring with Sorano while Red and Justin were meditating, and off to the corner on a table sat Layla and a green exceed wearing a frog suit. They were talking animatedly to each other while drinking tea.
Rogue almost passed out at the sight of his exceed while Sting was openly gaping at the scene before him, it looked too serene. Too peaceful.
Not for long.
The minute the kids opened their eyes and saw their uncles, they ran at them with full speed making the older men stumble backwards as they went to catch them, when this happened the little girl was brought to the attention that they were back. She went and hugged the women with Frosch in her arms and when she reached the men, Sawyer was the first one to jump up and hand her the teddy bear which she gladly accepted and showed her gratitude with a hug, then Midnight approached her and brought out a book that she wanted for the longest time but was never able to find it. He was rewarded with a squeal, a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Then came Jellal' turn, he looked at the brown pools of this little girl that had him and the others wrapped around her tiny little finger. She smiled brightly at him as she welcomed him home, he knew instantly that something was wrong and by the looks of others he was sure of it.
He kneeled down in front of her and pat her on the head. "Hey Layla I'm sorry about yesterday."
She tilted her head to the side and wondered out loud. "What about yesterday?"
This little devil was trying to making him say it, so he braced himself and was about to speak up when a melodic voice interrupted him. "Don't you mean about when you were saving a town Jellal?"
The blonde little girl nodded her head. "Yeah, Uncle Jelly. Mommy told me about how you got late because you were saving a town from a huge monster. You and the others as well, I want to hear all about it."
He sagged in relief as he nodded his head, he turned to Lucy with grateful eyes as he walked up to hug her. "You just saved my life." He whispered to her and she hit him on his chest. "Stop being so dramatic, you would have been just fine. But the next time, don't be late to a tea party." She went on and hugged the others in welcome.
Yes, there are many rules in this mansion, but the number one rule: Don't ever be late to a tea party.
XXX
Rogue and Sting sat in their chairs. They eyed each and every one occupying this table. They didn't know how it got to this but somehow they were dragged to lunch with these crazy people who they don't know anything about. But the craziest part is the fact that Frosch doesn't want to leave here! And when asked why he simply replies that they don't have to fake anything here. The twin dragon slayers and Lector didn't understand what the little furry feline meant by that, and now here they are on a table with people they don't know anything about.
"So, how was the mission?" asked the blonde who was sitting next to her kids.
"It was fairly easy, though we came across some complications." Replied Jellal as he shrugged his shoulders and continued to eat his food.
Lucy nodded her head, Sawyer eyed the twins before he spoke up. "So who are you two? You still haven't introduced yourselves."
Lector jumped on the table with his paw up. "Be careful how you talk to the almighty Sting Eucliffe you idiot."
A vein popped on Sawyer' forehead. "What did you call me you little –"he gulped down his words as he felt an intense stare digging into his head, he didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"And your partner?" inquired Macbeth as he faced the black haired man. When they didn't answer, Frosch took the lead and answered for them. "Fro' partner's name is Rogue."
"Such a cute little exceed." Lucy patted his head as Frosch snuggled into her making Rogue' eyes widen for a brief second.
"These two are here for this little kitty." Pointed out Cobra, earning a growl from Rogue. Cobra diverted his gaze towards their guests and smirked, he was enjoying this plenty, being able to hear their thoughts about the whole situation was making him crack up like a maniac.
As why Lucy invited these two, everyone on the table minus their guests knew. Yesterday, Sorano confronted everybody about the fact that she does in fact have a sister who apparently she saw is in a guild. This morning, when she saw those two she immediately went inside the mansion, the blonde noticed her absence and followed her, only to find out that whatever guild her sister is in, these two and their cats are also members of it. She was sure the minute she laid her eyes on their insignia, so she refused to sit with them on lunch knowing that it will only make it awkward if they were able to point out the resemblance. So Lucy worked out this plan to get information about her partner's little sister.
The blonde finished her food and rested in her chair, she looked at Sting' insignia and frowned, she has never seen one like it before. Sting noticed her gazing at his insignia and shifted in his place, not liking the way she was openly staring at him. "Yo, woman. Why are you staring at my shoulder?"
Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and her frown deepened at his attitude. "I was just wondering which guild you are in, I have never seen this mark before."
Sting grinned as he sat back. "Only the strongest guild in all of Fiore, Sabertooth."
Lucy quirked an eyebrow at what he said, and the cheeky way he said it. She felt sad for her former guild, with the heavy package gone she was sure they were going to be alright, but it seems like they were dealt a heavy blow. Her thoughts started to wonder back to the lost members when she shook her head, she wasn't going to dwell on the past any longer than necessary.
"So you must be familiar with a white haired girl, we've seen her yesterday on our walk in Crocus." Lucy continued.
"Who?" Sting replied without missing a beat.
"A white haired girl, she had the same insignia as yours." Cobra added. Sting looked deep in thought before he perked up. "You mean that useless good for nothing celestial spirit mage?"
Silence fell on the table as Sting continued with his onslaught of words. "I have no idea why the master let her in! Especially with a weak magic like hers, she is-"
"So just because she is a celestial spirit mage she is weak?" Lucy interrupted him, her bangs covering her eyes.
"Do not interrupt the amazing Sting Eucliffe like that you blo-"Lector quickly quietened when he heard the growl from the poison dragon slayer.
"Well, of course it's more than that. But overall Celestial magic is pretty weak, calling out spirits to hide behind them, not able to do much in a battle, she doesn't even make a difference in the guild."
"Is strength all that matters?" Lucy asked quietly.
"Of course it is. How else are you going to defeat your opponent if you aren't strong enough to do so? How else will people know your name if not for strength? Anything else is pointless, meaningless." Replied Sting cockily.
The blonde started to shake before her giggles filled the room making the guests look weirdly at her. Her kids were getting sadder with each word Sting was saying, the blonde looked up and smiled at them warmly. "My, you really are idiots."
"WHAT?!" Sting snapped as Rogue let out a warning growl.
"So you are saying that feelings, compassion, love… it all doesn't matter?" Lucy voiced out steadily.
"Of course they don't! How in the hell are they going to save you in a battle when you are up against someone powerful?!" Sting yelled as his face became red from the anger he felt within him.
"Am I seriously to believe the words coming out of your mouth when you stayed up the whole night outside waiting for your partner?" Lucy leveled them with a glare, and just like that the anger that built up inside Sting and Rogue faded, being replaced with shock and frustration at her words.
"Let me ask you something Sting, if you have all the power in the world, but along the way to obtain it you have lost everyone, Rogue, Frosch and Lector. Tell me, will that power matter then? And you too Rogue."
Sting opened his mouth to answer but words refused to leave the safety of his soul. So he gritted his teeth and balled his fists. "You don't know anything of the struggle to become someone respected and not mocked upon."
"I actually do but then I sobered up because of a lot of things. So tell me, whose approval are you trying to gain? Your master? The people around you? Does it matter what they think?! Are they the one to decide whether your presence is powerful enough or not to allow you to stay wherever you choose?!"
Lucy stood up from her chair with force making it stumble back, she pointed a finger at Sting and Rogue who both looked at her with a filtering sadness in their eyes. "If that is the deal, then you are the weakest people I have ever met, for you are gaining that power not for yourself, or for the people you care about, but for approval of someone who perhaps will never be proud of you, who will never even care for you. Who will continue to mock and trample on you, is that what you two want?!"
She walked towards Sting and grabbed him out of his chair, she inched his face closer to hers and spoke up. "Who are you to decide which magic is weak and whish isn't? Doesn't it all come back to someone's will?"
She let go of him making him stumble back into his seat. Her body was shaking from the fury she felt, because he reminded her too much of herself when she was young, going to wide length just to be approved of by her father, and she knew how that ended.
She took a deep breath in and let it out, calming her mind before encircling the shook blond into her arms. "Whatever you want to do in your life, you should choose to do it for yourself and be yourself. If whatever place you are in can't let you, then my home will."
Tears leaked out of Sting' eyes, there was no use in stopping them, for this was the first time someone held him like that, spoke to him like that and cared for him this strongly. And what was the strangest thing, is that he doesn't even know this woman. And he probably won't ever see her again, so he will take that chance to bask in that warmth. His arms encircled her tiny frame and she pulled him closer where he sobbed on her shoulder like a five year old kid.
Through Rogue' teary gaze, he noticed that no one was in the room with them anymore, probably since she first spoke up they gave them their privacy. And he thought that it was really considerate of them, but as the blonde continued with her speech, the wall that he built inside to mask in his feelings broke bit by bit.
Lucy let go of Sting and moved on to Rogue who readily accepted her hug, he buried himself in her and let all that pent up frustration go. Everything that happened to him from his childhood till now, he let it go.
She stood up and brushed the tears out of his face. "Next time, I would like to hear your opinion on things Rogue."
His eyes shone in wonder at how could this petite blonde tell him everything he wanted to her, or rather needed to hear in one day.
She straightened up then scratched her cheek. "My, what a bad host am I! I made my guests cry, sorry if I was too harsh on you."
The twins cracked a smile and shook their heads. "No, we needed that Lucy-san." Sting replied meekly.
She smiled softly at him. "Please, no use of formalities, call me Lucy."
They nodded and continued to converse with her for a few more minutes. Outside the room, Cobra leaned on the wall where he smiled softly before he pushed himself off and joined the others.
"So are we going to expand our family?" Meredy asked smiling.
"I don't think so little squirt, at least not now, but maybe later." He patted her head as he went past her.
When the time to leave drew near, Frosch said his goodbyes to Layla and Lucy. Then the blonde walked Rogue and Sting with their respective exceeds out of the mansion.
"You two, I am very happy to have met you." Lucy said as she hugged them both.
They both nodded their heads, they wanted to tell her the same but they knew they couldn't, these things take time and the blonde fully understood that.
When they both turned to leave Rogue swiveled to face her again. "By the way Lucy-san, what type of magic do you use?"
Lucy grinned as she replied proudly. "I am a celestial spirit mage."
The twin dragon slayers' eyes widened. "But you used shadows!" Sting yelled out. "And I…" his face flushed red as he remembered the words he used in describing that particular magic.
The blonde laughed at his face before she answered. "That is true. But that was my spirit's magic, he just lent it to me. I can do that with most of my spirits, change my appearance and use their different abilities. Like I said, it's all about your willpower to improve. I am pretty sure your friend also would like to improve, but everything needs time."
"That's… amazing." Rogue breathed out.
"It is."
She waved them both one last time before they disappeared out of her sight.
…
They walked into their guild with their usual unfazed masks on, but inside they were calmer than usual, they were tranquil.
And the master noticed that. The master noticed the shift in their soul, and he didn't like that. He found them more docile and that disgusted him to the bone, but they were valuable assets to the guild and he wouldn't have this guild's name be tarnished because of their actions.
"Minerva." He spoke in a low volume. "Call Sting and Rogue up to my office."
Minerva nodded her head. "Yes master."
Master Jiemma stood up from his throne like seat and walked to his office while thinking of a reason for that sudden change in demeanor.
Not a few seconds later, a knock sounds on his door signaling the arrival of the twin dragons.
"Come in."
The door opens and in walks Rogue and Sting followed by their furry partners. They sit down on the fine leather seats and face their master.
"You have both done well on your mission." This one sentence boosted both of their egos. "Your power have grown splendidly, good work you two. That is all, you may leave."
The two slayers bowed their heads in thanks and left the office, before the door closed a young woman slid in with a smirk on her face. "You sure know how to keep a tight leach on your toys master."
Master Jiemma smirks as the woman sat on the desk. "So I take it you were listening in Minerva?"
The woman in question' grin grew wider. The master puts his elbows on the desk and lays his head on the palm of his hand. "Someone probably influenced them in some way, they were different when they came in. As if they had one foot inside the guild and one outside, I don't like that."
"How were they different?" asked Minerva.
The master eyed her warily. "If you still can't catch on to simple body reading then you need more training, get on with it." He dismissed her with his hand and she scurried out of the office.
He looked outside his window as he thought about how they looked when they came in through his doors, they appeared to have lost their usual edge. He recognized that look and demeanor immediately, it was the same he had witnessed in his daughter when she was young, someone used to tell her that love and some shit are important things in life and she would believe it, she would have the same atmosphere as these two did. So he used the same trick he used to use on his daughter back then. To come and flaunt about them being tricked easily when all her life she had been tricked made him laugh.
Once Sting and Rogue were outside the guild, Sting hit a concrete wall with his fist. "How could we let this happen Rogue? How could we let her sway us like that?"
Rogue remained quiet, he knew there was something weird with what happened with their master, but he also couldn't help but feel a little bit happy with what he said.
"She doesn't know shit she is talking about, because today Rogue, the master was proud of us." Sting held on his face a terrifying smirk. "We will get stronger and stronger every day Rogue, because to make the skies roar…"
Sting put his hand on Rogue' shoulder where the latter continued. "To make the earth boil…"
Lector interjected. "To make the seas silent."
Sting, Rogue and Lector finished together. "That is Sabertooth."
Frosch stood on the side of the group looking up at them with a hurtful expression.
…
Lucy stretched her body as she laid on the sofa of the terrace. She gazed at the beautiful stars on full display in this clear night, a soft breeze blew by swaying her hair with its drift. She smiled peacefully at the constellations and closed her eyes trying to connect her soul with her spirits, they all hummed in her consciousness and her smiled widened.
"You should be more careful." A voice cut in and she snapped her eyes open to see Sawyer with two whiskey glasses in his hands. He handed her one after she sat up and he sidled next to her.
"Beautiful night isn't it?" he wondered and she hummed in response.
He took a sip and eyed her from the corner of his eyes. He cleared his throat before he began. "So listen, we've been talking, the group I mean…"
Lucy watched him warily, she knew from the way he was speaking that this wasn't going to be good so she downed her glass and turned to face him.
"It's not that bad." He chuckled as he took another sip.
"With the way you just stopped I knew you were going to hit me with something big." She winked at him and he scowled, there was no need to make him feel more nervous about it.
"Listen, we just want to let you know that if, by any chance, you wanted to go out on your own, you can do it. We will watch over the kids." He downed his glass and leaned into the cushion.
Lucy stilled for a second before her mouth opened up. "As in go out, do you mean date?"
After a few seconds of pregnant silence he let out a sigh. "We just think, that going in that direction may help you in some way, may let you free of something. It's been six years and a half Lu, the only males that were around you were us, and some officers but that's it. So we thought that maybe you needed a push or something." He clutched his hair as he gritted out. "Ugh, I am not good with this."
The blonde laughed as she shook her head. "No, you are good. To tell you the truth, Porly said the same thing in our last session, she told me to go out there and socialize with people. She said that people usually have the need of another's affection and love, so the final step would be to get back in the game."
Sawyer nodded but then scrunched up his nose. "She says that but she is the most antisocial woman I have ever met in my life."
The blonde nods her head while laughing. "I know, and yet her advices are always spot on. I do admit sometimes I long for that kind of affection, it was really a dream of mine to find the one and live happily ever after. But that dream is a fantasy just like or even more so than that happily ever after."
She faced him and smirked. "Thanks Soya for your concern."
"I swear to god woman, if you call me Soya again I will murder you."
The blonde's airy laugh rung through the air of that beautiful night.
XXX
Cobra went down the stairs after he woke up the kids, he searched everywhere and he still couldn't find Sunshine.
He walked into the dining room where he found almost everyone seated in their respective seats. He took his own before he voiced out his concerns about his sister.
"I'm sure she is fine, she had a date last night remember? Maybe it worked out really well." Sawyer gave a lecherous grin that earned him a smack on the head from Sorano.
"I was joking." He whined as he rubbed his sore spot.
"Idiot pervert." Sorano muttered before she continued drinking her coffee.
"Was it a blind date?" asked Macbeth as he continued to read in his book.
"It was someone arranged by me, I met him when I was traveling to see my brother. He seemed like a nice person, he used to live in Magnolia before he moved from there some years ago." Richard responded.
"Well then there is nothing to worry about." Jellal added as he got up from his seat to remove his plate. It was then that the door opened up, they heard its creaks before it was shut.
A strong smell of booze, drugs and piss wafted in the air that made Cobra gag. "What the fuck is this horrible smell?!" he cursed himself for days at the words he just spewed because in front of him stood Lucy in her tight black dress, looking dead as hell.
"Nee-san?" Meredy spoke softly out of fear of the whole situation.
"Good morning." The blonde rasped out before she took her seat and let her head flop on the table.
"Lucy." Macbeth gently laid out his hand on her back and shook her. "What happened?"
The blonde mumbled something that was incomprehensible. Macbeth nudged her again. "What was that?"
This time her voice was clearer. "I spent the night in jail."
The room was dead silent for a second before all in the same time shouted. "EH~?!"
"What the hell do you mean you spent the night in jail?!" lashed out Ultear as Meredy tried to calm her down.
"Why the hell did you spend the night in jail?" Macbeth joined Ultear in the questioning.
Lucy held up her head, the dark circles under her eyes clearly evident, she was in need of sleep and a shower, as soon as possible. "I will tell you guys later, I need a shower." She stood up and marched her way up all while wobbling.
Everyone stared at each other before Cobra whispered. "What the fuck just happened?"
A few hours later, after a much needed shower and a nap, Lucy gathered everyone in the living room and started telling her story.
By the end of it, no one was left without tears in his eyes or a stomach pain from the amount of laughter they endured. Lucy sat in the middle of it all taking it like a champ while also devising some plan to get them back for the way they were laughing at her, because to her she had just lived the most horrible night there ever was in her life. And she cursed herself for listening to Sawyer' advice from two months ago, on the first try of dating she ended up in jail.
…
Lucy picked the files off the desk and sorted them out in a cabinet. She just pulled an all-nighter for work, apparently there was an employee who had no idea of what he was doing in the office, he left stacks and stacks of papers undone and Lucy took it upon herself to finish each and every single one also to tutor that employee.
She looked behind her at the silverette that is sprawled on the sofa and who was at the moment snoring peacefully. Lucy cracked a smile at the sight of her before she closed the cabinet and walked out of the office quietly as to not bother the sleeping woman. She paused on the door before she went back in, draped a blanket on the woman then left again.
She glanced at the clock to realize that it was six in the morning. The blonde yawned and stretched her muscles before she walked to her bathroom where she took a quick shower.
Putting on some grey shorts with a blue tank top she climbed onto her bed and snuggled in her covers. Sleep overtook her soon enough.
Four hours later, Lucy woke up to the sound of her kids screeching in the garden. She got out of the bed and opened her window to watch them. Red was chasing around Layla with a caterpillar in his hand while the little girl was yelling for her older brother to help her.
"Justin-nii, tell him to stop!" the little blonde was almost on the verge of tears and that was when Justin thought it was important to get in between them.
"Red, stop it! You are going to make her cry." Justin called out to his brother as he approached him.
"Oh come on Layla, it's not that bad. Look it's actually cute." He held up the caterpillar right in front of Layla' face. It was merely seconds before a wail erupted from the little blonde who ran for her brother for cover.
"Red!" Justin held the little girl in his arms as she cried.
"Oh my god, I'm sorry Layla, please stop crying. Please! I will do anything just stop crying- oh my god." His eyes widened as he met the raged brown orbs of none other than his mother.
"Red." Lucy called out calmly.
Any sane person would know that that calm is what they call the calm before a storm.
"Y-yes mama?" he replied quietly.
She continued her piercing gaze at him making him more and more uncomfortable, he gulped as her eyes closed. Lucy took a deep breath in and exhaled it. She was too tired for this, she barely slept, hadn't eaten in the past twenty hours and her head was in any sense of words, killing her.
"Why did you do that? You know that it bothered your sister."
He fidgeted in his place before he brought the caterpillar in his hands in front of him. "I- I just wanted to show her that it's cute. She always says that she likes cute things." His lower lip started trembling and Lucy noticed the tell-tale signs of his soon crying fit.
"It's alright Red, I agree with you it is cute, but if your sister doesn't think that then you can't disturb her about it. Do you understand?" she gave him a small smile of reassurance.
He nodded through his unshed tears and smiled at his mother before he turned and apologized to his sister.
"I'm sorry Layla."
The little blonde pushed herself from her older brother's arms. "No, I'm sorry that I couldn't find it cute." She said as she wiped her tears away.
Lucy smiled warmly at the scene before that smile turned sickeningly sweet. "Oh don't worry dear, and to cheer you up Red is going to play with you all day."
"I am?" he looked up at his mother shocked.
"You are. You see, because you made her sad then you have to cheer her up." Lucy' smile never faltered making Red understand that there was no getting out of this. So he opted to look like a model son and saluted his mother before he ran off with Layla in hand.
Justin looked at his brother and shook his head. He directed his gaze towards his mother and told her that he would keep an eye on them before he took off after them.
Lucy sighed before she closed her window and got ready for the day. She decided that today she was going to wear a white sunflower dress with some red lipstick. She put on some white sandals and let her hair fall free over shoulders, she looked herself in the mirror and noticed that her blonde locks now reached her bottom.
"Maybe I should have it shortened?" she glanced at her keys then shrugged before she left her room to get some food inside of her.
Reaching the dining room she noticed that it was full except for her kids and surprisingly Cobra and Sawyer. She took her seat next to Richard after she greeted everyone and stacked a plate of pancakes.
"Hey where is Coco-nii?" she asked as she took a bite of her pancakes.
"He had an errand to run in the neighboring town." Replied Richard.
Lucy nodded before she inquired about Sawyer. This time it was Macbeth who responded. "He wanted to take a walk since the weather is good today. He should be somewhere near the stables."
The blonde seemingly satisfied with the answers, continued eating her breakfast quietly.
…
He was running, and running fast. He couldn't even remember the last time he ran that fast. Oh but he was, because he heard it. He heard the news.
They were back.
It took them seven goddamned years but they were back. The lost members of fairy tail returned home yesterday and Cobra was running like his life depended on it back to the mansion.
Because Sunshine needed to know.
Soon enough the familiar landscape appeared and he boosted his legs with his magic power to make him run even faster. He passed a pretty shocked Sawyer on his way but at the moment he didn't care. He saw the doors and busted them open while screaming at the top of his lungs for Sunshine.
She came running towards his side as he fell forward, completely exhausted from running from the other town to this one. He looked up and noticed himself being surrounded by almost everyone.
But it could wait. He turned to the frightened blonde and held her by the shoulders. "Sunshine!" he took a deep breath. "They are back!"
The blonde tilted her head in confusion. "Huh?"
He took another deep breath before he rushed all the words in one go. "The lost members of Fairy Tail returned yesterday. I just heard the news while I was in town and rushed over here to tell you about it. It appears that the island reappeared while some guild was scanning the surroundings and- Sunshine?"
The blonde had her eyes wide and her mouth open. Cobra moved a hand in front of her that snapped her. She jolted upright before she held him by the shoulders tightly. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Look!" he gave her a copy of sorcerer weekly where it featured a picture of all the lost members of the Tenrou accident.
"Oh my god." She whispered in disbelief before she looked back at her brother with tears flowing on her face. "They're back."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Macbeth helped her up and wiped her tears before he and the others smiled at her. "Go. We will watch over the kids."
The blonde's eyed watered once more before she gave each and every one a hug and took off.
She ran, all the exhaustion that was pulling at her body lightened. She was tired that was sure, but something trivial like that wasn't going to stop her from seeing her brother, her former team, the Raijinshuu, the master. She couldn't waste time, she had a bit of energy left so she thought to use it.
She touched Corvus' mark and called upon her transformation, soon enough she was clad in black before she sunk into the shadows and moved towards the station.
Through her excitement she missed the voices of her kids that were yelling for her after she got in the shadows.
Justin looked at his siblings with a frown on his face. "Where is she going?"
Red shrugged. "I don't know. Let's follow her, she looked really sad."
"Why do you say that?" Layla wondered out loud.
"Because we can smell salt in the air which means she was crying. And she ran from the mansion so maybe something happened with our uncles and aunts?" Justin contemplated for a while before he shrugged his shoulders. "The only way to find out is to go after her, and we can't ask our uncles because maybe they are the ones who upset her."
Layla nodded her head and the three kids started running after Lucy before they were stopped by Sawyer.
"Where are you three going?" he asked.
"We are going with mommy." Layla replied. He seemed reluctant but if they were going with Lucy then it was alright. He let them go and went inside the garden. Red and Justin transformed into lightning while Layla floated with her light magic.
On his way back Sawyer found a cat stuck on a tree, he helped it down and got a good scratches because of it. He was getting down from the tree when he heard Meredy' frantic voice.
"Sawyer, have you seen the kids?"
He looked perplexed at her question but responded nonetheless. "Yeah they went with Lucy somewhere."
The pinkette's eyes widened. "I'm sorry what?"
He raised an eyebrow at her weird behavior. "Yeah I saw Lucy running ahead then the kids were after her, I asked them where they were going and they said they were going with her. Why? Is there a problem?"
"Oh my god!" she turned hastily and stood in front of the door before she took a deep breath in and yelled at the top of her lungs. "GUYS! WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"
Soon enough they all surrounded her and she explained to them of what she learned from Sawyer.
The man himself was white as a sheet after she finished her explanation. "Holy shit!"
"If he was there…" Jellal stopped himself from continuing.
"We need to stop them, how long it has been since they left?" Ultear glanced at the group.
Richard looked at his watch. "It's been, fifteen to twenty minutes."
All color was lost from their faces. "We need to hurry." Urged Jellal before he activated meteor.
Sawyer started running with a great amount of speed while the others relied on their feet and not their magic to catch up.
"Lucy is going to kill us." Sorano grimaced as she took off her heels and threw them in a bush.
"Tell me about it." Macbeth glared at the road before him. No matter what they were going to stop this happy reunion from getting ruined.
With Lucy, she just arrived at the station and hopped on the first train back to Magnolia. Her kids arrived just a tad bit late and were forced to wait for the second train.
"I'm really worried. Maybe we should have told uncle Jellal or uncle Cobra!" Justin exclaimed.
"I'm really worried too, but we promised mommy that we will protect her as well remember? We can't always rely on our uncles and aunts and especially if they are the ones who hurt her. Mommy should also see that she is able to rely on us!" she put a fist up in the air, and that was all that was needed to get her older brother to agree. They boarded the second train then hid so that no one catches them.
"Don't worry mommy, we will be there soon."
Hey guys, how you doing?
Hope you liked the surprise. Now they are back and the next chapter well is going to be emotional and intense.
I wish you all a happy new year even though it's a bit late, I hope you all enjoyed your holidays this year and I'm so sorry I took so long.
To be honest with you I feel like I took a risk with this chapter in adding Sting and Rogue, but I felt like they should meet in the seven years at some point and I wasn't going to make them better right off the bat so I thought to spice things up a bit with Jiemma.
Thank you so much for your support guys and love you. Hope you like all the chapters. Oh also, how did you like that cliffhanger? Hehe.
Also I am holding on to the story of Lucy' first date for another chapter so you won't know about it so soon.
KAWAIINECKO, signing out.