You guys make me laugh so much, I swear. How long will you guys put up with my shit, I wonder.
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No.
No.
This had to be some kind of fucking joke, right?
Surely.
There was no way this was actually happening.
"...What?" Drake asked, managing to find his voice. "You're...?" The girl that matched Nashi's face and voice shook her head.
"My name isn't Nashi," she said again, once again spouting lies. "My name is Luna. You've mistaken me for someone else." She couldn't be serious. She had to be Nashi! She smelled like her, she looked like her, hell she even spoke like her. How could this be?
"Fuck sake..." he heard Simon growl. "Of course."
"She doesn't know who we are..." Ultear said, sounding upset. Drake was still unable to process what was happening. There was just no fucking way.
"...Y-You're certain?" He asked, trying to find something to prove her wrong. "You don't know us?"
"Nope," she answered, frowning. "I'm really sorry. Seems like Nashi is important to you."
Understatement of the century.
Drake felt like breaking down and crying. They'd come all this way, felt with all this stress, only to find this?
"Now what do we do?" Drake heard Jellal ask. "Do we even know if this is really her, or is it a trap?"
"She has Nashi's magical signature." Macbeth added. "It's her, no doubt about it." Drake stated to ignore the group argument, lost in his own thoughts as he tried to figure out a plan. She didn't know who they were. Had being resurrected caused her memory to wipe? Or was it wiped on purpose? In any case, if they could get her back from the guild than Mest could help her out. If anyone knew memory magic, it was Mest. But they couldn't just kidnap her!
Finally, Drake got an idea.
"Show me the back of your hand," he said, silencing the groups argument.
"W-What?" Luna asked.
"The mark on the back of your hand," Drake said. "You know what I mean, right?" Luna made a face at this request, but Drake watched with baited breath as she raised her arm and lifted her sleeve.
A red Fairy Tail emblem marked the back of the girls hand, making Drake's eyes light up.
"Knew it," he said.
"I was told it was a birthmark," she said, looking down at her emblem. "Nothing to be embarrassed about."
"It's not a birthmark," Drake replied as he unbuttoned his jacket. Ignoring the slight blush on Luna's face, he shed his jacket and lifted up his sleeve, revealing his own purple Fairy Tail emblem on his shoulder. He watched as Luna's eyes widened, staring at Drake's mark before looking down at her own.
"W-What the hell...?" She asked. "It's the same!"
"It's our guild mark," Drake said, putting his coat back on and taking a step closer. "You still have it. You are Nashi." Now Luna had changed from from apologetic frowning to furrowing her brow as she stared at her mark.
"What the hell is happening?" She asked weakly. Without missing a beat, Drake took her scarf off of his neck and offered it too her, making her look up at him.
"This used to be yours," he said with a weak smile. "I think you should have it back now." Luna slowly reached out and took the scarf, staring down at it in confusion. She slowly wrapped the scarf around her neck, and buried her face into it. Drake felt like he was dreaming at the sight of her in that scarf. He never thought he'd see it again.
"This warmth is so familiar..." Drake heard her murmur, his heart skipping a beat. He was getting through to her!
"Because it's yours," he replied. "Do you see what I mean? You are Nashi."
"I-I don't understand what's happening..." She said, clutching her forehead. "D-Did I know you guys before the accident? If so where were you? Why was I lied too? I don't understand..."
"I think you should come with us," Drake said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "We have some questions too." Luna looked up at him, eyes full of confusion and worry. "Don't worry, we'll sort this out."
"...O-Okay," she said after a moment of silence. "Yeah, I'd like to know what's happening." Nodding, Drake took the girl into his arm and guided her back in the direction of the airship, the others watching with wide eyes. He ignored them for the most part and kept his eyes forward, looking for the future. He knew the girl in his arms was Nashi, but why didn't she knew that? Why was she here?
And most importantly, who had made it possible in the first place?
"Okay, I think it's best you start from the beginning," Drake said, kneeling in front of Luna in the airships main deck. "What do you remember?" Luna frowned and looked down at her feet, hands tucked in between her legs.
"I remember waking up in a hospital," she said. "About eight months ago. The doctors, they told me I'd been found on the side of the road, and I looked nearly dead. They took me in and helped me, but apparently I had major brain damage."
"Major?" Drake asked. "How major?" Luna looked up at him, looking lost.
"They said I'd bruised my hippocampus," she said. "They said the odds of me remembering anything from my life before was slim. I was so scared, but the people there said they'd help look after me. They called me Luna, and let me stayed at the hospital."
"Highly unlikely that's what happened," Jellal said, speaking up. Drake looked back at the man, a frown on his face. "Bruising your brain is a serious injury. You probably should have died if they were the case."
"Yeah," Sorano said. "Besides, they could have told you anything they wanted. You don't remember it anyway."
"I-I suppose," Luna replied weakly, looking pale. "I just trusted them...I had no one else."
"It's okay, it's not your fault." Drake said, trying to seem reassuring even though he was losing his mind inside. "Is there anything else that happened?" Luna shrugged.
"I usually just earned my keep day in and say out by doing chores for the hospital," she said. "Sometimes, a man came to visit me. I was told he was the one who found me and that he'd brought me in or treatment."
"Really?" Drake asked, getting suspicious. "What did he look like?" Luna furrowed her brow as she thought.
"He was always wearing a black suit," she said. "Black hair, black eyes too. He had a nice smile on his face all of the time, but I never got his real name. He only went by Z. I don't know what it was, but he always gave off this seriously powerful vibe. But he never tried to hurt me." Z, huh? Drake didn't know who that was supposed to be, but he didn't like the sound of it. Casting a look over his shoulder, Drake saw that the others were all watching him intently. Simon seemed to want to say something, but it would have to wait.
"Okay, that's good." Drake said, turning back to Luna. "We were hoping you may have had some info that would be more helpful." Luna's frown somehow deepened at this.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I tried my best to recall anything of value," Drake smiled at her dejected look. He'd seen it far to often.
"Don't worry about it," he said as he squeezed her hand. "The best thing to do right now is to bring you home and figure out our next move. Maybe there's some way to get your memory back." Luna seemed to take sort of of comfort in Drake's words, managing a smile at him.
"Thank you," she said. Nodding, Drake stood and walked back over to everyone else, leaving Luna by herself.
"What do we do?" He asked.
"Get her home," Elise said, eyes a little puffy. "Call Mest in and see if he can do anything about it."
"That man she described," Simon said. "Z, he sounded familiar."
"Like Hades," Damien said, staring at the ground. The group went silent, now fearing that The Olympians were looming over them once again. If Z really was Hades in disguise, he was probably watching over Nashi to make sure nothing happened too her. But if that was the case, why not just bring her right to Zeus and be done with it? There had to be a part of this that Drake wasn't seeing. He just didn't know what, or why.
"Right now the most important thing to do would be to get her home," Ultear said. "We need the full guild to be working on this."
"I agree," Jellal said, turning and nodding at Erigor. As the pilot of the airship turned to set their course, Drake looked over his shoulder at Luna, who was sitting with her elbows on her legs, propping her head up. She looked completely lost, and Drake could understand. Hell, he felt lost.
"I think for now we just need to make her comfortable," he said, looking back at everyone else. "This is a lot for someone to take in at one time, so we need to take it easy on her. Like we should keep calling her Luna, for example. It's what she's used too"
"Yeah, don't overwhelm her." Bella said, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Maybe just leave her be for a bit."
"Yeah, keep her comfortable." Sorano agreed. "That's whats most important right now." At this, the older members of the group dispersed, leaving the younger group to themselves. They all stayed together for a moment in silence before Steph sighed.
"I don't know what to do now," she said. "Do we go and talk to her?"
"Is that too overwhelming?" Ultear asked. "All of us, I mean?"
"I think Drake should keep her company until we get home," Simon said, making everyone look at him. "He'd be best at it, and she seems to feel comfortable with him already." Drake wasn't sure about this appointment, but everyone looked back at him expectantly. Perhaps they thought he'd argue his case. All he did was shrug and pocket his hands.
"If you want me too," he said. "I can imagine this is already pretty hard on all of us so..." His question seemed to affirm what he'd already guessed. To find Nashi in this state, an amnesiac, was a lot for them to handle. He was pretty upset himself, he could only imagine what the others were feeling.
"We'll introduce ourselves once we know if we can save her," Elise said. "Until then, it's not important."
"And not urgent, either." Steph said. "We'll have all the time in the world for it later. Right now, she needs a shoulder to lean on."
"And who better than Drake's." Damien said, managing a weak smile. "Hell, it might trigger a memory of hers." This caused a chuckle to pass around, easing the tension slightly.
"Alright you slackers, I'll do it." Drake said, turning to walk back to Nashi. Although they all played it off, he could tell none of the others were ready to face Nashi the way she was now. Especially to comfort her. Hell, her condition pissed him off as well, but he had to do it. Because someone had to. May as well have been him, right?
"How're doing?" Drake asked and he reached her and sat down next to her. Luna sighed and lifted her head.
"...Good," she finally said. "I'm...I'm just scared."
"Scared?" Drake asked, looking over at her. "Of what?"
"Of who I am," she replied. "I feel like I just woke up in the hospital and the doctor is asking me if I know what my name is. I just don't know." Drake frowned and looked down at his hands, playing with them a little. He couldn't imagine what she was dealing with. To lose your memory, start life anew, and then for a group of weirdos to show up out of nowhere and claim your their dead friend? He'd think they were crazy.
"I can't imagine it," he said aloud. "But look, it's going to be okay." Luna looked over at him, eyes full of worry.
"Am I really your friend?" She asked. "Am I really the person you lost?" Drake stared at her for a moment, seriously considering this. After a moment, he smiled to reassure her.
"Definitely," he said. "I'd recognise that cute pout anywhere." This made Luna blush a little and look away, and Drake laughed. "Don't be modest, I'm just trying to lighten the mood!"
"A-Ahaha," Luna managed. Drake had to admit this was more difficult than he'd imagined.
"Look," he said, losing his laughter for a more serious, yet supportive look. "I know this is scary, but I know without a doubt you're Nashi. Well, were at least. We're going to get home to the guild, and we're going to do everything we can to try and find a way to give you your memories back, okay? You're safe with us, we all love you to death." His words seemed to instil a little bit of faith in her, and she smiled.
"Okay," she agreed. "I can't lie, I'm kind of excited to go home. I wonder what it's like."
"It's great," Drake said. "And I'm sure everyone will be over the moon with your return."
"I hope so," she said. After a few seconds, the girls smile faded slightly. "Drake?"
"Hm?" He asked.
"What kind of person was I?" She asked, looking over at him. Drake frowned at this, trying his damnedest to come up with an answer that would comfort her.
"You were fantastic," he said. Still are, but you get my point. You were the kindest, funniest girl I'd ever met, and I knew you all my life. We grew up together, and although you had some struggles early on, you grew up to be an amazing wizard and a great friend to everyone. Everyone you met loved the hell out of you. No matter what obstacle stood in your path, you found a way to get around it. And you made sure that your friends and family were safe, no matter the cost. And well, that's what got you in the end."
"Got me?" She asked, lifting an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" Drake looked back over at her, confused.
"Huh?" He asked. It took him a minute to realise Luna didn't know what he was talking about, and she probably still assumed she'd been left for dead on the side of the road. "Oh, we were on a job about a year back. When we realised we had gotten trapped by our enemy and were going to die, you...You sacrificed yourself to make sure the rest of us got out alive. We thought you did, anyway." Drake figured there was no point in making the poor girl think she had actually died, it wouldn't help him comfort her.
"Wow..." Luna said, sounding amazed. "It sounds like I was an incredible person." Drake smiled sadly to himself.
"You really were," he said before smiling at her. "You still are." This caused her to blush and look at her lap.
"Seems like I meant a lot to you," she said, eyeing him curiously." Drake nodded.
"I suppose so," he replied nonchalantly. "Only my best friend in the whole world. No big deal." She managed a laugh at this, and when he heard it Drake had hope for the future. They were going to get home, find Mest and he could bring Nashi's memories back.
Everything was looking up.
Meanwhile, back in the town that Luna had resided in for a year, a man entered it's gates. This man had bright blonde hair and an even brighter smile on his face, one that seemed to illuminate the area around him. He donned simple travelling gear consisting of jeans and a red shirt, leather battle armour covering his left shoulder and a cape billowing out behind him with a illustration of a sun on it. The man entered the small town and brought out a small device from his pocket, looking down at it as it beeped. However, as he stood there, the beeping faded and moved south of him, and quickly. He watched it go farther and farther away, confused.
And finally, the man frowned. One so upsetting someone might be sad for him if they saw it.
The man swiftly pocketed the device and raised two fingers to his temple, looking serious now.
"Old man?" He asked. "I got news."
What is it, Apollo?" The old man responded. "Have you found her?" Apollo sighed and crossed his arms.
"Oh I got here alright," he said. "Sadly, it seems she's on the move, and fast."
"Did you see her escape?"
"No. From the looks of things, she's been gone for a while." The man on the other end of the line growled.
"Report back to me," he said. "It's not over." Apollo sighed. He'd already come all the way here!
"Yes sir, Master Zeus."
Zeus slammed his now free hand down on his desk, which caused thunder to sound off in the room. This didn't seem to bother Hades in the slightest.
"Trouble?" The younger man asked, Zeus now feeling his blood boil.
"She's gone!" Zeus shouted. "Where is she?!"
"How should I know?" Hades demanded. This only made Zeus angrier.
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you," he said. "I knew it was suspicious when you said you had to stow her away in that town and keep an eye on her. Why not just return her to me?!" Hades sighed heavily at this, like a teenager who had just been told to do the dishes.
"I told you, you old bastard." Hades remarked. "Resurrection is unstable and dangerous. She could have collapsed in on herself at any moment. Is that what you want? A useless corpse again? I needed to keep her in a calm, stable environment so that her body could regain strength. We'd have never gotten what we wanted from her if I'd just handed her over to you at the get go. Jeez." Zeus felt his temper reaching it's limit.
"So you kept her from me, and now she's escaped!" He roared. "Find her or I will have your head, Hades! NOW!"
"Oh chill the fuck out," Hades replied. "Isn't it obvious where she is?" Zeus frowned even deeper.
"Where?" He demanded. Hades only smirked at him.
"Little Nashi's gone back home."
Another good stopping point lads! Sorry for not getting a Homecoming chapter! Still working on accomplishing this schedule on time! I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!
Chapter 305: My Home