Celestial Heart (A Fairy Tail Fanfic)

Chapter 22: Subterfuge

Winter's POV

I couldn't keep still. My hands were shaking, my knee was bouncing; every other second or so I was twisting around, craning my neck to join Mira in staring out the window. She'd been relaying to me everything that was happening, but I couldn't bring myself to opening look. With Lucy out cold next to me, I really didn't need anything else to worry about.

And yet, there was Candor (still one-legged), Loke (dealing with Candor'a crap), Gray (status: unknown) and Natsu (our supposed savior, if what Mira told me was true). So many people whose fates were up in the air.

All because of the damn Heartfilia name.

I was never more ashamed of myself, and I wasn't even the one who was (technically) putting everyone in danger. I just... couldn't quite stand my father, before now, during the war... There were so many other ways to get Lucy's attention. He didn't have to have Hell descend down on our guild.

I mean, ever heard of writing a letter? Once he knew where we were, he coulda just contacted us. There was no guarentee we'd respond, but it was a hell of a lot nicer than what he was doing now!

But who cared about any of that right now? I should probably have been more concerned about the Abyss Break currently being cast by the mechanical giant-thing Mira had been describing to me earlier, the one she was discussing with Cana (tucked just outside the window of the safe house) at the moment.

"Mira, how long will it take for that spell to activate?"

"About... ten minutes, I think," she answered. She looked like death at this point. Sweaty, pale, hands clenched into anxious, worrisome fists. I buried my face in my hands, choking back a string of foul-mouthed curses aimed at my socially-inept father. "I wonder if there's a way to destroy its power source..."

"The guys on the inside must be thinking the same thing."

"Wait, wasn't it only Natsu who went in?" I asked, peeking out from between my trembling fingers. Cana, looking past Mira's taut face, frowned at me, her lips set in a harsh curve that betrayed her anxiety.

"No," she said, "Gray and Elfman are there too... and Candor, I think..."

"Elfman?!"

"Candor?!"

Oh. Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit. 

I was on my feet, stalking towards the window, unable to contain the fury bubbling up inside me. That punk. That idiot. What the hell was he thinking? Did he suddenly devolve into a brainless slug or something?!

"Don't act so surprised," Cana chided, cocking a brow at the two of us, "Elfman is..."

"He can't!" Mira shouted, on the verge of being hysterical - on just over the tipping point. "He can't fight! You should know that too, Cana!"

"And Candor's..." I didn't get a chance to finish, as Cana was already busy trying to placate Mirajane.

"He can fight. He took part in the fighting before," she reminded her.

"It's one thing to go up against soldiers..." Mira slumped against the wall, her hands clasped shakily behind her back, loose blonde bangs falling into her eyes. "But if he finds himself up against the leaders... the way he is now..."

I was lost. Invariably, undeniably lost. I didn't know much abotu Elfman, but I'd heard that he was Mira's younger brother some time ago, so I supposed that explained her innate concern for his well-being (not that she wouldn't be like that anyway, him being a part of our guild and all), but there was something else. When I caught a glimpse of her eyes, I nearly fell back in surprise.