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.
Pain. So much pain.
She was hurting, in a way I couldn't even begin to imagine. And there was nothing I could do about it.
"Hey, Mira," Cana called, drawing both our attentions, "I know you and Elfman were both terribly hurt..." There it was again. A secret, a memory I didn't know, couldn't ask about. "But Elfman is trying hard to keep moving onward."
And it was like a spell was broken.
Mira's quaking fists clenched tighter, straining the already tense muscles that lined her pale arms. Her stance became looser, like she was planning to run, fast. She bit her lip, her heavy-hearted eyes roaming the floor, never landing, always moving.
Then she ran, bolted out the door, heedless to our distressed calls, a blur of maroon skirts and blonde hair. She was gone in seconds.
After getting over my initial hesitation, I took off after her, with Cana close behind, just in time to see Mira declare herself to be Lucy.
And that's when Cana shoved me into a wall.
"Owwww...." The moan left my lips in a haggard breath as I peeled my face from the coarse brickwork. Cana... that was a little bit much... Dizzy (and slightly nauseous, though that could've been the nerves) I shot a cross-eyed glare at the usually-drunken taro-card mage, who scowled at me in turn.
"Get back to Lucy, now," she ordered, already grabbing me by the shoulders and pushing me off, immersed in the shadows of the crumbling buildings, back to the safe house. "She needs someone to protect her, because they're not buying Mira's act! So go. Be a good sister!"
I couldn't argue with her (no matter how much I wanted to), which left me no choice but to do as bid and hurry back to my sister.
Do your best, Mira!
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Candor's POV
I was beginning to wish I'd gone instead with the hulking one named Elfman.
He's fighting Sol.... that French bastard...! I grimaced, memories of that spell he forced on me bubbling up in my half-lucid mind. Even I was more merciful than that sadist.... conjuring up broken nightmares like that... All those moments, all those pinpricks of agony I'd locked away, brought to the surface by a spineless psychopath. If one didn't turn to stone first, he could easily send them spiralling into insanity; either way, the victory was his.
But, from the fluctuations of magical energy I was feeling, that Elfman... was winning. I could only hope he made the bastard suffer.
"Candor, sit this one out." Gray (so named by Loke - I wasn't actually certain this was his name, though he seemed familiar from Winter's delusional ramblings she'd spewed while half-conscious) crouches down, allowing me to slide from his back. I nearly slipped, trying to get my balance on one fatigued leg, but managed to keep my balance and avoid any unnecessary embarrassment in front of the enemy.
Through the pounding rain, I could make out the form of a woman opposing us, her blue hair done up in loaded curls, her eyes passive, mouth stoic, unfeeling. No smile, no frown, no scowl. Unemotional. She stood there, unmoving, as Gray rose from his lowered position, took a step forwards to confront her.
"You're Juvia, aren't you?" I asked, startling the poor, ignorant Ice-Make mage in front of me, who whipped around at my accusation, then quickly returned to his stare-off with the woman, awaiting her answer.
"Yes, Juvia, the Woman of the Rain, a member of the Element Four," she answered, tacking on an infuriating, "Drip, drip, drop" that only served to irritate me further. I'd heard enough of her incoherant nonsense before; I didn't need it now.
"Element Four...?"
"Yes, keep up, Gray, or else I'm afraid this woman will have you pleading mercy without even lifting a finger."
He didn't look abundantly pleased at my derisive words, though of course I couldn't have cared less about his fragile ego. I was more concerned about the Rain Woman intently watching our exchange. That is, until I noticed just how taken she seemed to be with Gray, to the point that her cheeks flushed with a charming rosy hue. He himself didn't seem to be aware of it, as he reacted violently when she turned to leave, apparently too enthralled with the boy to continue their fight fairly.
At least, that's what I thought originally.
Sensing a surge of magic, I made a move to halt Gray in his attempts to chase after her, but only managed a fer steps before he was completely encased in a sphere of water, much like Winter what felt like an eternity ago.
I cursed with a fluidity a child of my background came by easily, digging broken nails into my palms as I collapsed uselessly onto my side. I could barely move. I'd used up the majority of the magic I'd managed to regain while assisting Loke; my body had yet to completely heal from Sol's attacks. "Dammit!" I snarled, forcing myself to my knees as I watched Gray writhe and struggle within the globe of water, his expression pained, bloodshot eyes widened to the point of popping out of his skull.
And then I saw the blood.
It gushed, endlessly, from a wound on his side. Where and when he'd gotten it I wasn't sure. From Juvia? She seemed the most likely candidate, though I wouldn't have suspected her water-based moves capable of inflicting that sort of damage. I'd underestimated her, thinking her only could for capture methods. And here I was, paying for my mistake.
"Gray you idiot! Get yourself out of there because I'm not bothering to help you!" I shouted over the torrential downpour, unable to do anything more. He twisted round, another weighted scowl pulling at his lips, but it was something closer to a smirk than the one before it. He caught my gaze, gave an arrogant nod of his head, and threw out his arms, hands balled into fists, and with the motion came the sound of cracking ice.
He'd frozen the sphere and shattered it, all in one fluid motion.
My respect for him was growing, if only slightly.
Despite the ineptitude of my stony foot, I rose to my feet, hobbling closer to Gray as he was tearing off his shirt (for a reason I didn't quite understand), revealing the blood-soaked bandages wrapped around his abdomen. A previous wound, one not caused by Juvia.
Interesting.
I wasn't the only recovering mage compelled to fight this outrageous war, then.
"Gray, a word?" I muttered, drawing closer to him. He flicked me a hurried glance, subtly gesturing for me to go on. "We're going to make this a simple win, if possible. I'd rather we move forward and stop this monstrosity before any more harm comes to the guild and its members, seeing as how this will apparently be my place of residence for a while."
He eyes narrowed with interest. "You packin' some powerful magic I don't know about or something?"
"No, not really," I replied, shrugging a bit, "but what I've got is an idea."
"Alright then, lay it on me."
"First off: Break my foot."
"Break your... What?! Why?!"
I sighed, lifting my stone-encased foot for him to see better. "This" - I gestured at the foot - "is a hindrance, one I can't afford right now. Cover it in ice, then shatter it. It's only a thin layer of rock; I'm hoping the ice will weather it enough that it breaks cleanly off my flesh."
He looked incredulous for all of two seconds before a beaten sigh escaped his lips and he threaded a hand through his water-logged hair. "If your foot breaks off, I'm not gonna be held responsible for it," he sighed.
"Naturally." I rolled my eyes, nudging my foot at him, simultaneously trying to keep an eye on Juvia. She hadn't moved, too absorbed in studying Gray's admittedly sculpted chest to attack. I only hoped that applied to defense as well.
Gray did the job quickly and efficiently, placing a hand on my afflicted foot and surrounding it in a layer of glittering ice within seconds. He then folded his hand into a fist, raised it a bit, then brought it crashing down.
I flinched, despite myself. I hadn't thought this out that properly, so I wouldn't have been surprised if something went terribly wrong and I was left with only one usable leg in the foreseeable future. But luck was on my side today, as, per my plans, the ice - along with the stone - fell away from my rubbed-raw foot, giving me back complete mobility.
Gray whistled appreciatively. "Not bad, kid, not bad. Now, what's next?"
"You're going to capture her," I said plainly, as though it was the obvious conclusion.
He cocked a brow. "And how, exactly?"
"After she becomes my latest toy."
"Oi, don't sound so creepy..."
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Winter's POV
The wait was endless. And there was absolutely nothing for me to do but wait, as Lucy hadn't woken up yet, Mira hadn't returned, or Cana for that matter, and I had nothing to do to pass the time.
It was pretty excruciating, to be honest.
And yet, part of me enjoyed the monotony, preferred it to the heat and violence of battle. It was a small part, mind you, but still there, still a part of me. And I wondered if this was the part I'd gotten from my mother.
She wasn't a violent person, didn't take to a fight as quickly as I did, didn't enjoy the rush of adrenaline singing in you veins. Not like I did, not like how I lived for the thrill of a fight. She was a lot more like Lucy than me, and that had bothered me for the longest time, because I wasn't all that much like Dad either.
But I'd accepted it as a fact, that I wasn't my mother, that I was hopeless at emulating her. It wasn't a big deal anymore.
But I was grateful all the same, to feel this stupid connection to her, like I'd finally discovered the piece of me that she passed on. And I couldn't help but grin foolishly to myself at the thought.
"So this is where you were hiding, you pathetic little Fairies..."
My head shot up, my feet already backpedaling, at the sound of the rough voice in the doorway; only, as I was sitting down and not on my own two feet, the movement sent me toppling over the back of the chair and caused me to have a very unwanted make-out session with the floor.
Smooth as always, Winter, smooth as always.
"Huh. Master said there were two of you." The looming figure leaned casually against the door frame, his muscular arms taut across his chest. "So which one of ya is Lucy?"
I didn't even glance back at my incapacitated sis; I had enough sense to do that much, at last. I simply crawled my way up, my arms slung over the back of the chair, huffing a few strands of hair from my face. "Who wants to know?" I demanded as nonchalantly as I could manage.
"Gajeel Redfox of Phantom Lord," he stated, clearly proud of the reputation he'd garnered and his affiliation with such an ugly guild. "I'm here to make sure you Fairies don't screw up our plans any more than you've already done."
"Am I supposed to just quietly give myself up?" I quipped, one corner of my mouth involuntarily curling up in a smirk.
"Pretty much," he agreed, flashing his own toothy smirk.
Sharpened canines.
So he really a Dragon Slayer. How nice for me.
I let out a tired sigh that I wasn't faking in the least. I was tired. Tired of the war, tired of the waiting, tied of the nervous energy that kept me from sitting still longer than a minute or so. Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I gathered my legs beneath me and stood, strolling out from behind the chair and walking towards the Iron Dragon Slayer.
"Lucy Heartfilia," I greeted, sticking out a stiff hand for him to shake, "nice to meet ya."
"That's all I needed to hear."
And with that, his hand morphed into a lethal-looking steel rod and his wacked me over the head, sending me into the depths of unconsciousness for the umpteenth time in however many weeks it'd been since I joined Fairy Tail.
Shit.