VERiTY (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

43. Sudden Squall

"Erza. Think you can take care of everything while I'm gone?" Eir asked, knowing full well that the girl's answer could only be a serious 'yes!'.

When Eir leaves for his job, with most of the guild cheering their drinks and some of his kids seeing him off-- it just felt nostalgic.

Has it really been nine years since he joined Fairy Tail? It used to be him and Laxus, watching Gildarts go. When did it become him that left the guild often?

Erza saluted, a hand at her chest in a sort of bow. At her upper forearm, in the opening of her armor and just a little under her guild mark, a silver bangle with an inscripted sapphire stone shone against the light.

Gray hurried out of the door, somehow losing his clothes on the way. "Wha-- you're already leaving, Eir? No way!" he whined. His cross necklace, with a sapphire stone embedded in the center, jumped with each step.

"Duty calls," Eir said, resting a hand on his sword. "I'll bring back souvenirs."

"You better!"

"Huh? You're going away?" Natsu hustles out, nearly crashing into Gray into the process but they both stand up straight in the need to interrogate the older man. "Where'd ya go? Why?"

Eir patted them both on the head. "I'll be back in about a week, maybe. How about you guys bring Natsu back home and get him settled down? Get the guild mark, the Eir pin-- anything you want. Just live here for a bit until I get back, alright?"

Natsu mulled, but he nodded.

"Tell Cana to contact me when she's home," Eir said, holding up the Call Card. "Don't kill each other before Laxus is back. He'll eat you for dinner and I won't be there to stop it."

"We'll try," Erza replied.

Surprisingly, Natsu wasn't deterred at all by that implication. Gray and Erza knew he was joking and looked wildly unimpressed, though. Eir was almost a little disappointed.

"Have a safe trip!"

"Come back soon!"

"Yes, yes," Eir waved back, walking along with Karen by his side.

-

Whatever Eir was expecting in the Heartfilia konzern, it was not a sickly lady and a prematurely-grieving family.

"I'm so sorry I can't greet you in a better state," Layla Heartfilia says, and Karen rushes to her bedside in horror. "Karen, was it? Thanks so much for coming all the way here. You didn't have to, really."

"Wha-- no! Of course I should've!" Karen took her hands, "what happened to you, Miss Layla? You're--" her voice was stuck in her throat. She wasn't close enough to this woman to truly show an honest sympathy, but the compassionate tears were true. "But you looked fine a few days ago."

Chronic Magic Deficiency, Eir grimaced. The terminal stage. He recognized it as soon as he stepped in. It's the type of disease that can take people in hours-- she was going to die. A day or two was all she had left, and anyone could tell that much.

The maids stayed outside-- they passed the husband a while ago, but it seemed he was giving them the benefit of a private meeting.

"And you must be Eir Macmillan," Layla turned to him, greeting politely. "I've heard many things about you."

Eir let out a deep breath.