Chapter 14

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Laxus lied in Ember’s bed alone with nothing but the silence to keep him company. The room felt too empty with the lack of her presence. His stomach had been in a tight knot ever since him and his other guild members had returned from battle. Juvia had not returned with the other group and was missing along with Ember, Natsu, and Happy. The whereabouts of his friends bothered him, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. His mind raced, his heart showing no signs of slowing down.

He had not left Ember’s bed for two days. Two days since they all returned and still no news on his friends.  No one wanted to think the worst, but it was as if a giant storm cloud was looming over Fairy Tail, ready to burst at any second. For awhile Laxus had felt numb, not allowing himself to feel anything. It was better that way, and easier. But he could feel his emotions creeping up to the surface, and he was having a harder time pushing them back with every tick of the clock.

Not since he was a child had he felt so weak. Back when he would get sick a lot. His magic power had made him strong for so long, and he relied on this. The strength of his body kept his mind strong. He walked around with a hard shell but a soft center, but his hard shell was usually unbreakable. He could feel it cracking. It was something he couldn’t let anyone else see. Not even his grandfather. Not even his closest friends. He had to keep a strong face for his guild.

He looked around the room, his mind going back in time and giving him a quick glimpse of Ember sitting at the breakfast table and smoking one of her secret cigarettes. The mirage disappeared, and the flood gates that held back his emotions broke all at once. He couldn’t remember ever feeling sorrow like this. The pain was unbearable. Living so long in Makarov’s shadow, and the departure and turn coating of his father had made him feel strong emotions. But this was different.

The tears flowed down his face in a never ending torrent. He let himself cry, and his sobs were loud. His entire body shook with every gasp for breath he took as he started to hyperventilate. Lightning sparked along his skin, setting his hair on end. Letting it all out he could feel his body weakening. His mind weakening. He allowed it. He let himself be weak once again, because this time no one could see it.

 

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Levy sat on Lucy’s bed with her. She had been a wreck for days and all Levy could do was be there and support her. Making sure Lucy ate and cleaned herself was what she had been doing for the past couple of days. She had barely even talked to Gajeel, which was fine. He was still resting from the battle with the Earth dragon, and Levy could sense that alone time would be good for him. She knew that even though him and Natsu clashed a lot of the times, that it bothered him that Natsu had not returned with them. And even if he wasn’t always friendly to Ember, she knew that he considered her a close friend and comrade, and there was no way he wasn’t upset about her lack of appearance either. But the worst for him had to be Juvia. They had been in Phantom Lord together. It was Juvia who had sent the Master out to recruit Gajeel, to pull him out of the darkness. She was his first friend in Fairy Tail, and probably his closest.

“Lucy, have you eaten yet today?” Levy asked gently.

“I’m not sure.” Lucy said quietly.

Lucy appeared to be spaced out, almost catatonic. Her eyes were so red and puffy from crying that she could barely open them, but they looked lifeless. Her shoulders slumped and when she walked around she dragged, as if she was forcing herself to move. When she talked it was apparent that even doing that took effort. It hurt Levy’s heart to see her friend like this, but if it had been Gajeel missing instead of Natsu, she knew that Lucy would be there for her in the same way. No matter how ratty her hair was or dirty her clothes might have been. That’s what friends were for, they supported each other.

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