1 | Ascent [DISCONTINUED]

50 | JUST A LITTLE LONGER

LAXUS, HE WAS THE last thing Elvira could remember seeing before everything went black. She can remember seeing his concerned face as she let gravity pull her forward. At that point, no longer could she pretend, no longer she could tell herself that she was fine. Even though her mental state was strong enough to keep her going, it wasn't, however strong enough to last. In the end, she fell unconscious, and when she finally woke up, she was welcomed to the comfort of her bedroom. When Elvira woke up, the first thing she did was sit up, to observe her surroundings.

            Based on the light coming from the window, she could tell it was morning, meaning she's been unconscious at least for a day. She also couldn't help but notice an empty chair right near her bed. Next, she looked down at herself, she noticed her wounds were bandaged and she was in another set of clothes. Noticing her outfit change, she couldn't help but wonder who could've done it. Thinking about it, her face heated up upon the thought that it could've been either Laxus or Totomaru. Shaking any more than inappropriate thoughts out of her head, Elvira took her blanket off and then swung her legs off her bed.

          Standing up, she began to wobble as she tried to gain her balance. As soon as she was steady, she exited her bedroom and made her way to the living room. Entering the living room, she was greeted with a sleeping Totomaru and Rogue. The pair were on her couch, with Totomaru sitting up and Rogue laying with his feet on the man. Smiling, Elvira walked passed them, making her way into the kitchen to get something to drink. But as she opened her fridge and began looking for something, she was soon interrupted by a familiar voice.

          "You shouldn't be up," the voice said causing Elvira to snap her head in their direction.

          "Laxus!" Elvira exclaims, upon seeing him standing in her kitchen. "What are you doing here? I thought you would've been gone by now."

          "I couldn't exactly just leave," he tells her. "After all it was my training that got you in this mess."

          "I'm the one who decided to keep going even though deep down I knew I was just hurting myself," Elvira says, defending Laxus against himself. "It's not your fault Laxus, you didn't have to stay."

          "It's fine," he assures her, "it's not like I have somewhere important to be anyway, so staying a little longer wouldn't hurt."

          It was at this moment that Elvira truly saw the change in Laxus. When she first met him, he was arrogant and seemed to only care for himself. Yet right now he showed no signs of the person who he used to be. Even though Elvira never truly saw Laxus as a bad guy, seeing him this way made her happy. She was glad to see him grow, and move on from the man that wanted to take Fairy Tail for his own. But she also felt sad, because even though he's changed, he would never be able to return to Fairy Tail. He would forever be a wondering man, a man lost without a home. And yet, Laxus didn't seem a bit bothered by this. He seemed content, and fine with his life, even though he was miles away from his true family.

          "How long was I out?" Elvira asks, shifting the topic of conversation.

          "A little less than twenty-four hours," he answers.  "You've been out since yesterday afternoon."

          "That's not bad," she replies, glad she wasn't out for long. "Wait! The shop! I was supposed to finish fixing it up this morning!"

          "Don't worry," Laxus tells her, letting out a light chuckle. "Totomaru, Rogue, and I went by last night and fixed the store up."

          "So that's why those two are passed out on my couch," she says. "Have they been there all night?"

          "Yeah they have, they were worried about you so they decided to stay the night," he explains. "And don't worry about Rogue, Totomaru told Ms. Tomoe the situation so he's got permission to be here."