The Problem Child (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

Doubtful

{NADIA'S POV}
Everything hurts. Is this what it's like to be dead? My ears are still ringing from the explosion. Explosion? That's right. I'm not dead.

I slowly reach up and touch my hair. My now short hair. The memories flow back to me. The warehouse. Akuhei Tanaka. Scar. And right before the explosion.

Akuhei tied my hair to a metal pole and left me for dead. I got my knife back and sawed off my beautiful long hair so I could escape. Then I grabbed my keys from the floor, and everything went BOOM!

After that, I'm not really sure.

I vaguely recall flying. I think the explosion sent me upwards with all the debris and I flew out of the building. I can still see the smoke from the warehouse, meaning I didn't go too far, but it's still a couple hundred yards. Too far to walk.

It might be my imagination, but I'm sure I see a flock of birds descend on the roof of the warehouse. It's probably a hallucination, considering how hard I bumped my head. No animal would dare get close to that firestorm.

"Open, gate of the little penguin: Tina! Open, gate of the rainbow messenger: Iris! Open, gate of the moon's huntress: Zoey!" I groan, raising my key ring with what little strength I have left.

Tina, Iris, and Zoey all appear and immediately kneel beside me. "Nadia!"

"Help me... get to... hospital." I croak in broken fragments. It hurts to talk. It hurts to move.

Next thing I know, I'm resting on a water bed. Literally. Tina conjures a tuna-scented bubble of water underneath me, while the other two make sure I don't fall off. That's about when I black out.

When I come to again, I feel much better. I'm bandaged up in a hospital room, with Zoey, Tina, and Iris all asleep at the foot of my bed.

"You can go back to the spirit world now. Thanks guys." I whisper to them. All three shimmer and disappear with content smiles and happy sighs, even in slumber.

I sit up and find that it's a very bad idea. Not only do I hurt in twenty different places, but all my muscles are stiff and sore from disuse.

In a moment of panic, I reach up, and I'm relieved to find that my barrette is still with me. Good. That means Reiki and the rest of Fairy Tail knows I'm okay. However, as I rub the red star for comfort, something doesn't feel right.

With a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach, I unclip the barrette from my hair. There's a giant crack in it. All the life-link magic must have leaked out because the barrette is dark and not sparkling like it should be since I'm alive.

I take a moment to digest what this means. The barrette broke in the explosion. Reiki's bracelet would've been triggered as the life-link magic dispersed. My guild thinks I died in the explosion.

I feel dizzy. My heart hammers double time in my chest as my breathing picks up. Panic swells up in my throat. I have to let them know I'm okay. I grab Iris's key, but then rethink.

Does Fairy Tail even care that I'm gone? I'm not the best wizard. I'm not even a good wizard. I can't complete one measly job on my own.

I'm a klutz who always breaks stuff. I can't walk on a flat surface without tripping over my two left feet. I drag everybody down with me, both in the literal sense and by making them worry about me constantly. I have to face the truth that I doubted before.

Fairy Tail is better off without me.

Despite being a fire wizard, I feel cold inside. My heart cracks like the red star barrette. I fall back onto my pillows and cry horrible, broken sobs.

A doctor comes into the room, sees me crying, and immediately rushes over to comfort me. He pats my shoulder as I bawl into his pristine white coat, making it all snotty and disgusting.

"Are you feeling a little better now?" He asks after I finally compose myself.

I sniffle and try to apologize, but he shakes his head adamantly. "I don't mind. It's healthier to release your emotions rather than keep them all bottled up. Can you tell me who I can contact to let your family know you're alright?"

"I'm not going back." I whisper, blowing my nose on a tissue he promptly provides.

"What happened leading up to your injury? Does your refusal to talk to your family have anything to do with it?" The doctor asks.

I can't help but laugh incredulously at his baseless insinuations. Fairy Tail did nothing wrong. My guild mates would never betray or harm an ally. The fault lies with me alone.

The doctor clears his throat. "I'm not supposed to give advice to patients, but want to know what I think? No matter how far you run or negatively you think, they'll always be your family. They will always care about and miss you."

It's like he read my mind.

The doctor chuckles. "That might be fairly accurate. A minor need a guardian to sign their discharge paperwork, so I'm technically not supposed to do this, but I'll make a special exception. You're free to walk out whenever you like, Miss Dragneel." He winks and leaves the room.

I stand and wobble on my unsteady feet. Having Reiki or Aunt Wendy and their healing powers would be really helpful right about now. I limp toward the window. Thankfully, it's unlocked.

I force it as high as it will go and swing my legs outside. I try to smoothly slide my upper body out too, but somehow end up faceplanting on the ground. Well that hurt.

I groan and struggle to my feet. People stare at me strangely as I walk by, but everyone gives me a wide berth. Perhaps they think I'm a delinquent because I'm so beaten up. They don't know the half of it.

Somehow I manage to get the the train station without anymore injury. I walk up to the lady in the ticket booth and put all the money I have in my possession on the table.

"How far north will this get me?" I ask. She gapes at me, then quickly looks at her schedule.

"Castillia Town is as far north as the tracks run." She informs me. I buy a one-way ticket and she gives me my change. Then I hop on the train.