Oncoming Storm (Fairy Tail)

Chapter 21

Watching Kayla go made Laxus want to chase after her, make her come back with him and pummel Cole to the ground. But he stayed where he was, watching the two disappear off into the distance.

"I love you, Laxus." Her last words to him— no. Her parting words, not her last. He was going to save her, and they were going to see each other again. And she was going to be alive. But first, he needed to check on the guild, and tell them exactly what happened, before it was too late.

When Laxus got to the guild hall, he got a clue of just how strong the master of Death's Storm was— though thats assuming he was alone.

The guild hall was a disaster, holes in walls, tables upturned, typical appearance of the hall after a celebration, except for one difference. Wizards were nursing their wounds, those with the worst injuries were gathered around Wendy, waiting for the Sky Dragon Slayer to heal them.

"Laxus! You're back!" Freed exclaimed, and everyone in the guild looked at him, their eyes wide. It wasn't long before the least injured were surrounding him, asking if he was okay, what happened, until finally-

"Where's Kayla?" Evergreen asked. "You didn't leave her at the safe house, did you?"

"I wouldn't leave her alone. I'm not an idiot." Laxus said. He clenched his fists.

"Then what did happen?" Master asked, and the guild parted so he could walk up to Laxus. "Tell us everything."

"Right." He said, and started from the beginning, all the way back to what Kayla had told him during the Guild Gala, all the way until what had just happened. The guild listened in silence, all eyes on him until he finished his story.

"She's being used. And she's going to die." Lucy said in horror after a small stretch of silence.

"Back in the train... why didn't I realize sooner?" Erza asked herself.

"Now is not the time to regret what we did or didn't do in the past. We must act before we loose a member of the Fairy Tail family." The Master said, and immediately the guild cheered, determination blazing in their eyes. Looking around at them, Laxus couldn't be prouder of the guild he called his family. And soon, Kayla would be able to be a part of theat family, not as someone running from their past, but as someone who truly belonged there.

***

Looking at the guild that Kayla had spend her childhood in, her chest started to ache. She had vowed to herself that she was never again going to be going there again. But here she was, being led into the very hell she ran away from. She hated herself. She hated that she was back here, she hated that she was the reason Fairy Tail got beat, and most of all she hated that all she could think about was Laxus' expression as she turned and walked away.

She kept her eyes on the floor as she walked through the hall, feeling everyone's eyes on her and hearing the whispers all around her. She didn't care enough to hear what everyone was saying, but she knew that everyone was taunting her. She was lead down a hall, stopping in front of a door.

She watched as Cole opened it, and a shadow trendle poked her back.

"Hurry up." Hiroi snapped and Kayla walked forwards, heading down the stairs going far under the building. The trendles around her wrists tightened when she didn't move immediately, worsening the bruises that ad been caused by the very same trendles. She glared at Cole, who only smirked as she walked through the doorway.

She walked down the stairs, the door closing behind them and leaving Kayla walking down the staircase alone with Master Mazin.

"You're not going to get away with this." Kayla said, her voice bouncing around the stairwell.

"What makes you say that?" Mazin asked.

"Fairy Tail will be coming for me, and the guilds of the others will be coming for my friends. Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel. All of us have found families—" she was cut off when a hand grabbed her throat and she was slammed into the wall.

"Found families? Please. All of those 'families' are not coming to get you. I taught them a lesson that they will not be forgetting soon. A lesson that will make them forget about coming to 'get you'." He chuckled, his hand tightening around Kayla's neck. "Now, let's not delay the resurrection."

He let go of Kayla and she dropped to her knees, forced up by Mazin grabbing her arm and dragging her the rest of the way down the stairwell. They went down the stairs, through a hallway, and finally though a set of iron doors, which opened only when Mazin cast a spell on them.

Kayla wasn't able to hide the horrified look on her face as she saw what was inside the room. Five giant gray lacrimas reached from the floor to the ceiling. They were surrounding a giant magic circle that was on the floor. Though the lacrimas and magic circle weren't what horrified Kayla the most. It was what was inside the lacrimas that scared her.

Four out of the fiver were glowing white, her friends were partly absorbed into the crystals, all passed out and looking weak. Their magic was already being absorbed.

"Your the final piece. Once you've been put into the Magic absorbing Lacrima, it will only be a matter of time before The Great Storm Demon, Aimol will be resurrected, and we'll be noticed by the Great Dark Lord Zerif!" Mazin said, breaking out into laughter.

Kayla looked from Mazin to the single non-glowing Lacrima. Laxus... Fairy Tail please hurry.