I stared at the short sleeve of my crop top that covered the area where my guild mark once was, it made me depressed as hell because I was just kicked out of my guild, Sabertooth. Remembering that night just triggered something too, all the crap I own is at that damn guild. "Fuck!" I cursed out loud, catching the attention of Fairy Tail.
"What's wrong?" Laxus jumped at my sudden cry.
"I just realized that I have nothing except the clothes on my back. All my clothes and other items are back in my former guild," I covered my face as I sighed heavily into the palm of my hands. "Damn it."
"Don't worry Nana, I'm sure your guild won't throw your stuff out," a blonde woman smiled softly at me as I tilted my head at her. To be honest, I had no idea who she was.
"Who are you?" I asked her as her eyes widened and a sweat dripped down the side of her face. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."
"Nana, where are you going?" Natsu Dragneel called out to me.
"I'm going home before they throw out my belongings, thanks for reminding me girly," I waved as I felt a hot flame hit me square in the back, I flew forward and crashed into a nearby table. "Ow...what was that for? If you wanna fight Dragneel, let's take this outside."
"Let's go outside then," he chuckled. I really didn't know what brought on the fight, but I knew I was probably going to lose to him. "Let's make a deal," he cracked his knuckles in a cocky way, I can tell that he has a fifty percent chance of either winning or losing to me. "I win, you stay here."
"Okay..." I shrugged my shoulders, I really didn't want anything in return because I believed that was selfish to do something like this. "Ladies first."
"Why thank you—Hey!" He growled at me. "That's it, Fire Dragon's Roar!" He screeched as I took the attack head on; as the daughter of Terriuma, the earth dragon, I was taught never to back down in a fight and to take the attacks like a champion. "Watching you get burned to a crisp will be a satisfying victory."
"Try again, flame breath," I laughed as I filled my lungs with air. "Earth Dragon's..."
"She's a dragon slayer?" Natsu gasped loudly.
"This magic power, it's so great," Freed watched in awe. "I think I'm in love."
"...Roar!" I fired a gust of both sharp rocks and blinding loose dirt his way. "Earth Dragon's Igneous Grip," I rushed towards Natsu, grabbing him by the throat. I slammed him to the ground with such force that I had created a huge crater right beneath ourselves. A loud gasp for air escape his lips as he laid there in the grand crater, breathing heavily.
"I've got your back, Salamander!" I heard another voice. "Iron Dragon's Sword!"
"Crushing Fang," I turned towards the voice and grabbed the shape blade with my bare hand, squeezing the metal until the blade shattered into a million pieces. "Nice try, Gajeel."
"Mode: Lightning Flame Dragon," I heard Natsu groan as he stood from the dirt. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar!"
"I'm not the only one," I smiled widely. "Mode: Lava Dragon."
"Don't tell me, she accumulated another power to add to her own," the blonde woman covered her mouth in shock.
"Lava Dragon's Roar!" I screeched as my roar broke through Natsu's and hit him spot on, as for Gajeel, he was already in defeat when I shattered his first attack. "Huh, are you guys okay?"
"How did you?" Gajeel gasped as he cupped the shattered pieces of his iron in the palm of his hand. "Hey, Salamander—he's out like a light."
"Laxus, just what kind of monster did you bring here?" Evergreen insulted me. "We have to get rid of her, she could kill someone."
"I haven't killed anyone, yet," I approached her and banged my forehead against her's. "Do you wanna be the first?"
"I can turn you to stone if I wanted," her eyes glowed green as it had no effect on me. "Huh?"
"Nice try," I pushed on her forehead as she began to push back. "I don't get why you dislike me so god damn much, I just got here."
"Nana, relax, it takes Evergreen a while to adjust to a new woman who's going to be sticking around," Freed tugged on my arm as I leaned backwards onto his chest. "Oh." I looked up at him as I saw his cheeks were bright red.
"By the way, did you say you were in love—"
"You fight good," he laughed and scooted away from me.
"I fight good, that's it?" I crossed my arms. "Men, I swear to goodness."
"Nana isn't a monster, Ever, she's just a strong wizard. So, what else have you done while I was away, besides growing up and becoming ten times stronger than before?" Laxus smiled at me.
"Well, I—"
"She fought Jura in the Grand Magic Games! I'm a huge fan big sister!" A young boy exclaimed with stars twinkling in his eyes. "She's amazing, even though she always tied with him every year..."
"You got into draws with Jura?" Laxus' eyes widened. "How is that possible? Now, that man's a monster."
"I'm not sure, but it seems like we've been on equal terms these past seven years. When you left me, I didn't know what to do. I traveled back to my guild where I continued to be corrupted and forced to become the strongest wizard in the guild, we lost at least ten members after the Games seven years ago because our master despised losers. Once you lose, you're out for good. You fail a job, you're out. You can't do a job he gives you, you're out." I lowered my head as flashbacks played in the back of my mind of that horrid dragon that got me kicked out of my home. "I failed my job, that's why I was thrown out. I'm grateful Laxus came to get me, but I wished you came sooner. The horrible things they made me do...I can never forget them." Tears blurred the vision in my right eye as I started to sniffle, it scared the hell out of the guild. "I'm not crying, I'm not."
"Tears are only coming out of one of her eyes...just like Erza," Evergreen gasped loudly.
"Nana, what happened?" Laxus was astonished at the sight. "Who did this to you?"
"My guild..." I started to sob loudly and covered my eyes, not wanting anyone else to see my flaw. "They didn't stop Jiemma before, so this happened. When I was given the artificial eye, Jiemma made Rufus wipe the memories of the whole guild including himself. Jiemma and I are the only ones who knows what he did to me. When I cry, tears only come out of my right eye and I always said to myself that I just used up half my tears." I continued to cry as I started to shake from the overwhelming emotions running through my head.
"Uh, Laxus! What do we do?" Bickslow panicked once the earth started to shake violently. My own tears streamed down my face, but immediately stopped once Freed pulled me into a hug. "Nice save."
"You shouldn't worry about the past," Freed chuckled softly and wiped my eyes with his sleeves. "Just look ahead and never look back."
"Okay," I whimpered. "I'm going to be honest with you guys...I cry a lot. I just don't really cry in front of people because my guild master said crying is a sign of weakness."
"You went out of your way to get this crying brat, Laxus?" Evergreen leaned on his arm.
"Actually, she's rarely cried with me. This is the third time I've seen her cry and I don't want to see her cry ever again, which is what I said to her...before I left," Laxus removed his jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
"Also, Nana, crying isn't a sign of weakness. It's a sign of strength, in a way. You shouldn't hold back your feelings because it isn't mentally healthy for someone to do that for fourteen years," Freed pulled me back into a hug. "You're a strong woman and I respect you for that."
"Thank you," I whimpered as I wiped my eyes onto his shoulder.
"Oh yeah, why'd you cry so much? Are you very sensitive, do you get frustrated easily?" the blonde woman asked as Freed pulled away. She held my hand ever so gently and had the most concerned look on her face, she has a good heart. "I'm sorry if it hurts to ask you."
"No, it's okay. It's when something intense happens to me. Like me being kicked out of my guild, it traumatized me," I sighed heavily. "I was also traumatized when Laxus disappeared on me—"
"You cried over Laxus?" Bickslow looked at me then straight at the lightning dragon. "Did you guys really go through a lot?"
"He found me after I accepted a job I had seven years ago, I had to go retrieve a prisoner that had escaped from the counsel and I was on the edge of giving up..."
• •
I clenched my bag as I wandered through the desert in the middle of the night, "I can't risk camping here at night again." My legs trembled from exhaustion and my head began to spin from dehydration. Recently, I was robbed while I camped out a few miles from here. The thieves stole my water, food supply, and all the money I brought to live off of; it was awful. I haven't eaten for days and it was taking a huge toll on my health. My legs finally gave out as I collapsed to my knees and started to whimper, tears streamed down my face. "Who am I kidding? I'm just a stupid twelve year old who bit off more than she can chew. Now I'm going to die out here." My cries echoed off the monumental boulders and rocks. I screamed and jumped back once a lightning bolt struck down right before my very eyes. Right after the sudden flash, I wiped my eyes to hide the fact that I was crying.
"Hmm," a tall, intimidating, blonde man stood before me as I stared at him with my widened brown eyes. Once he put his hand down to reach for me, I instinctively took action to protect myself.
"Earth Dragon's Claw!" I lifted my leg up as my shin was covered in igneous rocks, I made contact with his stomach which caused him to fly back a few feet until he crashed into one of the high stacked rocks. I panted for air as my stomach growled and my head began to pound at an alarming rate. The skyscraper of solid rock came crashing down towards me, but I didn't have enough energy to get out of the way in time. I screamed at the top of my lungs, covering the top of my head and held back my tears.
"Thunder Dragon's Roar!" I heard the man shout as a bright flash of lightning crashed above my head, he saved me. "Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry," I whimpered as the man knelt down to me and patted my head. "I'm so sorry!" I started to cry as I covered my face, sobbing loudly.
"You really pack a punch for a youngster," he sighed heavily. "What's your name?"
"Terrianna, but I go by Nana," I wiped my eyes and looked up at him, but I could barely see his face in the darkness. "Who are you?" I asked him as I reached up and touched his face, I felt around until I felt a small bump on his face. "You have a scar..."
"I'm Laxus Dreyar, I'm a second generation Dragon Slayer," he lit up the area we were in with his bright yellow aura. I was right, there was a lightning bolt shaped scare running over one of his eyes, I don't know what happened, but I didn't want to ask. "Mind to tell me what a young girl like you is doing in the desert at this hour, there are a lot of robbers stationed here, you know?"
"I recently met a group, they stole my food and my money while I was asleep. I haven't eaten in days, can you help me? Sir?" I sniffled as he studied my face, he probably didn't believe me. "I know you probably don't trust me and that's okay," I smiled softly and struggled to stand. "Could you please point in the direction of the closest town?" He pointed west as I gripped my bag and took a few steps in that precise direction; I started to wobble back and forth, ultimately collapsing into the loose dirt, solid rocks, and dry ground.
When I came to, I was laying on a bed with a wet towel on my forehead. "Huh?" I scanned the room as I spotted Laxus laying on a couch near the bed. "What's that glorious smell?" I sniffed around and saw a small bowl filled with cream of mushroom soup, my favorite. Before I dug in, I looked over at Laxus as I held the soup spoon inches away from my face. He took care of me and watched over me while I was unconscious, I felt a lump in my throat form as I took a spoonful of the soup while tears streamed down my face as I ate my first meal in eight days. Once I finished my meal, I saw a glass of water with a doctor's note attached to it.
Patient has suffered mild starvation, long term dehydration, and sleep deprivation. Bed rest and proper nutrition will be needed.
Before I could take a sip of the water, Laxus shifted in his sleep and shivered subtly. I felt awful because I was stupid enough to camp out in the desert with my fire still going and that got me into this mess, causing this man to give me his necessities. Carefully, I slipped out of his bed and pulled the blanket. I dragged the thick cloth and draped it over Laxus; I too felt the draft and noticed he left the window open, so as a good young girl, I closed it. I searched around his house one last time for my bag and found it hanging on a hook next to the bathroom door. "Thank you Laxus," I smiled softly, grabbing a key ring and locked myself out of the house; I slid the key ring underneath the wooden door because I wasn't coming back. I wandered the forest for a while until I heard voices. "Ah!" I squealed and jumped into a nearby bush.
"That was the most tiring job we've had since Nirvana," I heard a man whine as I looked up and saw it was Gray Fullbuster, the ice make wizard of Fairy Tail. I was star-struck, I honestly thought I'd never see him in person.
"The great thing about coming home after a job is knowing you tried your best and succeeded." a woman's voice startled me as I saw a familiar head of scarlet red hair. Titania Erza Scarlet, she's one of the strongest female mages in the guild. My goal is to be just as strong and brave as her, "We should hurry back to the guild. You're going to want to get in as many jobs as possible before master makes his decision in a few weeks—" I leaned forward to listen from inside the bush and accidentally cracked a twig.
"Agh!" I whimpered as I caught the attention of the two mages, oh no.
"Did you hear that?" Gray whispered.
"Yeah, it sounded like it came from over there," she pointed at the shrub I was hiding in, I covered the top of my head and pinched my eyes shut. What do I do? Once they find me, they're going to think that I've been stalking them or something! "Huh, Laxus?" Erza looked up and behind me as I looked up and saw the lighting Dragon Slayer, uh oh.
"Hi, sorry to intrude, but I was just passing through to get home," he spoke sternly as the two nodded and smiled at him.
"Don't worry about it and I'm sure Gramps will lighten up and let you join the guild again," Gray sighed with a smile as they carried on and left Laxus alone with me.
"Sneaking out?" Laxus knelt down and pulled me up.
"No, it's not that! It's just that I—"
"I already know, I read your job flier. I'll help you though, his last known location isn't too far from here," he offered.
"I'm really not supposed to have help on a job, my guild master says it's a sign of weakness if you have to rely on a random person to help you with a job you were specifically given to complete," I explained as I stared at my shoes and twiddled my thumbs together. "Oh yeah, thank you for the food and takin care of me. It was really kind of you to do that for me."
"Don't mention it and I'm not a random person. Asking for help? It's not a weak thing to do when you're on a job, come on, I'll help you," he smiled and patted my head.
"Okay," I smiled widely at him. For the next few weeks, Laxus and I were inseparable. He'd stay awake until he knew it was safe for me and him to fall asleep, he would feed me everyday, and ultimately helped me complete my job. I didn't want to leave him yet, so we decided to camp out in the forest that night (it was just a few miles outside of my guild). "Laxus, you promise you'll be here in the morning?"
"Of course Nana, now go to bed," he layered his sleeping bag over me as I snuggled into his back for extra warmth. It was a quiet night and I slept really well that night. The sun was high, it was about maybe two o'clock in the afternoon...I overslept longer than I anticipated.
"Laxus?" I called out as I noticed he was nowhere to be found. "Laxus?" I felt a lump in my throat form as the burning sensation of tears blinded me to the point where it hurt to cry. I haven't cried this hard for someone ever since my mother disappeared, Laxus leaving me like that triggered my horrible memory of me waking up and my mother was gone. I went back to my guild, crying like I just watched someone die right before my eyes. Jiemma, he didn't appreciate it at all. He told me he'd give me something to cry about and struck me in my left eye with his blast magic. It nearly destroyed me, but he only aimed for my eye, so that was the only thing that was affected. That's when he took me to the guild's infirmary where our doctor gave me an artificial eye that I'm able to see out of and was supposed to cry out of.
"Will you please cover your right eye and tell me what does this card say?" The doctor, Hitori, asked me as I did just that. The card read (to me) ignite.
"Ignite," I spoke with a sure tone as he smiled and praised me. I sniffled as I was just happy to be able to see out of both my eyes.
"Are you crying?" Jiemma growled.
"She has to cry, I need to see if her tear ducts are still in tact after the accident," Hitori stood up for me as I started to cry happy tears. "What? That's not supposed to happen, why aren't any tears coming out of your left eye—"
"It's okay sir, I used up half my tears already," I smiled softly and wiped my right cheek.
• •