No matter how hard she tried, Wendy found it impossible to block out the sounds coming from outside. Even with both of the Spriggan twelve's members in their area now defeated, the battle raged on harder than ever. Magical explosions, from foe and friend alike, shook the dilapidated house they'd taken refuge in nearly to it's breaking point, and the occasional yell or scream from familiar voices did the same to her.

She couldn't help but feel guilty. The searing pain constantly plaguing her left leg was serious, or at least it felt serious, but she'd seen Natsu power through worse without getting yelled at by Gray and Juvia to stay put. How could they expect her to sit around and do nothing while everyone else fought a literal war just out of her view?

After a quick look around, she sat up on the dirt and blood stained blanket underneath her. With her palms both flat on the ground, she pushed with every ounce of strength she had. If she could just manage to stand, maybe—

"Don't you dare!"

Those three words were all it took to drain any remaining strength from her arms. She fell onto her back with a hard thud. Or, rather, she would have, if Sherria hadn't rushed to her side and caught her seconds in advance.

Wendy had closed her eyes, fully expecting a quick jolt of pain once her back hit the floor. Instead, she felt a soft hand gently straighten her back into a sitting position. She opened her eyes to the sight of Sherria looking back at her. She attempted to smile, before fully noticing the less than pleased look on her friend's face.

"No. More. Moving." Sherria spoke in a stern tone, quickly turning her attention to Wendy's wound. "You've got it bleeding again."

Wendy bit down hard on her bottom lip. She didn't dare look, but a sudden hard throbbing from inside her left leg was enough to confirm Sherria's diagnosis. "S-Sorry," she said through gritted teeth. "I just—"

"I know," Sherria responded softly. The young girl briefly met Wendy's eyes while turning to grab a nearby roll of gauze. "Just...stay still while I do this, okay."

A light nod was the only response Wendy felt was appropriate. She stayed silent, and watched Sherria work with a solemn gaze. Try as she might, she didn't have it in her to match her friend's warm smile.

Sherria didn't speak again until she'd almost finished tying the bandages. "You know, I always kinda thought your legs were really cute. I'm gonna be super mad if this wound leaves a scar."

One awkward laugh and short silence later, Sherria sat up straight and met Wendy's gaze dead on.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked.

"Of course not!" Wendy's answer came instantly, in a tone that made it clear she couldn't get it out fast enough. "I..." her hands grabbed at the blanket's scratchy fabric. "I'm mad at myself."

"Why?" Sherria inched forward a bit, just close enough to place a comforting hand over one of Wendy's trembling fists.

Wendy took a moment to calm down before continuing. "Look at me, Sherria," she said, turning her head to face the sleeping exceed beside her. "Look at Carla." Swallowing a hard lump in her throat, she turned back and forced herself to gaze deep into Sherria's eyes. "And you. I trained for an entire year so that, when something like this happened, I'd be able to face it head on, like Natsu does. But I couldn't stop any of us from getting hurt."

"Wendy," Sherria said in a light whisper. "You're being way too hard on yourself. Nothing that happened out there was your fault."

There was no stopping it now. Wendy could feel her eyes starting to water. "B-But...your magic is..."

Wendy's voice trailed off as Sherria lunged forward. A powerful warmth spread throughout her body, even while her mind was fighting to comprehend what was happening.

"I already told you," Sherria said, her voice now inches away from Wendy's left ear. "Love is way more important than magic."

Wendy ignored her now red cheeks and wrapped her arms tight around Sherria's torso, returning her friend's hug alongside a few unstoppable tears. "I love you, Sherria."

"I love you, too."