Chapter Six

Although they had initially thought that Natsu, Lisanna, and Ammy were in critical condition, Porlyusica had most brusquely assured them that, apart from needing bandages and rest, the kids would be absolutely fine. After that, Erza and the rest hauled the unconscious bunch back home to recuperate. Several days later, though still battered and bruised, the three were up and about again. At this point, of course, everyone wanted to hear about how they'd ended up in such a state.

It was a rainy day, so for lack of anything better to do, some of the guild members gathered around to hear the story. Lisanna, who was heavily bandaged on her side but otherwise healthy, began with the tale of when she and Natsu first encountered the Vulcan in the forest when Happy was still an egg. Then she started describing the events leading up to the horrible encounter with the entire troop. Natsu was too busy stuffing his face to add to the story, and Ammy seemed uncharacteristically withdrawn from the action, so Lisanna continued on until the story came to the point where the encounter had begun.

"I looked down saw Ammy sitting on the ground; she couldn't even move she was so frightened," Lisanna glanced sympathetically over at her friend.

However, Ammy didn't seem to be pleased with how the story was going. "I wasn't scared," she almost growled, staring at the ground. Bandages covered one of her eyes, but the other was brimming with frustration.

Taken aback by her sudden hostility, Lisanna recoiled, looking hurt. Ammy felt bad for snapping at her friend, but the way she was talking made her sound like a scaredy cat. She tried to correct herself, "I wasn't scared, I just... I didn't expect to see imps here, that's all."

There was a pause. "Whadd'ya mean, 'imps?'" Gray asked, his legs propped up on a chair.

Ammy screwed up her one visible eyebrow, "Imps, Forest Vulcan, whatever you want to call them. We have them in Nippon, except they're much nastier and they carry weapons. They're terrible monsters... When I saw them here I just..." She trailed off, unsure how or if she even could finish that sentence. Cold memories trickled through her mind, reminding of a night she wished she could forget.

"Oh, now. I get it," Lisanna smiled, putting a hand on Ammy's knee, "You weren't scared, you were just shocked to see them here in Fiore. That makes sense. I'm sorry if what I said hurt your feelings."

Ammy smiled weakly back up her friend, still shivering internally, "Yeah, me too."

From there, Lisanna continued her tale until she reached the part where she received her injury and went unconscious. Natsu, now thoroughly engorged, leapt into his own fiery account of the action. He demonstrated his story energetically, intermittently sending tankards and often people flying across the room. Ammy much more sedately chipped in her own account, but often her voice was drowned out by Natsu's interactive play-by-plays. Happy piped in with his grandiose tale of his dramatic rescue mission to find help, and then the "Rescue Team" added their bit about how the story came to a happy ending.

Then a lively question and answer session ensued. Ammy came under scrutiny. Almost no one could believe that one of the smallest, most docile of the misfits was capable of such intense fighting power. Ammy laughed it off at first, but she was secretly regretting that she has revealed her capacity for violence. If they knew what she was, what she was capable of... They would treat her differently, she didn't want that, but...

"What, her?" Laxus scoffed from the bar, "I don't believe it; that squirt's hardly bigger than my shoe."

Ammy itched with irritation. She may not want them to know what she could do, but she did not appreciate the mocking in the teen's voice.

"No way, she couldn't slice a candlestick, much less a full grown Vulcan," he drawled, taking a swig of his drink, "You must'a been dreamin, Natsu."

Ammy gritted her teeth. I used my magic to protect my friends. It saved us. Now this guy is laughing at me for it. Even if I tried to hide my power, I am not weak.

"I'd like to see her try, I bet she couldn't even scratch the paint off the wal-"

"POWER SLASH!"

Although some of them had seen this coming, no one expected the degree to which it would occur. Saved by his lightning fast reflexes, Laxus dropped a split second before the attack could hit him. Instead, the sound of a slicing katana was accompanied by the shattering of a multitude of liquor bottles and the crunch of wood as the bar shelf collapsed. Heavy fumes of alcohol choked the air as the liquid spilled across the floor. When the noise finally ceased, Laxus looked up from the ground to see the little pinkette standing rigidly with her paintbrush held out to one side, a cold blue glare fixed on him.

"Not the booze!" Someone shouted from across the room.

With that, Ammy turned and strode out of theguild hall, with everyone's gaze following her.

(End of Chapter Six)

A/N: Hello again! This is a day late and shorter than I would have liked it to be, but it's here. I'm giving a special shout out tonight to ultima-owner; I appreciate all of your reviews! Next week: How will the guild react to Ammy's outburst of violence? Is she ready to deal with the consequences of her actions? Plus, what will happen when her past and her present collide? Find out in Chapter 7! As always, thanks for reading! See ya next time! - NightWing