The remainder o the battles again the Tartaros demons went near enough in the same fashion. One by one, despite coming out of the building in bad shape, Fairy Tail remained victorious.
For the majority at least.
Construction soon underwent to rebuild the guild building once again, each member that was out on jobs at the time or were only minorly injured in the commotion helped out in whatever way the could. In other words, it was either construction or trying to keep Natsu occupied, or even trying to get him to rest, which usually became Erza's problem, due to her scary personality whenever the poor boy was unintentionally causing some sort of trouble, especially when Gray was around.
Though time after time, it went from a cheerful, loud atmosphere that any of the locals were uneasy about due to their destructive reputation, to a peaceful silence of the dorms in which the demon girl laid to rest.
It was a close call, but after having her wound froze to stop more blood, multiple blood transfusions and Wendy's sky magic to heal, she survived.
But she hasn't woken up yet…
Until one day…
The darkness that once clouded her dreams started growing lighter. From ebony to grey, to a blinding white that formed her surroundings as far as the eye could see. All except a lone man with a peaceful expression.
Zeref…
"Do you really need to go through my head like this?" Freya questioned with a light bitterness in her tone, especially considering how bad this scenario went the last time. If anything, she didn't have any reason to trust him in the slightest.
"You still haven't woken up since the incident. Besides. A creator and his creation alone in privacy to have a talk… It's nice isn't it?"
No words seemed to pry from her lips, considering she believed that there was nothing that had to be talked out, leading to a hurt look with puppy dog eyes staring her way. Judging by the single undecisive hum and sigh, it seemed as if she was easing up on her grudge and willing to listen for the time being.
"Very well… But if this is about the whole matter with Fairy Tail, I've made up my mind and I am staying with them."
"I know…"
"And ca—Wait… You know?" She abruptly stopped her first comment, questioning his own in a dumbfounded manner, slightly widened eyes peering over at him for an answer that would quench her curiosity.
A gentle nod gave her his answer, relief hammering down into what was an incredibly tense atmosphere. At least now she was willing to listen…
"I was the one who sent you here. Erasing your memories was necessary for you to become close to the humans, but it seems it may have done more harm than good. I didn't expect my subjects to treat you in such a way. Though now… You know everything about your past."
He wasn't wrong about it, and it was obvious that he wasn't lying. But…
"Then why are you here? What else do you want to tell me?"
He approached her…
Closer and closer he got, only silence beckoning towards her until there was only a minimum amount of space between them. His hand began to raise…
Just like last time…
That sense of unease grew once again. Was he going to make her lose her mind again? Her body pulled back from his reach instinctively, a cautious look melting into her eyes. Though as much as she pulled back. He stepped forward regardless of the fact that she could still hurt him in her subconscious mind.
Though instead, his hand met with the top of her head, ruffling her hair just enough so that it didn't mess it up too much.
"I know that I have done wrong, and I know that you probably won't forgive me, but as your creator, I wish to be more of a father figure and keep an eye on you, even if it's just in your state of sleep." Je spoke in a hushed, gentle voice, similar to what a mother would use for her child, and so out of character compared to the average demon. His hand moved from her golden locks and down to the space in between her should blades, a swift tug pulling her into a gentle embrace.
Eyes now widened by the sudden action, her body remained tense by the strange phenomena known as 'hugging'. Though, as much as she didn't want to admit it, her more that she welcomed his warmth, the more calming it felt.
"But if anyone does hurt you, I won't hesitant to terminate them…" Zeref pointed out all of the sudden, his tone reverting to a more threatening one. Now that was the typical demon personality… But in the end, it still left a humoured smile on her face.
As if Zeref needed to do anything, especially if the guild members were let loose.
"I wouldn't expect much else…" Freya added with a small laugh. "… But alright… I'll put my trust in you…"
Those few blissful words echoed as she spoke, the blinding white light that surrounded them now swallowed the two whole, guiding the girl back to the safe reaches of reality.
Crimson orbs fluttered open to the somewhat empty room.
Her room…
It was cozy but spacious, the perfect combination for the homely feel, but despite the softness of fresh clean sheets in the bed she was rested upon, it didn't help the uncomfortable stiffness in her bones and a tingling burning in her abdomen where the wound was in the final stages of healing. A tired groan moved in her throat, alerting the presence of Gray whom she didn't initially see at first. He peered over, giving one of his rare small smiles.
"Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?"
"Seen better days and been in better shape." Freya responded with a croaky voice and a huff of laughter, given that she had just awoken from a week of medical rest. Her body creaked as she raised herself in an upright position, one eye closed to flinch with the sharp pain that came during her transition. "… How long was I out for?"
"About a week, give or take…"
A week? Just that answer alone brought along nothing but silence, and a troubled look to raise on her exhausted face. It was a pretty clear sign that Gray should step in.
"Something the matter?" He asked.
The girl gave a hesitant look, moving it down to the silky silver robe that she wore, fingers clenching on the blanket and creasing the edge. But in the end, she knew that keeping everything to herself would just get her and others into more trouble, as was emphasised previously.
"Well… I guess it just came to mind about how much trouble I have caused for all of you. If I didn't show up, none of you would have gotten hurt, and Natsu wouldn't have to bother with protecting me. Even when I accidently burned down the guild, I couldn't help at all. Thi—"
Gray, whom had heard enough, interrupted her self-deprecating rambling with a heavy sigh and knocked the back of her head with a single punch. She kneeled over, rubbing at the sort with a cringed expression. Naturally, it soon turned into an annoyed one.
"O-Oi, what was that for!?" She exclaimed quite loudly.
"For one, you don't give yourself enough credit. The flame brain told me everything that happened, and we saw what you did back there. Besides…"
He reached over and gently grabbed hold of her wrist, holding the back of her tattooed hand for her to view as he continued to speak.
"As long as you have this mark, it doesn't matter if you screw up from time to time. We are family. We protect each other no matter how bothersome the situation becomes. You know that you can trust us, so if anything does come up, tell us. We can help you in whatever way we can."
Her black pupils wavered from his touching words, her sight not leaving the imprint on her hand. Everything seemed too good to be true, but maybe this type of reality could be something she can learn to be content with.
"Thank you, Gray…" She said in a grateful tone, an emotional smile tugging at her lips, but with a swift movement of her arm, she returned his previous gesture and punched the back of his head.
"That was for hitting an injured girl." She added, though only adding fuel to a heated, yet harmless bickering between the two.
"I really wouldn't call that injured. If you aren't, then fight me…"
"I would, but aren't you afraid I will wreck you?" She retorted, her smile quickly turning into a smirk and leaving the usually calm-headed boy irked, their faces ground nearer by the second of every insult.
"Demon Woman!"
"Ice-Boy!"
"Umm… Did we miss something?"
The two stopped their argument and blinked once the third voice spoke out of nowhere, blankly turning their heads to the now open door, and to the numerous worried glances of their guildmates.
"If there is anything wrong, you can tell us. You don't have to fight like this…" Mirajane added onto Natsu's question out of a motherly comfort, leading to the confused expressions of Freya and Gray to grow even more confused. Their attention was drawn to each other.
Silence…
But laughter soon ensued between the twp. The group just looking as confused but waiting for an explanation as to what was so funny.
"Sorry." Freya began, a teary-eyed grin brightening up her features. "… I guess you can say I pulled a Natsu then."
As much as they were relieved that the two teammates weren't aggressively fighting, the couldn't shake away the nervous thought of there now being two Natsu-like personalities around. Except from Natsu himself, who was beaming ear to ear.
"You hear that Gray? I have someone who will back me up from now on!"
Everyone could be heard groaned from that statement.
But as they expected, it was almost as if they were related…
