Meshiro beat her wings hard against the cold night air, flying fast and far, her still cold muscles screaming for her to stop. She had to get away. She had to leave that woman behind. She didn't know who she was, but be she definitely was not her loving sister. Akajii would never use such harsh words like that. Akajii would never bring her brother Michi up in such a way, she adored him. And Akajii would never, ever strike her in anger. That girl back there was a mere shell of what her sister used to be.

The cold air was beginning to sting her fragile lungs and her cheek hurt terribly where her sister's hand had met its mark. She flew over to a bare patch of land just outside of the city and changed back to human. The cold night air blew right through her thin pajamas and she scolded herself for not bringing her coat or even her shoes. The tears streaming down her face stung on her cold wet cheeks, but she no barely noticed. She looked up at the moon and sobbed, remembering what Michi had told her after their sister Kudotsu had died.

"Whenever you feel down, just look up at the moon. If you look and think really hard, you can always see it smiling." He'd said.

"That doesn't make any sense." She replied through drying tears. "How can we see a smile when the moon is full? Or when there is a new moon, or if it's covered by clouds?"

"Well, if the moon is full, it looks like someone having a jolly laugh," He replied laughing dramatically with a "ho ho" sound holding his stomach with his hands. "And when the moon isn't there, how do you know it isn't smiling?"

"I still don't think it makes any sense." She grumbled inconsolably.

"You will one day, little sis," He said soothingly, pulling her in for a hug. "But that's a lesson you will have to learn for yourself, in order to truly understand it."

She still never really knew what he meant but, she thought about his words from time to time, when she was upset. He was wise beyond his years and he always seemed to speak in riddles whenever they needed advice, telling them that many of life's mysteries can only be learned by one's own self. Now Meshiro looked up at the half moon and remembered brother's words from that night. This memory only made her pain hurt all the worse though. She missed her family terribly. She wanted to see her beautiful mother and goofy father with her sister Ami clinging closely to her mom's legs, always the shy one. She wanted to see her strong and courageous brother Michi, gently teaching Mikel about the different magics, trying to help him discover which one he would like to use. She wanted Athena to come back and remind them to forgive each other. But mostly, she wanted to go back to her sister and tell her she still loved her, but once that thought crossed her mind, a cold pit dropped into her stomach. How can I be thinking of going back to my sister when she obviously hates me? She doesn't want me around. She thought miserably. "Maybe I should just leave. Would anyone even notice I wasn't around anymore?" She questioned quietly to herself.

"I would notice."

Meshiro jumped at the sound of a deep female voice coming from behind her. She spun around and saw the redheaded form of Erza looking back at her. "I'm sorry!" Meshiro exclaimed in embarrassment. "I didn't see you were over here. I'll just…umm…leave you to your thoughts and um…" She stammered as she quickly tried to brush past her. Erza grabbed her by the arm and pulled the crying girl in front of her, now holding onto both shoulders with firm hands.

"I would notice if you left. So would the rest of the guild. We are your family and we care for and love you. You can't just leave. Not again" Erza said forcefully.

Meshiro was shocked to hear the anger in her voice. "But…" She started.

"No. No buts, ever. You and your siblings left so suddenly last time and never said a word to anyone. No explanations were given and no goodbyes were even attempted, you just vanished. You left for so long that we all believed that you guys must have died. Then you come back, out of the blue, and only half of you has returned. If you leave again, who's to say you'll ever come back?"

"I…" She attempted again.

"I don't know where you have been," She continued, ignoring the older girl's attempts to speak . "and I don't know why Kudotsu hasn't returned, but I can only assume she met a similar fate as Michi. I also don't know why you feel like you need to go it alone. What I can tell you, is that I know you are going through some very difficult times and, as your family, we will help you ladies through whatever trials you are facing. We will risk our lives to save yours' because we know you would do the same for us. Now, please tell me you intend to stay, or I will be forced to keep you here against your will, and I can assure you, the other guild members will help me." She said with force.

Meshiro stood in silence, staring at the women in front of her. She was shocked by the certainty that the redheaded spoke with when referring to those in the guild. How could she possibly know what the others were thinking when they weren't here to voice their own opinions. She nodded her head, not sure if she should try to speak again.

"Good," she said now gently, her hard stare softening in an instant. "Now let's get you back to Fairy Hills. You have a pretty bad cut on your cheek that's bleeding."

Meshiro nodded again in silence but stayed where she was while Erza started to walk away. She turned around when she realized the white-haired girl wasn't next to her and gave her a questioning stare. Meshiro looked at her for a moment then said quietly "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," She replied with a smile as she turned back around. "I'm only doing what anyone would do for family." Then she started walking towards the girls' dormitories, without looking to see if she followed this time.