Sorry for the slow update; My computer hasn't been working very well. Let me know what you think!

"Who was the man?" asked Lucy.

"I wouldn't know until later, but not anyone good," I said, shaky my hands slightly.

"Did Violet find you?" asked Levy.

I shook my head, "I haven't seen them since…"

"So what happened next?"

"Well, I don't remember much from waking up but I do remember being lost in a new town…"

"Violet-nee? Kagura? Hana?" I called, walking around in a small, village.

"Anyone?!" I yelled as I ran up through the village, tears rushed down my eyes. "I don't want to be alone. I'm scared."

"Kid, I thought you were asleep," said a man nearby me. I recognized that voice as the stranger who took me away from Violet-nee.

I shrieked and ran, into the forest, ignoring the branches that cut my skin. My left foot caught on a root and I fell, crashing to the ground.

"Why me?" I moaned, tears coming to my eyes in pain and fear.

I sat there, crying for a couple minutes before I noticed that the necklace was still around my neck and I still had the dagger. However, my necklace had a slight crack on the underside of it.

"If mine's cracked…then so has Kagura…Then maybe she will find me!" I said, quickly wiping the tears out of my eyes and standing up, "I'll have to keep walking and maybe I will find them."

"Violet-nee! Kagura! Hana!" I continued to yell, looking around for them until I heard a rustling beside me.

I stood still, scared, "Kagura?"

With no answer, I drew out my dagger and walked forward to the source of the sound.

"Who is making all this ruckus?" asked a loud, booming voice.

I made my way through the trees and saw a large, lush green dragon sitting in the middle of a meadow. It turned one of its eyes, as large as I was, towards me.

"Ahhh! Don't eat me please!" I shrieked, falling to the ground and beginning to cry. "Please don't huwt me! Violet-nee! Help! I'm scawed!"

"Hush child, it's alright. I won't hurt you," replied the dragon, lying to face me.

I continued crying, scared, "I want my Erza-nee. I want Violet-nee and Kagura and Hana and the west of Mermaid Heel. I want to go home."

The dragon extended its paw to me and, although I yelled louder, it pulled me towards its body. Surprisingly, it did not eat or hurt me but cradle me against its chest.

"Shhh, it's okay child. I won't hurt you," whispered the dragon, its soothing voice vibrating my body.

Slowly, my shrieks turned to sniffles.

"Who awe you?" I asked, my voice cracking from crying.

"My name is Gaia. I am the Earth Dragon. Who are you, child?"

"I'm Poppy," I responded.

"What are you doing here all alone?"

"I…I don't know…I was waiting for Violet-nee and Kaguwa to come eat ice cweam with me…And then a man came…And then I woke up in the fowest and now I'm with you…I want to go home!" I slowly began to cry again, quietly this time.

"Shhh, it's okay Poppy. You will be okay," soothed Gaia towards me, holding me closer to her.

"Do you know where Violet-nee or Kagura or Hana or Mermaid Heel is?" I asked, slowly wiping my face.

"I'm afraid not. We are far away from any towns or villages. It surprises me that you came this far; this land has yet to inhibited by humans."

I looked up to her chocolate eyes, "What do I do now? I don't know where my home is."

She blinked, picked me up in her hand, brought me near her face and said, "You will stay with me. I will raise you as my own and teach you magic."

I looked at her in surprise and eyes wide, "Really? Violet-nee says I'm not old enough yet…"

She chuckled, "Your sister sounds caring, but any age is fine to learn magic as long as you have a proper teacher."

"Violet-nee isn't my real sister. Erza-nee is my big sister but she was kidnapped three years ago after protecting me. Kagura and I found Violet and the rest of Mermaid Heel when we left the village. Violet-nee took care of us ever since. She said she would teach me magic when I was older and then Kagura and I would go look for Erza and Simon- Kagura's big brother. I want to learn magic so I can find Erza-nee again," I explained.

"You will my dear child, I will help you and raise you as my own."

I smiled and hugged her snout.

"Arigato!"

"How long did you live with her? Did she disappear as well? Do you know where Igneel is?" asked Natsu rapidly.

Wendy and Gajeel also looked at me in curiosity as well.

I shook my head, "No, I don't know where he is or the others or Gaia. I lived with her for two years before she disappeared."

"Kaa-san! Gaia-san!" I yelled, jumping up and down on Gaia's snout in an effort to wake her up, "Gaia! Wake up! I can do it!"

She snorted slightly, causing me to slide off her and fall to the ground. I stood up quickly, unfazed from the fall and climbed back on. "Gaia! I learned it! I practiced like you told me!"

She opened her right eye sleepily and looked at me, "Isn't it time for you to go to sleep?"

"It's not that dark yet. The sun barely went down!" I pouted at her.

She sighed and stood up, leaving me to quickly grab her snout so that I did not fall.

"Show me then what you have practiced."

I nodded and smiled, jumping down to the ground and landing smoothly.

"Is that all you wanted to show me? Your jump?"

I turned to her and frowned, "No! I mean, yes because I can jump now without falling but no. That's not it."

She grinned, "Very well then, what is it that you wanted to show me so late in the evening?"

"This," I took a deep breathe, inhaling all the dirt and earth around me, "Earth Dragon's Roar!"

I shot the blast of earth straight out in front of me, knocking out rows and rows of trees in an instant, stopping as my breath ran out. I then turned to Gaia smiling in contentment.

"See? I can do it now!"

"I see you have been practicing…Good job Poppy though you still need to practice some."

She turned to fallen trees before her, "Why don't we clean this up now?"

I nodded, "Hai!" I held my hands out in front of me and focused my power on the trees. "Earth Dragon's Grow!"

The trees before me slowly moved back in place, roots returning to the ground as the trees stood up once more.

"Done!" I said, feeling accomplished yet slightly exhausted from using too much power.

"Very well. I am proud of you Poppy," she said, smiling, "However, I thought I had told you to go the bed earlier. You've been practicing all day and need to rest. It's late."

I nodded, "Okay…I just wanted to get it down though."

"I understand but now, let us rest," she laid back down on the ground and I went to her side while she curled her tail around me.

"Oyasumi-nasai," I said drowsily, closing my eyes to sleep, feeling warm in her embrace.

"Oyasumi dear one."

I woke up as the sun's light pierced my dreams.

"Morning Gaia," I mumbled, cuddling to her body when I hit a hard rock.

"Gaia?" I said, opening my eyes.

"Kaa-san? Gaia?!" I called out, seeing no one in the meadow or nearby.

Tears began to form in my eyes as I realized I was alone, "Gaia! Gaia! Gaia! Please!" I yelled, running through the trees

"Gaia! Don't leave me too!" I cried, falling to the ground as I sobbed, "Why does everyone leave me?"

"Oh, Poppy…I'm sorry," said Erza, hugging me towards her.

"Gaia wasn't the only dragon that disappeared. Ours did too," replied Natsu while Gajeel and Wendy nodded sorrowfully.

"I haven't seen Gaia since," I replied, "I couldn't find her…"

After crying, I stood up and wiped the tears out of my eyes. "No, I'm going to find her. And Violet-nee and Kagura. And Erza-nee. That's what Gaia would want me to do." I walked away, determined to find them.

I walked for days, following a trail out of the forest and finding myself in a town. I stared around at awe, I hadn't been in a town for three years and the one Mermaid Heel was small in comparison to this metropolis.

"Hey kid, why are you all dirty? Where are your parents?" said a stranger nearby.

I turned back quickly to see a man near a watermelon stand. Instantly, I ran away.

"Hey kid! Wait up!" he called but I ran faster and further, a year of training with Gaia advantaging me.

I didn't stop until I felt sure he was nowhere nearby and I collapsed below a tree on top of a hill.

"That probably wasn't smart," I panted feeling dizzy and light-headed, "I haven't eaten much since I left…"

My ears perked as I heard a girl's laughter come closer to me.

"Hi! Are you okay?" asked a blonde girl as my vision slowly turned grey.

"Specto-San!"

"Ugh," I mumbled, opening my eyes to see a large pink room, "Where am I?"

"You're in my room!" replied a high-pitched voice.

I turned to see a blonde hair girl sitting on my left. She had eyes similar to Gaia's and was smiling.

I sat up and moved away from her nervously, "Who are you? Why am I here?"

"I'm Lucy! I found you under a tree before you passed out. Specto-San came and took care of you since you had a high fever. You've been asleep for two days!"

"Oh…" I replied, "I'm Poppy. How old are you?"

"I'm almost fourteen and you?"

"Umm, I'm almost nine."

"Why were you running? What had happened to you?" questioned Lucy, looking at me curiously.

I looked down at my hands, "I got lost. I was trying to find my kaa-san since she wasn't there when I woke up or my nee-sans but I haven't seen them in years." I looked to her, "Have you seen them? My kaa-san's name is Gaia; she's a huge, green dragon or my nee-san; she has red hair like mine, or Violet or Kagura or Hana – they're both in a guild called Mermaid Heel?"

Lucy shook her head slightly, "Gomen but I do not know any of them and didn't even know that dragons existed until you said it. I also heard them in stories but have never met one."

'Well, they do and my kaa-san is one of them. She taught me magic and took care of me," I answered proudly.

Lucy's eyes lit up, "You know magic?"

I nodded, "Yup!"

"I know magic too! I'm a Celestial Wizard- like my Mama," she jumped off the bed, "the spirits are my friends. Come on, I'll introduce you to them."

I hopped down with her but then swayed and leaned on the bed, feeling exhausted.

Lucy helped me up, "Gomen! You need more rest!"

"I guess I do…"

"I stayed with Lucy for a week as I recovered and we soon became close friends. She introduced me to some of her spirits but I never showed her my magic because I never had the energy to. However, as much fun as it was to stay with her, I was determined to find my family, so I left."

"It was a fun week with you and I knew you were going to leave but I didn't expect you to leave without saying good-bye," responded Lucy.

I frowned at that, "I wrote you a note! I left it in your room for you."

Lucy looked at me in confusion, "I never saw it…" She shrugged, "its okay. I can spend time with you now since you are a member of Fairy Tail! But what happened to you after you left?"

I looked down to my hands, particularly the bandage around my left wrist. "Not anywhere good," I whispered, trying to stop the tears from falling as I remembered it where I had spent my last year.

Erza hugged me to her, "It's okay Poppy. You are here with me. Nothing will hurt you again."

"I'll beat them to a pulp! Just tell me who it is! They'll get it for hurting my nakama!" yelled Natsu, a flame appearing in his hand.

I chuckled, pulling away from Erza and wiping my eyes, smiling sadly, "I hope you can Natsu-san."

I turned to the guild, continuing on, "Once I left Lucy-san's estate, I was captured by a dark mage. His name is Kumori..."

"'Welcome to –"

I shook my head and moved forward, not bothering to stop seeing as this was not the right city for Mermaid Heel and far from where Erza-nee would be. Gaia-san prefers the woods and would never appear in the middle of a city so I continued on.

"Are you lost young one?"

I looked up from my feet and turned to the alleyway where the shadow of a man stood.

"No, not again," I thought, frightened as I remembered the last time a man approached me.

I shook my ahead quickly and walked away faster, "No sir. I'll just be on my way now."

I walked briskly, avoiding him and turning from street corner to street corner, sniffing the air ever so often to see if I could smell him if he was nearby.

"Then why do you seem to be taking only back roads?" asked the man.

I looked up to see him casually sitting on a roof. I ignored him and began to run.

"Why couldn't I smell him or hear him when he went to the roof?" I thought, scared.

"What?" I thought hazily, pain shooting through my body as I laid on the ground after being hit down.

"You can't run away little girl. It's been a year and I have found you again."

"Gaia!" I yelled in my head before I lost consciousness.

"Where am I?" I thought drowsily as I opened my eyes and found myself in a small, dimly lit jail cell. My hands bound together while my right ankle was chained to the wall.

"Owww," I moaned as pushed against the chain to try to move.

"Well, if that doesn't work…Earth Dragon's: Boulder!"

I winced as I flew back and slammed against the wall, "Gah!"

"Don't bother. These cells trap magic and use it against you. The more power you use, the more pain you will be in," said a small voice in the cell to the left of mine.

"Who are you? Why am I here?" I asked, leaning on the wall.

A boy, maybe as old as Lucy, with piercings in his right ear and shaggy brown hair stood outside my cell bars in his own cell. He smiled shyly then waved a hand up, "I'm Otto. I'm 15 years old but I've been here since I was 12. You're here because you have some sort of ability that they want to use or they are able to toy with you for experiments. You also have no attachments so they can do as they please."

"Who's this we? I have a family! I'm looking for them! How do I get out of here? I don't want to be here…" I began to cry quietly.

"Aw, don't cry. It's tough here but you will get used to it. I can be your friend. Why don't you tell me about yourself?" he asked, sitting on the ground with his legs cross, waving at me to sit as well.

I wiped the tears, "Sniff, I'm Poppy. I'm 9 years old. I have a family. My older sister was kidnapped when I was four, but Violet-nee and Kagura took care of me and so did the rest of the guild. When I was 7, I was kidnapped but Gaia-san found me and taught me magic. She disappeared soon and I went to look for her so that I can find my older sister- Erza and bring her home. What about you?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "My village was attacked by the child hunters right before my 12th birthday. My parents saved me and hid me away. I got away but later ran into these guys who took me here and I've been here ever since. There's some more of us who are here. Most are older though and work for the Master. You're the youngest though."

"What do they want us for?" I questioned before turning towards the hall as I heard footsteps.

"Looks like the girl finally woke up," said a man as he walked outside my cell and began to open the door.

I looked at Otto fearfully who smiled sadly at me before addressing the man, "Hey, bastard, what do you want with her?"

The man grunted angrily, "It's not my or your business kid. The Master has his reasons," he turned to me and released my chains while grabbing my shoulder harshly and bringing me up to my feet, "Come on, it's time for you to meet the Master."

He held on to me tightly and I walked briskly to keep with his pace, noticing that the cells next to Otto and I were empty but the ones furthest away from us all had 2 teens in each, all looking haunted and wearing rags for clothes.

We walked up a spiral staircase and the number of cells decreased while the building became more and more clean. Laughter could be hear behind certain doors. At the very top of the staircase was a deep red door that the man quickly opened and shoved me through. This room was large with burgundy carpet and portraits surrounding the room. The most massive portrait was behind a black, wooden desk with a leather chair turned the opposite direction. Black sofas were around the desk to sit in as well as a coffee table in between them. A woman with midnight blue hair past her waist and similar eyes sat in one of the sofas nearest the desk and smiled as we entered.

"Here's the girl Master," the man said as he released his grip on me, bowed, and left the room.

I stood there, frightened and unsure of what to do.

The woman stood up and beckoned me to her, "Come here darling, I'm sorry about the rough handling but you put up quite the fight. No worries, we won't hurt you here."

I nodded slightly, not trusting this woman but scared of what would happen if I didn't listen. I sat next to her on the sofa and she began to run her fingers through my hair, causing me to flinch away and shut my eyes.

"You have such lovely red hair…Brother, it seems as though your men have frightened her. The poor thing is trembling," she said, reaching out once more to stoke my hair.

"Please…Don't hurt me… Let me go… I just want to be with my family again…" I whispered, opening my eyes and begging to the lady and the chair.

At that, the chair slowly turned to face me. I saw a man with the same color hair as his sister, a deep midnight blue that just passed his ears, face me, wearing all black and a red, chain necklace around his neck. I gasped in shock as my eyes met with his blood red eyes.

"I see Sister. I will have to talk to my men about how we treat our guests," he said in a deep voice, "Young one, how are you?"

"I want to go home…Please…" I said, meeting his red eyes.

His eyes remained cold, "I'm sorry but that will not be happening. You will remain with us. We can help you and we could use your help."

My eyes began to water, "But… Nee-san needs me…"

The lady turned to me and gave me a one-arm hug, "Oh darling, they don't need you and you don't need them. Only us. We are going to help you. Think of my Brother as your tou-san and I as your kaa-san; we'll watch over you."

I shook my head and pulled away from her grip, "But I have a kaa-san! And a family! I just need to get to them!"

"Enough!" yelled the man, standing up from his chair, "Follow me," he commanded, walking towards the door.

The lady stood up quickly grabbing my hand and holding on as she led us to follow the man, "Brother, we talked about this. She's young. She's only scared. Let's give her time. She'll warm up to us."

"Sister, I will only show her to listen to us." He continued on and led us down the staircase and into a long, dim hallway.

The lady sighed and looked down at me, smiling sadly, "I am sorry Darling. My brother has made up his mind."

I looked around warily until my ears caught loud screams. I struggled in her grip slightly, trying to slip my hand out of hers, "Please! Please don't hurt me!"

"Sister…" he warned causing the lady to pick me up. As stunning as she was, it was obvious that she was strong as she held me with ease as though I was a toddler and not an older kid.

The scientist ignored her and pushed down a lever across from the bound woman. Almost immediately, the woman began to scream as electricity pulsed from her left wrist and into the lacrima.

"STTOOPPPP!" she yelled and I struggled harder against the lady's grip. She, however, held me tight and stood still as she watched, intrigued by the scene before her.

After a few minutes, the scientist switched the machine off and the bound woman sunk in her chains, panting once more. She opened one eye and gazed at me, in fear and pity, before sinking into the wall and falling unconscious.

Tears began to fall from my eyes and I shook slightly in fear. The woman, catching it, began to stroke my hair with her long fingernails and rocked me in her arms as though I was an infant, "Shhh Darling. Do not worry. That thing will be fine. She's only helping us achieve greatness and change this world for the better."

The man in front of me turned towards me, smiling uncannily, "You see Poppy? You are not here to be harmed, only to help others. That lacrima she is helping fill with magic power will power an incredible invention that will change the world as you know it. Fear not, my sister here will teach you all you need to know."

He began to walk back towards the room and his sister followed, still holding me.

"Sister, have one of the men return her to her cell. I will be in the office," he then disappeared in a black smoke and a flash of red.

"Sorry Darling, but you have had enough for one day. Rest well. We shall see each other tomorrow," the lady said as she pecked the top of my head and set me on the ground only to be grasped by my left hand by a guard.

"Here you are. The Master has given you a pillow and blanket. Don't bother trying to run; we have guards surrounding the area," said the guard gruffly as he shoved me into the cell.

The "pillow" and "blanket" I was given was an old jacket that was torn in various places and an old, worn hat.

"Why?" I whispered, crying softly into my hands at the corner of my cell.

"Aww, don't cry," said Otto, appearing next to my cell, "Besides, though that may seem old, it will be useful when it begins to get colder."

"I don't wanna be here…" I replied, keeping my eyes shut.

"Sorry sis, but ya are. Just try to make the best of it. Besides, it does seem as though you're on the Master's good side; you weren't tested and you did get a blanket."

"Who are they? Why are they doing this?" I asked, looking up to Otto.

He sighed, "They want power. I'm not sure for what exactly but they said it would change the world. They take mages with significant potential and harness their power when it's relatively still weak – that's why most of the test subjects are young. They will train you for a while in your magic and then test you to see if they can use your power."

"As for who they are…It's no one good. They all belong to a Guild, hence the symbols, but they all stay hidden away. From what I know, the Guild is called Night Eye. The Master is the man in charge while his sister is the one who came up with the plan. Both are extremely powerful."

"What do you mean by tested?" asked Levy hesitantly.

I looked at her, my face grim, before I looked back to my wrist.

Wendy gasped lightly, "No… You don't mean that…"

I nodded slightly, "H-Hai…"

"Oi! Sis, ya better wake up soon. I brought you some food but you hafta hurry. You got to train now and you don't want to be late- Midnight is waiting," said Otto, nudging me softly on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes slightly and saw him hovering over me. Over the last month, the Master's Sister Midnight began to train me each morning until I had no power to move claiming that "it was for my own good." With these trainings, came improvements in my living conditions as I was her "little ruby". I moved into a room in a higher floor with a bed, a closet, and my own bathroom. However, for punishments, I would be sent back into my previous cell with no food and would be chained to the wall. Otto too had reached a higher ranking and was now my guard in charge of ensuring that I stayed imprisoned and powerless. He, however, did what he could to feed me and treat my injuries from the trainings.

"Please…No….I'm tired…I don't wanna do it anymore," I moaned, digging deeper into the torn mattress. Despite my better treatment, I was still a prisoner and given only used items to own.

Otto quickly lifted me up from the bed and stood me up, "Here, take this. And get ready. You have 5 minutes." He shoved two granola bars and a banana into my hands before exiting my room.

Finally awake, I rapidly changed into my clothes as I stuffed all the food into my mouth, running into Otto as I exited the room.

"It took you long enough," he muttered before roughly grabbing my arm and leading me towards the training room as we passed guild members.

I flinched as his grip burned my sore muscles but didn't say a word. I knew he was only doing it to avoid being questioned by the guild members.

"Ahh, Good Morning Sweetie! I hope you have had a good night rest," said Midnight as Otto released me and she came to kiss my cheek.

"Ohiyo Aunt Midnight," I replied with a small smile, knowing that I had to keep her happy to have an easier training day, "I slept like a rock!"

She chuckled and ran her fingers through my hair, "I'm glad my sweet little ruby." She then stood up and clapped her hands together, "Today is a special day my dear!"

"Why?" I asked, unsure of how to respond.

"You've successfully completed your training!" she said, smiling and then lifting me up.

"So I am done?" I asked warily.

"You're done with this training, yes, but you still have a lot to do my dear!" she claimed.

"Sister, is she ready yet?" asked the Master as he walked into the training ground.

I felt my body stiffen and Midnight began to rock me up and down; I had not seen the Master since I had first arrived and knew from Otto that he rarely left his office unless needed.

"Brother, I thought I told you that I would handle this. Don't scare the poor dear," she scolded slightly as she turned to face him, still holding me.

"There have been a change in plans and we need to move forward with the next phase," he said, "Show me what you have learned in training Poppy."

I looked at Midnight who easily put me down and stood by her brother. She waved her hand and held a one. I then turned to face the opposite wall where a chain of steel plates stood. "Earth Dragon's," I inhaled quickly, "ROAR!" The chain of steel was easily demolished along with the wall of the training center. A guild member rapidly ran after seeing the damage created.

I turned to face Midnight and the Master once more.

"Perfect," replied the Master, a sly grin on his face, "Sister, take her."

Midnight nodded and then picked me up once more, following her brother out of the training ground and into the hallway.

"Brother, are you sure you want to do this now? I do not believe she is ready. She is just warming up to us as well…" said Midnight before being cut off by the Master.

"She will comply regardless. We must speed this along and whether or not she does it willingly is not an issue for we both know that she has no choice."

Midnight sighed, "Fair enough but allow me to handle it first."

As I overheard their conversation, I began to notice my surroundings more and more. We seemed to be going further down the guild to a place I did not recognize yet radiated a negative feeling. The Master opened a door and I instantly remembered: the Lab.

"Please, Please no! Auntie Midnight! I'll be good! I'll wake up earlier and train earlier! Please!" I begged to her as I struggled in her arms.

"Hush now dear, it will all be over soon if you listen and behave," she replied, walking towards the wall as a man in a lab coat approached me. The Master stood near the lacrima waiting.

"No! No! No! Please!" I yelled, tears in my eyes as I fought Midnight as hard as I could. Given that she herself had trained me within the last month, I was in much better shape and was able to scratch her.

Her eyes glowed angrily as she saw the scratch on her right arm.

"Good girls don't hurt their elders! It's time for you to learn a lesson!" she stated furiously, quickly slamming me to the wall and allowing the men in the laboratory coats to strap my left wrist to the wall. Given that I was small and this was meant for those older than me, the chain lifted me from the ground so that only my body was hanging up by my left wrist- causing me terrible pain on my left shoulder.

"Gah!" I yelled, as I felt as though my arm was being ripped away from my body.

The man walked over to some screens and began to flick some switches. Scared, I did the one thing I could and attempted to use my magic.

"Earth Dragon's" I began, before screeching in pain as electricity zapped every part of my body and my wrist broke from supporting my weight.

The pain stopped for a minute but I still twitched as the electricity ran through my body.

"This is made to take your magic," said the Master, oddly close.

I opened one eye to look at him, breathing heavily and tears falling from my eyes as I tried to stay awake even though I was in pain.

He chuckled softly as he looked at me, "You are most definitely strong." He turned away and walked towards the lacrima, "All of your magic will be stored in this lacrima. You cannot use your magic while in this room or in close proximity to the lacrima as it will harness your power. This will enable us to use it to change the world." The Master walked near a switch, holding it in his hands, "I have grand plans for you child – or rather, for your magic. Do not fear, we will not dispose of you…yet." With that, he flipped the switch and I felt my magic drain out of me through my wrist before I shut my eyes to surrender to the darkness.

"From that point on, my magic was extracted. I was a test subject," I said, finishing my story as I did not want to go to any more details. I held on to my left wrist and winced as I remembered the pain of each and every extraction.

Erza hugged me tight and gave me a light kiss on my head and I leaned into her, wanting only to forget everything,

"How long were you there?" asked the Master.

I looked at him sadly, "Two years." The Guild gasped as the girls began to cry and the boys held their hands in fists. "I got lucky one day. Usually, they kept me strong enough so that I could walk alone but not strong enough for me to use much magic say than growing a small flower. But, for some reason, they forgot about me for a week –though I've been unconscious for longer – and their guild was occupied. I took a chance and I ran away as soon as I could. I didn't have food or anything but I knew I had to get away. I-I couldn't use magic though…I was too scared…So I snuck through the back of the guild and found an old tunnel under the guild and the prison. I followed that for as long as I could before I finally saw light and climbed outside to the middle of a city street. The townspeople sure were scared but not as scared as I so I ran to a nearby forest because I didn't want to be near people in case a guild member was out. Since then, I stuck to the forests and hid myself in towns hoping to find Mermaid Heel so I can see Kagura and Violet again. One day, I heard about a mage with long red hair who had destroyed the tower. I got excited and decided to look for her, hopeful that maybe it was my sister and, well, here I am now." I ended happily as I smiled to everyone.

"And here you will stay," said Erza, smiling at me as the guild members nodded their heads in agreement.

"I'll beat that guy to a pulp so you will never have to see him again!" yelled Natsu, his fists catching on fire.

"I will be the first to him," replied Erza, a dark aura appearing around her.

"Now, now," began the old man, "We have no clues on their whereabouts and need to think this through before we attack," Natsu began to complain but was soon swatted away by the old man's hand, "Fear not, we will avenge Poppy. We will teach them to never mess with our Nakama again. But for now, let us continue our lives until we collect more information. Levy can begin to look for clues on where they may be located while the rest of you brats need to keep your ears open during missions and listen for clues. As for right now, let us leave and let Poppy rest."

The guild mumbled and began to shuffle out of the infirmary; Levy and Mira discussed how to begin the search while Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu argued about who was going to beat up Kumori first. Soon, only Wendy, Charle, Lucy, Makarov, and Erza remained with me.

"My dear child, if you have any more information, let us know so we can get to the bottom of this but do not fear for you are safe now," said the old man before walking away.

Lucy came near me and gave me hug as she cried a bit on my shoulder, "Gomen, Poppy. I wish you would have stayed longer at my house and maybe you could have avoided being kidnapped but trust me, they will never be able to touch you again. I'm here for you, Erza's here for you, Wendy, Levy, Natus, Gray, all of Fairy Tail will protect you."

I blinked a few tears away as I hugged her tightly back, "Arigato, Lucy."

She smiled and then left the infirmary, still sniffing some.

Wendy came up to me and hugged me after, "Friends forever Poppy-Chan! I healed you to the best of my ability but you do need to rest now. If you need anything, let me know."

"Always Wendy-chan! Arigato," I called to her as she also left, leaving only Erza and I.

I looked at Erza who will still sitting on the edge of the bed and leaned against her shoulder.

"Ne, Poppy?"

"Hai?"

"Gomen Nasai," she whispered and I saw tears fall from her eyes, "I should have found you sooner."

I hugged her and she held me back tightly, "It's not your fault nee-san. It was only a year. And I'm here now. And I'm never going back."

"Yes. I promise I'll protect you. I am never leaving you again Poppy. Never," she said firmly, holding me in her arms as though someone was threatening to take me away again.

I sat there, comfortably as I listened to her heart beat and felt her fingers brush my hair. I felt safe and soon I began to fall asleep.