Back to fully present time

"You must have been pretty lonely though, right Mona?" Droy asked me.

"Yeah, being on your own for so many years." Jet agreed.

I smiled softly, staring at the now dwindling flames of the camp fire, "Actually, I wasn't alone. Sure I got lonely, but I met so many amazing friends along the way. So I traveled alone but I met so many people that most of the time I didn't feel alone. And I was determined to train, to get stronger. I swore that no matter how much I wanted to come back, no matter how much I dreamed of being with the guild again, I couldn't until I knew I was ready."

Levy looked slightly sad, "Imagine how hard that must have been on Laxus, for you to leave with no explanation. You two were pretty close, after all. He gave you that ring, didn't he?"

I stopped short, staring at her. Hard on Laxus? I hadn't thought of that. I hadn't considered how he must have felt, how he must have wanted me back. In fact I think I blocked out thinking of how the guild would feel, because if I had thought about them like that I would have rushed back without another second to waste.

But surely Laxus moved on from that.

I absentmindedly nodded, raising my hand to look at the amethyst ring in the low fire light.

"You're right Levy! I remember how Laxus acted when Mona left, he was so moody. One second he would be sitting tensely, completely cold looking, the next he would punch the wall or flip a table over. He was pretty miserable, he even searched for Mona on every mission he went on." Jet mentioned.

Droy nodded, "Yeah, he went on job after job, hoping to find her along the way. And then when his dad got kicked out, he was really scary. Definitely changed."

I was looking down now, my eyes half-lidded as I fought to hide how watery they were getting. My bottom lip was quivering as the tight feeling in my chest warned me of oncoming tears. I pulled my knees up to my chest, not looking at my friends.

Levy had noticed my state of distress, and helpfully changed the subject, "Anyway, we should get some rest to be ready for tomorrow."

"Right. I wonder if Natsu and Lucy found Macao." I said, finding my voice and silently thanking Levy for hiding my mini break down.

It was hard on me, because I felt so guilty now that I considered how Laxus must have felt. That must be why he acts so cold now… so different. It was my fault… I hadn't said a proper goodbye, I had just left, and I had been gone so long…

I blinked to get rid of my tears, trying to calm myself at least for the moment.

Levy replied, "I'm sure they have. Natsu won't give up on him, I'm sure of it."

We all murmured sounds of agreement.

Later that night we put out the fire and laid down to rest. I had placed my sleeping bag closest to the opening of the cave, so I could peer out into the quiet canyons and see above to the starry sky.

Looking at the stars, a part of me wondered how many times Laxus had looked at them, after I had left, and worried about me. He must have wondered where I was, if I was alive, if he'd ever see me again.

The thought of it made me feel hollow and sad. But I pushed those feelings, along with my guilt, away. I didn't regret leaving to train. Someday maybe Laxus will be the same old Laxus, and I'll be able to be forgiven.

But right now I need to get some rest for tomorrow's job.

I glanced back at the snoring Jet and Droy, who lay on either side of Levy, who was peacefully sleeping. She looked so small inbetween them. I can't believe she's able to sleep through those snores.

Sighing, I laid flat on my back and looked up at the stars, hoping I'd get some sleep.

Not soon after my eyelids drifted shut and I fell into the dark softness that was sleep.

The Next Day

"HURRY UP YOU KNUCKLEHEADS!" I shouted angrily at Jet and Droy.

"Coming Mona! We said we were sorry!" Jet yelled back to me.

We were hurrying up the canyon path, towards the train station, and were running late. If we didn't catch our train we'd have to wait two hours for the next one to Magnolia.

"It's all your faults! If you two hadn't slept in and been such slow pokes we wouldn't be late!" I growled at them.

Literally this morning Levy and I had gotten up early and cleaned up camp and we could not wake these two idiots up. It took forever and once we did they were incredibly slow at actually waking up.

And so the hour we had set aside to get to the station turned into half an hour, and this path was incredibly long, or at least it seemed to be.

Levy was pretty peeved too but being the kind person she was she already forgave them. "Mona-Chan, don't blame them too much. We'll get there just in time!"

I grumbled back to her as we ran along the dirt path, "Still, it's a pain to have to hurry."

Droy retorted, "Well then let's get there and then we can stop hurrying!"

I glared back at him and kept running.

A few minutes later we made it to the station, out of breath, and managed to get on the train in time.

Of course the whole train ride I was pale and weak and feeling like I would throw up. Droy and Jet joked about it the whole time so I made a mental note to punch them later. And Levy read a book.

By the time Droy and Jet dragged me off the train at Magnolia Station, I was already wanting to be back at the guild. But we have one more job to do first.

"So what exactly is this next job?" Jet asked me once I was standing on my own again.

I sighed, pulling the request paper out of my bag. It was pretty crinkled after Natsu tried destroying it.

"Well what I can make out from this ruined request is the name of the person asking is named Ikki Kinashi. And luckily, I know her." I replied, smiling.

"You know her?" Levy asked me as we walked through town.

I nodded, "Ikki lives not far from my house. A young woman, she has a young son but her husband died last year, had some type of illness, they couldn't find a cure, it was magic. Her son is named Rohan." I explained.

"Must be tough on her." Droy remarked.

I shrugged, "I visit her every so often, sometimes I get a mood to bake so I'll bake and bring her something."

"Oh yeah! I remember those spice cakes you brought to the guild last month! Delicious." Jet exclaimed.

I shrugged, "Herona happened to think me learning human culture was very important, so she had a friend of hers teach me cooking. She taught me everything else though."

We were walking through the east forest now.

"So This is a request to clean out a thieves den? But you said you live nearby, have you noticed a thieves den?" Levy-Chan asked me.

I shook my head, "I haven't been spending much time at home, and I've been at the guild taking jobs lately. And I haven't noticed any thieves, so I don't think they've found my house yet. My house is pretty well hidden now that I think about it…"

I had never invited anyone from the guild to my new house. Well except Mirajane, but that was only because she offered to help me move in. Mira and I were never close growing up because she is younger than me and as a kid she was a bit hard to deal with, while I was mellower. So we had our differences and never got along.

Erza and Mirajane were always challenging me to fights, it got quite annoying. Now I'm close to both of them, as we are the only three S-Class females in the guild. I respect Erza's regard for the rules and her ability to scare people, and I have a lot in common with Mirajane now.

Erza hadn't had a chance to see my house yet, but Mirajane was quite a big help with painting and decorating and moving my stuff in, we had a huge sleepover once it was all done, it was actually quite fun.

"Well, You know where the lady's house is, so you lead the way, Mona. The sooner we finish this job the sooner we can head back to the guild." Jet told me.

I nodded, "This way."

I began at a run down the trail and they followed.

This wouldn't take long, I was sure of it. A nice fight to start the day off.