"Shi Qian…he beat Elfman…?" I muttered. "The seventh kin…I don't have enough magic power to fight him, damn it…" I muttered to myself as we both attempted to stand.

"And what is this? Two fairies with wings ripe for plucking? Which shall I take for my own I wonder?" he wondered.

"So you're the seventh kin?" Erza wondered.

"I think, I'll take…the Fairy Queen's magic for a while," he said, rushing toward her, knocking her back into the tree I was in. "And now…Fallen Take Over!" he yelled, a magic circle forming in front of him, a beam of light erupting form his back, heading away from us, while a separate one came toward us. I took action, running in front of Erza as fast as I could.

"No! Inigo!" she yelled, though it was too late. The blast struck me and lasted longer than I expected, draining me of the rest of my magic power and then some.

As it faded, I felt different, sick and tired; so tired. I dropped to the ground, my consciousness fading as Erza seemed to grow more and more distant from me.

"I don't understand, Master, why are people scared of me?" I asked him once I returned from a request from a faraway village. "I did what they wanted, so why did they run away from me?"

"They did?" Precht wondered. "Well, yours is a Lost Magic, one so rare that you might be the only one who knows it."

"But still, they didn't have to run away…" I muttered while sitting down at the table. Precht put his hand on my shoulder.

"My boy, you'll meet people who instinctually fear what they don't understand or what is a dark magic, which yours sadly is classified as in the books," he explained, which only made me more depressed. "But, if yours is a dark magic, it's the brightest one in the world as well as the most beautiful."

"Really?"

He smiled at me. "Trust me, I've seen a lot of strange magic, and yours is the one of the strangest and one that I'm glad I taught you. Your Lost Magic will shine brightly, bright enough to block out any darkness that may come to try and cloud your way. That's what Lost Magic has become; a gateway for heroes. People who fight against darkness at its very core. That's what you'll be able to do," he assured me, patting me on the back. "But for now…why don't you get me a glass of water?"

I drooped my shoulders. "Yeah, yeah…" I said as I did the task, soon hearing Kagura come in.

"Hey there! How've things been going while I've been gone?" I asked her.

"Well. Thank you," she answered, putting the recent dishes into the sink and starting to wash them.

"Any problems?" I asked.

"Not a one," she assured, flashing a grin before returning to her work. "You should stop worrying so much."

I chuckled. "I guess I should. Hey, Master, you wanna spar a little?"

"Master, where are you going?" I questioned as I ran to meet him at the village's edge.

He had a bag slung over his shoulder, as well as his travelling clothes on. "I'm off, Inigo. I've taught you all that I can in your magic; the rest is up to you to learn and develop yourself."

"But where are you going?" I repeated. "In case I need you again?"

"Hm…that's a good question," he admitted. "Don't worry, I'm sure our paths will cross again, when the time is right. And trust me, I think I'll need you more than you'll need me," he said as he reached into his pocket. "Actually, it's good that you stopped me. Here," he said as he handed me a wad of Jewels. "A gift from teacher to pupil. Alright, I'll be off to continue my journey," he said as he walked off, leaving me with nothing but my normal life once again.

I returned to the inn, where Kagura was sweeping. "What's wrong?" she asked, seeing my sullen expression.

"The Master left us to travel."

"Well, he couldn't stayed cooped up with us, could he?" she wondered.

"I guess not…" I muttered, resting my head on the table.

"Hey, Igi, can you help me over here? I need you to reach this," she said, standing on her tiptoes and reaching for the flour used for our dinner. I smiled warmly at her as I complied, using my superior height to reach it. "Thanks."

Three weeks later, the news came.

"About the search that started when your village was attacked," a man from the Rune Knights entered the inn, and I got Kagura out. "I'm here on business, thank you," he said as I tried to offer a drink.

"What of Simon?" I asked.

"Well…I'm sorry, but when we tracked them to an island, there wasn't anyone there, but there were a lot of bones. The only eligible word on the island is a repeated name, who I could only guess was their leader; Jellal. I could only guess as to what…" the man trailed off as Kagura poked back in, tears bursting from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry madam, I didn't realize-"

"Where's my brother?!" she demanded. She was around ten at this point, with the wound of loss just beginning to close when this news came, even nearly six years later. "Is he…?"

"I…I'm sorry," was all the Rune Knight could say before he was called back to his leader or whatever.

With us now alone, Kagura ran into me, crying into my chest. I was trying so hard not to cry, to stay strong because I knew that Simon would've been able to do so. If I were the one taken, he would've been able to comfort her, so I tried my best to do so as well.

"I promise…" I muttered, just loud enough for her to hear one she stopped crying. "I promise that I'll get stronger, and I'll make whoever did this pay…I promise, Kagura."

Promise…

"I promise…" a different voice filled my thoughts. "I promise to always be there…"

"Nakama…" my voice escaped for me to hear. "Don't make promises you can't keep," I said as the scene appeared. Mirajane and I, when we were both sixteen. We'd met during one of her jobs and she decided to keep me company during the summer. It was the end of that time. "Remember, you can't stay with me forever. You've got commitments," I said, grazing her guild mark. At that point, I could care less about which guild she belonged to, and I never bothered to remember it, all the way from when we met to past when I left.

It's funny, I always wanted to know after I left her, but I never asked the name. She only referred to it as her home or her guild, but never by the name.

Mirajane stepped closer. "You could always come with me…" she teased me.

"And I've got commitments too," I reminded her. "Tell you what," I handed her a lacrima I bought. "Here, whenever this glows, I'll be around. You can find me if you're on a job, deal?" I asked.

She let out a frustrated grunt and separated from me. "Why…do we have to leave it up to chance?" she questioned. "That's not fair to either of us!"

"Well…" I trailed off. "I can't really say anything about that, but it's not like we have a choice. You have family back at your guild, and I have debts that need to be collected, and I don't see myself collecting anytime soon."

Mirajane sighed. "…Fine, but I better see you again," she said, a light pink on her cheeks as she reached in and pecked my cheek before running off toward the train station.

"Goodbye, nakama," I said after her.

"Nakama…" Mirajane's voice once again filled my thoughts. "Nakama…nakama," the voice grew louder, more frantic. "Nakama! Wake up!"

Author's Note:

OCs! Give me them!...I mean...you don't have to if you don't want to, but it would be amazing of you to give me a break on the creative wheel here. I pinky-promise that you'll be credited...probably. Check my profile for details on OC submission if you are interested, which I doubt most of you are.

Anyway...uh yeah, please leave a review to help me get better and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!