Alright guys! Welcome back to the next chapter! This was a request from ashlyn and I hope this is how you like it! It's another What If story this time it's a bit different. I won't say too much so I won't spoil anything! I hope you guys enjoy it!

Guest1: Yea, but I wanted to keep it between the 'grown ups'

SulliMike23: That would be hilarious. Imagine them unable to lie. It would only cause chaos

saige. 3: Glad you like these one shots so much

ian12091995: That's neat. Blue is a cool color ;)

Guest2: My guess, Kera would die of embarrassment, but that would be funny as hell.


What if: Painful Past

"Come on dad! Move!" A brown haired girl was pushing a tall blonde man down the road. He chuckled softly, moving to the side so the girl would stop pushing him. "Kathy calm down, we got time."

"But I want to get to the Guild! Mira told me that if we get there before the announcement she'll give me a hot cocoa!" Kathy said with a huge smile.

Sting chuckled as he rubbed her head. "You sure do love your hot cocoa."

Kathy pouted as she crossed her arms around her chest. "It's not like I'm Aunt Erza."

He laughed as he patted her head. "No worries Kathy. We'll get there in no time."

The little girl smiled and started jumping around. Sting smiled down at her. She was fifteen years old now and was just full of energy. She was also training hard to become a mage like them. She had inherited the magic of her mother and she had a lot of it. She was also able to use other elements such as light and darkness and even control the shadows. The unfortunate thing was that she would get extremely weak after using them and pass out. It had happened before and since then Sting had forbid her from using it until she got the hang of it.

"Hey dad?"

Sting turned to Kathy confused. She had stopped jumping around. "Yea sweetie?"

"What do you and Master Makarov need to talk about? Why is it so important?" She asked.

Sting went quiet for a moment, his smile vanishing. The reason why Makarov wanted to see him was because of the anniversary of Kera's death. She had died when Kathy was only a baby, meaning the little girl didn't know her mother at all. Kera had died while she was on a mission with Erza and Natsu. Things went wrong and they were trapped. They tried to escape and barely got out of the mess. What they didn't expect was to get ambushed by old friends of theirs.

The Spriggans from the Alvarez Empire they had dealt with earlier had come back, at least the ones that had survived, one of them being God Serena. Now normally they would have been alright, but they were already out for the count. They hated to admit it, but they had a tough time. They were able to beat most of them, but they were heavily injured, Kera the most. She had fought God Serena head on, but got some serious injuries, mostly because she took a hit for Erza which would have been deadly for the red head. She was in a bad state and both Erza and Natsu tried their best, but she couldn't make it. Sting remembered how Erza told him that the evening they had tried to patch her up, she didn't make it. In her last minutes she told Erza that he shouldn't feel guilty or anything and that he should move on and most importantly to keep their daughter safe and love her deeply.

Sting was devastated when he heard the news, especially since Kathy lost her mother. He was depressed for a while, just like everyone else in the Guild, yet he knew he had a daughter to take care of. So, instead of drowning in his own sadness he concentrated on taking care of Kathy. He was glad he had help from everyone at the Guild. He couldn't have done it without them.

Unfortunately, while Kathy was growing up she would always ask what happened to her mother. No one spoke about that incident and Sting didn't have the heart to tell her. So it never came up.

He shook his head. "It's… nothing."

"Is this about mom?"

Sting shook his head slightly before smiling at her. "It's really nothing."

Kathy frowned slightly. "Dad… I know you and everyone else in the Guild gets depressed at this time around. I know this is about mom. Nobody talks about her or mentions her. I don't even know her name!"

The blonde Dragon Slayer sighed. "Kathy… please. This isn't something we can just talk about."

"I deserve to know who my mother was." She stated with a glare. With that said the girl turned around and ran towards the Guild. Sting sighed as he shook his head. What was he going to do?


Kathy entered the Guild, fury boiling inside of her. She hated it that she didn't know who her mother was. She deserved to know! And why was everyone so secretive of this? She hated it with every fiber of her being!

"Hey there Kathy."

The girl turned her head and saw Erza standing there with a smile. "Where's Sting? I thought the two of you were coming here together."

"He's… on his way." She told her.

The red head frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" She asked her. Kathy sighed shaking her head slightly. She walked over to her and sat down next to her. "Erza… can I ask you a question?"

Erza smiled while pulling her into a hug and tickling her, causing her to laugh. "Of course you can! What's up?"

"Why won't anyone talk about my mom?"

The red head froze at that question. She let the girl go and shook her head. "Um… it's complicated."

"Why!?" Kathy shouted slightly causing more people to look at her. "I deserve to know! I don't even know her name! I think it's ridiculous! Why is everyone so secretive about it? Dad won't even utter a word about her."

"Her name was Kera."

Kathy stopped talking and glanced at her shocked. "W-What?"

Erza sighed shaking her head. "Her name was Kera. That's all I'm going to tell you. Now please, stop asking questions."

"But why?" Kathy asked whispering slightly. "Why is it such a secret topic?"

Kathy noticed that Erza looked extremely sad. She couldn't imagine the last time she looked this sad. It was… worrisome. "It's not because it's a secret Kathy… it's… it's because it's a painful memory."

The brunette went silent as she lowered her head. She looked down at her hands feeling sad for some strange reason. "I'm sorry."

Erza smiled softly as she stood up. She rubbed her arm. "It's alright sweetie." She kissed her on the head before leaving.

It didn't take long for Sting to arrive at the Guild and he saw his daughter sitting at a table alone, looking depressed. Sighing he walked over to her and sat down while putting his arm around her. "Hey listen, I know it's difficult, but I promise you it'll be alright."

"I know…" Kathy sighed shaking her head. "I'm sorry Dad… I really am."

Sting smiled as he pulled her into a hug. "It's alright sweetie. I love you."

"I love you too."


A loud yell was heard and a small pink haired girl ran forward with her fist blazing in fire. Another girl quickly stepped back, dodging the attack before punching the girl in the stomach. The pink haired girl groaned as she hit the ground. "U-Unfair…"

The other girl, a red head huffed slightly. "You're just like your father. How you survived this long is a mystery to me."

"Hey I'm not like my father!"

"Take it as a compliment fire head." The girl narrowed her eyes and glared at the black haired boy sitting under the tree with another blue haired girl. The boy rolled his eyes. "Of course you would be as thick headed as your father Nashi."

"Oh shut it Jason!"

The girl smiled softly. "But you should stop challenging Rose, you're never going to beat her."

Nashi groaned as she laid her head on the ground. "I know Jane, but someday! Someday I will beat her!"

"In your dreams." Rose smirked while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh come on! If Kathy can beat you then so can I! Right Kathy?" Nashi asked and waited for the brunette to have her back, but for some reason she was quiet. Turning her head she saw the girl under a different tree. Her head was down looking at the ground completely oblivious to the world.

Nashi frowned as she sat up. "Hey Kathy!" She called walking towards her. "What's wrong with you?"

Kathy glanced up for a moment but then shook her head. "I'm fine."

Rose walked over to her as well, looking a bit worried. "Kathy… something's bothering you, that's clear. Why won't you talk to us about it?"

"I said I was fine." The girl spoke, this time harsher as she stood up. She was about to leave, but Rose grabbed her by the shoulder. "Hey come on. You know how our parents say that we should talk about our problems than hide them."

Kathy glanced at Rose before at the others. She sighed. "Fine… but just the two of us."

Rose nodded and turned her attention to Nashi, Jason and Jane. "You heard her."

Nashi rolled her eyes before muttering. "Yea, yea, secret sister talk, bleugh…" She stuck her tongue out before walking behind the twins leaving the other two alone.

Seeing that they were alone now, Rose turned her full attention on Kathy. "Alright, talk."

"There's nothing really to talk about." Kathy muttered while putting her hands in her pocket. She hated when Rose would but in like this. She sighed shaking her head. "I'm fine Rose. There's nothing wrong."

Rose crossed her arms over her chest. "Yea and I'm the infamous Dragon Queen, come on Kathy, you can talk to me about this."

The brunette sighed as she sat down against the tree again. "It's… about my mom."

"Your mom?" Rose asked raising an eyebrow. She was curious about that as well. Nobody would talk about her. Rose wondered herself why that was. "Did something happen?"

Kathy shook her head. "No… I've noticed that everyone was being depressed around the Guild around this time of year. I asked my dad if it was about my mom and he turned the question down. I sort of… yelled at him slightly and ran off. Then I talked to Aunt Erza at the Guild and…"

Rose waited for an answer but it didn't seem Kathy wasn't going to say anything. "And what?"

"She said her name was Kera."

The red head's eyes went wide as she heard this. Someone actually had talked about her? "And you're sad because she told you her name?"

Kathy shook her head. "No… they've been talking about a Kera, but I didn't know that she was my mother. I heard that she died years ago, but… that was that. I don't know anything else… but then I asked her why it was such a secretive topic, but… well… she told me that it wasn't because it's a secret, it was because it was a painful memory."

"I see…" Rose sighed and sat down next to her. "Kathy listen, I don't know what happened or why they are acting like this, but they're probably doing it for a good reason. You know that Sting would never want to hurt you. Everything he does is for the best of you. Remember when he took care of you when you were sick?"

Kathy chuckled. "Yea… after I first used shadow and light magic… I got completely drained of my magic and had magic deficiency disease. God, he stayed by my side day and night. He cared for me 24/7… he really loves me." She sighed shaking her head. "I… maybe I am overreacting a bit."

"Come on, let's head back to the Guild." Rose offered.

The brunette smiled and nodded.


Sting sighed as he sat in the office of Master Makarov. They were talking about an honorable ceremony this year for Kera because it's been 15 years since her death. He wasn't sure about this entire event, wanting it rather to be a quiet, Guild centered. Yet Makarov thought that everyone should celebrate since she had protected this world.

"Sting… I know it's hard, but." Makarov started, but the blonde shook her head. "I still think we shouldn't do this."

"She deserves this Sting." The Dragon Slayer turned his head to Erza. She was part of this as well just like the rest of the team. Kera was a sister to her and she took it hard as well when she died. Jellal had told them that she had locked herself inside of her room and when he got to her, well she had cried on his shoulder for the entire day. They had to get Natsu and Lucy to take care of Rose. It was hard on them all, but it probably was the worst for both Erza and Sting.

Sting groaned as he rubbed his head. "I know… I just… I just think that she also deserves some peace. Most of her life was cruel to her, at least leave her rest in peace."

"What's wrong my boy?" Makarov asked as he glanced over at him. "Something is bothering you."

Erza nodded her head. "Yea, what's wrong?"

He shook his head. "It's just… Kathy's been asking about her mother a lot lately. I don't know what to tell her."

The other two went quiet. "I see…" Makarov spoke.

Erza sighed. "She asked me about her today as well. She knows her name."

"What!?" Sting shouted as he stood up. "Why?"

"Because she deserves to know Sting!" Erza shouted back at him while standing up as well. "Kathy isn't a little girl anymore Sting, and you know who Kera was, you know what's coming for Kathy. She needs to know and she deserves to know about her mother!"

"I can't okay!?" Sting shouted while shaking his head. "I can't…"

Erza frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Because she reminds me of her so much!" Sting grabbed his head. "I love her too much. I'm scared okay? She reminds me of Kera so much. How she acts, how she looks… I'm just scared what happened to Kera will happen to her."

Erza sighed. "If you say Kathy is like Kera, then you know that she can handle herself. Like I said, Kathy isn't a little girl any more. She's going out on jobs of her own. She's old enough to know who she really is, who her mother was."

Sting sighed as he sat back down. "I just don't want to lose her… not like I did Kera…"

"I'm sorry." Erza put a hand on his shoulder. "It's my fault she died Sting. If I had fought harder…"

The Dragon Slayer grabbed her arm and gritted his teeth. "Don't say that." He sneered before glaring at the red head. Erza looked shocked for a moment, she didn't know what to do. The blonde shook his head. "Don't say it's your fault. Don't you dare. It was Kera's choice… not yours. She took the hit for you… there was nothing you could have done."

"I'm sorry Sting. I really am." She told him, but Sting shook his head. "It's fine…"

Erza had pulled him into a hug trying to comfort him the best she could.

What they didn't know was that Kathy was listening to them. She didn't know what to feel. For years she has wondered about her mother and now today she's gotten more information about her than she could believe.

Not knowing what to feel she ran out of the Guild. She had no idea where to run but she had to get out of there.


Kathy ran through the forest rubbing her eyes who were close to tearing up. She heard everything they were talking about, especially about her mother. Oh but that wasn't all! It seems that they all have been hiding something very important from her!

Why would they all keep this a god damn secret!? She deserves to know who her mother was! And what this god damn secret was about!

With a loud yell she punched the tree next to her. It was so powerful that the tree cracked and fell over. Kathy was breathing hard before she grabbed her head. "God damn it!" she shouted. She threw a fireball to the side, burning the next tree. A few seconds later it fell over as well.

Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes for a moment. "Just take a deep breath. Remember what dad told you. Keep calm and just… just…" Her ears caught rustling from the side. She quickly turned around and dodged an incoming object.

Her eyes went wide when she saw it was a small bird. "What the…" she muttered. The bird squawked at her, but that's when she noticed one small detail. It wasn't completely a bird… it was a fire bird. A bird that was on fire! No wait… Kathy leaned into the bird that was in front of her. She held out her hand and the bird landed on it looking up at her. "Wait… are you a… phoenix?"

The bird cocked its head at her. Kathy smiled slightly. "I don't know if you're a phoenix or just a plain fire bird, but you're cute."

The bird let another squawk before flying around and landing on her head. Kathy chuckled. For some reason she felt comfortable with the bird. She had no idea why but she didn't care at the moment. She needed to keep her mind occupied. She was still upset about the entire thing about her mother…

"Want to watch me hunt some wolves and other beasts for training?" the bird cocked its head again, but flapped its wings before flying forward. Kathy smiled and followed the bird. For training Kathy would sometimes hunt animals or beast so she could challenge herself.

And it didn't take long for her to find a pack of wolves. She was quickly able to finish them with her magic. Those pack of wolves were a nuisance anyway. She smiled as she stretched her arms. This definitely had kept her mind off of things.

At least that's what she thought. After she finished off the wolves she started thinking about what her dad and Erza talked about. Quickly her cheery mood vanished and she sighed sitting down at a tree. The bird flew down next to her looking at her worried. She smiled sadly at the animal. "I'm sorry… I just have a lot on my mind."

The bird chirped as it flew on her lap and nuzzled against her. Luckily for Kathy she was immune to getting burned… well… mostly. She accidentally pushed that limit over the line. She still remembers how Natsu can literally stand in a burning house and come out unscathed.

She couldn't do that…

She didn't know what she was capable of doing. Heck… she didn't know who she was. Since nobody decided to tell her who her mother was… where she comes from.

"Why won't they tell me?" She muttered. "Why are they keeping me in the dark? What is so bad that they won't say a word?"

The bird looked at her curiously, but didn't say anything.

A low growl was heard behind her and Kathy quickly turned around. She saw red glowing eyes coming out from the bushes. The brunette scurried to her feet as the beast came out. It was a black giant wolf, giant fangs hanging out of its mouth while it kept on snarling towards the brunette.

Kathy could sense something dark from this creature. She had no idea what it was, but she knew it was bad. She held her hands up. "Easy now, we don't want any trouble now."

The wolf gnashed its teeth as it moved forward. If Kathy had to guess this wolf was the pack leader and he wasn't happy that she had beat his pals. But something was off with it. The beast jumped forward.

Kathy quickly rolled to the side before slamming a fireball into the wolf. It whined slightly as it got hit but quickly turned around and charged forward again. Kathy jumped back while creating some spikes, but the wolf crashed through them without a problem or a scratch. Her eyes went wide. "What!?"

The wolf jumped at her and Kathy raised her arm to block the attack. The wolf bit down, but the girl quickly slammed a stoned fist into the beast's stomach. The wolf let go and moved back. It shook its head before glaring at her.

It dug its claws into the ground before letting out a loud howl. Kathy had to cover ears as it was loud. Not only that but she saw the beast started transforming. It grew bigger and larger and more fearsome. "Oh come on!" Kathy shouted raising her hands. "That's so unfair! I can't transform!"

The beast snarled and dashed forward.

Kathy's eyes went wide. "Oh shi…" She stopped as she dodged the incoming attack. This was really annoying her! Getting up she sent both water and fire at the beast, but this time… it did nothing. The wolf howled again before lunging at the girl.

The brunette kept on dodging the attacks left and right, but she was getting nowhere. Anger rose in her. She had no time for this! She wanted to clear her mind of her father and family. The more she kept dodging and rolling out of danger the more furious she got.

At some point, after she had enough of dodging, she stood up and snarled. "I don't have time for you!" She shouted before slamming her hand to the ground. An earth quake shook the area and a few spikes grew up out of the ground. The wolf smashed the spike in front of him and lunged forward.

Light surrounded Kathy's hand, a bright light. "I said… I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU!" She thrust her hand forward the magic bursting out and hitting the wolf right in the center. The animal let out a howl of pain as it was slammed back. As the smoke cleared it shook his head slowly getting back to its feet.

Kathy saw this and growled. "Not down yet!?" She slammed her fist to the ground a bright line of magic rushing forward. The wolf let out another howl of pain. After it got back to its feet the beast of a wolf ran for it, scared the hell out of the girl.

"Yea run!" Kathy shouted. "Run and disappoint me like everyone else does!" She shouted throwing her arm forward. Unfortunately, she let out another powerful blast of magic. "What the…" She looked at her hands and started shaking slightly. "What… what did I do?" She didn't remember this magic. This wasn't light magic she practiced from her father… this… this was something completely different.

Gritting her teeth she felt something inside of her. "W-What…" She hit her knees and cried out in pain. A seal underneath her formed, a white magic seal she has never seen before and it let out a powerful blast of magic into the air. She cried out in pain until the magic suddenly vanished and she collapsed to the ground.

She was panting and her body was burning slightly. What was happening to her? This wasn't normal. It wasn't even comparable to how she felt when she used light and shadow magic. This… this was something completely different.

She heard a bird tweet and she saw the firebird landing on the ground in front of her. It looked at her worried cocking its head. Kathy groaned as she tried reaching for her head. "W-What…" She muttered, not having the strength.

"Kathy?"

Kathy blinked her eyes slightly. What… did someone call her name.

"Kathy, can you hear me?"

She frowned slightly as she looked at the bird. "Are… are you… talking?"

She heard a soft chuckle. "No, the bird can't talk, but I can."

Kathy used all the strength she had to pull herself up. As she did she saw a woman standing in front of her. A woman who was a little older than her, had long brown hair and sharp green eyes. The woman held out a hand towards her. "Need help?"

"I-I'm fine…" Kathy muttered as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.

The woman smiled at her. "You've grown Kathy."

"Do… do I know you?" Kathy asked looking up at her.

The girl sighed. "Yea… I thought this would happen." She shook her head slightly before smiling. "You're probably wondering what happened to you just a moment."

Kathy clung to her chest as the pain was still throbbing slightly. "Y-Yea… I… I don't know what it is. I can't control it. I… I don't know… ungh…" She grunted as pain throbbed in her chest.

"Keep calm and close your eyes, relax and take a deep breath. Feel the magic running through your veins and let it flow through your entire body." The woman instructed her. Kathy closed her eyes and done what she was instructed. She took a deep breath and concentrated on the magic running through her veins. She felt it, she definitely felt it, it was strong and powerful and burning. She gritted her teeth as she felt the pain.

"Let it flow through you. The pain will pass."

Kathy didn't know how she was supposed to do that. It just hurt so much.

"The more you resist it, the more it will hurt."

Resisting? Was that the problem? Taking another deep breath she tried to let the burning inside of her chest, flow through her body. She could feel the burn move from her chest to the rest of her body, but the pain slowly passed away. Opening her eyes, she couldn't believe what just happened.

She looked up at the woman with surprise. "How…"

"I have some experience."

Kathy shook her head as she stood up. "Who… who are you?"

The woman smiled slightly. "Just look real hard and you'll know sweetie."

The girl looked at the woman again, trying her best to recognize her. But then she saw those eyes… those sharp green eyes. For some reason those felt familiar. But then it hit her, there was only one person that could look like this.

"M-Mom?"

The brown haired woman chuckled. "At least you trust in your instincts."

Kathy couldn't believe this. Her mother was standing right in front of her! How was this possible!? "B-But how?" She spluttered getting up on her feet. "Y-You're supposed to be dead! D-Dad and Aunt Erza said you…"

"I know…" Kera sighed sadly. "They are right Kathy. I died…"

"Then how are you standing here!?" Kathy shouted looking up at her. "How are you here!?"

Kera looked down at her hands before clenching them slightly. Lowering them she looked at the girl in front of her. "I'm just a ghost… a mere illusion if you want to. I'm not really alive, but… there is a reason why I am able to be here."

"A reason?" Kathy asked confused. Now what kind of reason was that?

"I thought your father would have told you, but it seems he's too afraid. If he didn't tell you about me then he definitely didn't tell you about this."

Having had enough, she clenched her fist. "About what!?"

"About your heritage."

Kathy blinked and took a step back. "M-My heritage?"

Kera nodded. "Yes, you know that you are a Dragon Slayer right?" Kathy nodded her head. That's what her magic was. "And let me guess, you can control the four elements."

Again she nodded. "Y-Yea, but with some more work I can even control other elements like light and shadow."

A chuckle was heard and Kathy saw her mother roll her eyes. "Of course, from your father. But anyway, that's not the only thing you can do. That magic you were just having trouble to control… that's my magic."

"I-I don't understand." Kathy muttered. What was she talking about? Her magic? What was this?

Kera smiled. "You have the most powerful magic in this world. You, my deer Kathy, are the next Queen of Dragons."

"WHAT!?"

She nodded. "What the others haven't told you was that your mother wasn't just a simple wizard. I was the former Queen of Dragons until I died. That title is passed down from mother to daughter. Not only that, but you have Dragon Blood running through your veins."

Kathy looked like she was about to panic. "I-I'm a Dragon!?"

Kera shrugged. "Truthfully I don't know. Since Sting wasn't a Dragon I'm not sure how it works then. But I was a real Dragon, my mother, your grandmother was a Dragon and we all have this magic."

She couldn't take this all in. It was just too much. The person in front of her, which was supposed to be her mother and dead, was telling her that she was a Dragon and not only that but a Queen! Kera smirked slightly. "By the look on your face, you don't believe me."

Kathy shook her head, she couldn't believe this. "Why wouldn't anyone tell me? Why was dad so against it telling me? Why is he so afraid?"

She heard a sigh and glanced up at her mother. "It's… I can understand why he did what he did. Kathy, you have to understand that this title comes with a burden, this magic comes with a burden. There are people out in the world that will do anything to have that power and I mean anything. I've experienced things that no normal person should have and only because of the power I wielded, because of who I was. Sting didn't tell you because he was afraid, he was afraid he was going to lose you the same way he did me. Kathy… I died because people hated who I was, the power I wielded. A lot of the pain we experienced was because of who I was. He didn't want you to suffer because of it."

Kathy lowered her head and sighed. Of course he wouldn't. All this time he just wanted to protect her. Like he usually did.

"Don't be mad at him Kathy. He did what he thought was best. Of course I feel a bit hurt that he wouldn't even mention me to my own daughter… but I understand why he did it." Kera knew exactly why Sting did this and she didn't blame him at all. "He loves you and he'd do anything for you.

The girl sighed and nodded her head. "I-I know… I just… I just wished he didn't keep this all a secret. I wanted to know you, but nobody spoke a word. I only got a name out of Aunt Erza and that was only because I was asking too much…" tears started to fall down her face as she looked up at Kera. "I miss you… I miss you so much. I want my mom back…"

"I know…" Kera knelt down to her and put her ghost hand on her shoulder. "I miss you too Kathy, but remember, I'm always by your side. I'm always watching you. I've been watching you, since the day I left. You've never been alone."

Kathy wiped her eyes, trying to remove the tears from her face. "Is… is he gone?"

Kera blinked slightly as she glanced down at her daughter. "What are you talking about?"

The girl shook her head while looking up at her mother, determination shining in her eyes. "The person who did this to you… is he gone?"

Kera sighed. "Kathy, revenge isn't the path to take. Besides, they are too powerful. Just please don't go down this path. At least… do it for me."

Kathy sighed but nodded her head. "Alright… I won't."

The brunette smiled down at her daughter. "I love you Kathy." The little girl had tried to hug her mother even though she was just a ghost, but it seems for just a few seconds she was able to actually feel her. "I love you too."

Kera smiled softly. "Remember that I am always watching over you, I'm always there and I'm so proud of you." She smiled softly. "And when you head back to the guild…" She whispered something in Kathy's ears which caused her to look wide eyed. She couldn't say anything else because her mother suddenly disappeared.

Kathy looked up at the sky a few more tears falling down her face. "Mom…"


"Kathy!" Sting called walking down the road. "Kathy! Where are you!?"

"Kathy!" Sting turned around and sighed as he glanced at the person helping him. Erza was also with him, trying to find the brunette. Lucy had told them that she saw her run out of the Guild. He hated to admit it but there might be a chance that she had overheard them.

The Dragon Slayer shook his head. "I don't think we can find her…"

"If she doesn't want to be found then we won't find her… yea that sounds familiar." Erza muttered rubbing her forehead.

"I'm sorry okay? I thought I could spare her from this." Sting told her while turning to the red head.

Erza frowned. "I told you since the beginning that it was a bad idea. Keeping things from her is wrong, especially something like this. She needs to know this."

Sting pulled at his hair slightly. "I… I just… all our trouble and pain came from her being who she was. I thought if I didn't tell her then she wouldn't need to go through that!"

"And look where that got us." Erza glared at him. "This isn't something to hide from her. This is her life. We're lucky she doesn't have a Crystol like Kera did, but she needs to know about her family, about who she really is."

Erza noticed something was off. Sting wasn't looking at her rand he seemed to be hiding something. "What's the real problem?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

The blonde Dragon Slayer turned around panic filling in his eyes. "What if they find out?"

The Knight blinked. "They?"

"What if they find out about Kathy and go after her! I don't want to lose her! They already took Kera, I can't lose Kathy as well!" He shook his head while giving Erza a pleading look. "I can't… I just… I just can't."

"Oh Sting…" So that's why Sting didn't want to tell Kathy. Even after fifteen years he was still distraught about Kera's death. And all he wanted was to keep his daughter safe. The red head pulled him into a hug. "Everything is going to be alright. You don't have to worry about that. Kathy's got her friends and family who will look out for her. And who knows." The red head smiled up at him. "They don't know Kathy exists, so why would they come?"

"But what if they find out? What if word comes out about Kathy? What if they try and find her? What if…"

"Sting stop with the what if's." Erza told him seriously. "You can't hide Kathy from the world forever. And she's strong enough to defend herself."

Sting lowered his head. "Kera was… and she's…"

"We'll keep her safe Sting. Don't you worry." Erza smiled at him. "Nothing is going to happen to her."

"Dad?"

Both grownups quickly turned around and saw Kathy standing a few feet away from them. Both Sting and Erza noticed she looked disheveled and it looked like she was crying. Sting smiled as he ran up to her and pulled her into a hug. "Oh Kathy! You're okay, I was so worried."

Kathy put her arms around him, burying her head into him. "I'm sorry dad."

"It's alright, don't worry. I'm just glad you're okay." He told her.

The two parted and Sting looked her over. "Kathy what happened to you? Where were you? Why did you run off?"

Kathy shook her head. "I'm sorry… I just heard you and Aunt Erza talking and… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been listening and you were talking about mom and…"

"Hey…" Sting started while kneeling down to her. "Calm down, it's alright. I… I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have kept this all a secret… I'm really sorry."

The brunette wiped her eyes. "I… I know."

"No you don't know." Sting shook his head. "There's something you need to know about you and your mother. You… you're…" God he couldn't even say it.

Kathy smiled softly. "Dad… I know." She told him, stopping him from talking. This time Erza butted in giving the girl a curious look. "What do you know?"

"I know about me being the Queen of Dragons." Kathy told them.

Sting and Erza couldn't believe what they heard. "H-How?"

"I met someone in the forest." She told them with a smile.

Erza frowned. "Did Kayeleth come? I thought she…"

Kathy shook her head. "It… it was mom."

Sting frowned. "Kathy… she's… she's dead."

The brunette sighed while nodding her head. "I-I know, but she told me to tell you this." She glanced up at both Erza and Sting. "Both you and Aunt Erza should stop worrying. Dad should remember that she will be watching over me and the rest of the family like her own mother did for her. And to Erza she said that well…" She turned to her aunt a sad smile on her face. "She said that she's sorry for breaking her promise."

Both Erza and Sting were speechless. The blonde Dragon Slayer couldn't believe this. "You actually… saw her?"

Kathy nodded. "She told me everything."

Sting pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I am really sorry."

"I miss her."

"I miss her too." Sting told her while holding his daughter close.

Erza smiled as she glanced at the two. Looks like you were watching over them all this time. You truly are great.

"Kathy…" She called catching her attention. The girl glanced over at Erza and was curious as to what she was doing. The red head smiled as she put something in her hands. "Take this, it belongs to you."

Kathy looked down at her hand and she saw it was a necklace, not only that but it was the necklace that she always wore. "Erza?" She asked a little curious. The red head smiled while putting a hand on her shoulder. "It was your mothers. You should have it."

The girl noticed the words little Dragon on the necklace and smiled. "Thank you Erza." She held it close to her chest. Now she had a piece of her mother always by her side.

"Hey Dad?" Kathy called catching his attention. The girl smiled slightly while looking down at the necklace. "Can… Can I learn more… about mom and… the Queen of Dragons thing?"

Sting sighed but nodded his head. "Yea… you at least deserve that. I'm sorry for keeping this from you Kathy. I really am."

"Thanks." Kathy smiled up at her father.

Erza chuckled as she put an arm around the girl. "Why don't we go get us some hot chocolate."

The brunette nodded slightly. "That'd be great."


"Here."

Kathy was handed something by Erza. Looking down at it she saw that it was a set of pictures. The first one was a drawing of the entire Guild. She could recognize several people even if they were younger. She saw Natsu and Lucy together and even Gray and Juvia. She could even recognize Erza and what seemed to be…

"Mom?" Kathy looked up at Erza who sat down next to her. She was smiling down at her. "Yea… these are some pictures where she's in. I found them and thought you should have them."

"You sure?" She asked looking up at her Aunt. The red head smiled and nodded. "Go ahead."

Kathy looked down at the pictures again. She smiled seeing the picture of the entire Guild. Her mother was standing between Erza and Natsu wearing a big smile on her face. Going to the next picture she saw her mother again, but with a different person. This person had white long hair as she smiled while hugging her mother. "Who's that?" She asked.

"That's Kayeleth." Erza said smiling softly. "Your Grandmother, an actual Dragon. She lives in Draconia, but is helping the Council deal with threats to the kingdom. If you ask Sting he might take you to see her sometime."

"Wow…" Kathy was amazed to see this. Sting did tell her something about her grandmother being very busy, but she didn't expect her to be… this beautiful. And her mother… she looked so happy.

The next picture she smiled softly seeing her mother and Erza together. She really looked happy in the pictures and the way she and Erza were smiling she knew that the two had a special bond. She took the picture and handed it back to Erza. "You should keep this one."

Erza smiled taking it. "Thanks…" She looked down at the picture and Kathy saw that Erza looked sad for a moment. She really missed her.

Suddenly Rose appeared behind her mother and smiled. "Oh wow! That's a nice picture mom! Wait… who's that?"

"That…" Erza smiled while putting an arm around Rose. "Is your Aunt Kera, Kathy's mother."

"Wait really!?" Rose shouted her eyes going wide.

Kathy was looking down at the next picture and a small tear fell down her face. It was a picture of her mother and she was holding a baby, her…

She felt a pair of arms snake around her and glanced up to see her father. Sting smiled at her. "I asked Reedus to paint that picture. It was the day you were born. Erza stored it away so it wouldn't get lost."

Kathy smiled sadly. "I really wished I could have met her." Kathy said wiping a tear away from her face.

Sting laid his head on hers. "I know sweetie. I know…"

"Geez, I look horrible in that picture. Couldn't Reedus have made me look better?"

Several heads turned around, their eyes going wide. Sting froze while Erza stood up in shock. "K-Kera!?"

Indeed, Kera was sitting on a table looking at the group, or more at the picture Kathy was holding. She noticed Erza and Sting giving her a shocked expression. "What?"

"H-How…" Sting stuttered.

Kera suddenly gave him a smirk. "You do know how I'm related to Mavis aren't you?"

"So you're… a ghost?" Erza asked looking at her shocked. "How did you do that?"

"I had fifteen years to figure that out." She told them all.

While they were arguing Kathy couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her mother was right here! She wasn't dreaming this or anything! "Mom?"

Kera smiled as she looked at her. "Hey there sweetie."

"Wait…" Kathy started. "Did you say you're related to The Mavis? First Mavis?"

The brunette shot Sting a glare. "Geez, didn't you tell her anything about me?"

He flinched slightly before raising his hands in defense. "I-I can explain. I…"

"I understand." Kera stopped him calming him down. She smiled standing up and walked over to Kathy. "I'm just happy I can see my daughter again!" She tried hugging Kathy but accidentally fell through her hitting the ground.

Erza gave her a dumb look. "You do know you're a ghost right? You can't touch anything or even eat anything."

Kera grumbled something as she got back on her feet. "Now I know how Mavis felt…"

Sting smiled as he glanced at his wife. He would have loved to help her back up on her feet, but she was a ghost… he couldn't touch her. But he was still glad that she was here. "So you're able to stay?"

The brunette nodded. "Somewhat, I'm not able to be there 24/7, but I am able to be there for Kathy… as a guide if you can say. Her connection to the Dragon heritage. I'll help her with her magic."

"You will!?" Kathy asked her eyes going wide as she stood up.

Her mother smiled at her. "That is if you want me to and if you want to embrace your heritage."

"O-Of course! I want to!" She looked determined, fire blazing in her eyes. "I really want to do this! I want to know about my heritage and the magic that appeared. I want to control it!"

Her mother smiled. "That's great. I'll teach you everything I know. We can start whenever you want."

"I'm ready now!" Kathy called jumping up. "I want to start now!"

Kera chuckled as she glanced down at her daughter. "Not today, I can't stay so long. Only for your trainings. For now."

Kathy sighed. "Alright. But you will be back, won't you?"

"Of course. I will see you soon." Turning to Sting she gave him a warm smile. "I love you Sting."

"I love you too." The blonde Dragon Slayer said and before anyone could say anything else the brunette was gone, leaving the Guild in a very silent mood.

Kathy couldn't believe she finally met her mother, and even better she was going to help her with her magic! Of course, the only thing that could make this all better was if her mother was still alive, but… this was better than nothing.

She felt a pair of arms snake around her and she saw her father who had pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry for everything Kathy."

The girl smiled softly. "It's fine… it really is."

He shook his head. "No it's not… I should have told you. You should have known about your mother. I should be the one begging for your forgiveness."

Kathy hugged him back. "I do forgive you dad. I'm sorry for giving you so much trouble and pain."

Sting chuckled. "It's what being a father is all about."


"So you want to concentrate on the magic running through your body. Not the one you're used to, the one that is burning through your veins, wanting to burst out of you. The trick is, to let it flow through your body, do not let it bundle up. It will cause... an explosion if not worse."

Kathy shuddered at the thought. An explosion? That didn't sound like fun. Turning her head, she saw the ghost of her mother standing beside her, explaining her how to use her magic. It was a bit strange but accepted it with no problem. She wanted to learn and this was the best. Of course, she would use the time she had with her mother differently but this was also good.

Better than nothing.

The girl took a deep breath and stood up straight in front of the dummy. It was just a sack formed as a human filled with rice and other stuff, on its head was a helmet and a crudely drawn face by, ahem… Natsu…

Kathy took the dummy in sight and concentrated on her magic power. She tried to feel her magic and let it flow through her body. She redirected it and sent it to her arms and before she knew it, the magic shot out of her hands and hit the dummy in front of her.

She smiled seeing that she was able to control that magic. She was really happy. "I did it! I actually did it!"

She turned around but her face fell when she saw that the ghost of her mother was not there. Her heart ached slightly realizing that she was alone again.

"Hey sweetie." Kathy turned around and saw her father coming out of the house. "How are you doing?"

"Alright… until mom left…" She sighed. She thought that was the last time she was going to be left alone.

Sting sighed. "No again…" He muttered. He walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Just wait a few minutes."

Kathy looked up at him a bit confused. Why did he want her to wait? Her mother left, maybe she didn't want to be with her…

A loud yelp was heard and the two turned around seeing Kera on the ground. "Ow…" Glancing around she sighed in relief. "Thank god… I'm back."

"Mom?" Kathy asked walking up to her. "Is everything alright?"

Sting chuckled softly. "Your mother is learning as well Kathy. It's difficult for her to stay here for a long time. Sometimes she gets thrown back into the astral realm and it's hard to get back."

Kathy blinked as she listened to what her father was hearing. "I… don't understand…"

"Just imagine a door. You need a specific force to open that door and keep it open, your mother is still learning herself and that door closes in on her, locking her away from this world and it takes a bit more strength to reopen that door. That's why she sometimes… disappears." Sting explained.

"Oh…" Kathy finally understood what he meant. "I-I'm sorry I didn't."

"It's not your fault." Kera spoke, standing up. "Like you I am learning. Yours might be a bit easier though…" She muttered slightly.

Sting smirked. "Knowing you, you'll have it mastered by the end of the week… or eternity."

"Oh haha, very funny. You know next time you're in trouble I…" The sentence couldn't be finished since she suddenly disappeared. Both Kathy and Sting gave a worried look but the blonde chuckled, shaking his head. "Come on, let's get something to eat."

"What about mom?" Kathy asked glancing up at him.

He smirked. "Ah she'll find a way. Now come on." He lead his daughter towards town.

A few minutes after they left, did Kera reappear furious. "I meant you're on your own! Wait… did they leave? God damn it! I hate this!"

Well that's that! Hope you guys enjoyed it! Something different here. Next chapter should be out soon as well! Don't be afraid to leave a review and or a request! I always love to hear from you guys!

Until next time!