A/N: And I'm back! Hopefully. The last couple years have been rough after finally getting my degree, buying a house, switching jobs and just a whole lot of other stuff on the rollercoaster of life. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this as this is where things are finally going to start coming to light a little more with Tegan's past along with her relationships with everyone. The next chapter is mostly written out already. This one just had to be checked over since it'd been sitting on my laptop for a while. ENJOY!

Storm Front

Chapter 7

Wandering Child

"Master?"

The old man turned around, pulling lightly at the tips of his hat as he sat a ways from the others. His stomach was still growling painfully in hunger, Tegan's own joining him. She'd run out of water long ago, her face slightly pale at this point. It'd been a long walk after the whole Lullaby debacle, having initially staying behind to handle a bit of damage control before making her way toward Clover to join the others. She hadn't expected to find the Council Hall completely destroyed, nor the other guild master's in a raging uproar. That was Fairy Tail for you though.

"What is it my dear?" he asked, blue-gray eyes trained on his precious Siren.

Her eyes glanced back at the others. Their attention was on catching those winged fish that had shown up. Unfortunately, she'd come across them once before on her travels. They were foul creatures, the meat rancid and practically inedible. She almost felt bad, allowing them to continue fishing for them. Hopefully, they'd soon realize how pointless their efforts were.

"When we were at Oshibana, something Erigor said caught my attention," she told him, her fingers twitching slightly as she licked her lips.

"Oh?" he questioned, tilting his head to the side as he wondered where she was going with all of this.

"I believe his words to be spawned from one of Vargo's rally speeches…"

The look on Makarov's face suddenly grew serious, his gaze hardening as he processed her words. In the background, they could hear Gray and Natsu arguing, followed by the sound of Erza reprimanding them.

"A rally speech, you say?" the Master inquired, arms folded over his chest. "You're sure, Tegan?"

"Yes, Master," she nodded. "It was far too similar. And his choice of words…" she paused, a shiver running through her as she thought back to it.

There was no mistaking one of those speeches. It didn't matter if it was Vargo at the front of the crowd or someone else. The words were forever ingrained into her memory. It was the sharpness, the undertone of dread that it gave. She'd admit, it could easily draw followers, but still.

Admittedly, Vargo and Erigor were very different individuals. Erigor was a man that took only assassination requests. Vargo was an equal opportunity wizard. If someone had a job for him, he took it, gaining more followers as he went. Everything Vargo did was planned out. His shipments of illegal and banned magical items, the number of men that he either took with him or sent on missions, even his meals. The man had always been rather methodical. Just as he was organized, Tegan also learned just how cruel he was.

As a child, she'd watched him rip out a man's heart for betraying him, the still beating organ resting in his blood coated hand. He'd never taken betrayal very well. That was the other reason why he'd been so angry when she'd joined Fairy Tail. Then again, it's not like her guildmates had given her any real choice in the matter. No, Tegan had been left behind, her arm broken in about three places, a busted lip, blackened left eye, and two broken ribs. She cringed at the mere memory of that day, quickly pushing it from her mind.

"Do you believe them to be in league with Gray Scale?" Makarov asked.

"I do," she nodded, her answer resolute. "That's why I checked the bodies."

Yes, after Lucy had gone her separate way, Tegan had rooted through the unconscious bodies of Eisenwald's men. She'd checked every arm and shoulder, lifted every shirt, checked every mouth. She'd found two among Eisenwald's ranks baring Gray Scale's mark. She had to be sure, staying behind while Erza parted with her to warn the crowd of nosey onlookers.

"There were two men from Gray Scale. Low ranking individuals no doubt. Possibly their initiation into the guild if I had to take a guess."

Makarov nodded his head solemnly. This wasn't the news he was looking to hear. Tegan had always been thorough with anything regarding Gray Scale. She'd been keeping tabs on Vargo, the man whom had called himself her 'father' for a short time. In doing so, Makarov was able to keep tabs on the guild as well. Any time there was a hint of information, she went to investigate it, much to her displeasure.

"Do you believe he's trying to recruit smaller guilds?" Makarov asked slowly, his mind already working out various possibilities of its own.

"I do," she said once more.

"We caught one!"

Both wizards flinched at the sudden interruption, turning to stare blankly at the others. They were hooting and hollering like maniacs, Natsu dancing around with his hands in the air. Tegan couldn't help, but to cringe as the airhead torched it, practically blackening the skin. Afterward, the fish was offered to Happy since they could only catch one.

Unable to watch, Tegan turned her back to them. It didn't take long for the poor cat to gobble it down, the taste soon catching up to him full force, furry face going green.

"Ew! Gross!" he exclaimed, scrapping at his tongue frantically.

She'd never be able to tell them the truth, that she knowingly let poor Happy eat such a thing. At the same time, she wasn't sure if she could ever truly tell them about Vargo either.

Knowing Natsu, the Salamander would become overly upset, therefore doing something stupid. Gray. Well, he was Gray. His reaction could be a number of things. Even Erza didn't truly know what the Water Slayer had gone through. Nor her closest friend, Levy. Tegan couldn't bear to tell her. She didn't want to be seen any differently. This burden was hers to bear and she would keep it as such. She knew Makarov would keep her secret unless told otherwise, even Laxus wouldn't say anything about it. The only reason Laxus even knew about any of it was by accident. Nightmares were a cruel thing.

Granted, it wasn't exactly a secret that Tegan had come from a dark guild. That was mainly common knowledge with the exception of their newest member Lucy. The Celestial mage hadn't been around long enough to find out. Granted, Tegan didn't really care to publicize the knowledge either. Doing so meant questions and distrust, something she'd already had to deal with before. Although, Natsu had taken to her right away, seeing how beat up she was. The boy had only been there a little longer than she had. When he'd found out she was a fellow dragon slayer, he'd pestered her with endless questions, any chances of mistrust that there may have been, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

-xXx-

SEVERAL YEARS PRIOR

Rain fell from the sky in buckets as it soaked the land of Fiore, just outside the quaint town of Magnolia. Storms weren't unheard of by any means, but this one was particularly ruthless. The reason was due to those souls unlucky enough to be caught out in it.

"Three days of rain and not a single sign of stopping."

The sigh came from a rather short individual. From a distance, one would think it a child. Instead, it was a man, one worn with age and constant responsibility of supervising rowdy wizards. That was the norm for him though, his hair already gray, bordering on white. He didn't have many complaints about his life, though he'd swear he was growing shorter by the year. After all, he had a wonderful grandson, whom was full of potential despite his seemingly standoffish attitude. He also had a great many children as well, each one unique and completely special in their own right. How he adored seeing their smiling faces.

With his umbrella draped low over his head, he almost didn't see the mess in front of him that had been left by the rain, his head down as his eyes looked over a small lacrima held in his gnarled hand. To say he was shocked when he drew his attention upward was an understatement, eyes wide with anxiety.

"What in Mavis…" he breathed out, stuffing the orb in his pocket.

He stepped forward, the cover of a large oak shielding him as he went to investigate. At first, he thought what he was seeing to be a shadow, perhaps a trick of the poor light due to the dreary weather and dubious shade. Peeking out of the shadows were a pair of tattered shoes, scuffed, laces twisted. They were tiny. The feet inside led to scrawny legs, gashes littering the skin. Scrawny legs then led to twig-like arms, torn skin adorning what would be tonal flesh. One stick looked broken and out of place. The skin was blue and swollen. It was tucked carefully against the figure's side, a mop of dirty blue hair hung almost limp.

The man frowned, moving closer as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. It was a child. He couldn't make out if it was a boy or a girl, their matted hair shielding their face. Words were lost to him.

"Where are your parents," he finally said, though more to himself than anything.

There wasn't a response, so he reached his hand forward, fingers curling around a boney shoulder. The moment he made contact it was like a switch had been flipped, captivating eyes shooting open, arms flying forward. Within seconds, there was a cry of pain, and the sound distinctively feminine.

-xXx-

She wasn't sure when she'd fallen asleep or even for how long. The rain was still pouring, her skin cold, her hands trembling. Her clothes clung to her skin and she felt heavy like lead. It didn't take long to realize that the trembling wasn't just from the chill of the dampening weather. Her arm now stiff, felt like it was on fire, nerves seizing. She couldn't remember the last time that she had felt such a pain.

She was once again reminded of the pain as she was pulled from her sleep, eyes snapping open. She jumped back in fright, before crying out from the bundle of nerves in her arm.

It was a stranger, an odd-looking man staring back at her. Her mind automatically started conjuring questions, dilemmas, scenarios. Was he here to hurt her too? Did Father send him? She cringed at the thought, quickly putting distance between herself and the man in front of her.

"It's alright, it alright!" he assured her, waving his hands in front of himself. "I'm not going to hurt you."

She sat there, frozen as he gripped her shoulders, kneeling down in front of her on the wet ground. Immediately, the knees of his pants became soaked. This didn't seem to bother him though as he looked her over. With her eyes open and face turned up toward him, he could see her features better. He realized the color of her hair was actually natural, the top of her head likely as pale as the moon as he now took a better look. At least that's the way it seemed, despite the dirt in her hair, random wisps escaping from layers of mud. Her brows were pale as well, setting above young purple eyes. The left one was blackened around the skin. Her nose was slightly rounded, the bridge thin. Her face was angled, cheekbones sticking out a bit due to poor diet. Her lips were pursed, a faint frown on her face. Her lower lip, in particular, was bruised and split along with the outer edge of her jaw. It was all too obvious that she'd been beaten.

"What happened, child?" he asked, the strange hat on his head flopping to the side.

It reminded her of a jester's hat, but without the bells. The strange thing was an arrangement of orange and blue stripes, the orange of his hat matching the orange of his shirt. She paused when she saw the odd-looking symbol on his shirt. She'd never seen it before, but something about it drew her eyes to it.

The man repeated his question again, pulling her from her thoughts.

"I…" she found herself unable to speak, wincing as another spark of pain shot through her arm.

"Here, let me see that."

He gestured to her arm, a grimace on her face. She didn't want anyone touching her arm, not after what they did.

"But…" she started, only for him to cut her off.

"Now, I won't hurt you, dear."

His eyes bore into hers. They were blue-gray and gentle, soft around the edges. Slowly, she nodded her head, lifting her arm. Again, she winced, tears filling her eyes.

"There, there," he patted her shoulder gently, pulling his hat from his head.

She watched as he tied a knot in it, connecting the long floppy points together. Carefully, he draped it over her head. Guiding her arm into it, he pulled up the edge of it, letting it cradle her elbow. She was too shocked to say anything, mouth hanging open.

"Now, why don't you tell me how someone as young as you ended up in a dark guild like Gray Scale?"

She flinched at the question. How did he even know? She always kept it covered. Frantically, she looked around, eyes going wide. She couldn't have possibly lost it.

"Looking for this?"

In his hand was a beige pelt, the usually silk-like strands of fur damp and clumped together from the day's downpour.

"That's mine!" she exclaimed.

Her hand darted forward to take it back. He didn't stop her, watching as she clutched it her chest, before wrapping it back around her neck. It hung there like a mantle, not unlike the one he had at home. Although, it was by far more similar to that of his son's, due to the unruly fur. It was the way that she clung to it though that told him that it was precious to her.

"I don't normally care to repeat myself, but perhaps we started off on the wrong foot. My name is Makarov Dreyar," he said, introducing himself. "I run a guild not too far from here."

Dreyar. She'd heard that name before. She couldn't remember where, but she'd heard it before. Maybe Father had mentioned it. She wasn't sure. Realizing that he was waiting for her, she bit down on her lip, taking in a deep breath.

"My name is Tegan," came her quiet reply. "Tegan Veil."

Makarov smiled at her hesitant admission.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Tegan," he said, now giving her a proper greeting.

He watched as her lips twitched upwards slightly, her shoulders finally starting to relax.

"Unfortunately, I do have to ask again, how did you end up in this predicament?"

Tegan's smile fell instantly, eyes now cast toward the ground. Again, he could see the hesitation in the way that she held herself, her other hand gripping tightly at the fabric of her pants.

"I'm a traitor…" she bit out, her voice low as she spoke.

She sounded almost remorseful as she spoke. Ashamed even.

"Somehow I doubt that," he said.

He was seated in front of her, not caring about the wet ground. In fact, at the moment there seemed to finally be a sudden break in the weather, the sun deciding to peek its head out from the clutches of dark. It was hard to tell how long it would last though.

"It's true!" she choked out, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. "I didn't do what I was supposed to and a couple of my guildmates got caught!"

"And what pray tell were you lot doing that got you into trouble in the first place?" he asked, raising a brow in question.

She became tight-lipped then, head turning away. There were so many things she had done wrong, but hadn't the courage to do anything else. They'd initially been securing a shipment of Vargo's. She'd been on lookout, tired from three days of no sleep, and she only had one job. Her magic was honed for such work. Instead of paying attention to the water mirrors though, a trick that at the time had been enabled by a spell card, she'd fallen asleep.

"I was supposed to watch their backs and I failed," she told him. "He was so angry…"

Salty tears fell from her eyes at the memory. Angry didn't even come close to covering it. When Vargo found out, he was absolutely livid. Two of his men had been sent out with her afterward to teach her a lesson. It wasn't even the shipment he was truly mad about. No, it was the fact that she didn't kill the guards that had stumbled across them, two young men in their mid-twenties.

It would have been all too easy to kill them, to use her magic and fill their lungs with water. To slowly choke out every last ounce of life that was teaming inside of them. She knew how, technically, but that wasn't the issue. The issue was her inability to kill them. She lacked the 'drive' to do so, she lacked the 'guts', the 'courage'. They were all words that Vargo had used against her and it wasn't the first time either. He'd given her other chances to prove herself, but she'd never had the desire to kill a person. It wasn't something that Vesilu would have ever condoned.

At the thought of her dragon, even more tears formed, blue scales glimmering at the back of her mind. She had no clue where she had gone. One day she just up and disappeared without a single trace like dust in the wind. Tegan had been on her own ever since then.

"I just want to go home!" she finally cried, tears streaming down her face. "I want Vesilu back!" she choked out.

She didn't bother to hide her tears from Makarov. Instead, she cried openly, something that she wasn't allowed to do back at the guild. If she did, she was reprimanded for it.

"Who is this Vesilu?" he asked. "Perhaps I could take you back to her. I'm sure she'd be worried about you."

His words only made her cry more, her nose starting to run. It had been what, nearly two years, maybe a little more since she'd seen her. At the moment, she couldn't even think straight.

"Is it something I said?" he asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

"S-she left me," the young girl cried. "She left me alone."

For a moment, she thought that maybe Vesilu had finally decided that she didn't want her any longer. Did that mean she was defective? Her father hadn't wanted her either, his face a blur after all of these years. She could barely remember him anymore. Even Vargo didn't seem to care for her that much anymore, her injuries a clear sign of that. Was she really so unlovable? So expendable?

"No one wants me anymore!" she cried.

She didn't care at this point. So much pain had built up and not just in the physical aspect. Over the years she had begun to doubt herself in general. At least when she was with Vesilu she was happy. She felt loved and cherished. She felt that she had value. She must have if the dragon had rescued her from drowning and dredging her out of the icy depths. There had to have been a reason. Something. Anything.

Tears filled Makarov's own eyes at the brokenness this child felt. There was never a need for any child to feel unwanted. In his mind, they were pure and innocent; special. They were what made life worth living for.

His grandson came to mind then, a head of blond hair and blue-gray eyes so much like his own. He could remember him as a small boy, always smiling despite how sickly he normally was. That's what made everything worthwhile. It was a child's smile.

"Tell me, Tegan, how old are you?" Makarov asked, trying to pull her from her crying.

After a few moments, it seemed to do the trick, training her mind on a different subject. Her eyes were still wet though as she sat there, trying to blink away some of the tears.

"13," she replied, wiping at her face, only to come back with snot.

The two grimaced, before somehow finding it funny. He was surprised when he heard her laugh, the sound sweet and clear. It was beautiful, despite her previous torment.

"I have a grandson about your age," he said, tapping his chin. "His name is Laxus. Just turned 16 a few weeks ago actually. He's a little quiet sometimes though, but he means well."

Makarov was pleased when he realized she was listening. He'd been hoping to draw her attention that way, giving her a bit of information to hold onto.

"I run a guild in Magnolia," he told her. "We have a lot of wizards there and they're all very nice."

The young girl was still listening intently.

"We're all one big family at Fairy Tail."

Suddenly, Tegan's eyes widened in recognition, her mouth falling open slightly as a switch went off in her head. Fairy Tail. Vaguely, she remembered Vesilu had told her of this guild as a child when she'd been restless. She wasn't sure how exactly she'd come across the knowledge, but she'd filled her head with it one night. Vargo had mentioned it a few times before in passing, but had never mentioned where the guild was located, possibly afraid she'd run off to it. Obviously, dark guilds didn't get along with legal guilds such as that. She merely wished she would have seen Gray Scale's true nature before Vargo had managed to sink his claws into her.

"Fairy Tail…" she whispered, wetting her lips. "C-can we go there?" she asked, moving closer, only to wince when she forgot about her arm.

"I was hoping you would ask," Makarov grinned.

xXx

It was a long journey for the two mages or at least it seemed that way. Tegan's clothes were still damp as they entered the town, the rain having decided to stay away long enough for their journey to end. Her hair had only slightly dried, the top clinging to her head in chunks, while the tips stuck out at odd angles. The pelt around her shoulders was currently the only thing keeping her warm, despite the moisture that it had retained.

Makarov, on the other hand, was mostly dry, the knees of his pants no longer completely wet. His hat was gone though, showing the lack of hair on the top of his head. He didn't seem to mind though as he glanced at Tegan, her eyes wide with wonder as they drew closer to the guild. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was actually excited. She was more than excited though, eyes taking in the town around her. It made it obvious that she didn't get to go out unaccompanied often. No doubt, she had likely remained inside her guild unless on a mission.

What Tegan didn't know was that Makarov was actually fairly aware of Vargo. The tiny man made a habit of keeping tabs on a few dark guilds, depending on what they dabbled in. He wanted to make sure he had the upper hand in case anything ever happened. At least he tried to keep tabs on them when he could. Gray Scale though tended to try and stay off the radar, which made them harder to track.

Coming to a stop in front of the grand door, Makarov couldn't hide the smile on his face any longer. Tegan was frozen in place, her eyes trailing over the rather large building in front of them. The building itself had three tiers to it and though it was only two stories tall, it had a basement which made up for it a bit.

"Ah, Fairy Tail," Makarov breathed out a happy sigh.

The smile on his face dropped after a moment though when someone was sent flying through the doors. He barely had time to move as a blob of pink hair came at them, inevitably crashing into the poor child next to him. His eyes went wide for a moment, mouth falling open. From where he stood, he could see a few tables overturned, drinks spilled on the floor. He swore one of the wood rafters was destroyed.

"Man, that hurt."

The voice came from the tangled mess laid out on top of her.

The kid hadn't even realized that he'd landed on anyone, his nose scrunching up for a moment before he sneezed, therein, covering her in snot.

Makarov's eyes were wide in disbelief, before a vein popped out at the side of his temple.

"Are you trying to destroy everything!?" the man exclaimed. "And for the love of Mavis, show some respect!" he snapped, grabbing the boy by the collar of his shirt and pulling him off of the young girl.

Tegan was still somewhat frozen in place, her face blank as she laid there, snot coating her face. She was trying to process how some random kid had just completely sneezed all over her without so much as a sorry or oops. It was absolutely disgusting. She couldn't even decide on whether or not to strangle him as he continued to hang from Makarov's grasp.

"That. Was. Disgusting," she finally said, emphasizing every word as she brought a hand up to wipe her face.

The old man cringed as he watched this.

"Oh, sorry!" Natsu said offhandedly, a bright smile on his face. "My nose wouldn't stop itching."

Tegan merely blinked at him, eyes narrowing slightly after a moment.

"You're an idiot," she said slowly, carefully pushing herself up.

Her body was screaming at her now, chest heaving slightly as she tried to push through it. One of her ribs actually felt worse. Further irritation formed as Natsu turned his nose up, sniffing the air.

"You smell," he said bluntly.

"Natsu!" Makarov snapped, shaking him like a ragdoll as he reprimanded him.

"What?" he blinked, not understanding what the problem was as Makarov finally let go of him.

Once he did, Natsu was on their heels all the way inside. She'd never had anyone stay so close, his dark, slightly green eyes watching her every move. She jumped though when she felt his hands on her, climbing up onto her shoulders like some annoying primate. It was like he was trying to find out if she was hiding something. Pausing she realized that she didn't have any food on her, so she knew that couldn't be it, marking the possibility off of her list. She was about to start making a list of possibilities when she was suddenly interrupted.

"Soft," he nearly purred, suddenly burying his face in the fur around her neck.

Tegan rolled her eyes at the strangeness of it all. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a few people watching, one with a cigarette in his mouth and big orange hair piping up.

"Ya pick up another stray?" the man called out, causing Tegan's nose to wrinkle.

What was that supposed to mean anyway? She wasn't some dog to be picked up off the street or something.

"What are you talking about?" another said, turning toward the man. "Didn't he pull you out of a hole somewhere?"

There was laughter at this, the man's face going slightly red.

"Where'd you find her anyway?" someone asked.

"On the side of the road," came the master's nonchalant reply.

Again, there was laughter, her own face going red. She was the butt of the joke and she hated it. Seeming to have picked up on the tension it was causing her, Natsu wrapped his arms around her neck, pressing his cheek against hers in an almost catlike act of affection.

"Looks pretty beat up to me," came another voice.

Tegan turned her head toward the speaker, slightly surprised at the tall teen she'd found standing there. He was stood near one of the pillars in the room, arms crossed over his chest. He had something covering his ears, something she'd never seen before. Actually, taking a moment to look him over, she realized that he looked familiar. Not in the traditional way though. She'd never seen him before, his blond hair spiked out and a slight look of curiosity in his blue-gray eyes. He had a scar that ran over his right eye, reminiscent of a lightning bolt. The boy was probably a good two heads taller than her.

"Ah, Laxus, there you are."

Tegan paused as realization hit her. Laxus. That's why he looked familiar. He was Makarov's grandson. They shared the same eyes. Possibly the same hair, if Makarov would have still had any color to his that is.

"Tegan, this is my grandson, Laxus," he said, hand resting on her shoulder, Natsu still clinging to her back. "Laxus, this is Miss Tegan Veil, our newest member."

At the sound of his words, Tegan's mouth fell open. Her bright purple eyes had gone wide in shock. Words. She ran the words over in her head, blinking blankly as she tried to process them. For a moment she wondered if she had misheard, Natsu's hand waving freely in front of her face with what seemed like natural enthusiasm.

"Hey, Gramps, I think you broke her," the rosette commented, hands pulling and poking at her cheeks.

"Dear me. I thought she'd be happy," the old man said, blinking curiously as he looked the girl over.

Laxus did the same for a moment, before a small smirk formed on his face, a hint of yellow sparking along his fingertips. He grinned as he reached out, touching the tip of his pointer finger to her nose. It gave the desired effect, a small yelp escaping her as she was pulled back to reality from her quiet thought or lack thereof.

"He fixed her!" Natsu exclaimed, clapping, legs now wrapped around her shoulders.

The shift of extra weight made her unsteady, the boy's body rocking back and forth.

"Why'd you shock me!?" she scowled, eyes narrowing in irritation.

Laxus merely folded his arms back over his chest, the look on his face one of amusement as he stared down at her, his form looming easily over her smaller one.

"Well, maybe if you'd keep your head out of the clouds, I wouldn't have had to," he said smartly, earning a rather scathing look from the younger teen. "Besides, you looked like you needed a little livening up."

"Now, now, Laxus. Play nice," his grandfather said firmly, giving him a hard look. "After all, Tegan will be staying with us for a little while."

At the sound of this, the teen's eyes went wide with shock.

"What!?" he exclaimed. "You can't be serious?"

"Oh, I'm very serious," came the man's reply. "This young woman will stay with us until she can collect enough funds to be on her own. Though, I imagine that may be a while. Especially, with part of Fairy Hills under renovations."

"Sir, please, you don't have to," Tegan said quickly. "I'll do just fine on my own."

She paused before continuing.

"I was on my own for a full year after Vesilu left me."

Hearing this, Makarov was silent. He had been unaware of that fact. Still, he didn't feel right leaving her at the guild by herself and it would take her a few weeks to get settled before she could even think about having enough funds for a place to live. Fairy Hills wasn't exactly the cheapest either, if she even wanted to attempt staying there.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that," he said firmly, only to be interrupted by Natsu.

"Wait, you mean you were all alone?" he asked, a pout quickly forming on his lips.

Slowly, Tegan nodded her head, biting down on her lower lip as she drew it between her teeth. She could feel the soft skin protesting.

"Until Vargo found me anyway," she muttered, carefully touching her arm, the makeshift sling still around her neck.

"Yes, well, we all see how that turned out," Makarov said quietly.

Hearing this, Tegan felt eyes upon her. It made her nervous, a lump forming in her throat. It wasn't something she was proud of, a young girl with scarlet hair stepping toward them.

"Someone hurt you then," she stated, giving Tegan a once over.

The girl seemed bothered by her appearance, wincing slightly as she took everything in. Tegan's hair was still dirty, bits clumping together. Her left eye was still swollen, her arm a nasty color as it rested in its sling. She looked like a mess to put it nicely and she wished desperately to cover it all up and hide it.

"She can stay with me," the scarlet-haired girl said valiantly.

"Now, Erza, that's kind of you, but I can't let you get into any trouble young lady," Makarov said firmly.

Tegan watched as Erza pouted, hanging her head in rejection. With a sigh, the old man turned back toward Tegan, gesturing for her to follow. He did the same for Laxus, the older teen following without a word, Natsu still clinging to Tegan's back despite everything.

"Why are you so beat up anyway?" Natsu asked, poking at her cheek.

"Have some tact, young man!" Makarov snapped, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"It's alright…" Tegan sighed, gripping her arm. "I guess dark guilds aren't known for their kindness."

"Wait, you ran into one!?" Natsu exclaimed, causing everyone in the room to wince.

"I was part of one," came her quiet reply.

Others still heard it though, a few frowning while others whispered to themselves. It made Tegan uncomfortable. She wanted to hide, disappear into a corner perhaps. She hated having so many eyes on her. It was also unnerving.

"Go back to what you were doing!" Makarov snapped in frustration.

Everyone turned back around rather quickly at the man's exclamation, much to her relief. She'd always hated being watched like that. Even Vargo's men would watch her like a hawk, waiting for her to do something or possibly mess up. It bothered her.

"Laxus, do me a favor and grab some clothes from the other room?" the old man asked as they walked into a separate room.

The room had multiple beds and multiple curtains. It almost looked like an infirmary.

"Tomorrow, I'll have a friend of mine come by and take a look at you," he told her, letting her sit down on one of the beds.

She watched as he walked over to a drawer, pulling it open and rummaging through it. After a few moments, he came back over, a proper sling in hand. After all, his hat would only work for so long and he kind of wanted it back.

"Here we are," he smiled. "This should be far more comfortable for you my dear."

It was in that moment that Laxus came back in carrying a bundle of clothes in his arms. He'd had the sense to grab one of the girls, a head of long silver hair following behind him. Tegan at this point had taken the pelt from her shoulders, letting Natsu play with it despite her hesitation in doing so. As a result, they were all made aware of the mark on her neck.

"Master, should I get the remover?" the girl asked, gesturing to the mark on Tegan's neck.

Makarov shook his head.

"No, Mira, let Natsu and Laxus take care of that," he said, taking the clothes from his grandson, before shoving the two boys from the room and drawing the curtain.

From there, he let Mira take care of things, giving the young girl a bit of privacy. He knew that young boys could be curious when given the chance and that wasn't something that he wanted to deal with at the moment.

xXx

It wasn't until later that evening that everyone finally got to see her again. Tegan, much to her dismay had been left entirely in Mira's care, the younger girl taking care to wash Tegan's hair and sponge her off. Tegan couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so embarrassed. Still, she pushed through it, finally stepping back out of the room with Mira in tow.

"Master! Master! Look how pretty she looks!" Mira called out.

At the sound, Makarov turned toward the two. He found himself mildly surprised as he looked on. Apparently, Mira had rummaged through the clothes long and hard. No doubt, she had used a magic color changer, altering the color of the attire she'd found. Tegan, as striking as she was, looked even more so. Her hair was now pinned, showing off the blue underneath. The pale white of the top of her head was now shining brightly due to the lack of dirt and grime. Mira had used makeup to hide the black eye, though it couldn't hide the swelling. She'd dressed Tegan in a short black flowing skirt and a tight blue top, the pale skin of her face red in embarrassment. He had to admit, she looked a lot better. Glancing at this grandson, he realized that he thought so too, a faint blush adorning the boy's own cheeks.

Suddenly, Natsu came running forward, flinging his arms around Tegan and jostling her arm by accident.

"I know why you smell now!" the small boy exclaimed, a grin plastered on his face.

"Natsu!" Makarov snapped for perhaps the millionth time, displeased by the young man's choice of words.

His irritation seemed to go ignored, however.

"You remind me of Igneel!"

Makarov blinked in surprise, glancing at Tegan. Was it really possible?"

"Do you know where he is?" the boy asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

Unfortunately, Tegan could do nothing, but shake her head. She knew nothing of what to tell him. At the moment, she wasn't even sure of who this Igneel was.

"B-But you smell like him," Natsu whined. "This smells like them."

Slowly, Tegan's lips parted, a hint of realization dawning on her features.

"You know what… dragon smells like?" she asked slowly.

"You had one too, didn't you?" he asked. "Please, you have to tell me where he went!"

She watched as tears filled Natsu's eyes, his lip starting to quiver. She almost felt bad. Well, she did feel bad, but she almost felt worse knowing she couldn't provide him with any answers.

"I'm sorry," she sighed, wrapping her arm around him as he let out a sob.

Once again, her clothing became covered in snot. She didn't mind as much this time though, holding the small boy close, her hand stroking his hair.

"Vesilu left me over two years ago," she admitted, feeling her own eyes begin to water as they had earlier.

In the background, she could hear the whispers from a few of the older members that had decided to stick around for the evening. They said something about dragons, muttering to themselves. It was like they didn't believe them.

"Tegan, is it true," Makarov started, brow furrowed in the slightest as he gazed upon the two. "This Vesilu you spoke of, is she truly a dragon?"

Tegan stared at the man. Did he not believe her? To her knowledge, there were plenty of dragons. At least that's what Vesilu had said. Vesilu had even told her of a mate before. The dragon, her dragon, she'd had another by her side at one point in time.

"You don't believe me?" she asked slowly, frowning.

"If both you and Natsu say its so, then it must be so," came his firm reply. "I can't say I understand how, but... neither of you have any reason to lie about such a thing."

NEXT TIME ON STORM FRONT!

Chapter 8

"Hey, wait for me!"

Turning to look over her shoulder, Tegan found Natsu following after her. She was supposed to be leaving for a mission, not having him tailing her, his strange blue cat flying after him.

"Natsu, I have to go," she told him, shifting her bag, the strap pressing into her shoulder.

Ever since she'd come to the guild with Makarov, Natsu had picked up the habit of following after her.

"But what if something happens to you?" he asked, quickly hopping atop her shoulders.

The sudden action nearly sent her toppling forward, quickly dropping her bag as she grabbed hold of his legs.

"I have to be there to protect you!" he said firmly, nuzzling his face into her hair and giving her a bone-crushing squeeze.

A/N: Alright everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really am going to try and stay on top of updating again. These last couple of holiday weekends have allowed me to look over some of my stuff and reassess it. The next chapter has more insight on Tegan's younger days, something that I'm planning to possibly make a few more of to work on her relationship with some of the other characters. If you guys have any suggestions for me in that regard, I'd be more than happy to hear them. Also, any mission ideas as well. I have a couple set up for the future, but those will still have to wait for a while til we get further along in the time line. One in particular is a hilarious mission with her and the famous Thunder Legion. So much fun with Tegan, Laxus, Evergreen, Freed and Bicklow. Said chapter is already mostly done since I wanted to get it all down before I forgot anything. Anyway! Please let me know what you'd like to see, whether it be something from their younger days together or something current. Also, don't forget to REVIEW! It helps to keep me writing.

Thanks everyone!