"We were destined to meet. No matter the distance between us, we return to each other, again and again and again."

Crocus was quiet.

For once, the streets weren't filled with the murmur of tourists or the shouting of shopkeepers as they cried their wares down busy streets. There was no rustling of papers as strangers read their maps, no asking for directions or where was the finest place to eat. Children did not skitter across our path in pursuit of one another, oblivious to the world around them. Families did not walk, hand in hand, down the once-gilded streets of a long-lived kingdom. For once, the city was silent, and I felt alone on the earth.

Our feet scraped against the rubble as we made our pilgrimage across all the wreckage, faint clouds of dust rising sluggishly about our calves and spinning with slow motes in the shimmering rays of sunlight. Ultear and I said nothing. Our hearts were heavy with the memory of battle cries and the tiny skitter-scattering sound of rocks shifting underfoot.

Then the noise came to me.

At first, it was quiet—barely detectable over the sound of my own breathing—and I wrote it off as nothing more than a wayward breath of wind. I glanced around me and it grew, spreading scintillating wings and lending itself to an almost hum. The soft buzz of a bee in a glass jar.

The sound grew to a whisper, tumbling like a waterfall over my eardrums and splashing into the canal that opened beneath. Words, I realized. A hasty rush of voices speaking too low and too fast to be adequately heard. I increased my pace, and finally, the noise grew into a roar.

It took me a moment to pinpoint where the shouting was coming from, and it took me even longer to discern exactly who it was coming from in the first place.

Ultear shot me a warning glance upon hearing the bellowing, and I, curious as I was, ignored her and, charging straight ahead into the unknown. The arguing became more distinct, and I waited behind a nearby building as I listened.

Someone gruff was raising his voice, "Look, I don't care what the hell you think your job is—because your job as of right now is this: you're going to find your superior, and you're going to tell him that if he doesn't set up a search party soon, I am going to carry my ass up there and pound his fucking face in. Do you understand?"

My brows rose, and then someone else spoke up.

"Hey, you can't talk to me like that!" Whoever it was, the tell-tale trace of fear was clear in his voice.

"My friend is missing," The first, vaguely familiar voice barked—I'd heard that tone before. "I haven't seen her in over twelve hours, and she is the only one in my entire guild that hasn't returned yet." His voice was low, a growl, and I could picture the two figures, one dark and brooding, the other slight and meek, in my mind's eye. "So I suggest that you get my fucking message to your leader, or else I'll deliver the damn thing myself, and, believe me, no one is going to like that very much."

I peeled myself like a prayer from the wall of the building I'd taken shelter behind. My mouth fell open when I saw him there, all pent-up anger and smoldering rage.

"Laxus?" I blurted, but all I received was a wave of his hand—too busy to acknowledge me.

He was too focused on the other man. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

I released an exasperated laugh. "Laxus, open your eyes, you idiot! It's me!"

As soon as the words tumbled past my lips he stiffened. It was like I'd cast a spell. Instantly, the anger consuming him melted into a puddle at his feet, and he froze. The only thing that moved was his head, which swerved to me as a vehical would skid across ice—eyes terrified and bright like a beaming pair of headlights. His jaw slipped open, and where I normally would've heard a smart repartee or a series of creative expletives, nothing escaped but sharp, choking sound from somewhere deep within his throat.

I wanted to smirk—wanted to look haughty and cool and distant, because I knew it was me he was looking for, that much was obvious. But I couldn't. The only thing I could do was smile because Laxus… I breathed. He was alive. And the others were too. We'd survived, and I hadn't lost him in the process.

I started walking towards him, more of a brisk jog, really. His expression seemed to falter, and finally, he said something.

"Alexandria"

My name pealed from his lips like a prayer—like a hymn. Milk and honey dripped from his mouth as he looked at me, and I could taste it on the air between our lips. I felt holy, felt god-like. The way the syllables rolled across his tongue made it seem as if they were meant there, and for a moment all was right with the world once more. We basked in each other and worshiped.

He said it again, this time more certain, "Alexandria."

Laxus started moving in my direction, and before I knew it I was jumping into his arms, and we were both laughing and smiling and trying not to cry. I felt something tighten in my chest, and he squeezed me tight before setting me back on the ground. He pulled away from me, his hands on my shoulders and a painful slurry of worry and relief spattered across his features.

"Where the hell were you?" He blurted. "I –" He faltered, "We looked everywhere for you! I thought… I thought you were dead! Thought that one of those dragons had killed you! You just disappeared; we were so worried, Alexandria, we—"

I laughed and placed my hands on his shoulders, shaking him. "Calm down, Laxus! Everything's fine. I'm fine. You're fine."

"Well," he frowned. "Just don't disappear in the middle of something like that again."

I scoffed. "Laxus, in case you haven't realized it yet, I wasn't the one controlling what occurred in that battle last night," I quipped. "I was the one responding the best that I could—like the rest of us. Doing what I had to do to keep others alive."

"Well, maybe you could've–"

"Maybe I could've what?" I inquired. "Don't bother suggesting that I should've done something different. If I could go back, I'd do it all over again."

He scowled. "I was just going to say that you ought to stop worrying about saving others and worry about saving yourself."

I snorted. "Yeah, right, because I'm sure you did just that last night." My arms folded in front of my chest as I observed him, all rough edges and gruff eyes and gritted teeth. "That's one thing you and I have in common, Laxus. We'd rather die than see any of our comrades fall. So don't bother comparing me to a standard you can't even stick to yourself."

"I just…" He trailed off, frustrated. "What if you'd died, Alexandria? What if-"

I cocked a brow. "And what if I had?" He folded his arms and looked away, but I pressed on. "It wouldn't matter. My friends would be alive. You'd be alive. Everyone would be alright and they'd all go on with their lives. The world would keep on spinning."

"Alexandria…" His voice was a growl, warning.

"Oh grow up, Laxus," I clipped. "This is the way the world works. We live; we love; we die. Even you. Even me. I am of the earth, Laxus, and to the earth I shall return once more. I belong to it—not to anyone or anything else and certainly not to you."

His eyes narrowed. "You're the one who needs to grow up," He countered. "Stop thinking you can save everyone on your own."

"I save what lives I can, Laxus. You're the one who's always trying to play the hero."

He snorted. "Oh, am I now?"

"Yes. You are," I retorted. "Always turning up thinking you can save the day. Well, you can't. One of these days you're going to get in over your head and nothing—not even a well-timed lightning bolt—will be able to save you."

"You act like I'm the prideful one," He exclaimed. "Have you seen yourself recently, Xandria? That god-complex is going to kill you one day."

"That's bullshit and you know it, Laxus! The only one here with a god-complex is you!"

"You so sure about that?" He jeered, and I scowled at him.

"You are such—"

The distinct sound of laughter silenced me, and I swiveled around. Ultear was standing mere feet away, one hand fanning herself, the other drying imaginary tears of mirth.

Laxus and I spoke at the same time, "What?"

I turned to him, "Don't talk to her like that."

"Don't tell me what to do."

I scoffed. "Watch me."

Ultear's laughter intensified, as did Laxus' and my scowls.

I turned on her. "Ultear, what is your problem?"

It took her a moment, but she managed to compose herself, at which point she motioned to the both of us, still grinning. I didn't know if I'd ever seen her grin.

"It's finally happened," She blurted, "by the gods, it's finally happened!"

I creased my brows. "What has? What's happened, Ultear?"

"You've finally met your match."

My face froze, then fell, and I sneered at her.

"Ultear, you may be my sister, but just know that I will not hesitate to punch you."

She chuckled again, shaking her head.

"I've been waiting so long for this day, and it's finally happened. You've met someone who's just as much of an asshole as you."

"Didn't you two hate each other the last time we met or something?" Laxus interrupted, and I rolled my eyes.

"We just got into a little argument a few days ago, will you screw off?"

Ultear cut me off before I could go on. "No wonder the Dreyar boy came with you to meet us—"

"My name is Laxus."

I cut him off, "Normally, I call him Blondie. Sparky seems to work too, and—if he's being extra difficult—lightning dolt. That's one of my personal favorites."

"Hey!"

My sister and I laughed while Laxus fumed beside me, his arms folded and his lower lip jutting out in what could only be described as a pout. I grinned at him, but he only grumbled.

"Let's just head to the inn," He huffed, and I laughed.

"Because everyone's just dying to see me, right?"

"You wish."

Fairy Tail was known for many things—their recklessness, their strength, and the importance they placed on family. All of these attributes they put on display for me when I returned to their midst, but the most profound certainly was the latter.

Levy greeted me with a cry of joy and tears of relief. Her skinny arms wrapped around my neck in a careless embrace, and though she was much smaller than me, she somehow still managed to smother me.

"Oh, Xandria!" She exclaimed. "You had us all so worried!"

Gajeel grinned from her side. "Actually, you had a particular group of people," he cut his eyes towards Laxus and Levy, "worried out of their minds. I told them you'd turn up fine—just give you a day or so. But did they listen?"

"No," I finished with a chuckle, and he nodded.

Lucy, hearing the noise, came over to join our little group, and after a tender hug, she chimed in. "You should have seen Laxus! Honestly, I thought he might get us all arrested, considering all the badgering he did."

"That's not true, Lucy, and you know it," Laxus grumbled, but she only laughed.

"Oh yeah, big guy? Because beating up a member of another guild is totally civil, right?"

"You what?!" I blurted, and Laxus raised his hands defensively.

"He provoked me, Xandria," he said, his voice wavering only slightly, "besides, it was just one punch—nothing major."

My hands went on my hips in distaste. "Nothing major?" I echoed. "Laxus, you can't just go around punching people!"

"Says you."

"Excuse me?"

"Last time I checked, Princess, you punched Jenny Realight's face in with your fist."

I scoffed. "That was completely different!"

"What?!" Laxus and I both turned to the sound of the voices beside us, and Lucy, Levy, and Gajeel looked at us in shock.

Lucy spoke first: "You're the one who broke Jenny's nose?"

"Well… yeah," I gave her a sheepish grin. "But it wasn't my fault or anything; I promise! When we were at Ryuzetsu land Jenny came up and ripped my bikini top off, right in front of Laxus and God and everybody. To say it was humiliating would be an understatement."

"Oh."

I turned to Laxus, who suddenly seemed very interested in the floor. A laugh escaped my throat and he glanced up, his cheeks pink.

"What?" He grunted, but before he could get in another word Levy spoke up.

"Where did you go yesterday, Xandria, after the battle? You never told us."

"Oh, well I—"

A voice finished my sentence, "She found me." I turned, and none other than the great Erza Scarlet stood proudly behind me. She chuckled and joined the others around me. "Xandria heard my cries just as a group of those dragon hatchlings was about to overpower me. She saved my life."

"I wouldn't say that, Erza," I muttered. "But yes, I ended up running into Erza. After that, things started to a get a little out of hand. Ultear showed up with Jellal and Millianna—you can imagine the fight that broke out—and then I ended up following her until she collapsed."

"Collapsed?" Lucy asked.

I swallowed. Should I tell them? Should I not? Was it really my place to tell them what Ultear had done for them—for all of us?

I tightened my fists. Yes, I thought, yes it is.

I opened my mouth "Ultear—"

"Used a little too much magic and ended up collapsing."

My head swiveled, and my eyes widened in shock as I noticed my sister materialize by my side. Ultear stood, a pleasant expression on her face and daggers in her eyes as she stared at me, daring me to go on.

"Ul—" I began, but she cut me off with a wave of her hand.

"Alexandria found me passed out and spent the night nursing me and a group of other injured civilians," Ultear explained. "Don't listen to any modest thing she tries to convince you otherwise."

A smile blossomed across Levy's face. "You really stayed out there, Xandria? Helping all those people?"

"Well—"

Ultear cut me off, "She most certainly did."

I appreciated her words, but a part of me couldn't help but frown when she said them. Because, yes, I had helped those people, but I wasn't the one they should be proud of. Ultear had sacrificed herself to save us all. If anyone was a hero it was her.

But before I could protest, I was swallowed whole by the joyous laughter of my guildmates. By then the rest of Fairy Tail had discovered our arrival, and soon we were all being dragged off in different directions to celebrate our survival with one another, eating and dancing and making merry until our bursting hearts could take no more.

That night, after somehow freeing myself from the clutches of my well-meaning guildmates, I led Ultear far away from the inn towards a quieter corner of Crocus. As the day had worn on, Ultear's time continued to slip through her hands like sand. This new sister who accompanied me now had a head full of gray hair and a distinctly shorter stature.

She shuffled when she walked, now. Soft, sandled feet scraping against the earth and trailing a tiny song against the cobbles. Her breath puffed in and out like the sound of feathers falling, and while I busied myself observing the city around us, she spent her time watching me. I could feel her eyes at the back of my head, opening my skull and unpacking my brain. She knew me still. After all the years and all the pain and all the suffering we'd endured, she could still pick apart my bones until my soul laid bare and broken before her.

We pressed on.

Eventually, we came across an older district of the city, nestled somewhere between sad goodbyes and new beginnings. I knew the moment I set foot in the sector that Ultear would be able to slip away comfortably here. She knew it too.

There was a certain aura of peace that haunted the air around us. I drank it in like a prayer—like an elixir of life. The inhabitants of this particular part of Crocus were all as old as the buildings they lived in. Weathered faces and knotted wrists greeted us at every street corner and open doorway we slipped by.

Finally, we came across a warm, hearty home with the words "INN" plastered across the front in large, wooden letters. Ultear only looked in silence at me as I paid a week in advance for a little room for her. I swallowed, hard, and I felt my heart tremble a little. She was so old already… How much longer could she last?

"Alexandria."

I turned at the sound of her voice, but my gaze still lingered on the ground.

"Alexandria, look at me."

I did as she commanded. Her eyes stared back at me and it was like looking at myself in a glass. I could see every detail of my face in those two small pools of liquid, and for all I knew we might as well have been a million miles away. All that filled that room were me, my thoughts, and all the melancholy I was left with.

Ultear was going. Ultear was gone.

"Alexandria!"

I focused and there she was again, a sparrow before me.

"Yes?"

"Go back to your guild, Lex," she said. "You're exhausted, and the last place you need to be is with me."

I frowned like I wanted to disagree with her, but the fire died in my belly as soon as it had appeared.

"Alright, Ul," I muttered. "I'll be back to check on you, though. Don't do anything stupid."

She nodded as if she wouldn't, and I left her behind with all the hope in the world.

A/N: Well, I spent this past weekend writing the end for this fanfiction and shedding a good gallon or so of tears as I brought everything to a close. It hurt, but it was a good thing because it means that I won't let myself leave this story unfinished!

As of right now, it looks like this fic is going to end up having somewhere between 50 and 60 chapters (right now I'm thinking 57, but that's not definite). I could write more than that; I could write less, but that's where things stand right now.

This is going to take me at least another year to finish (I've been writing it since December 2014, can you believe it?!), so as of right now I'm thinking that it'll come to an end around May 2019. I'm waiting because #1 I need the Alvarez Arc to come out for the anime (don't know about you, but manga doesn't really bring things to life for me—not in the way I need it for writing purposes) and #2 it takes a hella long time to write a story like this between working and school and other activities. So please bear with me and I hope you'll stick with me to the end of this!

As always, I love you guys! Please drop a review if you like this or have some constructive criticism for me!