A/N: For those who have read the manga, you may have noticed I skipped a rather important detail. Why? Because it'll be that much more surprising later on. Unless one of you spoil it in the reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail and/or Akame Ga Kill. They belong to their original owners.

The Assassins of Fairy Tail

Job Seven: The Assassin's Chores

Magnolia, year X791

After the battle against Tartaros

All of the members of Fairy Tail gathered in front Makarov who announced an important message to all of them. Needless to say, none of them were happy about what he told them. "What's going on master!"

"This isn't the time to joke!"

"How the hell are we gonna keep food on the table then!?"

"This isn't your problem alone!"

While everyone was voicing out their outrage, Lucy was wondering why their guild master said that their guild was no more. "I will disband Fairy Tail. Go. Go where your beliefs and your legs will take you. That's all there is." Makarov turned his back to the crowd.

Fairy Tail guild master: Makarov Dreyar

His words only enraged the members even more. "I'm not buying that master!"

"Fairy Tail's my one and only choice!"

"You could've just left yourself if you didn't wanna be part of the guild no more!"

"I won't quit! Fairy Tail will be here!"

"Yeah!"

Makarov looked back with a furious look in his eye. "Fairy Tail will disband at this very instant! And don't let me hear anyone of you speak that name anymore!" His voice stopped all of them yelling and were terrified. What terrified Lucy the most was the guild she had come to love so much no longer existed.

B

One year later

"So this is Magnolia huh? It looks a lot nicer in person." Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Wendy, and Carla along with Leone, Chelsea, and Akame finally arrived at Magnolia, the town that once housed the famous guild Fairy Tail.

Lucy looked back at Leone with curiosity. "You've been to Magnolia before Leone?"

The other blonde laughed nervously at the question. "I…might've seen a picture of it on a postcard one time." There was no way she was going to tell Lucy the truth. At least, not yet.

Natsu was excited being back in the town after being gone for a year. "Woah! This really brings back memories!"

Happy jumped a little in joy. "Look! They fixed up Kardia Cathedral"

Being back in Magnolia made Wendy feel even more nostalgic considering what she went through before. "This place was in ruins a year back."

Carla would have to agree. "This town's really tough isn't it?"

Akame couldn't stop looking around at the town. "It really is quite beautiful."

Chelsea giggled in agreement. "I'll say. It looks like a great place to live in."

Leone had other thoughts about the town. "A place like this has gotta have a few good bars around."

Hearing that made Wendy giggle a little. "Somehow I knew you going to say that." While the whole group was happy to be in and to be back in Magnolia, they were there for an important reason.

F

After the battle against Avatar, everyone was to go back what they were doing before and then meet up once again in Magnolia. "I need to report this to Jellal." Erza spoke.

"Don't tell your higher-ups about us will ya Gajeel?" Gray asked.

"Us living together was a secret."

As usual, Juvia said the wrong thing and thought the wrong thing. "That ain't it. I was talking about Erza and I."

Levy smiled at everyone. "We'll head on over to Magnolia too once we're done."

Gajeel wasn't as happy as the rest of the group. "Man, just when I was beginning to think that my job in the council was heaven-sent."

Lily thought he couldn't be serious about what Gajeel said. "At least make it look like you're joking."

F

One more thing that they learned is that Avatar couldn't tell more about Zeref since all they did was worship him. Not that they had high hopes to begin with. Lucy should be happy that she was back in Magnolia but somehow wasn't. Wendy noticed it right away. "What's wrong Lucy?" The blonde turned to the younger girl. "You look kinda down."

Lucy tried her best to fake a smile. "Nah. I'm fine. I'm feeling all nostalgic since it's been so long." Natsu wondered if that was actually true. In truth, being back in Magnolia brought back a lot of memories for Lucy and everything that had happened since her joining of the Fairy Tail guild. She wanted to ask Makarov the reason behind the disbandment of Fairy Tail but he disappeared shortly after. By that point, everyone Lucy knew went their own way. Just the memory of Fairy Tail being no more was enough to make her stop and doubt.

Everyone noticed Lucy and looked back. "What wrong Lucy?" Happy asked.

Natsu pointed in front of him. "The guild's just ahead."

The blonde was almost hesitant to answer. "I…I'm afraid of what I'll see…because the guild might not even be there anymore."

Natsu could understand why Lucy was worried and smile. "Who cares about the building? What matters is what we do from now on."

It still didn't make Lucy feel better as she had other concerns. "That aside, what about everyone else? With you appearing out of nowhere and saying that you'll bring back Fairy Tail, I must've gotten carried away too. I haven't even kept in touch with some people over the past year. The letters I've sent were only to those I could find. That 'we're gonna bring back Fairy Tail, so let's meet at Magnolia.' But if you think about it, everyone would've gotten on with their lives by now." Both Natsu and Happy were now a little worried about her. Unknown to Lucy, there was somebody behind her while she had her head lowered and was close to crying. "I don't know if everyone else feels the same as we do. What if…what if they've already forgotten about the guild? I…"

An arm suddenly wrapped around on Lucy's shoulder. "Yeah, like I'd forget in only a year."

Both Natsu and Wendy were happy to see the person who just showed. "Cana!"

Fairy Tail member: Cana Alberona

Cana smiled as she was happy to see some familiar faces. "Hey Natsu, Happy, Carla. Ah, Wendy, you've grown haven't you?"

Wendy wondered how much she was going to be asked that question. "Not by much really."

"And you…" Cana gave one of Lucy's breasts a playful squeeze. "Big knockers, as usual." She did notice three new faces with the group. "And who are these three? Don't think I've seen them before around here."

The young dragon slayer was more than happy to introduce them to Cana. "Oh, right. Cana, these are my friends. They're Akame, Leone, and Chelsea."

Leone raised her hand at the other woman while smiling. "Hey there. Think I can have a swig of that later on?" She pointed at the bottle Cana was currently holding.

Akame bowed to her. "It's nice to meet you."

Chelsea smiled too at Cana. "Hello."

Cana smiled back at all of them. "Hi yourselves. Have to say Wendy, you have some pretty interesting new friends there. Especially one that has a good pair on her." She was insinuating Leone.

The second giggled at that. "Hey, thanks. I do know one particular person who enjoys them." Both Akame and Wendy blushed who Leone was really hinting at.

Chelsea could only groan and facepalm. "Really Leone?"

Cana let go of Lucy. "Anyway…this past year has been fruitful for me too, you know. Though I'd go on a trip to look for Gildarts." She brought up a letter. "So it was pure luck that this got to me in time. The same thing probably happened to the rest too." Lucy wondered what Cana meant by that. She started to drink the bottle. "I've been in the guild ever since I was a kid. So when we were told to disband so suddenly, I couldn't make sense of it. I mean, I didn't even know how to work outside of the guild but I guess it was a good lesson learned." She finished with a refreshed gasp. "Everyone else found it strange too. That might why no one's kept in touch." Cana smiled at Lucy. "And you've become our icebreaker…Lucy." Natsu smiled at that. Cana grabbed Lucy's hand and began to drag her. "Come on! Everyone's waiting!"

Lucy thought she had misheard that. "Everyone?"

The two ran to where the guild once was and saw the biggest surprise of her life. Everyone in Fairy Tail was back together again. "Oh! It's been too long!"

You've grown your hair Lucy!"

"Natsu's come back!"

"I got your letter Lucy!"

"I heard you guys really messed up the royal city."

"Wendy, Carla, how've you been?!"

"Happy!"

Lucy couldn't believe that everyone she knew came back. "Warren…"

Fairy Tail member: Warren Rocko

Warren showed off the device Gray and Erza used before. "The compact communications lacrima is my invention."

"Nab…"

"Fairy Tail member: Nab Lasaro

Nab smiled at her. "I've read your work."

Juvia raised her hand. "Juvia too, actually."

"Reedus…Max…"

"Yo."

Fairy Tail Member: Reedus Jonah

"You all good?"

Fairy Tail member: Max Alors

"Alzack, Bisca, Asuka…"

"Meeting you guys again is like a dream come true to me."

Fairy Tail member: Alzack Connell with Asuka

Asuka raised her arm. "Asuka's grown a little too."

Bisca was glad to see Erza again. "Long time no see."

Fairy Tail member: Bisca Connell

Erza felt the same about the other woman. "You and your family look well."

"Jet…Droy…"

"Team Shadow Gear, back in business!"

Fairy Tail members: Jet and Droy

Levy was also happy to be back with them. "Ahaha, I left the council."

"Macao, Wakaba, Romeo…"

"Wait, you were in the council!?" Gajeel chuckled at their reaction.

Fairy Tail members: Macao Conbolt, Romeo Conbolt, and Wakaba Mine

"Laki…Vijeeter…Kinana…"

Gray noticed Laki's new look. "You cut your hair?"

Laki nodded at the question. "Yup. Cut it all off."

Fairy Tail member: Laki Olietta

Vijeeter was doing one of his dances. "The reunion dance!"

Fairy Tail member: Vijeeter Ecor

"I've learned to use magic too."

Fairy Tail member: Kinana

Elfman grinned at their reunion. "A reunion of men!"

Lisanna waved at Lucy and the others. "Natsu, Lucy, Happy, long time no see!"

Fairy Tail members: Elfman and Lisanna Strauss

The two of them surrounded Lucy. "Lisanna…Elfman…" She finally the last person gathered around. "Mira…"

Mira smiled at the other girl. "Welcome home."

Fairy Tail member: Mirajane Strauss

Lucy was overcome with so much emotion, she couldn't think of anything and tears started to come out of her eyes. "I'm…home…" She started to sob out of joy that everyone was here and something simple brought her so much joy. Mira gave the other a girl a much needed heartwarming hug while everyone smiled.

Lucy wasn't the only one feeling emotional. Leone heard a few sniffles and looked to see tears coming out of Wendy and smiled. "I don't blame her for crying. She hasn't seen any of them for a long time."

"Hey, who are those three girls with Wendy?"

"Are we getting new members already?"

"I don't recognize them."

Leone and the rest of the girls saw that everyone in Fairy Tail was looking at them. While Chelsea felt a little intimidated, Leone and Akame smiled. "Oh! I've found it!" Everyone turned to Natsu who seemed to grab something out of the rubble. "It's all torn up but oh well." He lifted a flag that had the Fairy Tail symbol on it and raised it high. "The guild's coming back! This is our Fairy Tail!"

B

"So this is where we'll be staying huh?" After the big reunion, some of the girls returned to Fairy Hills, the dormitory where most of the female wizards of Fairy Tail reside since they needed to place to stay. However, their home was not how they left it. The lawn seemed to overgrow, the building itself looked shabby after not being cared for over the course of the year all of them were gone and chances are the inside wasn't faring much better which brings to them now. Chelsea already didn't like how it looked. "This place seemed it had better days."

Erza didn't see a problem with it as she walked up to her former home. "It's not too bad. I say by the end of the day; it'll be back to its old self which means…" She turned around to face the rest of the girls. "Ladies, time to get to cleaning!"

While some understood, Chelsea was still having doubts. "Whoa, wait a minute. Cleaning? All of this?"

Erza crossed her arms. "Of course. Before we can get to building the guild once again tomorrow, we need to restore Fairy Hills to its former self. I expect all of you to participate in it. Myself included." Akame raised her hand. "Yes?"

Akame lowered her hand. "Are you sure we can stay here? We're not part of Fairy Tail. At least not of yet." She gestured at Leone and Chelsea.

The other girl didn't seem to mind. "True but the fact that you've helped to fight against Avatar and being close friends to Wendy, you three will be members in name until the guild is built and made legal. Then you'll be official members." The three former assassins didn't have a problem with that. "Now as for which job each of you shall take. Juvia and Wendy, you will be in charge of washing and drying the bedsheets."

Wendy nodded at the order. "Okay. Leave it to us."

Juvia was equally determined. "We'll get it done."

Erza counted on that. "Next up, Levy, you will wash the windows."

Levy looked at the windows and felt a little unsure. "Uh…right. I'm on it."

So far so good. "As for the rest of you, it's to clean the interior. That includes all of the rooms except those that we used to be in. Those we will clean ourselves. For myself, I will tend to the lawn. Is that understood?"

Every girl nodded. Some a little less enthusiastic than some others. "Yes!"

Chelsea could only groan a little at the amount of work she had to do. "This is going to suck."

"Let's get to work ladies!" Everyone went to do their respective chores whether one of them liked it or not. They all set out on what they were supposed to do. For those to clean in the interior, it was divided by Leone, Akame, and Chelsea with the rooms while Cana and Laki cleaned the hallways. Chelsea thought it was unfair but Cana made an agreement because they were new. Wendy and Carla volunteered to help a little only to get the bed sheets out of the house quicker.

It took a while but the dragon slayer/water mage duo managed to hang all of the bed sheets outside on multiple clotheslines. For them, the hard part was done. "Alright Juvia, time to start."

Juvia was more than ready. "Juvia is on it." She roared as the water mage suddenly sent out two large columns of water at the sheets and surrounded them. "Water Nebula!" The attack washed all of the sheets thoroughly and finally subsided.

With them nice and washed, it was Wendy's turn. She pulled back both of her arms with the wind circled around both. "Now…" The young dragon slayer extended her arms forward. "Sky Dragon's Dry Breeze!" Her attack also thoroughly dried the bedsheets until they were bone dry. Wendy giggled at what they accomplished. "There we go. All done."

Juvia smiled at their work. "Now we just need to set them back into the rooms."

"Solid Script: Wash!" The word "wash" appeared repeatedly on each of the windows Levy was starting out and the windows were covered in water. Levy made another gesture and pointed at the damp windows. "Solid Script: Dry!" This time the word "dry" appeared on the windows and like the word said, it dried all the windows in an instant. Washing the windows wasn't as going to be hard as Levy thought. "One side down, several more to go."

"Requip!" Erza's body glowed bright and was now wearing gardener outfit. "Alright, let's tend to this lawn." In typical Erza fashion, instead of gardening tools to mow the lawn and trim the bushes, she used her usual swords to do all of the work.

Inside one of the rooms, Chelsea saw what Erza was doing and didn't know what to think of it. "Who mows a lawn by using swords?"

"Hey Akame, Chelsea! Check out what I found!" Chelsea dropped what she was doing momentarily and went over to the room Leone called out from. Both girls walked over to the room Leone was in and were very surprised. The blonde loved their reactions. "I found an open bath in this place."

It would be impressive if it were a little cleaner. Still, it was a surprise to Chelsea. "Why do they need an open bath here in the first place? Every room in this place has their own private bathroom."

"Maybe it serves the same reason why we used the hot spring." Akame guessed.

Leone grinned at her girlfriend. "What do you say we clean this together? It'd be faster that way."

Chelsea sighed at the task in front her. "I'll go get my pail and washcloth."

B

The day passed by for the girls of Fairy Tail until the sun was setting. All of them were standing in front of Fairy Hills admiring the hard work they had done to restore it to its former glory. It was nice seeing their home looking the way it did before. Erza couldn't stop smiling at it. "A job well-done ladies." Chelsea was just happy they were finally done. She hadn't done that much work in a long time, not counting her assassinations. "Now that we're done, I think it's time we deserve a well-cooked meal."

Akame instantly had stars in her eyes whenever she hears something similar to food. "That sounds wonderful. What are we going to eat?"

Erza was about to answer that but…she really didn't have an answer. "I'm not sure actually. We've been cleaning throughout the day so we never really had any time to buy groceries." And those stars were destroyed for Akame.

Leone didn't see what the big deal was. "So we'll go out and go get some. The market should still be open to get a few things."

That gave Cana an idea. "You heard the new girl. She'll get them for us."

The blonde should've known she would walk into that. "Aw, crap."

Wendy smiled at the older girl and stood in front of her. "Don't worry Leone. I'll show you around the town. That way you'll learn where everything is. Akame and Chelsea can come with us too since you are new to Magnolia."

Now Leone couldn't help but be reminded the first time she showed Wendy the Capital and where to go. "I'd appreciate that Wendy." She looked over at the other two girls. "You heard the order. Let's go pick up dinner. We'll be back soon." Not too long after, Wendy, along with Carla left with Leone and the other girls back into town to pick up the ingredients for their dinner.

"You better pick up some booze along the way!"

"And some cake would be preferable!"

As they saw the group leaving, Levy was smiling at the three former assassins. "It seems they've been adapting well into our world ever since they arrived."

She heard Erza clear her throat and everyone turned to her. "While we're waiting for them to come back, let's set up the table. It's been far too long since we dined together."

B

"So what do you think of our soon to be new members?" Erza asked while setting up the table cloth.

Cana drank last of her booze and set it down on the table. "Seem like good people if you ask me. I think Leone will make a good drinking partner."

Juvia didn't understand one part of that. "How do you know she drinks?"

The other girl pointed at her bottle. "Because earlier today she asked if she wanted to take a drink out of my bottle."

That seemed more than enough for the water mage. "Well, Juvia doesn't know much about them since we've just met."

Laki could say the same thing about the three girls. "I don't know much about them either but they do seem like nice people."

Levy was the only person who could actually vouch for them. "They're pretty good in my book and Wendy trusts them a lot."

Erza observed Levy a few seconds before asking an important question. "Levy, I hope you don't mind but I do want to ask you something."

The other girl didn't mind at all. "Sure, go right ahead."

This was something Erza was wondering for quite some time ever since they came back from their battle against Avatar. "How is it that Wendy knew you and Gajeel were in the Magic Council? All of us didn't know and yet she did and her three friends. So how did she know?" The other girls were a little interested in this as well.

And Levy was caught into a trap. She couldn't tell all of them the truth. That was up to Wendy and the others. She could make up a half-lie. "Well…truth be told, we kinda met each other half a year ago which was a surprise for the both us. Turns out we were both on business for the same thing."

Erza seemed to buy what Levy was telling her. "Oh, I'm surprised you two had a small reunion. What was the business?"

Levy should've known Erza was going to ask that. She had to come up with something fast. "A rescue mission. That's what it was and we finished it. Her, me, and the three girls Wendy was with."

It was a quick save as Erza believed her. "I see. I suppose that does clear a few things up." Levy sighed out of relief as she dodged that bullet.

"Hey, we're back!"

"And we pretty much emptied our pockets for all of this!"

Erza turned to the entrance. "Welcome back."

Wendy and the other girls entered the dining room and were surprised by the number of groceries all of them were carried. Cana thought it was a little absurd. "Why the hell did you buy?! The whole market?!"

Leone set the pile of groceries she was holding onto the table. "Hey, might as well make this a celebration for getting back together. By the way, we got your booze."

"And Erza's cake. Strawberry right?" Wendy set the cake on the table.

Erza was very impressed by what they did. "Thank you for doing this."

Chelsea groaned as she set her pile of groceries down. "So who's doing the cooking?"

Erza took a gander at the food presented her. "I'm sure I'll be able to cook up several wonderful dishes with all of this."

Wendy thought Erza would say that which is why she thought up of an ultimatum. "Actually, Erza, I was thinking Akame could do the cooking. She's really good at it."

The older girl was interested in that. "Oh, is that so?"

The young dragon slayer nodded without hesitation. "Yeah."

Leone thought to sell it a little more while she grinned. "Akame was the one who prepared the food back in Lamia Scale and let me tell you they were raving nonstop about it. Even one of those snooty food people tried her cooking when we were on a job once and gave it five stars."

"The same thing happened when we worked at that one restaurant that old guy owns. What was his name again? I think it was Yaji-something or other. Anyway, the customers couldn't get enough of the food Akame prepared." Chelsea added.

Cana whistled at all of that. "Damn. You must be something in the kitchen then."

Despite all the praise, Akame was still indifferent. "It's no big deal really. It's something I enjoy time to time."

Even with that said, Erza had to try Akame's cooking. "Then it shouldn't be a problem then. I would love to sample some of your cooking."

Since Akame was put in the spotlight, she might as well live up to their expectations. "If you insist. I'll have it ready for all of you then." Every one of the girls cheered.

Akame grabbed some of the groceries. "Leone, Chelsea, help me carry all these to the kitchen."

"Got it/right." Both girls grabbed the rest of the groceries and headed to the kitchen.

Wendy followed them shortly after. "I can help too if you want Akame."

Akame looked back at the younger girl. "That'll be fine Wendy. Thank you." Wendy giggled happily. Her other reason was to keep an eye out on the other girl so she wouldn't "sample" the food like Akame did many times before.

Erza was mostly surprised to hear that. "You can cook as well Wendy?"

The young dragon slayer momentarily stopped and turned to the older girl. "Uh-huh. I learned from Chelia and Akame taught me a few things. So did Mr. Su"

"Who's Mr. Su?" Laki asked.

Wendy and the rest of the girls froze when they heard the question and the younger of the girls laughed nervously. "He…was a friend of ours one time. He's…not around anymore." Erza felt a little sad in hearing that. "A-Anyway, we'll have dinner ready in no time if it's Akame and I. Just wait a little while." With that said, all four girls entered the kitchen.

Once everyone set the groceries down, Akame took out a hair tie from her pocket and set up her hair in a ponytail. "Let's get started shall we?"

Wendy did the same with her hair with a determined look on her face. "Let's." The two girls began to cook dinner.

It didn't take long for them to hit their stride and soon enough, the aroma of food began to wafer around in the dining room. All of the girls noticed it and couldn't help but enjoy the smell of the food being prepared. "That smells so wonderful." Erza spoke.

Cana had to agree as she enjoyed the scent. "Damn. If this is what it smells like, I'm sure as hell can't wait what it tastes like."

"It's ready everyone!" Everyone saw Wendy, Leone, and Chelsea exit out of the kitchen carrying the food. All of them were very impressed how the food looked. The three girls set the plates down in front of each girl. "I hope all of you will enjoy it." The girls were pretty certain they would enjoy the food. Once the last plate was set, Wendy stood next to Akame who came out of the kitchen last. "Eat up everyone."

All of the girls grabbed their forks and inserted them into their food. When they finally had their first bite of the food, their eyes widened in surprise. "DELICIOUS!" And it didn't take them long to really eat up the food.

They all had positive things to say about the food. "Oh, my. This tastes quite heavenly."

"It's so good!"

"I really can't get enough of it."

"Hot damn this is tasty. You'll make any guy happy if you can cook like this."

Juvia had the biggest reaction of them all. "I must learn how to cook like this for my darling Gray!"

Leone couldn't help but laugh at what Cana said. "You're right about that but it's not a guy that Akame will make happy. It's more like me."

Laki finished taking several more bites before asking her question. "What's that mean?"

"It means Leone and I are in a relationship." Akame answered.

Hearing that was enough for the girls to stop eating and look over at the two girls. Chelsea did a mental facepalm. "Smooth Akame."

Cana grinned at the detail. "Well then, you got one hell of a girlfriend."

Leone couldn't agree more. "I hear that!" She and the rest of the girls soon dined with Erza and others. So far, their first day being back at Fairy Hills was off to a great start and it wasn't going to stop there.

B

Leone sighed in content as she relaxed in the open bath. "Nothing like a good hot soak after having a great meal."

After having an enjoyable dinner (and some seconds.) the girls of Fairy Hills were all taking a bath together in the large open bath. Every one of them shared the same feeling. Cana was eying on Leone's bust for quite some time. "Have to say you got quite the rack there. I think you're about as big as Lucy."

The blonde grinned at the compliment. "Well, they are one of the things I'm proud of."

Cana smirked as she thought of her next question. "So if you and Akame are together…have you two bumped each other yet? If you know what I'm saying."

Both Leone and Akame blushed more from embarrassment rather than the heat of the bath. They weren't the only ones since the other girls except for Wendy understand what she meant by those words. The blonde was actually a little flustered. "U-Uh…"

"Please refrain from asking such questions Cana." Erza spoke up. "Wendy is present among us."

The other girl scoffed at that. "Come on. It'd be better she learned about the birds and the bees sooner than later since Wendy is into girls."

Both Wendy and Erza were surprised to hear that. "How did you-"

"It wasn't that hard to figure out considering the off the hand looks you gave every time we all took a bath together."

So Cana was the only one who figured it out and now the rest of the girls knew about. "So you're really into girls Wendy?" Laki asked.

The young dragon slayer felt very embarrassed now that one of her secrets was out. She might as well come clean about it. "Y-Yeah…" She looked away from the other Fairy Tail girls.

"Did you keep it a secret to yourself?" Juvia asked next.

Erza decided to answer that instead. "No. Wendy confronted about it to me, Lucy, and Mirajane. We were the only ones who knew about it."

"I kinda knew that too." Levy recalled the group of girls that surrounded Wendy when they won the war against the Empire.

"Wendy told us about it too." Chelsea spoke up. All the attention was turned to her and regretted speaking up now. "I mean…she told Leone first and then…" She didn't know where to take the conversation.

Carla cleared her throat. "So…what did you some of you do for the past year?"

"Oh, thank god." Chelsea had never felt so grateful for a talking flying cat before.

Cana was the first to speak. "Eh, wandering around, drinking, nothing too spectacular. I was thinking to look for Gildarts when I got Lucy's letter."

Juvia had a rather pleased looked on her face. "Juvia spent the year living with her beloved Gray." None of the others were surprised hearing that.

"I worked as a bunny girl selling all kinds of strange and mysterious souvenirs." Laki reminisced.

Erza closed her eyes. "I myself traveled and honed my skills further." There was also spending time Jellal and the rest of Crime Sorcière tracking down Zeref but she kept that to herself."

Levy chuckled a little nervously. "Gajeel and I were working with the Magic Council."

Cana looked over at the young dragon slayer. "What about you Wendy? What've you been doing for the past year?"

There were a lot of things Wendy wanted to say but decided to let them hear what they wanted to hear. "Carla and I were in Lamia Scale. Chelia was the one who offered us and we took gratefully took it. It was a lot of fun."

"Plus, Wendy and Chelia got together so there's that." Leone added.

Wendy felt a little embarrassed when she blonde told everyone that. "Leone!"

Cana laughed at that. "Seriously? Good on ya then Wendy. You two still together?"

The young dragon slayer slightly nodded. "Y-Yes, we still are."

Erza felt rather proud that Wendy ended with the girl she longed for. She could already guess they were happy together. Erza then observed the three girls who sitting next to the younger girl and wondered something. "Tell me, you three." The three former assassins looked over to Erza. "How is it you came to know Wendy?"

"Ah, crap." Leone knew they were going to be asked that question but now wasn't the right time to answer that. She and the other girls needed to come up with something and fast.

"They saved me." Wendy suddenly spoke up. Leone and the other two turned to the younger girl who had a small smile. "I was in trouble one time and they managed to rescue me. I was thankful for what they did and I asked them if they would come with me to Lamia Scale. We've been…kinda inseparable ever since."

Chelsea let out a small sigh of relief. "Nice save there Wendy."

It wasn't that far from the actual truth but it was certainly made to be a little more believable. Erza smiled at Wendy's description. To her, it explained why Wendy seemed to be so close to the three girls. "I see. Then I would like to thank all three of you for looking after Wendy."

All three had the same exact thought. "You have no idea."

Leone thought to sell it a little more. "Wendy's help us out us a bunch of times before. If anything, we're more thankful to her."

Erza didn't expect any less from the young dragon slayer. Her need to help others was one of the best things about her. She then noticed something strange about the younger girl. In fact, she noticed it when all of them were undressing. "I've been wondering about something Wendy. How did you…receive that scar on your shoulder?" As if on instinct, Wendy grabbed the scar on her shoulder and gripped it tightly while her head was lowered with her bangs covering her eyes. Erza was certainly not expecting that kind of reaction. Her and the other Fairy Tail girls. "Wendy?"

The young dragon slayer didn't say a word for several seconds. "I would rather not talk about it." She loosened her grip and let go of her shoulder. Wendy suddenly stood up and stepped out of the bath. "I'll…be going to bed now." She slowly walked out of the bathroom.

Carla stepped out of the bath a second later. "Hold on Wendy!" She ran to catch up to her friend.

Akame and the other two girls looked at each other and thought the same. They looked back at Erza. "We're sorry. We'll be leaving as well." Akame stood up and was the third to step out of the bath. "Excuse us." Leone and Chelsea followed suit and all three left the bathroom.

Now Erza had more questions than answers. In the time she knew about Wendy, Erza had never seen the younger girl act that way before. It was quite worrying to her. "What could've happened to Wendy to make her act like that?" It was a question the rest of the Fairy Tail girls wondered as well except for Levy who had half an idea what happened but not even she knew the whole story of what happened to Wendy.

B

Wendy sighed as she laid on her bed in her pajamas. She didn't mean to walk out on everyone like she did so suddenly but Erza's question hit a little too close to home. Still, she felt a little bad about what she did. "I'll have to apologize Erza and the others tomorrow."

"Wendy…" The young dragon slayer sat up to see Carla sitting across from her and looking a little worried. "Are you alright child?"

The young dragon slayer tried to put up a confident smile. "I'm fine Carla. Nothing's wrong."

Carla didn't buy what the other girl said. "You say that but I always keep thinking it's the opposite with you."

Wendy already knew she couldn't hide it from Carla. Wendy wanted to believe she was fine but she knew deep down, she was far from it. She suddenly heard knocking on her door and stood up from her bed to walk over to her door. "Yes?" She opened the door and not surprisingly it was Leone and the others wearing their pajamas.

Akame's didn't change much since it was similar to the ones she wore back at the base. Leone's was a pair of khaki sweats and a black tank top. Chelsea just wore a bright orange nightgown. Leone was the first to wave at the younger girl. "Hey there, Wendy. How are you feeling?"

"May we come in?" Akame asked.

Wendy nodded and stepped to the side. "I'm fine and yes, come inside." All three girls walked into Wendy's room. The young dragon slayer closed the door. "What are you doing here?"

Leone sat on Wendy's bed. "Just to check up on you. You know, after what Erza asked you."

The young dragon slayer smiled at the three. "Thank you, for checking up on me."

Chelsea was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. "We had to since you did kinda leave out of the blue. Not that I blame you. Also…thanks for saving our hides back there. About how we…met." She put up air quotes on the last word.

Wendy smiled at the older girl. "It's no problem."

Akame was leaning on the dresser. "Are you going to tell them? The real truth? They are your family and deserve to know."

Wendy knew that much and planned to but it wasn't the right time. "I will but I think I'll wait when the guild is rebuilt. All of us just reunited so it's better to wait. I'm just worried what they'll think when they learn the truth about all of you." Truth be told, they were worried about that too. How would the guild react when they learn the three girls that looked after Wendy were assassins? "I mean…all of you were fighting for a great cause but…what you had to do…"

"Don't worry about it." Wendy turned to Akame. "Only you know us well and it'll be up to the others to see what they think of us. Whatever the outcome is, we'll deal with it when that situation comes."

The young dragon slayer hoped for the best. They were really good people despite what they had to do even if they don't kill other people anymore. They at least had some support. "Well, I at least think all of you are wonderful people despite your previous occupation."

Leone chuckled as she petted the Exceed. "Thanks a lot for saying that, Carla."

Carla shook her head to shake off the blonde's petting. "Please do not do that and you're welcome."

This was all that they needed. All of them knew they couldn't keep this a secret for long and had the right to know what really happened to Wendy. Until then, they would have to wait. In the meantime, Leone thought of something fun. "So Wendy, while we're here…want us to sleep over in your room? Just for tonight, I mean."

Wendy was more than happy to agree. "Sure. It'll be like before."

Leone stood up from the bed. "Alright, we'll get our bedsheets then. Come on girls." All three walked up to the door and Leone opened it then left. Wendy felt happy all of them would be sleeping in the same room again even if it was just for one night. Still, she was happy they could spend that one together again.

?

Wendy opened her eyes to see a familiar darkness. She looked around and there was nothing as far as she could see. "Hello!? Is anyone there!?"

"Why yes." Wendy gasped as the voice as it sounded very chillingly familiar to her. She slowly turned around to see her again. She smiled sweetly at the young dragon slayer. "It's been a while, hasn't it Wendy?"

Wendy felt a mixture of fear and anger at the woman in front of her. "Esdeath…" She glared at the older woman. "What the hell are you doing here!? I told you to leave me alone!"

Esdeath giggled mischievously at the younger girl. "But I miss our little meetings. I was feeling a little lonely since we haven't seen each other. I was beginning to think you've forgotten about me."

The young dragon slayer gritted her teeth. "I wish I did and you're not really here. You're dead. I killed you and you're dead!"

Esdeath wasn't fazed at all by Wendy's outburst. "Oh, Wendy. You can never get rid of me." She started to walk over to where the younger girl was. "I will always be that one voice inside your mind, always whispering small thoughts to you." She stopped in front of Wendy and leaned in next to her ear. "After all, you and I are one in the same."

Wendy took a few steps back away from the former general. "I am nothing like you! I'm not a cold-blooded murderer or some demented sadist!"

The older woman clicked her tongue a few times. "Wendy, Wendy, Wendy. That's not what I'm talking about. We both know what I mean. You felt it, didn't you? Back at that battle. The way your heart was beating, the adrenaline rushing through your body, I know you felt it. I know you wanted to cut loose and just ravage everything in your sights whether they would be friend or foe. In what way we're the same is that you long to be your true self."

Wendy shook her head in denial. "No…I'm not that kind of person."

Esdeath thought it was cute Wendy was denying the truth. "But you are. Acceptance and embracement are two different things. You may have accepted you've changed but you keep denying who you really are. So why not embrace it? You'll feel so much better. You can take my word for it." Wendy closed her hands tight enough to draw blood. "Why continue with this façade you put up? If you truly gave in, you would've dealt with most of that army, Avatar was it, all on your own. Not counting that giant god summoning but you could've dealt with the summoner before that." Wendy was breathing heavily at this point as she was looking down at the absent floor. "You lust for battle just as I do. You crave it. That's what makes us the same. And as you've said before, you did kill me but what's stopping you from there? Why not keep going? It gets easier the more you take lives. So how about it, Wendy? Discard this fake shell of yours, embrace who you truly are, destroy everything in your path, keep going for as long as you like until your imminent end!" Wendy was hyperventilating at this point as she couldn't think straight. Esdeath chuckled as she leaned in toward the younger girl. She lifted Wendy's chin so that that the younger girl was looking at Esdeath straight in the eye. The young dragon slayer stopped breathing momentarily. "What do you say, Wendy? After all, you can never run away from what you are!"

Wendy screamed as she opened her eyes and sat up on her bed. Her scream alerted Carla and the others who were sleeping on the floor. "Wendy!" Carla ran up to her friend and saw the young dragon slayer was looking deeply disturbed. "What happened? Was it another nightmare?"

Wendy continued to pant heavily. Leone put a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Calm down Wendy. Remember to count. Okay? Count."

The young dragon slayer tried her best to steady herself and grabbed the top of her chest tightly. "One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, one thousand five, one thousand six, one thousand seven…" Her breathing became calmer and soon returned to normal.

It seemed the worst was over but that didn't make them any less worried. "Are you feeling better Wendy?" Akame asked.

Wendy gulped and breathed in deeply then exhaled. "I am. I'm fine."

Chelsea sighed at what just happened. "So was it another nightmare?"

Wendy laid back on her bed. "Yes."

"Do you want one us to keep you company?" Leone asked in a worried voice.

The younger girl shook her head. "No, I'm alright but thank you. Let's just go back to bed."

None of them argued against that. "If you say so. Just remember we're here for you. Okay, Wendy?" Akame reassured.

Wendy turned to her side away from the others. "Okay." Everyone went back to their beds soon after that. For Wendy, sleep didn't come as easy like usual when she had those nightmares. Except for this time, what Esdeath said really hit the young dragon slayer and to make it worse, she wasn't wrong about everything she said about Wendy and Wendy knew that Esdeath was right about her.