Chapter 11 Confident by Demi Lovato

One month had passed in what seemed like a blink of an eye. One month since she found out the truth behind her mother's passing. One month since she had been left alone by Laxus because he wanted to become stronger for the Grand Magic Games. Since his departure she went back to her old ways before everyone found out the truth about her father. It wasn't a pleasant ride to say the least since she had gotten so used to not having to look over her shoulder.

It was almost like Laxus had become the security blanket she didn't realize she needed all along. It could have been the fact that he hadn't gone and changed when she looked hard enough. It brought some sense of normalcy that she needed. But she never realized how much she needed him until now that he's gone.

Slowly her grass green eyes turned toward the sky which was clear considering it had been cloudy for a couple days prior. She had overheard someone in town mention that there was a possibility of rain which was the last thing she needed. As much as she enjoyed a good rain she knew there was always a chance for it to turn into a storm. With Laxus gone there was no way she could handle it by herself.

"You seem to be in a good, daydreamy mood lately." A womanly voice said softly next to her. It almost reminded her of a ghost with how it suddenly appeared. Quickly Emi looked over and saw the soft, timid smile of Kinana's.

Rolling her eyes as she patted herself on her chest she held back her answer. Part of her wanted to be sarcastic and lie when she almost couldn't. Kinana had one thing right, however. She was in a good mood somewhat. Why she was was something she didn't know.

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. Who really knows." She replied softly as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Lowering her gaze she stared at her feet then back to the other woman. "I guess it's because I finally get some time to myself. I mean don't get me wrong. Having Laxus around was kinda blessing in disguise but there were times where he drove me nuts."

A soft chuckle came from the bar maid as her gaze went to the horizon. For someone to not know much on things thanks to her memory loss something told her that Emi cared for the lightning mage more then she let on. She probably wasn't the only one to notice either if she asked around.

"So what do you need Kinana? Did it get busy all of a sudden?" The farmer asked.

Looking down she met the grass green eyes ones before taking a breath. As much as she didn't want to ruin her time alone she knew it had to be done. Especially since it seemed to be the only known person with the type of magic needed was her. "Master would like to see you. There's a request that no one can fulfill. He thinks you can."

An eyebrow rose as shock raced through her body before numbing away. A request only she could possibly fulfill? From the lack of grim that was on Kinana's face she had a feeling that it wasn't going to be dangerous. It wasn't like she could reach out to anyone since their strongest were scattered to various parts of the land.

"Can they just ask Rufus from Sabertooth to do it?"

"Well . . . um . . . rumor has it he actually attempted to fulfill the request but couldn't. It's something that has to do with the client, I think. I'm not sure on all the details because Master has it in his office." She replied as she looked over at the farmer.

One of the wizards from the number one guild couldn't complete it? That was strangely odd to her. Rufus was something she looked up to because of his magic so if he couldn't complete it then why did they think she could? It wasn't like she wanted that kind of lose under her belt. If she couldn't then she would definitely feel it since she never done requests. That didn't include the fact that her self-esteem was still recovering from the past that still haunted her at times.

"Does he actually want me to do it?" Emi questioned as she closed her eyes. A part of her wanted Kinana to say no so this way she could continue to get back to what was considered normal without Laxus around. While the other part of her wanted the challenge to see if she was capable of being a wizard for Fairy Tail.

"Yes. He said as soon as I tell you for you to go into his office to get the details." She replied with a soft nod to go with it.

She couldn't hype herself up. Every time she thought about the positive feelings of getting the request complete, she had the negative shove them out of the way. It was something she was trying to break but like any other habit it was hard. Though she would admit to getting better at fighting the negative thoughts instead of letting them run berserk.

Getting up with a stretch Emi looked up at the sky. Would her parents be ecstatic about her doing this request? Would they be worried sick instead? All she could do was think about the what ifs when it was obvious it wouldn't change anything.

"Thanks Kinana." She slightly muttered as she walked pass the barmaid.

It was a short walk since she decided lunch at the shack of a guild hall sounded better than being by herself at home. She hated to admit that having Laxus around was more of a heaven sent than she wanted to say. It made her look forward to getting back inside and make dinner for that night. Just seeing him made her day better but she wouldn't say if it was a crush or not. She couldn't tell what the feeling of having a crush was like since she closed that part of herself off.

Knocking on the door her gaze fell on the knotted wood which seemed like it saw better days.

"Come on in." Makarov's voice was dimmed down by the wood, but she heard him none the less.

Opening the door and stepping inside Emi's gaze fell on her guild master as he flipped through a mountain of paperwork. The sight made her grateful that she never had to bother with that kind of annoyance. If she had then she could only imagine the amount of hair that would have changed color because of the stress.

"You wanted to see me Master?" She squeaked out as she watched him huff in what she figured was frustration. It was either that or annoyance at the fact he was stuck doing a job he wanted to give up. She could also be reading into his reaction and it was just him acknowledging her. Either way she couldn't help but stand up straighter in front of him.

"I was wondering if you were still here for whatever the reason. It was that or you went back to the farm because you had things to do." Makarov stated though it seemed more to himself then to her. Looking up a small smile reached his eyes as he set one paper down only to grab another. "I know you've never took a request but this one is perfect for you. At least that's what I think. Anyway, I'm sure Kinana told you the basics of it."

A small nod answered him along with a shrug as she walked away from the door. Doing requests never crossed her mind since the farm took up a good majority of her time. Even when her father was alive he never seemed to focus on it because the farm was a stable enough condition he didn't have to worry about extra income. But this was her. She needed some kind of extra income especially to help with maintenance on the fence if not replacing it all. As much as she enjoyed the job at the strip club it wasn't helping with her scarcely being there.

Sitting down in front of him she watched the older man riffle through a small pile before his expression brightened. As he pulled a paper out of the pile, which collapsed, she caught sight of a picture behind him. It was of him with a baby that had a tuft of blond hair. Obviously it was Laxus since she never heard of him having siblings. She didn't want to admit it, but she had never seen his mother before.

"So, I figured this job would be perfect for you and your magic."

She closed her eyes as she thought about it If Rufus couldn't do it then what made him believe she was capable of completing it. Missions weren't something she normally focused on, but it would be a good change of pace. That just left her with the issue of who would be watching the farm while she was gone if she agreed to take on this request.

Slowly an eyebrow rose as he watched her. It was obvious she was mulling over the pros and cons when he was used to people automatically giving him an answer. Or in some cases people stealing requests like Happy did. But for this to be her first request he wouldn't be surprised if she had a case of anxiety over the possible pressure to do well. If he was in her shoes that would be how he be feeling at the moment.

Opening her eyes she quickly held out her hand for the sheet of paper which took Makarov by surprise from the sudden action. She took it from him after he held it out and skimmed it over.

The request was simple. The client needed someone to come and cure his wife's amnesia that had been plaguing her.

The only problem she saw was the amnesia that this woman was suffering from. It was a mental blockage of memories that could have happened from illness or injury. She knew that for her to get pass that block was going to be difficult. Sure she had been doing things to build up her magic to where it once was but deep down she knew she wasn't at that point yet. If she was even close was something she didn't know because she neglected that part of her.

"Why me Master?" Emi questioned as she looked up at the older man. Almost on instinct to prepare herself for some kind of news or explanation she gripped the paper tighter. "There's plenty of potions out there that could cure this. I-My magic isn't that strong. Not like how it used to be so how are you sure that I can do this?"

Already he could see the defeat in her grass green eyes. That wasn't supposed to be in the eyes of someone that one time drove his grandson insane. He rather see a fire of determination burn in those eyes with the feistiness that told him she could take on the world like before. That was the kind of look he wanted to see in Emi instead of the scared sheep that thought the wolf was going to come any minute to eat her.

Taking a breath and letting it out as a sigh Makarov met her gaze with a look that spoke of business. "Why you ask? I'm sure you can complete the request and help prove that Fairy Tail isn't a weak and pathetic guild like everyone thinks we are. Even if you haven't used your magic like you used to I know you will power on and push pass your limits. If you run into trouble along the way then your guildmates will be there to catch you and support you in any way they can."

The thought of people that formed her second family filled her mind. If they were going to be there to catch her if the need arose helped relieve some of the tension she could feel in her body. It wasn't enough however because her dark thoughts wouldn't stop. She continued to doubt herself because it was a normal occurrence now.

"Who will be there?"

An eyebrow rose at the sudden question. Why was she so worried about who was going to have her back? Most people in the guild would throw their trust anyone they were grouped with. It had to be her nerves or she could be possibly trying to avoid someone. But most of the people here was the same people that watched her grow up and then some in certain cases.

But those same people that would do anything to keep their guildmates safe weren't like her. Most of them didn't have to constantly deal with the pain she had in her life. She reminded him of a lone wolf that was continuously searching for a place to call home when it was apparent she had one.

"Giving the location of the request I'm not sure. I sent a message out to the group that will be close by. I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping while they're training." Makarov answered though he was somewhat lying to her. He knew which group was near by for the request but wasn't about to say anything. Knowing her she would turn into a scared animal and not want to go. But there was a chance she would show her temper and want to go for some hope to get revenge.

"Is it Laxus and the Thunder Legion?" Emi questioned as her face fell into an emotionless mask. If he answered her honestly then she would be happy to plot that lightning mage's demise. He deserved it for his snooping when she had to stay with Lucy.

The wizard saint felt surprise race through his body as he tried to keep it from showing on his face. How did she guess it so easily? He couldn't tell her or else she could turn the request down. IT was either that or she agreed just to torment his grandson more. "No."

Softly and slowly she nodded as she watched him for any indication he was lying. Instead of seeing any, which she expected from him, she saw him watched her as carefully as she was him. All she wanted was one slip up because she would let him hear about it regardless of status in the wizard community.

"Alright Master Makarov. I'll do it." Emi finally answered as she set the paper down onto the lap. "Is there a time limit to it?"

"No child. But, please try to be back before the Grand Magic Games start."

Sorry for the delay. You know how it goes with holidays. I was also wedding dress shopping which didn't help matters nor did my mood in general. The holidays aren't my favorite anymore due to some people in my family missing but I'm sure you understand. Anyway thank you for sticking around and reading. It does mean a lot to me.