Again, sorry for the late update but I rewrote this chapter like I don't know how many times. But I believe this is as close as to what I intended. The next chapter is already in the works and I'm excited for where this story is heading. So enjoy this chapter!
Kera sat on her bed in the infirmary with a bowl of warm soup in her lap. She sat cross legged as she used her left arm to eat since her other arm was resting in a sling. It wasn't too difficult for her, it was more annoying than anything else. She was completely unable to use her right arm so when something fell or she had to grab something heavy, it mostly fell out of her hand.
With the bowl settled in her lap, she grabbed the piece of bread that was given to her. Yet as she grabbed it, she lost her grip and it accidentally fell to the ground, rolling under the bed.
Sighing, Kera set the bowl on the table beside her before getting out of bed. Kneeling down on the ground, she noticed that the piece of bread was further away from her. She would have to crawl under the bed slightly. Making sure that her arm wasn't going to get hurt, she carefully got under the bed so she could reach the fallen piece of food. Only when her hand grasped it, did the girl smile softly.
"What are you doing?"
The little girl yelped and accidentally slammed her head against the bed. Quickly, she scrambled back out and raised her hand above her head while curling into a ball. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I'm so sorry!"
"What?" Kera blinked and quickly glanced at who was even there. Her eyes landed on familiar red hair, as a girl around her age stared at her. This was the girl she went with to visit Porlyusica. As she stepped towards her, Kera flinched back, curling more into herself. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"
Erza looked a bit shocked and stopped in her tracks. "W-What? N-No! I'm not going to hurt you. I was just wondering what you were doing."
This seemed to calm the girl a bit down. At least enough so she wasn't scared to death. Her green eyes glanced around the room, looking for any danger, before settling on the bread that was still on the ground. "I… I d-dropped my bread… tried to grab it. I… I'm sorry!"
The red head glanced to the bed and saw the bread lying on the dirty ground. "You mean this?" She grabbed it and glanced over it, seeing the little girl nod. Erza scrunched up her nose slightly. It was covered in dirt and dust now, nobody should eat this. "It's dirty. You don't want this."
Kera's heart dropped. She was going to take her food? "N-No, i-it's fine! Really!"
Erza shook her head. "No, I'll get you another piece. You don't have to eat this."
She was… getting her new food? Why would she bother herself with that? She didn't do anything bad did she? What if she was annoyed that she had to get her new food. She quickly bowed her head towards the red head. "I'm sorry!"
Again, Erza was confused. "Sorry?" Noticing the scared and terrified expression of the girl, did she realize what was happening. Carefully, she sat down in front of the girl, resting her hands on her lap for her to see. "You don't have to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." She made sure she didn't move abruptly so she wouldn't frighten her even more.
Kera looked up at her, still shaking slightly. "I… I didn't?"
Erza shook her head. "No, nothing you did was wrong." She smiled softly at her. "The people here won't hurt you. I promise."
The brunette's eyes were fixated on the girl in front of her. She wasn't mad at her? "How… how do you know?" She wasn't sure why she was asking. Usually if she talked to much, or asked too many questions she would get punished.
"Because I know." Erza smiled. "I know some of them can be reckless, but they all mean well. They've helped me. So I'm sure they'll help you."
Kera was still surprised about all of this. First the Master of this guild had given her a bed and food to sleep without wanting anything in return, then the old woman had helped her with her injuries, healing what she could. Now this girl was being nice to her…
She saw the girl stand up. "Wait here, I'll be right back." She watched her leave the room without saying another word. Was she going to get someone? Maybe she got bored with her and just wanted to leave? Her mind started to run with several thoughts and worries of what could happen. But they all vanished when she saw the red head return. She was carrying something in her arm, that was covered with some cloth.
She sat back down in front of Kera. "I wasn't sure exactly what you would like, so I got you several things to try." Pulling back the cloth, Kera could see several strange looking items, some holding different colors as well. "W-What is that?" She asked, hoping being curious wasn't going to be bad.
"These are pastries!" Erza pointed to one with a red filling. "They all have different fillings. I brought some with peaches, apples, blueberries and more. So which one do you want?"
Kera grew anxious again. She glanced at the several different pastries, a bit overwhelmed by all of it. "I… I don't know…"
Erza frowned slightly before grabbing one that held a red filling. "Try these. They're filled with strawberries. They're my favorite out of them all, so maybe you'll like it too."
Strawberries? What were those? Kera didn't know any of those fillings that the girl mentioned. But if she liked it, maybe she could try it as well. She took the pastry from Erza's hand and glanced down at it. It smelled very sweet, almost like the girl sitting in front of her. Was it because of that she liked these… strawberries? She didn't know and asking would probably only cause more trouble for her.
She bit into the pastry and her eyes went wide. She had never tasted something this good before! The sweet taste of the strawberries combined with the delicious pastry dough was amazing. Without thinking, she gobbled up the entire thing in only three bites, the pastry vanishing in her mouth.
Erza chuckled softly. "Looks like you like it."
Kera nodded. "I've… never tasted something like that before. It was… nice." Before she got here the only food she was able to eat was dirty bread and maybe, if she got lucky some disgusting stew. She had started to think that all food tasted horrible, but the food here was amazing. "Are they all that good?"
"It depends on what you like. Some people like strawberries and some don't. You'll have to find that out for yourself." Erza explained. "Do you want to try another one?"
"If… if that's alright."
"Of course it is!" Erza handed her one with an orange filling. "This one has peaches in it."
Kera grabbed the pastry and took a bite out of it. It better than the food she used to get, but it wasn't the same as the other pastry, does this mean she didn't like peaches? Erza noticed the confused look on the brunette. "Is everything alright? If you don't like it, it's fine. Just set it aside."
Nodding, the brunette laid the pastry to the side. It's not like she hated it, but it wasn't as good. She'd eat it if she were hungry and there wasn't anything else, but it didn't had the same effect on her like those strawberries did.
"How about this one?" Erza handed her another one. "It has apples in it."
After ten minutes, the girl had tried several pastries all with different fillings. So far her favorite was still the one with strawberries, though the ones with apples, cherries and oranges were good as well. She didn't like blueberries or peaches, but she would still eat them if she were hungry.
"Okay this is the last one." Erza handed her the last pastry she brought with her. Kera took it and noticed that instead of the colorful fillings the others had, this one was simply brown. It didn't even smell like the others. Taking a bite out of the pastry, her eyes went wide as the taste.
It was like the one with strawberries but better! It was really delicious! "What is this?" She asked Erza.
"That's chocolate. Why? Do you like it?" The red head glanced over at Kera who quickly nodded her head. "It's amazing! Even better than the ones with strawberries! I think I could eat several more of them."
Erza chuckled causing Kera to give her a scared look. "Did… did I do something wrong?" She didn't mean to burst out talking like that.
She was a bit relieved to see that Erza shook her head. "No, but I think we might have found your favorite."
"My favorite?" Kera asked.
Erza hummed while nodding her head. "If you like chocolate better than the strawberries, that means it has to be your favorite! I bet if you eat other things with chocolate, you'd probably like it as well."
Her eyes went wide. "There's more!?"
"Yup!"
For the first time in a very long while, Kera smiled. She didn't understand it, but she wasn't as afraid around Erza as with others. She seemed… nice. It's like she knew how she felt, knowing what to do or talk to her about.
The red head suddenly shook her head. "I'm sorry. I haven't even really introduced myself properly." She smiled again. "I'm Erza Scarlet."
"Scarlet… like your hair?" Kera asked. The red head looked a bit shocked at her. Her expression turned into one of sorrow and grief. The brunette knew she said something wrong and shrunk back slightly. "S-Sorry!"
Erza shook her head. "No, it's fine. You didn't do anything wrong. It just reminded me of an old friend." Her expression turned back to a smile, all sign of grief and sorrow gone from her face. "But yea. Like my hair, so you can't forget it."
This caused the brunette to smile again. "I'm Kera."
"That's a really pretty name!" Erza smiled at her. "If you need any help with anything. You can always come to me."
The girl didn't realize how much this meant to her. For the first time ever since she escaped that nightmare she felt… safe. She couldn't understand how this girl could emanate such a warm aura, but she liked it. It reminded her of…
No, she shouldn't think about that right now. It would only cause her more grief. So instead, she gave Erza a small smile. "Thank you."
Master Makarov narrowed his eyes as he glanced at the boy sitting by the infirmary door. "What are you doing boy?" He asked, giving the pink haired Dragon Slayer a jump. He quickly scrambled to his feet before turning towards the Master. "N-Nothing!"
He kept his gaze on the boy. "Natsu… why have you been sitting by the infirmary door lately? If I remember, Erza even kicked you out of the way, the other day."
After being reminded of how he got beat by a girl, Natsu crossed his arms and frowned. "She did not kick me out."
"He's sitting at the door because he's a nosy idiot." Mira voiced as she walked up to them, a smirk plastered on her face and her hands resting against her hip.
"I'm not!" Natsu argued, clenching his fists. "And I've seen you sneaking around the infirmary as well! You're the nosy one!"
Mira scoffed. "Please, I couldn't care about that girl. All I want to know is what Erza wants with her."
"That's enough!" Makarov snapped, causing both children to flinch. "I won't have any fighting in this guild. Erza has been keeping Kera company and I've seen her opening up more because of her. But I still want to know why you are practically sleeping in front of the infirmary. And I want the truth boy."
Natsu sighed. "Fine…" He started shuffling his feet. "I'm keeping her safe."
Makarov raised an eyebrow at him. Mira snorted into a laugh as she held herself. "Seriously!? What are you? Her guard dog?"
"Mira that's enough." Makarov spoke harshly causing the girl to flinch. "Why don't you go check on Lisanna and Elfman?" Muttering something Mira left the two, feeling a bit of anger surfacing up. Yet she kept it down because she knew it would only cause more trouble.
Taking in a deep breath, Makarov glanced back at Natsu. He noticed how tense the boy was. He completely meant what he said. Mira's comment did not help either as it struck a cord in the boy. "Now, why don't you explain to me what you mean."
The pink haired Dragon Slayer sighed. "It's… hard to explain."
"Then take your time. You've been acting quite… strange since Kera has gotten here." He could still remember him insisting that he'd stay the first day she came and Porlyusica treated her. It took him all of his energy to send him back home.
Natsu didn't know how he should explain it so the Master wouldn't think he was weird, but he was going to give it a try. "It's her smell. I couldn't pinpoint it when she first came but now I understand. It was something Igneel told me."
Now this surprised the Master. "Igneel told you something that relates to Kera?"
Natsu nodded. "Yea, he even said it was really important and that I should never forget it!"
"Well what is it boy?"
He rubbed the back of his head. "Well… she's not just some ordinary girl. Her scent is unique and she's actually… really important. She's um… she holds the scent of the Dragon Queen Kayeleth."
Makarov couldn't believe what he was hearing. He slammed his staff against the ground causing the boy to flinch. "You better not be joking about this."
"I'm not!" Natsu shouted. "That's why I've been staying close to her. To make sure she's safe!"
The Master took in a deep breath to calm himself down. This boy was going to be the death of him one way or another. "Why are you making sure she is safe Natsu? Just because of who she is?"
The boy nodded. "She's important to us. Igneel respects Kayeleth a lot. I remember he talked about her a lot when I was with him. He also talked about other stuff that was important that I forgot, but I definitely remembered this!"
"So she's a Dragon Slayer?"
"No she's a Dragon."
Makarov coughed. "W-What?"
Natsu nodded. "That's why she's important. Kayeleth has the ability to switch between human and dragon form."
That was a lot to take in. But if the boy was speaking the truth… "So she is Kayeleth's daughter? Where is she?"
The Dragon Slayer went quiet. He lowered his head and closed his eyes. "I… don't know. She… disappeared. No one has seen her, not even Igneel."
"I see…" That was not what he wanted to hear. This meant that the girl truly had nowhere to go and no family… Closing his eyes he tried to figure out what to do with this information. Sighing, he opened his eyes again to look down at Natsu. "Alright Natsu, do me one favor."
Natsu gave the Master a confused look. "Do what you were told and keep her safe, just like Igneel told you. Be there for her. But don't let that be the forefront of your actions. And you can calm down. As long as she's with Fairy Tail, she's safe. I can promise you that."
Natsu smiled and nodded his head. "I will gramps! Don't worry I won't let her down!"
"Good, now go, before Erza catches you out here again."
"Where are we?" Kera asked as she followed the red head. The sun was setting down and it was also the first time that she left the infirmary room, well besides her visit to Porlyusica. She was told that there was a dormitory for girls where most of them lived. She was also told that it costed around 100,000 Jewels. She didn't know if that was much but by the look she was given she would guess it was a lot. She also didn't have any way to gain the money.
That's why she was very surprised when Erza offered to share her room with her. She didn't know what to say about it and was really thankful for the offer. If it weren't for her she wouldn't have a place to sleep.
"We're close to Fairy Hills, but I wanted to show you one place before we head over there." Erza explained as the two walked through the town. Kera kept close to the red head as they kept on walking. She felt safe around her as if the dangers of the outside world couldn't get to her.
This time she could see more of the place around her. Last time she had been stumbling through the streets bleeding out and looking for help. At that moment there were other things in her mind than her surroundings.
"Here we are."
Kera blinked as she glanced ahead of her. They had arrived at a hill that was by the water with a tree sitting not too far. With the sun setting, the warm red glow gave the area a safe aura. She had never seen such a place before. It was beautiful. She could just lay here and be by herself.
"Wow…" She whispered as her eyes were settled onto the scene in front of her.
Erza smiled slightly as she saw the look on the girls face. She motioned for the girl to follow her and the two sat down by the tree, with the sun setting in front of them. Kera was mesmerized by the sun. She had never seen something so beautiful before.
The red head smiled. "It's my favorite spot. I always come here if I ever want to be alone, or to think. It's really peaceful here and I like the surrounding area as well."
"It's beautiful." Kera whispered as she glanced at the sunset.
Erza nodded her head. "I wanted to show this to you. Now this can be your place as well. So if you want to be alone you can come here as well."
Kera turned to Erza and saw her gaze out at the sunset. Her hair color matched that of the sun's. "Why are you so nice to me?"
The girl moved her head to the side. "Why wouldn't I be?" She leaned her back against the tree behind them. "There's no reason not to be nice. Is there anyone in the guild who is bothering you?" The girl suddenly got fierce.
Kera shrunk back slightly. "Um… nobody really. Natsu has been… nice to me. At least I think. He tried to help when I got here. Gray doesn't really bother me much but…"
Erza raised an eyebrow as she watched the girl hug her knees. "Mira kind of scares me." She admitted lowering her head. The girl definitely frightened her and she kept on yelling and talked down to everyone.
Hands rested on her shoulders causing her to look up. The red head was giving her a fierce look. "If she ever bothers you, let me know. I will deal with her, don't worry."
Again, fear ran through her body. "Will she hurt me?"
"She shouldn't, but she can be stupid." Erza explained. "But I'll be there if anything happens. I'll beat her if she hurts you. I promise."
Kera looked up at her wide eyed. "You promise? R-Really?"
Erza nodded her head. "No matter who or what, I will be there for you. That I promise you."
This caused the girl to tear up. All of a sudden she threw herself on the red head, hugging her tight. Erza looked a bit shocked at the sudden action from the quiet girl, not entirely sure how she should react. "Thank you!"
Erza smiled softly as she reciprocated the hug. The girl held tightly onto her as if she were too afraid to let go, thinking she would disappear. Kera knew that was a silly thought in hindsight what Erza had already done for her, but she was still a bit afraid.
Afraid, that this was all a dream, that everything would be taken from her.