p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe drive is bumpy due to Erza's lack of magic. I've offered to take over, she refuses to show any weakness. Gray and Lucy sit across from Kage and I. I let out a sigh, staring out the window at Az with my arms wrapped tightly around my waist. Kage is grumbling at my side about us taking him with us./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Why did you bring me with you?" He starts, "Oh wait, I know! You're going to try and use me as a hostage. That won't work. Erigor doesn't care about me; I'm nothing special to him."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That's not why we brought you," Gray states, crossing his arms across his chest./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Just kill me then if that's what you want."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGray leans forward, "Not everything has to be settled by living and dying just because you were beaten. There is so much more to life than that."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI smile at Gray's words and notice the glint in his deep blue eyes. My mind flashes to when I first joined Fairy Tail:/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Az is reaching his limit on his transformation, but my nine-year-old body is covered in open wounds, rendering me unable to stand, let alone walk. My clothes are ripped and lacerations cover my body in angry red, causing blood to trail behind us. Father may have sent me out, but not before beating me into obedience. My body shudders at the thought of whips cutting into my skin and the pain that follows. Az reaches his limit and collapses at the stairs of '/emFairy Tail'em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;", both unable to climb up. My breathing is shallow, and darkness plays at the edges of my vision. /em'No wonder why Father calls me a failure.'/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I feel my body being poked and then being lifted off the cold ground. My next memory is of a brightly lit room. I feel bandages covering my body and salve rubbed into wounds. A shirtless boy with raven black hair, sleeps soundly in the worn, oversized chair next to the bed I'm occupying. I begin to frantically look for my companion. My body still weak, even after rest, gives out on me, causing me to tumble out of the bed and onto the hard wood floor, bringing the scratchy white blankets with me. The sound of me hitting the floor wakes the boy in the chair and he opens his dark blue eyes, "Good to see you awake. I'm going to grab, Master."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe boy stands and leaves the room, without offering me any help. I narrow my eyes at hi retreating figure as I begin to heave my limp body back into the bed. Somehow, I manage to get back into the bed. I cover my body with the white blanket to cover the tears in my clothes. I scan my surroundings calmly, taking in the shelves lined with medical supplies and the haphazard desk slanting to one side with the weight of supplies. In a bed next to mine, Az lays sleeping peacefully, much to my relief. I watch the gentle rise and fall of his chest and feel my body relax. The door the boy left through opens, reveiling a dwarf of a man and the black-haired boy. The dwarf has deep brown eyes and white hair that sticks out from the blue and orange striped Jester's hat. /em'This must be the Guild Master. I wonder why Father hates him so much. He looks so kind.'/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hello, young lady," the dwarf says, "You don't have to be afraid. You are in a Wizard guild called /em'Fairy Tail.'em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" This young man is Gray. He's the one who found the both of you."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe boy called Gray looks away uninterested, "Gramps, can I leave now?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGramps sighs, "I guess so."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGray hastily makes his way out the door as Gramps turns his soft eyes on me, "I apologize for his rudeness. Gray doesn't like the infirmary. What is your name, young one?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Lilliana," I say softly and then point to Az laying in the next bed, "His name is Azriel."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Lilliana, what a pretty name. What happened to you child?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy body tenses and I clutch the covers on the bed. I hang my head low, causing my hair to cover my face, "Father."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe single word is no more than a whisper of the wind, but judging from the sharp intake of breath, he heard. Anger rolls off the short man in waves. He takes a deep breath and places his hand over my trembling ones, "You and your wolf are welcome to stay here and find a family. I—we will happily welcome you both."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI look up at him, tears forming in my eyes, and manage to force out the word, "Family?" The genuine kindness that radiates off him reminds me of my mother. His entire face smiles when he speaks. I immediately feel at ease around him, but the tears flow down my face, "It would have been netter if you had just left me for dead. Father will be upset."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe anger flares up from him again, causing his next words to feel even more powerful, "Just because you were beaten down, does not mean that is can be settled simply like life and death. There is so much more to life than that, Lilli."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/emWhen we catch up to Natsu, we find the fight to be over. Natsu is laying on the train tracks, bare-chested, while Erigor lays unconscious nearby. We all pile out of the magic four-wheeler and I run for Natsu, crushing him in a hug, completely forgiving him. His body stiffens as I catch him off guard, though he warmly returns my hug./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Well, done Natsu," Erza says as she crushes his head against her armor, and then she bashes the back of his head with her fist, "How dare you take off like that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWhile we are congratulating Natsu, no one notices Kage grabbing em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Lullaby' /emand getting into the four-wheeler, until he barrels past us. Az is already shifting to carry everyone./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Shit," Erza exclaims, "I should have been paying better attention."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No time for should-haves," I shout./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAz sprints over and lowers himself for everyone to climb on. I hop on and grip the fur at his neck. Lucy crawls on with the help of Gray and wraps her arms around my waist tightly. Erza jumps up next, followed by Gray. Happy picks Natsu up and flies next to us at full speed. The journey is relatively silent as we contemplate battle strategies. We arrive to find Kage talking with Gramps, which sets my blood boiling. Natsu and Gray are about to storm over, when Master Bob comes up behind us and grabs the hot-headed boys' shoulders, "Maki dear, has everything under control."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hi Master Bob," I say smiling up at the tall, bald man./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, Lilliana dear! How beautiful you have grown," he croons, "I heard from Maki dear that you had returned. The boys at the guild will be thrilled to hear the news."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I surrender," Kage says, dropping to his knees and dropping em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Lullaby.' /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanErza nods approvingly while Gray and Natsu share dumbfounded looks. Lucy cheers with Happy and Az behind me. The victory is short-lived as em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Lullaby' /emgrowls and grows into a large tree. Erza, Gray and Natsu are already attacking before anyone else can react. I feel my wings sprout and I join in the fight, slashing into the wood with my Light magic. The Demon attempts to play its demonic tune, only for a horrendous sound to emit from it, from the holes we put in the wood. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Lullaby'/em is sealed away again, and Erigor and Kage are taken away to await their trials./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Why did you bring me with you?" He starts, "Oh wait, I know! You're going to try and use me as a hostage. That won't work. Erigor doesn't care about me; I'm nothing special to him."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"That's not why we brought you," Gray states, crossing his arms across his chest./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Just kill me then if that's what you want."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGray leans forward, "Not everything has to be settled by living and dying just because you were beaten. There is so much more to life than that."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI smile at Gray's words and notice the glint in his deep blue eyes. My mind flashes to when I first joined Fairy Tail:/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Az is reaching his limit on his transformation, but my nine-year-old body is covered in open wounds, rendering me unable to stand, let alone walk. My clothes are ripped and lacerations cover my body in angry red, causing blood to trail behind us. Father may have sent me out, but not before beating me into obedience. My body shudders at the thought of whips cutting into my skin and the pain that follows. Az reaches his limit and collapses at the stairs of '/emFairy Tail'em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;", both unable to climb up. My breathing is shallow, and darkness plays at the edges of my vision. /em'No wonder why Father calls me a failure.'/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"I feel my body being poked and then being lifted off the cold ground. My next memory is of a brightly lit room. I feel bandages covering my body and salve rubbed into wounds. A shirtless boy with raven black hair, sleeps soundly in the worn, oversized chair next to the bed I'm occupying. I begin to frantically look for my companion. My body still weak, even after rest, gives out on me, causing me to tumble out of the bed and onto the hard wood floor, bringing the scratchy white blankets with me. The sound of me hitting the floor wakes the boy in the chair and he opens his dark blue eyes, "Good to see you awake. I'm going to grab, Master."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe boy stands and leaves the room, without offering me any help. I narrow my eyes at hi retreating figure as I begin to heave my limp body back into the bed. Somehow, I manage to get back into the bed. I cover my body with the white blanket to cover the tears in my clothes. I scan my surroundings calmly, taking in the shelves lined with medical supplies and the haphazard desk slanting to one side with the weight of supplies. In a bed next to mine, Az lays sleeping peacefully, much to my relief. I watch the gentle rise and fall of his chest and feel my body relax. The door the boy left through opens, reveiling a dwarf of a man and the black-haired boy. The dwarf has deep brown eyes and white hair that sticks out from the blue and orange striped Jester's hat. /em'This must be the Guild Master. I wonder why Father hates him so much. He looks so kind.'/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hello, young lady," the dwarf says, "You don't have to be afraid. You are in a Wizard guild called /em'Fairy Tail.'em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" This young man is Gray. He's the one who found the both of you."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe boy called Gray looks away uninterested, "Gramps, can I leave now?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGramps sighs, "I guess so."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGray hastily makes his way out the door as Gramps turns his soft eyes on me, "I apologize for his rudeness. Gray doesn't like the infirmary. What is your name, young one?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Lilliana," I say softly and then point to Az laying in the next bed, "His name is Azriel."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Lilliana, what a pretty name. What happened to you child?"/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanMy body tenses and I clutch the covers on the bed. I hang my head low, causing my hair to cover my face, "Father."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe single word is no more than a whisper of the wind, but judging from the sharp intake of breath, he heard. Anger rolls off the short man in waves. He takes a deep breath and places his hand over my trembling ones, "You and your wolf are welcome to stay here and find a family. I—we will happily welcome you both."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI look up at him, tears forming in my eyes, and manage to force out the word, "Family?" The genuine kindness that radiates off him reminds me of my mother. His entire face smiles when he speaks. I immediately feel at ease around him, but the tears flow down my face, "It would have been netter if you had just left me for dead. Father will be upset."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe anger flares up from him again, causing his next words to feel even more powerful, "Just because you were beaten down, does not mean that is can be settled simply like life and death. There is so much more to life than that, Lilli."/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/emWhen we catch up to Natsu, we find the fight to be over. Natsu is laying on the train tracks, bare-chested, while Erigor lays unconscious nearby. We all pile out of the magic four-wheeler and I run for Natsu, crushing him in a hug, completely forgiving him. His body stiffens as I catch him off guard, though he warmly returns my hug./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Well, done Natsu," Erza says as she crushes his head against her armor, and then she bashes the back of his head with her fist, "How dare you take off like that?"/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWhile we are congratulating Natsu, no one notices Kage grabbing em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Lullaby' /emand getting into the four-wheeler, until he barrels past us. Az is already shifting to carry everyone./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Shit," Erza exclaims, "I should have been paying better attention."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"No time for should-haves," I shout./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAz sprints over and lowers himself for everyone to climb on. I hop on and grip the fur at his neck. Lucy crawls on with the help of Gray and wraps her arms around my waist tightly. Erza jumps up next, followed by Gray. Happy picks Natsu up and flies next to us at full speed. The journey is relatively silent as we contemplate battle strategies. We arrive to find Kage talking with Gramps, which sets my blood boiling. Natsu and Gray are about to storm over, when Master Bob comes up behind us and grabs the hot-headed boys' shoulders, "Maki dear, has everything under control."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hi Master Bob," I say smiling up at the tall, bald man./p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, Lilliana dear! How beautiful you have grown," he croons, "I heard from Maki dear that you had returned. The boys at the guild will be thrilled to hear the news."/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I surrender," Kage says, dropping to his knees and dropping em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Lullaby.' /em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanErza nods approvingly while Gray and Natsu share dumbfounded looks. Lucy cheers with Happy and Az behind me. The victory is short-lived as em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Lullaby' /emgrowls and grows into a large tree. Erza, Gray and Natsu are already attacking before anyone else can react. I feel my wings sprout and I join in the fight, slashing into the wood with my Light magic. The Demon attempts to play its demonic tune, only for a horrendous sound to emit from it, from the holes we put in the wood. em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'Lullaby'/em is sealed away again, and Erigor and Kage are taken away to await their trials./p