A/N: Happy Thanksgiving, friends! To celebrate the holiday and show all of you how thankful I am for your continued support, I've decided to post for you today! Please enjoy! This is one of my favorite chapters, and I hope it will be one of yours too!

Chapter 13: The Rainbow Sakura Festival

The day of the Hanami festival, also known as the Rainbow Sakura Festival, finally arrived. Rainbow colored blossoms drifted serenely over the city of Magnolia. The members of Fairy Tail had just concluded their annual bingo game. The party was still in full swing, however. The tables had been moved aside to allow for a dance party while singers and other acts took the stage. Gajeel sang smooth jazz, to the applause of a random group of fangirls. An ice sculpture—courtesy of Gray—depicted the famous Rainbow Sakura tree surrounded by an array of delicious sweets and treats. Alcohol was, of course, in almost every mug and Cana had already started beer pong and body shots.

"Dammit!" Piper stared sadly at his bingo card for the eighth time. "I win every year! Nobody's got better luck than me! I even rolled the dice to check my odds! What the hell?!"

Dreamer giggled at his side. "It's not fair if no one else gets to win, Piper."

"You's don't get it, Dreamy! I never lose when it comes to a gamble, you know that!"

She just laughed again. Her cheeks were rosy with the excitement of the day. She was so happy that she and Piper were getting along again. It seemed like he was willing to put their differences aside for the day of the festival, just like Jezran wanted. And she had set aside her worries for the time being, too. She would deal with the black diamond incident after the guild got back into the swing of things. For now… she just wanted to enjoy the time she had with her friends.

"I'm sure you'll survive," she said, elbowing his ribs.

"What if I'm losin' my luck, Dreamy?" He sighed dramatically and threw an arm around her shoulder, leaning on her. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, get over it." She gave him a light shove off of her. For the briefest of instances, there was a spark of rejection in his green eyes. No, there was definitely no time for that. She quickly changed subject. "Come one, let's go outside and look at the blossoms. Jezran already went to get Syllest."

"Sounds good." They started for a side door, but Dreamer turned at the staircase and started walking up. "Hey, whatchou doin,' doll?" He stopped in his tracks and looked after her.

"I'm getting him," she responded casually.

Piper groaned audibly. "Dreamy, wait a sec, will ya?"

She withheld a sigh and stopped halfway up the staircase to face him. "Piper, we already talked about this."

"I knows that, but…" There was desperation in his eyes. She knew, if she reached out with her magic, she would feel his heavy longing—confused sorrow and frustration. "Can't it just be the four of us, like always?"

She felt a painful squeeze in her chest, like her heart was twisting up. "Piper… If no one reaches out to him, he's never going to accept who he really is."

"Why's it gotta be your responsibility? Ain't you's got enough on your plate?"

"It's my responsibility because I'm the one who brought him here—and because no one else is going to do it. Everyone feels the same way you do. I'm the only one who cares."

"You care about that freak, huh?" His tone was accusing, though it was obvious he was trying to control himself.

"Piper, please… I don't want to do this right now."

He sighed heavily and hooked his thumbs on his spiked belt. "Alright. Can't say's I didn't try. I'll play nice." He gave her a genuine smile. "See you outside, doll."

She smiled and nodded, a wave of relief washing over her, then continued up the stairs.

"Where are you, Macbeth…?" She walked along the wall, searching for him. Eventually, she found him sitting in a corner, legs crossed, arms folded, head drooped as he slept.

She watched him for a moment. The black part of his long hair hid his face—all but his black-painted lips. Actually… If she looked close enough, she could see that they were a dark tint of violet, not quite black. His red Oracion Seis tattoo stuck out against all the dark that he wore. He still seemed to sport it proudly, showing no shame when Fairy Tail members glared at it when they walked by.

It was obvious that he was having nightmares again. The slight tremble in his shoulders, barely perceptible unless you watched closely. The occasional twitch of a finger, as he fought some unknown force in the darkness of his own mind. She was tempted to reach out again, to press her fingers against his temples and delve inside. What horrors would she experience? Could she take them from him? Could she grant him peaceful sleep for one night?

She briskly shook her head. She'd sworn not to use her magic on him again without permission. Instead, she knelt down next to him and whispered. "Macbeth. Wake up, Macbeth."

He was unresponsive. She reached up and brushed a few strands of dark hair away from his eye. "Macbeth, it's me, Dreamer. Wake up, please."

His eyes jolted open. He snatched her wrist in an instant, his grip crushing. She gasped and stared back into his hazy eyes. They were clouded over, as if he was still asleep—as if he couldn't register where he was or who she was.

"Don't abandon me," he muttered, his voice strained and confused. "Don't go."

She knew he wasn't seeing her, but the weight of his pleading eyes and the husky desperation in his voice made her feel lightheaded and warm. "Hey," she forced a laugh. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm just trying to wake you up."

He blinked several times and finally seemed to register what was happening. He scowled in disgust and tossed her wrist away from him. There was the Midnight she knew.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

She smiled brightly at him. "I want you to come watch the rainbow blossoms with me."

His eyes widened and then narrowed in suspicion. "You can't be serious."

"Of course I am," she giggled. "I'm always serious."

He scoffed and sharply looked away from her, causing his magenta hair beads to sway. "In case you forgot, I'm a prisoner." He gestured at the glowing purple script around his ankle. "I'm not allowed to leave my cell."

"It's okay. I already talked to Master. He's willing to let you go outside because it's a special occasion. You'll still have the magic limiter on, but I guess if you wanted to run away, you could."

"How generous," he drawled sarcastically.

"Have you ever seen the Rainbow Sakura blossoms fall? It's one of the most beautiful sights in all of Fiore."

"Get away from me." He glanced at her, but kept his head turned to the side. She realized she was still knelt down, leaning close—having forgotten that Midnight had a very large personal space bubble. She stood up and took two steps back.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to, but I would like it if you were there." That was as much pleading as she would do. No magical persuasion. She wanted him to make a choice on his own.

"I don't care what you would like," he reminded her sharply. But he stood up at last and dusted off his yellow pants. "I guess anything would be better than listening to all this noise." He made a disgusted face at the lower floor of the guild hall. Dreamer chose not to argue that he was perfectly content with sleeping despite "all this noise."

She smiled and began walking back downstairs without looking back to see if he was following. She knew he was by the sound of his boots dragging on the hardwood floor. She held the door open for him and held an open palm out to world beyond.

"Don't act stupid," he shot at her while he walked by. Was that a tinge of red on his cheeks—could he be pouting at her act of kindness? She gave a giddy laugh and followed him out.

"Come on, there's a hill we like to sit on to watch the tree. Every year we lay out a blanket and sit and watch the blossoms."

"We?"

She fell into step beside him. "Me, Jezran, Piper, and Syllest."

His brow furrowed and his scowl got darker. "You sure you want me around your boyfriend?"

Dreamer sighed. "Again, he's not my boyfriend. And he promised to play nice today. I want you to play nice, too."

He smirked. "I'm not nice."

"I know, but… Pretend?"

"I can't guarantee I won't kill him for fun, make you watch, and then leave this hell-hole of a town."

His threat fell on deaf ears. Dreamer only laughed.

"It wasn't a joke!" he snapped, the pout returning.

"Right, right." She smiled warmly.

Up ahead was the grassy hill that overlooked the tree. There was no mistaking the blue hair, or the top hat standing there. At the bottom of the hill, long black hair followed a skipping girl. Dreamer glanced over at Midnight, feeling nervous for the first real time since her choice to bring him outside. She was almost certain that he wouldn't cause any harm, that he was all bark and no bite, but…

Syllest.

Piper had already told her about what happened in the guild hall when she and Jezran were on their job. At first, she'd been furious. Then terrified. What if Midnight had connections to him somehow? What if his seeing Syllest put her in danger?

It had taken a lot of convincing from Jezran and Mirajane to make her believe that her paranoia was misplaced. Later, Dreamer had been approached by Levy, who told her about the incident from a different point of view. How Midnight hadn't displayed any ill will toward Syllestra at all. How surprised he'd been. How he'd tugged on the earring she'd been touching when he walked away.

He won't hurt her. He wouldn't hurt a child.

She tried to convince herself. Honestly, she had no idea whether that was true or not. She had no idea what sort of people he'd been tasked to kill as an assassin. Men? Women? …Children? But she had to believe that even if he tried, Syllestra would be safe. She had Piper and Jezran with her, and all the members of Fairy Tail were nearby. It would be okay.

"Hi, guys!" she waved her hand when they got close enough. Jezran bowed low. Piper's eyes narrowed at the sight of Midnight, but he gave a quick wave in response.

A large blanket had already been laid on the grass. Jezran had prepared small sandwiches to be shared. Dreamer sat on the blanket and motioned for Midnight to do the same. He looked at her like he'd rather die, and stood a good ten feet away from the blanket with his arms folded over his chest.

Better than nothing, she supposed.

"Mom!"

Syllest ran up the hill with her arms wide open and pounced into Dreamer's lap. "Piper bought me cupcakes!"

"Oh?" Dreamer raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, kid, I told you not to tell!"

"Really sugary cupcakes," Syllest whispered.

"Oh, dear. Piper's going to be in trouble, isn't he? I'm going to have to punish him." Dreamer gave Piper a wink. He gulped and blushed before looking away awkwardly.

"Don't say things like that, Dreamy. Geez."

"Wait! No, I didn't mean—That came out wrong!"

"Mom! Macbeth came too!" Syllest's eyes went wide as saucers at the sight of Midnight standing off to the side. The man glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He seemed to tense at the sight of her—and his scowl turned into more of a guarded expression. "Mom, can I give him a hug?"

"I don't think he'd like that very much, sweetie."

"HEY MACBETH CAN I GIVE YOU A HUG?!"

Midnight tensed and simply turned his back on her. He tilted his head back and watched the blossoms float off of the rainbow tree.

"Heh heh, he's cute," Syllest cooed. "Oh! Can I run with Romeo and that blue-haired girl and that flying cat?" She pointed at the base of the tree.

"Go ahead. And make sure you collect lots of blossoms."

The adults watched in silence as the children played down below. The evening hues of the sky lit up the floating petals, making the rainbow-colored blossoms seem to glimmer. The breeze was warm and stirred up the petals just enough to allow their gentle dance to linger on. Dreamer chatted quietly with Piper and Jezran. Piper occasionally glanced at Midnight's back with a dark expression, but said nothing about or to him. Instead, they talked and laughed about festivals past.

"There was that time, dear me, when Laxus tripped over the great root."

"He was so embarrassed!"

"Yeah. Broke 'is nose too, poor guy. The best part was when he zapped Natsu for laughin' at him though."

They all laughed in agreement. The sun set behind the mountains and the stars began to twinkle above. It was so serene.

Dreamer stood up. "I'll be back," she promised, before walking across the hill to where Midnight was standing. "What do you think?"

"If this is what you fairies think is entertainment, then maybe I'll call the Council to pick me up myself."

"You could leave, you know." She opened her arms. "There are no enchantments out here. I'm sure you could find someone who would break the enchantment on your ankle, too. You could take your chances out there—try to outrun the Magic Council. If you think that's where your freedom lies, then you should go."

He looked at her with startled expression, as if he couldn't believe she was serious.

"I won't stop you, if you really think you'll find what you're looking for out there. I'm sure someone will call the Council right away, but it won't be me. You'll have a head start."

He gritted his teeth and huffed slightly. "…There's no point," he said slowly. "My guildmates have already been captured. I've already been defeated by your mighty Titania," he spat her name with bitter distaste. "I'm a failure. I lost the right to search for my own freedom."

Dreamer was surprised at this unusual display of emotion. He hadn't been so open with her since he was under her persuasion in the hospital.

"Then stay," she said simply.

He said nothing. Didn't even scoff. His eyes lingered on the branches of the tree. They crept downward, following the falling petals, then rested on a head of long, black hair. Dreamer caught him looking at Syllest. It made her uncomfortable. There was no ill intent in his red eyes, but she didn't understand why there wasn't disgust or hatred in them either.

"So," he said suddenly, "did you sleep around as a teenager, or were you raped?"

Dreamer nearly choked. "E-Excuse me?!"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and continued to watch Syllest play. Piper had rolled down the hill at her beckon and was now chasing the children and pretending to be a monster.

"There's no way you're much older than me," Midnight said. "Which means you would have had the kid as a teenager. Young teenager, most likely."

Dreamer rubbed her arms, an unconscious reaction to the confrontation. She didn't answer, which seemed to spur him on even more. He glanced at her with a gleam in his eye.

"Which is it?" His voice was demanding and gave away a hint of amusement. He liked that he'd struck a chord.

"What do you think?" Dreamer asked, cautiously. She watched Syllest too. That flowing black hair…

"There's no way you were sleeping around," he said.

"What makes you say that?" Her voice was void of emotion.

"You?" He laughed, actually laughed, out loud. "You're perfect." He said the word like it was poisonous. "A flawless little angel raised in a world of light. You've never done anything wrong in your entire good-girl existence." His words could almost be flattering, if they weren't dripping with animosity.

"That's not true," she argued in barely a whisper. She had done wrong. She had done things she could never take back—things that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Syllestra's beautiful and innocent face was a constant reminder of that.

"It must be the alternative, then," she shrugged.

"Liar." His voice was lower, his smirk wider. "That's never happened to you either."

"Oh?" She narrowed her eyes, the frustration beginning to show. "What makes you so sure?"

"You don't have the look in your eyes."

Dreamer eyed him cautiously. Her grip around her own arms and chest was tightening. "Do you know a lot about things like that, Midnight?" She used his false name. His assassin name.

He finally looked her straight on. He cocked his head slightly to the left and smirked. "Would it scare you if I did?" His voice was hardly above a whisper now. "If you knew I'd committed atrocities like that, would you finally believe that I'll never be redeemed? Would you get over your hero complex and call the Council on me?" He grinned. "Maybe I have."

Dreamer felt her shoulders relax. She looked away from the sadistic gleam in his dilated eyes and back down at the tree. "You've never done something like that to someone."

His smirk faltered. "What makes you so sure?" He repeated her question.

"Your magic gives you away," she said, coolly. "Magic is a reflection of who we are. It's essentially a physical manifestation of our very souls." The breeze picked up and swirled pink petals through her cream-colored hair. "You can tell a lot about a person by the type of magic they use. And you… You use reflector and illusion magic. They enable you to attack from a distance and also defend you against attacks. That's because you don't like people touching you, right?"

The way his jaw clenched in anger verified her guess.

"And, while it's true that you enjoy watching people suffer, you like to do it from far away. Like an innocent observer. Like a child who could hear the screams of people around him while he was trapped in a little cell, and who was forced to watch as friends and strangers were tortured. The distance makes you feel safe. In fact… If I had to guess, I'd say you've never hurt or killed anyone with your bare hands."

His jaw was clenched as tight as possible, his face slightly flushed. The air between them was tense. He finally relaxed just a bit, and the smirk returned to his lips.

"The girl's not your daughter."

A particularly strong breeze blew against them.

"That's absurd," Dreamer scoffed. "Of course she's my daughter. Are you blind?" The same pink, unsteadying eyes.

He stared unblinkingly at her. There was a sense of victory about him. He was confident in his conclusion. "It's more likely that she's your sister."

Panic rose in Dreamer's throat. She swallowed it down. She matched his steady stare and raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

His lips curled into a cruel grin. He leaned forward, surprisingly close to her. When he spoke, his voice was hardly more than a breath on her ear. "No stretch marks," he said.

Dreamer's eyes opened wide and her face felt instantly hot. Midnight straightened upright to watch her expression, an evil glint in his eyes—smug victory about him.

"W-wh… How do you know?" She always wore vests and leggings, for the very purpose of hiding the places such marks would be if she had them. "Just how closely have you been watching me?!"

He simply smirked and turned away. "Finally, some entertainment."

"Tormenting me is entertainment, huh?" She huffed.

He pointedly did not answer her, so she finally sighed in defeat. The sky overhead was now a dark shade of blue and alight with stars. Dreamer looked up at them in silence.

"She's my niece."

Midnight looked at Syllest again. She was riding on Piper's shoulders, wearing Jezran's top hat, and reaching for a bundle of blossoms on a lower branch of the tree.

"My sister… died just after she was born. I've raised her ever since, so, as far as she knows, I am her mom."

"That makes more sense," he nodded in understanding. His eyes seemed to darken for a moment, as if he were remembering something from his own life.

A few more minutes stretched on before Dreamer started down the hill. She looked back over her shoulder and urged Midnight to follow her. "Let's get a closer look."

"Not interested," he said. He crossed his arms back over his chest and stayed rooted to the spot.

"Okay." Dreamer shrugged and sprinted down the hill toward the others, leaving Midnight there.

"Mom! I touched the tree!"

"Man, she's gettin' too heavy to carry around like that," Piper complained and cracked his neck.

"I'm not fat!"

"Nobody said you were, kiddo!"

"Mom, is Macbeth your boyfriend?"

"What?!" She and Piper said simultaneously.

"Romeo's dad said you need a boyfriend because you're too upright."

"Uptight," Jezran corrected.

"Oh, did he really?"

Macao was slinking away on the other side of the tree.

"Hey, Macao! You got something you wanna say to me?" Dreamer started after him.

"Sorry, Dana, gotta run!"

"It's DREAMER!"

"Hey, Jezzy?" Syllest pulled on his suit sleeve. "What's Natsu doing?"

"Oh, dear me, it appears that he's… digging up the Sakura tree…"

The pink-haired fire breather wiped sweat from his brow and leaned against a shovel. "Hey, Piper! Give me and Happy a hand here, will ya? We gotta dig up this tree for Lucy!"

Piper looked at him and gave a shrug. "Ah, sure. What the hell." He took a second shovel from Natsu and got to work.

Midnight stood atop the hill by himself, watching the chaos below. He looked over at the trees swaying in the wind. There were no enchantments. Nothing to stop him from walking away right now. The band around his ankle glowed faintly, but threatening someone to undo the enchantment would be easy. Freedom was only about a hundred yards away.

Freedom.

He looked back down at the little girl dancing with the old man. She reminded him of a child he'd seen long ago, before even the Tower of Heaven. Black hair and an innocent, ignorant look of hope. The same expression he once saw in his own reflection, countless years ago.

His eyes trailed up past the tree, to the girl's "mother." Dreamer. He couldn't help the scowl that drew across his face. It was her fault he was here. It was her detestable faith in him that had gotten him bound to Fairy Tail.

He hated her. And yet…

For some reason, he didn't walk into the forest that night.