Here are some short updates to make up for my lack of updates
"Hello? Nee-san? Lucy? Wendy-chan? Natsu? Gray? Mira? Anybody?" I called out into the darkness.
I was in the guild, yet instead of it being noisy and loud, there was absolutely no one around. The bar counter had a few glasses sitting about while the tables were all empty. Outside, it was stormy so barely any light reached the inside but my eyes quickly adjusted to what little light there was from a year of living underground.
"Erza-nee? Where are you?" I called nervously, walking up the stairs to where the S Class requests were I hoped to find Erza.
"Erza-nee?! No!" I gasped, looking before me.
"This is what happens when you disobey" said Kumori standing over the body of an unmoving Erza.
"My sweet, you do not need any of these silly fairies," said Midnight behind me, dumping the bodies of Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Wendy in front of me.
"No…No… No, NO NO!" I yelled, running to Erza as tears left my eyes.
"ERZA-NEE?! ERZA-NEE! PLEASE! WAKE UP! DON'T LEAVE ME!" I yelled, shaking her body slightly.
"She left, just like she did when you were young but fret not my dear one, we are still here," whispered Midnight, putting her hands on my shoulders to pick me up.
"NO! NO! NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! ERZA-NEE! ERZA-NEEEEEE! MINNA! HELP!" I screamed as Midnight took me away.
"AHHHH!" I shouted, shooting up from the infirmary bed as I woke up.
"Poppy?! Poppy! Are you okay?!" exclaimed Erza as she ran into the infirmary, sword out.
Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Levy, Gajeel, and Mira followed behind her, ready to fight.
"Poppy-chan, are you hurt?" asked Wendy walking up to me.
"Minna…" I whispered, looking at them with tears in my eyes, before turning away. "Gomen, I…I'm fine. I just had a bad dream. That's all. Sorry for worrying you."
Erza looked to them and hinted for them to leave. Gray grabbed Natsu's shoulder, leading him away while Lucy and Wendy walked away slowly together, their eyes lingering on me.
Mira looked towards Erza before walking towards me and hugging me. "You have nothing to be sorry about Poppy. Everything will be okay. All of us are here for you."
I looked at her, the tears falling from my eyes. Mira smiled slightly and patted my hair before leaving, nodding slightly to Erza as she left and placing her hand on Erza's left shoulder.
Erza came to me, holding her arms up as she sat on the bed. I instantly fell into her arms, clutching her shirt close to me and crying a bit.
"Erza-nee…Gomen…I keep bugging you…I'm weak…"I whispered.
"Poppy," she said, pushing me slightly away so that she could meet my eyes, "You will never bug me. You are not weak. You are strong; I have never seen anyone stronger than you. You had a rough past and when you came here, you refused to give up." She chuckled slightly, "You threatened to use magic against us remember?"
I thought back, "I wasn't actually going to though…I was too scared."
Erza shook her head slightly, "But you did not show it. You were brave. And, Poppy, I am your older sister and I will always be here for you. No matter what."
She held me close, one hand resting on the top of my head as I hugged her back, letting tears fall freely but not making any sound.
"I have to get stronger, for Erza-nee and Lucy and the rest of the guild. I can't let them take me again," I thought, holding Erza tightly as though she were to disappear at that moment.
A few moments later, I pulled out of the hug and wiped my eyes, sniffling a bit but determined to stay strong.
"Are you feeling better?" asked Erza, keeping one hand rested on my back and looking at me.
I nodded, "Hei, Arigato Nee-san!"
"Ne, nee-san?"
"Hm?"
"How was it for you? These past years? Violet told me about the child enslavement and Gaia told me about a tower but I never knew if you were there or not."
Erza looked at me, her face with sorrow, "I was taken to build the Tower of Heaven along with many other children and adults to resurrect Zeref. I made friends with other children and an old Fairy Tail mage named Rob who all made it easier to live there but what made me determined to survive was knowing that you were out there someone. I knew I had to escape at some point so I can find you. It…wasn't easy… I lost my right eye…but I had hopes that we would be reunited…"
I gasped when I heard that she had lost her right eye and gave her a tight hug.
"I'm sorry Erza-nee."
She hugged me back and smiled slightly, "It's alright Poppy. I escaped the tower and found my way to Fairy Tail where Porlyusica gave me an artificial eye and I found a family within the guild. Though I was happy, there was also something missing. You."
I looked up to her, my emerald eyes meeting her brown eyes.
She smiled and patted my head, "As soon as I escaped and joined Fairy Tail, I grew determined to find you again. The Master knew and Mira knew about you but I never told the others. The Master wouldn't allow me to search for you, in fear you were also captured, until I became an S Class Mage. So, when I was fifteen, I took the test and passed, becoming the youngest member to be an S Class Wizard. From there on, I would take requests and look for you. Every birthday, I left the Guild and took whatever clues I could to find a red-headed girl but they never led to you – and now I know why."
I looked down, not meeting her eyes knowing that the reason she couldn't find me was because of my captivity.
"Poppy," she said, brushing my hair back and I looked up to her, "I could only imagine what you must have gone through. Gomen Nasai…I didn't know..." her voice shook and I hugged her again, burying my face in her chest as I hid my own tears.
"It's okay Erza-nee. I'm here now. And I want to stay here," I mumbled, my voice raw.
Erza hugged me back tightly, "I promise you Poppy. You are never leaving me again."