A/N: As an apology for missing so many Saturdays and updating late a lot because I'm so busy all of the time, here's an extra chapter! It's long and all, so.. sorry y'all, for being so busy and not updating properly and such. Ily y'all!

Although the night had been a little rocky with a nightmare, the next morning worked out okay. They all packed up and were ready to head back to Magnolia, in which the trek would only take about half a day.

The first half of the trek, Seph spent the time walking between Lily and Laxus, chatting with Lily about random stuff before getting into a long conversation of the Raijinshuu and Laxus explaining the fight that took place between Laxus and Jura. Seph kept an amazed and excited face on the whole time before looking very proud, congratulating Laxus on his win against the fifth ranked Wizard Saint. The second half of the trek, Seph spent the time on Laxus' shoulders, gently using his head as a drum and humming. She felt good, better than before or during the games, and more importantly, she felt happy. She had a feeling that it wouldn't stay that way, but she was going to enjoy it the best she could.

By the time they reached Magnolia, all of the others had arrived as well and Seph was still sitting on Laxus' shoulders as they walked down a path made out of the citizens of Magnolia, who were standing on either side and cheering loudly as the Guild members made their way through the city. They just won the Grand Magic Games… wait, that meant that they were number one in Fiore. Oh, that made sense… Seph felt a little dense, but nonetheless covered one of her ears with a hand to block out some of the noise. Cana was already drinking, was that a good thing?

They were aimed in a certain direction by the mayor after being told that they were going to be given a token of appreciation from him and although bashful, they really couldn't refuse… especially not when they saw the huge building they had been built to use as a Guild hall. It was on the edge of the city, and it stood nearly as tall as the Kardia Cathedral, which was the tallest building in Magnolia. Their Guild mark was proudly presented on a flag and as little statues, the big statues of fairies sitting in the front.

It was amazing! Seph had never seen a Guild hall like it before!

She would be living with Laxus and with how big the city was, it wouldn't be hard to remember where everyone lived and stuff. After making herself feel at home in Laxus' cabin not too far out on the outskirts of Magnolia, Seph took a quick nap with Laxus at her side before they headed over to the Guild to meet up with the Raijinshuu. They would probably sit for awhile and Seph wasn't sure if she wanted to go out on a job, so depending on how she felt, she'd either go on one with them or stay behind at the Guild to just hang around until they got back. Either way, she was having a good time drinking a cup of juice with a straw and snacking on grapes with Evergreen.

It was nice to be together with good company instead of bad company, as Seph had learned that it was better to be alone than in bad company, like someone who would only make time for you when it was convenient for them or someone who made you feel trapped. She could remember very well that her dreams and abilities were discredited and it hurt to think of just how many times she had been lied to because, honestly, she couldn't even tell what had been the truth. The negativity had rubbed off onto her a bit at times, but it was only because she had been motivated to be judgmental and hateful even though she didn't see the point. It was like she had been another person, one that they both wanted and didn't want, and it screwed her up badly… but she was able to come back from that not too long afterwards.

Laxus and the Raijinshuu decided to stay around the Guild with her just for that day, the time passing by quickly and Seph becoming more exhausted by the minute. Laxus got them home just in time to lay her down and get the covers over her before she passed out. She stayed asleep for about an hour before darting up from the bed with a strangled gasp, grabbing at her chest before curling up and lying back down, trying to cry quietly. It didn't work, as Laxus had felt her movement and rolled onto his side to pull the covers over her again and rub her back comfortingly.

"Another one…?" He asked softly, gaining a small whimper from his partner as she nodded in reply. He could just feel how scared she was from the feeling of dread that hung over her from her nightmare, and he carefully pulled her onto his chest, rolling onto his back again. It was silent for a moment before Seph suddenly spoke.

"… I-I-I'm sc-scared…" She choked out through a sob, covering her face with her hands. She felt awful for saying it, but she couldn't take it back. She shouldn't have felt ashamed, but she felt as if she couldn't be afraid due to how it was back where she came from. Fear meant death back there.

She was scared of everything… She didn't understand all of it.

She didn't know what most foods and drinks were. She didn't know that there were so many Guilds; she never thought there would be so many people, nonetheless a kingdom. She had read so many books, but they had all been so ancient and when she had escaped from being trapped after ten years, she hadn't known where to go. She didn't have anywhere to go when she escaped and she didn't cope too well right away with her surroundings in the condition she had been in. Even now, she was still learning. It was like she had come from some far away planet with no proper civilization, but everyone else somehow understood that she just needed some time.

They didn't know about her past, but they were still there for her. That's why she had such a hard time accepting her fear, because she wanted to be okay and she wanted to live as normal of a life as a Mage could get.

"I always am."

Seph didn't know if she had just heard Laxus' response to make herself feel better or if he had actually admitted that he was always scared, but that was okay. It wouldn't stop the nightmares, it wouldn't lessen her fear, it wouldn't do anything significant… but it gave her a little bit of hope that could never be crushed, much like her determination.

Early the next morning, Evergreen found a letter being slid under her door and a small knock sounding against her door before the footsteps of whoever delivered the mail faded away down the hall. She spent at least five minutes tossing and turning before sighing because it was quite obvious that, no, she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. So instead of trying to do the impossible, she got out of bed and went over to her door to grab the letter, opening it and finding great surprise that it was from Laxus of all people. He needed her help with something?

She didn't dare to waste a moment, knowing that Freed and Bickslow had probably been contacted as well, and immediately threw on her clothes. It didn't take long to do her hair and makeup, as she always did it and had become a pro many years ago, and just had to grab her jacket to head out the door and over to where Laxus was living. He could've come back to the boy's dorm when he was accepted back in, but she was a little glad that he didn't because that would've complicated things with Seph.

Wait, was this about Seph?

Just the thought alone made Evergreen go much quicker, cursing the Laxus lived on the other side of Magnolia and even just a little further out.

It didn't take her very long to get there, but she was worried that she might've been ten minutes too late as she lifted her fist and knocked on the door. There was low chatter from inside and a small crash as if someone had tripped and fallen, but then Freed answered the door for her. Like she had thought, he and Bickslow had been contacted, and from the serious look on his face, something was wrong.

"Is it Seph?" She asked right away, just having a feeling. Freed paused before giving her a slight nod, looking over his shoulder quickly. "What happened?"

"She's, um…" Freed started, lifting a hand to his forehead to move his bangs out of the way, unsure of how to explain the situation to her. "It's nothing bad. Laxus just doesn't know what she eats, which is why I'm here, and didn't get the chance to go shopping, which is why Bickslow is here… and Seph refuses to let him help her shower even though she won't do it herself. There's something wrong with that word, even, and it set her off. Now she's… under Laxus' bed and she won't dare to come out."

Evergreen paused before nodding, Freed moving aside to let her in before closing the door, and she put her jacket on the coat hanger, making her way through the house to find Laxus' room. She was nearly 100% sure that she had found it when she found Laxus on the ground, looking under a bed and holding an arm out under it for someone. Evergreen took a spot beside him, seeing that Seph was indeed hiding under there with no intent of coming out.

"Hey, Seph, what are you doing under there?" Evergreen asked softly with a smile although she already knew. Seph didn't have to know that she knew, even as she looked up a bit to confirm that Evergreen was actually there. She shrugged a bit, keeping her hands on her knees that were pulled up to her chest.

"… Y-You can't m-m-make m-me take a… sh-sh-sho-ower…" Seph mumbled in reply, curling away from them even more. "… I-It's a… b-b-bad thi-ing…" Evergreen paused before carefully reaching a hand out for Seph.

"You don't need to have a shower. I can help you take a bath instead." Evergreen proposed, which froze Seph in place for a second. Did she really not know what a bath was? Nonetheless, the small Exceed very carefully took Evergreen's hand and crawled out from underneath Laxus' bed, the man sighing in relief and getting up to go join the other men in the kitchen.

Evergreen got up with the small Exceed in her arms and headed towards the bathroom, where she put Seph down to merely turn on the water for the tub. Warm water was a good way to go…

"… Do I have to take my clothes off…?" Seph asked softly, gaining Evergreen's attention. She gave Seph a small, sympathetic smile and nodded.

"It'll get you clean easier, and then we can wash your clothes separately so you can wear them again." She explained, gaining a slight nod from Seph as she turned around a little stiffly to take off her socks first. The multicolored tile floor was cold, but warmed up quickly against her feet, and the cool hues reminded her of the ocean.

She covered her eyes with her hands and took a deep breath, steadying her breathing as her curiosity overcame her. Evergreen began to protest when Seph dragged a stool over to the sink, but the Exceed's determination cut her off. There was someone before Seph, someone rigged with zoned-out eyes that stared off into a horizon that she couldn't even begin to imagine. She never recognized herself in the mirror, no matter how many times she took a look. She gingerly touched the bandage on her forehead where she could feel the deep ache from where bruises had blossomed blotchy, she gingerly touched her bandaged cheek that had been cut open, and where bruises were forming on her temple that no one would dare point out because those weren't from the dragon fight. They were healing, but they were imprinted on her soul forever from irate knuckles that had battered into her and caused the world to spin. She could remember the metallic flavor on her tongue from where blood had pooled into her mouth when her nose became a faucet.

Seph could feel Evergreen's eyes burning a hole where the person she once trusted most had pounded blackened imprints of his fists into her jaw. Her eyes flicked downwards and she got off of the stool, unclipping her overall shorts and beginning to pull off her pink jumper only to get it stuck. She heard Evergreen laugh, the woman's hands finding their way around her and helping her with pulling it off, in which she gave the woman a small "thank you". There was the usual pause as she stepped out of her overalls and her leggings, from when her back was exposed. Mira had paused before gently giving her the mark of Fairy Tail, so it wasn't much of a mystery when Evergreen did it. It was either hands dead set on resting while they thought or shaking limbs caught up in the fabric as if debating between one another whether they should continue or yank whatever she was wearing back down as fast as humanly possible.

"You can get into the tub when you're ready, Seph." Evergreen told the Exceed, who very slowly nodded and headed over to the white tub. The water wasn't that deep, but it still looked… like a pond or something. It wasn't running, so as long as she didn't put her head under the water, then she would be able to breathe… right?

She decided to test that, slowly climbing in as Evergreen rummaged through Laxus' cabinets for everything bath related that she could find from bath bombs to bath salts to comedically large squirts out of bubble bath bottles. It made Seph laugh. She had never actually seen bubbles in a bath before and it was actually really cool! Although, Evergreen might've been a bit excessive… Seph shifted in the water a bit, suppressing a groan because it was really uncomfortable when it felt like her lungs were underwater and her bones were on fire. Evergreen dunked Seph's clothes into the washer and turned it on before sitting at the side of the tub to keep the Exceed company. It was an understatement to say that Seph was in a rough state.

There were scars of various sizes sliced across Seph's back and small burns where most likely cigarettes had been put against her skin as if her flesh was an ashtray. Evergreen felt like she was going to be sick seeing all of the bruises and wounds and scars, but she managed to stay strong and keep a smile on her face. She didn't dare to pour water over Seph's head with even a small cup, but did it in little dribbles instead to keep the Exceed from crying or freaking out. Seph looked like she loved the bath instead of what had initially been awful anxiety over a shower, though. Evergreen only left her once, to switch her clothes into the dryer, and then immediately returned after turning it on.

Eventually, once Seph had been all washed up, she climbed out of the tub into her awaiting towel and let Evergreen gently rub her dry. She giggled all through it, never having experienced a bath or drying off after being dunked into water so nicely before, and sat by with Evergreen until her clothes were clean. She pulled them back on after allowing Evergreen to peel off her wet bandages, which she hadn't been comfortable with Evergreen removing before, and put new ones on before carrying her out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where the rest of their team was waiting. Seph was much happier now, even bubbly, and no one dared to ask why she was so afraid of showers because they wanted to keep her happy.

Freed had made breakfast, which Seph also wasn't used to, and they all sat at the table to eat together, and Seph really appreciated the company. Her injuries didn't hurt so much anymore and she found that… great. They talked about going on a job that day and Seph agreed, feeling like she was in a good mood for it, so after Laxus got dressed and Seph was sitting securely on his shoulders, brushing her tiny little fingers through his bright golden blonde hair, they all took off to the Guild.

The walk wasn't a very long one, but it was long enough to keep them chatting all the way. It was just simple, friendly chatting as a group, as a team, and Seph liked that. It was when they walked into the Guild that things got silent and a little worrying, although Seph could hear someone whispering over the fact that Laxus didn't look so terrifying with her just hanging about on his shoulders. It made her feel bad because she didn't want to ruin his reputation or anything… However, her attention quickly switched to the job board, watching as Freed grabbed the only request there and showed it to Laxus because it was directed at him.

"Hi, Laxus!" Natsu suddenly greeted from the other side of the Guild, in which Laxus turned sharply and nearly knocked Seph off of his shoulders. He quickly grabbed her foot to help her stabilize herself, although he kept a neutral face on towards Natsu. "What kind of request is it?"

"What do you care?" Laxus countered back at the younger male before turning again and starting to walk. Seph heard low chuckling from Bickslow and Evergreen, but she was curious as to why Laxus' attitude changed so drastically from towards her and the Raijinshuu, to towards the rest of the Guild.

"Don't be swallowed up by lightning." The Master told Laxus directly with a scowl.

"Don't drown in booze." Laxus scowled back, which brought a small smile onto Seph's face. Laxus was weird with communicating, huh? She was weird with it, too…

The request said that it took place in the post town of Borwatt, where there had been lightning every single day. Seph didn't know if she would hold out with her phobia, but she's do her best with her team. Gajeel and Lily made their way into the Guild as her and her team made their way out, Seph and Lily exchanging quick nods and waves before the Guild doors closed. She hadn't gotten to talk to him since they got back… but she would get a chance. It wasn't like that was going to last forever, they were both just busy.

The post town of Borwatt was a very gloomy place, dark storm clouds circling their way overhead and putting a painful pressure onto Seph's head. No one was outside, if there was anyone at all, and it was nearly if not actually a lightning rod exhibition. Seph had switched from Laxus' shoulders to down on the ground between him and Evergreen, staying in place beside Evergreen as Laxus took a couple of steps forward into the town. It was very much full of static electricity, as Seph's fur was standing on edge.

"I'm getting a kick out of your hair." Bickslow suddenly told Freed, in which Seph started giggling at how both of the men's hairs were standing on edge as well. Evergreen's was, too, and theirs were much funnier than her fur. "I think the Little Miss is, too." If he meant her, then yes, she was getting a kick out of it. They were always so serious! It was a good break. "Yours, too." Evergreen merely crossed her arms over her chest.

"Shut up. Who are you to talk?" She questioned, which made Seph giggle a little more before missing something that Laxus said and getting scared right out of her own body when lightning cracked through the sky, coming straight down onto the lightning rods and a tree. She found herself clutching at Evergreen's leg as if it would protect her, Laxus blocking the lightning from them after having started walking to talk to the client. He hadn't gotten very far and that must've gotten on his nerves because before they knew it, Laxus was clearing away the clouds with a roar.

Seph hadn't been so happy to see blue sky since three months ago, but she knew that it was only a stopgap measure and that the thunderclouds would gather again. She wasn't looking forward to that, but until then, she felt okay with sitting on top of Laxus' shoulders again despite the static electricity that was still gathered around. He kept her comfort nonetheless, especially when the residents of the town started to crowd around all of them. They were marveling over Laxus, but it was still uncomfortable when they came running forward and asking for him to shake their hands. He tried to send them away with words and a glare, but when that didn't work, he simply walked through the crowd and they parted for him as if he was a God.

Knowing Laxus, he probably could've been. It was actually cute when he marveled over the fact that someone would want to be with him and even blushed a bit.

The Mayor suddenly approached them with his butler straight behind him, in which Seph couldn't help but clutch onto some of Laxus' hair to calm herself down. He didn't seem to mind, it wasn't like she was pulling it out, after all. He greeted them, but the butler did most of the talking.

"It's nice to meet you. This is the mayor of Borwatt, Mr. De Cybele." He introduced the Mayor, motioning to him before motioning to himself. "And I am his executive secretary, Ga Maille."

Seph was very uncomfortable when the butler handed her a business card and held back a groan as she took it, not wanting to be impolite or forced to take it. She was fairly sure that she saw Evergreen smirk when she just shoved the card into one of her overall pockets, tempted to cross her arms and pout. She didn't, though, because she had heard how jobs were supposed to go. If you had to, smile and nod, just make sure to get the job done right. The Mayor and the butler were both a little excessive, though… it was like they were trying to set the team up for failure or something.

Nonetheless, they were escorted to the Mayor's mansion to talk in private and have the situation explained in detail, and honestly… Seph found the Mayor's mansion a little creepy. He had too many statues and too many thin books. Thin books were okay, Seph wasn't trying to say that they weren't, it was just that… well… bigger books were good, too. They were even squished together on one couch, Seph ending up in Laxus' lap as she glanced around, and she was glad for it because the Mayor got quite scary explaining how the phenomenon began.

It started when Laxus came into the town about a week before the Grand Magic Games, having gotten a bit too drunk and beaten up some delinquents who were bugging him for money. They had attacked him first, so it was really just self-defense, but the way the Mayor and his butler described it… it really did not sound like Laxus at all. What started the lightning was Laxus' initial lightning that night apparently and this was still a job, so they kind of had to do it, but the fact that they were threatening them and their entire Guild was downright awful. Seph really didn't like it, and she could tell that the others didn't like it either.

The storm clouds were back as they left the Mayor's mansion, overlooking the town from the hill and all of them boiling with anger if not just plainly upset. That's what Seph was from back on Laxus' shoulders, plainly upset while also being entirely confused. The Mayor was a piss-ant… There was something else going on here and Evergreen said so, but Bickslow didn't really seem to believe her, so Seph spoke up.

"Well, after all, the original request didn't give any details. Don't you think that's strange?" She asked Bickslow softly, hearing him groan.

"Man, not you too, Little Miss." He sighed, in which she gave him a shrug and a sigh. Laxus suddenly stopped, making her squeak in surprise as she grabbed onto his hair to keep from falling, and she stared at the thunderclouds with him only to wrap her arms around his head upon hearing the start of rumbling thunder and lightning flashing through the clouds.

"I started this mess. If I don't clean it up, it'll cause trouble for all of Fairy Tail." Laxus told them as he started to walk over to the Raijinshuu, who had stopped to wait for him and Seph. The team merely agreed to help him, although they really didn't need to. They were in this with him no matter what and Seph agreed with them that it was no problem for them to help him out. "Ever since we've come to this town, I've been crackling with electricity." His head turned to face the middle of the city. "I have a feeling my magic is being pulled that way."

They didn't waste a moment taking off running into town, finding themselves against much more electricity in the town than before to the point of electricity monsters making themselves known. It was coming from below, so they split up into two groups. Bickslow and Evergreen stayed behind protect the town while Laxus, Freed and Seph took off to figure out why the electricity was coming from below out of all places. For one thing, Seph was Claustrophobic and didn't know why she had followed Laxus and Freed underground, but she managed to stay focused on the task at hand. The three of them came across a huge ball of lightning that was just gathering together and Laxus could somehow immediately tell that it was his lightning.

He jumped into the shallow sewer water and made his way towards the ball of electricity, staring at it before it suddenly went straight for him, tearing at his jacket. Freed put up his arms to defend himself as the lightning nearly reached them and Seph dashed straight behind one of his legs, clutching at his pants to keep herself grounded. Laxus used a Dragon Slayer Secret Art to tear the electricity apart and it made an explosion, in which Seph was barely able to keep her footing or hear Freed call out to Laxus.

When they were able to, Freed and Seph made their way over to Laxus to find him on his knees and panting pretty heavily, which kept Seph worrying over her partner more than usual. While Freed and Laxus exchanged words, however, Seph found herself walking over to where the ball of electricity had been and instead of it, there was a Lacrima on the ground. Seph frowned and picked it up carefully.

"Hey, look what I found!" Seph called to them, gaining their attention as she held up the Lacrima. This wouldn't go by easily.

While the Mayor might've gotten quite the talk, Seph was just glad to be back at the Guild and chatting with people she saw as friends. They hadn't gotten paid and Seph only found that very funny because they hadn't even thought of it until then.

"Hey, Seph."

Seph jumped a little bit before humming as she turned towards the voice of none other than Lily as he sat down beside her, smiling when he saw her smiling.

"Hey, Lily!" She greeted back before looking up to see Gajeel locked in a brawl with Natsu before being promptly tossed across the floor by Gray. The moment Erza made a start towards them, though; Laxus grabbed them by the hair and knocked their heads together to tell them to stop. "Gajeel seems full of energy."

"So does Laxus." Lily chuckled with a small shake of his head, in which they both went quiet for a moment and just enjoyed each other's presence before Lily started talking again. "From what I know, Laxus has always been very hard to figure out. You expect something, but then it'll be something entirely different. His feelings are always so hidden that it's confusing." Well, he wasn't wrong there. "But I think that's something you share with him."

Seph's head snapped up in Lily's direction again, finding him looking towards her with a small smile.

"… What do you mean…?" She asked cautiously.

"You tend to act one way, though you feel another." Lily replied simply as if it was obvious. "It's always been very hard to understand what you were feeling since you're good at hiding your deepest emotions, and I've been thinking that maybe… it was because you had some reason to hide them. Ever since you joined, it's been that way."

Some reason to hide her feelings… Could Lily have guessed about her past so early on with her joining the Guild? It had barely even been a couple of weeks and he might've figured it out…

"I've noticed it a couple of times. When you think no one is looking or when you're alone, you seem sad or troubled. It's like you're remembering something that you don't want to, things that hurt you." Lily explained looking quite troubled over it himself.

For a moment, Seph could've sworn that Lily's eyes flicked towards her bandages. No one had questioned them like she had expected them to, but they just seemed to let it go. Maybe they kept thinking that they shouldn't ask and she had been glad that they didn't, but that didn't mean they didn't wonder. Obviously, Lily wondered.

"Things that keep you from showing your true emotions, things that keep you from letting yourself show what you're actually feeling…" He mumbled before gently resting a hand on her shoulder. "I don't mean to pry or make you uncomfortable, Seph, I just… want you to know that you can talk to me if you ever want or need to."

Seph paused for a moment before closing her eyes momentarily, letting out a sigh. She wasn't ready to face that… It wasn't that she didn't trust Lily or anything; it was just that if she didn't have to, she wouldn't have told Laxus anything yet and he was her partner. She wasn't ready to talk about it to others yet and she hadn't realized that he had been paying so much attention to her.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked, making Seph glance back towards him cautiously. "You don't have to explain anything, it's just a question. Most people tend to ask if Laxus is alright, even the Raijinshuu, but many of them seem to forget to ask if you're doing alright."

Despite herself, Seph found her cheeks heating up a little bit and she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing was able to come out. It seemed to be the reason why Lily chuckled within the next couple of seconds.

"Don't wear yourself out worrying over Laxus and whatever else that may be on your mind." He advised quite wisely. "It's very admirable how loyal you are to him already and he couldn't have a better partner, but don't forget to look after yourself." He then smirked slightly. "If you don't, then I'll have to, and I think that you're a little too stubborn to let me do that."

Seph blushed a little bit more, but let out a light laugh at his somewhat attempt to cheer her up. Despite the hatred she had gained against her own kind, Lily was… like-able. She trusted him and she liked him a lot. She got along with him.

"Yes, I'm okay." She replied softly and sincerely. Maybe, at some point… She could talk to him about everything.

"Good to hear." He stated with a small nod, pulling his hand back. "Just remember, I'm here to listen if you ever need someone to just vent to. Your team is there, too."

"Thank you, Lily…" Seph mumbled with a small smile before leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder. It was a sign of affection, really. "You're a very good person. I'm glad we met."