Ember woke up with a start. The sun was shining in her eyes through an open window, and she could feel the warmth on her face. The pain in her ribs had subsided extremely, and she actually had energy. But she had no idea where she was. She started to breath heavy in a panic, throwing the covers off of her, when MiraJane ran into the room.

"Ember! You're awake! How are you feeling?" She said in a soothing tone, and sat down beside her on the bed.

"Where am I Mira? How long was I sleeping?" Ember asked, rubbing her eyes.

"You are in the sick ward. You slept for 2 days." Mira smiled.

"How did I get here?"

"Porlyusica brought you in. She found you in the woods."

"Did she say anything?"

"She said she found you passed out in the woods with a giant hell hound!"

"Uh….uh…."

Ember started to rub the scar over her eye. It was beginning to throb. That woman had seen her with Nunu. And Zeref. But she hadn't said anything. But where was Nunu. She started to panic again.

"He's okay. He's sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed. I'm surprised his snoring didn't wake you up. No one knows about him. And I won't tell. I understand how it can be hard to explain. I haven't even let anyone in here so that no one saw him." Mira smiled and grabbed Ember's hand, squeezing it tight.

"Thank you...so much Mira." Ember stammered, tears building up in her eyes. "I don't think anyone would want to see me anyways."

"You're wrong! Evergreen, Bickslow, Laxus and Freed all tried to get in. Cana almost fought me to get through. Good thing I'm stronger than all of them!"

"Oh wow. I'm shocked."

"Oh! And don't mention that I told you, but even Gray stopped by."

"Gray? Cold as ice-Gray?"

"Yes! Cana told him off pretty badly in front of a lot of people that day you were hurt. I think he might feel bad."

Ember and Mira both laughed. Ember squeezed Mira's hand as a tear dripped down her cheek. Mira smiled brighter than the sun. To Ember, Mira really was like the sun to her. She brought light into her life anytime darkness wanted to take over. Her friendship made Ember genuinely happy, and she felt lucky to have her. Same with Cana and the Thunder Legion, even though they were all way more brash and intimidating. But she was shocked about Gray. It kept running through her head but she didn't want to dwell on it too much. She didn't want to get her hopes up at all.

Over the end of the bed popped up two pointy ears and two big horns. They dipped back down and then a large nose popped up, sniffing the blankets, and then sneezed. Mira and Ember laughed, and then Nunu lunged himself onto the bed and bombarded Ember with doggy kisses, his tail wagging so hard it made a wind like sound as it moved through the air. Mira was almost knocked off the bed by the hellhound's sheer size, but she only laughed and began to pet his thick fur. He whined happily.

Knock-knock.

Ember and Mira looked at each other, not knowing what to do. Nunu perked up, alert, and sniffed towards the door. His ears moved around, trying to hear something. Ember tapped at Nunu until he looked back at her. She whispered his name and nodded her head, and with a whine Nunu burst into flames and once again became a scythe and went into Ember's hand. She leaned the weapon against the wall.

"Who is it?" Mira chirped.

"Dammit Mira if she is up you better let me in this room!" Cana yelled from the other side of the door.

Mira got up and let Cana in, leaving the door opened now that Ember was awake and her pet was gone. Cana rushed to the side of the bed and hugged Ember tightly.

"Are you okay? You were found in the woods!"

"Yes yes I am fine. Thank you for coming to see me."

"I tried a ton, but this bitch wouldn't let me in!"

"Well, I just woke up. So you didn't miss much."

"I'm taking it Porlyusica's magic did some wonders. Can she leave sick bay today?"

Cana turned to Mira for the answer. Mira hesitated for a second and then nodded yes with a laugh. After feeling as low as she did before she woke up in this bed, Ember actually felt really good. And she felt surrounded by friends.

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"Are you sure that this isn't going to turn into a problem for you Makarov?" Porlyusica said, sitting straight backed and looking across the table sternly at the old man.

"Yes. I already know everything Porlyusica." Makarov nodded.

"Regardless. Are you sure?"

"I trust her."

"But does everyone else in the guild?"

"No. But I am working on it."

"You are a stupid old man."

"Maybe so. But I will stand by my children. No matter what."

Porlyusica nodded, although she did not agree with the Master. But she had made her opinion known and that's all that mattered. Her and Makarov stood up from their seats and made their way to the main area of the guild hall.

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When Ember entered the main guild hall she was greeted by the chaotic cheers of the Thunder Legion. Evergreen jumped into a hug, and so did Freed. Bickslow and his babies all said her name at the same time, raising the creepy factor. Laxus walked up to her and stood close enough to where she could feel his body heat. She looked down at the floor and blushed. He smiled and roughed up her hair, and then let out a snicker and walked away.

The usual members were present. Most of them refused to look at her, including Natsu and Lucy. Happy waved but then Lucy smacked him. Ember caught Gray looking over at her, and they locked eyes for a second. He turned away, and before Ember turned away she noticed the jealousy in Juvia's eyes. She wondered if that girl got jealous over every person Gray looked at.

Ember made her way over to the bar with a slight limp and sat with her guild mates. The ones that were her friends. Her scythe was tightly strapped to her back and she was ready to go out and enjoy the day. A part of her hoped she didn't get sent on a job today, but at the same time she wanted to go out and work, because in a mood like this she would definitely do a good job.

In the corner of her eye she noticed Makarov and Porlyusica, the purple haired woman she had seen in the woods, enter the room. Her breath caught in her throat, and then she remembered that Makarov knew already. He knew everything. Pretty much. She let herself relax.

"Good morning children. Good news is Ember has healed wonderfully and is almost 100%. " Makarov smiled. There were a few grumbles in the crowd.

Makarov bid Porlyusica a farewell and winked at Ember. Ember smiled and nodded back at the Master. He then cleared his throat and turned his attention back at the guild members.

"Erza. Gray. Juvia. Lucy. Natsu. And Ember. You will all be going to meet Crime Sorciere. As you know this rogue guild is made up of Jellal and Meridy, and at one time Ultear. But now it is much larger. The members of what used to be Oracion Seis are now joined with them. They have been doing heavy intel on a situation that is currently a threat to us, and the other guilds in Fiore. You will be meeting up with them and finding out what they know, and then reporting back to me. And for goodness sakes, GET ALONG!"

With that Makarov left. Ember looked over at the table were the people she was to join were sitting. The entire group she was going with did not like her and did not trust her, save maybe for Erza. She so far had always been kind to her. Ember let out a sigh and went to get up. She might as well at least go say good morning.

"Do you want me to ask Master if I can go? He kind of put you in a crappy situation." Cana said.

"No. No I will be fine." Ember said, and started to walk to the table.

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"Oooooo Erza you must be excited to see Jellal!" Happy giggled and flew out of the way before Erza could smack him. Bright red roses bloomed on her cheeks.

"The old Oracion Seis huh? This should be interesting." Gray snickered.

"Can we even trust them?" Lucy added.

"Jellal wouldn't let them be in Crime Sorciere if he didn't trust them. And if he trusts them then so do I. Besides, it's better to have them as allies instead of enemies, no?" Erza smiled.

Everyone at the table nodded. Natsu was looking off into the distance, not seeming to really pay attention. Lucy sighed. He had been in a weird mood lately, and she didn't like it. He didn't seem like Natsu. Lisanna had noticed to and was actually the one to bring it to her attention. And neither one of them could get a reaction out of him.

"Juvia is so happy to be sent out in a team with Gray!" Juvia squealed.

"Yeah, fun." Gray sighed.

"Hey guys….." Lucy trailed off.

They heard footsteps and looked up to see Ember walking over to their table. Natsu still hadn't done anything. He remained looking out into the distance. Lucy looked away, refusing to acknowledge her. At first she had wanted to be nice and give her a chance, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Not with the way Natsu felt. Natsu meant more to her than probably anyone else, so she would never go against his feelings.

"Good morning. I look forward to traveling with you guys today. I have heard a lot about Crime Sorciere and the Oracion Seis. I look forward to meeting them too." Ember said with a smile.

"Good morning Ember. I hope you are feeling better. I think you will be intrigued by the power of these people. They are quite the group." Erza laughed.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you Erza." Ember nodded.

"Was it Porlyusica that healed you so fast?" Juvia asked.

"Yes. She is a wonderful and powerful woman. I'm really grateful actually. What's up Lucy, Natsu, Gray." Ember said with a giant smile on her face.

Lucy didn't react. Gray nodded with a smile, which caused Juvia to turn red in the face, and Natsu for some reason snapped out of his trance and looked sternly at Ember with furrowed brows.

"Did you just say 'Natsu is gay'?" He barked.

"Are you fucking serious Natsu?" Gray snapped.

"No, not at all. " Ember snorted and started laughing hysterically. She had to walk away after that. And she laughed her entire way to the bar.

"You guys are fools." Erza sighed.

"I swear that's what she said!" Natsu yelled.

" You seriously need to clean the ash out of your ears flame brain!" Gray yelled back.

"Gray I am going to toast you like a freaking marshmallow and put you on a cracker in a second!"

Erza, Juvia, Lucy, and Happy sat by as Gray and Natsu bickered. They waited for the boys to hash it out before they gathered Ember and decided to leave.

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Walking in a large group down a beaten down dirt path, the group of wizards would have caught the attention of anyone passing close by. If anyone had been around. The only action in this forest was the song of birds and the rustling of small forest creatures. The sun shined it's light through the trees in miraculous beams, and the cool summer breeze felt nice on bare skin. Erza trailed a giant cart of luggage behind her, Happy sitting on the top of the heap and humming some song about fish. Natsu walked towards the front of the group, Lucy smiling and enjoying the weather at his side. Gray and Juvia walked next to Erza, and Ember took up the rear silently.

"So…..much….luggage." Juvia gasped. She had yet to get over Erza's traveling load.

"Erza, was the luggage necessary this time?" Gray sighed.

"It's always necessary." Erza smiled.

"Are we there yet?" Happy chirped.

Erza nodded as a group of shadowed figures appeared in the distance. Ember perked up. Crime Sorciere! A rogue guild made up of the infamous Jellal, once on the magic council and a former member of the 10 Wizard Saints. Meridy, at one time a member of the fearsome and strong dark guild Grimoire Heart. And of course, the former members of the Oracion Seis, except for their old leader Brain. The shadowy figures slowly began to take form, and as they got closer and closer, Ember got more and more excited. Being in isolation for so long she never got to be around so many famously known Wizards. Of course, just as she had heard of the strong Fairy Tail members she had also heard of these wizards, but coming face to face with them was entirely different than hearing stories.

The Fairy Tail group stopped. Crime Sorciere stood in an organized group in front of them. Jellal, the guilds leader, stood regally and seriously, his blue hair blowing in the wind, the red mark over his right eye confirming exactly who he was. His second in command, Meridy, stood at his side, her flowing rosy hair tied in a high ponytail, a sweet smile on her face. And then there was the former Oracion Seis. HotEye, ever so large with a face carved out of wood. Racer, pointy nose and skin tight speed suit, his eyes covered by dark lensed goggles. Cobra, the pointy eared Poison Dragon Slayer. Angel, the beautiful and white as snow Celestial Wizard. And Macbeth, formerly Midnight, his red eyes and black lips intimidating in their own right. Ember cowered behind Erza's luggage, her breath caught in her throat. Someone was standing there that she never expected to see. Someone from her past. Her heart pounded out of her chest and she tried to remain unseen. Why did all these things keep happening to her?

"Erza. Lovely to see you again. " Jellal smiled wide.

"Yes. Jellal." Erza's face brightened, and she blushed.

"Why are you aligned with Oracion Seis now Jellal?" Gray asked.

"We are all after the same thing. They put their darkness behind them and decided to help us. No need to be frightened, no need to judge." Jellal answered.

"That's right." Meridy chirped.

Erza let go of her luggage cart and went over to stand next to Jellal. Their natural chemistry was strong enough to mix into the air and be felt by everyone around them. But that didn't mean anyone chose to mention such things. They stood next to each other as leaders, and this clued everyone into the fact that Erza must have already known the information the rest of them would soon be finding out.

"I don't like this. I would rather fight them!" Natsu growled.

"Natsu…." Lucy whispered in an effort to calm him down.

"I know Natsu, but this isn't the time. Or the place. And we aren't enemies anymore." Jellal said, squinting his eyes.

"These guys make Juvia uncomfortable." Juvia whimpered, shuffling her feet.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"Seriously Juvia? I think you are stronger than all of them. " Gray balked, confused.

"Can we get to business guys?" Meridy sighed.

"Just let me have one go at the Salamander, we have a score to settle." Cobra snickered.

"You will be fried potatoes when I'm done with you stink breath!" Natsu yelled with flamed fists.

"I see you have not changed." Macbeth said with a smile.

"Yeah but he's stronger than before!" Lucy said with a raised fist.

"Guys…." Jellal tried.

"Gray, will you protect Juvia?" Juvia cooed.

"Wha?" Gray gasped.

"Who is this blue haired bimbo?" Angel giggled.

""Guys…." Jellal tried again.

"LOVE!" Hoteye yelled, sparkles in his eyes.

Jellal let out a deep sigh, his shoulders hunched and his hand over his face. Meridy just shook her head. And Erza put a comforting hand on Jellal's shoulder with a laugh.

"We are never going to get anywhere like this." Jellal shook his head.

"ALRIGHT LISTEN UP!" Erza's voice boomed. Everyone stopped any movements, any train of thought. They all looked at her.

"Good, I have your attention. As much as I might love theater, this is not the time for drama. Let Jellal speak."

"Alright. So, there have been a few wizards running around and causing chaos around Fiore. Two of them were taken out by Natsu and arrested, but it has come to our attention that they have escaped the Council's prison. And I assure you, they will not be as easily beaten the second time. If anything they were only playing cat and mouse with you Natsu, they are more powerful then you may have been led to believe." Jellal explained.

"What? No way. I was tricked! And it won't happen next time either!" Natsu said through gritted teeth.

"Regardless, they are not the only ones. They have a leader, and he is worse than they are. They call him The Bone Crusher. I don't think I need to explain that in more detail."

"Maybe you should." Lucy whimpered. Bone Crusher didn't sound fun at all.

"He uses an old magic. He can literally crush his opponents bones from a distance. He doesn't even have to touch you." Meridy added.

"How do we defend against something like that?" Gray gasped.

"With wit. And strategy. Outnumbering him will probably help. And we have that on our side." Erza explained.

"So, what do we do?" Gray asked.

"We don't know his current location. Until we find that out there isn't much we can do. All I know is him and his girls need to be stopped. They are a serious threat. We don't know why yet, but as soon as we have the intel we will let all of you know." Jellal said with a nod.

"Okay. So what are they planning?" Natsu chimed in.

"We don't know yet." Meridy sighed.

"THEN WHY ARE WE HERE?" Natsu yelled.

"Wow you are dense." Cobra laughed.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Natsu was getting angrier and angrier.

"Stop!" Jellal hissed. He held up his hand, and was looking around suspiciously. "Someone else is here."

"Oh! It's only Ember. I knew I didn't see her. Why are you behind my luggage Ember, have you even been listening?" Erza called out.

"Ember?" Cobra and Jellal said in unison.

"Yes. She's a new wizard to our guild." Erza smiled.

Ember took in a deep breath, let it out, and came out of hiding. She walked around the luggage to join the group, looking at the ground. She still had a slight limp, but she dragged her feet more than usual. Seeing that there was no threat Jellal's tension eased. But Cobra's did not. He stared at Ember, his fists shaking, his teeth grinding.

"Erik." Ember said in a low voice.

"Cobra? You know Ember?" Erza asked curiously.

"Ember….you…." Cobra stammered.

"Oh great, the last thing we need is a lovers quarrel!" Natsu shouted.

"Excuse me?" Cobra barked.

"Fuck you Natsu. He's not a lover." Ember sneered.

"What the hell is going on now Erza?" Jellal sighed. Erza looked at him and shrugged.

"He's my brother." Ember said, looking up and locking eyes with Cobra.

The entire group let out a collective gasp. This had not only taken the Fairy Tail wizards off guard, but also the Crime Sorciere wizards. Not a single one of them had been aware that Cobra, or Ember for that matter, even had a sibling.

"What the FUCK?" Natsu and Gray both yelled.

"Listen you little twits, one more word out of you and I'll pump you both so full of poison you won't know what hit you." Cobra sneered.

"Erik…..I thought you were dead." Ember said, shaking.

"You wish you little bitch."

"Dammit Erik!What happened to you?Why didn't you….why didn't you come find me?"

"Why would I want to do that? I want nothing to do with you Ember."

Ember continued to shake. She looked back down at the ground, tears streaming down her face. Cobra looked at her with darkness and hate. This situation struck a nerve with Fairy Tail. They may not have trusted her, or even befriended her, but that type of treatment from family didn't go over well with them. Even Natsu and Lucy reacted to this, their hands balled into fists. Erza was getting impatient, and Jellal noticed but shook his head. They knew it wasn't their business, and to just let it play out as long as no one was getting physically injured. But it bothered Gray the most, and much to Juvia's disdain, he wasn't going to let it go quietly.

"You are her brother, and you talk down to her like that? She thought you were dead, and you didn't even let her know you were alive? What kind of bullshit is that?" Gray said, shaking.

"It's really none of your business to be honest. But if you must know, it's not like she came after me when those fools from the Tower of Heaven came and took me away." Cobra laughed.

"You were children. CHILDREN. WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO DO?" Gray shouted.

"Hmph. I'm done with this. Are we done Jellal? I'm getting sick being in the presence of such idiots." Cobra smirked.

"I've told you all everything I know. This meeting has gone far from satisfactory, I expect better behavior next time." Jellal said.

He turned to Erza and hugged her goodbye, and then Crime Sorciere disappeared into the distance. Everyone was still on edge, except for Erza who remained calm and collected, and Happy, who didn't exactly understand anything that had happened. All he had was fish on the brains. Erza put her hand on Ember's shoulder and squeezed, if only to let her know that everything would be alright. Without any words, everyone headed back home to Fairy Tail.

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"So Jellal let you know everything he knew so far?" Makarov asked Erza, as he sat in his usual seat on top of the bar.

"Yes. They don't know much. But the little bit of information we do have is unsettling enough." Erza sighed.

"Mmm. Well, as soon as we find out anything more, I will let you know. I have other sources of information."

"Yes, thank you Master."

Erza went over to a table and joined her friends. The table was crowded today, and she noticed that the reason for it was idle gossip. She refused to participate, but that didn't mean she wouldn't listen. All information was good information. Even if for the time being it was just hearsay. The group at the table consisted of Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy, Lisanna, Juvia, Gray, Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Pantherlily. And of course Erza.

"Juvia thinks Gray may like Ember, and that Ember may like Gray." Juvia sighed.

"What is wrong with you?" Gray yelled.

"No. That makes no sense." Lucy said shaking her head.

"No, it doesn't." Lisanna agreed.

"Why are you guys even talking about this?" Wendy asked, but everyone ignored her.

"She obviously has a thing for Gajeel guys. Right?" Levy said.

"What the hell are you girls on?" Gajeel gasped.

"You're both wrong. She definitely likes Natsu." Lisanna said with a head nod.

"I agree! You are totally right Lisanna!" Lucy shrieked. The girls looked at each other with a smile, but then that smile dropped and they quickly looked away from each other.

"What….what is going on?" Wendy cried.

"Yeah, WHAT IS GOING ON?" Natsu shouted.

"Since when did any of you care about such trivial matters?" Erza butted in.

The table erupted into everyone talking at once. Gajeel and Levy bickered, Gray freaked out on Juvia as she said more and more ridiculous things, Lisanna and Lucy got more and more steamed at each other while Natsu sat confused and trying to find out what was going on. Erza and Wendy kept trying to break the tension, but it wasn't working. They didn't understand why the girls were acting this way, it wasn't like them at all. The exceeds noticed as well.

"This is weird. I don't understand all this negative attitude." Pantherlily said.

"Me neither. The girls are acting like wild animals." Carla scoffed.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"At least Wendy and Erza haven't fallen into this mess." Carla sighed.

"There must be a reason for it. I just can't for the life of me figure it out." Pantherlily shook his head.

"Me neither Lily." Carla agreed.

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"So, wait a second, you have a brother?" Cana gasped.

"And it's Cobra from the Oracion Seis!" Mira squealed.

Ember let out a long sigh. She was glad to have some friends to talk to about what had happened on her trip. Luckily Mira and Cana were both around when she arrived back. Laxus sat a couple seats away but the most he added into the conversation was a laugh here and there. The laughter didn't bother Ember. She just penned it to the type of person Laxus was, and she knew he wasn't a bad one. She smiled to herself when she realized she was happy it wasn't Bickslow laughing every now and then. His laugh creeped her out, but of course he was still her friend. Her creepy and loud friend.

"So, your brother is a dragon slayer. Is that why you are so interested in dragons and dragon slayers?" Laxus asked, sipping an ale.

"Uhm. Sure. I guess." Ember nodded.

"He's a lacryma powered dragon slayer though right, like me?"

"Correct."

"So why would you care about dragons?"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"You still haven't answered."

"That power still came from a dragon. Even if he wasn't raised by one."

Laxus smiled at her and nodded. She smiled back. Cana and Mira were still dwelling on the fact that Ember had a brother this entire time and she had never said anything. But then they realized that she thought he was dead, and it must have been painful for her to even think about.

"Oh, Mira, do you know of any rooms for rent? I finally think I have enough money!" Ember said with a squeal.

"Yes! Here you go." Mira chirped, and handed Ember a piece of paper from behind the bar.

"So you will finally have your own bed huh?" Laxus snickered.

"Laxus, don't be a pervert!" Mira gasped.

Ember laughed and shook her head as she read the piece of paper Mira had given her. She had been right, she did finally have enough money for rent. This caused the biggest smile to appear on her face, and she couldn't seem to get rid of it. A place of her own. No more sleeping in the woods. Despite all the negative that was happening in her life, she had just as much positive going on as well. A great ending to an otherwise bad day.