Years went by and Kotone was happily living her life with Makarov.
Makarov was so happy that he wasn't alone anymore. Kotone was the greatest thing that had happened in his life. She was like a big sister to him and he loved her.
But, because he loved her, he worried about her. He desperately wanted to know why she had to bind her eyes. He wanted to be able to fix them and one night, when they were about to fall asleep, he asked her if her eyes could be fixed.
Kotone thought for a moment before whispering, "There really isn't anything wrong with my eyes, so they don't need to be fixed."
Makarov was so confused by this answer that he decided to step into forbidden territory. He knew it was wrong, but he had been traveling around the world with Kotone for years. He was deeply upset with himself for not knowing anything about his best friend.
"If they're fine, why don't you ever take the bandages off? I think you would have pretty eyes Kotone."
Kotone smiled, but didn't know her smile was filled with pain. Makarov frowned at the sight of his big sister in such turmoil.
Kotone sighed and held Makarov close, "My eyes don't deserve to see such a sweetheart as you."
Makarov was upset with Kotone's subtle change of subject and continued, "You said you knew magic, but you don't use it. It would be so helpful to us if you used your magic. I don't even know what type of magic you have. Kotone, I want to know all about you."
Kotone's smile grew a little before she said, "One day dear. One day when I'm ready…" Then she drifted off to sleep.
Then Makarov waited, deep in thought. He debated and debated in his head, but his curiosity got the better of him. He moved slowly and quietly so he wouldn't wake Kotone up. He untied the bandages that covered her eyes and pulled it off.
He gasped at the sight of what he thought was a fallen angel. The hood of the newly bought black cape was pulled off her head and hair graced the grass like streams of pure silver. Her long eyelashes caught the moonlight, reflecting the remains of her tears.
He sat there for hours, just looking at her. He couldn't figure out why she would want to hide anything about her.
She bought that huge black cloak so no one would be able to see her modest figure. She made sure to get one that had a hood so no one could see her face. Then she hides her eyes so she can't see.
This last concept confused Makarov to no end. He wondered how she could see when her eyes were closed. So he decided he would ask her the next day and he rebound her eyes.
Kotone woke up before Makarov and immediately she knew something was wrong. She could feel light raining down on her eyes. She bolted up right and brought her hands to her face. Her fingers brushed over the gap in the bandages and she quickly brought the hood over her head.
Making sure to keep her eyes closed, she took off the bandages. The temptation to open her eyes had her biting her bottom lip. She hadn't opened her eyes for over 300 years. She hadn't seen light in over 300 years.
She reluctantly brought the bandages up to her eyes and bound them properly.
For all those years, her bandages never budged and she had an inkling as to how they moved.
Makarov woke up on Kotone's back as she marched through a thick forest.
"Where are we going Kotone?" Makarov, half asleep, mumbled.
"Morning dear," Kotone whispered. "How did you sleep?"
Makarov, remembering what happened the night before, "Actually, I stayed up late wondering how you could see with your eyes like that."
Kotone, having her suspicions confirmed, sighed. Her pace slowed down as she said, "It's my magic. What you did last night was dangerous, so please don't do it again."
Makarov pouted and said that he was capable of walking on his own, but Kotone said that she was fine.
Makarov insisted on walking, but Kotone refused to let him. She wanted to carry him one last time.
The dense forest started to open up and there was a little clearing next to a small stream.
Kotone finally put Makarov down and he ran to go play in the river. He splashed around laughing at how refreshing the cold water was to the hot summer.
Once Makarov was finished with splashing around, he lay down next to the stream and smiled.
"Makarov."
He looked over at Kotone who was sitting a few yards away from him, "Yea?"
"Why are you so interested in my eyes lately?"
Makarov sat up and looked at his hands, "I wanted to know more about you and your eyes hold a special place in your heart that I know nothing about."
Kotone sighed as she stood up and whispered, "You hold a special place in my heart as well. You are my first friend and you always will be. No one can replace you or take over the place you hold in my heart. I thought you knew that."
"I do, it's just…"
"Makarov, are you going to leave my eyes alone, or do you still want to know?"
Makarov couldn't bring himself to look up at Kotone and a silence fell upon the clearing.
Kotone broke the silence when she handed Makarov her cloak and asked him to hold it for a second.
Confused, Makarov took it and Kotone walked over to the edge of the clearing.
"This," she began, "is why I bandage my eyes." She undid the small knot at the back of her head. It slowly fell to the ground as her eyes, closed, adjusted to the sudden light on them. "I will show you everything that I hid from you. This is why you needed to leave them alone."
Her amber eyes opened for the first time since she was rejected by the humans. She saw Makarov's confused expression change with her body.
His eyes were so wide with bewilderment that she thought they would pop out of their sockets.
"I am half dragon, half human. I take on my human form when I lose my sense of sight, or when I'm asleep…" She trailed off as Makarov's expression bordered on fear. In a voice that boomed and rang in Makarov's eardrums, she sang, "I am Kotone, the dragon of sound."
Makarov started to tremble and Kotone looked away as she bandaged her eyes again. After a few moments, the change took place and Kotone's clothes, shredded, littered the ground.
Like a stone, she walked over and whipped the cloak on.
"Follow me," Kotone whispered and started walking.
Makarov, stunned, had to hurry to catch up to her. After a little while he asked, "Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
And that was all they said until they came across a town.
They walked into a town and Makarov didn't know what to do. He was slightly scared of Kotone now, but he didn't know what else to do, so he followed her as she made her way through town.
She didn't stop to ask for directions and it looked as if she knew this city pretty well. Then again, she knew her way through every city they visited.
But then Kotone stopped and asked a young lady something Makarov couldn't hear.
"Kotone? Where are we going?" Makarov asked hesitantly.
"Someone who lives here owes me a favor and I'm going to collect," Kotone whispered.
She took off again and Makarov had to scramble after her so he wouldn't be left behind.
Kotone stopped in front of a building and opened one of its huge doors.
Makarov's heart started pounding as he read the sign that said, "Fairy Tail" above the door.
"What is this place?" he whispered.
Kotone just walked into the building and everything went quite as she did so. She walked up to the bar where an old man sat and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Can I help you youngsters?" he asked.
Everyone's eyes were on them as Kotone whispered, "Do you remember me Mavis?"
He scratched his head for a moment before saying, "You do look familiar…that cloak isn't really helping you though. I don't remember meeting anyone with such a dark cloak."
Kotone pushed the hood off and brought her hair out. Mavis' eyes bulged as he started choking on whatever he was drinking.
After he finished coughing and could breathe properly, he said, "I didn't think I would ever see you again. You said that you were just passing through and that you didn't plan on coming back."
"Sorry to disappoint," she replied.
"No-no-no-no-no! You misunderstand me, this is great!" He stood up and loudly claimed, "This here is an honored guest; treat her with the utmost respect!"
Everyone, who had been intently listening, cheered and tried to swarm her.
Makarov saw Kotone's face express the first emotion since the incident in the clearing, and that emotion was anger.
Kotone grinded her teeth and screamed, "HEY!"
Makarov was taken aback by the sudden noise. It was the first time he had heard anything louder than a whisper from Kotone as a human.
Everyone was in a daze at the power behind the sound and Kotone followed it with a quiet, "Mavis, I'm collecting that favor you owe me."
Mavis, disappointed, said, "Darn, I wanted to host a feast for you."
Kotone whispered, "Last time I saw you was the first time and I only said three words to you. I don't need a feast."
Mavis became animated for a moment and he enthusiastically replied, "That may be true, but you saved me from drowning all those years ago! That was a heroic deed and I want to show my gratitude! You look like you haven't aged a bit either and that was over 60 years ago. I've started a wizard guild as, you can see, and I want you to join! What do you say?"
Kotone motioned to the forgotten Makarov behind her and said, "A life for a life."
"What?" Mavis and Makarov said together.
"I want you to take care of him," she whispered.
"Kotone you're leaving me behind?" Makarov said, panicked.
Kotone didn't reply as Mavis looked from Kotone to Makarov. He scratched his head as he thought it over. Eventually he asked, "Can he us magic?"
"Yes, but he hasn't grasped how to use them well yet," Kotone whispered.
"Kotone you aren't serious are you?" Makarov yelled.
Mavis nodded his head and put his hand on Makarov's shoulder.
"Thank you," she whispered and turned. She walked away to Makarov's dismay.
"Kotone don't go! ONEE-CHAN! ONNEEEE-CHAAAN!" he screamed, tears rolling down his face.
No matter how he felt about what happened at the clearing, he still loved Kotone like family and didn't want his family to be separated.
Kotone stopped at the door, his outburst signified that he would follow her and she couldn't have that.
She walked back to Makarov and bent down so she would be eye-level with him. She grabbed his head and turned it. She whispered goodbye and started singing.
He swayed and she caught him, still singing. He fell asleep and she placed him on the bar. She grabbed a pillow and blanket out of storage and covered him.
Tears rolling down her face, she left the sleeping guild and closed the door behind her.
When Makarov woke up, he ran out of the guild and all over town. He eventually returned to the guild and sat down at a table. He put his head down and for months after Kotone left, you would find him sitting there. Sometimes he would rest his head on his arm and stare at the doors.
Kotone walked out of the town, but then everything shifted and she was walking back into the town. Her cloak was obviously worn out and dirty.
It was raining and then there was a bright light. Kotone was standing in a wasteland, confused and dumbfounded.
She walked around, looking for some signs of life, but then a person in a dark cloak, slightly similar to her own, walked up to her.
"Are you a dragon slayer?" he asked.
"Yes and no," she replied.
"I would like to request your help. You see, what happened is…" Mystogan began.
He explained how the world of Edolas was losing its magic and the people in that world use magic weapons instead of having magic in their bodies. Edolas was slowly sucking in the magic from this world into theirs and he gave Kotone a pill. Before she left, he said that the people there were like a mirror of people in this world. They look the same, but they are different.
Kotone was sucked into the world of Edolas and she found her way into Edolas' Fairy Tail. There she met a super hyper version of herself who informed her that there were others like her who came from the other world as well. Kotone asked her where they went and she followed the directions of her Edo-self.
After some confusion and getting lost a few times, she came across the people her Edo-self described. She distracted the Droma Anim long enough so that the dragon slayers could regain their stamina.
Natsu and the others woke up and felt like they had been asleep for a day.
"Ugh…how long were we out?" Gajeel murmured.
Ding-Do-Da—Dong-…
Wendy stared at the music box in horror. "We didn't even sleep long enough for it to finish the song…"
Natsu and Gajeel joined Wendy in staring at the box.
Kotone walked over and picked up the box. She was back in her human form and she had on a spare set of cloths and the remains of her cloak. Her eyes were bound again, but the bandage was pretty dirty by this point now.
"So," Kotone whispered, "what did it show you?"
Wendy gulped as Nastu bluntly said, "Well it showed us how you were born, how you found out your species, how you ran away, how you met the Master, and how you came here…That was basically it."
"'The Master'? Who's that?" she replied.
"The Guild Master," Wendy stated.
Kotone was silent as the dragon slayers got up and brushed themselves off.
"Well, now you know that I know nothing of your dragons and I have answered the questions you have for me," Kotone said as she turned and walked away.
"Wait!" Wendy yelled.
Kotone stopped and watched as the young dragon slayer fidgeted, working up the courage to speak her mind.
Wendy took a deep breath and asked, "W-Why were you coming back to Magnolia?"
Everyone was silent, even Natsu was stunned by the question.
Kotone turned so she could face Wendy head on. She pushed her hood back and quietly said, "I want to show Makarov that I worked really hard so that I could be around him without hiding my eyes." She took the bandages off and wrapped it around the arm the Droma Anim broke. "It's much harder to suppress my magic without the bandages, but with a lot of effort, I can stay in my human form and see everyone's faces. The drawback of the bandages is that it's next to impossible to use any of my magic with it on. The only magic I can use effectively with the bandages is the sleeping chant. It's the last thing he heard from me before I had to abandon him…"
Tears fell from Kotone's eyes as she tried to smile through the painful memory. She wiped her eyes and whispered, "I was scared that he was going to take my bandages off and cause me to change. If he did it while I was sleeping and didn't put it back on…I would crush him when I woke up. I didn't want him to be shunned if he took them off during the middle of the day. I didn't want the people to be scared of him for just knowing me. Once I finally mastered how to not change without the bandages and still use my magic, I came as fast as I could. Then everything was gone and I was so scared that I lost my chance to ever see him again…"
Wendy walked over and put her hands on Kotone's injured arm. She hummed her little chat and started healing Kotone. "I think the Master is lucky to have such caring friend. You never abandoned him. You just made sure he was safe until you could return for him without putting him in danger," Wendy said, looking up at Kotone.
Kotone put her hand on top of Wendy's head and ruffled her hair, "Thank you. You're sweet just like Makarov when he was little."
Wendy beamed at the compliment and hugged Kotone.
Natsu was quiet during this and he needed to say something that might mean something to Kotone.
"Um, the black dragon we saw in the dream," he said, "I've actually heard some news about it."
Kotone looked up at Natsu, alarmed eyes pierced Natsu and he had to take a step back. "What did you say?"
Natsu, dead serious replied, "There is a member of our guild who went up against the black dragon. He told me he barely escaped before returning to the guild."
Kotone gulped and whispered, "He is a lucky man. Few are unfortunate enough to cross paths with Acnologia, but I have not heard of anyone leaving after that. Do you mind if I meet with him?"
Natsu grinned, "I bet he would like that."
Kotone nodded and started walking away, "Excuse me, but I have some business to take care of."
Kotone left the bewildered dragon slayers, going back to the Fairy Tail in Edolas.
Miu: Sorry for the long awaited new chapter! Technical difficulties and major homework problems are to blame. I also am willing to answer any reviews at the end of each chapter. I saw that some other authors did this and I thought that it was perfect/awesome.
Kotone: Finally I show some drive and determination in this chapter!
Miu: You're right, it finally happened!
Gajeel: I only had one line in this chapter!
Wendy: Please calm down!
Miu: (^.^) I did that on purpose because you made me snap in the last A/N
Gajeel: *grumble*
Miu: I've noticed that some authors threaten to stop writing if they don't get any reviews. I'm just going to say that I will never do that. Reviews are appreciated, but not required at all. I write because I want to. I would be lying if I said that I don't care if anyone reads it, but I'm happy to just be able to write the story.
Wendy: Good for you!
Miu: (^.^) *a girl's gotta be praised once in a while, not just insulted* So, from now on, if I get a review, I will respond to it in an author's note like this. I'll try to update soon, so keep your fingers crossed!