Guys...

IT'S THE LAST CHAPTER!

I hope you're happy with the ending...endings are not my strong suit but hopefully it lives up to expectations. If not, I'm so sorry! Tips and pointers are welcome.

Also just letting you all know that there will not be an epilogue or sequel (unless I have a lot of free time on my hands or reread the fic and feel inspired :P)

I also wanted to add an apology for not uploading this last week! I've had exams all week so it's been a lil tough, especially with struggling with the last chapter and all but this is my longest chapter yet! Hope you guys like it :)

Enjoy, chapter 17 - the last chapter of 'Remember' :)

Last Chapter

"Mikino-nee?"

Hearing that almost made her cry again but she simply replied, "What is it?"

"Can you tell me…who I am?"

Mikino gave her a gentle smile. "Let me start from the beginning. Your real name is Hoshime Sakurako."

"Nee-chan, where are Mama and Papa? You said they'd be here soon."

Mikino's face was blank. "I don't know, Shime. I think we should go."

"But what if they come and we're not here!?"

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Mikino said grimly, her face too serious for a ten year old. Holding onto the sack of gold and possessions they'd managed to salvage, Mikino guided her sister out of the cave.

. . .

"Shime, I'm back!"

Mikino almost said 'home', but she wouldn't quite call a couple of wooden crates stacked together a home. Mikino ducked under the shelter of the crates and rubbed her fingers together for warmth, trying to get the cold out of her bones as the rain pounded loudly on the wooden planks. Hoshime looked up from the feeble fire.

"Nee-chan! Did your boss pay you the right amount?"

Mikino scowled. "Close enough. Here, I got us some bread and apples."

"Apples!" Hoshime gasped. "Where from? Weren't they expensive?"

"Not too bad," Mikino lied, handing her sister two apples and a large slice of bread. Mikino's stomach growled as she ate her small portion; to her relief, her sister noticed nothing. Mikino stared out at the pouring rain and caught a glimpse of herself in a water puddle. She almost recoiled. If she saw a girl like her asking for a job, she'd shut the door in her face too.

Mikino's cheeks were sunken and her eyes looked too large for her thin, pale face. There were dark bags under her eyes and a serious expression on her face that made her look older than the 12 year old girl she was. The rain had soaked through her holey jacket and her threadbare t-shirt did nothing to keep her warm. Her jeans were too large and baggy and weighed her down, an extra half kilo of wet denim. Her feet were bare.

Mikino glanced at her little sister. The girl wore a thick, red cloak over a black sweater and blue dress. Black boots adorned her small feet. A small smile was on Mikino's lips as she listened to her sister talk about her day.

At least Hoshime was happy.

. . .

She hated it.

She hated looking around carefully, blending into the crowds and snatching things so quickly that no one noticed they'd gone until she herself had long gone.

But Hoshime was a growing child; at 7, she was up to Mikino's chin. Mikino steeled herself. No job meant no food and unless she stole something, Hoshime would go to bed hungry. And Mikino was desperate enough to give her sister a normal childhood. As normal as she could make it.

She glanced around cautiously, every sense alert. There. A man held a basket with a loaf of bread. Perfect.

Mikino casually walked towards him, pretending to look at the fruit at the stand nearby. As he turned his head, her hand snatched towards the basket.

A large, firm hand gripped her wrist.

Mikino jerked backwards and looked up into the stern face of the man with the basket. Without a word, he steered her into a side alley and loosened his grip on her hand. Slightly.

"What were you doing?"

Mikino was silent.

"Stealing isn't an occupation you know."

Mikino glared at the man, a sudden anger boiling up inside of her. "It's not like I want to do it! I have to! I can't let my sister starve!"

The man looked contemplatively at her. "Can you take me to your home?"

"Why should I do that?" Mikino glared, trying to wrench her arm free.

"You don't really have a choice, do you?" The man said, amusement in his voice. Mikino scowled but didn't reply. Instead, she led the way towards their wooden crates, the man following next to her. She stared at him out of the corner of her eye, fists clenched and one hand on the knife strapped to her leg under her skirt. The heat of the day only made the tension worse.

"Nee-chan! You're back early! How was work? And…who's that?" Hoshime bounded forward to greet her but stopped at the sight of the tall man in his formal attire. He surveyed the alley.

"This is no place for children to live," he mused, a frown marring his features. Mikino brushed past him and gave a cheerful smile to Hoshime.

"Work was good. I haven't had the chance to go to the market yet though," she lied smoothly, ignoring the man's raised eyebrows.

"I have a proposition for you," the man said, his face serious as ever. "I am the headmaster of a school that trains young mages. Only a select few are able to come. We are in need of a new housemaid and I am willing to let both of you live in the school if you attend to the housework."

Mikino stared suspiciously at him. "Why should I trust you? You haven't even told us your name!"

"Of course. I apologise. My name is Hiroshima Nakamura. I ask you to consider my offer."

The man turned to leave and Mikino stared at her surroundings. They hadn't eaten for three days. Hoshime's clothes were grimy and torn. She doubted she looked any better.

"Wait!"

When the two girls saw the house, their jaws dropped.

It wasn't exactly like Mikino had imagined. But it was beautiful all the same. She'd imagine a large, elegant castle, with turrets and towers and different wings of the building that housed different students.

In reality, the academy was much smaller. It was a relatively small manor, so that it could pass off as an extremely large house. There were three floors that she could see and Mikino could just make out a little attic. A large hedge grew around the property and there were beautiful fountains. There was a huge garden at the back, with a large field and a tennis court and swimming pool to the side. Seven figures stood at the brown, oak door as Mikino and Hoshime followed Hiroshima.

"Students, we have some new friends joining us. They will not be learning magic but will be assisting Inga and Dora around the house," Hiroshime stated, aiming the last part at two plump women who looked like sisters. "Mikino, Hoshime, these are my five students and Inga and Dora, who work their magic around the house," he said, eyes twinkling.

The five students looked nice enough. They were all dressed for combat, with strong muscles and bright eyes. One of them glanced curiously at the knife strapped to Mikino's leg.

"Nice to meet you."

. . .

Mikino scowled darkly as she swept the floor again. That's all she ever seemed to do, nowadays. Hoshime hummed cheerfully as she cleaned the windows further down the corridor.

Mikino knew she was being a spoilt brat but she couldn't help feeling resentful. Her parents had given their lives for her future and this was how she was spending her days; sweeping floors. Sure, he gave them a place to sleep and food to eat but he also acted as if they were invisible servants unless he needed something from them. Like cleaning the dirty toilets. Mikino stared admiringly at her sister as Hoshime skipped cheerfully to her next chore.

There was a creak as a door opened and the sisters turned to see none other than Hiro himself. He had just taught one of his students and was making his way towards them. "Ah, Mikino, Hoshime, just who I wanted to see."

"Why?" Mikino demanded rudely, propping her broom against the wall. Hiro raised an eyebrow but ignored her.

"I have an extra chore for you. There will be guests coming next week so you have to clean the guest bedrooms and the gardens. Inga and Dora are on a well-deserved holiday but I expect your work to be done in the next two days."

Mikino seethed inside but gave a nonchalant nod. "Fine."

"If you were any better than you are now, you'd have it done in one day but I'm guessing that won't happen," Hiro said casually, walking away. Something inside of Mikino snapped.

"Just because we work for you and you feed us doesn't mean you can INSULT US EVERY DAY!"

There was a loud whoosh and all Mikino saw was bright, forest green. There was a sensation like she was in a tornado and for a second, the wind terrified her. Because it howled and howled like a thousand wolves and cut like a thousand knives. But then the wind died and the corridor came into view again, showing Hoshime's curious and fearful face and Hiro…on the ground, with cuts all over him.

"Interesting," he murmured, standing slowly. Mikino felt fear overtake her. She was prepared to beg to stay here. She couldn't put Hoshime through that again.

"M-Mr Nakamura, I'm so sorry, I don't know what happen-"

"Well, luckily, I do," he replied, looking her in the eye. Then he did something did not expect at all. He smiled. "Mikino, and Hoshime, of course, how would you like to be a part of my academy of magic?"

. . .

"Mikino, concentrate. You must improve your earth magic. The other elements are fine. Hoshime, keep up the good work."

Hiro paced around the two girls, who were both sweating from the hard work of keeping up their magic. Her sister's gravity magic made it a little harder for Mikino to concentrate.

"Hiro, can I take a break?" the ten year old asked. Hiro smiled kindly down at the girl.

"Of course, my dear."

Hoshime wandered out of the garden but Mikino continued to channel her magic into the ground, her eyes closed, unconsciously creating random shapes out of the earth. With a green flash, Mikino's eyes opened, green magic circles glowing brightly, and spikes of rock jutted from the ground in all directions, almost spearing Hiro.

"Good! Much better. Go on, join your sister and take a break."

Mikino made her way to the pond where the sisters always went when they had breaks but to her surprise, found the area empty. Frowning, she searched the gardens. "Hoshime? Hoshime, where are you? Hoshime? Hoshime!"

. . .

"Mikino, you need to stop looking. Hoshime wouldn't want you to throw everything away just to look for her," Hiro said gently, a cautious hand on Mikino's shoulder. The young woman's face was blank and she remained silent for a long time. Hiro tried again. "Mikino, we've all been looking for six months. I think you need to learn to…move on."

"I understand." Hiro raised his eyebrows at the girl's sudden declaration. At sixteen, her face was too grave and weary and filled with a deep pain that seemed to stun him every time he saw her. "I will train. I will become the most famous mage in all of Fiore so that Hoshime will know of me. I will train until I can no longer stand."

A year later, Mikino said goodbye to Hiro.

She had mastered the magic much faster than anticipated and the farewell was teary, at least on Hiro's part. Mikino felt a deep sadness well within her but she too eager and determined to hunt for her sister again that her tears never fell.

"Thank you, Hiro. Without you, I wouldn't be alive today."

"Nonsense, my dear girl. You have spirit; I am glad I got to know it well. It's high time I retired and I'm glad my last student is you," the man said, and for once, Mikino noticed the streaks of grey running through his hair. Hugging him again, she turned and left, without looking back once.

"I travelled for four years as a freelance mage, doing odd jobs here and there and always keeping an ear out for news," Mikino said, eyes cast down. "I knew that half of Fairy Tail had vanished before you disappeared but I didn't remember Lucy well enough to feel anything other than pity, mainly for those left behind." Mikino glanced at the older Fairy Tail members, who felt a rush of sympathy for the green-haired mage.

"I learnt illusion magic while travelling but because it was so rushed, I didn't learn it properly and it resulted in blackouts and vivid dreams that were often memories. I came by Minerva when I was following a lead on your disappearance," she explained. Kinana, or Hoshime, looked stunned as she listened to her sister's story. "I didn't want to help her but I did anything to find you."

"Wait a second," Natsu said, frowning. "Your last name is Takara. Why is it Sakurako in the story?"

"I didn't want us to be discovered by Green Gremlin, the dark guild that killed our parents, so I made a fake name," Mikino replied, still cool as ever. "Only Hiro ever knew our real identities. He was a good man. When we learnt magic, we still helped around the house but magic became a priority." Mikino's face fell. "It's a pity you don't remember him. I thought we could visit his grave together."

"I'll come anyway," her sister smiled, and Mikino felt a rush of relief at the fact that her sister was still the same. Then, she stopped.

"What do you want to be called?" she questioned, albeit a little hesitantly. Personally she wanted her sister to be Hoshime but Kinana wasn't so bad.

"I…is it alright if you call me Kinana for now? I'm still getting used to this idea," Kinana said sheepishly. The sisters grinned at each other and the Fairy Tail members couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two.

No one noticed a man hidden in the shadows with his head bowed, where he seemed to become the shadows themselves. A single drop of water fell onto the wooden floor.

Mikino made her way outside to where she knew the shadow dragon slayer was. The stars were bright that night and the guild was having another one of its infamous parties. Even Lucy's spirits were attending, but Mikino found herself seeking solitude on the balcony. And she knew she ought to say something to Rogue Cheney.

"I wanted to say thank you."

The man looked up. His face seemed unnaturally pale, perhaps emphasised by the dark shadows under his eyes and his shock of black hair. His face was devoid of emotion as she spoke.

"I…won't pretend to know what it's like losing one's sister forever," Mikino said, cautiously. "But…I do have an inkling. And I wanted to say thank you for saving my life, so that I could see my sister again."

Rogue turned fully to face her and this time, his eyes held an emotion that she used to see every time she looked into the mirror.

"It was nothing. I'm glad you got to see her again." Rogue looked at Mikino, a strange sad smile on his lips. "I'm glad that at least you get to have the relationship with Kinana that Chiyo and I didn't get."

The two were silent for a very long time, just watching the stars as the city below them slept.

Lucy made her way into the guild hall, smiling as the familiar feeling of comfort washed over her. Dodging a flying chair, she made her way to the bar, where a strawberry milkshake already lay waiting for her.

"Thanks, Mira!" she called. The takeover mage gave her a wink but turned into a flustered mess when Lucy winked back and jerked her head in the direction of the approaching lightning dragon slayer.

Lucy couldn't supress a giggle as Levy guided an impatient Gajeel through the newspaper, or, when he thought no one was looking, Gray glanced at Juvia. She laughed outright as Erza peacefully ate her favourite dessert and turned as red as the strawberries on her cake when Jellal sat next to her.

As she observed the antics of her rowdy guild mates, Lucy heard the scrape of a chair next to her and turned to see her best friend staring at their guild mates, his arm draped around her shoulders. She felt a light blush make its way to her cheeks as he gave her a grin, his eyes alive, and as the sun shone into his eyes, Lucy thought she saw flames dancing.

"Luce, let's go on a mission!"

"Aye!" Happy shouted, flying over to the partners. Lucy gave them both a brilliant smile and laughed.

"Sure!"

Lucy knew that the gap in her memories would never be filled but she doubted she'd have much time to dwell on it if she was surrounded by her rowdy guild mates, right?

And it's done!

I'm a little sad now...it was so much fun writing this fic, even though at times I freaked out about getting chapters done on time.

So I only got about 3 positive responses for Mikino/Rogue so I made it so that it's open for interpretation. If you want it to be slash, then it could be possible but if not, they could just have reached an understanding and developed a friendship.

But thank you so much for coming with me on this amazing journey and I really hope you liked 'Remember' :)

gypsymel218 xx