The hospital had its hands full with the eleven magical patrons on its plate.

Wally, Millianna, Lucy, Juvia, and Happy were easy-enough to patch up, but the doctors had to try four different potions before they found one that Sho could keep down so that his nerves could start healing. Simon and Gray were placed on bed-rest for their injuries, and Erza was covered head-to-toe in bandages.

Nora was in decent condition—but she was looking after Natsu while the others were getting help, and the pink-haired boy was in awful shape.

The bandage-covered Fire Dragon-Slayer was being confined to a bed, and Nora kept a bucket handy so that he could keep coughing or spitting up the frothy, glowing-blue remnants of the Etherion still plaguing his system.

Apparently, after he used up all of the fire magic, the other elemental magics struck back with a vengeance and the doctors had informed Nora that Natsu would have slipped into a small coma if the Huntress had not been so insistent upon the mages coming for professional help. Natsu, however, had been less-than thrilled when he learned he could have been unconscious rather than barfing up a lung.

"Easy, buddy." Nora cringed in sympathy as Natsu heaved into the bucket for what had to be the third time that hour. "You're alright. Just get it all out, okay?"

"Ugh…" Natsu groaned as Nora moved the bucket away. "Just end me…"

"Nah." Nora shook her head, smiling sadly. "It's almost over, okay? Hang in there."

Natsu grumbled, looking up at Nora as he wiped some blue from his lips, then he noticed something behind Nora—in the doorway of the pink-haired boy's hospital room—and his eyes narrowed. "... Never again."

"Natsu," a voice spoke softly, and Nora glanced back to see Erza standing there with wide eyes.

"You let them take you. You went up into that tower, planning to die…" Natsu bared his teeth, then he bowed his head. "NEVER AGAIN!"

Erza walked over, nodding to thank Nora as the Huntress moved aside. The knight then went to Natsu's side, rested a hand on his face to turn his head towards her, and placed her forehead on his as she closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Erza whispered. "I'm so sorry for frightening you, Natsu. Please, forgive me… I failed you and all of Fairy Tail in my weakness, and that's inexcusable."

"Oh, my gods." Nora placed her hands on her hips, annoyed. "Does mental health care not exist in Fiore?" Erza and Natsu both looked up at Nora, surprised, and the orange-haired girl sighed. "Erza, what-... What you did isn't something you should say 'sorry' for. I told you that losing your life is losing it for others as much as yourself, but-..." Nora walked over and sat on the foot of Natsu's bed, folding her hands. "The things you're thinking, you're feeling…

Yeah, they're absolute crap." She shook her head. "But knowing that doesn't make them less painful or real… When you say 'sorry', that's you saying that you can change them on your own and you don't need help and support and understanding and all those… team and friend and family things you've got here, for you." She gave a small smile and shrugged. "So… don't say 'sorry', anymore. You don't have anything to be sorry for, 'cause we all get hurt."

Erza stared at Nora, stunned, then she blinked as a hand rested on her shoulder and looked over to see a misty-eyed Natsu frowning at her. "Just say you'll let us help, okay?" He gave a light grin. "I mean, you're scary… but you don't have to be invincible all the time for that." He snorted, grinning. "You're just as scary as a human as anything else, Erza—always have been." Erza just looked at Natsu, then she sat down on his bed and pulled him into a hug which he gladly returned. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me, too," Erza whispered.

"Hm." Nora rested her chin on her hand, grinning, then she looked up and saw Juvia and Lucy in the doorway with soft smiles on their faces. "They're lucky they're cute, huh? But seriously: one more scare like this, and I'm gonna break some legs." Lucy snorted as Juvia raised a hand to her mouth, grinning. "I mean it. You're all getting your legs broke." She gestured idly, smirking. "Except for Juvia. She's fine."

"Hm!" Juvia lowered her hand, smiling.

Lucy grinned and nudged Juvia with her arm. "I think she's earned that. She's incredible."

"Oh?" Juvia looked over at Lucy, her eyes wide, then she looked down awkwardly and tapped her index-fingers together. "J-Juvia is uncertain if she deserves such praise, Lucy. After all…"

"You're not still worried about all of that, after everything that happened in the tower?" Lucy asked worriedly, and Juvia bowed her head. "... Hm." Lucy smiled deviously, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow. "Come on, Juvia—it's alright! What's a near-drowning or two between friends?"

Juvia looked at Lucy, her eyes widening again as her jaw dropped, then the blonde burst out laughing and the blue-haired girl followed shortly after with Lucy placing a hand on Juvia's shoulder to brace herself as she nearly doubled-over from laughing so hard.

Natsu snickered as Erza smiled warmly, and Nora beamed before glancing over at the knight with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously: never scare me like that again, Zero Self-Care."

Erza blinked, then she chuckled softly. "Oh, Nora… It's not time to say 'goodbye', just yet."


/\/\/\/\


It was three days before Natsu, Sho, Gray, and Simon were all well-enough to leave the hospital with their friends and return to Akane Resort.

Juvia had left before the end of the third day to return to Magnolia, hopeful that she would be accepted as a new member of Fairy Tail with her new friends' blessings and even a letter of recommendation written by Lucy—with notes scribbled in the margins by Natsu and Gray, who got competitive over who could say the best things about Juvia to get her into the guild. Nora had simply tagged at the end that Juvia was skilled and she had proven that she had left the ill-will from Phantom Lord behind her, and Erza had given that message from Nora two sloppy Xs as if to sign off on it as well. Happy bit a corner off of the page and stuck an inky paw on the page to wipe the Y off of Lucy's signature.

Juvia had been thrilled.

As Nora helped Natsu sit down on his bed in the resort room, Erza sighed. "I really caused everyone a lot of trouble, didn't I?"

"Come on." Lucy looked at the knight. "You've apologized enough already. You're starting to sound like Juvia."

"I know." Erza chuckled, then she noticed the look Nora was giving her. "And I've been made aware that I should apologize less." Nora raised an eyebrow. "... If at all."

"One word: victim," Nora said, deadpanning. "If you apologize one more time for being hurt and taking your time getting better, I swear-"

"You might stop doing it?" Erza raised an eyebrow, and everyone else in the room looked at Nora expectantly.

"... You win this round, Scarlet," Nora decided, sighing and looking back at Natsu as she shook her head and grinned. "You guys are gonna be the death of me."

"Hm." Gray looked down, smiling lightly. "Juvia seemed so eager to get back and join up. Guess she'll be a member by the time we get back to Magnolia, huh?"

Nora hummed, crossing her arms as she leaned against Natsu's bed. "I'm proud of our little introvert who could drown us with a flick of her wrist."

"Heh." Gray gave a light grin. "She's definitely a strange one, that's for sure—but I'm glad she's on our side, now."

Nora quirked an eyebrow up, smirking. "I'm sure you are."

"Hm?" Gray raised an eyebrow as Lucy clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a laugh. "What do you mean?"

"... Oh, honey." Nora chuckled as even Erza started to grin. "Sweet, innocent baby Gray. This is going to be fun."


/\


Natsu was able to make it to dinner that night, as Fairy Tail's strongest team and Erza's family from the Tower of Heaven ate together.

"So, I think I've finally decided what I want my first job on the team to be," Nora announced, and everyone looked at her. The orange-haired girl set down her glass and glanced at Simon with a grin, shrugging. "You've got a sister to track down, right? I wanna help."

Simon's eye widened. "You-..?"

"Your sister," Erza murmured, her eyes also wide as she gazed at her friend. "That's right… I know that she was hidden when Rosemary Village was overrun by the cult. If she stayed hidden, then… there is a chance we can find her."

"Kagura," Simon whispered, still staring at Nora in awe. "She-... She would be sixteen, now. We have to find… Kagura Mikazuchi."

"Okay!" Nora nodded, grinning. "We've got her name and her age, which are real good starting points! We can start looking!" She blinked as she saw Simon's eye tearing-up. "Simon?"

"I-..." Simon bowed his head. "Why are you-..? I don't understand why you're doing this…"

"Fairy Tail's strongest team owes me a job of my choice," Nora remarked. "And since I've run a few jobs with them where I've gotten zero pay, I'm a hundred-percent fine with doing this to get some payback." She smirked. "Besides, we'll just keep putting it off if we head back to Magnolia before I pick something. These guys get caught-up in TONS of crazy adventures and I just end up along for the ride." She crossed her arms, nodding. "It's Nora Time, now—and I say we're going to find Kagura."

"But why?!" Simon asked her, frustrated. "You owe me nothing! You owe nothing to any of us, we-... We were-!"

"Victims," Nora said quietly. "And as someone who watched a village destroyed and got pulled into someone else's schemes, trust me when I say that I get it." Her expression softened. "Where I'm from, they don't say… 'wizard' or 'mage', real often. Our fighters are called Huntsmen, Huntresses, Hunters." Nora's team looked at her in surprise. "And when you choose to become a Hunter, you take on responsibilities. Some people don't take them too seriously, but I do." Her eyes narrowed. "I have a duty to help everyone I can whenever I can, to help people who can't help themselves, and to always do what I feel is right no matter what… That's my job." She gave a firm nod. "I'm here now, and… I say that this job's not done until we find Kagura."

"... You heard her," Gray commented, and Simon looked at him in shock. "She's calling in what's owed, so we're gonna do it."

"Yeah!" Natsu slammed his fists together, smiling deviously. "Who knows? We might even fight some monsters on the way!"

"Hopefully not…" Lucy laughed awkwardly, then she beamed. "But I'm in!"

Erza looked at Simon and nodded, smiling, and the man just looked at her before he looked back at Nora.

The Huntress had just split open a baked potato, and she quirked an eyebrow up. "You wanna pass the butter?"

"... I appreciate this," Simon said hoarsely. "I truly do." He took a deep breath. "But… Sho, Millianna, Wally and I have been talking… and we were going to travel the world on our own, and maybe find Kagura on the way. So many years in the tower, without the ability to choose anything for ourselves… This is our chance to find out who we are."

Nora blinked, then her expression softened. "Hm. I can understand that."

"As can I," Erza agreed softly. "I-... I sincerely wish that I could be with you forever—but if that would hold you back, then I wish to bless your future travels."

Immediately, the four mages formerly trapped in the Tower of Heaven reacted.

"You've got it backwards, Er-chan!" Millianna cried out in alarm.

Wally's eyes had teared-up. "With us around, you'll be forced to remember all the bad things that happened!"

"Oh, these sweet idiots," Nora muttered, grinning and shaking her head, and Lucy shot her a light look. "It can't be me being the sensitive one, all the time. I earned that."

"I won't forget you, no matter where you may be," Erza insisted, and her friends stared at her in dismay. "And it is those painful memories that become the seeds of tomorrow." She smiled warmly. "Humans have that power, the power to keep moving forward. From this, you will go on stronger. I will continue on stronger!" Her eyes shone. "Don't you see?"

"... I see," Sho whispered, wiping his eyes, then he looked up at Erza and beamed as his friends began to smile. "I see, Big Sis."

"Erza…" Simon was at a loss, then he looked at Nora. "If you would still help me find my sister, then I would be forever grateful."

"Cool." Nora grinned, then she gestured. "So, can you pass the butter now?"


/\


After the meal, as Nora made her way back to her room, she heard a noise and looked back, blinking.

"Erza?"

"... You were right," the knight said softly. "He didn't just change. Jellal was possessed by the spirit of Zeref, and used as a puppet." Erza looked down, her fists clenching. "For eight years… my dearest childhood friend was not in control of his own mind." Her fists fell open as she sighed. "And now, he is gone."

"Erza." Nora turned to the girl, her aqua eyes wide. "I-... I'm so sorry." She took a deep breath, then she stepped closer. "I-... I get it, okay? Losing someone like you did, it-"

"No, you don't understand!" Erza looked up at Nora, frustrated. "There is much that you can understand, I grant you! But not this!"

The knight turned and walked away, and Nora blinked before following after her. The two girls eventually arrived on one of the resort's public balconies, which was thankfully empty, and the Huntress watched from the doorway as the knight went to the railing and looked out over the sea with crossed arms.

"... I can't understand being enslaved," Nora said quietly. "But… I can understand being hurt, treated like less-than human." She folded her hands behind her back. "I was once beaten in the street by a group of boys who said I was a dog and that I might have rabies. They weren't the first, or the last." She started walking towards Erza. "I never had my best friend brainwashed… but I knew a kid who had another mind stuck in his and I watched them start overlapping as the one that got in started taking over, and I knew a girl who got-... Well… I guess the best word for what happened to Penny would be hacked, which makes more sense than you'd think. She was told to retrieve something to help the enemy win the war, and then… kill herself."

"What?" Erza looked back, her eyes wide. "Did she-..?"

"I don't know," Nora admitted. "I… didn't get to see how that story ended." She took another deep breath. "I also knew this boy… Ren… who, the first time we met, was open and expressive and frightened… but that night, he was able to hide everything and bury it deep inside of him." She gave a solemn nod. "And just about every day for the next near-thirteen years, he would wake up and do the same thing… I had to be expressive enough for both of us, wild enough to get some sort of reaction out of him when he'd gone blank for too long, silly enough to get a ghost of a smile that lasted for a few seconds…" She looked up at Erza. "So, I knew someone who changed in a day and stayed that way…" She cracked a weak grin and shrugged. "Ren never tried to murder me, but we had bad days. Once, I-... I drank all of the syrup we spent the whole day collecting, and I'm pretty sure he had to pray to the gods for patience 'cause I'd be dead if he asked for strength—like, several times over."

Erza huffed out a weak laugh and reached up to wipe her eyes. "And… what happened to this Ren you speak of so fondly?"

"... I told you," Nora replied gently, reaching up and resting a hand on her clip.

Erza blinked, then her face fell as she walked over and reached up, and Nora hesitantly uncovered the clip. The knight gingerly removed it from Nora's hair, and she took it in both hands and gazed down at it. Her thumb brushed over a brown stain just barely visible on the top of one of the white petals.

"He-..." Erza looked up at Nora. "He was very dear to you, wasn't he?"

"Yeah." Nora smiled sadly. "He was. Ren-... Ren was my whole world." She looked down at the clip. "For most of my life, he was there… We were part of a set, Ren and Nora… And-..." Nora looked up at Erza. "And those last few days, before the end… we were fighting." Her eyes teared-up. "He wanted to go one way in the battle, I wanted to go another. We both cared a lot about the place we were defending, but we had different ideas about what would be the best way to help. He wanted to focus on the small-picture, I wanted to go after the big thing like I always do… We split up. I got hurt doing something hairbrained instead of trying to think of a better way, and-..." She bowed her head, closing her eyes. "And because I got hurt… Jaune and Ren, they-... They decided they had to get me someplace safe."

"... And they died, pursuing that endeavor," Erza concluded, and Nora nodded.

The Huntress opened her eyes. "... I told him-... I told him I couldn't do this on my own. I told him I didn't want to leave him and our friends." She took another trembling breath. "But he-... He told me that I had to go, and he had to stay. It was the only way we'd both stand a chance… but I think he knew he was going to die."

"So…" Erza took a deep breath. "He did what he did… tried to save you… because he was the only one who could?"

"... Yeah." Nora walked over to the balcony railing, sat down, and gripped the stone pillars as she gazed out at the sea. "... It just keeps happening, Erza."

The knight sat down beside the Huntress, looking out at sea with her. "I… understand." She closed her eyes. "Uncle Rob, now Jellal… The people I love keep dying for me, Nora, and I am terrified that it will happen again."

"Preaching to the choir." Nora pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them there. "I always kinda thought it would be me before Ren, y'know? He was the cautious one, I was reckless… and the gods seemed to have it out for redheads." The Huntress shrugged. "I mean—Penny, Torchwick, Pyrrha, Taurus, Penny again. My number was bound to be drawn." Her face fell. "But… Ren made sure that it wasn't."

Erza hummed. "And Jellal saved us all from the blast. He-... He came back to me."

"... Boys suck," Nora decided, and Erza snorted quietly. "I mean it. They really suck. Heck, everything and everyone sucks." Erza shook her head, and Nora sighed. "Sorry, I'm awful at this comforting thing."

"No." Erza pulled Nora into a one-armed hug, smiling sadly. "You're not."

Nora blinked, then she wrapped her arm around Erza and hugged her back, and she hesitated only briefly before resting her head on the knight's shoulder and closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, for everything I said and how I let everything affect me. I-I just-..."

"Nora." Erza rested her free hand on the side of the Huntress's head. "Every time your comrade faces such terrible foes, I see a haunted look in your eyes. You've seen more in your life than I could ever know, and your empathy astounds me. When someone you love suffers, you endure torment as well alongside them." Her fingers curled into Nora's hair. "My friend, make no apologies… You struggled through this despite the ghosts in your own mind, just to stand with me and help me face my demons. You are stronger than I could ever hope to be."

"... I just don't want to lose anyone else," Nora whispered, deflating. "I'm not-... I'm not strong enough to be the one who survived, Erza. I can't be, not again."

"Neither can I," Erza whispered. "But you don't die for your friends. You live for them… You keep moving forward, and as long as you manage that-..." She took a deep breath. "As long as you manage that, and you remember them… no one is ever truly gone."

"... That kinda reminds me of something from back home," Nora said quietly. "After that first battle, where Pyrrha and so many others… didn't make it out… there was this song that came out, and it was spread throughout… where I come from… to make sure everyone could hear it and remember." She closed her eyes. "A friend of mine, Weiss wrote it and recorded it. She never performed it, though… It wasn't something to be performed, just… shared."

"How does it go?" Erza asked.

"Hm." Nora opened her eyes. "...

I never felt

That it was wise

To wish too much.

To dream too big

Would only lead

To being crushed…

Then, I met you—

You weren't afraid

Of anything.

You taught me how

To leave the ground,

To use my wings…" The Huntress took a deep breath. "

I never thought a hero

Would ever come my way—

But more than that,

I never thought

You'd be taken away…

Now, it's cold without you here—

It's like winter lasts all year…

But your star's still in the sky,

So I won't say 'goodbye'...

I don't have to say 'goodbye'..." She felt Erza's arm hold her tighter. "

My days of doubt

Were in the past

With you around.

You helped me feel

I had a place,

Direction found…

You showed me that

A greater dream

Can be achieved.

Enough resolve

Will conquer all

If we believe…" Nora closed her eyes. "

The light you gave to guide me

Will never fade away,

But moving forward never felt

As hard as today…

Now, it's cold without you here—

It's like winter lasts all year…

But your star's still in the sky,

So I won't say 'goodbye'...

I don't have to say 'goodbye'..." A hush fell once Nora was done. "... We're never gonna stop missing any of them, are we?"

"No," Erza's voice was hoarse.

"... Okay." Nora nodded. "That's good, I think… Means that they're really still with us, and we're a bit more human."

"Hm." Erza's head leaned to rest gently against Nora's. "I agree."

A soft sob rang out, and the girls opened their eyes and looked back to see the others standing in the doorway.

"S-Sorry." Lucy wiped her eyes as Millianna and Wally comforted Sho and Simon, and Natsu awkwardly patted a sniffling Gray's shoulder as Happy perched on the pink-haired boy's shoulder and used his scarf to wipe the Dragon-Slayer's eyes. "We came looking for you when you weren't in the rooms, a-and we caught that song…"

"Never speak of this." Nora pointed at the blonde threateningly. "To anyone."

Erza laughed, wiping her eyes with her arm, then she looked at Nora fondly. "Your friend Weiss was a true talent."

"You should hear This Life is Mine," Nora remarked. "Not that you'd ever catch me even attempting that one. That's not even a shower-try, I'd sound like a dying Boarbatusk." The Huntress stood, offered Erza a hand, and pulled the knight to her feet. "You okay?"

"I'm better." Erza nodded, smiling. "Thank you." She looked at the others. "We should get some rest. We have a long journey ahead if we are to scour the lands for Kagura."

Nora's eyebrow shot up. "Uh… Just how do you think we're handling this?" Erza looked back at Nora, surprised. "We're not just gonna go door-to-door until we find this girl unless that's a last resort. This thing should only take a few days if we do it right."

"HUH?!" Everyone looked at Nora in shock, their eyes wide.

"Hey, we only found Erza so quickly because Jellal kept tabs the entire time," Wally protested, frowning. "How do you expect to find a girl we lost track of years ago in only a few days?"

Nora blinked. "... Oh, right. You guys haven't had my- Oh…" She gave a small smirk, placing her hands on her hips. "Okay, this is gonna be more fun than I thought. I'm gonna teach you guys how to run Hunter-style search ops."


/\/\/\/\


Nora leaned against a communications lacrima booth, thumbing through the heavy lacrima book she found within.

"This is boring..!" Natsu droned.

Nora rolled her eyes. "This is how we handle things without getting caught-up in some sort of crazy death situation, okay? I know it's not as fun as fighting our way through everything—but let's work smarter, not harder. This girl's been on her own for-..." She glanced up at Simon. "For-..?"

"Thirteen years," Simon said, frowning.

"... Yeah." Nora nodded, looking back at the book. "We handle this my way. If I can't find her in here, we're gonna go to the Rune Knights (I guess) and ask if they've got any leads on her location; they owe us one anyway for the tower. If they've got nothing, THEN we will start doing some legwork."

"You're weird." Sho tilted his head, then he shrugged. "But whatever gets Simon's sister found the fastest."

Nora pointed at the boy. "Correct response."

"Hm!" Millianna grinned at the Huntress. "Even the 'weird' part, Nora-san?"

"You betcha." Nora smirked. "I'm as weird as they come." She pointed at herself. "They don't make 'em like this in Fiore."

"For our own safety," Gray added, and everyone either snorted or outright laughed.

Nora shrugged her shoulders. "He's right. This kingdom couldn't take that much awesome, so you're stuck with just the one."

"I like this one," Wally decided, grinning.

Nora glanced at him. "Might like you too if you never tranq me again. Jerk."

"Heh." Wally reached up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as Nora looked back at the lacrima book. "Right. Sorry."

"Let's see… Middle, Miggins, Mikazuchi-" Nora muttered, running her finger down a page, then she blinked in surprise before looking up at the others. "Mikazuchi! Right here, it's Kagura Mikazuchi!"

"You're joking," Gray commented as the others—who had just been sitting or standing around—looked at her in shock. "You didn't actually find her in there."

"It took a bit, but I just needed to know where to look." Nora held the book up. "I had to go into the guild section and look through every guild's list of member contacts before I found her. Kagura Mikazuchi is listed as a member of this guild located about twenty miles southeast of here. Uh, Mermaid Heel."

"Mermaid Heel?" Lucy blinked. "I've read about them in Sorcerer Weekly. That's an all-female guild, and they have some fierce mages." Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait a second… Kagura Mikazuchi… Are we looking for 'White Ribbon' Kagura Mikazuchi?!"

"Wait, what?" Simon looked at Lucy, his eye wide. "Just what has my sister been up to?!"


/\


The journey took only a few hours—though, having to care for Natsu's sickness made it seem a bit longer. Soon enough, the group arrived before the guild-hall of the Mermaid Heel wizard guild, and Nora rested her hands on her hips before glancing at Simon.

"Nervous?" She asked, smiling.

The darkness-mage swallowed thickly. "Beyond terrified, really."

"... I don't know much about siblings," Nora said, crossing her arms. "But from what I've seen of them… the ones who are like you, who-... Who really love their siblings, they can figure pretty much anything out."

"Hm." Simon closed his eyes, bowing his head, then he looked up. "I'm ready."

Nora grinned, then she ran up the steps and knocked on the door.

After a few moments, a young teenage girl with light-green hair and green eyes answered the door and blinked as she saw Nora. "Um…"

"Hello..~!" Nora greeted, waving. "I'm Nora Valkyrie, and I'm here with some friends of mine to see Kagura Mikazuchi. We found her big brother Simon." She gestured to the boy with her thumb. "That guy."

The girl's jaw dropped, then she glanced back into the guild-hall with wide eyes and an expression of alarm. "K… Kagura..?!"

"What is it, Araña?" A figure dressed in white, black, red, and gold arrived at the door, a sword hanging from her side. The young teenager looked up with a pair of brown eyes that matched Simon's, her long dark hair adorned with a white ribbon tied in a bow, and she raised an eyebrow as she saw Nora. "Who is this?"

"Hey!" Nora waved again, smiling. "I'm Nora Valkyrie. I'm from Fairy Tail, as are a bunch of my friends here, and we're -well- here to bring your brother back." She pointed down the stairs to where Simon stood with his eye wide in wonder. "That's him, there."

Kagura froze, her eyes widening, then she looked down at Simon in disbelief. "S… Simon?" Her body began to tremble. "Oh, my-..."

"... Hello, Kagura." Simon gave a small smile as his eye teared-up. "I-... I'm so glad that you're alright." He took a step forward. "I-" Kagura ran to the top of the steps and jumped, tackling Simon in a hug and knocking him to the ground. The boy grunted as his back struck the path leading up to the guild-hall, then he closed his eye and hugged back. "I missed you, too." He rested a hand on the back of her head. "Every day, Kagura. Every day…"

"I searched for you!" Kagura shouted, tears streaming down her face. "I never stopped! I've been searching! They told me you were dead, but I didn't believe it! I never stopped looking, I never forgot you!"

"Hm." Simon sat up and helped his sister into a kneel, practically glowing as he gazed down at her with a hand on her shoulder. "That's because you're the best sister in the world, Kagura—and we're too much similar for our own good. You have never left my thoughts."

Kagura looked up, her eyes wide and glistening with tears. "Simon…"

"This is your sister?!" Millianna was suddenly kneeling beside Simon, grinning. "She's so cute! Hi, Kagura-chan!"

"Millianna," Erza chided, though she was smiling at her friend. "Let them be, for a few moments. It's been so many years-"

"Aren't you Erza Scarlet?" Kagura asked, looking at the knight in confusion.

Erza blinked, then she chuckled. "That's not all, Kagura." Her eyes shone. "I've thought about you all the time since that night… I'm so glad that you're still safe, and doing well."

"Huh?" Kagura blinked, then her eyes widened again. "Oh, my God. Oh, my God."

"Yeah, they're gonna break her head," Nora commented as she hopped down the stairs to stand between Gray and Natsu.

Happy landed on the Huntress's shoulder and nodded. "If they haven't already."

"... I'm only just now starting to wonder if my actions here might have consequences," Nora murmured, squinting. "I mean-" The Huntress tensed, her eyes widening. "Oh."

'You don't belong to this world, and you've been interfering,' the Huntress realized. 'Congrats, Nora. Who knows what you've gone and done to this poor little planet?'

"I need a minute." Kagura held her hands up, still trembling. "I just-... I need a minute to process all of this. My brother is alive and here, Erza Scarlet is the girl who saved me in Rosemary Village, and I'm a member of Mermaid Heel and I have no idea what I do from here-!"

"Nora, you've gone really pale," Lucy noted, growing worried. "You okay?"

Nora held a thumb up, smiling tensely. "Super. Just… really super, Lucy!"

Simon pulled Kagura into another hug, and Nora blinked before her expression softened somewhat. 'Whatever I've done, it's not like I'll have any chance at knowing it anyway until it happens. And whatever it is… I'll deal with it, because that there makes it worth it.'


Eventually, once Kagura had calmed down, she was introduced to Simon's family from the Tower of Heaven and the members of Fairy Tail, and Simon and Erza took it upon themselves to sit the girl down on the steps outside of Mermaid Heel and tell her the entire story.

Once they were done, Kagura was quiet for several minutes, then she took a deep breath and looked up.

"So… the cult which attacked our home and kidnapped you is no more… and even this Jellal was just another victim…" Her fists clenched over her skirt. "Whoever cast the enchantment over Jellal, the possession magic… They are to blame for all of this."

"Indeed." Erza nodded, frowning. "Jellal believed that it was Zeref himself behind this fiendish manipulation, but… who can truly say, with possession magic?" She shook her head. "We may never know who is at fault."

"... No." Kagura's eyes narrowed. "Whoever it was, they can't just be allowed to get away with this. I won't let them, and I know that my sisters will stand with me." The girl stood up, and she removed the ribbon from her hair to bind her blade into its sheath. "The day I find the one behind these atrocities… I will make sure that they pay."

"Kagura," Simon tried, and the girl looked at him with a glare. "We finally have freedom. Revenge, it-... It would solve nothing." He looked away. "It certainly would not bring Jellal back, nor restore his mind… or undo the hurt we still feel, even knowing he was just another captive within that awful place…" He looked back at his sister, sighing. "This isn't the way."

"Hm." Kagura shook her head. "Then, it seems there is one place where we are not too similar for our own good." She glanced out at the sea, which was clearly visible from her guild-hall. "I will not be satisfied until I know for certain that the one who destroyed our lives will never hurt anyone else ever again."

Nora swallowed thickly, her eyes wide as she watched all of this.

'Well, great—I might've just created another Hazel,' she decided, then she winced. 'Or whatever the good-guy equivalent to Hazel is. Uh… Let's see, revenge-driven…' The Huntress tilted her head, wincing again. 'Oh, yeah—Ren in Kuroyuri or Jaune at Haven. Can't forget that.'

"You got any wisdom for this?" Gray asked, glancing at the Huntress.

The orange-haired girl shrugged. "Kick butt, don't die, and-... Uh… Don't become the very thing you swore to destroy?"

"... Okay, only that last bit was helpful," Gray decided, sighing. "Not a lot of experience on the 'talk people out of revenge' front?"

"Nope." Nora shook her head. "I mean, I kinda blew it on Galuna Island—and heck, I've helped with revenge. It was a monster, but still." She frowned. "I've got… nothing here. I guess we just gotta hope that her brother being alive and with her can soften her up a bit before she does something to get herself hurt?"

"Yeah." Gray nodded. "Sounds like that's really all we can do."

Natsu crossed his arms, frowning. "What's that mean, huh? Become the very thing you swore to destroy?"

"It means that if you're out to stop someone who hurt innocent people, don't hurt innocent people to reach that goal," Lucy offered. "Stuff like that. Don't get what you want if it means becoming something awful."

"Oh." Natsu blinked, then he looked at Nora and nodded. "Good advice." He glanced out at the sea, frowning. "I probably would've told Jellal something like that, if we came face-to-face while he was still being all evil and stuff… but none of this was his fault."

"You can't always save everyone," Nora said quietly, watching the water as well. "But… yeah. Knowing that, all those years, he was stuck inside his own head—and we weren't able to stop him from-... From-..."

"... Killing himself," Gray finished it for her, resting a hand on Nora's shoulder. The Huntress jumped a bit, then she settled, and Gray squeezed her shoulder. "Yeah."

"Do you think..?" Lucy glanced at where Simon and Kagura were now caught in a heavy debate which Erza seemed to be trying to mitigate as Sho, Millianna, and Wally watched with concerned expressions. "Do you think it's going to be alright, in the end?"

"I don't know," Nora admitted, shrugging. "I think… whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen, and we're just gonna have to do our best… and what's right… when it does."

"Hm." Natsu gave a light grin. "Sounds like a plan, to me."


/\


Sho and Wally were still determined to see the world; Wally apparently had a brother he was missing, though he adamantly refused help with that search and claimed 'a dandy and his posse must go it alone'... whatever that meant.

Millianna, who had been casting wide-eyed and almost longing looks at the Mermaid Heel guild-hall, seemed a bit more hesitant to go than the others—but she was not ready to part with them just yet, so she helped them pack the boat they intended to take into the unknown.

Simon, who was unwilling to part with his sister but could not join her guild, decided that he would get a job in one of the neighboring towns so as to stay close to her. After all he has been through, he was content with settling down and living a peaceful life for a time—even though Nora did think about how he too had a desire to see the world.

As for the three who were leaving to venture out into Earthland, Erza was determined to make sure their departure included some pomp—so, that was how Nora ended up on a beach with Natsu, Gray, and Lucy as Erza stood in ceremonial armor and lifted a lance into the air.

"Begin the Fairy Tail Farewell Ceremony!" The knight commanded, never taking her eyes off of the boat which Sho, Millianna, and Wally were using to depart.

Natsu spat three balls of fire into the air, and they exploded into fireworks. Gray sent up a blast of his own magic which exploded blue in the sky. Lucy waved her keys about, and a golden light flew up and burst into stars.

Nora had not expected her hands to shake nor her body to seize as the explosions went off all around her and bright lights filled the sky, and as soon as she realized it was happening, she quickly shook her head to try and clear her mind and break from the trance. She was a Huntress, for crying out loud… but maybe that was the problem.

Explosions had never meant anything particularly good, had they?

Maybe it was time to change that.

Nora took a deep breath, aiming Magnhild's grenade-launcher form up, and she suddenly fired a whole row of grenades straight up. They swirled before taking on the shape of a massive, pink heart and exploding in a burst of pink smoke and blue lightning, causing a short crack of thunder to roar through the sky.

"Oh, so much Dust," Nora joked quietly, already lamenting the jewel she would have to spend in order to replace her ammunition.

"We will meet again!" Erza cried after her friends. "Stay well!"

"You too, Big Sis!" Sho called back.

Millianna waved. "Bye-bye, Er-chan!"

"We'll see each other again!" Wally shouted as he wiped his face. "That's a promise!"

"It's a promise," Erza repeated, beaming.

Nora glanced up at the fireworks, smiling softly, then she closed her eyes and placed Magnhild on her back.


I know that this is a shorter chapter, but after... eighteen months... I'm just glad it's out.

I really wanted to give Erza's friends a more well-rounded sendoff than what they got in the series, just to show a bit more of their development and the importance they will have in the future instead of making them appear like one-offs as they originally did.

I also wanted to have a bit more time with them to reflect on everything, and to show more of the changes Nora has made to Earthland by her presence. Plus, she kinda realized that her presence has impactbut unlike many things, she didn't allow herself to become too overwhelmed by this.

She'll deal with the consequences as they come. Helping people comes first, as it did back on Remnant.

Now, we're going to be getting into the final arc of Fairy Tail's first season.

And given how much I have written for this and everything that comes after...

This is where the fun begins. XD

I own nothing! Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)