Broken Fairies

by EnergyMageFrea

Light Magic has won over Dark in the battle to decide the Balance of the world, but shadow has never settled so thickly over the Fairy Tail Guild as it has now, and that darkness does not seem to want to leave. Is it possible, after all the evil and the pain suffered, lived through and triumphed over by the Guild- that Fairy Tail has finally broken? {Fourth Story in Series!}

6. Chapter 6- A Little Longer

Chapter 6

A Little Longer

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Energy Magic, and Ideas

.:+:.

Moon's eyes flickered open, immediately landing on the dismal gray sky outside of the window and the small flecks of moisture falling intermittently against the glass. She sighed slightly, yawning as she pulled herself up into a sitting position, rubbing her eyes as she tried to make groggy sense of where she was and what time it was.

Her ears flicked to her right, hearing someone shift a little and knowing immediately it was Lily- she glanced over to see him sitting at the other end of the couch, a book in hand that he set down upon seeing her wake up.

"... You shouldn't have let me sleep so long, Lily." Moon mumbled softly,

"You clearly needed it." He replied, his eyes flashing as she glanced away from him, letting out a shaky sigh. "... Are you alright?" He asked softly, Moon stiffened at the question, her eyes falling slightly.

"... It just... Hurts." She replied lowly, her voice dropping as Lily frowned a little, looking pained at how her voice seemed to tremble just then.

The apartment around them was silent (and a mess), it had been hardly touched the last few weeks- serving as her temporary place of residence since she couldn't bring herself to go back to an empty room in Fairy Hills. It was where Gajeel and Lily stayed together, though you couldn't tell- Moon was fairly certain Gajeel hadn't been back here in two weeks. She and Lily had filtered back and forth from here and the Guild, a silent, grim journey back and forth every day... And one that just got harder and harder to make.

It was happening again, she was losing someone she loved- and the same person she had thought she lost only months before. That pain from DeathBolt had still been raw and now with what happened with Mordren... She honestly felt almost numb, numb outside of the ache and the pain. She was just so tired now, and Lily could tell.

Lily got to his paws, crossing over toward her silently as he took a seat down in front of her, his eyes glinting as his tail landed lightly on top of hers. His paws reached forward, taking hers in them as he let out a breath- her eyes didn't move up to meet his, but he could see the glint of tears threatening to make an appearance...much too many tears he had seen her shed since that day, and still it made his chest tighten at the sight.

"I know." He murmured quietly, "...I'm worried too, Moon." She sniffed slightly, her eyes shutting tight, cursing herself and telling herself she couldn't just break down again the minute she woke up- she was getting so tired of that too.

Lily was so patient with her though. He didn't care she broke down, he just stayed there, silent, watchful. He was kind and she loved it. He didn't press her hard to do things she didn't want, he just gently pulled her away when she needed to be, kept an eye on her and listened when she needed him to, held her when she needed him to- and she never had to ask, he just seemed to know.

Honestly he was probably the only reason she hadn't fallen apart all the way.

Early on in that first week she had sent word to the Twin Cougars Guild- to Iki and Uno about what happened. Twin Cougars had been sent to sleep like most of the country when it all happened, and the memory of the fear and the worry that appeared on their faces as she shakily recanted the news... that was enough to make her heart break a little more.

It had taken Iki and Uno no more than a day to arrive in Magnolia after they heard about it, they had been gentle and kind with her too, and not just her. They'd been helping the Guild too, odd little things, like cooking meals and making sure everyone ate something- sometimes coercing a few members gently where they needed to. They were being kind and patient, and she appreciated having them around too... it was just painful to realize that she had only ever seen them and had them arrive because something awful had happened. Again.

Moon took in a slow breath, shaking her head at herself and stilling the torrent of emotion that had risen and threatened to send her spiraling. She glanced up at him slowly, calming down a little as he smiled slightly, a reassuring gesture.

"... Let's eat something, before we head to the Guild, alright?" He asked, she blinked.

He had been doing that, taking her mind off things if only for a small amount of time, trying to get her to clam down in the most gentle way he could. She could tell he was worried too- about Frea, and Gajeel, and her too... She found herself a little amazed he could stay so collected under all of that.

She wished she could make it easier on him, make him feel like he didn't need to worry about everyone all at once. She wanted to be ok, to pick herself back up, she wanted things better- it was just hard right now. The fact that he was trying to take care of her even under what worry he was feeling was something she appreciated oh so very much, and she wished she could tell him that, but a part of her thought maybe he had an idea.

... How did I ever start out disliking you? Especially when you became such a good friend... Since you've become so important to me?

She nodded slightly to him, taking in a calming breath as his eyes flashed in relief a moment that she had agreed so easily to the idea.

He stood up, easily pulling her to her paws.

"... Thank you, Lily." Moon murmured quietly, earning a soft smile from him.

"Of course."

---

Master let out a small breath, his eyes still closed and his hands still holding lightly to Frea's own- the bed was moving from how she shivered and gasped, the sound of it hurt... The sight of her in such a way was torture. She had been hurt and wounded before, it had always pained him to see her that way- but it had never been this bad, she had never been this hurt and this sick, and certainly never this weak.

He flinched slightly, the memory of the battle with Mordren flaring to the surface for the hundredth time- and still as painful as it had been in the moment. He had never felt as helpless as that day, forced to watch as both she and Chase were beaten down, relentlessly- unable to break free and help either of them, trapped and held back for all of it. Not even Fairy Law had worked, and his body remained sore still after the Spell imploded.

Forced to watch that monster of a man killing them, slowly, easily... Forced to watch and unable to do a thing as she was cut down right in front of them.

One of his children nearly killed, right before his very eyes.

He swallowed, his hold on her hand tightening slightly despite himself. She wasn't so warm anymore, what concoction Porlyusica had made had managed to dull the fever a bit, though she wasn't breathing any easier for it.

He had never seen her fighting so hard, not in all these years. He'd never seen her try so hard against anything, push forward and keep going regardless of how hurt or tired she had been. She had given that battle everything she had, gotten back up even when she shouldn't have been able- he had never seen such anger and determination in her in the face of such choking, colossal evil. He wasn't sure he had seen anyone stand so tall against something so monstrous, nor fight so hard not just for the sake of the people they cared for- but the world in its entirety.

That same world that had beaten her down and put her though such awful, awful things. The world that hadn't been kind to her, not hardly ever- and still she wouldn't let it fall.

"... I will fight, I will spend every ounce of my Power if need be, I will do everything that I could possibly do to avoid the outcome you're afraid of, I give you my word, I will try... But I can't promise you anything else, I can't bring myself to lie and tell you that everything will work out, because I know my own limits... And I know what I'm facing is bigger than anything I have ever come across." She mumbled, her eyes growing hard as she clenched a fist and stood a little taller.

"I give you my word, I will do everything that I possibly can to make it out of this Master. I promise that, and I ask you trust in my want to keep you and the Guild from suffering anymore than you already have on my part." She told him firmly and he blinked, seeing the sudden spark of fire that seemed to ignite in her very being as she said the words.

He'd seen that fire that day she had explained to him of what danger was coming. He'd seen the fire in her, brighter and more ferocious, seen her more steady than she had ever been. She kept her word, she fought like hell, she won... She'd been so strong, so unbelievably powerful- power beyond anything he could fathom- for a few minutes it had almost seemed like nothing in the world could stand against her, she was immovable... Like some force of Nature.

He might have been proud... No. He was proud, but he couldn't find himself happy with it, not after all it had taken to get this far, not after all she had to go through just to win... Not after it had all ended so, so terribly for her.

If he thought seeing her beaten half to death and strung up on the Building was terrible... that hadn't prepared him for what torture that dark day had brought with it. Not for how his heart had broken and still lay in pieces now.

"Master, but for my promise- I need a promise from you."

"Yes?"

"I need you to promise me, that if things go awry, if they don't turn out they way we want them too- I need you to promise me, you won't let yourself fall endlessly into a pit of despair and grief, not on my part. I hate seeing you so heartbroken, Master- and so does the rest of the Guild. You can't stay fixed on the bad for very long, you have to move forward- its the best thing for you, and for the Guild."

She smiled brightly, despite the seriousness of her words.

"Can you promise me that?"

His hunched in on himself slightly, his chest tightening.

He remembered seeing just how much his promise to what she asked of him really meant to her... And yet he wasn't sure he could keep it.

"I promise."

This wasn't supposed to happen... Brat...

Small amounts of gray light filtered through the window, the sun fighting to break passed the clouds overhead- the sprinkle of the rain having ceased now in what seemed like the rain had finally been spent. Porlyusica had taken a seat in a chair behind him, after having ushered off Wendy an hour earlier, exchanging hushed words with the little Dragon Slayer, Wendy looking all the more tense than before but she listened to the Old Lady regardless- and left when she was told to, even when the Sky Dragon Slayer hated to.

Porlyusica cast a glance toward Makarov, she knew she would need to usher him out too- get him to eat something if she could, and rest, but she paused a little while longer. She didn't want to argue with him, and a part of her hated pulling him away when he looked so pained doing so... So she'd let him stay some more.

... Just a little while longer...

And the Old Man never let go, he hardly moved as his fingers remained folded around her hand atop the bed. Every rattling breath and ever hiss of pain felt like a stab through the chest, his mind in a haze of exhaustion and worry that never let up- shoulders tense and body bent slightly.

Master's eyes snapped open slightly, his heart jumping as he felt her hand move in his, her fingers weak and shaking as she squeezed his hand. For a minute he was afraid she'd tensed up in what pain had taken firm hold of her, a bead of sweat falling down his face as he winced inwardly at the thought, his eyes falling shut against it again.

It broke his heart to know she was in so much pain still, she had been in so much pain the entire time, he could see it, even...

"... H..ey... Master..."

He went very still, his heart jumping in his chest, eyes wide and breath catching in his throat. His eyes snapped upward, glinting, as for the first time in two weeks the world seemed to fall away from the dim and the grim, and something calmer moved in, he felt something warm work its way into his heart.

Her silver eyes were shining slightly, tired and a bit blurry, only half-way open as her attention cast toward him and she turned her head a little. His face fell in shock, sweatdropping heavily as he stared, for a minute he didn't look like he believed what he was seeing- for a small instant fearing he had nodded off and it was nothing more than an agonizing dream.

Her head hurt, just as much as her body did now. Her head pound and throbbed and was stuffed and spinning with much too many things. For a few minutes she didn't even feel what agony her broken body afforded her, it took everything she had to pull herself from those swirling thoughts and questions and just come to her senses enough to focus on the room and who's hands it was that held hers so lightly.

She flinched, though she tried not to- for the first time even in all those times she had flitted between sleep, the Energy hanging over the Guild broke though the haze over her head all at once, and at full force for the very first time, and it was awful.

Breathing was hard already and it felt like the air was made of tar, weighing down over her chest and sparking against her body in painful suffocating jolts that did not let up for even an instant. The sheer amount of pain and sadness and fear that was hanging on the air all around was sickening, she cringed at the feel of it and her heart jumped in tune- an agonizing, jolting feeling in the organ that was already damaged enough.

She had never felt such heavy emotion on the air, biting and cold and painful... it was worse than Nvindorr, and she wasn't capable of more than a few minutes in those woods without feeling sick. And she'd certainly never imagined she'd feel it in the Guild.

But even that didn't compare to what flash of sheer, warm, flickering hope and relief came from the Old Man, the pain and the fear that sparked from him when he saw her flinch, the disbelief, and the excitement that he seemed to be trying to quell- it hurt, he was hurting, and she hated it.

All these people, for two weeks had been so worried and afraid and in so much pain that the air was laced with Negative Energy unlike anything she had ever felt. If that Energy had been visible she imagined one could have scarcely seen their own hand before their noise, it would have been so thick, and dark and suffocating- pushing in on all sides endlessly.

Knowing that she was the reason they had been hurting so much was more painful than the wounds or even every little bit of memory she had been forced to live in rapidity- she hated herself for it, more so than anyone could ever realize.

She never wanted this

She grimaced slightly, her eyes falling for a moment as she bit the inside of her cheek- her body growing rigid at that icy flash of pain that raced through every inch of her body, festering for a few moments, before it faded and she let out a shaky breath.

"Frea..." Master stammered her name, his voice shaking and wispy in disbelief, she blinked up at him, her eyes shining as she forced a weary, strained smile toward him.

"... sor...ry for... t..the scare... Old Man..." She breathed softly, "... I didn't mean... t...to worry... you so.. mu...ch..."

I never wanted to make you feel so... damn it.

His eyes shone, her heart lurching painfully as the tears welled up in his eyes, his frame shaking as his shoulders hunched and the soft sobs shook him, the tears streaming down his face and hitting the bedtop as he held her hand a bit tighter, pulling it up to him as he pressed his chin against her hand shakily,

Frea swallowed hard, her eyes shining as she watched him crumble, the tears falling and pain flashing from him... and relief so deep and so potent, his lips twitching in some strained, hopeful smile for a few moments as he continued to cry silently.

...s...shit... he... he's so... damned happy... that I...

...fuck... she almost hated herself more for just wanting to give up. But she couldn't, not truly... because that fear was still there, deep in her core and it wasn't going to go away, not even with how pleasant the sudden happiness and relief from the Old Man was... not knowing she might end up hurting him worse, some day.

"... y... you b-brat..." He stammered quietly, Frea sweatdropped, he was shaking his head a little, shoulders trembling as he held to her hand still so firmly, like he didn't want to let go again. "... Don't you k-know... Better... By..n-now?" She blinked, her eyes flashing in the dim as his eyes landed on her again, tender and glistening.

"... That's... w-what you're.. Best at..." He smiled slightly, shaking his head a bit. "...just so long as you don't g-go anywhere... Worry this Old Man as m-much as you like..." His hands were shaking as he held on to her, and the tears didn't cease either, neither did the growing ache in her heart, that suddenly sharpened as he smiled at her, so calm and so relieved and so worried and painful all at once, she stiffened at it.

Damn... Damn it...

A single tear managed it's way forward, rolling down her cheek lightly as she bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes closing as she swallowed against what rush of emotion welled inside her, regret and fear and guilt and all things she just didn't have the strength or the will to handle at that moment.

Seeing him like that, so happy and so exhausted and so worried... Crying, over her, assuring her that it didn't matter as long as she didn't- that broke her.

She'd thought she had fallen apart enough, that she'd gotten over it with Laxus... But Master.

"...I'm sorry..." She hissed lowly, "... I... I promise... I'm not g..going... Anywhere..."

Damn it... I...

"... I'm sorry... Master... I'm not lea...ving... I promise..."

... Damn me...

"... you had better not, brat." Master smiled, eyes still streaming and face still so worn, but one hand moved to rest lightly atop her head- a small, kind gesture, one he hadn't used with her since she had first joined, since she was a kid, and yet in that minute- she was that kid again, just for a small second in his eyes. That young, bright little child he had found lost in the rain with nowhere to go and no place to call home. That first child, and one that had made this Guild and his life all he brighter with every single year.

"... Forgive me... I w..wasn't trying to..." She shut her eyes against that torrent of emotion and guilt then, swallowing against it and wincing. Master's eyes glittered slightly, seeing the pain work its way into her features for a minute.

... How could I have ever... Even... With how ... With how happy... He...?

"It's alright." He assured gently, "... Now listen to your Master, and just rest. Don't strain yourself too much."

... But damn it, she felt so so bad... How could it...?

"Better listen to him, girl." Porlyusica had drawn up behind the Old Man quietly, her red gaze flashing slightly as Frea's eyes moved up toward her. She looked cross for a moment, some semblance of her harsh nature showing through though Frea was fairly certain she felt relief flash from the Old Woman too.

"... Granny..." Frea breathed,

"... Hush." Was the short, slightly sharp reply- though there was a tenderness in the Old Lady's gaze Frea had seldom seen before. "... Don't be foolish girl, and stop trying to talk."

"... She is right, brat." Master agreed lightly, squeezing her hand once more. "... You're hurt enough, just take it easy and rest some more. Lest your stubbornness backfire." There was a finality that worked its way into the kind tenor of his voice, she could tell he wouldn't take no for an answer... And to be honest, she was having a hard time staying awake. She could feel her mind slipping again even under that torrent of guilt and emotional turmoil that sprung up so suddenly, and with how fast her heart had started pounding with it she was trying very hard not to wince- and failed miserably, much to Master and Porlyusica's concern.

The both of Master and Porlyusica could see how exhausted she was and how much pain she was in- and they didn't want her to push it farther than she should, or struggle to stay awake and talking where she very clearly was fighting to just stay conscious- which rest was what she sorely needed, though Frea may not have agreed.

Frea grimaced, her jaw clenching as a wave of pain raced through her chest and stomach alike, her eyes snapped away from them as they shut tight against it.

"... Sleep, Frea." Master murmured softly, his hand resting lightly on top of her head a few more moments- she could almost feel his heart clench the instant her pain became clear again, though now she was struggling to just hear him say anything.

"... S... Sorry..." She sighed slightly, still apologizing as she felt his worry.

For a moment she half-expected to hear Laxus telling her to quit doing that.

"... Don't apologize." Master's words were barely loud enough to hear as her eyes fell closed, his hand laying hers back down on the bed gently, coming to a halt with his resting atop hers still.

"... As long as I won't lose you for good... You have nothing to apologize for."

...you... You won't lose me... Old Man... I promise...

She wasn't sure if the words ever formed on her lips, before everything fell away to simple, blissful nothing.

---

Aisha stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes casting to her left in an instant- sweatdropping and very unsure... Did I see that? Just now?

Her skin was crawling all of a sudden, her body growing rigid in tenseness as her eyes scanned the far end of the dreary, hardly crowded street for a few moments.

She swore she saw something... Someone, at the very corner of her eye, standing there, silent, staring at her- but the minute her head turned there wasn't a person in sight, but the uneasiness that had sent shivers running up and down her spine so suddenly didn't let up.

She let out a low breath, sweatdropping slightly as she frowned a little- she didn't like this sudden feeling, she still felt like there were strange eyes on her, but there was no one looking.

That part of her mind trained as an Information Broker flared to life again, thinking maybe perhaps she was sending a spy- someone the Magic Council had sent in to Magnolia to gather information, seeing as how they were still barred from entering. She wouldn't put it passed them, but it had been two weeks and she had been keeping an eye out while still looking after Chase, and she hadn't felt anything like this before... She hadn't felt so uneasy and like she was being watched in the whole of the two weeks.

For a minute she was tempted to think it had been that ghost Jynx, but the small flash of that imaginary figure she thought she saw had been taller- taller than the ghost girl, so she couldn't convince herself it had been her.

Aisha stiffened, her attention snapping left toward the figure of Chase- the both of them had been making their way toward the Guild and only now did she realize he had come to a halt just as she had, and she found her heart speeding up to see that look of tenseness and confusion in him. His blue gaze locked to the damp ground that their feet, his hands in his pockets and eyes narrowed to slits, he was faintly aware Aisha had halted but his thoughts were elsewhere.

He felt some flash of odd, ancient Magic so faint it was hardly there- and yet he felt it, and he recognized it immediately. It was that same small faint flicker of Magic he had felt back in Hilshine, right in the instant that he, Rogue, Sting and Frea had been about to be killed by (what he knew now had been) Mordren's attacks. That same sort of Magic neither he nor his old teacher had any clue what it was, and it was there and gone so quickly trying to pick it apart was impossible.

But why it suddenly flared up out of nowhere and with no rhyme or reason as to why- that made him halt, his thoughts racing for a few moments and tense all at once.

What the hell...? What is that...? And why now...?

"Chase." Aisha's voice had his eyes moving up to meet hers, his heart jumping slightly to see she was as tense as he was- which meant she must have felt something so suddenly too. He shook his head slightly, running a hand over the back of his neck and eyes glittering.

"... you felt that too?" He murmured lowly, she blinked.

"... I felt something." She replied lowly, her eyes flicking to the side for a split second. "... I thought I saw someth... someone, too." Her head flicked in said direction a little, earning a curious blink from Chase as his attention moved that way.

"... I don't sense any Energy Signatures." He murmured quietly, though he looked no less thrilled with it. "... All I picked up on, just for a second there- was that same sort of Magic I told you saved us in Hilshine." Aisha blinked in slight surprise at the words, remembering instantly him telling her about it. "... but it's gone again, and I still have no clue what it is..."

That was never a comforting thing to hear an Energy Mage say, even to Aisha.

It was even less comforting to know it had been the same thing that had appeared so suddenly in Hilshine- seeing as how it had only ever reared its head in the middle of some danger- life threatening danger- to have it show up now made both of them tense. The last thing they needed was another danger, another crisis... no one in the Guild had the will to handle something so dark and so powerful right now.

"Do not fret."

Chase and Aisha went rigid, their eyes widening slightly as they both rounded on the sudden voice, and for Chase- the sudden Energy Signature that popped up out of nowhere behind them.

Jynx was standing in the center of the street not far behind them, expression neutral, her red gaze dull and looking tired- more tired than Chase could remember seeing her, but she wasn't tense- not a shred of fear or tenseness sparked from her at all, she was just calm. Utterly calm.

"Jynx..." Chase breathed, for a minute he was a little stunned to see her so suddenly. She hadn't been seen nor felt for the entirety of the two weeks since Mordren and Frea-

His eyes flashed, narrowed to slits as his attention immediately landed on the scores of dark, deep bruises and bite marks that ran along the bare skin of her arms and shoulders. There were dozens of them, long and sharp tearing through her skin and leaving it looking fractured, the marks looked ridiculously painful- though Jynx gave no indication of feeling them- and he didn't feel pain flicker from her either.

But where the hell did she get those? And why?

"That Magic you feel is nothing evil, nor is it appearing now as a precursor to some... crisis." Jynx murmured softly, shaking her head a little as both Aisha and Chase looked at her in question. "... it is nothing to worry over, not now."

"... you know what it is?" Aisha asked lowly,

"... hmm... yes, but I myself am still a bit behind on the details. So I apologize that I cannot explain further." Jynx replied, her eyes glinting slightly as her eyes fell. "... I also apologize for my absence as of late. I am sorry for what the Guild has been enduring the last few weeks... I have found it... hard, too." Jynx admitted quietly, catching both Chase and Aisha a bit off guard, before Chase sweatdropped- feeling that pain sharpen in his core.

He felt something else flash from that ghost girl in the next instant too, something cold and dark... some emotion he could only compare to something like shock and disbelief all at once, or maybe even disappointment... sadness too, though he wasn't quite sure that was all because of what had happened, it almost felt like something more.

Jynx let out a soft sigh, her eyes falling closed a moment as she seemed to try and collect herself.

"... do try not to worry anymore than you have." She murmured quietly, "... the times coming will be hard and difficult... but things will move on. Things will get better... slowly, maybe..."

That sounded much less reassuring than she had intended to be, and she dare not look up to see the fear flash across Chase's face at the words. Jynx knew what she meant though, and she felt dread still swirling there in her heart... she had no doubt Chase would soon understand what she did.

He was the only one outside of Frea herself who could possibly understand what had happened, and the threat that may come because of it.

"... I had it all wrong, the entire time... it took destruction to see it... And now I think, I hope... I will be right, just one last time."

Jynx sweatdropped slightly, her shoulders hunching a bit.

Wrong as it seemed to think it... Jynx hoped Mordren was right, just the once.

"... go to the Guild, and do not worry over that Magic." Jynx sighed slightly, her red eyes moving up to meet his. She flicked her head in the direction of the Guild.

"Go and see her." Jynx smiled slightly, "... things will move forward, I promise." For a moment her eyes flicked right and landed on Aisha, nodding slightly toward the silver-haired woman. Aisha quirked an eyebrow, her eyes narrowed and not sure why it was such a soft smile had made it's way onto the ghost's face as Jynx lay eyes on her, or even where all the worry and seriousness seemed to have gone.

"... perhaps you'll find what you hoped for as well."

---

Master had given up his silent vigil of sitting with Frea much more willingly than either Chase or Moon expected him to. They watched him trail out of that dim room, the day already coming to a close as they arrived at the Guild at near the same time. The Old Man left the room with a small nod and easy agreement, the blue eyes of both Energy Mage and Exceed alike glinting as they watched him go- unsure of why it seemed that hunched and rigid figure of the Old Man they had seen become so frequent the last few weeks, had suddenly just... gone.

They didn't really question it though, they were too tired and too stressed to even give it much thought.

Chase slumped down into that chair that Master had previously been inhabiting, as Moon lightly landed on the bed. Both of them blinked, looking a bit stunned as they lay dull, tired eyes on the familiar sight of a coat that seemed to have been left behind. Chase blinked, sweatdropping slightly as his eyes fell closed, Moon paused though, her eyes glittering in the dim.

She might have smiled, or been amused by the sight of it... but not just then. She simply felt her heart clench at the idea of it.

Aisha and Lily cast glances back into the room as they made their way out the door, their eyes lingering on those two they had been keeping such close eye on for the whole affair- before their eyes met one another, and they seemed to sigh in unison.

They didn't say near anything to one another, they simply fell into silence between them, the day drawing closed slowly as the hours ticked by- their minds waning and eyes getting harder to keep open the longer they stayed, until eventually- Chase's head was laying in his arms, crossed on the bedtop and fast asleep. Moon was curled up in the crook of the Energy Dragon Slayer's neck, both of their chests rising and falling in steady, slow breaths that were very much unlike what short, shallow breaths Frea was still taking in.

Aisha was asleep at the bar in the Main Hall that had grown quiet a few hours earlier, her head in her arms atop the counter, Lily leaning against her shoulder and paws crossed over his chest- just as deeply asleep as the Moonlight Mage was, his tail flicking slightly in his sleep. Both of them exhausted from their constant vigilance and worry, now all of it catching up to them as a lull seemed to enter their lives for a short while.

Mira, Lisanna and Levy smiled faintly as they glanced across the mostly empty hall toward the pair, the three woman casting glances between themselves, having stayed later than most everyone else. It was heartwarming, to see how much both of them cared about the two sitting in the Infirmary, but when reminded of how worried they were and why they were all so worried, that ache and pain flared a bit brighter in their hearts.

Mira twirled a finger in air before her, Magic flaring slightly as a blanket appeared in air over Aisha and Lily both, laying gently across their shoulders and hardly disturbing them at all. Lisanna dulled the lights in the Guild to a faint glow, Levy's eyes glittering slightly as she rubbed her hand against Lily's head affectionately, before all three girls quietly made their way out of the hall again for the night.

Mira cast a quick glance over her shoulder as she started to pull the front doors closed behind her, her blue eyes trailing up toward the second floor and what dim figure she could see sitting up there at one of the tables- leaning back in his chair and feet propped up on the table with his head bowed and arms crossed over his chest. She wasn't sure when he had made it back into the hall before she noticed him sitting there, but from the look of it, she figured he wouldn't be leaving again any time soon.

She let out a small breath, her attention fixing ahead again and smiling slightly, seeing Freed and Bixlow approach their small group, Bixlow waving a hand in their direction as Freed drew up beside her.

"We'll walk with you a ways, before heading home ourselves." Freed told them lightly,

"Yeah," Bixlow added lightly, nodding his head to Lisanna who smiled a bit at him, Levy looked amused and Mira smiled slightly.

"Thanks, you two." Mirajane said softly as she nodded her head toward Freed, he nodded in return.

"Of course."

The sound of the small group outside faded to nothing after a few moments, Laxus' eyes glinting slightly in the dim as he finally looked away altogether, his eyes falling closed and letting out a sigh- his chin falling to rest on his chest and his Magic Headphones playing his music still, though it was little more than a drone in his mind. His actual attention was focused on the floor below, to every little sound, though it was mostly quiet and calm now.

Master Makarov had seen him sitting there when the Old Man had made his way toward his office again, though he had said nothing at the sight of his grandson, and only kept walking. Laxus hardly noticed it though, and certainly didn't question it- after all, he had told the Old Geezer he'd be back, and it wasn't all that often even Laxus' went back on his word... and never for this.

He simply opted for silent lookout up here tonight, he needn't be downstairs, not with her cat and her brat with her.

He took in a long, low breath, leaning back slightly more in the chair.

It was almost like some quiet, calm lull suddenly settled down over the Guild that had been so grim and so serious and so deathly quiet for so, so long... it was almost peaceful.

But he figured that calm lull wasn't gonna last too long. There was a long ways ahead still, a long, difficult ways ahead.

---

"Dark God's Piercing Shot." Mordren smiled, snapping his fingers as Frea got to her feet again, a black Magic Circle appearing ahead of her as a single, powerful shot burst from it with a loud bang.

She tilted slightly, her arm sweeping out in front of her to try and ward it off, the blast went straight through her Magic as if it was paper.

Frea hit the ground, biting down hard on her tongue to stifle the yell of pure pain that she let out, the blast, however small it looked, ripping right through her right thigh. Her leg gave out instantly, blood spilling from the wound like a small fountain as one of her hands clapped down on it, immediately slick with blood.

"Teach!"

"Frea!"

"Shit!"

"Get up!"

"We gotta help her damn it!"

"Hold on!"

Their voices were getting hoarser, more course, more panicked, more fearful, it was painful to hear. To feel the sheer desperation on the air, the terror...

"Is this it for you, Malunafrey?" Mordren smiled, "Do you hear them? Feel their terror?"

Frea got up, her body shaking and her leg trembling violently, she could hardly put weight on it, and the blood she was losing made her feel dizzy. She gasped for air, the pain was blinding, but everyone's fear, that was worse. How hard they were struggling, how futile it was...

Mordren smirked, his Magic swarming past him and toward Frea in a wave, she held her arms before her, eyes closing as her Magic flared to life again.

"Energy Shield!" She snapped hoarsely, flinching at the harshness of the impact of his Magic against the shield, but she managed to block it, by the time his Magic passed the shield was crumbling,

Her eyes fixed to Mordren, who was holding his hand up toward her, shaped like a gun, his eyes cold as his lips twisted in a maniacal, cold, dark smile.

"Boom."

The world seemed to come to a grinding halt, all time passing by in moments that took ages. Frea's eyes widened, her mouth falling open as two sharp bursts of sound went off, her body jerking harshly as a scarlet spray engulfed the air around her. Everyone watched, their world's seeming to slow on that moment as they watched Frea jerk backward, scarlet splashing through the air behind her as one of Mordren's 'Dark God's Piercing Shot' ripped straight through her stomach. Their hearts stopped, tears pricking in their eyes and growing pale as a second Shot sent ripped straight through her back, all the way through the left side of her chest, and her blood splattered against the stone around her.

No one breathed, their struggle to break free suddenly waning as they slumped against the walls that held them back, their voices rising in screams of terror and despair, tears falling and all eyes fixed, not daring to look away. They were frozen, watching time stretch on forever as they watched Frea fall forward in agonizing slow motion, her face hidden and her form suddenly limp.

They couldn't breath, they just watched as everyone else did, all of them, every member of Fairy Tail, something shattered.

Chase felt his heart stop altogether, watching in horror as the world around him went silent, and he felt the air shift. He felt in that instant, right in his core as something so familiar, something he knew on instinct, and something that had always been there suddenly disappear. A piece of his world, something bright, snuffed out in an instant, and everything was icy, all warmth disappeared. The unmistakable feeling of an Energy Signature disappearing from the world altogether, just gone, forever.

"FREA!"

"N-NOOOO!"

---

Chase hissed, his teeth grinding down on each other and his heart beating madly in his chest- painfully so as his mind struggled to make sense of time and place and reality- as something warm and bright and faintly familiar worked its way though the horror and the pain of that memory bombarding his thoughts so violently. He felt someone's hand rubbing against the top of his head lightly, trying to wake him up and pull him from the dream as gently as they could.

He let out a low breath, rubbing his eyes a little and trying to shake of the haze and calm down, squinting slightly as his eyes cracked open- the room was painfully bright, the sun shining through as the clouds seemed to have cleared away almost completely, morning setting in slowly and the light glittering off the wet that still clung to the streets and the buildings.

He took in another breath, the hand still atop his head as he rubbed his face some more, shaking off the terror as best he could, and what exhaustion rammed into him in its quake- destroying what rest sleeping should have brought him and yet didn't.

"...mm... Sorry.. Aisha... I didn't mean to stay.. All night..." He mumbled drowsily, yawning halfway through despite himself. He had to try hard not wince as a flash of pain raced through his side.

"Heh... No worries... though sorry to disappoint... I'm not your girlfriend." Was the easy, quiet reply. Chase stiffened, his eyes slowly trailing up, focusing on the owner of that voice and realizing the familiarity of the Energy Signature that was suddenly bright and strong was not because it was the MoonLight Mages.

At some point in the middle of the night Moon had shifted from being curled up in the crook of Frea's neck to laying at the end of the bed in a ball (she had done this because it had become extremely uncomfortable laying so close to the Energy Dragon Slayer due to what heat radiated from her with the fever), Chase could see Moon from the corner of his eye though he was mostly focused on one thing- one person, those silver eyes settled on him and a small, slightly amused smile gracing her lips as he remained stunned.

"Morning... Kid." She smiled, her voice light. Her hand fell away from the top of his head, resting lightly across her stomach. She winced slightly, a sharper flash of pain rolling off of her from the incessant waves of pain he had felt never cease once from her since it all happened, enough pain it gave him a headache and he hated how endless and strong it was when he felt it throbbing off of her- but in that instant he just couldn't be bothered by it.

"T-Teach..." He stammered breathlessly, he felt himself shaking now and he didn't care about that either- or even the small tears that sprung up at the corners of his eyes.

Frea blinked, her smile softening slightly at him when she noticed the tears.

The Kid too, huh..?

"Teach...!" He breathed, he was on his feet in an instant, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her neck and shoulders- lightly so he wouldn't jostle her too much, but the relief that rammed into her from him was enough to have dulled any pain that came with the contact. He held her like that for a few long moments, like he didn't dare let go lest she slip away from him again- or worse, he woke himself up from the dream this seemed to be.

Frea let her nose fall into the crook of his neck, letting out a low breath and hating that she couldn't return the gesture- but the very idea of lifting her arms up enough to hold him was painful, she didn't have the energy to try even if she were willing to ignore the pain.

"... you... you ass!" He snapped, pulling away slightly as a sudden soft glare passed his face. His hands fell away from her, his blue gaze glinting in annoyance and relief all at once as she blinked at him, a little groggy still and not sure what brought on the sudden change. "How could you do all of that?! You stupid, stupid idiot! How could you even think about keeping an eye on me while Mordren was beating the crap out of you?! How could you even spend any inch of Magic to get me out of the way instead of worrying over yourself?!" He snapped lowly, Frea sweatdropped slightly, realizing immediately he was talking about how she had thrown him out of the way of Mordren's 'Etherion Cannon' Spell and taken the full brunt herself.

"Why can't you ever just worry about yourself instead of everyone else?! Especially against something like, especially against Mordren! Damn it Teach, he kil-!"

Chase's angry words died instantly on his lips, Frea flinched slightly at the flash of pain and fear that sparked from him so suddenly. His eyes fell away from her, he sank back down into the chair as he grimaced at the floor,

"... he... I felt you die, Teach..." His words were so low and shaking so badly Frea frowned a bit. His eyes snapped shut, his jaw clenching as his shoulders hunched at the thought of it. "... your Energy Signature... it disappeared... I thought... I thought you'd never... damn it... I thought you were gone... forever..."

Frea frowned, biting the inside of her cheek as her eyes fell to those tears that dropped into his lap.

"... even when you... you came back... I could just... I've just been watching you... you die again... for weeks..." He hissed softly, Frea's eyes fell closed a moment. "... shit... and I couldn't... d.. do anything..."

"Shut up kid." Frea told him quietly, cutting him off and he blinked.

"But-"

He broke off when Frea suddenly took a step forward and pulled him toward her quickly, her arms wrapping around his neck and she placed her chin over his shoulder. He froze, unable to process the sudden action, Frea never hugged people... At least not as far as he knew.

Everyone else was rather shocked at the action as well, and they just stared with wide-eyes. Frea's eyes remained closed as she tightened her grip around him,

"Don't you ever, scare me like that again..." She told him quietly, low enough only he heard. His eyes widened more when she spoke, before he let his eyes close too.

So she had felt it... She had felt him die...

Somewhere on the inside he had known she would, though he sort of wished she hadn't. He could only imagine what it felt like to have someone you know die, especially if you were an Energy Mage.

She honestly had never wanted him to go through that, not with her... it had been bad enough when she felt his Energy Signature snuff out, and she could only imagine what it had been like with the roles reversed. Especially so since he would have been able to feel her Energy Signature fading away over the weeks, and that in itself must have been awful for him, more so than everyone else.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt the sharp flash of pain prickle from him, hearing him wince as he cringed a bit, his hand instinctively moving to hold his side.

"... Kid." Frea breathed, her hand moving forward to land on the arm he still had atop the bed. "... take a breath, calm down... " She murmured gently, her eyes glinting as she bit the inside of her cheek again. She hated that, he was still hurt... Mordren had hurt him and he was still feeling it. And to add on top of the physical pain, what she..?

"... I'm sorry... I wasn't trying to... make you feel all that, live that... I never wanted you to, and... I am sorry."

Chase went rigid, his eyes snapped on to her hand resting on his arm, feeling her stiffen slightly, hearing her voice catch slightly toward the end, pained... guilty, almost.

Teach...

"... you don't have... to forgive me for that... but I promise, I'm not going anywhere... so try and relax a little, kay..?" She said softly, painfully almost as his eyes moved back up toward her.

She was the one half-dead and hardly able to breathe, and still she wasn't trying to comfort him...

"... I really am sorry, Kid... I didn't mean to make you Feel... Like that..." She winced slightly, her eyes casting away from him and her hold on his arm tightening slightly- earning a small silent wince from him, as it was the arm that was still a bit sore from everything that had happened. But Frea didn't even seem to notice, she was too wrapped up in her own pain in that next instant.

She bit the inside of her cheek, letting out a small, slightly shaky breath as she tried to force what agony flared in her core to die down a bit more- of course it didn't, and she was so focused on trying not to hiss she missed the concerned look Chase settled on her, or even how hard her grip on his arm had grown subconsciously.

This wasn't the same incessant ache he had felt from her for weeks, this was sharper, colder... agony that rammed into him as it seemed to hit her in seconds- that same pain he had felt from her when they had pressed their palms together, prepared to use their Magic in tandem against Mordren... and it failed. That pain that brought on that dark, cold feel that had consumed her very person. That pain that had flared before she suddenly went dark, evil... something he didn't recognize.

That pain faded, slightly, throbbing more as her grip on his arm loosened a bit, he felt her shaking as she tried to steady her suddenly harsh breathing, looking quite a bit more pale than she had moments before- and more exhausted too.

"... Teach." He murmured, eyes glittering slightly. ".. hey, you ok?"

"...nnn... y.. yeah.." Frea grumbled lowly, "... it's passed... I'm... go...od now..."

"... that shouldn't... why...?" He pressed lowly, "... it's just like back with Mordren..." He stiffened, seeing the look on her face, and knowing immediately that she knew it was. "... why is that happening again...? That's not anything normal, Teach..."

"... I know." She replied quietly, shaking her head slightly. Her eyes dropped halfway, looking about ready to pass out again though she kept herself awake still. "... It's... I'm just gonna have to... live with it." Chase blinked, looking less than pleased with the answer. "... it's not gonna stop... I'll just... deal..."

"... come on, you don't mean...?" He grumbled, his thoughts whirling and trying to come to an appropriate answer, where only one reared it's head- and she smiled, weakly, a smile so small and filled with sadness for a few seconds- his heart jumped.

He swore he felt fear flash from her in the next instant. Fear.

She nodded, just barely, like she knew exactly what answer he'd reached and she... she confirmed it.

"...b.. but Teach..." He stammered, she shook her head at him this time, stopping him.

It was no surprise he understood it immediately, what it was... What it could lead to. He was the only one outside of Jynx who would get it, she knew that... She just wished maybe he didn't.

"Leave it for now, Kid... just leave it." She murmured softly, "... I honestly... just... don't have the Energy..." She sighed, stiffening as she stifled a cough. He flinched slightly, eyes flashing as her hand moved away from him, covering her mouth as she did her best not to fall into another coughing fit- and failed at doing so.

Her body tensed up at the pain that coughing brought with it, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath again once it passed after a few moments, her hand falling away from her mouth slightly as she drew the back of her hand across her chin, smearing the thin trail of blood slightly- long enough he could see it and the flecks of it spattered across the inside of her hand- before she got rid of the evidence of it. Her fist clenched, her other hand falling across her chest lightly as she winced harshly, panting and eyes closed as she worked to calm down.

Damn it...

"Shit, Teach..." Chase grumbled lowly, all thought on pressing the matter was derailed and he found himself with a slightly pounding heart, a bead of sweat running down his face as he flinched a bit at the pain that flared from her, and the tiredness too. The coughing had his nerves raising to a high that rammed into him hard enough to leave him breathless. "... hey... you alright...?"

"...mmhmmm..." She hummed hoarsely, he swallowed a little at the less than convincing answer. For a moment he debated on leaving to get Porlyusica, before her head tilted slightly, casting a weary smile toward him that was considerably less reassuring than she had intended it to be,

Chase let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair as his head tilted back too. That knot in his stomach didn't go away, and just worked itself tighter.

"... damn it... " He grumbled, running his hands through his hair. "... just... take it easy, alright, Teach...?"

"...y...yeah..." Was the soft, slightly shaky answer, "... sorry..."

He blinked, his eyes stuck to the ceiling for a moment before his attention slowly moved back toward her, sweatdropping slightly.

"... quit with that." He murmured, she blinked at him. "... Apologizing. It's not like you... And honestly I just care more about the fact you're alive, than anything... Even you worrying me so much, or anything else... Just.." he shook his head a little, "... Just... let me be happy you aren't... dead... and let me be pissed at you for your stupidity, and how reckless you are."

"... you can be... angry, that's fine." Frea smiled lightly, he blinked at her. "... I mean I know you're happy, Kid." He stiffened a little at that, "... I know you're hurt too, and worried... and I get why... I'm glad you made it out though, and everyone else too... Regardless of my 'stupidity'." Her smiled faded slightly, "I did what I did to... protect everyone... and everything I care about... so I'm not apologizing for what I did, or how I did it... I'd do it all over if it meant saving any one of you... I'm just sorry I made all of you feel so..." she trailed off a minute,

Chase sweatdropped, he knew what she was focused on so suddenly- that same thing he had forced himself to block out because it had become so unbearable for him.

The air around and in the building was thick with it, too much sickening, dark suffocating Negative Energy he had barely been able to think let alone breath. The combined feeling and swirl of pain and sadness and fear and worry, from a collection of people who had fallen in on themselves in their endless waiting. It had become so bad he had to block his senses off, and what little he let through now to be able to feel Frea's emotions- was more than enough to set him very well on edge.

For Frea though? She was in enough pain all on her own, and exhausted to boot- and she was always more sensitive than he was. He couldn't imagine what it all felt like for her, and he swallowed slightly at the thought.

"... I hate that... All of you feeling like this..." She mumbled,

It was the worst thing, it always had been for her.

"... Well you need to get better, if you want the Negative Energy to clear up." He grumbled, she blinked. "... You gotta heal Teach, the Guild and everyone else need to know you'll be OK. It's been the not knowing, the fear that you were gonna... That's what's made it this bad. Focus on getting healed up, the Guild's gonna be much happier knowing they won't be losing you, Teach, and it'll get better the more you do."

She blinked at him, her face falling neutral as she just stared. He just looked right back, he meant what he said and he needed her to know it- she should have already known it, but the sudden silence gave him pause.

There was something... Subdued, about her. Like the smiling and the mirth she had attempted was a little forced, but he wasn't sure why that would be. Maybe it seemed that way because of the pain, or the sickness, and she really hadn't the energy to seem content.

But it was different... Like there was something more than just a physical reason.

He blinked, eyes widening slightly in surprise when she smiled softly, letting out a low, slightly amused breath.

"... Heh... You're the third person... to tell me something... like that." She mused, he tilted his head, eyebrow quirked at the rather odd comment- did she mean she had talked to someone else other than him before now? But wouldn't that mean she'd been awake before now? No one said anything of the sort.

"... Then why haven't you started listening by now?" He asked lowly, deciding it best not to question it at the moment.

"...hmm... I actually did listen... A little...and... The first time, too..." Was the soft answer, her eyes having fallen away from him for a moment as her thoughts seemed to wander. "... you'll have to... give me a break though, Kid... I'm not trying to be a pain... in the ass... promise... It's just a bit hard right now, to even just... think straight."

Chase blinked, sweatdropping a little.

What the hell does she...?

Frea didn't give him any time to wonder on it or even ask, she shifted, wincing a bit as she held her stomach lightly, smiling in tired amusement toward the end of the bed as her eyes landed on Moon- still ever the heavy sleeper.

With Mordren's life... And everything else I remember about my own... Damn it, I'm not sure how well I'm gonna be able to put myself back together now...

... If I even can put myself back together, that is... I was always broken... Now the pieces have just been thrown in every which way... Shit.

"... Hmm... Still asleep even though we've been... chatting away." She sighed, Chase blinked, watching her for a few moments- wondering why it seemed she changed the subject so quickly... He just gave into it though.

Frea wasn't about to let anyone see how much it hurt, how scared she was, unsure. Reserved and secretive as ever, but she didn't like weakness, and they had all been worried enough. She didn't want them to know, if they did...

She sweatdropped slightly, her eyes falling halfway, she felt her heart flutter slightly.

... He already saw though... And maybe...

Some soft, sad smile made it's way into her lips for a few moments, something warm sparking in her chest suddenly, something foreign, something odd... Something pleasant, and something that made her a bit nervous all at once.

... What awful timing... And what an idiot... What am I supposed to do in reply to any of that, huh...?

"... She's definitely out of it." Chase relented, breaking into her thoughts easily. He rubbed the back of his neck, casting her a small glance. "... Want me to wake her up, Teach?"

Honestly Frea looked about ready to pass out again, her chest was rising and falling in slightly shallow breaths, he could see the pain in every inch of her face and her body- even if he hadn't been able to physically feel it. He almost hesitated in offering to wake Moon up, but he could tell she was determined to stay awake for now- regardless how exhausted and how hurt she was.

Frea nodded slightly, "... That is, if you can... Moon can be pretty... stubborn about waking up." She replied lightly, Chase smiled a bit at that.

Chase leaned over, his hand falling lightly between Moon's ears as he gently shook her awake, attempting to pull her from sleep in a similar manner that Frea had pulled him from the nightmare.

"Moon,"

The Exceed grumbled under her breath, her ears flicking and tail twitching sleepily in the only response he received.

"Moon, wake up." He said a bit more firmly, Moon's paw rose up to bat his hand away, though her eyes remained closed.

"... A bit longer... Li...ly..." Was the mumbled reply, Frea smirked and Chase stiffened slightly- memory of his own response to being woken up suddenly invading his thoughts.

"...mm... Sorry.. Aisha... I didn't mean to stay.. All night..." He mumbled drowsily, yawning halfway through despite himself. He had to try hard not wince as a flash of pain raced through his side.

"Heh... No worries... though sorry to disappoint... I'm not your girlfriend."

Teach... She called Aisha my...

He blushed slightly, despite himself. He was a bit glad his face was turned away from his Old Mentor, but knowing her she picked up on his shock and nervousness easily.

...why... Why would she even say that...?

He shook himself slightly, banishing the thoughts and remaining persistent in trying to rouse the Exceed who rolled over and turned her back on him in the next instant.

"Seriously Moon." He grumbled,

"..mmmm... Damn... It... What?" Was the slightly irritated reply, he drew his hand away, letting out a sigh- before both he and Frea stiffened, feeling the panic and the fear flash from Moon in the next instant.

"S-shit, did something-?!" Moon sat up straight, whirling around to look their way and blue eyes wide- her groggy thoughts having immediately made sense it wasn't Lily to wake her up, and then the worst case scenario popped into her head- thinking that maybe something had gone wrong with her Partner-

Moon froze, blue eyes wide and riveted as she lay eyes on the Energy Dragon Slayer, who wearily lift her hand a few inches off the bedtop in a small wave, a tired smile gracing her lips.

"Hey, Moon." Frea murmured softly,

"F-Frea!"

Moon had jumped forward before either Frea or Chase wrapped their heads around what she was doing- a wide, relieved smile on her face and eyes streaming in tears. She sprouted wings to clear the distance between them, hovering over the Energy Dragon Slayer as her paws wrapped lightly around her neck,

"..y-you're awake!" Moon sighed happily, holding the hug a few moments longer before she backed up, still smiling as Frea offered a small smile back. "Are you OK? How do you feel?" Moon's paw landed on top of Frea's forehead lightly, her excitement rising due to adrenaline as she asked the questions quickly. "... Your fever's gone down, thank goodness..." She sighed, another wave of relief ramming into Frea, who just smiled softly at her Partner- the tears made her heart clench, but they were happy tears.

"... I'm alright." Frea replied, a lie- well, sort of a lie. Moon knew she wasn't alright and Chase knew it too, but for now she was content and that was enough.

"... I'm so happy you're awake, Frea." Moon murmured, her voice dropping slightly as the tears fell a bit more. "... We've been so worried, I thought I was going to lose you.. Again..."

"... No worries, Moon... I'm not going... anywhere." Frea replied gently, her eyes flashing as Moon smiled a little at the answer. Chase let out a silent sigh, sitting back in his chair again and arms crossing over his chest.

"... I'm glad." Moon murmured softly, smiling still. Moon landed lightly on the edge of the bed, her eyes flashed, her attention moving from Frea toward the bandages and the stain of crimson spreading through,

...no, not alright. She could still tell Frea was in a lot of pain though she seemed to be trying to hide it, and she figured that Frea probably couldn't really move either. She seemed to be trying hard to stay focused, she would probably do better just to go to sleep again... But both Moon and Chase figured she wasn't gonna give into that so easy.

They'd relent, for a little while anyway. The last thing they needed was for her to push herself too hard- so for awhile they simply sat in content murmuring with one another, small things, nothing substantial- and nothing about that insane amount of Power Frea seemed to have amassed that day. In fact they didn't mention Mordren or anything that had happened with him, or because of him at all. And in reality Chase and Moon kept the conversation going more than Frea tried to, it was hard enough to breath evenly and talking was a chore.

"... So you've been staying... with Lily, Moon?" Frea murmured after awhile of talking, the minutes passing easily to ten or fifteen or so. Moon blinked at the question.

"... Yes, how did you know?" Moon murmured, glancing toward Chase in small question- wondering if maybe he had mentioned it, but the young man shrugged, shaking his head. Her eyes moved back to Frea, who let out a small, slightly amused sigh.

"... I can smell him... all over you." Frea replied softly, "Your scents have mixed together a bit... so I can tell you've been spending... a lot of time with him." Moon and Chase blinked,

... I'll have to remember later to thank Lily for looking after her for me...

"... So... mixed scents mean people have been around one another, and staying together?" Chase murmured, his head tilted a bit.

"... yeah, for the most part... It's a pretty good indicator..." Frea hummed.

That among other things- usually scents stayed fairly separate, but when people spent a large amount of time in one another's company, their scents stopped being separate, and mixed to the point they almost made an entirely new scent in itself.

It was the same sort of thing that happened when she was around Natsu and Happy, their scents had meddled so long ago they were pretty much the same, but having been around them so long Frea could pick out the subtle differences... Just like how Natsu and Lucy's scents had mixed to the point the new scent was something like smoked strawberries, sweet and subtle at the same time. Or how Lily and Gajeel's scents had become something like iron and kiwi mixed- an odd combo, and less odd than the scent of metal and paper she got when she was around the Iron Dragon Slayer and Levy.

But at the minute she couldn't smell the tang of metal on Moon, so she figured maybe Gajeel hadn't been around either Lily or Moon for awhile. To be honest she couldn't catch his scent even right now, like he hadn't been near the hall in a long while... But maybe the rain had washed it away.

... Odd... I swear... He's all the way out there... But why?

She banished the thoughts for a little, either way she usually didn't rely on scent more than sensing Energy, so while she noticed she hardly thought on it... But it was a curious thing when it happened, and it often revealed a little more than feeling actual emotions.

"... Which means... You've known Aisha and I have been living in the same apartment for a long while now." Chase mumbled lowly, his eyes narrowed at her- it was less a question than a confirmation- he already knew the answer, though it surprised him faintly Frea had never brought it up.

Moon's ears flicked in slight surprise, her eyes widening a little.

"... You do?" Moon echoed lowly, Chase nodded. "Since when?"

"... Since pretty soon after she joined the Guild." He replied, Moon looked surprised still.

"You never mentioned that." Moon murmured, smirking slightly. "Any reason why?" He bit the inside of his cheek, eyes narrowed and sweatdropping- he didn't like that look she was giving him... It was a bit cheeky.

"It never came up."

"Mhm." Moon smirked,

They both glanced Frea's way when she let out a low sigh, shaking her head slightly.

"... Give the poor Kid a break, Moon..." She sighed slightly,

"Not a Kid, Teach." He answered on instinct,

"... Mmm, I guess not." She smiled, catching him off guard. "But I'll keep calling you that... anyway." He huffed a little at the reply,

Chase smelled like water when she first met him, but it had been a long time since it was just that... Now he always smelled like rain on a chill night. And she knew precisely why, she always had... And she let it be.

Her eyes dropped for a minute, her attention fading from the both of the people in the room with her and outside, slowly, her attention casting around, through the mess of color in her head, the emotion, the energy of the land and the town and its people.

She wasn't looking for anything in particular really, her focus shifted without even really meaning to. Everything just hummed, flooding in easier than it ever had... From farther than it ever had.

... He's been sitting up there all night...

"Hmm." She hummed lightly, her eyes opening as she smiled at the both of them a little. "... You two probably oughtta go home..." she murmured, they blinked at her in slight surprise. "... Porlyusica's on her way over... and you two could probably use some more sleep- at home... in an actual bed." She smiled wearily, "I'll be fine for awhile... so don't worry." Chase paused slightly, sweatdropping a moment.

"... How do you know Porlyusica's on her way?" He murmured,

"... Well, judging by how far... her house is from the Guild... and where I can feel her Energy Signature... I'd say she just left... And is on her way over... since her Energy Signature is getting... closer..." Frea replied easily, shaking her a head a bit as if to clear it of the haze of tiredness slowly getting thicker over her head. She shrugged wearily, barely managing to stifle the wince that came with the movement.

"...you can't be using Magic right now." Moon mumbled,

"...I'm not." Frea sighed, both Moon and Chase looked astounded at that. "...I'm not even really concentrating on it either... I can just tell."

"... the East Forest is nowhere near the Guild, Teach." Chase murmured, "... I'd have to use Energy Sense to pick up Granny's Energy from here... And you're telling me you're just feeling her with your regular senses?"

"...yep... It's a bit... Annoying... But..." She yawned slightly, her eyes falling closed. "... With what happened... With my Magic... We knew my senses had gotten stronger, and after Mordren.. And what I did... With... I can feel a lot more than I used to... And further away without really... trying." She sighed again, her eyes glinting as she cast him a small, weary look. "... I'm just gonna have to get used to it... No changing it now."

Chase stiffened at that, sweatdropping a little as he bit the inside of his cheek.

"... You sure you're ok?" Moon pressed gently, "... Being able to feel all of that has to be tiring, not just annoying." Chase sweatdropped slightly,

More than that really, having her senses heightened to that extreme would have made the Negative Energy hanging over the Guild that much more unbearable. But if it was bothering her, his Old Mentor certainly didn't let it show.

Frea nodded a bit, eyes half-way closed as she lift a hand to rub the top of Moon's head affectionately.

"Yeah I'm sure." She murmured, "... Seriously you two, I'll be OK... I can last a while on my own." Moon and Chase blinked, looking unsure for a few moments more. It was faintly surprising that Frea had been the one to call their time together to a halt, but maybe that just went to show how tired she was... and hell if they were going to argue.

"... Fine," Chase sighed, getting to his feet and stifling the wince he nearly let slip when a flash of pain rain through his side again. Moon got to her paws too, smiling slightly as she nodded in Frea's direction. "... Don't you dare go doing anything stupid, Teach."

"Yes, please don't push yourself." Moon added in, Frea smiled slightly.

Even with no one in the actual room with her, she knew better than to think no one was paying attention- and she knew she'd get quite the firm talking to if she did try anything... And it wasn't like she had the energy to do anything, she was hardly staying awake, and the idea of moving wasn't a pleasant one.

Besides... Last thing I want to do is give anyone any more reason to worry over me... I don't think I can take that. Not right now.

"... Wouldn't dream of it."

---

Aisha grumbled under her breath, her mind moving sluggishly away from a dream filled with grim and sunken faces. A home with dim lights and darker hearts, a collection of broken hearts and grief filled souls.

She hated that dream, she always had, and she banished it as quickly as her attention focused on the waking world.

She lift her head from her arms slowly, her fingers running through her bangs and pulling the silver tendrils back out of the way- her arms and back were stiff and sore from the rather awkward position she had found herself sleeping in... All through the night, apparently.

She blinked, her immediate attention on the fact that the Guild was illuminated in early morning light, the sound of people filtering in ever so slowly was only the second thing she focused on next.

Her purple gaze rose to match with the emerald one of Solana, who was seated on the other side of the bar from her, looking tired and quiet as she remained motionless- her cheek in her hand and arm crossed on the counter before her.

"... Morning, Aisha." Solana murmured softly, Aisha blinked at it. "... You been here all night?"

"... Yes." Aisha murmured lowly, "... Though that wasn't originally the intent." Aisha glanced to the side, aware of Levy and Lily at the end of the bar with Lucy in tow- talking lowly amongst themselves. "... When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago." Solana replied easily, "... You here with Chase then?" Aisha's eyes cast toward the hallway behind the var a ways, nodding slightly in response. She missed the look of pain and sadness that crossed her sister's face just then.

"... Any word on...?" Solana murmured quietly, this fine Aisha heard it- the pain, the fear- and in Solana no less. It wasn't a common occurrence to see Solana scared or worried over much anything, but it had been clear from the beginning this had hit her just as hard as it had hit everyone else.

"...no." Was the low reply, Solana sweatdropped, her face falling a little as her shoulders hunched slightly.

"... Damn it..."

For a little while silence fell between them, Aisha's thoughts moving away from her sister and toward the very thing that had been bothering her since she felt it.. though she had kept it to herself. She cast a small, fleeting look at Solana, before looking away again with a silent sigh.

"... A night ago." Aisha murmured, her gaze still fixed to that hallway as she rest her chin in her hand, eyes narrowed. Solana glanced up slowly, her head tilted a bit. "... I thought... I thought maybe I had felt something. Well... Not just something. I swore I felt the Connection just... Fail." Solana stiffened, her green gaze glinting. "At first I thought it was my imagination... but Chase felt something too, though I convinced him it was a nightmare... I don't think it was. It felt too real. It felt like she had..."

"... Y... You felt it too...?" Solana whispered, Aisha blinked, her eyes moving sideways toward her sister. "... I swore I felt the Connection give out too, I felt it break, I jumped straight through my Gate and scared Lucy half to death when I woke her up." Solana hissed lowly, "I didn't even... I don't get it, but it was like the minute I passed through my Gate it was like... I don't know, everything slowed down and stopped. I felt like everything moved backward around me.. And when I got here it was like it had never happened, it felt like I imagined the whole thing." Her eyes flashed, seeing the tenseness appear in Aisha's face at the description. "... You felt something like that too, didn't you?"

"... Yes, something like that." Aisha replied lowly,

It was some uneasy feeling, like the ground spinning under her feet in nauseating quickness, a sudden chill that ran through her core, emptiness like that day... The connection had broken, for a few split seconds, before everything seemed to slow- and then her attention snapped back to him, as he jumped up from the uncomfortable sleep had had been in the last few hours, his head in her lap and unable to fall asleep herself.

"... But I can't begin to tell you what it was." Aisha grumbled lowly, she was less than pleased she hadn't any explanation for it. Solana seemed no more happy with the answer either, and just tensed a bit more.

And for a brief moment Aisha's mind wandered to that feeling of being watched when she and Chase had been coming to the Guild Hall... and Jynx's cryptic words.

They didn't get any time to talk about it further, not before Aisha's attention had landed on the figures making their way slowly down from the hall. Those at the end of the bar and several others of the few in the Building looked up to, their eyes fixed as Chase and Moon moved down the hallway slowly, looking tired and weary.

Chase took a heavy seat beside Aisha, while Moon landed lightly on the counter- she looked just about as tired as he did and everyone stiffened at it.

It was like all their tenseness had faded suddenly and left them all the more worn, what little resistance their worry and fear had awarded them to exhaustion was gone now, and honestly both Moon and Chase felt like they could sleep for a week.

Chase sweatdropped at that though, wondering for a minute if maybe Frea had sensed their tiredness long before and that has been the reason she chased them off so suddenly... He wouldn't be surprised if that had been her reason.

"You ok?" Aisha asked quietly, Chase let out a small sigh, running a hand along the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I'm good... I just feel drained now more than anything." Moon nodded her head in quiet agreement, her ears flicking sideways as she noticed Lily, Lucy and Levy approach.

"Is something wrong?" Solana intoned lowly, her eyes flashing at how worn out both he and Moon seemed to be so suddenly, she felt her heart speed up a bit.

"No, nothing's wrong." Moon assured lightly, a small smile crossing her face for a moment. "... Frea woke up, actually."

That small string of words had everyone in ear shot growing rigid, eyes wide and hearts jumping in their chests as they stared- hardly able to fathom the information, and unsure if they should even hope it was was what she said- and they hadn't just misheard her.

"W-what...?!" Lucy, Levy, Solana and Lily stammered. Aisha simply blinked, her eyes landing on Chase who let out a barely audible sigh beside her.

"She did?" Lily pressed, he looked nearly speechless. Moon nodded, still smiling softly.

"Yeah, she's still hurting, and she's pretty exhausted... But she did wake up." Moon replied, "Though I think she went back to sleep now... she seemed to be trying pretty hard to just stay awake at all."

"...b...but that's great...!" Lucy breathed, eyes glinting as she smiled.

"The fact she woke up at all is such a good sign, right?" Levy smiled, looking just as relieved as everyone else did. Solana's hand fell lightly on her chest as she took in a steadying breath,

"... Tell me about it..." The redhead mumbled quietly, she smiled a little though.

"That's great news." Lily smiled faintly, nodding toward Moon who nodded back.

"Mhm, I think it is a pretty good sign... but healing all the way is gonna take a long while, though." Moon murmured,

"... A long... Long while..." Chase murmured under his breath, low enough only Aisha heard him say it.

"... I feel so relieved." Lucy sighed,looking a little wary but a little happier too. "... even if with how hurt she is.. waking up at all has to be a good thing. I feel so much better, even with something so simple."

"Me too... I wonder what Porlyusica and Master will say when they find out." Levy smiled slightly, "I'm sure Master will be very glad.." Her eyes cast toward the mostly empty hall, "... Everybody else too."

"... I guess that means you'll be repealing the Druhma?" Chase asked quietly, Aisha glanced his way a moment, her expression neutral and searching.

She was fairly certain there was something else that Chase didn't mention, he seemed much less thrilled than Moon did, subdued almost... Like there was something more that the Exceed didn't know about.

He smiled slightly at her though, his gaze soft as she let out a small huff.

"... Now I'm gonna have to deal with all the Council's crap." She grumbled, shaking her head a bit. "... I hate political bullshit... And now I don't have a choice but to go head to head with them." Chase smiled slightly at what faint annoyance sparked from her- but there was relief there too, though he was sure she didn't want him to know that.

"... To spare myself the headache, I'll wait a few more days... It's probably better not to jump to any conclusions right away, especially before Porlyusica confirms her health is getting better." Aisha mumbled lowly, the words earning slightly nervous glances from everyone else. She had a point though, Porlyusica had to confirm Frea was starting to heal, before they could feel totally at ease. And it likely wouldn't do to get to excited too soon either, lest thing's backfire.

So despite feeling that small spark of excitement well in their hearts, they had to quell it as best they could. And hope too, that Porlyusica would affirm Frea would pull through after all.

"... I'll inform them a little while after, once Porlyusica has had a say on the matter... Though I'm sure once everyone hears about it, the Council will hear soon too." Aisha mumbled,

"... Thanks, Aisha." Chase smiled slightly, she let out a huff at that. "... Or should I say thanks, Lady Celene?"

Chase winced, smiling still as Aisha's hand smacked him rather roughly across the shoulder just then.

"Not a chance." Aisha replied hotly, he chuckled a bit.

But he did appreciate it, and he could only imagine the work she had ahead of her... Knowing Aisha she'd be at the forefront keeping the Council and their investigation at bay even once the Druhma was officially called off. He had seen her collecting information and documents together over the last few weeks in anticipation for the interrogation the Guild was sure to get, and he imagined she had been feeding information through Back-Channels to keep the Council satisfied when he wasn't looking.

With what happened and on what a colossal scale it had been, they hadn't seen the last of the Council- he'd known that the entire time, but he still frowned a little at the thought.

He wished she wouldn't have to deal with it, but honestly he appreciated it. The rest of the Guild may not realize it, but he had a long time ago- in her own way, Aisha was a very kind and loyal person and he knew she had come to care for the Guild more than even she thought she would at first. She was loyal and she was oh so royally stubborn... so regardless of the headache, he knew she wouldn't back down from the Council, not on anything.

"You two are adorable."

Aisha and Chase alike stiffened, their eyes landing on the smirking figures of Lucy and Solana. Aisha scowled slightly while Chase just smiled a bit, shaking his head at the two of them.

"You should just get a room." Solana smirked, Chase saw Moon smile wickedly his way from the corner of his eye at that comment. He sweatdropped a little, hoping she'd have the good sense not to mention anything.

"Shut it." Aisha's sharp reply turned his thoughts from Moon, who chuckled under her breath- earning a curious glance from Lily.

Solana shook her head a bit, casting Chase a sly smirk as he blinked.

... Solana is a Dragon Slayer... Wouldn't that mean she can tell our scents have...?

Solana tapped her finger to her lips in a gesture of a secret, smirking slyly still as he felt his face heat up at it.

---

Hello everyone! Here we are with a super quick update, two chapters in two days! WOOT! (Enjoy it cause it will be awhile before I update again, I gotta write stuff for all my other Fanfics first! I just had to post this Chapter cause I wanted to get through Master's scene, and Moon and Chase too~ )

I had it mentioned that all of the Chapters have been super feelsy and when the next upbeat/lighthearted, and regret to say that isn't gonna be a thing till... looks like Chapter 10!

So sorry in advance for all the hurt and grim and stuff, lol

I also had someone ask about the Energy Magic book! Needless to say, though I have mentioned nothing of it so far, I will certainly be touching that subject in later chapters!

But thank you so so much for all the love and feedback! I love hearing from every single one of you guys, it makes my day! And thank you all for continuing to read!

Please Follow, Fav and Review if you can! Thanks!