Don't really have anything to say today except...

Enjoy!

Six years after the Kronos incident

"Run! They're here!"

BOOM!

"Where are they?! I can't...!"

BOOM!

Elise whacked another one of the peons over the head and watched him fall. Sighing, she turned and watched as more people tried to get away from her, only to be thrown to the side by shadows.

"This is so tiring..." She hissed as she heard another man run at her from behind. She turned and slammed a cub into his midsection, hearing a satisfying crack. She leaned down and got in the face of the one who'd attacked her.

"W-Why are you here?" He asked her. "What do you want?"

"Kronos." She answered. "Where is he? Do you know?"

"K-Kronos? W-Who is...?"

CRACK!

Elise slammed her club into the mans leg, and he cried out as it cracked and broke.

"I don't have time for your bullshit." She hissed. "I've spent the majority of five years hunting this asshole, and he's lead me here. Where. Is. He?"

"I-I don't...!"

CRACK!

"Man not having working limbs must suck, dude." Elise said as the man started to cry. She felt no sympathy for him, he worked for Kronos. Anyone who worked for Kronos was, by extension, responsible for her friends disappearance. "Tell me. What do you know?"

"I don't know anything! I swear to God!"

"No? Then what is the point of keeping you alive?" Elise turned her right arm into a sword and positioned it over him, making him sob even louder.

"Please lady I don't know what you want! I don't want to die!"

"Then you should've thought of that before you started to work for the bastard Kronos." She answered immediately. "I don't have time for this."

"Please! No!" Elise was about to slam her sword down through the mans chest, but someone grabbed her upper arm.

"Elise, stop it. The poor guy's already broken." Elise looked over her shoulder and saw Keita standing there in black clothes and a black cloak similar to hers. "Besides, I found what we were looking for." Elise watched him closely before she turned and looked back down at the man.

"It's your lucky day, shit stain." She told him. "My friend has a sense of morality." She slapped his cheek, laughed, and stepped over him. "Where's the office, Keita?"

"In the back. You'll see the passage." Elise walked towards the back of the building, Keita right behind her. Soon enough the cries and sobs of the man with broken bones started to die away between the stone walls of the hall, and Keita sighed.

"You didn't need to go that far." He told her.

"Fuck him." Elise replied. "I don't care about him."

"Apparently." He replied. Elise rolled her eyes and looked through another empty door.

"Why do I need to give a shit about these people?" She asked. "They work for Kronos. They're not people, they're tools."

"That's a fucked up way to look at the world." He replied. "Weren't Katsuchi, Tetsu, and Azzie 'tools' once?" Elise paused and stared at her combat boots, as Keita put a hand on her shoulder.

"They're not the same..." She answered.

"Why not?"

"..."

"Elise, I think you need a break. When was the last time you were at home? For longer than a few days to get a new job?"

"...Uh...three years ago, I think."

"See? Go home. See your family. Didn't your Mom have another daughter before you left?"

"She did..."

"I think you need a break, Elise. To stop thinking about Kronos, and all of this crap. See your sister, your Mom, your Dad."

"I don't need too." Elise replied, crossing her arms. "We're so close to finding him too."

"I don't care. Do I have to drag you there?"

"Try me."

"Keita for real I don't wanna..."

"Elise do not be like this." Keita hissed, crossing his arms. "You need to see your family. It's not that big of a deal." Elise sighed and exhaled loudly, causing her bangs to float in the air. She'd been dragged all the way to Magnolia, and now she was standing a few feet from the guild hall entrance. Now that she was here, she felt so nervous.

"Look, um, maybe this is a bad idea. I don't think..."

BAM!

Elise yelped as Keita kicked the front door of the guild in, and disappeared into a shadow.

"I fucking hate you..." She hissed, hearing laughter float around her as he disappeared. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, Elise walked towards the door and inside the guild hall. She stood in the entrance and regarded all the people watching her, and smiled weakly.

"Uh, I'm back." Elise stated quietly. It wasn't long before everyone perked up.

"Elise!" It was Elise's mother who rushed to see her first. "It's so good to see you! How did your job go?"

"Okay." Elise replied, hugging her mother back. "It wasn't so bad." Her mother laughed and squeezed her tighter.

"I suppose you aren't going to stay long?" She asked. Elise shook her head.

"I can stay for a bit..." She replied, and her mother laughed.

"That's good. It really is good to see you."

"Yeah, you too." Elise's mother let her go, and her father walked up to them.

"Good to see you, kid." He said, rubbing her head. No matter how much she denied it, it was a comforting feeling. "Stay and rest a bit this time okay? You've been working yourself to death these past few years."

"Yeah..." Elise looked around and winced out of instinct. But nothing happened. "Hey, I was expecting to get tackled by two little shits. Where are they?"

"Luke and Kaida?" It was Lucy who asked this, and Elise nodded. Lucy smiled. "I think they're at Kinana's place. Levy, isn't Lilly with them too?" Elise's mother nodded.

"Yep. She said she wanted to hang out with the 'big kids'. Jeez she's a handful." Natsu snickered.

"Big kids? Luke's six and Kaida's soon to be. Lilly's, what, three?"

"Big to her, I suppose." Levy rectified. "Doesn't really stop Luke and Kaida from excluding her."

"Probably best they do." Erza said from the back of the guild. "Those two are like Natsu and Gray when they were younger." Both men paled and looked away at this. "Lilly not getting involved is a good thing at her age." Elise laughed with everyone else, even though she wasn't that amused. She wasn't around enough to really get the reference.

"I think I'll go see them," Elise said, backing up towards the door. I'll talk to you guys later, okay? I know they'll want to see me..." Her mother smiled.

"Okay honey. Hurry back." Elise nodded and walked out of the guild hall, sighing as she did so. It was so painful sitting there and acting happy for those close to her.

Because she didn't want any of them to know what she was doing.

For the better half of five years, Elise had been hunting. Hunting for the man responsible for her friends disappearance. The only reason she'd returned home ever was because Keita advised her to take jobs in order to slip away. Elise always did those jobs mind you, but it was always a great cover to tell the client she was going to look out for more trouble, disappear for another few months, and report back that nothing was wrong and refuse extra pay for the 'work'. She looked like a hard worker to most, but she didn't care about the money.

Elise stopped in the center of the street and stared down at the ground.

Why am I still here?

It was a question that plagued her since the moment she found out about her friends disappearance. Once a year had passed and she and Keita started to hunt Kronos, she assumed she'd gotten her answer: to avenger her friends. To make it so others didn't suffer the way her family had.

But...

Sometimes that felt like an empty purpose. All the planning, all the reconnaissance, all the data, and they always came up dry. He always got away, he always barely left a trail.

Maybe if we start going after our targets faster, he'll have less time to destroy the data in his hideouts and we'll have a better chance at...

Elise was thrown from her thoughts as she banged a gloved fist against Kinana's door. Driving the plans from her head and replacing them with false happiness and a smile, she waited as the woman opened the door and smiled brightly.

"Elise!" She greeted, reaching out and hugging her. "How are you?! My word it's been so long since I've seen you!"

"Hey, I dropped by." Elise replied, hugging her back. "I can spare some time. Can I come in?"

"Of course, of course!" Kinana let her in, and Elise wandered into the living room, her boots thumping loudly against the hardwood floor. "Can I get you anything, honey? Coffee? Tea?"

"Coffee would be nice." Elise replied. "Thank you." She stood in the center of the living room, unsure as too what to do. The homey feeling was relatively foreign to her nowadays as she spent most of her time in a cot in a tent while the elements hammered away. This was so...not her style.

"You seem dressed up." Kinana called from the kitchen. "You must have come right home from work this time, huh?" Elise looked down at herself and noticed that yes, she hadn't bothered to go to her apartment and get any fresh clothes. She was still in her black shirt and pants, black cloak, combat boots and gloves lined with metal studs. Truthfully it might have been a better idea to change.

"Heh, yeah." She said, slowly sitting down in a chair. "I was really feeling home sick, I guess..."

"Hm, everyone does. But you don't ever really stay home now anyway. Are we that bad to hang out with? Or our the little ones that hard to deal with?" Elise chuckled.

"No." She said. "i just do it to get my mind off of..." Elise looked up, and her brain froze mind sentence.

There was a picture of Drake on the mantelpiece.

She stared at the picture for a moment, absorbing the look of his face and the clothes he was in.

When she realized she was trying to memorize his face, her heart twanged painfully. Was she really forgetting them already?

"Elise?" Kinana had reentered the room, offering her her cup of coffee. Elise reached out and took it, still looking at the picture. "What we're you saying?" Elise did not reply, too busy indulging herself in the smirk the boy had on his face. Kinana followed her gaze, and grew silent as well.

"My mind off of...You know." She replied quietly, sipping the hot drink. Kinana sat down opposite her and sighed.

"Yeah..." She said quietly."Must be hard...Coming home." Elise hummed in agreement and looked deep into her cup as if it held answers. "I...I can only imagine how hard that was on you. The memories...and then that..."

The memories.

Phantom Dove.

It made Elise feel strange that in all the time that had passed since she'd remembered, it barely even crossed her mind. There was always something more important plaguing her mind, be it the next mission, or Kronos...Or anything honestly.

"It's fine..." Elise said, staring into her lap. "I'm not bothered by the memories of Phantom Dove anyway. It's been replaced by more...pressing issues."

"Hm." The women grew silent once more, until a loud crash resounded around the house.

"Kaida!" It was a boy yelling this. "Watch what you're doing!"

"Well maybe if you stopped being so annoying I wouldn't have to throw things at you!" Elise snickered at this.

"I see those two are up to their usual antics." She said, making Kinana laugh.

"Yep. All the time. It's an odd transition from kids who get along so well and then..." Kinana stopped speaking, and Elise's heart throbbed as well. "...A-Anyway, I think they'd love to see you, they're just down the hall." Elise nodded and put her coffee down, going down the hall towards the voices. She heard them started to bicker again, and she stopped at the door it was coming from. Taking a deep breath, Elise opened the door and peeked inside to see three kids standing inside.

The first was Luke, Natsu and Lucy's son. He was Lucy's hair color and it was starting too spike like Natsu's as well. He had his mothers eyes like Nashi did, and he currently looked rather miffed.

The second was Kaida. She was Kinana and Erik's daughter, and she had inherited her mother's purple hair and most of her facial features but, as she got angry as she was now, Elise could see so much of Erik in her it was scary.

The third was Elise's little sister, Lilly. The girl was sitting off to the side as Luke and Kaida fought over something in their hands.

"It's mine!" Luke shouted. "I'm the leader, it means it's mine!"

"You're always the leader!" Kaida shouted. "I want to be the leader this time!"

"I'm older!"

"So?! You have to share the leader!"

"I do not!"

"Do so!"

"Guys, stop...!" Lilly tried from the corner of the room. Elise watched this unfold before she decided to clear her throat and make her presence known.

"If we're deciding leader by age," She stated, making all three heads turn. "I've almost got two decades on you three." She watched the three kids watch her before they all lit up at once."

"Aunt Elise/Nee-chan!" Three little bodies tackled her at once and she stumbled backwards as they all laughed and hugged various parts of her bodies.

"Jeez guys, I'm still a bit sore from work...!"

"Sorry!" Luke said. "You just rarely come home!"

"Yeah!" Lilly agreed. The girl could say a lot for her age, but she was still pretty young.

"You got any stories?" Kaida asked, staring up at Elise with purple eyes full of excitement. Elise made a face.

"Stories, huh? Well how about I tell you one about the time I fought off thirty bandits with one hand tied behind my back?"

"That's a new one! Tell us tell us tell us!"

"Holy...! Get off me and I'll tell you!"

Roughly eleven years before the Kronos incident

Everyone stared at the date in shock, unsure of what to say. No one had any words.

"Uh..." Damien said slowly. "This is bad."

"You're right there..." Simon choked out. Nashi slowly looked around her in surprise. Eleven years. Eleven. How had this happened? Why were they here?

And how the hell were they supposed to reverse it?

"This is bad..." Drake murmured. He went to sip his coffee, and made a face. A small bug was crawling across his skin, and it seemed to be bothering him. He reached over to swat it, to end the bugs life.

"No! Drake stop!" Drake and everyone else looked up as Ultear shouted this, making his hand freeze a few millimeters from the insect. "Don't! If we're in the past...The tiniest tiniest detail out of place from the original play of time could have disastrous consequences!"

"Uh..." Drake said weakly. "So...Don't crush the bug?"

"No!" Drake looked down and everyone watched as the bug crawled across Drake's skin before it jumped off and continued on it's merry way. Ultear looked around shifty-eyed.

"If we're really eleven years in the past, our mere presence is risking fucking everything up. We could rip apart the fabric of space and time if something too drastic happens..."

"So, don't crush bugs." Damien said. "Good to know, I think."

"So what now?" Simon asked Ultear. "We can't stay here, it'll fuck everything up like you said, right?" Ultear nodded and made a face.

"We need to find a way back to our own time. But I have no idea how we got sent here in the first place." She placed a finger on her chin. "It had something to do with Arc of Time malfunctioning, and Kronos seemed surprised as well..."

"Kronos." Drake said. "We could find him, right?"

"Wouldn't that be another big risk?" Nashi asked. "We had no recollection of him when we first met him before, so we'd be forging the future in the past and could mess with something."

"Plus he'd be with Devil Advocate right now, right? I think..." Damien said, and everyone went silent. Nashi looked over to the street and watched people walk by. But now, she knew why she felt odd. All of these people were not the people she knew they should've been. All of them were eleven years too young. Some may even still be alive. It wasn't right.

"Another guild?" Simon asked Ultear, who gave this some thought.

"Could work." She said. "Although it could cause problems if it's a well known guild or a guild full of people we know..."

"Is there anyone who could help us and not cause some sort of rip in space and time?" Drake asked, leaning back. "Like, anyone useful anyway?" The group went silent as they thought about this, wondering if Drake was right.

"Not a lot of them." Ultear said, making a face. "We could try and figure it out ourselves, but..."

"We don't have a clue as too what happened." Simon finished for her, and she nodded. "So, we're still at square one." Nashi stared down at the cup in her hands, steam billowing out of the small opening she used to drink it. She honestly had no idea what they were supposed to do.

"Ul."

"Hm?" Ultear looked over at Simon, who was watching her.

"Couldn't you send us through time? With Arc of Time?" Ultear shook her head.

"I don't know how he did it. Plus he didn't even mean to gauging from his own surprise so..." More silence. No one had any ideas, until finally Nashi sighed.

"Well, how about we go home then?" She asked. Everyone stared at her, but she stood firm in her suggestion.

"Nashi..." Ultear started. "I don't want to insult your intelligence or anything, but do you have any idea the kind of paradoxes we could create if we went there? And encountered ourselves?"

"Not a clue." Nashi answered. "But do we have any other ideas?" No one spoke up. "We could try and conceal ourselves. Even if we are found out, we have Mest, do we not?"

"What're we gonna conceal ourselves with?" Simon asked. "We don't have any money for some kind of disguise."

"Well, my point about Mest still stands, does it not?"

"She has a point..." Damien muttered. Nashi nodded and stood.

"If we tell Mest we need the memories of meeting ourselves erased for the entire guild-and probably the whole town- we wouldn't cause that much trouble right?"

"I don't know..." Ultear said. "It's risky..."

"Ordering this coffee was risky wasn't it?" Nashi countered, making everyone else stare down at the cups sitting in front of them. "Isn't sitting at this table risky? We're not supposed to be here at all, so we're risking a lot by simply being here."

"This is so confusing..." Drake said. "Can I drink my coffee or not?"

"You already did a little." Nashi replied. "So go ahead and give it a go." Drake cautiously sipped his drink, and everyone tensed. The universe didn't rip apart in front of them, so they all relaxed somewhat.

"You make a fair point." Ultear said. "But it's a bigger risk than getting a drink or sitting here..."

"Again, I'm open to other ideas." Nashi said. "I don't want to break the universe either but damn, if we risk it anyway..."

"She's making a good point." Simon said. "Plus our guild is the best in the country, especially in this time period. If we were going to ask a guild for help..."

"Ours would be best." Damien finished. "So Ul? What're we doing?" Ultear thought about this deeply, before finally she sighed.

"Fine." She caved. "We'll see. But please keep in mind the risks. Don't do anything that could alter the future in any way." Drake sighed and stood as well.

"So go home without causing a world changing conflict of some sort?" He asked. "Seems like we can't normally anyway, so fuck it. Let's go."

Drake did have a point.

They often got into a lot of trouble simply traveling from place to place.

And another chapter done! I hope you guys enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!