The kingdom of Tokyoshi; a small and peaceful country with 10 Million inhabitants. It is a world full of magic. Magic is bought and sold everyday, being an integral part of people's lives. There are those who use magic as their occupation, these people are referred to as mages. Mages belong to various guilds, and perform jobs on commission. There are an immense number of guilds all across the country; and in a certain city there lies a certain guild. A guild from which incredible mages were once born - and will continue to be born into the future. That guild's name is : Sakura Heaven.

The port-town Otonokizaka. One of the most important harbors in the south of Tokyoshi. The streets are always busy, but with the upcoming festival right ahead it's become more crowded than usual. The townspeople walk around, decorating every corner available while the visitors enjoy the many specialties and special places the town has to offer. One of those being the headquarter of a certain guild.

Sitting on the roof over viewing the whole town were two people. A woman in her twenties with ash-gray hair and ember eyes. Her gaze was directed onto the sea, following the flight of some of the seagulls. Beside her stood a man, his hair gray from old age, eyes closed and his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"There is going to be an announcement during the festival. To be more precise, it's going to happen at the end of our guilds parade." The old man opened his eyes, but he remained focused on the roof, never looking anywhere else.

The woman tilted her head to the side, staring at him. "I don't think you called me up here just to tell me that, didn't you?"

"No, of course not." Finally lifting his head he started to observe the preparations in town. "You know, being a guild master is hard work. You are responsible for all your members, you are representing the guild and its norms. A guild will be judged by its masters decisions."

He redirected his gaze into the sky. "One wrong turn along the way and a guild is bound to fall with its master. It's not just that. A guild will change like a human, because every new master leading the guild will bring changes; for the better or for the worse. Every step you take has to be backed up thousands of times - by your own judgment, your instincts, your feelings and by the people you are supposed to be protecting."

Raising an eyebrow in confusion, the woman looked back down, watching some children playing around. "I don't get what you're trying to tell me."

"Tell me, Hana… What do you think about this guild?"

It was a simple question. But the woman named Hana didn't know how to respond at first. With every minute passing by, with every minute this conversation was held, she was getting more and more confused. But as simple as the question was… the answer was just as simple, too.

"This guild is my family. I was born here. I've been raised here. I don't want to be anywhere else and I would do anything for it."

"Glad to hear that." He chuckled. "It's the same for me. Sure, being a guild master includes all the things I just told you. But to me it is way more than that. If the guild is my family, that makes you all my children and me your father. And as a father it is my holy responsibility to protect you, to keep you save. The pain you're feeling, I'm feeling. Your happiness is my happiness. We share everything with each other."

They just stood there a couple of minutes. Hana knew that this wasn't the end. That there was more to come.

"Second and last question, Hana." Getting her attention back, he now had his eyes closed again. "What is a guild?"

"I just told-"

"No. I asked what a guild is. Not what the guild is to you."

Sighing, Hana thought about it for a second. "A guild is home."

He chuckled again. "Correct, although not as precise as I wished your answer to be." Growing serious, he turned around and looked at the emblem that was on his left palm. The sign that he belonged to the guild. "A guild is… A place where you and your friends can gather along. A place where you can find work to do… And for children with nowhere to return to, a place they can call home… Wouldn't you agree?"

Turning around he looked into the wide watery eyes of Hana who just nodded.

"I'm asking you here and now." He took the few steps until he stood right in front of her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Hana Minami… Will you succeed as the guild master once I retire by the end of the festival?"

Realizing what he just asked, her mind became blank. "What?"

"I will still be a member of the guild of course. Maybe as your personal advisor if you want me to."

"No, that's not what I meant!" She shook of his hands and looked him in the eyes, searching for any sign that this was a joke. But there was none. "Why?"

"Because it is time for the new generation to take over. Time is changing fast and with it the world is changing, too. Unfortunately, humans aren't as fast. Especially if they are as old as I am."

"But…" She understood his reasoning. A lot of those old guild masters were currently accused to hold their guilds back, to not adept to the future. Resulting in those guild getting less work and therefore a lot of mages retired. "But you know I can't. I'm pregnant. I can't lead a guild while I have a child to raise."

"I know that." He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "That's why I leave the choice when you will take over the guild completely to you. Anytime you're ready."

Hana thought about it, her hand resting upon her belly. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply before answering. "Once the child is born and we celebrated her first birthday, I will take over the guild." She looked at him, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Thank you for trusting me like this, Mamoru-san."

Mamoru just smiled.

"Woah, every year that I got to see you again you are growing. I'm sure one day you will become just as pretty as your mother." A group of middle aged men and women hushed around a little girl with ash-gray hair and ember eyes. The little girl surely had her charm and they fell for it every year again.

Hana Minami sat at a table right beside the crowd, observing every movement. After all, it was her daughter that was caught in the middle of these turmoil. But by now she knew that she didn't need to worry, because this scene repeated itself for three years now. She would arrive and all the other masters would forget about the serious business they wanted to talk about the moment they laid eyes on the little girl.

Her daughter, Kotori, was seven years by now. Minami had fulfilled her promise and became her guilds master the day after Kotori's first birthday. It had been hard but with Mamoru as her advisor she had managed to be a mother and a master rather quickly. Right now she was on the yearly gathering of Tokyoshi's guild masters in a secret villa to which she had brought little Kotori since she had been four years old. But this meeting should be a little different than the others. She just didn't know it yet.

"With Minami as her mother I'm sure that Kotori-chan will be a great successor one day." One of the older masters stated.

Kotori pulled at the hem of her skirt and shyly looked down at the floor. The seven year old didn't hate attention, but she didn't like it when she was told such things. She didn't know why, but she felt a strange feeling bubbling inside of her every time someone said that.

"Not just that. Minami is a magical prodigy. I'm sure she can cast some magic at this point, despite her age."

Little Kotori backed away a little. She knew that the people admired her mama for being such a great mage. But why did this mean that she was, too. The seven year old didn't get it. Especially since-

"Why won't you show us something, how about that, Kotori-chan?"

Looking up, Kotori was face to face with at least half a dozen of excited eyes. They were waiting for her to do something, she knew that. But all she did… She started crying and ran away.

Dumbfounded, the other masters jumped back when they heard a chair hitting the floor. They looked around and saw Minami who gave them a death glare before she walked after her daughter.

She found Kotori outside, sitting on one of the benches the villa's garden had to offer. She was still sobbing and crying loudly, not recognizing her mother who had sat beside her.

Minami embraced her daughter tightly, running her hands over her hair and whispering soothing words in the little girl's ear. When she had calmed down, Minami took her daughters face by her cheeks, whipping away the tears with her thumbs and kissing her forehead.

"Don't worry, Kotori. They didn't want be mean. They just don't know."

"But why are people like that? I'm not you." She stilled sobbed a little. Her mother turned her around so that little Kotori leaned against her mother.

"Because people tend to compare one with another. A child tends to be similar to their parents. Like… we both love making clothes, don't we?"

The little girl giggled and nodded.

"Kotori?" Calling her daughter lovingly, she waited until the girl looked up to her. "No matter what happens, no matter what is and no matter what other people will tell you: You would be a great master. But…" She saw the quivering lips of her daughter and smiled warmly. "Don't you ever forget that I love you. You are my little bird and the best that ever happened to me. Don't you worry about that."

After that, Kotori started crying and received her first silver key, studying the art of celestial spirit magic since then.

When someone of the guild was hurting, so was the whole guild. It was an unwritten rule. Especially if children were involved. That was why no one had been surprised when the little girl had run out of the guild, their heads low. Everyone had been silent.

Minami had walked around town, looking for the little girl. She had found her on the beach, sitting on the shore and crying to her hearts content.

It had hurt her as well. No one liked to deliver bad news, but it had been her responsibility as a guild master. And now it was her responsibility to try to make that girl smile again.

She sat besides her, waiting for the worst to die down until it was just a faint sobbing. It took some time, but eventually, when the sun started to set, everything was silent again. The girl had buried her head in her arms that hugged her knees close to her body.

"Isn't it beautiful? The setting sun I mean. There is nothing more lovely than the yellow and red of the evening's sky being reflected by the sea." With her gaze directed to the horizon, Minami occasionally stole a glance at the girl.

The little girl looked as if she had fallen down a couple of times when running here. Her white summer dress with the flower print was dirty. Her arms showed a couple of faint bruises. Her purple hair, previously tied in low twin tails, was a mess. But the most terrible change in her appearance Minami saw when the girl finally looked up were her eyes. They were bright and full of life before she had run out. Now they were dull.

She silently nodded, looking out of the sea, watching the seagulls.

"This time of the year every evening is like this. I love going out and spending this time of the day at the beach. If you want to, you can come with me tomorrow."

At the mention of the next day, the girl looked at Minami. "Tomorrow?"

"And the days after. You just need to tell me."

The girl's eyes lighted up a little bit. But Minami could tell that she was hesitating. When she had first met her, the girl had been incredibly shy. And she still was, especially now.

"You know, something similar happened to me." At these words, the little girl's eyes widened. "I was just as little as you. But I wasn't alone. And you also won't be."

"But… there is…" The little girl started but was cut of my Minami during a sob.

"No buts. When I was in your situation, the guild caught me. The guild gave me a place I could stay. A wise man once told me that a guild is a place where you and your friends gather, where you find work to do… And a guild is a place children can go to if they have nowhere to stay. A family."

Minami saw that the little girl started to think about what she just said. She waited patiently, knowing that this was a lot to process.

"So I-I can stay?" The little girl whispered.

"Tell me, what's your name?" Minami smiled at the girl.

"No-Nozomi… Toujo."

"Well then, Nozomi-chan. Do you want to stay with our guild?"

Nozomi nodded, tears started to gather in the corners of her eyes again. When she jumped forward, Minami caught her in an embrace and allowed the girl to cry again. As she backed down, Minami hold Nozomi's hand and took something out of her pocket. She laid a deck of tarot cards in her hands.

"I think these will suit you better than me, Nozomi-chan." And Nozomi started crying again.

Lately a lot of people seemed to rely on the guilds services. And especially on the guild master. That's why Minami had to ask Mamoru again, begging for him to fill all the paperwork while she walked down the streets.

She had been called to a small household. She knew the people living there. They owned a little flower-shop and had been rather popular. But when the last owner died and passed down the business onto his son, the business had slowed down.

When she entered the streets of said business, she stopped dead in her tracks. There were vines growing everywhere, looking for a path where they could grow freely, destroying other houses as well. The source for this mess seemed to be the flower shop.

Approaching the scene, Minami recognized the owner and his wife, staring dumbfounded at what used to be their shop.

"I think you'd called me?"

The couple turned around and looked into the smiling figure that was their guild's master. As if a spell was broken, the man lunged forward. And even though he had gripped her collar, Minami didn't budge.

"Exactly! This stupid brat…. We just adopted her and that's how she thanks us. Destroying our place!"

By the mentioning of a child, Minami's eyes got wider. "And where is this kid."

This time, the woman answered. "Probably still inside as the centre of this mess."

Minami nodded and loosened the grip the man had on her before she walked into what used to be an organized shop. When she looked around she saw different pots scattered around the floor, each used to hold a now trembled flower. The wooden shelfs hung loosely in the wall or had already hit the floor. And all the way back, in a corner, she heard some sobbing.

Covered in mud there sat a little girl, probably the same age as her daughter, maybe a little younger, with hazelnut coloured hair. Beside her were some glasses that may belonged to her. She was hugging her knees and had buried her face in them, crying loudly. But what was the most interesting; the woman had been right when she said that this girl was in the centre. All the vines emitted from under her, growing larger the more space were between them and what seemed to be their creator.

"Hello, there." Minami walked closer, careful not to the scare the already afraid girl even more. The girl stiffened upon hearing someone calling out for her and looked up, her eyes red from all the tears she had shed.

"I-I'm…. s-sorry."

"Don't be. I'm sure you didn't intend to make such a mess." She bowed down to be on the same level as the girl and smiled. "What's your name?"

"Hanayo…"

"Tell me, what happened Hanayo-chan?"

"I-I don't…. k-know."

This girl certainly was afraid. And Minami didn't want this girl to be like that. But there was something else she wasn't able to pinpoint. Something that hold the girl back even more.

"Then… tell me something about yourself. Of course I'm going to tell you about myself, too. I'm Hana Minami, and I'm the guild master of this town's guild, Sakura Heaven. I have a daughter. You seem to be around her age. I'm sure you could get along."

"I doubt that…"

The voice Hanayo spoke with had changed. Upon hearing this change, all of her attention was on the girl beside her. "Why?"

"I'm an orphan… No one wants me. No matter who took me in… brought me back to the orphanage a couple of weeks later. They never treated me well…. Even this family… they forced me…. T-to use my m-magic to…. And I-I got exhausted… and…." Remembering what happened, Hanayo started crying again.

Minami hugged her tightly and allowed her to cry in her embrace. She now knew what had happened. With getting tired, the little girl had lost the control over her magic. Her impressive magic, Minami had to admit. All because the owners of this shop wanted to use her to get back into business, she assumed. The thought alone made her angry.

She took Hanayo up into her arms and started to get out of the shop. "I'm going to take you somewhere save so that you can rest bit. No buts."

Upon getting out of the destroyed shop, she owners walked up to her, their faces enraged seeing the girl who they thought caused this mess. But before they could say anything, Minami turned around and used her free hand to activate her magic. A magic circle appeared above the shop, a ray of light shooting down and destroying the building even further.

"That's for abusing innocent children." Minami turned back around, her face dark. "If you ever pull something like that again I'll make sure that you won't be able to do business in this town ever again."

She retreated back to the guild, Hanayo asleep in her arms.

Later, Minami called the local orphanage and offered to take the girl in, to which they won't comply. With the permission of the orphanage, Minami asked the little girl if she'd want a place to call home.

As a guild master, Minami wasn't used to quite days. The guild was a lively place. If there wasn't an argument between some members, some of the townspeople would storm into the guild, asking for Sakura Heaven's services.

But today was different. It was in the late afternoon, most of the members were on different missions and the ones being present just returned. In other words: Minami was finally able to sit down and enjoy some tea. Even her daughter was out on a little job, slowly getting used to the life of a mage.

But as soon as she really started to enjoy the day, the peace was interrupted by a loud thud of a door hitting a wall.

A tall and muscular man, probably in his late thirties, stood in the entrance. He was breathing heavily, his gaze checking every single member he met eyes with. He was looking for someone.

"Who's the guild master?" the man demanded and Minami set down her cup with a sigh. So much for a peaceful afternoon.

"That would be me." Turning around at the guilds bar counter where she had been enjoying her tea, she smiled at the man. That's when she recognized the little ginger haired girl behind him. She stood a few feet away from him.

And now that she was able to study his features a little more, Minami thought that something was terribly wrong. While he looked determined he also looked rather sad. As if he was about to do something he knew he would regret. The girl on the other hand looked as if she was on the verge of crying.

He motioned for his daughter to walk past him until she stood right in front of Minami. Her gaze lingered on the floor and she didn't dare to look up.

"This is my daughter, Honoka Kousaka. I ask for you to take her in and teach her to use magic properly. No further questions asked." With that he took one last look at his daughter before he turned around and walked away, leaving his daughter all alone.

Now being alone in a completely unknowns environment, the girl backed away. Tears started to gather in the corners of her eyes until she let loose and cried to her hearts content. When Minami stood up to caught her in an embrace, the girl backed away again.

"Honoka-chan, right? What is it?" Trying to soothe her and get close to her, Minami tried again. But Honoka just took a few steps back again.

"No. It's not safe. Don't… don't get near me." With these words, she retreated back, sitting down in a separate corner of the guild hall.

Minami looked up to Mamoru who'd just stood on the balcony overlooking the entire hall. She shot him a questioning gaze and he nodded, going back into a separate office. She looked back to the girl and decided to leave her be. For now, at least.

The next day, Mamoru joined Minami in the morning, ordering some beer while she drank her coffee again. They had allowed Honoka to stay at the infirmary for the night and right now she was still sleeping.

"So… what did you find out?"

"Getting straight to the point, don't we, Hana?"

"I just want to know what happened so that I can decide on my next steps. That's all."

Giggling, Mamoru took a sip. "Well… there was an incident in the village near Otonokizaka. A whole house crumbled down. It was this girl's home. No one was hurt, but it was a close call."

"You think…?"

Mamoru stood up, heading for the infirmary. "I'm going to take care of it, don't worry." And with a wink, he vanished.

Minami leaned back a bit, getting lost in thought. If what she assumed was true, this could be a tough case.

With the recent closure of a lot of guilds, smaller as well as some of the bigger ones, request flooded Sakura Heaven on a daily basis. Right now, the guild members were barely able to respond to most of them, having to decline some offers that weren't as important as others.

Minami was glad that she had tasked one of her guilds friends to organize the requests. She was sure that she wouldn't have been able to keep an eye on every change, every fulfilled task, new jobs and such. Her mind was already occupied by worries regarding the closures. Even tough the political leaders tended to make decisions that abandoned every ounce of logic, this one was among the top three most stupid and most dangerous decisions these guys had ever made. And she feared of what might happen in the near future.

"Ah, sorry. But you can't just enter the- Hey! did you hear me?!"

With one of the guilds members shouting upon leaving the guild, Minami turned around to look at what had caused him to yell in the first place. And she was surprised when her eyes met a tiny figure, cloaked in an old and muddy coat with a hood that covered her face. Nothing could be seen, thus alerting every single member present who looked at the figure with suspicion.

Little movements were recognizable when the figure seemingly took a look around the guild, finally setting on Minami who currently sat at the counter.

"I'm looking for a job to do. A well donated one, that is. Mind sharing one?"

Upon hearing the voice every movement in the guild hall stopped. They thought that maybe an old and deep voice was about to speak. By the way this person acted it would have been more than likely to be some old veteran. But instead a high and squeaky voice, though still strong, sounded around the room. Almost as if a child was present. And after a minute of silence, everyone stated to laugh as loud as they probably could. Even Minami wasn't able to keep a smile off of her face.

"Hey! What is it? Don't laugh!" The person yelled, not understanding that her voice was the cause for this turmoil. Because instead of calming down, everything started anew.

"I'm sorry for my friends behaviour." Being able to compose herself, Minami stood up and walked towards the figure. "It's just that… they expected something different from a cloaked figure than a high pitched voice."

By the mentioning of her voice the figure visibly tensed but loosened up right after. "Well… If that's all. Anyways, what about a well donated job? I've heard that quite a lot of guilds vanished. I'm sure you have enough."

The remaining guild masters had been warned that some strangers would try to take advantage of the current situation. Quest hunter was the term they had used. People who would try to make money by doing a guilds job. In most cases just to earn themselves a good amount of money. But something about the person in front of her made Minami curious. She did demand for a well paid job. But her instinct told Minami that there was a different reason forcing the figure to hunt for a request. So Minami might as well try something.

"Indeed, we have some trouble finishing every job in time, let alone accept them all. But unfortunately we won't hand a request out to some stranger. So if you might introduce yourself first?"

Everyone was silent, waiting for the cloak to vanish. And after what seemed to be hours a small hand appeared from under the coat and reaching for the hood. Once the hood was pulled down, the whole guilds eyes widened. In front of their master stood a small child. A girl with pitch black hair and red eyes, looking kind of determined up to Minami.

"My name is Nico Yazawa and I'm looking for a job."

Proud with her guess being on spot, Minami smiled. "What a stubborn girl. Well, Nico… Unfortunately we are still not able to give you a job."

Her gaze still lingering on the girl, Minami saw how Nico's shoulders slumped down. Now she knew that this girl wasn't just looking for a job to do to gain herself some money. There was a different reason in the background she needed to figure out. And there was only one way to do so.

"Only member of this guild, Sakura Heaven, are allowed to accept a request sent do us."

Upon hearing the name of the guild, Nico's head jolted up and her eyes widened. "This guilds name is…. What?!"

Trying to contain her smirk, Minami turned around, starting to walk away. "Either you join or you go. It's your decision."

"Wait! Where do I have to sign?" And with that, everyone started laughing again.

Mamoru, who appeared in front of Minami with his magic, Teleportation, just looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Do me a favour and dig a little bit." Minami whispered to her old instructor.

Mamoru sighed. "You can't solve everyone's problem personally, you know?" He vanished.

"But I can at least try to."

"Sorry, but we don't need the help from a random stranger. Go and try your luck elsewhere! Even though I doubt someone will take you in."

Shutting the door right in front of her face, the navy haired girl had no chance to respond.

She looked down at herself. With clothes this dirty, full of holes and an overall appearance as if she just picked them up from a junkyard, the girl gritted her teeth. Of course no one would took her in. She was just a stranger and to be honest she wouldn't help her herself. That's why she couldn't even be angry at the dozens of people who declined her offer to help out.

Sighing, she turned around and was greeted by the face of an elderly woman right in front of her. Startled, ne navy haired girl jumped back while the old woman just smiled.

"If you want a job so badly, why don't you join a guild? I show you the way to our guild." The woman took the girl's arm and dragged her along the streets.

Soon after, a large building came in view. It was surrounded by a large wall with iron fences. Those were open, making it possible to look at the huge plaza in front of the building. Various desks and chairs were in front, some of them occupied by various people who were served by a couple of girls with huge smiles.

"You see, even if you may not be a mage you can still work in here. There is always something to do. And they serve an excellent tea." The old women winked and left for a table.

Still standing in place, the girl looked all over the place until she set eyes on the guilds symbol. Eyes widening, her jar dropped.

"You look like you saw a ghost." Being called from the left, the girl turned around.

Looking at her with a small smile sat a women with ash grey hair. In front of her was a cup of tea and some papers. The girl guessed that she was just a customer taking a break.

"Come on over. It's strange for a young girl to stay in front of a guild while being clothed like this."

Flushing a little bit red, the girl slowly walked over, asking. "Who are you?"

Just smiling and motioning for her to sit, the woman kept silent while the girl declined to sit down.

"Are you interested in joining the guild, maybe?" Sitting back, crossing her legs and folding her hands over her knees, the ash haired women raised an eyebrow.

"A guild is the best place to gain yourself a name. Of course I would consider joining one a possibility." Standing straight, the girl looked down on the women.

"A guild is not a place to gain a name, you know? A guild-"

"I am not interested in your explanation, sorry."

Eying the navy haired girl with concern, her smile dropped. The both were silent for a couple of minutes, neither making a move until the woman finally spoke up.

"What's your name, young lady?"

"I am Umi Sonoda. And since I told you my name, may I request yours as well?"

Smiling again, the woman stood up and walked over to Umi. "My name is Hana Minami."

Extending one hand, she smiled again. Minami knew there was something about this girl making it worth welcoming her despite her antic. There were a lot of people in the world looking for fame. And most of them tried their luck by joining a guild. A famous guild, to be more specific. Being the guild master, Minami was used to such intends.

But this girl seemed to be special. There was something in her amber eyes that told Minami that I wasn't just fame she was looking for. No, Minami wasn't sure if the girl truly wanted fame or if she was just using it as an excuse for herself.

She waited for Umi to shake her hand. And when she finally did, Minami rested her other hand above hers.

"Welcome in the family that is a guild." The girl raised an eyebrow. "Welcome to Sakura Heaven."

Being the guild master to a more or less famous guild was great, Minami had to admit that. After being in charge for a couple of years by now, she truly liked the job. Even though she missed going on missions, being able to enjoy herself on more than one occasion just like drinking tea outside the hall sure was great. But unfortunately there was something making all the benefits seem like nothing: paperwork.

With the magic council going over this and that again, ultimately gaining even more power than they already had, new rules were send out to the guilds. And probably, these could affect her guild as well.

Putting these papers aside, Minami raised an eyebrow when she saw a letter. It was sealed with the emblem of the Nishikino's, one of the ten great families and part of the current council. Opening it, she was greeted by a picture of a young red head, the daughter of the family head, 'Missing' being written underneath.

She was about to pin it on the wall when she heard turmoil outside the gates. Running down towards the entrance, Minami hoped that her members didn't do anything stupid. When she saw her mages surrounding something, she slowed down.

"What happened?"

"Master Minami!" One of the guilds mages ran towards her. "This girl. She just collapsed in front of the guild. She doesn't look that good." He pointed towards the middle.

Indeed, there was a girl with scarlet hair laying on the street. She was thin, way to thin to be healthy. The bruises all over her body looked rather new and Minami figured that she probably had been attacked.

She motioned for two of her mages. "Sugisaki, go and bring Konoe to the guild. It's a medical emergency! Yuuka, Ryo, take her and bring her to the infirmary." Said girls started moving.

Once they brought the girl up and laid her down on a bed, Minami looked at her closely. And once she did, she wondered if this would end well.
_

"She was lucky. No serious injuries. Well, if we forget the condition she is in, of course. Seems like she hasn't been eating properly for a couple of days, maybe weeks. And she needs a lot of water and- Oh, look who is waking up."

Konoe, the medical advisor of Sakura Heaven stopped her explanation when she saw the red headed girl slowly opening her eyes. Minami walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

"My name is Minami, guild master of Sakura Heaven. This is Konoe, our medical adviser." The girl slowly nodded. "Tell us… what happened?"

The girl closed her eyes before she opened her mouth. She took a deep breath before she answered. "I was… on my way to the next city. I… I travel a lot. But I was attacked by… some masked people. They…. They used magic."

"Members of a dark guild." Konoe interrupted. "I can't believe they do nothing against them."

"Yeah. We've already seen better days." Turning her attention back to the girl she took her hand. "What's your name?"

The girl seemed to be in thoughts for a moment. "Maki…. Maki Ichinose."

"Well then, Maki. You can stay as long as you want. Sakura Heaven will make sure that you'll get well in no time. After that it is up to you what you want to do." Minami smiled at her.

"I have only one request." Once Minami nodded, Maki continued. "Can I stay for as long as I want?"

"Sure."

"Now, get your ass out of the infirmary and back to your office." Konoe dragged Minami onto her feet and pushed her out of the room. "This girl needs sleep. And something to eat. Can you order someone to organize that?"

"Don't worry. I'll send someone." With that, Minami walked back I into her office.

Once she closed the door, she looked at the picture of the missing girl. "Ichinose, hm?"

"Come on, you brat. I'm sure the guild will treat you with what you deserve!"

Hearing a man shouting like this never was a pleasant noise. Especially when the young and reckless mages of her guild caused them to be angry in the first placed. And Minami was far too used to try to calm the townspeople down.

"Yeah. Let's see if this smirk of yours will still be on your face after that."

Now she was getting nervous. Normally it was just one person dragging in someone by his or her ears. This time it seemed to be half the town. Minami could already feel the headache, literally. She hoped her guild members didn't do anything stupid.

Opening the door to her office and walking inside the guild hall, she was greeted by six men, one of them holding the arm of a young girl with orange hair. She struggled against the hold but to no avail.

"Let me go, nya! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"What's this all about?" Coming to a stop before the group, Minami crossed her arms in front of her chest.

The people stopped talking and moving all together. The man holding onto the girl shoved her forward. "Glad to see you, Minami. This girl caused a lot of trouble in Otonoki. And since she seems to be a mage we thought it would be best to bring her here."

"Rin didn't cause trouble, nya." The girl started pouting, not daring to look into the guild masters eyes.

"What did she do?" Minami sighed, touching the bridge of her nose with her left hand.

"She ran around town with incredible speed, causing storage to fall over, ruining my market stands and some other stuff. The market looks as if a tornado went through."

"Ok, maybe Rin did do something, nya…" Looking onto the floor, the girl stopped struggling, accepting her fate.

"I'll take her." Minami nodded towards the group and took the girl by her hand, leading her into her office. She offered her a seat, the girl becoming rather shy. "Do you want some tea?" Minami took out two cups, placing one of them in front of the girl.

Minami took a look at the girl. Judging her appearance, she was traveller. Her cape was tied tight around her neck. She wore a rather practical outfit with a plain shirt and black trousers. Her orange hair was cut short and the bag she had with her seemed rather empty.

"I'm Hana Minami, guild master of Sakura Heaven. But I guess these guys already told you that." When the girl slowly nodded, Minami sat down as well, a smile on her face. "Mind telling me your name?"

"Ahm… Rin Hoshizora." The girl looked up and brightened up a little bit once seeing the smile on Minami's face.

"What are you doing in Otonokizaka, Rin? I mean, except causing the locals a little bit of trouble. But don't mind them, they are used to it anyway." Minami giggled once remembering all the stuff her guild members usually are up to.

"Rin's traveling through the kingdom, Ma'am."

"No need to be that formal, Rin." Minami tried to reassure the girl and break the shy shell. And it seemed like it helped because Rin started to drink the tea, gazing around the room. "Why are you traveling? You're rather young, if I may say so."

Beaming at the question, Rin leaned forward, a huge smile on her face. "Rin's traveling to get stronger. I'll go to one place, stay for a while and then I'm leaving again. Rin already improved a lot since leaving home, nya." By the mentioning of her home, her expression fell a little bit. "It's a tradition in our family…"

Minami noticed the longing look on the girls face, but she decided to not push any further. "What about staying a little? A guild is the best place to gather experience if you're a mage. I would suggest staying a whole year. It would be the fastest way towards your goal."

"You mean it, nya?!" Once she nodded, Rin jumped up, the smile on her face again. "Then Rin's going to stay, nya!"

"Well then." Giggling at the girls antics, Minami leaned back and watched the girl jumping around her office.

Minami swore she had never seen such a determined look on such a young girls face and she never witnessed someone opening the guilds entrance with such force. Everyone was quite, staring at the newcomer.

The girl had bright blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. She looked around the hall, seemingly searching for someone. Once she laid eyes on Minami, she started moving until she stood right in front of her.

"Are you, by any chance, the guild master?" Even her voice was cold.

Minami didn't know how the girl figured out her position. Maybe she just guessed or her intuition was just great. Either way, there was something about the girl bothering her.

"Yes, I am. Welcome to Sakura Heaven. What can I do for you?"

"May we talk in your office? I'd rather discuss business with you in a more private environment."

It was strange. The girl was rather young, maybe a little older than Minami's own daughter which was 15 at the moment. But she acted as if she was way older.

Minami guided her into her office and offered her a seat. But the girl preferred to stay straight in front of the desk, so Minami decided to do the same, waiting for the girl to start talking.

"I need your help in toppling down a dark guild."

Taken aback by the matter, Minami took a closer look at the girl. She didn't seem like she was joking. Her expression was serious and Minami wondered what happened to her for being like that and what business she had with a dark guild. But even if she wanted to help her, she couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry, but unless the magic council declares a hunt for a dark guild I'm restricted by the law. And it seems like they won't want a hunt anytime soon." Gritting her teeth a little, Minami had to hold back an unnecessary comment towards the magic council.

The girl on the other hand clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white. Without another word she stormed out of the office, dragging a road made out of ice behind her. Every guild member jumped back, letting her leave the guild.

Minami stood in the door into her office, watching her leave. Even though she had a cold demeanour and acted rather harsh, the guild master felt as there was something deep down in her core making her that way. As if dozens of walls protected her to not leaving her vulnerable.

"Remove the ice." Once ordering some of the still stunned guild members Minami started to move. She guessed that this girl wouldn't give up that easily. So the next logic step would be visiting the next town with a guild. And that was Utix.

Making her way towards the bridge that lead into the forest towards Utix, Minami thought if Sakura Heaven could offer that girl something in order to make her stay. And once she reached the bridge, she waited.

Once she walked past her without even looking at her, Minami, who had her arms crossed in front of her chest and her eyes closed, spoke up. "It's no use. Every guild will decline since it is law. No one wants to bring the wrath of the council upon them."

The girl stopped dead in her tracks, her shoulder slumping down as if she knew that already. Minami wondered how many guilds the girl had already asked and how many times she had been rejected. Equally interesting was what made her so stubborn in the first place.

"I don't know what fuels the drive you have or why you are so determined to take down a dark guild… but I know that with the way you are currently you stand no chance." The girl remained silent. "But I know that if it is revenge you are looking for-"

"It's not. Not just that at least." Interrupting Minami, the girl turned around and faced her. "It has to do with family."

"Family?" Raising an eyebrow, Minami waited for the girl to continue, but she didn't. "Well, either way, whatever the reason is, my offer will still stay the same." Walking towards the girl she continued. "What's your name?"

Raising an eyebrow the blonde answered. "Eli Ayase."

"Well then, Eli. What about joining our guild. We could use a hand here and there. And maybe you'll grew stronger." Her last words were a faint whisper. "And just maybe, we'll become your home."

"These girls are certainly something." Mamoru sat beside Minami and watched nine particular girls interacting with each other… or not.

"They're special in some way. I'm sure they'll grow, being magnificent mages to our guild and friends."

"Friends? Them?" The previous guild master motioned in front of him.

Indeed, the nine girls could be labelled everything but not friends. They even had a hard time being part of the guild. While Kotori was adored by every member, she was rather shy and tried to avoid people. Nozomi was sitting either in a corner of the guild or in the library reading some books, but didn't interact with anyone else except she was teasing them a little. Hanayo was even shyer than Kotori and spent most of her time tending the guilds garden. Honoka was a problem herself. While she smiled and laughed a lot with the other members, she retreated back into some sort of shell once someone tried to get near her, avoiding direct physical contact. Maki stayed for herself most of the time and no one dared to approach her because of her uninterested behaviour. These five were rather calm. Nico and Umi would constantly fight with each other because they couldn't stand each other's opinions what was more important, money or a name. Apart from that both tended to act rather harsh towards the other girls whenever they did something they thought was wrong. Rin still caused a lot of trouble in town, but apart from that she smiled a lot, even if this smile wasn't genuine. Eli was a block made of ice. No one liked her and she liked no one. Especially Nozomi had to deal with her a lot since she used to read in the library Eli took charge of. And the blonde always wanted to be alone, but she somehow couldn't make Nozomi leave which angered her.

"If they are ever going to be friends and care for each other, I swear I am going to pay you the swimming pool you always wanted in the backyard."

"Well then, Mamoru… Wanna bet?" Smirking, Minami extended one hand towards her old mentor.

"You bet I want."

Author's Note:
Welcome to my next project and the first really really big one. As you can see, the LL-girls live in a world similar to the world of Fairy Tail. While the base concepts such as mages, guilds and a magic council will be the same as you may know it, the world itself is unique, as well as its problems.

I don't know how many chapters this'll have. But bear with me. :)

Also, thank you megapixelpichu for being my beta reader. I know I've already said it a dozens of times, but you deserve it.

If you're interested in progress-updates or maybe some headcanons, or you have questions: visit me on tumbl .com

Until next time. :)