Disclaimers: I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters.

Claimers: I own my characters.

It was a normal day. The sun was shining, the waves were lapping at the shores and sparkling, citizens were talking amongst themselves. Sometimes, a normal day was the best day. There was no chaos, no fights, no nothing. Children eagerly chased each other with excitement, and their mothers scolded them as they got into trouble with store owners.

The children continued to run around the city, looking at absolutely everything in wonder. They skidded to a stop as they reached a large building, a bright orange banner with a white symbol hanging above the opening. The building seemed to be about three or two stories high. The children quietly sneaked closer, to take a look inside. The doors were wide open. Men were laughing drunkenly, women giggling, children making a ruckus.

That was the charm of a Guild. To the citizens, they saw the guild as two things; first, the closest family ever. Secondly, the most destructive force in the city of Magnolia. Magnolia was located in the region known as Fiore, a land known for its Magic Guilds. The children happened to be standing right in front of the strongest one. Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail was a proud magic guild, not only were they powerful, but they had a close bond that would rival any family's bond. Its members saw it as their home, and they saw their comrades as family. Some had lost their real families, and Fairy Tail took them in. The children then scattered away as they heard a small bickerment arise in the Guild's main hall.

"What'd you say to me, Flame Brain?" A child's voice rang out. The owner had spiky, but loose, blue-ish black hair and dark eyes. His shirt and pants seemed to be missing, and a silver-chained necklace rested around his neck. His hands were balled up into fists.

"I said you're a pervert, Ice Princess!" Another child responded. This child had rosy and spiky hair, bearing dark brown eyes and a white scale-like scarf. His hands were also balled up into fists. The dark-haired boy struck out at the pink-haired boy. A few drunk men laughed at the two as the bickerment grew into a physical fight.

"They never stop fighting, do they?" One bellowed, taking a drink from his cup.

"They're gonna fight until the end of the world, that's for sure!" Another laughed. A bleach blonde girl, sitting on the second floor of the guild, stared down at the little fight with amusement. She giggled as they hollered out insults and threw their tiny fists at each other. The girl seemed to be about 12 years old, her hair reaching the middle of her back. Her light blue eyes glew with interest. Beside her, a midget yet old man stood on the railing of the second floor. He sighed deeply.

"Those brats…" The old man breathed out, his arms crossed. The blonde glanced at him and frowned, then returned her look at the two boys. "Thank goodness not many of the children are like that, otherwise, we'd have a problem… Wouldn't we, Maemi?" The girl shrugged.

"It'd be more lively, if that were the case," Maemi responded, her eyes gleaming with interest at the miniature fight. It was obvious that she was bored, however. She was leaning on her hand, and slumping.

"Natsu, Gray!" A more feminine child's voice rang out now. The two boys, Natsu and Gray, stopped in the middle of the fight, terror already filling their eyes. They were now hugging each other.

"It's a monster!" Natsu shrieked. Gray only nodded in response. Maemi giggled.

"Erza's too intimidating for them. And to think, she's only a bit older than them!" She chuckled. The girl had long, scarlet hair, dark brown eyes, and an intimidating glare. Maemi smiled a little more, maintaining her bored posture. She found herself in thought and looking around the bottom floor from her angle. She spotted everyone she knew and considered a friend. She began with Natsu. Natsu. He has such a crazy attitude, and is usually battle-ready for anything. I only really knew him for bickering with Gray for the most part. He only joined the Guild about a month ago, but already fit in. He kept claiming his dad was a dragon. Her light blue orbs drifted to Gray. Gray. I know him a bit better, since he's been here for about 3 years now. He has such a weird habit of taking off his clothes. Next, she looked at Erza. Erza. A year younger than me. She can make Natsu and Gray stop fighting pretty quick. She was pretty nice otherwise. I'm not sure how long she's been here… She paused.

Maemi began to name out more friends. Levy. The bookworm of the guild. Really nice and shy. I'm not sure how long she's been here, but she's been here for a while. Cana… Maemi paused, trying to recover information on Cana. I don't know her too well. We barely talk, but she seems pretty mature for being 10. She's been here the longest, I think. She's been here for 5 years at least, trying to find her Dad. Maemi attempted at thinking more, until she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, gramps, I've got a question…" A smirk arose onto Maemi's face, and she quickly located some random paper. She crumbled it up into a paper. She glanced down before tossing the paper. It was Laxus, the master's own grandson. He was about three years older than Maemi and was always blasting music through his headphones. She could hear the music from the second floor. He was blonde and had stormy blue eyes. And tall. And needless to say, her rival and friend. I at least consider him a friend. She thought blissfully as she tossed the paper ball onto Laxus' head. She giggled.

He rolled his eyes at her and seemed to growl at her. He crossed his arms and glared at her, showing how annoyed he was. It didn't seem to pass through her skull that he was annoyed, so she prepared another paper ball. The Master smiled a bit at the little interaction between the two. "What did you need, Laxus?"

"When are those damn S-Class trials?" Laxus asked, clearly somewhat annoyed now. The question itself was bothering him. Another paper ball hit Laxus' head and bounced off. Maemi giggled a little louder now.

"That's private information, Shocky!" She tossed a third ball down onto the lightning mage's head.

"You weren't part of this conversation, midget," Laxus responded crossly.

"Well, I am now. Thanks for including me!" She maintained her smirk and winked jokingly. The Master was clearly enjoying this. She took it a step further. "Now, let's see… A 15 year old A-Class Mage is annoyed by a 12 year old S-Class mage? I've never heard of that before!" She laughed. Her three paper balls were tossed right at her by Laxus, who's attempting at shutting her up.

"Who's the taller one again?" Laxus had a growing smirk. This now ticked her off.

"I'll grow. Just you watch!" She disregarded her annoyed emotion and tried to cover it with confidence. Laxus rolled his eyes.

"You'll grow, alright… But the opposite direction,"he said. Maemi frowned.

"Was that seriously your comeback? Dude, that's just depressing," She chuckled. "Anyways, the date of the trials are an absolute secret! Even a D-Class mage knows that!" Maemi attempted to bring the conversation full paused, and added, "Music Geek." Laxus just seemed to be just annoyed now. He became ticked off as the three paper balls came flying down at his head again. He tossed them back in annoyance. The Master then spoke up.

"You two want to know something?" The master snickered and held a grin. "The more you two bicker, the more you two like each other." This shut both of them up, until Maemi roared with laughter and fell backwards onto her back, holding her stomach. Laxus had turned away quickly and stormed out of the guild.

"Oh my-" She interrupted herself with laughter. "That's hilarious! That was a golden joke, Master!" The Master was chuckling, and seemed to mutter something under his breath.

"Well, it wasn't necessarily a joke, but oh well…" The old man sighed. He watched as the blonde stood up and went down the stairs. That itself was rather rare, since she usually enjoyed staying on the S-Class floor. As she hit the bottom floor's wood flooring, she bumped into someone, who shrieked in surprise. Her pale pink eyes darted about.

"Sorry, blind girl, coming through. Who is this?" The pink-eyed female asked, turning in multiple directions at once.

"It's Mae," Maemi laughed gently. "Be careful on where you're going, Blindy."

"I can't really help that!" The girl pointed in the opposite direction accusingly, almost trying to point at Maemi. The blonde grabbed her shoulders and turned her to the proper direction. "I'm blind, after all!" Maemi playfully tapped the blind girl's head.

"I know that, Miksu. Why d'ya think your nickname is Blindy?" Maemi smirked. Miksu was quiet for a moment or so, trying to figure out how to respond.

"Anyways, where in the guild are we?"

"Near the S-Class stairs."

"Oh… That would explain a lot. I felt like I was never going to bump into anyone! Remember that one time I wandered up the stairs?"

"That's when we met, silly. Master Makarov found it amusing, considering you were running around, confused on why you weren't hitting anyone," Maemi chuckled. "Plus, it was we both learned that you were blind!" She paused for a moment to glance around. "Anyways, I have a plan. I need to see if it works!" She flashed a grin, completely forgetting that Miksu was blind and couldn't see the grin. "See ya around!" And with that, the blonde dashed off towards Natsu and Gray, who were still recovering from Erza's surprise attack. "Hey Darky, hey Pinky!" She greeted them. They looked at her. Natsu leaped at her.

"Mae, fight me already!" Natsu screeched as he leaped. She dodged nimbly. Natsu fell face first into the ground.

"She isn't gonna fight you! She'll only fight if there's danger!" Gray remarked, crossing his arms.

Well, he isn't wrong. Maemi thought.

"I'll become a danger then!" He leaped at her again. She simply moved out of the way. He landed on the ground on his two feet.

"The only danger all you're ever gonna be is a danger to our ears, Squinty Eyes!" Gray responded with a smirk.

"And you're only gonna be a danger to our eyes, you pervert!" Natsu tossed a punch at Gray. Maemi glanced around for Erza, who was now beelining right to Natsu and Gray. As the scarlet-haired female reached her destination, Maemi grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"I have to stop them from bringing chaos to the Guild, Maemi," Erza simply said. Maemi had a smirk.

"Let me handle this, this time. I think it'll shut 'em up for a good day or so," Maemi's eyes were gleaming. "Oi, Natsu, Gray!" This got their attention pretty quick, since she rarely called anyone by their proper name."You know, the more two people fight, the more they like each other!" This stopped their fight and they leaped away in disgust.

"What?! That's disgusting!" Gray imitated a vomit.

"Ew. No way, no how, not ever!" Natsu ran away from the area. Maemi still smirked.

"There we go. Probably no fighting for a while!" Maemi smiled innocently. Erza stared at her.

"Where'd you learn that from?" The scarlet-haired girl asked.

"Honestly? Master Makarov. See ya around, Scarlet!" She called as she dashed to the stairs. She bumped into someone. It was Cana. "Heya, Brownie," She greeted, referencing the girl's brown hair. The brunette smiled politely.

"Hi Maemi," Cana responded awkwardly. They talked rarely.

"How's the search going?" Maemi knew she couldn't talk as casually around Cana, seeing that the brunette was most likely going to be a good influence on the other kids.

"It's… uh… Going alright…Haven't really found anything out yet…" Cana averted her eyes away.

"Oh, well, I hope you find something soon!" Maemi told Cana cheerfully. "See ya around, Brownie!" She waved at the brunette, going towards the stairs. She scaled the stairs, and returned to where she was on the second floor. "Hey Master, how's it going?" His usual cheerful grin had disappeared, and he seemed a little bothered.

"Well, you just received a special mission from… someone." The paper he held was somewhat crumbled. Maemi could only guess that she used it to toss it at Laxus' head.

"It doesn't say the name?" Maemi frowned. That was odd.

"It doesn't. But it's asking for you, and you only…" The Master sighed. The old man looked at the paper. "No reward price is listed either."

"That's even odder. What's it all say?"

The Master cleared his throat. "It says… 'We require Maemi Dyslin for this mission. Large, dangerous monster destroying homes, killing innocent people, no mercy. It's claimed many lives. Reward will be given on certain circumstances,'" He read aloud. "It's location is very far away, but seeing the date that this was submitted, it must've travelled very quickly. The destination is half-way across the world, in another kingdom. The Pechet Kingdom. The monster's name is Glareel."

"Glareel? What a dumb name. But it'll do. How long do you think it'll take? To get there and back here?" Maemi asked, acting confident.

"It's… in total, going to take about 20 years," He responded.

20 years?! Her thoughts absolutely contradicted what she was going to say. "Sounds like an adventure," she said with a grin.

"Well, actually, it's a reason to not go-" She interrupted him.

"Watch, I'll beat it and be back my birthday next year!" Maemi glew with confidence. "When should I leave?"

"Tomorrow at 10 A.M. You missed the first train to the nearest place to start yesterday." Her heart felt like it sunk underground. She's going to leave tomorrow, in the morning, on a train, for 20 years. If she got to stay for a week, she'd be more enthusiastic. She fake-smiled.

"Sounds great… Mind telling everyone? I need to start packing," She asked the Master, turning her back to go down the stairs as quickly as possible. Master Makarov nodded.

"Of course," He responded as he stood up on the railing. Maemi dashed down the stairs and right out of the guild. "Attention, everyone! I've something to announce!" That was Maemi heard last as she ran out of earshot of the guild. She raced down streets. I'm leaving tomorrow… Her thoughts began to run wild. I won't see everyone for 20 years. Tears began to form at the corner of her light blue eyes. What if I mess up? What if I go the wrong direction? It might take me even longer! It could take me 40 years for all I know! She began to cry as she ran. I don't want to be 52 the next time I see them! I don't wanna see them in 20 years either! I want to see them all again soon! She was sobbing now, and had exited the city. She had choked on her tears and air once or twice. She located her home rather quickly. It was surrounded by a dense forest, and was two stories tall. She lived here. Alone.

She opened the door and slammed it behind her. She raced to her bed, which was on the second floor. She jumped onto it and just cried for a while. She didn't want to leave. She wanted to stay with her friends, even if she was terrible at talking with them. She grabbed her pillow and tightly squeezed it, bringing it up to her chest. She cried and sobbed into it. She hugged it using her legs and continued to squeeze it. It took her a while to calm down. Her thoughts slowed down. But… I know that people need me. Thousands maybe. Maybe millions. I'm not going to let some dumb monster kill innocent people over what I want. I need to go. They asked for me. She sat up, wiping her eyes. I'm not going to repeat what I did. I'm not going to run away from this. I did that once, and it left me miserable. I'll run towards this. I'll run 'till I kick that monster's butt and I'll run back to Fairy Tail. She seemed more determined now. Maemi crawled out of bed and got a luggage bag. She heaved the big bag onto her bed and opened it. She packed some clothes that would likely fit her for a good while, some necessities, a few memories, her family picture from many years ago… She looked over the picture. It was a bit dusty. A dad, a mom, and three girls. Maemi sighed and packed it under her clothes. She found a present she definitely wanted to bring with her. It was on a silver chain, and the centerpiece was a large, white rhinestone. On the back of the rhinestone, was the Fairy Tail sign, encrusted with silver lining. She put it over her head and it slid onto her neck. She had received it a little after she had joined the guild. About 4 years ago. The only people she knew then were Cana, Master Makarov, and Laxus. If she was right, they all presented it to her.

Maemi left some room in the luggage, for anything she may receive in the future. She grabbed a white binder, clearly empty. She found some old papers and filed them inside the binder. She then slipped it into the luggage. She zipped the bag up and got about 1,000 Jewels of pocket money. She left the luggage on her bed and fixed the somewhat damp pillow she had been then left her room and the house, the 1,000 Jewels in her pocket. She decided to buy the ticket today.

She trudged along the dirt path that led to her house and to the city. A few citizens were murmuring about a Fairy Tail mage who would go fight Glareel and be gone for 20 years. They talked that it may be Gildarts, a fellow S-Class mage. She puffed her cheeks up in annoyance. She knew that Gildarts wouldn't risk it, since he liked hanging around the guild every once in awhile. He'd go insane if he had to be gone for 20 years.

She tried to avoid going towards Fairy Tail, but she did pass by it. She heard her friends calling for her, probably trying to find her in the guild somewhere. She smiled weakly. As she walked, her thoughts drifted back to when she wasn't a S-Class mage.

FLASHBACK

"Hey, Darky!" A slightly younger Maemi called out, a mischievous grin on her face. She held something in her hands. Gray turned around and waved at her. When he turned around, she tossed a mud ball right at him, laughing like a maniac. She punched the air in victory. "Ten points to Maemi!"

"Hey!" Gray frowned as it hit him in the chest. He wiped a bit off and went charging for Maemi, trying to find something to throw at her. Maemi squeaked in fear and ran off towards the other side of the guild. Maemi spotted Laxus.

"Protect me!" She shrieked as she ducked behind Laxus, still grinning like an idiot. Laxus just simply looked at her, with an annoyed look.

"Well, you started it," He said to her as he stepped away. He grinned slightly and called out: "She's over here, Gray." Gray had found a bundle of mud to throw. Now Gray smiled.

"No I'm not!" Maemi dashed away and went behind the bar, putting up one finger to her mouth to tell the barmaid that she wasn't here. The barmaid just smiled at her and nodded.

"Laxus, where'd she go?" Gray had approached the lightning-user. Maemi poked her head out from the side and shook her head, trying to tell Laxus to not reveal her location. Laxus had seen her and shrugged.

"Somewhere, I dunno. Probably went outside to get more mud balls ready," He lied to Gray. The little ice-boy went running outside, forgetting his clothes. Maemi exited her location and walked up to Laxus.

"I don't understand you. One moment you betray me, and the next moment you're my friend," her brow was furrowed. She was really confused.

"It's called a friendly rivalship. Get used to it, midget."

"Wait, so does that mean I am your friend?"

"Well, not exactly-"

"Yay, Shocky is my friend!"

"No need to yell that!"

END OF FLASHBACK

When she exited her memories, she found herself in front of the train station. The 12 year old sighed, and entered the building. She approached the purchasing counter and purchased the ticket for 1,000 Jewels. A ticket that would bring her to the edge of Fiore. The rest of her adventure would be on foot.

She began to exit the building, reading the ticket. "'Bought on September 4th, x777. Train leaving on September 5th, x777 at 10 A.M. Be sure to be here before the train leaves. Thank you for choosing Magnolia's Train Department, we ensure you ride safely!'" Maemi grunted. "I'm going to be throwing up the entire time…" She then quietly made her way back to her home, hoping to get enough rest for tomorrow

It was about 9:30 P.M. and Maemi was fast asleep. Her bleach blonde hair was tied in a ponytail and was becoming messy already. Her eyes opened slightly as she heard a few faint knocks on the front door. Groaning and tired, she jumped out of bed and walked down the stairs to the door. She opened it. Her light blue eyes tried adjusting to the lighting of the outside world and her home as quickly as possible.

"Hi Mae!" She heard a happy voice from one of the two people standing before her. Maemi rubbed her eyes.

"Bookworm? That you?" Maemi asked, her voice obviously hinting at that she was sleeping.

"Yes, ma'am! Cana's here too!" The bookworm, Levy, responded, motioning to the brunette besides her. Cana waved.

"What're you two doing here?" Maemi asked, turning on a light to properly see their faces.

"You look like you were sleeping…" Cana said quietly, then giggling. Maemi's cheeks flushed with the color red and took her ponytail out. She used her hands to comb out her hair a bit. "We're here because we want to play a game."

"A game? At 9 o'clock at night?" Maemi inquired. "Didn't the Master tell you guys that I'm leaving tomorrow? At 10 o'clock in the morning."

"He told us! But since we rarely talk, we figured we could spend a little bit more time with you!" Levy responded. Usually the girl was shy, but she seemed energetic about something. Maemi shrugged.

"Sure, I guess. But only for awhile. I need all the sleep I can get. It's going to be a long journey…" Maemi wondered if Master Makarov had told them how long she'll be gone.

"We understand! So you'll play?" Levy asked. Maemi nodded.

"How do you play?" Maemi asked, crossing her arms. Cana held a blindfold.

"First, we'll have to blindfold you," Cana responded, wrapping the blindfold around her eyes and tying it at the back of her head.

"Okay... " Maemi muttered. "Then what?" She was now blind. She could only trust her hearing and her not-so-great smelling.

"Then, we lead you somewhere random! We'll tell you the last two steps when we get to the random place!" Levy responded, grabbing her right hand. She felt someone grab her left hand, and presumed it was Cana. She was now being lead somewhere. She heard her door shut and felt the cool ground beneath her feet. The air was crisp tonight. The two other girls seemed to be hurrying along, making sure that she wasn't going to fall. Thank goodness she was wearing a tank top and some sweat pants. Going to the town in pajamas didn't seem like a good idea.

The two girls giggled every once in awhile, the breeze seemed to whisper. She felt the stoney surface of the city's streets. They seemed to wander about for a while. Maybe to purposely confuse her on her surroundings. They finally seemed to stop somewhere. "Hey, it's Maemi!" She heard Natsu's voice yell out.

"Natsu! You ruined the surprise!" A chorus of people yelled. Someone untied the blindfold and it fell to the ground. She stared at what was before her. She was standing in front of the guild's opening. The Guild Hall was lit up brightly. All of her friends were standing in the front of the large group of people, and respectively, Gray hit Natsu on his cheek.

"What is all of this?" Maemi asked, her voice seemed to be weak but echo-like. Levy and Cana appeared in front of her.

"It's a party! The Master said you might be gone for a long time, so we wanted to celebrate and have fun with you one last time before you leave!" Levy responded. Maemi began to smile.

"Lets have fun then!" Maemi cheered and ran into the Guild Hall. The two girls followed. They dispersed after a while. All of the adults went and grabbed some drinks, enjoying themselves. Maemi found herself looking for her friends, but climbed up the S-Class stairs to the second floor. She'd have fun later. She saw someone on the second floor. "Hey, Gildarts," she greeted the man, who was having a fun time by himself, laughing somewhat drunkenly. He grinned when he saw her.

"Hey there, Mae! You grew a couple of inches the last time I saw you!" Gildarts laughed.

"You got older," Maemi smirked with her response. Gildarts frowned.

"Respect your elders, little girl."

"I'll respect you when you're a pile of dirt!" She gleamed with energy.

"Well, I can't wait until that day comes!" He bellowed and patted her head. "So I heard about your adventure, small one. Sounds like fun," He said as he took a drink from his cup.

"Yeah, Master says it could take 20 years. Especially since I'll be traveling by foot. I hope I don't get lost and take even longer," her regular energy seemed to disappear.

"You'll kick it's ass, don't worry. Size doesn't matter when this little ball of energy comes running at you with death written in her eyes!" Gildarts gave her a noogie on the head. "Unless that monster is small and adorable!" He teased her.

"I didn't know the kitten was the monster!" She quickly began to defend herself. She and Gildarts went on a mission one time and were supposed to fight a monster. Maemi had found a kitten and was absolutely distracted by it. The kitten then grew into a monster and sent her flying. Gildarts ended up defeating it by himself, since she broke her arm and was a mile or so away. "It looked innocent…"

"No need to be defensive!" He laughed. "Anyway, that new quest, what's the reward?"

"I have no clue. It said it depends on the circumstances."

"Probably means: 'Are you dead or alive after fighting and destroying that thing?'" Gildarts seemed solemn now. "What's the monster's name?"

"Glareel. That's what the Pechet Kingdom called it."

"Glareel… I've heard about it once or twice."

"From who?"

"From… Some ladies I've met on my adventures." He was grinning at the memories.

"I don't care about your affairs across the globe, Gildarts. I wanna know about the monster!" Gildarts glared at her, and she was grinning.

"Well, I just know that it uses magic. I think Time Magic and Area Magic. I hear it's pretty troublesome. But seeing your power… Yeah, you'll do just fine!" He grinned at her. "I'm sure the reward's gonna be worth it!"

"Hey! Mae!" Maemi's attention turned to see the owner of the voice. It was Natsu. "Fight me already, since you're gonna leave!" He yelled up. Maemi walked up to the railing to look down at him.

"I'll fight you when I get back, Pinky!" Maemi laughed, very well knowing she wouldn't uphold that promise.

"That's gonna be in forever, though!" Natsu argued.

"Exactly! I'll be back in a forever!" Maemi noticed that Gray was standing near Natsu, laughing a bit.

"See? She won't fight you 'cause you're not strong enough yet! She'd rather fight me 'cause I'm way better, right Mae?" Gray laughed in victory.

"You'd have to wait too, Darky!" He stared at her in surprise. "What?!" Natsu began to laugh at him now.

"Both of you, stop bothering her! She doesn't want to fight either of you!" The scarlet-haired girl approached the two boys and hit them on top of their heads.

"If I had the time, though, I'd fight Erza! In fact, I'd fight all of you if I had the time!" Maemi chuckled.

"But what you're saying is you'd rather fight Erza than me?" Natsu asked, rubbing the top of his head from the slight pain.

"Well no duh, Erza's way stronger than us!" Gray responded to Natsu. Natsu socked him in the cheek.

"Shut up, Gay!"

"What'd you call me?"

"Gray."

"You called me Gay!"

"Whatever! Same thing!" Gray then tackled Natsu to the ground. Erza picked them up and slammed their two heads together in annoyance. They both fell to the ground in pain.

"Well, Maemi," Erza began. Maemi watched carefully. "Since they brought up the idea of fighting, I challenge you to a fight when you return!" Maemi smiled.

"Consider your challenge accepted!" She laughed.

"When are you leaving, anyways?" Erza asked.

"Tomorrow at 10…" Maemi responded. She'd imagine they may have forgotten. Gray looked up at her.

"You're leaving that early? I thought you were leaving in a week! That's why I challenged you to a fight!" Gray whined. Natsu punched him in the shoulder.

"I'm the one who challenged her to a fight, you're the one who barged in!" Natsu growled. They seemed to disperse a little bit away from talking with Maemi. She got up and went down the stairs, going to sit at a table. She was still going to wait to have fun. Plus, she's terrible at starting conversations. She can do it, but she wishes she was better at it. She seemed to be distracted by something. She noticed that someone had sat down next to her. She only glanced.

"Back from your walk, Shocky?" Maemi asked, and Laxus only shrugged in response.

"I heard you talking with Erza and the Idiots. She challenged and you actually accepted? That's interesting. When's the fight?" Laxus inquired.

"After I get back," Maemi responded.

"Back from what?" The teenager asked the pre-teen.

"A mission that was asking specifically for me."

"Huh, didn't know you got a mission today."

"Your grandpa announced it to the Guild today. I'm gonna be gone for at least 20 years." Laxus went quiet for a while, almost as if in thought.

"20 years? Well, holy shit. I've heard of 10 year missions, but 20? Must be pretty intense and far away. You're gonna be old as Gildarts when you get back."

"It might take 20 years. I'm hoping that's the maximum. I'm going to try beat it and get back by next year on my birthday."

"Well, it's something to work towards."

"Yeah, I guess… Why do you care though?"

"It's called a friendly rivalship, remember? Sometimes I'm a rival, sometimes I'm a friend. Right now? Consider me a friend. Just don't toss any paper balls at my head."
"Alright. I don't have any paper near me, so you're good. For now," She grinned.

"So when are you leaving? And what's the reward?"

"As for the reward, I don't know. It depends whether I die or live after the battle-"

"So, wait a minute. You might die?"

"Might. I think it's a 50% chance. And I'm leaving tomorrow at 10."

"Oh," is all Laxus responded with.

"Blindy isn't here?" Maemi asked.

"Nah, Miksu ain't here. She was apparently too sad and too blind to come here. She wished you luck though. That's what she told me to tell you. I saw her on the way here and was all like: 'Okay…'"

"Next time you see her, tell her thanks for me." Laxus watched as she stood up, preparing to leave. "Well, I need to probably head back. I need as much sleep as possible…" Laxus waved at her as she began to leave, and she waved back. Before she could step out though, all of her other friends came running and blocked the entrance to the guild. "Guys, I need to go."

Natsu spoke first. "We know, but we want to say goodbye!" The rosy-haired male responded, giving Maemi a big hug.

"I wanna hug her too, Ash-Brain!" Gray tried to barge in during the hug, but Natsu kicked him away.

"Go get some clothes then, Streaker!" Natsu responded, still hugging Maemi. Maemi hugged him back. She began to count how long it would take Gray to find his clothes.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6… 36, 37, 38, 39… 1 minute 6 seconds, 1 minute 7 seconds. Gray finally reappeared with his clothes on. He knocked Natsu away stubbornly and gave Maemi a hug, and she hugged back. "It took you a minute and 7 seconds to get your clothes back," she joked. Eventually, everyone had given her a hug. Levy was last. After the final hug, she waved goodbye to everyone. Turning away, she walked to her home, knowing she may never see them again.

Maemi sat on a bench, waiting until the intercom said that passengers can load the train. She held onto her ticket tightly. Her luggage sat on the ground, next to her feet. She had arrived about 30 minutes early. She wore comfortable traveling clothes, consisting of jean pants and a plain shirt. And sneakers. She sighed in boredom. I could probably visit everyone before it's time to leave… She thought and sighed again. No, I'd probably be late. As much as I'd love to be late, I need to do this. I'm not going to let innocent people die because of what I want to do.

A train entered the station and people exited it rather hurriedly. It seemed like tourists. Magnolia was a pretty popular place, after all. Thanks to Fairy Tail. Her necklace hung on her neck, and she held it quietly. She checked under her shirt. Below her collarbone on the left, was her guild mark. It was a russian blue color. She sighed. She was going to miss the guild.

"Hey, Mae!" She heard a familiar voice. She turned her head to the right to see her friends rushing to her. She stared at them in disbelief. What were they doing here?

"Hey guys… What… What are you guys doing here?" She asked them, surprised.

"We wanted to see you off!" Levy responded.

"Yeah. We didn't want last night to be the last time we ever saw you! We wanted to make sure you got on the train safe and sound!" Gray added. Natsu imitated a puke when he heard train.

"How are you gonna even survive that thing, Mae?" Natsu asked.

"I took some medicine before I left. It'll last long enough until I fall asleep! The medicine was disgusting though," Maemi laughed gently. The intercom sounded off.

"All passengers going to Oppa can now begin to board the train. The train will leave in 10 minutes." Maemi stood up and adjusted her shirt.

"Is that where you're going?" Cana asked her. Maemi nodded.

"It's the furthermost eastern city in Fiore," Maemi responded, getting her luggage ready to go. Erza held an envelope.

"We all have something for you. It's from the entire guild," Erza said, holding it out to Maemi to grab. Maemi grabbed it and looked the envelope over.

"We want you to open it on the train though," Natsu quickly added. "We don't wanna see you cry."

"Why? Am I an ugly crier?" Maemi asked. Natsu began to smirk.

"No. It'll make Gray start crying like a big baby!" Natsu chuckled.

"You'd be the one to start crying, you big baby!" Gray glared at Natsu. The group laughed. They all continued to talk with each other for a while, until the intercom announced once more.

"Two minutes until the train to Oppa leaves. Any remaining passengers, please board now." The group became silent.

"Well, I guess this is it…" Maemi sighed. She grabbed the luggage by the handle, holding the ticket and the envelope. "Bye guys… I'm gonna miss you all so much…" Maemi smiled weakly at them. They all smiled back, clearly all sad. She approached the train and entered. She felt her motion sickness act up a bit, but it died down. The door closed behind her. She sat down and looked out the window. What she saw shocked her.

The entire guild was standing there, waving to her. She couldn't locate Laxus in the group, or Miksu. The smaller people, her friends, were already beginning to cry. The adults seemed the same. Maemi smiled at them, tears already forming in her eyes. She waved back. Gray and Natsu kept punching each other back and forth, calling each other babies but still crying. Erza didn't bother stopping them. The train began to move. Slowly, it inched forward. The Master looked like he was having a hard time not crying. Gildarts looked less like he was crying, but she saw the tears. She continued to watch them even as the train continued to move. She watched them until the train left the station and she couldn't see them anymore.

Her breathing was shaky. Tears were rolling down her cheeks already. Quietly, she began to open the envelope. Inside was a picture of the entire guild, including herself. She began to sob, and put the picture away into the envelope. She put the envelope into her bag. This was it. She was going on the largest adventure of her life.

It's been 7 years. It took her that long to finally reach the monster's cave. Besides her, stood a cat-like creature, standing on two legs. It had dark ginger fur, with even darker spots. It's dark green eyes stared at the cave.

Maemi was now 19. Her hair had grown much longer, and she had to cut it off a bit. It rested against her back right above her bum. In fact, she in total, has grown. Thanks to puberty, at least. She still had her luggage with her. She put it near a bush, a bit away from the opening of the cave.

"Eh, Mae…" The cat-creature whined. "Is this safe?" She asked Maemi. Maemi patted the cat's head gently.

"Probably not, but I'm still going to kick its ass. It could take a while to completely destroy it though…" Maemi responded to the creature honestly. "Wanna help me fight it though?"

"Yeah, I'd love to help, Mae! But… Why are we fighting this thing?" The creature asked.

"Well, Red, it…" Maemi paused to think of an answer quickly. The exceed knew her entire past. Well, some of it. "It killed a good friend of mine, and I'm here to get revenge."

"It seems like it would be some sort of mission for a Guild to do though," Red responded, completely unaware that her best friend was from the strongest Guild in Fiore. "Like Fairy Tail! They'd probably be able to be it easily!"

"I thought about submitting it to a guild," Maemi lied. "But then I realized it was a personal matter. And that I was going to defeat it myself."

"I can tell you're lying, Mae. You avert your eyes when you lie. What's the actual reason?" The exceed asked, clearly concerned.

"I'll tell you later, I promise. I need to go use the bathroom quick, first. I don't want to get scared and, y'know, during the battle…"

"Okay, but right after the battle, I wanna know!"

"Alright!" Maemi sneakingly took the envelope she had received 7 years ago and hid in the bushes. She took the image out. There were some smudges on it, but it otherwise looked pretty good for being 7 years old. She'd often look at this picture. Today was the best reminder ever, however. Today was the day she could go home. She could go back to Fairy Tail. She wondered about everyone. Did they look the same? Did they act the same? Were there any new members? If so, she wanted to meet them. She put the envelope away with the picture as she returned to the entrance of the cave. She looked at Red, prepared to go in.

"You ready, Mae?" The exceed asked.

"I've been ready my entire life!" Maemi announced as she stepped into the dark cave.

There was no light source. As they continued onwards, a fire-like path began to follow them, illuminating the entire save. A huge, black blob lay in the middle of the cave.

"Is that what we're fighting? It should be easy-" Red began to talk but she was interrupted.

"This thing uses Time Magic. It reversed its appearance to how it used to look. I know how it should look. Back up, Red…" Red jumped backwards. The blob began to glow and it transformed into a Wyvern-Snake like creature, curling up into a pyramid-shaped style.

"GLAREEL… WHO AWOKE… DEFEAT ENEMY…" The creature seemed to be speaking in multiple languages at once, but Maemi was able to understand those three phrases. Red stared at the creature in terror. Maemi approached it, tossing her scarf off. It revealed her blue-grey Fairy Tail guild mark.

"Glareel, you've been awoken by a Fairy Tail mage. And if anything, I'm here to defeat you!" Maemi announced, loud and proud of each word. Red now stared at Maemi in surprise. A magic circle appeared under Maemi's feet, shining a powerful silver color. "Shimmering Scales!" A faint layer of magic appeared above Maemi's skin, making it appear that she has scales. A barrage of silver beams went flying from the magic circle, hitting Glareel in multiple areas at once. Glareel lunged forward. Red quickly used her magic, Aera, to summon her wings. She dodged the monster's attack nimbly. She searched for Maemi, who leaped up surprisingly high. Her left eye was glowing a golden color. It seemed as if Maemi had wings on her back. There was a faint layer representing wings. They were shaped like a dragon's wings.

"Let's dance, monster!"