To be obvious, I must say that I do not own Fairy Tail or anything about it.

This story features Flare Corona. Since I love the character so much, I decided to write a story about her as a main character. The other main characters in this fic are Lucy, Juvia, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, and Luxus. The other guild members will be in it, too, of course. I was originally going to make this a Flare/Luxus, but I then thought the idea of Flare/Juvia was too cute and too perfect to not write. I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think. I welcome constructive crit and suggestions, and yes, even flames (bad pun intended).

:)

"Hello" - Evanescence

Playground school bell rings again
Rain clouds come to play again
Has no one told you she's not breathing?
Hello, I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to
Hello

If I smile and don't believe
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream
Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken
Hello, I'm the lie living for you so you can hide
Don't cry

Suddenly I know I'm not sleeping
Hello, I'm still here

All that's left of yesterday

All was back to normal in the guild after Fairy Tail had come home from the Grand Magic Games.

Well, what normal was for Fairy Tail.

Cana was drinking a keg Mirajane had given her. Jet and Droy were fighting for Levy's attention while she sat at a table sweatdropping. She looked over at Lucy for help, who shrugged and smiled sheepishly as if to say, 'sorry'. Erza was eating cake so she wasn't paying attention to any of this, even though Gray and Natsu were arguing right next to her.

Lucy sighed happily. This was the life. She had bills to pay, Natsu had water amusement park repairs to pay for, and they had to start working again in a few days. But they had an entire guild of friends to back them up, to make them laugh, to cheer them up. If anything, the Grand Magic Games fiasco proved that. She looked around at everyone and smiled again. It brought them all closer, if that was even possible.

However, while it was great, the constant bickering of her two comrades always got on her nerves after a while. "Natsu! Gray! Cut it out! We just got back. Could you NOT fight for five minutes?" They looked a little guilty and stopped fighting. Juvia took this opportunity to grab Gray and pull him away from their table. Lucy shook her head. "I'll be right back," she said to Natsu, and ran off to the bathroom.

Lisanna finished pouring a drink for Luxus. She took his money and put it in the cash register, then sighed. She loved this guild so much, and technically she hadn't even been back for a full six months from Edolas, excluding the seven years the Tenroujima team was in stasis. She loved the Edolas Fairy Tail too, but there was nothing like being back with her real family, where she originally came from. She felt a little cheated out of years of her life, but she was back and so that was all that mattered to her. She cherished the fact that everyone was friends, here. That they loved and took care of each other. They accepted her immediately when they realized she was their Lisanna, and they even had a party when she returned.

But there was still something missing.

Even though she had a Natsu in Edolas, he was Edo-Lucy's, and not the Natsu she left behind all those years ago. Not the one who made a promise to her that he would marry her someday and raise a real baby, not just an egg. During her time back here, she had fallen in love with Natsu. Real love, not the childish crush she used to have. At first she thought he and Lucy had a thing for each other, but after months of watching them together, she hadn't seen a single sign of romantic feelings between them so she felt justified in going for him.

When she looked up and spotted him, he was sitting alone. Finally! "I'll be back," she told her sister. She gathered up some courage and walked up to him. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time, and she promised herself during the games that she would go for him if he and Lucy were still not a couple after they all got home. It had been hard to catch him alone.

"Hi Natsu."

"Lisanna! What's up?"

"Nothing much. Do you… do you have a moment?"

"Yeah, I was just waiting for Lucy to get back from the bathroom."

"Could I talk to you alone?"

"Sure."

She brought him over by the entrance to a corridor that led to the guild's baths so no one could hear them, and took a deep breath. "Natsu…"

"What's up, Lis? Are you okay?"

His use of the nickname he gave her when they were kids helped her confidence. "Um, well I wanted to ask you something." Natsu stared at her expectantly. "How do you see me? How do you feel about me?"

Natsu's danger sense went off. "You're one of my best friends, why?"

Lisanna looked disappointed. "But do you feel anything else for me?"

Natsu didn't want to admit he knew what she was asking. "I, well, what do you mean?"

"Are you really that dense?"

"Um, uh…"

Then she kissed him.

'No no no, why are you doing this, Lisanna? You're one of my best friends! You're like a sister to me! I don't love you, I love… L… Lu…'

They heard a gasp and broke apart.

"Lucy!" Natsu exclaimed, very happy to see her.

Lisanna blushed. "We, ah, were just… um… sorry?"

"Don't be. I was just looking for Natsu and Mira said she saw him come this way." She turned to leave. "I'll leave you two alone. Sorry I interrupted."

"Lucy, wait!"

"It's okay, Natsu. Finish. What I wanted to talk to you about can wait."

"Lucy!"

But she was gone. He went to go after her but Lisanna stopped him, annoyed. "Natsu!"

"What?"

"Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I… I…"

She had him cornered. "I'm sorry I was so bold, I just couldn't wait any longer. I thought that maybe you and Lucy had a thing, but after watching you two, it seems like you're just best friends so I made a move. I wanted it to come from you, but it seemed like you weren't getting what I was hinting at, so I just went ahead and…"

"It's okay, don't worry. Sorry Lis, but I have to go see what Lucy wanted; she looked like she really needed something. Can we talk later?" He smiled to reassure her so she wouldn't be sad because of his rushing off, but it did more... it gave her the wrong impression.

Lisanna took that to mean he wanted to see her again in the same way she did, so she smiled. "Okay, Natsu-chan. See you later." She beamed as she walked back into the guild hall, leaving him there dumbfounded.

He shook his head and went to check on Lucy but couldn't find her anywhere. "Mira, have you seen Lucy?"

"She just came from where you did, didn't you see her?"

"Yeah but then she left before me and now I can't find her."

"She went out the front door. She looked upset. Did you two have a fight?"

"Thanks, Mira!"

Mirajane watched him leave, confusion on her face.

'Natsu, you jerk!' Lucy didn't know why she was so upset. She figured it was inevitable, that he and Lisanna would get together. She just wasn't ready for it. 'Well, there goes my luck.' She had started to cry. Instead of sitting at a table to wait for him, she went outside for some fresh air. However, when she closed the door and turned around, she saw a red haired figure crumpled on the ground.

The girl had lifted her head at the sound of someone coming through the door and Lucy gasped. "Flare!" There were tear streaks down Flare's face, dark bruises on every area of exposed skin, and she looked exhausted.

"Blondie… it's good to see you."

Lucy dropped to her knees in front of Flare, inspecting her for more injuries. "What happened to you?! Was it Ivan?"

"I…" But she couldn't talk. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

Lucy wrapped her arms around the redhead and let her cry. "Let it out, it's good to cry. I'll listen when you can talk."

This is how Natsu found them. Lucy looked up at him, pleading for help with her eyes. "Is that Flare from Raven Tail?"

Lucy leveled him with a glare. "Oh, way to be tactful, Natsu!" Inwardly, she cringed. Her voice had been harsher than she meant it to be.

"What? It was just a question! And why is she crying? In your arms? She did horrible things to you in the games!"

"And she apologized for them. Can't you see her bruises, you idiot? It might be dark, but that streetlamp provides enough light for even your slow brain to see them."

"Hey!"

But he did see them. He just didn't want to say anything about them because he was so unsure about her.

"I'm bringing her to Master." She turned her head back to Flare. "Can you stand?"

Flare nodded but when she took a few steps and wobbled, Lucy put her arm around her anyway. "Natsu, get her other side."

Flare's eyes widened. "I'm fine like this, I don't need two people. Really. Thank you, though." Her voice was raspy, as if she was sick or had used it too much recently.

Lucy looked uncertain but let it go. "Alright. Are you sure you want to go in there with everyone all rowdy right now?"

Flare just stared at the door. "I have no choice… but to beg for Fairy Tail's protection."

Natsu and Lucy shared a look of concern.

"Is there anything you want to tell us before we take you in there?" Lucy asked.

Flare shook her head, but then it seemed she caught a wave of embarrassment. "Wait, I don't want them to see me like this," she whimpered.

"Honestly, it'll probably benefit you if they do," Natsu said. Flare looked at him questioningly. "Even with Lucy's word, they might have a hard time trusting you. Seeing how beat up you are will help your case."

"Natsu, you're not being very sensitive," Lucy chided. "And, she'll have your word, too, not just mine."

"Right, Natsu?"

"I mean... well, no offense, to you or her, it's just hard to forget all those things she did to you and Asuka."

Flare looked sad.

"You do see the bruises all over her. You're not blind. But you didn't see her the day I came to watch after I got well enough to get out of bed. She was covered in bruises then, too, and that was after a fight she won. With Obra's help... but still. I saw Alexei - well I guess it was Ivan, now that we know they're the same person - grab her chin and threaten her after he noticed her glaring at me. When she came to me at the water park and apologized, I forgave her. The one who she did most damage to. And I bet if Asuka saw her and heard an edited version of the story, she'd forgive her, too. She's obviously in a lot of physical and emotional pain right now, so either stop being an ass and help, or go away." Lucy knew she was being overly harsh but she couldn't seen to help it.

"Blondie, don't be hard on him. His reaction is understandable and I deserve more than just skepticism. At least he's willing to give me a chance. But thank you... for your words. They mean more than you know."

Natsu looked a little ashamed. "Let's get inside. If you're running from someone, you shouldn't be out here. Plus, Wendy will probably want to heal you."

Lucy, as upset as she was, smiled at him. "Yes, you should get those bruises tended to and Wendy can check for damage we can't see."

"Thank you."

They all took a deep breath, and opened the doors. There was an immediate reaction.

Most came forward out of either curiosity or to help, but some got their magic ready. Mira rushed in front of their magic circles and clenched her fists. Her demonic aura practically filled the room, instantly making them cancel their magic in fear. "Stop! There is no need for magic! Put it away! This girl is obviously hurt and in need of help!" As her aura dissipated, she turned and made her way through the crowd towards the threesome that was now stuck in a circle of people asking hundreds of questions. "Out of my way, move it, move it, let me through!" She stopped in front of Flare and cupped her face with her hands. Her brows furrowed and she looked furious. "Poor girl... whoever did this to you will..." she shook her head as if to clear it, sighed, and looked at Lucy. "What happened?"

"I went outside for fresh air and saw her sitting next to the door. She didn't say much; just that she wanted to ask for Fairy Tail's help and protection. She's too weak to have gotten much else out."

Suddenly, a deep voice rang through the guild hall. "You have some nerve, coming here."

Everyone turned to the sound.

"Luxus!" Mira sounded scandalized. "Look at the state she's in!"

"You act as if I care. She's either ballsy or stupid for showing her face here." His eyes met Flare's and he crossed his arms. "What, didn't get arrested so you had nowhere to go? Did you use your hair to beat yourself up to get my guild to pity you and take you in with open arms?"

"LUXUS!" boomed Makarov's voice.

Luxus cringed a little, then rolled his eyes. The crowd parted as the master made his way through. "Don't make me remind you in detail of what you did to our guild that forced me to kick you out, and of Gildarts's kindness in letting you back in." Luxus fumed, but looked a little embarrassed. "Do not forget what Fairy Tail is, or its morals. I know you have changed and that you are very protective of your nakama. I know you are angry with this girl and what she and her guild did to ours. But if you took the time to get to know people's stories before you judge them, you would see things very differently. You know I do not allow my children to speak so maliciously to anyone who does not deserve it. Arguing is one thing. Fighting is another. They are natural. But as soon as I hear abuse, it will be put to an end, or expulsion will result. I will not tolerate bullies. I know you know better and you are emotionally involved in what Raven Tail did, so I will excuse your behavior. Dislike her, don't speak to her, ignore her if you wish - but do not abuse her again."

Luxus stormed out of the guild. The master sighed, then addressed Flare. "I apologize. He has a good heart, though a rash and abrasive demeanor. I expect you want to speak with me?"

Flare nodded but Mira spoke before she got the chance to. "Master, if I may - I would like to get her to the infirmary before anything else to assess her injuries. Would you two mind waiting to talk?"

Makarov waved his hand dismissively and his behavior turned from serious to cheerful. "Of course, of course. I'll be waiting!"

"Everyone, please move so we can get her to the infirmary. Don't crowd her; give her some space. Lisanna, Elfman; follow us, please."

"I want to help!" Wendy cried. "Please let me come, too!"

Mira nodded. "Thank you, Wendy. I was hesitant to ask you to use your power on a former enemy; I wasn't sure what your thoughts were on the matter. I'm happy that you volunteered."

"She's not an enemy now, though, and she looks like she needs a lot of healing! Of course I would help."

Mira smiled, but there was someone who was upset about this.

"Wendy, don't use up all of your energy on her. Be careful; you get tired, easily. And she's from Raven Tail... just be careful."

Wendy's usual reaction to Charle was submissive and pleading. But this time, her eyes became angry as she faced her companion. "I've had enough of your negativity, Charle! I'm going to heal her whether you like it or not! Stop trying to warn me about my magic! I'm not weak like you think I am, I'm strong! I think I proved that at the games!"

"You did, Wendy, I'm not saying that - " Charle began, startled by Wendy's outburst along with the rest of the wide-eyed guild.

"You DO say that, though," Wendy said, "all the time. And I said I've had enough." She then turned and stalked off in the direction of the infirmary.

"... I really didn't mean to imply she's weak." Charle looked sad, and still shocked.

"I know, but it does come off that way sometimes," Lucy said gently. "Just let her be; she's probably worried about Flare and she is young; she probably doesn't understand the situation as much as we do. Also, she has a much more forgiving heart than an adult, not that we're that much older than her. Give her time, then go explain what you really meant."

"Yeah... " Charle still looked sad.

"I'll cheer you up, Charle!" Happy said. "Wanna go fishing?"

"No."

Now Happy looked sad.

"Don't worry, Happy! I'll go fishing with you tomorrow!"

Natsu's words perked the cat right up. "Aye!"

"We should get her to a bed," Mira reminded them. "I won't rest until she's upstairs, so move it, people!"

"Mira is Fairy Tail's mother figure," Lucy whispered to Flare as they made their way through the guild hall. The redhead actually cracked a smile.

Mira caught this and gave a smile of her own. "Well we all need a mother! Almost there, it's just down the hall and around the corner. Elfman will carry you if you can't walk."

Flare shied away from him. "I'll manage with Blondie."

Mira's eyes shot to Lucy's and they shared a knowing glance, but said nothing more about it. "Okay, then make sure you hold onto the wall if you need to."

When they arrived at what they were calling an infirmary, Flare's eyes widened. This was more like a whole wing than just one little infirmary. There were a bunch of beds on both sides of the heavily windowed room, curtains should anyone need one, and shelves filled with medicine that only Mira and Lisanna could get to thanks to Freed's magic.

Seeing the surprise on her face, Mira said, "I know it's big but we're a... reckless guild and we get hurt a lot." She smiled sheepishly. "Now lay down and Wendy will assess you."

"I'm going to put you in a sleep state," the little blue haired girl said, "so it'll be more comfortable for you. When I heal people, it hurts them because I'm not making their wounds go away; I'm speeding up the healing process."

Flare nodded and closed her eyes. Wendy's hands began to glow as she got to work. Her face contorted into a multitude of grimaces, cringes, and sadness. And then it got worse. She gasped, absolutely horrified at something.

"What is it, Wendy?" Elfman asked, never having seen her heal someone before.

"She can't really hear you that well," Lucy said. "When she heals, she's sort of halfway conscious because she has to focus on the process so much."

"What's wrong with her?" he asked. She now had tears streaming down her face.

"It's so horrible..." Wendy whispered.

Lisanna responded. "When she heals, she can sort of 'see' the damage and how it happened. Not exactly a vision, but that's how she describes it."

"Do you think she might be too young to see what happened to Flare?" Mira asked. "We don't even know... and it has to be bad because she wouldn't tell us."

"Maybe it's for the best... She's healed her enough; I think Flare will be alright," Lisanna said.

"Wendy," Lucy prodded. "Wendy, stop. Flare is okay now. Please stop."

Wendy didn't come-to. Instead, a squeak came out of her, as if she wanted to scream but stopped herself.

"Okay that's enough! Wendy! Snap out of it NOW!" Mira shouted.

Wendy's magic faded and her eyes opened wide. "Wha... ? You stopped me? Why?"

"Because you might be strong, but you are too young to see what she's gone through."

Wendy was shaking, now. "I... I... think even I agree with you..."

Lucy pulled Wendy into a hug and let her cry into her shoulder. "I'm sorry you saw whatever you saw. I wish I knew it was that bad so I could have stopped you."

"I want to heal her."

"I know."

"How long will she be asleep?" Mira gently interjected, trying to get Wendy's mind away from the subject.

"I dunno," the dragonslayer mumbled, her voice muffled by Lucy's shirt. "It all depends on the person and how badly they need sleep." Wendy pulled herself out of Lucy's hug, wiped her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Lu-nee. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm not a baby. I'm growing up. I need to learn to handle more grown-up things."

Mira smiled. "You are growing up. It's very nice to see. However, there are still some things you shouldn't be subjected to. And yet, it's up to you to decide what you can and cannot handle. I'm proud of you, Wendy."

Wendy smiled at her. "Thanks. Will she be okay here? Should we leave her?"

"I think so. I can ask Freed and Levy to set up runes around her that will alert us when she wakes."

As they left to get the solid script mages, Lucy turned to look at the sleeping redhead one last time before shutting the door. She frowned. Wendy wasn't weak. She was, in fact, very strong and grown up for a fourteen-year-old. And to get her as upset as she was when she was healing Flare took a lot. Lucy wasn't sure she even wanted to know what happened, but she did know that there was no way she was leaving Flare alone ever again. That was for sure.

What do you think of the first chapter? Thanks for reading! I'm in a writing group that meets twice a month, but I'd still love to hear your thoughts! Ciao!