Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima

Chapter 9:

Wendy and I thanked the Fullbuster's for letting us stay with them. It was incredibly awkward. Silver hugged me and asked me to think about what he'd said. I nodded at him, still surprised that he'd said that he didn't dislike me. Gray told me he would text me later but after that dream I was having trouble looking at him and I could tell that he was confused by my behavior. Mika gave everyone hugs and sent us home with enough leftovers to last us about a week.

We piled into Gramps car and he took us home. On the way he informed us that we were all going to be going on a family vacation for a week. We would be leaving on Wednesday morning and we were not allowed to bring any electronic devices so he gave me the ultimatum me that I needed to get my homework done before we left. I think he'd been planning to come inside but Laxus said he wasn't feeling well so Gramps took him back to their house instead.

I immediately headed to my room before Zeref could say anything. To his credit he decided to give me some space although I could see in his face that he was hurt by my silence. Wendy followed Zeref around like a lost puppy. He finally told her that he was tired and wanted to go to bed as the day had taken its toll on him. I'm guessing he wanted some time to himself. I could hear her asking him to let her sleep in his room but he wasn't having it. She made her way into my room ten minutes later already in her pajamas and climbed into my bed. She was asleep instantly, I'm sure she was exhausted from all the crying she had done earlier. I watched her for awhile trying to absorb that in a few months time we would be the last remaining evidence that Mavis and Igneel Dragneel had once existed on this Earth and loved each other. I missed them both so goddamn much.

I needed to get my shit together so I could take care of Wendy. I couldn't fail her again. She was falling apart and this time it was my job to keep her together. There was no one else left to do that. I wasn't sure how I was going to manage it when I couldn't even keep myself together.

I watched her sleep, watched her chest rise and fall with her breaths. I could feel my anger surging and it took all of my willpower to keep from destroying something so as not to wake her. Why the hell was this happening to us again? What had we ever done to deserve all this? What had Zeref ever done? Sure, I liked to fight with him but that was only because I knew he could take it and dish it back just as good. I loved him, it wasn't fair.

I thought about how I had behaved since our father had died and I remembered something Silver had said to me with dread.

"I was angry at the choices you were making and at how those choices were affecting others around you."

Did he mean I had made Zeref worse? Had Zeref worried so much about me that he had made his condition worse? Was Zeref dying because of what I did? I began to drown in self-hatred. I tried to tell myself that Silver had said that Zeref had always been sick and it could not have been my fault but once I had gotten that thought into my head it took hold and would not let go of me. I started to feel sick again and I headed to the bathroom before I could be sick in my room.

I passed Zeref's room and the sounds I heard coming from it made me freeze. Zeref was crying. I put my hand on his door, my sickness abated for the moment and I moved to open it but then I realized he would never want me to see him like that. Zeref had always been a private person, although I wonder now how much of that was him hiding his illness from us. I let myself fall to the floor quietly and decided to stay outside the door until he was done. I didn't want him to be alone. As I waited for him to finish, I promised myself that I would not waste anymore of the time we had left. I would be better, I would be everything he ever wanted me to be. I made so many promises to myself that night, I only hoped I would able to keep some of them. When I heard his snores I got up and got ready for bed. It was still early but we were all exhausted. I went back to my room to find a text message from Gray on my phone.

"Natsu, I'm here if you want to talk about anything."

I was going to ignore it but then thought better of it. I swiped a reply and turned off the light

"Thanks, I'm going to bed. I need for today to be over. I'll talk to you later. "

I wrapped my arms around Wendy, like I used to do with my stuffed dragon when I was younger and I fell asleep. Thankfully I did not dream.

I woke up too early, Wendy was still asleep next to me. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. I thought about what Gramps had said and got up quietly to sit at my desk. I opened my laptop and thought about what I was going to write for my assignment. I had promised Wendy that I would write her into a Fairy Tail story and as much as I didn't feel like going there right now I thought I needed to reassure her that I would not let her down this time.

I thought for a minute and began to type.

For Wendy.

It Takes A Village

Wendy Marvell was used to being left alone for days at a time but somehow this time felt different. Even the air she breathed felt different. She looked around and could not see the cave she had lived in with Grandeeney anywhere. Where was she? How had she gotten here? Where was her dragon?

The stillness around her did not do much to answer her questions. She sat and thought about the things she did know. This was not the first time she had found herself alone with no idea of where to go or what to do. That was actually how she had met the dragon Grandeeney. When she was very young Wendy had somehow found herself alone in some woods. She had been looking for someone back then.

She'd had vague memories of an older boy with pink hair that always made her feel warm and safe, of blonde hair that came close to her face and whispered sweet nothings tenderly, of a black haired boy with a shy smile and a tall man with a large booming laugh. She didn't know what it all meant but she thought maybe they had been her family. She had sat by a tree and cried hoping that one of the people in her memories would come and get her. Hours went by when she suddenly heard rustling in the trees. To her surprise a large creature had landed in front of her. She never thought to be scared of it, she was so glad to not be alone anymore she never even considered the creature might mean her harm. It hadn't, it introduced itself as the Sky Dragon Grandeeney and asked her what was wrong. After Wendy told her she had looked sad and offered to help her find her loved ones. She flew Wendy around for days but they were never able to find her family or anyone who had seen them. Grandeeney offered her a new life and Wendy took it. She lived with the dragon and allowed herself to be enchanted with Sky Dragon Magic. She even met a boy with pink hair who was very warm and made her feel safe but her memory was even vaguer by then and he didn't seem to recognize her at all. She was never sure if he was the right one so she never said anything but he held a special place in her heart nonetheless.

She realized now she would probably never see him or any of the other boys she had befriended again and that thought made her sadder than she already was. She wondered briefly if they had lost their dragons as well, if they were sitting alone and lost somewhere just like her. As sad as the thought made her it made her feel like they were still all connected somehow. Maybe they would find their way to each other someday. That thought gave her a glimmer of hope and she held onto it and let it strengthen her resolve.

She had no idea where she was or how she might have ended up alone in a strange place near a road. She had cried for what felt like a long time but when no one had come to help or comfort her she had realized she was truly on her own. It had scared her but there was nothing for her to do but move forward. She decided then it was time to stop crying. Crying solved nothing. She was the child of a dragon and she could still feel her magic flowing inside her. She could take care of herself until that day came. She took a first step and then another and another until she found herself on the road.

The road had remained empty the entire time she had been crying but she had to believe that there must be someone out there who could help her figure out what to do or where to go. She picked a direction at random and began walking aimlessly. She felt lonely once again and before she could stop herself she began to cry. Frustrated, she allowed that small weakness but did not let let it stop her. She continued to walk with determination. She didn't have long to wait before she saw a boy traveling alone. He had blue hair and a red tattoo around one of his eyes. He looked like he was lost in thought and the belongings that he carried made it seem like he had been traveling for a long time. He noticed her right away and stopped and took in her appearance.

"Why are you crying?", he asked with a soft kind voice.

Wendy tried to answer but despite her best efforts she kept crying. "She left me, she left me all alone."

To her embarrassment she found herself running towards him and hugging him, holding on with a desperation that only someone who has been abandoned can truly understand. He just let her, never once making a comment about it. He hugged her back and told her that he was alone too. He had been traveling for a while and he wouldn't mind her company. That's how she met Jellal.

Jellal soon became her everything. He walked with her and talked with her. He found them food and shelter. At night he held her against him, keeping her warm and safe from her fears like the pink haired boy had before him, during those long meetings the dragons sometimes had. Wendy began to relax and think that everything would be alright. She had a family again and she was content. He taught her many things about living off the land as they traveled. They journeyed this way for about a month when suddenly Jellal began to act strangely. She didn't know exactly what set it off but everyday she noticed it more and more. Where Jellal had been carefree and relaxed he was now tense. He constantly looked to the sky and muttered a word she thought sounded like "Animal".

Soon after, he said the words she had most been dreading. He told her they would have to part ways. His journey had become dangerous and he would not be able to continue on it and keep her safe. He would take her to a guild that was supposed to be beyond the forest they were traveling. Wendy tried to change his mind. She cried, she begged, she told him that she could help him, that she could take care of herself but no matter what she said, Jellal would not be dissuaded.

Wendy's world began to break down again as she was faced with being alone yet again. She quietly began to wonder what it was about her that made everyone she loved leave. What was wrong with her? Once could have been an accident, twice an unhappy coincidence but a third time? No, that clearly meant the problem lay with her. She had truly thought she had done everything right this time and as Jellal looked on with sadness he witnessed her withdrawing herself from him and everything around her. She had resigned herself to her fate.

Jellal hated himself for what he was doing, aware that she had already been left behind before but he could not let her continue on his journey. There was a whole world counting on him and he couldn't let them down just to save a small child. As much as he wanted to do just that. He already missed her. He tried talking to her one last time but she was no longer listening. He saw what he thought was the guild building up ahead nestled in a small village and decided to camp for the night. He would wait for her to fall asleep and then he would take her there. Deep down he knew she would be better off without him. He watched her fall asleep and put his arm around her one last time. He knew she liked that, once he was sure she was asleep he kissed her head gently and whispered, "We will meet again someday, Wendy Marvell, and if you'll let me, I promise I will make it up to you." He waited for another hour to make sure she was in a deep sleep and picked her up. He carried her all the way to the guild building, thinking less and less of himself with every step but determined to do the right thing for the little girl he had come to think of as his younger sister.

Wendy awoke to find herself inside a dusty building with no Jellal in sight. She saw an older man peering down at her with concern but no one else. Jellal had left her behind without even a goodbye. It hurt but she found she much preferred it this way. It felt familiar. At least this time she had not been left alone.

"Where am I?", she asked, "What is this place?"

"Well....", the old man scratched his head trying to figure out how much to tell the small child.

"I see.", Wendy said disappointed, "Jellal lied, he told me he was taking me to a magic guild."

"A magic guild?", the man said and after a moment became excited, "That is exactly what this is! Full of mages with every kind of magic you can imagine. They're all waiting outside to meet you!"

He smiled at her. "My name is Roubaul and I am the Master of this guild. What is your name young one?"

Wendy stood up. "My name is Wendy Marvell and I am a Sky Dragon Slayer."

"Welcome to the Cait Shelter Guild, Wendy. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. Now run outside and meet your new family."

Wendy walked outside warily, not sure what to expect and too gunshy to accept this apparent windfall. She was immediately surrounded by a village's worth of people. At first she remained apart, not willing to give her heart again so willingly. After all, what was to stop them from leaving her as well? After a year had passed she finally opened her heart and began to eagerly replace her memories before Cait Shelter with new happier ones. Her only complaint was that the village did not seem to have any children for her to play with. Even though everyone in the guild was kind to her she desperately wanted a friend of her own, someone she could relate to.

One day she found a large egg in the forest. There was no nest that she could see and she knew if she didn't do something the creature inside was doomed to die. She picked it up in her small arms and carried it back to the guild with her. The villagers suggested different things she could do to make sure the egg would hatch and she followed them all waiting patiently to see who or rather what would make its way out of it.

She had many ideas of what it could be, she had been in that forest enough times to know what animals lived there but in her wildest dreams she could never have imagined that inside of her egg would be a cat. A white cat that could not only talk but also fly. Finally she had someone to play with and take care of even though most of the time the cat, who was named Carla, acted more like her mother than her friend. Wendy felt truly happy.

Life moved on, Master Roubaul registered Cait Shelter with the Local League of Guilds and Wendy's world began to broaden. She began to hear about the feats of amazing mages and this made her want to become stronger and to use her magic to help others. She knew that she was not very strong offensively but she was capable of lots of different support magic that could be very useful. She trained and tried to remember the lessons that Grandeeney had taught her so many years ago. Now that she could think about Grandeeney without pain, she once again began to yearn to find out what had happened to her. She began to hear of a guild in Magnolia. A guild that went by the name of Fairy Tail. It was filled with many interesting characters, a terrifying female knight that went by the name Erza Scarlet, a beautiful take over mage named Mirajane Strauss, a mage capable of molding anything out of ice, the list went on and on but to her one stood out from the rest. Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer, a boy by the name of Natsu Dragneel. The name alone ignited something in Wendy that she did not understand but she knew she had to meet him because maybe, just maybe he had the answers to the questions that had been looming in her mind since she had allowed herself to think about Grandeeney.

She had no idea how she was going to make this happen, Magnolia was so far away and what if he didn't want to have anything to do with her? He was a world famous mage and she was a nobody. Some months later Master Roubaul returned from a meeting with the other guilds with a request in his hand. He showed it to her and she saw that mages from Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale had already signed on to form a coalition to go after a Dark Guild by the name of Oración Seis.

"Master, we should join this coalition. These are terrible people, they need to be stopped.", Wendy said.

"Are you sure this has nothing to do with that Fire Dragon Slayer that's representing Fairy Tail?", Roubaul teased the little girl good naturedly, "I know you have been dying to ask him about your dragon."

Wendy blushed, "Well, maybe a little but if I can be of any help to them I would like to go."

"I figured you'd say that so I took the liberty of signing us up as well.", Roubaul smiled, "You should collect your things quickly, they are expecting you at Worth WoodSea. Here's the address."

"Just Me?", Wendy squeaked.

"You will be with eleven of the most capable wizards in all of Fiore, I have no doubt you will be safe.", Roubaul reassured her, "You're no slouch yourself Wendy, you just need to believe in yourself. Now go out there and make us proud."

"Hai Master!", Wendy bowed and ran off to get her belongings before running off to the address on the paper.

When she got to the big mansion she was the last of the mages to arrive and to her great humiliation she clumsily managed to fall flat on her face in front of all of the others. She summoned all of her courage and tried to repair their first impression of her. In her most polite and grown up voice she said, "My apologies for being late. I have come all the way from the Cait Shelter Guild. My name is Wendy Marvell, it's nice to meet all of you."

She felt their eyes on her as they commented on how young she was like she wasn't even there but then she heard a boy say almost as a question "Wendy, huh."

The voice called to something deep inside of her, was it familiar? She tried to determine who had said it and found herself staring at a boy with pink hair. Pink hair? Why was that important? She became flustered by his gaze and looked around at the other mages.

"They sent a young girl by herself?", Lucy Heartfilia, the celestial mage from Fairy Tail asked.

"Who said she was by herself?", a regal voice sounded from the shadows of the open front door. A small white cat made it's way down the long entryway catching the attention of the other cat in the room. A blue flying cat by the name of Happy. His eyes showed only hearts as he laid eyes on the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Unfortunately for him, the white cat did not seem to share his admiration, she looked at him haughtily and quickly dismissed his attentions.

"Carla, you followed me?", Wendy asked, secretly glad she had a friend with her. She was feeling very self-conscious at the moment.

"Of course I did, child.", Carla replied.

"I know I look young but I'm capable of a lot of support magic and I know I can be helpful if you'd let me.", Wendy pleaded with big eyes.

"What is the matter with you, Fire Breath? You look like you need to use the bathroom, or is that what passes for thinking for you?", Gray Fullbuster, Fairy Tail's ice-make mage taunted his rival Natsu Dragneel, Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer.

"I feel like I know that name from somewhere.", Natsu replied, ignoring the obvious taunt. There was something about this girl. All of his dragon instincts were on alert and telling him that he needed to protect her. "Can you remember her for me?"

Gray looked at him in disbelief but then became thoughtful. Who was this girl and what did she mean to his friend? He wondered if Natsu could have known her before he had joined Fairy Tail, Natsu's memory had never been great and Gray knew he did not have many memories from before Makarov found him and most of them revolved around Igneel, his dragon father.

"Sorry, man, I can't say that I've ever seen her or heard her name, come to think of it I've never heard of her guild either.", Gray said as he looked her over one more time.

"My apologies for our rudeness.", Erza Scarlet, Fairy Tail's knight mage said, "We were just surprised by your age but I have no doubt that you will be an integral part of this coalition. Age is no indicator of ability and I sense great power within you. My name is Erza Scarlet and it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you for your kind words. The pleasure is all mine, I can't believe I get to meet you in person.", Wendy said trying to appear disaffected although she was squealing on the inside.

"Let me introduce you to the rest of our coalition.", she pointed to the appropriate mage as she said the names of the mages from the different guilds, ending with Fairy Tail.

Wendy nodded in greeting to all of them and once again saw Natsu staring at her. She wondered if now was a good time to ask him her questions. She wasn't sure if it was appropriate, she would have plenty of time. Just like that they began their mission chasing after Natsu who could not be still long enough when there was a promise of a good fight in the air.

Had Wendy known everything that this mission would demand from her she would have stayed home, although considering the end results it would have made things worse if she had chosen to do so. She had been forced to revive her childhood friend Jellal from a coma only to find that he did not even remember her or their time together. Before she could even try to help him remember he was taken away by the Magic Council. Then there had been Natsu, he had not had any answers to her questions but he had rescued her from the Oración Seis and as he had carried her back to their camp, his warmth had carried over to her dreams.

Her brain had finally put everything together. The hair, the warmth and the safety she felt in his arms. This was the boy she had known, the one that had played with her during the dragon meetings and held her against him at night. She was sure of it.

His friend, Gray, had come to talk to her and had mentioned that Natsu had lost a lot of his memories from before he had been found by their Master, alone in the woods seven years ago. He told her that Natsu had felt something when he had seen her. Gray didn't want to get the Fire Dragon Slayer's hopes up but he wanted to know if she remembered Natsu. She told him that she thought she did. Gray thought that she should tell Natsu. She wasn't sure how to do that though. She stared at his back and thought about it as they walked her back to her village.

When they arrived she wanted nothing more than to relax and introduce her new friends to her guild members but that was when fate pulled the cruelest trick it had played on her yet. Master Roubaul told her that all of the people that she had grown up with, that she had loved with all of her heart were not real. They were just illusions that he had created to keep her from being lonely when Jellal had dropped her off. She refused to believe it but the truth was right in front of her as one by one everyone she had ever allowed herself to love disappeared right in front of her eyes, until only Roubaul was left. He told her how sorry he was and how she did not need them anymore as she now had real friends beside her.

Wendy broke down and began to sob. Her whole world was falling apart again and she did not know if she was going to be able to return this time. She heard a voice say, "Don't cry, Wend"

The voice seemed confused and unsure but it came closer to her and dear god it was so familiar. She wanted to hear more of it. She dared herself to hope and looked up. Natsu Dragneel was walking towards her with tears in his eyes as his friends looked on in confusion.

"Wend?", he said again not sure how he knew that is what he used to call her a long time ago. Throughout the entire mission snippets of memory tried to get his attention but he had not been able to think about what they meant since he'd been fighting almost non stop once the mission started. During the last fight when he had almost lost himself, right before he had heard Igneel's voice, he had seen it. A memory of a much younger Wendy standing next to him and looking at him with love and trust. He didn't know what it meant yet but he had his proof, he had known her before and she'd had a dragon. She must have been one of the dragon kids he'd played with during those long meetings. That explained why his dragon felt so protective around her but still he thought that was not completely right, he felt something more but he was damned if he knew what it was. It was when he had seen her sobbing that the phrase "It's ok, Na-su's here and he'll make everything all better." came into his head like he had said it many times before and that was enough to bring up another memory.

Two small children were walking in the woods. The older one, a pink haired boy was gently pulling the younger blue haired girl along with him as they looked for shelter. The little girl was tired and could not walk anymore and he set her down against a tree where she promptly fell asleep. The boy was tired too but it was his job to take care of her. He left her there and continued on determined to find some food for them.

Natsu stood there shocked, he'd had a sister! Wendy was his sister! He wasn't sure what had happened that had made him forget about her, about all of them. Maybe he'd been hurt? He couldn't remember but he had found Igneel then and he had never looked back.

"I'm back Wendy, after all these years we finally found each other again." Natsu hugged his little sister tightly as tears ran unabashedly down both their faces. "You're my sister."

Wendy looked at him and snippets of memory returned to her as well. Pink hair, warm and made her feel safe. Check, check and check. She dared to hope and gave him a weepy smile.

"I'm so sorry, Wend. I got so caught up in Igneel that I forgot all about you.", Natsu whispered in her ear as he patted her hair gently. "I promise, I will never do that to you again. I will always take care of you, no matter what."

She saw Roubaul smile at her one last time as he saw her reunited with her brother. He began to disappear as Wendy ran desperately trying to thank him for everything he had done for her but she was too late, he was already gone.

"Fairy Tail will be your new home, Wendy. I promise, you will never be alone again.", Erza Scarlet along with the rest of her team embraced the Sky Dragon Slayer, even though they were still somewhat shocked by the revelation that Natsu had a sister.

As they stood in front of the Fairy Tail guild Wendy waited anxiously for Natsu to kick open the doors to her new home. Hand in hand they walked through them and Wendy knew everything was going to be alright. Now that she had her brother back she was eager to embark on her new life and adventure as a full fledged Fairy Tail mage. The future had never looked brighter.

A/N Wend, I know that everything looks bleak right now and it feels like nothing will ever be ok again. I feel it too, but we will make it through together somehow. I promise, I will never forget about you or leave you ever again. I love you, - Na-su

I looked it over until I was satisfied and published it to my fanfiction account. It would be there waiting for her when she woke up.

A/N Thank you to everyone who commented or reviewed on the last chapter: deboome and SilverWhiteDragon, EclipsingParadise(ish) *grin* and to anyone who let me know in any way that they enjoyed it.