It took me a minute to remember that I was, in fact, kissing Laxus in one of the most public places I could imagine as we were surrounded by those who may not have been appreciative of the PDA.

Don't get me wrong, there were all sorts of appreciative feelings swirling through my body because of the heady kiss, but that didn't change the facts of the situation.

Perhaps there was a moment of complete silence, perhaps not, all I knew was that after a moment I was torn from Laxus' arms as a squeal injured my eardrums, "I knew it!" Ever screeched as she hugged me tightly enough for all my bones to creak, "Why did you not tell me about this, Ember?!"

The haze that covered my mind as I was removed from Laxus faded and I immediately flushed to the darkest shade of red. Bickslow and Freed were also nearby, but they seemed to be grilling Laxus rather than me. 

Thank god for that.

I sputtered out a weak response as I looked around, looking for someone... Anyone to distract from this lovely situation. 

The old man was the first person I saw, though he wasn't about to help my situation. The shit-eating grin that was plastered on his face was a dead giveaway that he was just as excited about this new development as the rest of the Thunder God Tribe.

The rest of the Fairies seemed to be no better. Anyone who knew me at all looked shocked, Gajeel was in the process of rolling his eyes so hard they were in danger of falling out of his skull, Squeaky was probably redder than I was as she emitted a squeal that could only be heard by dogs.

The drinker was toasting me with a terrifying grin on her face and everyone who had been against me looked beyond confused.

And, of course, there was Happy, who seemed to be staring between Laxus and I with a look that told me that he wasn't sure whether to be excited or disgusted.

Sure, I had wanted to defuse the situation, but this was not the way I wanted to do it. I planned on telling them about some of my past, but now they were far deeper into my personal life than I ever wanted.

"That-That's not what's important right now," I forced out as I glared at the ground, far too embarrassed to make eye contact with anyone, "We were talking about how I am a reformed murderer, not my relationship with Spark Plug!" This whole situation was a collection of things I hated... People budding in on my privacy, blushing, and being at the center of attention.

Ever didn't seem to care about my protests, if the glint in her eye was anything to go off of, I could practically see the interrogation she was preparing, but I was saved at the last minute.

"She's right," A disapproving voice called out and GuildArts stepped forward, bringing with his aura of disapproval as the power behind his words became palpable, "You have just admitted to being one of the most terrifying people in Fiore's recent history. Beyond that, you trapped us with unknown magic... I would appreciate an explanation."

Just him saying that was enough to put everyone on edge. Those who had stood up for me were looking at each other nervously as I stared down someone who was widely considered to be the most powerful person in the guild.

Before too long I sighed and took a step forward, wincing ever so slightly as the whiplash around my ankle burned, "You know?" I said quietly, but it was more than enough to grab everyone's attention, "I met the Edolas version of you a decade ago, it's amazing how similar you two are."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the little bluenette that had been Scar Face's partner take a hesitant step forward, but she was stopped by the white cat at her side.

GuildArt's face changed just slightly as he cocked an eyebrow, looking confused, but I had more I needed to say, "He was my target, true, but I think he understood me more than anyone, being a criminal himself.

"True, I was an assassin, the best of the best in fact... but that doesn't mean that I still think the way I did. I may have killed everyone I cared about when I lost control of magic that I was far too young to be experimenting with, and I may have murdered many in cold blood, just for the paycheck... But..."

"My heart and soul belongs to the guild that saved me. To Fairy Tail, and to the Thunder God Tribe."

There was a solemn look in my eyes as I stared at GuildArts, "Perhaps it doesn't matter, but I was just six when my mentors took me in. I hardly knew the world, so of course, I did what they told me to do. It only made sense at the time. But that doesn't mean that's still how I feel."

"The Old Man and my team did a damn good job of teaching me that the way I saw the world as an assassin was wrong, that there is so much good scattered among the shadows. At age eleven I saw that the world was so much better than I was taught, and I craved that... Even if I knew it was far too good for someone like me."

Apparently, something out of what I said made an impression on him as he took a step back and stared incredulously at me.

I nodded ever so slightly before looking around at the rest of the guild, "You know? Normally I wouldn't tell any of you this. I really hate it when people try and butt into my business, but I've been backed into a corner... I... Well... I mean."

There was a quick moment of silence as I took in multiple breaths, trying to compose myself... Spoiler alert, it didn't work all that well.

A hand closed around mine and I looked over to see Ever looking up at me with both confusion and reassurance. Another hand was laid on my shoulder and Freed was there, nodding gently, though it was obvious that he was just as confused.

Bickslow was there as well, his hand ruffling my hair (which, after everything, I knew looked like a rat's nest) and I couldn't help but smile sadly... They weren't going to like what I had to say.

"I know we all had our fights with Grimoire Heart, and mine just so happened to be with my mentors, the ones who turned me into an assassin in the first place." There was no real reaction, but I knew this next bit would at least get a few of them, "They were infamous, to say the least... Maybe some of you would recognize the name Phoenix Flame?"

Jaws dropped... It would have been hilarious if it weren't for the situation, "Yeah, well, my mentors were the leaders of that guild, but I beat them... Obviously. They're alive and well and in the custody of the Magic Council... Who must be ecstatic to conduct interrogations." 

The more deductive of the group only took a moment to figure out what it is I was hinting at, I knew the instant Freed figured it out, as his hand tightened on my shoulder.

I was whipped around by the Grasshead, who was now looking at me in terror, "No." He growled, his voice menacing in a way that I had never heard before, "That's a terrible joke, Ember, because it's not funny."

"It wasn't a joke." That was all I could force out. This was the group I would be leaving behind when I was arrested... My family, "Either I let them live and turned them in, or kill them and prove them right... Prove just how much of a monster I am."

Freed understood what I was saying, I knew he did. He was too smart to not get it, but that didn't mean he had to like it, "And what's going to happen to us when you turn yourself in?" He practically spat, gripping my upper arms tightly, as if I was going to fade the moment he let me go, "The entirety of Fairy Tail will be considered at fault for taking in a murderer. Would you really condemn us all?"

It felt like the whole world had been blocked out and just the four of us were left in our own little bubble. Recently, we hadn't been around each other as much as we were used to, and I knew that the separation was wearing on all of us... especially Freed.

He had a point though, I knew this would come up and had been thinking about how to save my family from the moment Scar Face had taken away my family, "I'll lie."

The moment she had connected the dots, I felt an explosion building up from Ever, who was very subtly shaking as I felt her glare melting holes in my head, "Well that's a stupid idea. Why not just avoid all of it, to begin with and not have to deal with the Magic council. There's still time, we can contact your friend over there and explain to them that the bitches who hurt you are dangerously delusional. He would buy it coming from you!"

I could feel the eyes of the entire guild on us as we stood there, as though we were some interesting drama here just for them... I hated it.

Laxus was also off to the side, disbelief radiating from him the one time I dared to look his way since I finally let it all drop. The Old Man wasn't too happy either, his presence was growing ominous as his form began to expand. 

Everything was building up.

Ever, Freed, and Bickslow were discussing what the best option would be to get me out of this mess. 

Laxus and the Old Man were glaring at my head.

Everyone else was just watching, completely absorbed in the surreal absurdity of it all.

The noise was reduced to buzzing in my ears as I tried to keep my breathing even, though it was fighting me.

I just wanted things to calm down... Discuss this like adults... Was that too much to ask?

There were so many heartbeats...

So much blood...

I was so hungry...

.

.

.

"SHUT UP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, my fingers digging into my scalp as I curled in on myself as much as my injuries would allow, "I can't take it! Please!" 

All the noise in the clearing was being drowned out by heartbeats. It was whispering to me, begging me to take them, it would be so simple, just a quick jerk of one of the hearts and they would all be mine... It sounded amazing!

No! No, I couldn't allow this... I didn't want this.

There would be no more pain... just give up already... It would be so much easier.

I hated it... I hated myself because that urge wasn't lying, I wanted to give in, to let it take control. Sure, I had been controlling it well for the past few hours, but I also had been using my magic more than I ever had before. My magic was fighting back at this point, and now I was surrounded by what could be considered many powerful, tasty meals.

Give in...

No... This was my family, they were the last people I would ever hurt.

Give in.

A trickle of warm liquid began to roll down my neck as I felt my breathing grow further out of control. No, I would rather die.

Give IN.

A pair of arms encircled me. They were familiar... My anchor. But I was too far gone to take comfort in them like I normally would.

GIVE IN!

I could feel my magic activating as a ball of my blood began to swirl over my head. The heartbeats around me were quickening, but the pair of arms around me remained steady, keeping me safe in their confines... Or were they restraining me?

GIVEINGIVEINGIVEINGIVEINGIVEINGIVEINGIVEINGIVEIN!

"NO!" I screamed out my refusal to do as my magic urged me and before I knew what was happening, a beam of magic shot from me. It was magic in its purest form, sprouting from in a physical manifestation for how deep the well had grown over the years of  'training' myself. 

It was incredibly painful to feel like I was being blasted by the etherion cannon again, but this time... I was the etherion cannon. (Think when GuildArts released his magic to intimidate Natsu... Except stronger because of Ember's life.)

Vaguely I knew that people were being blown back by this, but the pair of arms that had surrounded me remained, even as the pressure surrounding me increased.

Though my eyes were shut tightly, I could see the red painting my vision, the color of my magic.

Despite what it must have seemed, my magic wasn't draining. It was as though the true, suffocating amount was just becoming visible for a moment as I fought the bloodlust that had welled up in me so suddenly.

My arm tingled as all the hardened blood that had been reinforcing my broken bone swirled beneath my skin. 

It was excruciating, and at the same time vaguely thrilling. It felt at that moment as though I could restructure and destroy nations... One thought and I may as well become the god of death and life.

.

.

.

The battle against myself ended abruptly and the world fell silent. The heartbeats of those around me were muffled as I breathed deeply, yet I knew that there were the same amount of heartbeats around me as there had been before. No matter how close I was to the edge of my control, no one had died.

As my eyes opened, I cringed at the damage that I saw. For the first time, my magic had damaged the land around me. I was too used to deflecting Laxus' magic as we fought, but I had never really been the one to make it look like a bomb had dropped.

Besides a few people (GuildArts, the Old Man, Loke, and Bickslow), everyone was on their backs, staring at the sky as though they had just about died.

"I... I'm so sorry," I choked out unable to fight the shame that welled up in me.

To be fair, this was an immensely better way to lose control than going on a murder spree... Those were typically a bad thing.

The pair of arms tightened around my waist as I looked around (in partial amazement if I was being honest... I knew I had a lot of magic, but I never guessed I had this much), and a voice whispered in my ear, low enough that I barely recognized it, "Have I ever told you how hot you are like this?"

I turned slightly to face Laxus, who had a pained look in his eyes, but was otherwise fine, "Like what? On edge and breaking down? Yeah, that sounds reeaall hot... I congratulate your taste, Spark Plug."

With that, I shook myself out of his arms but stayed close, I had a feeling that everything that I would need his support for the discussion, "I'm sorry... My magic isn't easy to control... In fact, It's always fighting me for control, so... Well, I don't want to say you should be glad that this happened rather than all of you dying, but kind of that?"

People were beginning to get back on their feet with looks of terror in their eyes as the looked back to me. 

Shit.

These were the last people that I wanted to intimidate. Most of them had earned my respect, I wanted them to trust me... at least a little.

Before anyone could say anything, I bent forward at the waist into a deep bow, deep enough that they could have decapitated me if they wanted to, "I understand if you can't accept me as a guildmate... I really do... Most of you have only the smallest reasons to trust me. But please know that I am going to do everything in my power to keep Fairy Tail safe from the consequences of my past."

Laxus laid a hand on my back, but for the most part, there was silence until one person's heavy footsteps started towards me. 

I recognized that position of the heart to be GuildArts and cringed slightly, surely I was about to be pummeled into next week... A terrifying thought, given my body's condition, but I was willing to accept it.

What happened was different from the blow I was expecting. 

A gentle hand rested on the back of my head, brushing away some of the dirt that was crusted into my hair, "And here we all thought the Ghost was a heartless beast who murdered for fun."

My head whipped up to make eye contact with him. I was sure that he was going to be the least tolerant out of anyone, but I was wrong. He was looking down at me with a small smile and more fatherly care than I knew what to do with (It took the drunk informing me later that he was indeed her father, so that's where that came from).

"To be honest," He said after urging me to stand up straight again, "If anyone can understand what it feels like to be afraid of your own power, it would be me, so how can I blame you for something I struggled with for years?"

I think that was a bombshell for the entire guild... To think that the extremely powerful mage had a difficult time regulating his power was unthinkable to most people. Perhaps to everyone except me. I knew how deadly certain magics could be, and I knew that even with years of practice and tutoring, you could still lose control and kill people.

My main issue was that I had neither of those things... Of course, I lost control as much as I did.

The ginger before me laughed, startling everyone around, especially me, "How 'bout this, kid?" He said casually, his eyes sharpening on the arm that Laxus had slipped around my waist, "When we get back to the mainland, I'll take you under my wing, give you some tips for how to use your magic without totally losing it or letting it take over. You've got a fuck ton of magic, so I have some ideas that could help. Sound good?"

He was leaning closer to me and I could feel Laxus' getting agitated with the whole situation for some reason, but that wasn't my main focus.

I honestly couldn't tear my mind off the fact that he was willing to help me... And it was highly possible that he was one of the only people who could... Sure, he seemed odd, but I could see the sincerity shimmering in his eyes. He was curious, rightfully so, and excited, it was a dangerous combination from someone who could possibly rival me in magical power, but he was someone who demanded my respect, and I couldn't ignore that.

The drunk from earlier- I really needed to learn her name- took a step towards GuildArts with an absolutely ticked look in her eyes, but I had reached out a hand before she could get close, "I would love to accept your offer, but I currently have the Magic Council to deal with, so how about this. If I'm not sent to the gallows for being the most notorious person in Fiore, then I'll accept your help. 

However, I'll need you to protect the guild in case politics place Fairy Tail in the splash zone of my mess. Sound good?"

It was nowhere near to a deal with the devil, but as we shook hands, I couldn't help but feel that something had been cemented by that simple handshake. A partnership perhaps? Something that would change both of our lives.

All was silent for a moment before the Idiot stepped forward, "Welp, That settles it!" He said happily as the blue cat flew circles above his head, "If GuildArts thinks you're okay, then I'll have to trust you too!"

With that, any moment that might have occurred was over as I took a step back, away from both GuildArts and Laxus, who seemed to be having a staring contest of some kind, "Oh gee thanks," I said dryly, my sarcasm returning with a vengeance, "I wasn't sure what I would do if I didn't get your acceptance."

With that, any form of tenseness left and the blue-haired girl was finally able to shake her companion away as she approached me.

"Miss Ember?" She squeaked out, her hands behind her back as she rocked nervously, "W-would you- you perhaps like me, me to heal your injuries?"

So the shy little thing was a healer, was she?

I looked around the clearing to see that literally everyone had some form of injury that had been patched up. Whether they had the kitten heal them all was the question. "And how much magic energy do you have left?"

It was obvious that my blunt question caught her off guard as she looked around almost nervously, "O-Oh, Um, well, I have enough to help. I might not be able to heal you all the way, but I can at least take care of some things. I promise it'll be all right!"

God she really was a kitten, cute and eager but in no way experienced in the world yet. I smiled gently at her as he knelt down (I was well over a foot taller than her after all), "Very well, but I won't let you heal my arm. My magic is holding it well enough, I don't want you to use everything you have left on me."

She nodded and a peaceful wind immediately began to rush over me, soothing my whip lashings and stab wounds.

It was all so serene, there was a jovial feeling hanging in the air. We had no idea that it would all change in a matter of minutes.

The first thing that should have clued us in was the sound of a distant roar. 

We all heard it, we all had to decide whether or not to ask about it, but we didn't. My rationale was that there were plenty of creatures on this island, large ones, ones that could easily make a sound like that.

It was too easy to just ignore that and continue on chatting with the groups we had. I was stuck with Laxus, who came over to me as soon as the kitten finished healing me and pulled me back to rest between his legs as he propped his head on my shoulder.

It was odd like he was marking his territory, but I ignored it. After all, it's not like I was afraid of putting the idiot in his place if he tried to be too clingy. Other than that, the bookworm, Lucy, GuildArts, and the Thunder God Tribe and gathered around me and they were all exchanging stories of our past missions and begging me to tell them more about myself.

Yeah right, I had already had enough of the heart to heart bullshit and quickly told them that anyone who pried would be going back to Fiore with a black eye.

The idiot was the first one to actually get one.

After that came the heartbeat. Others may have had a different cue, but that was it for me, the feeling of some massive creature approaching had me on my feet in less than a second as I felt it.

It was human... Or at least, it was something that resembled a human. I had never felt blood like this. Even without tasting it, I knew that we were in some deep shit here, as it was coming for us. It had to be.

I wasn't the only one who noticed the presence. Every dragon Slayer in the area was also on their feet, grim looks on their faces.

Unsurprisingly, it was Laxus to take control of the situation, "We need to get out of here." He was grim, everyone else who had no idea something was coming just looked really confused, but he was having none of it today.

"Did I fucking stutter? Get on your feet people, we're about to be in deep shit.

Gajeel growled out an agreement, but I wasn't about to wait. Despite everything, I still had a fair amount of magical energy left, and while it may have been the most impulsive thing I'd done since I was 5, I ran towards the creature.

It was human, but it wasn't. The blood, which I could already smell from here, reeked of power. If given the chance, I knew it could wipe the entire island out in one blow if it wanted to.

And for some unknown reason, I just had to see what was happening here for myself.

God, I was stupid sometimes.

Well, it only took a minute before I got my wish, so congratu-fucking-lations me, you did it, you saw the big scary murder dragon before anyone else. And if anyone's asking, it wasn't everything I was hoping for.

In fact, it was god awful.

The dragon was huge, with wings that could blot out the sky more efficiently than the Grimoire Heart's ship. It was directly in the path of the sun, so I genuinely couldn't make out more details than that, but let's be honest, if I were any less stoic, I would have pissed my pants on the spot.

As much as I wanted to say I pulled some amazing magic trick out of my ass and held the dragon off, giving everyone else time to escape or do something else like that, I couldn't.

The day had been draining, I had a broken arm, I had to have a heart to heart with my guild, and well, to put it lightly, I was done.

Instead of going towards the dragon to engage, or away from the dragon, because, you know, it was a BIG ASS MOTHERFUCKING DRAGON THAT COULD SWALLOW ME WHOLE, I simply sat down.

I stared at the thing as it approached and I felt it stare back at me. I hadn't been sure, but that certainly was enough evidence to prove it. The dragon was intelligent to some extent. I looked at me and I knew it was considering whether or not to eat me

And still, I sat.

It passed over my head with no provocation, yet I didn't move.

In fact, it took a single drop of blood falling from the sky to get my brain back in gear. Sure, I was shell-shocked, but that didn't mean I could ignore a drop of blood that just appeared.

It froze in the air an inch from the ground as I stared at it. This blood was human... or at least, it had been human at some point. It was the dragon's blood, though I had no idea how or why this would happen. 

For such a large creature, there was no way such a small drop fell, it seemed far too intentional.

Alas, as the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, and I was no exception. With a thought, the blood-streaked to me and I had absorbed it before I could talk myself out of the obviously bad plan. Because, as earlier stated, I can be an absolute idiot at times.

The moment I came into contact with the blood, a feeling akin to internal fireworks lit up my body and I was paralyzed as the magic consumed my mind.

This was ancient magic, one that had long since been forgotten. Hell, I didn't even know how to describe what the magic was, only that it tasted of cold fire and death. Which, having tasted a lot of death in my life, did not taste very good at all.

Even this smallest connection with the being was too much for me and I slumped over, my mind spirling away as one thought remained one that was so clearly not my own.

'I must thank you for the path to follow, little blood queen. I may find a use for you yet.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welp, there we go! The beginning of the end, maybe... I don't know, we'll see.

Hey, I was wondering if, after this book is over you guys would like to see a series of One-Shots of Ember. Whether that be me transplanting her into other worlds as I did for the MHA Oneshot (I have a good idea for how to put her into Yona of the Dawn), or just random situations from this world, like her meeting Sabertooth for the first time, or what would have happened if she didn't go to Tenrou.

You could tell me what you would like to see and I would write it out because there are still so many things I could do with this character!

Oh, and yes, I am contemplating a sequel. It would only be based on the anime, with some of the same characters, but it would be a bit more freestyle. I want to practice creating a story rather than just building off already existing stories.

Anyways, cheerio! Have a good day, and thanks for reading!

klypso01