Meanwhile, At The Guild

Arana sat at the bar and sipped on her beer as she watched Mirajane and Natsu part ways. She knew Mira & Natsu had just done something in that back room, but she didn't know what. After staring at the bar maid and racking her brain for a few minutes, she finally asked Mira the question that was burning a hole in her skull.
"Did you two just do it?" she asked Mira nonchalantly as she took a sip of beer.
Mira was so surprised by the girl's bold question that she almost dropped the glass she was cleaning. She then turned and looked at Arana smiling uncomfortably. "No no no no, we were just talking." She laughed nervously, still caught off guard by the question.
"You guys walked all the way to the back of the guild just to talk?" Arana asked with a hint of disbelief in her voice as she took another sip of beer.
"It was a personal matter that he didn't want anyone to know about."
Arana looked at her suspiciously, "You know if you two did it you can tell me, I can keep a secret."
"We didn't do it!" Mira squealed, the whole guild looking at her. She blushed embarrassingly.
"Ok ok, no need to get your panties in a twist. I believe you."
She looked up to see Erza coming down from the stairs. She made her way to Natsu and the two smiled at one another as they began to walk out of the door to the guild hall. As she watched them walk out Arana couldn't help but feel something pulling at her from inside, but she managed to ignore and turn back to the bar.
"Where are those two going?" she asked Mira with a slightly confused look on her face.
"Those two? Their taking a break from the guild for a while." Mira answered, her calm warm demeanor returning.
"Why?"
Mira got quiet for a moment, she then looked at her sister Lisanna who was steadily petting Happy with her eyes still fixed on the door.
"I'm not at liberty to say." Mira answered regretfully.
"Hmm." Arana looked at the door once more as she sipped her beer.
As night began to fall on Magnolia, Arana departed the guild hall and started to make her way to a local inn. She hadn't found a place yet, she didn't really find it all that important in the grand scheme of things. She found one about a mile or so away from the guild hall and decided to rest there for the night.
She paid for a room and walked up the stairs. Once she found her room number she opened the door and made a beeline for the bed, and drifted off to sleep. She was worn out from all the excitement over the past couple of days, between fighting Wendy & Lucy and joining Fairy Tail she hadn't had much time to rest.
She slowly closed her eyes as sleep began to take her.
…
*GASP*
Arana opened her eyes and looked around in a panic to see everything around her burning. She struggled to breathe because of the smoke and was horrified as she made her way through the Guild Hall; her friends, the people she grew up with lay dead at her feet, her hands and feet drowning in their blood. Fighting through her tears she eventually saw her father. He was on one knee, his arm bleeding profusely. His guild mark was nearly singed off as he wheezed from his throat being bruised. He looked up with a look both determination and fear.
"FATHER!" Arana yelled, tears still streaming down her face.
In desperation Arana ran to him, wanting to save her father; but she was stopped by her mother.
"Aura! Get out of here NOW!" her mother yelled in a commanding tone not looking at her daughter.
"But mom!"
"No arguing go!"
With that her mother picked her up and threw her out of the guild hall.
"Mom!"
"Take your sister and go! Argh!" She grunted in pain as she defended against the creature's attack, "I won't tell you again! Your father and I can handle this; now go! Find…" Arana couldn't hear her mother's last words to her, as the guild hall began to crumble.
With tears in her eyes she grabbed her little sister, who had been hiding in a corner, and ran out of the door. As she rushed out she could see the city burning down around her, but kept running despite the destruction all around her.
"Aura, where's mom & dad?" Arana tried to keep a strong face for her little sister, Luana. She looked up at her older sibling with fear and confusion on her face. She was only 7 years old; she shouldn't have to witness this. The death of her parents nor the destruction of their home. Arana turned around one last time holding Luana in her arms tightly as they watched their home burning down to the ground. She held back her tears as she and her sister watched the terrifying beast that caused this tragedy emerge from the rubble.
Its roar was so loud it shook the heavens. "ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!"
…
"Ah! Huff huff huff." Arana awoke in her bed drenched in sweat. She placed her hands on her chest, her heart was racing with fear. She had that same nightmare again, and they were only getting more frequent. She got up and walked to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror above the sink, she was a mess. She turned the cold water handle on the sink and splashed her face as if to wash the thoughts away.
She looked down to see her necklace hanging in the air. She grabbed it clutching it tight as tears began to stream down her face. "Mother, Father, Luana, I miss you so much." She returned to bed and cried herself to sleep.
…
Things were business as usual at Fairy Tail over the next couple of days. However, things felt a bit…empty without Natsu & Erza around.
Lucy stood in front of the job board looking for something to take her mind off of her absent friends. She found an easy job and brought it back to her table. She placed the job on the table top and looked at Happy & Gray as they shrugged their shoulders apathetically they were all in agreement and began to gather their things. Juvia & Wendy agreed to tag along, but before they departed Wendy ran to the bar where Arana was sitting.
"Hey, do you want to go on a mission with us?" the young girl asked with a warm smile.
Arana turned around surprised, and looked at Wendy with her eyes wide.
"You want me to go?"
"Sure we do." Wendy smiled at her warmly.
Arana looked up to see the rest of her group approving of the young girl's decision; with the exception of Juvia, but she swallowed her pride. Arana smirked and got off of the stool. "Ok then I'll join you guys."
About an hour or later, Lucy's team was out of the door and on their way to their job. "So what are we doing?" Arana asked.
"Well, we are going to help take care of some bandits on the outskirts of Hargeon."
"That's all?" Arana asked the celestial wizard with a hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Well it's no huge job, it still pays 500,000 Jewel so I'm not complaining." Lucy answered her smiling.
"I guess." Arana crossed her arms and continued to walk forward, although she couldn't help but smile a bit.
Later that day the group was in the port town of Hargeon. Arana was slightly speechless as she looked around the huge town. She hadn't been there in ages.
"Something wrong?" Wendy asked her concerned
Arana looked down at her and smiled, "It's nothing. It's just my parents used to take me here when I was younger. I used to love it."
They girls smiled at one another and followed the group to the outskirts of town where the bandit's hideout was located.
…
2 hours later Arana and the others started to make their way back to the guild, sore but otherwise happy they completed the job with little complication.
"Wow I can't believe how fast we got that done." Wendy said happily as she looked at Arana.
"Yeah it was pretty fast…and boring." The young girl sighed.
"Well with Natsu & Erza gone we didn't cause near as much property damage." Gray said smirking.
"You still froze a few buildings anyway Gray." Lucy added curtly, the ice wizard sulked a bit.
"You didn't have to say it like that Lucy."
"Hey how about we go to Hosenka to celebrate." Lucy said happily as she faced her friends.
"Celebrate what?" Gray asked slightly annoyed
"Well, its Arana's 1st job with the guild right? I think she deserves some sort of congratulations right?" She looked at Arana with an expectant smile.
Arana eyes widened in embarrassment as she blushed slightly, "N…No that's fine you don't have to do that." She scratched behind her head and laughed nervously. She then felt a tug on her arm and looked down to see when pulling her.
"Come on, it'll be fun." She said smiling wide. Arana knew she couldn't resist the young girl's infectious smile and relented. She then sighed with a smile.
"Fine since you're twisting my arm."
"Alright!" Lucy exclaimed with a smile. "Gray, Juvia, you guys coming?"
Gray shrugged "Alright, I could always go for a dip in a hot spring. What about you Juvia?" he looked at her expectantly
Juvia blushed, "Oh…Yes." She smiled her face still red, "I'll go if Gray goes." She then looked at Arana with a look of pure malice, scaring the girl.
And to make sure that tramp doesn't make any moves on him. Juvia angrily thought to herself.
Lucy looked at the two nervously, she could feel an ominous cloud hanging over Juvia as she stared down an unnerved Arana, "W…well then it's settled. We're going to the spa." Lucy then began walking towards their destination with everyone following her lead.
Upon reaching the inn at Hosenka, Lucy & the girls made their way to the hot spring, with Gray going his own way. After the changed out of their clothes the girls made their way to the outside hot spring, with Arana making sure to stay behind them.
As they walked outside Arana was taken aback by the atmosphere of the place.
"Wow, this is amazing." She said without thinking as she looked into the sky. There weren't any hot springs like this where she came from, well that's not accurate. More like there NO LONGER any hot springs where she came from, and even if there was she wouldn't have had the time to enjoy them.
Lucy & Wendy relaxed in the warm water of the spring and couldn't help but notice Arana, still amazed by the sight of the sky, staring off into space.
"Hey you gonna join us or are you just going to stare off into space all night?" Lucy called jokingly.
Arana snapped back to her senses, "Oh, my bad. I'm coming."
She walked up to the water and slowly got in. Her eyes widened as the soothing temperature moved throughout her body. It was so warm and calm that she thought she would melt, she relaxed and laid back against the rocks.
"Feels good right?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, it does."
Lucy looked at Arana as she relaxed in the spring, her eyes moving towards the young girl's forehead and noticed the red scarf around her head.
"Hey, where did you get that scarf? It's nice."
"Scarf?" Arana replied confused as she moved her hand up to forehead and felt it. "Oh this thing?" she asked as she untied from her forehead, "I wear it so much I sometimes forget I have it on. I got it from my parents when I was a little girl." She smiled warmly.
"Oh, they must have been a pretty cool people."
"Yeah they were." Arana said with a longing smile, "They died when I was 10."
The mood grew somber as Wendy & Lucy looked at one another with sorrow.
"I…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." Lucy said regretfully.
"Don't worry about it, didn't mean to bring the mood down." She smiled as she tied the scarf around her head and looked around the bath.
"Hey, where's that scary rain woman?"
"You mean Juvia?" Lucy inquired as she looked around the spring, "I don't know I thought she was right behind us."
"I think she said something about finding Gray." Wendy said relaxed.
"She what?" Lucy asked nervously trying to confirm what Wendy had said.
"AAGGGHHHHHH!" A familiar voice yelled from the other side of the inn.
"What was that?" Arana asked slightly scared.
"That sounded like…" Lucy trailed off
"Juvia! What the hell are you doing here? This is the MEN'S side!" It was Gray.
"Don't be so modest Gray, you always disrobe in the Guild Hall." And that was most definitely Juvia.
"That's different, you can't be here! Go!"
"Don't be so embarrassed my prince, I love you all the same!"
Back in the women's bath: Arana, Lucy, & Wendy could hear the commotion and couldn't help but laugh.
Their warm laughter filled the air and lasted until they got out of the springs.
After things had died down, everyone returned to their room and proceeded to go to sleep. All except for Arana, she sat up on her bed and looked at the picture in her locket as she did every night. Something about the ritual made her feel as if her family was still with her.
When she had had enough of looking into it, she laid down and tried to sleep.
I wonder how much time I have left.