I understand who my real friends and foes are now.

~•--------------------------------------•~

   And, three months later, we are walking back down into Sabertooth's domain, rugged and tenacious. The wind blows through our hair, giving us the natural effect that movies so often make an effort to capture. Spectators from the street side abort their daily affairs to stare, and the street that was bustling a few moments ago goes completely silent, except for the constant tread of our footsteps.

   Thud.

   Thud.

   Our unwavering, unrelenting gazes continue to intimidate the townspeople, and the resilience we carry must display on our faces.

    Thud.

    Thud.

   I see a child cling to her mother, her bottom lip quivering from fear. The mother strokes her child's head in an effort to comfort the child, but I can spot apprehension even in her eyes.

   Thud.

    Thud.

I attempt to redirect my gaze back to street in front of me, but my eyes are sidetracked again as I spot a familiar face- the boy I gave 10,000 jewel to days before I left for training.

  He looks fearful, and my sensitive observation skills can detect that he's quivering. Our eyes meet, and I nod to him, offering my respect.

  He manages a small smile and nods back, having confidence that I won't allow anything to get out of hand.

The last few years I've been here, upcoming participants of the GMG haven't been afraid to rough up innocent bystanders who got in their way. In fact, last year, Master Jiemma received complaints from the Magic Council for this particular offense, as Orga practically went on a rampage.  Jiemma scoffed and yelled to us about defying the Council, as they are 'as obstinate as a child', have 'the audacity to display their dislike to inadequate protests openly and without hesitation', and won't allow us to 'properly celebrate' our return from training, so we'd better 'be more discreet about it next time'.

   This explains the locals' fear of our return, and I remember that Rufus and Orga have probably already returned from their training session. Most likely, this is the second time this has occurred in a span of a couple days.

    Thud.

    Thud.

The sound of our march echoes through the city, and nobody dares to utter a single word.

   We are solemn, we are serious, and we definitely don't plan to mess around during the Grand Magic Games.

   I walk with a heavy heart, knowing that I will most definitely have to face my former comrades. I sigh inaudibly.

    Thud

    Thud.

  I look up to see our guild, which is standing proudly directly ahead of us. With countless pairs of eyes upon us, we walk up the steps, without words, but we all exchange a glance.

   After three months of training with them, I can guess their ambitions.

  Yukino's eyes are full of determination to prove herself worthy of being in the guild, Sting really wants to be victorious in a battle against Natsu for some unknown reason (*cough* Lector *cough*), and Rogue also wants to prove that the skills he has acquired now cause him to exceed his former idols'.

   My heart lies with Fairy Tail, but I am trapped in this excuse of a guild with a guild master who has made more than a few callous comments to everyone but himself over the years. Oh, how life can be cruel.

We nod together before opening the door, the door that leads to a place where failure is not accepted.

~•--------------------------------•~

A/N: It's kind of short, but a lot will be happening in the next chapters, so fear not!

As always, have a wonderful day that are hopefully filled with daydreams of a certain blonde dragon slayer. XD

With love,

~Ari