Aftermath

Afternoon soon descends upon Magnolia with golden rays and where there was once chaos and fighting, order and peace follow. The townsfolk who evacuated during the fighting trickle their way back into town. They are relieved that their home is largely untouched despite the harsh battles that both guilds were in.

Only the buildings belonging to Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord were affected in the war between guilds. The only members of Fairy Tail who remained unaffected by the war were the ones who were away on missions. Master Makarov makes sure that everyone tends to their wounds first and foremost as the guild members gathered around their destroyed home.

He sent his fastest runners to have Krysti taken to Porlyusica as soon as he sees the condition she is in. He worries that the spell he cast to help his children to regenerate their magic was too little too late for his newest child.

With how much magic the brunette released for the first time it was life threatening. Coupled with how serious her injuries were, it was a miracle that she is still alive. Porlyusica grumbled under her breath, but she took in Krysti when she saw the state the brunette was in, albeit reluctantly.

After getting his guild settled, the Master begins talking to everyone who fought to get their side of the story. Loke wandered in during this while helping bring in a wounded Reedus who ended up with a bad sprain from trying to protect Lucy.

Natsu saunters up with a smug grin on his face, his clothes still wet from the swim he took to get to shore. What's left of his clothes is in worse shape than he is. The same goes for almost everyone else surrounding the now ruined guild hall.

The pink-haired dragon slayer listens in to his friends telling what all they know that happened after the Master was ambushed. When Erza tells her part in bringing Krysti along with her to fight, Natsu's head swivels to face her so fast that his neck cracks.

"YOU DID WHAT!?" he shouts in outrage, fury taking over his features. He runs up to the red-head and he gives her a hard glare.

"HOW COULD YOU DO THAT!? SHE WAS ALREADY ALMOST DEAD! SHE CAN"T EVEN CAST MAGIC! SHE..." Natsu was interrupted by the armored woman as she glares at him hard. With her voice raised, it cracks like a whip which echoes in the sudden silence as everyone within hearing range quiets down to watch the confrontation.

"She is a Fairy Tail mage. Her spirit was strong and it wanted to do everything it can to fight to protect the people she loves. Magical ability or not, I have no right in stopping someone that determined to fight. If I didn't take her with me, she would have found some other way to get in." At this point, Natsu is slightly mollified but still looks furious.

Erza's tone softens as she continues, "That and now we can no longer say that she doesn't have any magical ability. After you left Natsu, José showed up along with Gray, Elfman, and Mira. They were knocked unconscious and it was left up to me to protect them. Krysti showed up during this and I was not strong enough to last long against José. When he caught me in his magic, she came in looking angrier than I have ever seen her. Before I knew it, flames burst out of her and covered José and me."

A small upturn of Erza's lips accompanies a look of respect in her eyes while still telling her side, "When the flames died down did I notice the extent of her outburst. The entire room was blackened, everything burned. Even José was affected some. Yet, to me, her flames were as a gentle summer wind. Not one mark was to be found on Elfman, Gray, Mira, or me as well." The three mentioned shared looks of amazement with each other as they find out why everything was burned like it was while they were passed out.

Lucy cuts in by swiftly saying, "There was a wall of flames that came in where Natsu and Gajeel were fighting! It didn't hurt Happy or me at all, but the Phantom mages in the room with us..." she trails off as she remembers the unmoving bodies and she shudders.

Happy jumps in at this point, "Yea! It came just in time too! Natsu was so low on magic reserves that Gajeel was almost about to win! But then like a wish come true, fire came into the room and was everywhere. Natsu got to eat and win!" the little cat jumps up and down on the ground to show off his excitement. Bisca and Cana came up while Natsu was having a death wish by yelling at Erza of all people.

Cana goes to throw in her two cents, "It wasn't just in those two rooms, there was a point where the entire building was on fire." she informs her friends who were all inside the building at the time.

"Yea, fire burst out of every crack that robot has and covered almost the whole thing like it was armor," Bisca adds. At hearing this from the other two females, the Master and the rest of the wizards who were not outside during the battle let their jaws drop.

"If you don't believe us, take a look at the outside of the building. All those black marks were made by that fire." Cana tells them sassily. Several heads turn to inspect in the outside of the Phantom Lord's guild hall and everyone looking gapes at the sight. Most of the building's light gray stone exterior is covered in black marks.

The eyes of Erza, Gray, Mira, Lucy, Happy, Elfman, Makarov and Natsu bulge out comically. Each of them is experiencing a wide range of emotions from awe and wonderment to shock and fear. Except for Master Makarov, he felt more distressed and horrified. He already has the magic council constantly breathing down his back from the sheer amount of damage his children cause.

Now he has another one with more destructive potential than most of them put together. All of Fairy Tail that is present reel back in shock as their Master bursts into tears and cries like a baby for no reason they can think of.

"Ummm, what did we miss?" a sweet voice calls out hesitantly. People turn to see that Levy, Jet, and Droy are standing in front of them, they are still covered in bandages, but otherwise, they look fine.

___________________

Cold.

Deep biting cold that worms its way into your bones and refuses to leave. So cold that it is painful. Everything and everywhere is cold and hurts. A warm liquid enters my mouth and I greedily suck it in, hoping that its warmth will drive away the cold. Everything fades.

Cold.

Still so cold.

Loud voices sound off nearby and I try to work my mouth to ask for something warm. There is still pain, but not as much. The cold not quite as intense. The voices stop. I try to call out again and blessed warmth makes it way to my mouth. I drink it quickly, relishing the warmth as it spreads through me. Everything fades.

The cold isn't in my bones anymore. It centers more in my chest, but I can still feel it. The pain is more of a low ache now instead of a sharp stabbing pain that hit everywhere at once. I struggle to open my eyes and a soft, gruff voice says something nearby. Gentle hands raise up my head and a cup is pressed to my lips. I open my mouth to swallow down the warmth that settles and spreads in my body. Everything fades.

The cold is only in my chest now. Most of the pain is gone. I let out a sigh of relief. It is an odd feeling, but it isn't the first time my chest has been cold like this. Unbidden, memories of times when I would donate blood or plasma came to me. I mentally shake them away as I open my eyes.

Darkness greets me which causes me to panic until my eyes adjust and moonlight can be seen streaming in through a window. A dark form shuffles forward with a cup in its hand. The soft yet gruff voice says something to me while holding the cup to my mouth. A hand lifts my head up and I drink down the not as warm liquid. Everything fades.

Warmth.

Pleasantly wonderful warmth.

Waking up like this is so much better than being cold. I let out a sigh of happiness as I roll over to get more comfortable. A low throbbing ache builds up in my body the more I move. Once I reach my preferred sleeping position of being partway on my stomach and side, I snuggle into my pillow and allow myself to drift off again.

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping and I smile lazily at that. I had a very good dream that is quickly fading. I get the impression that a large man with a mustache is involved, but it soon goes as well. I open my eyes to see a blurry image of a brown room. Using one of my hands, I wipe away the blurriness to see a room that is made of wood.

(Where am I?) Not like with planks, but like the room itself is inside a giant tree. Shelves were scattered around the walls which were filled with all sorts of bottles and jars. I look down to see a big circular rug over a stone floor.

I see a small garden full of strange looking plants next to a dresser at one end of the room. (The flowers look pretty.)

Looking towards the other end I find a small alcove with more shelves wedged in it. Many different books fill these shelves along with some dishes for decor. The sound of a door opening catches my attention. I sit up in bed to see a pink-haired older woman in a red leather-like cape with teeth along the collar walk in.

"Ah, you're awake now. About time." the woman says grumpily. (I recognize her voice. She was the one who been giving me those warm drinks.) I look down to finger the orange fur blanket that has been covering me.

"Thank..." I clear out my throat when I hear how hoarse it sounds. I try again, "Thank you for taking care of me ma'am." I say respectfully. I look back up to see that she is looking at me with an annoyed expression. I break off eye contact and stare at the blanket. I feel uneasy. (Did I do something wrong? I really hope not.)

"I'm sorry," I say softly.

"Hmm? What for?" I hear her ask with a note of surprise in her tone.

"I'm getting the feeling that I must have done something to make you upset," I explain, still speaking softly and staring at the blanket. I hear a low growl and I cringe. (Yup, I did something alright. Crap. One thing I learned from reading all sorts of fiction stories is to never piss off the healer and somehow I did that without knowing.)

"Yes, you did," she replies curtly. I hunch my shoulders at this. "This is why I don't like humans." (Humans?) "Always risking your fool necks by overdoing it and never thinking about the consequences. It's a miracle that you're even alive after everything you did."

(Wait, what?)

"Um, excuse me ma'am, but what do you mean 'after everything I did'? The last thing I can remember is seeing Erza fighting some smarmy looking guy." I keep my tone respectful as I say all of this since clearly, she is some sort of healer. Even though I have no idea who she is. I hope that maybe showing her politeness and respect I may gain back some of what I have lost with my unknown actions. She turns to silently study me with an upraised eyebrow.

I try not to squirm under her hard gaze. She then scoffs and moves over to a table with lots of plants and powders and liquids scattered across its surface. I decide to keep silent as well as it seems that she does not want to answer me. Usually, I would press for answers, but in this instance, I'm assuming that she has been taking care of me and I do not wish to be rude to her.

That would be beyond unwise. (Never piss off the healer. They have the power save your ass and as far as I know, the right to refuse helping. How can I salvage this?)

The silence stretches out and I take this time to slowly stretch and move my body to see how hurt I still am. I marvel at how there seems to be barely any aches or twinges of pain at all. (How long have I been out? Better yet, how did I end up here and why am I not in the hospital?)

"Here," she grunts out as a small cup is placed in front of me. Jerking slightly from startlement, I look up to see her annoyed expression before nodding.

"Thank you." I softly say before picking up the cup to drink its contents. A bitter taste explodes in my mouth to which I make a face at. I still swallow it all, for if she wanted to harm me she would have done it while I was unconscious. I hand her the cup back and she snatches it quickly before marching back to the table.

My ear starts getting itchy and I go to scratch when I feel something in my ear. Concerned, I dig out what turns out to be my translator. I go to stick it back in when it hits me. I lost it when I was beaten up by that weird brown suit guy.

(How the hell did this get back in my ear? Is this part of the magic, or did someone find it and bring it back to me?) The healer woman says something, and I quickly replace my translator.

"I'm sorry, could you please repeat that? I didn't have my translator in." I inform her, still being as respectful as I can. She turns and looks at me with a slightly less annoyed expression.

"Translator?" she asks. I nod and pull it out again to show her. She glances at it and nods.

I place it back in my ear before asking, "Do you know how I got this back? It was missing during the attack by Phantom Lord." Her expression hardens at the name of the guild who attacked us.

"It was brought by one of the noisy brats that have been almost constantly hanging around here. They are apparently very worried about you. I've lost count how many times I had to chase them away just to get some peace and quiet. I hate humans." she grumbles out that last part. I lower my head and smile knowing who she meant by noisy brats. (So they really do care...)

As if my thought was a summons, the door rattles from heavy pounding that is accompanied by rather loud and familiar shouting. (Well, speak of the devil and he shall appear.) The door bursts open and some of my friends pour in. They rush to me with their faces gleaming with excitement when they see me awake.

Flashbacks of hospital scenes in movies back in my world race through my mind and my mischievous side takes hold with an overwhelming urge. I school my face to look wide-eyed and confused. As everyone calms down in their greetings and questions I look them each in the eye carefully.

"Who are you?" I ask in a small and confused voice as I settle my gaze onto Natsu's face. I tilt my head slightly to the side for added effect. In unison, all five of their expression drop and a look of horror crosses their faces. At this I wait a few seconds before I couldn't help myself anymore and threw myself back onto the bed while laughing madly. The sound of Lucy's offended squawk changes my laughter into mad cackling.

"That was horribly mean, Krysti!" I hear Happy say from above me. I open my eyes to see sour expressions on all their faces, although I can see Erza's and Lucy's lips twitching in amusement as well. I try to sober up as I raise myself back to my original sitting position. Laughter is still bubbling out as I try and fail to hold back a shit-eating grin.

"I'm sorry!" I cry out, not feeling sorry at all. "I couldn't help it! It's a common dramatic scene from my world, and it is not like I wake up in a hospital all that often. I saw a chance and I took it. I mean it's not like I'm going to get injured all that much anyways." A weird chill passes through my body at those words and all of my mirth shrivels away. I shiver at the feeling as it leaves me feeling odd. (What the hell was that?!)

"Krysti, what's wrong?" Gray asks with an upraised eyebrow at my actions.

Rubbing my arms which are now covered goose bumps I reply, "I don't know. Just got a weird chill." (Like someone was walking over my grave. I hope this isn't an omen...) Erza steps forward before I think further on the subject and clears her throat to catch my attention.

"Chills and pranks aside, how are you doing, Krysti? You had us worried with how long you been unconscious." the armored female said in a gentler than normal tone.

I look up at her curiously before replying, "Right now I'm feeling fine. What knocked me out, and for how long?" The group shuffles in an awkward manner which shoots a spike of worry through me.

"8 days," Natsu says suddenly. I snap my gaze towards him and he has an unreadable look on his face.

My mouth dries as I ask, "What?"

Lucy pipes up as she steps closer, "He said 8 days, Krysti. That's how long you were out." I feel numb at her words.

"What happened?" I ask barely above a whisper.

"What happened is that you released so much magic while you were heavily injured that you nearly died!" the healer's voice gruffly rings out. I shrink back in fear as she continues ranting on while my friends turn to face her fearfully.

________________

After the healer's outburst, who Krysti later found out was called Porlyusica, the story came out briefly. Krysti wasn't shocked to find out that her magic manifested itself into flames. The clues were all there. What shocked her was the extent of the flames.

Everything everyone has told her about what to expect for a first manifestation indicated that she would have something small and weak happen. Like a small spark of flame or even just something just growing very warm. Nothing like the conflagration that she apparently caused.

As soon as her friends finished explaining a brief version of what she did before passing out, Porlyusica interrupted immediately to tell them that the brunette isn't allowed to even attempt to try to do anything magical for two weeks since her stunt strained her body badly. A broom magically appeared in the pink-haired woman's hand as an angry look appears on her face.

She chases everyone, including her patient, out of her house all the while spouting how she hates humans. Looking scared for their lives, the Fairy Tail members who dealt with the old healer before rushes out in a stampede. Even Erza knows better than to cross Porlyusica.

Lucy is left behind with Krysti as both females never dealt with the healer before. Yet, with the expression on Porlyusica's face neither one of them wanted to deal with her anger as well. Lucy helps Krysti up and out of the house as the brunette's body isn't fully recovered and can't support her weight as of yet.

They stumble around but eventually make it out of the house and away from the angry healer brandishing a broom. The others who were waiting across the clearing rush over to help Lucy with Krysti once the two girls are far enough away from Porlyusica's house that they won't inflame the woman's wrath.

Erza, being the bravest of the four, was the first to move and reach the other two. She was also the first to notice the blush on the brunette's face.

"What's wrong, Krysti? You're blushing," she asks. Krysti presses her lips together to make a tight line and just looks down. Not getting her message at first, it takes the girls a few seconds before they too look down and then they understood. She is still wearing Elfman's shirt and it barely covers her hips as Krysti stands there being supported by Lucy.

Eyes wide, Erza summons her magic to make a large blanket appear in the air and the two girls hurriedly wrap up the larger woman before the boys figure out what is going on. She mumbles out a quiet thank you as her blush dies down now that her modesty is restored.

THUMP!

"AHH-OWW!" Krysti suddenly screams while clutching the back of her head. Almost as one, the group turns and looks down to see a glass bottle with blue liquid swirling around in it on the ground by Krysti's feet.

"Drink one swallow of that once a day until it's all gone! And none of you better not pull any more stupid stunts that I have to fix you up afterward! Now GET OUT!" screams out the healer with broom still in hand. Happy quickly grabs the bottle and flies out of the clearing and is soon followed by the rest of the group; albeit slower since they were mindful to keep pace with their not fully recovered friend.

In their dash to get away, the blanket covering the brunette's modesty kept getting snagged on brambles and branches and almost getting ripped out of her grip. When she does finally lose the blanket, she lets out a small shriek in surprise. Krysti falls as she tries to turn quickly to retrieve the blanket and loses her balance as her legs are still wobbly.

"Can we slow down now please?" Krysti whines out from her position on the ground with the shirt riding up over her hips. Erza rushes to retrieve the fallen blanket to cover up the scantily clad woman before the boys see something they shouldn't. Lucy steps in between Krysti and the two guys as they are turning around to look back in an effort to try to block their view.

"The old hag doesn't go far from her house so we are safe now," Natsu replies nonchalantly as he tries to peer curiously around Lucy to see what she is trying to hide. Lucy raises up an arm to block, and Natsu bends to look under her arm to which she moves accordingly.

Gray, now curious as well, goes to look around Lucy's other side to which she uses her other arm to block. Soon both her arms are flailing wildly as she is determined to help keep Krysti's modesty if it's the last thing she does.

"Pffft. Lucy looks really funny!" chortles out Happy in obvious glee. Erza's lips twitch in amusement and Krysti struggles to stifle a giggle. Happy is right, Lucy does look funny as she is leaning all over the place while waving her hands wildly through the air.

It doesn't help that Gray and Natsu are also leaning every which a way to look behind the blonde. The three of them look like they are doing some kind of weird dance and Krysti has a hard time not outright laughing at the realization.

Safely bundled up again, Krysti clears her throat before calling out, "You can stop now Lucy, it's safe." At the sound of Lucy's loud sigh of relief, Krysti can't help but giggle. The boys look disappointed that they missed what all the fuss was about.

"No fair!" Natsu whines out. "What was the big deal that we weren't even allowed to see?" Krysti's mischievous smile made an appearance and she sauntered the best she could on unsteady legs towards Natsu. He looks at her curiously, not noticing the smirk.

"No big deal," she replies easily before lightly tapping his nose with a finger. "After all, it's not like it was something you haven't seen before, Natsu-kun." she purrs out. Krysti moves further away from the healer's house with the sounds of strangled gasps, indignant squawks, and noises of confusion sounding off behind her.

Unseen by her friends as they struggle to process the implications of the brunette's words, a huge smile of content settles on her face at the chaos she caused.