Chapter Five

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Nashi and the others just recently returned to the guild after they're job was completed. After it was done, they were just kicking back and relaxing at the guild. For Simon, he used the opportunity to train. He was out in the woods and was working on his magic.

"Meteor!" Simon glowed yellow and was flying around with incredible speed. He held two swords in his hands and slashed at all the targets. He landed on the ground and saw it was a clear hit on all of them. Simon heard some clapping and saw Erza was able to find him.

"It seems like you're doing well." Erza said.

"Hey, Mom. What are you doing out here?" Simon said.

"Just checking on you. Your friends tend to relax after taking a job." Erza said. "You seem to train instead."

"Well, the job was pretty easy." Simon said. "No opponent there was really a challenge. I think I understand what Storm is looking for. It wouldn't hurt to actually get a challenge that would test our abilities."

"I see. So you're trying to make up for the challenge you didn't obtain." Erza said. "If it was too easy, maybe you should try taking a job that actually seems like a greater challenge."

"Like what?" Simon questioned, but he didn't get his answer as he heard a noise. Both of them followed the noise in another part of the woods and soon found Sasha. She was practicing her shooting on a distant tree and it seemed like she was hitting every target.

"It's only Sasha." Erza said.

"Sasha!" Simon called out and got her attention.

"Simon? What are you and your mother doing out here?" Sasha questioned.

"The same reason you are. I was just doing a little training." Simon said. "Since we're both out here, how about we do some training together."

"I rather not." Sasha said as she turned away from him and started walking away.

"Sasha, why do you keep walking away?" Simon said. "We're part of the same team with Nashi and the others. You know that means you don't have to be so distant from everyone. That includes those in the guild."

"I have my reasons." Sasha said and just kept walking.

"Sasha, sometimes I do wonder what goes on with you." Simon said.

"Just give her some time." Erza said and felt a bit of her youth looking at Sasha. "Sasha actually reminds me of myself when I first joined the guild. I kept my distance from everyone. That was until I met Natsu, Gray, and the others. She'll come around."

"Yeah, but Sasha has been at the guild for about ten years." Simon said. "Shouldn't she have opened up to anyone by now?"

"Simon, everyone moves at their own pace. Don't try to force it or you'll only make things worse." Erza said. "Just give her time. She'll open up when she's ready." Simon would hope that Sasha opens up soon.

…

The Guild

At the guild, Nova went up to her Dad's office about the job and told him everything that has happened.

"I see. So everyone is free from those mines?" Laxus said.

"Yeah. A request should have been sent about shutting those mines down so no one ever gains access to them again." Nova said.

"I'll make sure of it. It also sounds like Nashi gave this Raeka what he deserved." Laxus said. "You've all gotten pretty strong. Good work, honey."

"Thanks, Dad." Nova said.

"In fact, with you kids, there seems to be less paperwork for written apologies." Laxus said. "Good thing you all aren't destructive as Natsu was when he was your age. It probably be a relief to the old man." Laxus looked over to a photo of him and his grandfather, Makarov, and was thinking about him.

"Dad, I know you still miss Great Grandpa Makarov." Nova said. "I'm sure he would be proud of you. You've done a great job of being Master."

"Thanks, Nova." Laxus said.

"She's right, Dad." Both of them turned towards the door and saw another teen walking in. He had a muscular body and hair like Laxus, but it was white. He wore a dark grey top with black pants and had a black cape with a high collar. This is Damien Dreyar, Nova's younger brother.

"Damien, you're back!" Nova said.

"Yeah. Just did." Damien said and turned his attention back to their father. "Dad, you need to quit worrying. You're doing a fine job as master."

"Thanks, kids, but you don't need to worry about me." Laxus said. "I'm feeling fine. So why don't you two get going? I'm sure you have other things you like to do." Nova and Damien still weren't convinced, but they knew better than to try and force something from him. After they finished talking with their father, Nova and Damien went out to the guild and Nova went to talk to her friends at their table.

"Hey, Nova. Everything good with Laxus?" Nashi said.

"Yeah, but I'm a little worried about him." Nova said.

"How come?" Gale asked.

"It's just that there are times I think he feels he's not cut out to be the master." Nova said. "Do you guys remember the story with the Battle for Fairy Tail? Dad was one the one who started it."

"Yeah. We all heard of that story." Storm said. "He got himself expelled because of that. If it weren't for the short time Gildarts was master, who knows if he would even be here."

"Yeah and I think that's part of the reason. He must be up to the task, right? Why else would my great grandfather give him the position?" Nova asked.

"Yeah. You're probably right." Nashi said. The mentioning of Nova's great grandfather had Nashi thinking about him.

'Makarov Dreayar, the grandfather of Laxus.' Nashi narrated. 'People say he was Fairy Tail's greatest master next to Mavis. That's what I heard. I barely remember him because he passed away from old age when we were all pretty young.'

"Hey, guys." All of them looked to see Simon came back to the guild.

"Done with you little training session?" Gale said. Simon wasn't really listening, but he was looking for something…or someone.

"Have you guys seen Sasha? I thought she came back here." Simon said.

"No. Why?" Nashi asked.

"I saw her a little earlier, but it's the same with her. She only kept me at arm's length." Simon said.

"You know that's how she is." Storm said.

"Yeah. What is Sasha's deal? She's been like that since she joined the guild." Gale said.

"I do believe it's starting to become troubling." Simon said. "I'm getting concerned about her. I would respect her privacy, but she is a member of Fairy Tail. She should know by now that she can share her problems with us. I keep trying to get her to talk, but she just doesn't budge."

"Careful, Simon. Sasha will probably get all serious and mad if you poke around too much." Gale said. "Don't forget that having her be part of our group was your idea. Don't you remember?" It was hard for Simon to even forget.

…

Flashback

It was around ten years ago when Sasha joined the guild. Being born in the guild and all their parents such close friends, Nashi and the others got along pretty well and was together almost all the time. They were all just little kids back then.

"Guys!" Simon called out. The four of them saw him coming and came with the new girl.

"Hey, Simon." Storm said.

"Hey. Isn't that the new girl?" Nova asked.

"Yeah. Her name is Sasha, remember? I think we should let her be part of the group. She should be our friend." Simon said, but it was surprising to all of them.

"You want her to hang with us?" Gale said. "How come? She doesn't interact with anyone."

"I think she just needs to make some friends. Right?" Simon asked her, but Sasha didn't really answer. She more like she didn't really care.

"I think it's a great idea." Nashi said. "Fairy Tail is all about friends and family." She got up from her seat and walked over to her as she held out her hand to her. "Welcome. I'm Nashi."

"Yeah." Sasha said as she took her hand. "Hi." That might have been how Sasha joined the team, but at the time, it didn't really seem to matter to her.

End of Flashback

…

"Sasha's our friend and a member of the guild. We should just give her the benefit of the doubt, shouldn't we?" Nashi said. They all thought so, but it's not easy to work with someone who acts so distant from everyone.

"What are you all saying about me?" All of them got a little surprised when Sasha spoke up and walked over to them.

"Sasha! We weren't saying anything bad about you." Nova said.

"I don't really care if it was good or bad." Sasha said. "I'm getting a little annoyed just sitting around here. Isn't there a job we can take or something?"

"Sheesh. We're back in town for a short while and you want to get back to work." Storm said.

"Oh please. That last job wasn't really a job. It was more like cleaning someone's mess." Sasha said.

"Still, Sasha, it's okay to relax for a while." Nova said. "Everyone in the guild works hard. There's no harm in taking it easy."

"I learned a long time ago that you should never take it easy for too long." Sasha said.

'She "learned" that?' Simon thought. 'How could she have learned something like that? Ever since Sasha joined the guild, she also kept her past hidden from us. None of us know where she came from?'

"Sasha, we asked what kind of job you wanted to take and you really didn't care." Storm said.

"That's only because some of these jobs appear to be nothing more than clean up duty or some hunting for a monster." Sasha said.

"That's not true." Nova said. "There are some jobs like with what we just did. There are some to handle bandits or other creeps."

"Yes, but none of them are anything special." Sasha said.

"I get it. You're asking for the same thing as Storm. You're seeking a job that will actually give you a challenge." Simon said.

"Urgh. If I hear something like that one more time, my head might pop off." Nashi said as she was getting annoyed with everyone talking like that.

"Well, I might have an idea." Simon said. "I mentioned it to my mother earlier. She said we should find a job that might seem like a greater challenge."

"How are we suppose to know that?" Gale said. Simon put some thought into it, but he wasn't exactly sure about it.

"I do have an idea of how we could get a greater challenge, but I'm not sure if the rest of you are really ready." Simon said. Everyone was a little curious about this. "Other than Nova, I'm not sure if the rest of you can really handle it since none of you have reached a certain level of strength quite yet."

"What are you talking about?" Storm said.

"It sounds like you know of what we're looking for." Sasha said. "Simon if you have an idea about how we can get a better challenge, you better say something."

"I do know of some jobs that might be more challenging, but the guild has a few rules about them." Simon said. "We all might have been practicing magic, learning to fight, and have been doing jobs since we were children, but this is a whole different level."

"Shouldn't it be up to us whether or not we're ready?" Gale said.

"Spill it, Simon. What are these jobs you're talking about?" Sasha asked. Simon thought about it and was a little concerned they weren't ready, but seeking a challenge to test their strength is what some of them are looking for.

"How would you guys feel about taking an S-class quest?" Simon said.

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