The Maiden & Her Guardian Dragon *Discontinued*

Chapter 24: 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 Wendy 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 Erza & 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.