Then Night Came...

                                    

                                          
                  
                          
Tides of Virtue – Chapter 18 (Fairy Tail Fan-Fiction)
                          


                          
The events of the Tower of Heaven were finally over, and the little amount of time that they'd had left of their vacation, Serenity had been unconscious through, which part of her was glad for...all she wanted was to be alone, and, though they'd arrived back in Mongolia two days ago, she still had yet to go to the guild. As pitiful as it was, she was terrified of facing her guild mates. Lucy had told her that the new guildhall was finished and that it was huge, and almost all of the tables were filled with members—new and old. That hadn't helped Serenity's anxiety at all; in fact, she'd immediately fled from their apartment, without uttering a single word, and raced to the forest.
                          
Now here she was, staring down at her reflection as it danced across the shimmering surface of the small pond she'd come across somewhere along her walk. For hours she'd been sitting in that same spot, trying to find something that hadn't changed—a small thread of her old self that she could still cling onto—but to no avail. Even her guild mark had turned from a beautiful blue to a striking gold that shone in the light, and her curls were wild and glossy instead of perfect and plain like they used to be.  
                          
Before her change, whenever strangers saw Serenity walking down the street, they'd always thought she looked innocent, and the childlike aura that surrounded her had always caused them to smile at her. Some had even gone as far as starting a conversation with her. Others had even asked her if she'd gotten separated from her parents. However, when she'd been walking through the streets toward the forest that day, people seemed to cower away from her, and many sent her fearful glances, which Serenity didn't blame them for, she looked intimidating and her aura basically screamed 'dangerous'. This was quite ironic, too, because she'd always wanted to look less like a helpless child and more like the powerful mage she was, but now, she hated every minute of it.
                          
However, the change in her appearance wasn't the thing that was bothering her the most...it was something Jellal had said to her, and she kept replaying his words over and over in her head, trying to figure out what they meant: "I see you've been reborn again. No matter how many times...they still allow you to come back. Dear Ciara, this form you've taken on is quite lovely, but I can see the yearning in your eyes for your true self." Was this her true self? Who was Ciara? Who were 'they'?  
                          
        Crying out in frustration, Serenity smashed her fist against the sparkling surface of the pond, causing the water to ripple, disfiguring her reflection into nothing more than shimmers of light. Sitting back on her calves, she rubbed vigorously at her eyes, which were billowing with tears. "Who am I?" she sobbed hopelessly, staring up at the heavens like they would offer the answer, but they remained a plain, passive blue with the occasional pallid, fluffy cloud floating across them like ships sailing across the wide expanse of the sea.
                          
        Angry at the world, Serenity dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying to stop the tears from flowing, but they just kept falling and falling. Slamming her fists against the ground, she screamed, placing her forehead against her white-knuckles, and the birds that had gathered in the trees to watch her with their beady black eyes, quickly took flight and soared across the sky like speeding bullets.
                          
        "Serenity!!" she heard someone cry behind her, and when she ceased her wailing and looked up, wiping at her puffy eyes, she saw her friends racing toward her: Erza in her armor, Gray wearing only a pair of dark blue boxers, Natsu with Happy wrapped around his neck from behind, and Lucy with her blonde hair up in low pigtails.
                          
        As they stopped in front of her, Serenity stood up and looked at the ground, ashamed for being caught in such a terrible state. "Why are you crying again?" Natsu asked, looking at her concerned.