Have Faith And Confirm Your Love Without Saying
Erza Scarlet and Kagura Mikazuchi meet in a wide place in Magnolia. They decided to have sparring, but somewhat they just made excuses to meet each other since they are developing feelings for each other.
Erza Scarlet and Kagura Mikazuchi had just finished their sparring. They were in a field with a few small to medium buildings and so many trees around it. There were other people watching them from distances and commenting how strong and sexy those girls were.
Erza and Kagura were staring at each other. They were slightly injured and tired. Erza was wearing Combo Armor, a single armor made from some powerful armors and unusual materials. She then requipped into Heart Kreuz, her regular armor. She decided to stop fighting. Their postures changed.
They were now standing calmly, showing that they both agreed to stop fighting.
"You have gotten stronger and faster, Kagura. Even without Gravity Magic you are still fast." Erza started a conversation by praising that friend and rival of hers.
"You are still fast too even without Flight Armor, Erza." Kagura replied. "And you are strong too even without that Combo Armor. It seems that your experience in Pandemonium really inspired you to make some combo techniques from your armors and melee weapons."
"Yeah, but it seems that I lost to you. You didn't unsheathe your sword." said Erza. She didn't think the battle ended up in a draw.
However, Kagura disagreed with her. "No. You didn't equip your strongest armor. It's a tie." she said that in English.
Didn't bother to argue, Erza changed her mind.
"OK, it's a tie. And besides, we can't fight like we are going to kill each other. It's just sparring. It's not like we don't care about the places and people around us..." said Erza as turning her head to another side. "And by the way, it's 'requip', not 'equip'." She continued her words in English.
"Is that even a word?" said Kagura inside her own head.
Erza then turned her head to see Kagura again.
"Honestly I am not sure if my strongest armor would make me able to stand battle if you unsheathed your sword." she said.
"You're just hiding your true strength, Erza." Kagura replied. "You can fight better. But it's not like my Style of The Unsheathed Long Sword is weak against your strongest armor. It has evolved much more."
"Yeah, I know." said Erza. "I think if you were serious, you could be a terrifying opponent even for someone like Zorro or Mihawk. Your long-range slash technique has evolved much more."
"Practicing with dedication is the key." Kagura said that out of the blue.
Kagura put her sword onto the ground. She and Erza wiped their sweat with the towels they had prepared before sparring. Erza only needed to requip into some revealing sporty outfit. She requipped into tank top and tennis shorts. So it was easier for her to wipe all her sweat while Kagura had trouble dealing with her sweat-wiping issue. Since her outfit was not revealing and she didn't have ability to requip, she could hardly wipe her sweat. She had to loosen her tie, unbutton her blazer and her shirt's collar button, second button, and third button, and put her hand under her shirt to wipe her sweat with towel. Even so, she was only able to wipe the sweat over her upper body.
"Yup. Finished." Erza had finished wiping her sweat. She then requipped into Heart Kreutz again. Kagura just didn't understand her logic. Why didn't she stay wearing that tank top and tennis shorts? It looked more comfortable to wear especially after exercising and releasing so much sweat. And why didn't she requip into that tank top and tennis shorts from the start? Kagura just couldn't understand her.
Erza turned her back on Kagura and it looked like she was about to walk off.
"Uh.. Wait, Erza. I am still wiping. There's still much sweat over my body." Kagura told Erza, hoping she wouldn't go leaving her.
Erza turned around to face Kagura and she replied to her out of the blue, "Then you need to take off your clothes. It's easier for you to wipe all your sweat when you are wearing underwear."
"Wow-wow, Erza. We are in a public place."
"I know. This place is like the beach - quite large, kinda hot, and windy. Do you want me to help you take off your clothes?"
Kagura almost facepalmed. Her cheeks blushed.
"W-Wait... Hold on a second, Erza. What the heck is on your mind?! Taking off my clothes in front of these people..? Don't be crazy!"
"Ah, come on, Kagura. You are only able to wipe your upper body. If you wanna get rid of all the sweat over your body then strip off. Some construction workers take off their shirts too."
"Screw you! No need to do that! I am almost done! J-Just wait... Just wait."
"If you don't want to take off your clothes then let me do it for you."
Erza dropped her towel onto the ground and she held Kagura's collared shirt. She was about to unbutton the remaining buttons but Kagura spontaneously pushed her away, turned her own body away, and covered her chest with hands. Her cheeks blushed. Erza was surprised. "Back off, Erza!" Kagura warned her in a loud voice. "The guys right there are watching us!".
"Uh?...Ok..." Erza canceled her intention. She then sat down on the ground, watching Kagura wiping her upper body with towel. She kept staring at her. And her sights went further on the detail parts of her body in the surface.
Why didn't she take off her clothes? Erza wondered. If she's wearing underwear then it was easier for her to wipe all her sweat over her body. If she only loosened her tie and unbuttoned three buttons of her shirt's, she still couldn't do it. Her hand couldn't even reach her armpits and back easily.
Erza then wondered why Kagura was so resistant to her when she helped her take off her clothes. She did do photoshoots in underwears in sorcerer magazine. Why didn't she let her take off her clothes and see her in underwear?
Erza tried not to jump into a negative conclusion. She tried to be positive thinking. "There must be a reason why she turned me down." She talked to herself inside her own head. "Maybe because she is embarrassed she would be the only one who's wearing underwear? Maybe she feels annoyed that I can requip and wipe all my sweat at ease? Maybe she feels intimidated because she's the only one who has to deal with this sweat-wiping issue? Then what if we both took off our clothes, and then I let her wipe my sweat and she let me wipe her sweat, that would seem we shared a charitable task equally...maybe she would not mind?"
Erza couldn't stop thinking about taking off Kagura's clothes and her own clothes in front of her. Meanwhile Kagura was still wiping her sweat over her upper body.
Suddenly an image of Erza and Kagura in underwears wiping each other's sweat popped into Erza's mind. Around them, there were a number of lily flowers blooming. Erza's cheeks blushed. Her heart beat faster.
"Oops!, what am I thinking? At a time like this..." said Erza inside her own head. She could not take her eyes off Kagura.
Just a moment later, Kagura started to realize Erza had been staring at her, making her feel nervous and kinda embarrassed.
"...what?" she said.
"Ah... Nothing." Erza turned her head away.
A few minutes later...
"Erza, I am finished." Kagura put on a tie.
"Finally... I almost died due to boredom." said Erza.
"...Sorry."
"I was just kidding... Well, it's lunch time! Let's go, Kagura."
Erza stood up. She and Kagura grabbed their own towels. Kagura also picked up her sword. Erza walked off and Kagura followed her from behind. They walked to a small restaurant next to the field to get some foods and drinks. A group of guys cheered them up, showing their admiration to the girls.
"Hey, you girls are amazing! I love you all! You rock!" they shouted.
"Haha. Thanks, guys!" Erza shouted back to them.
Kagura didn't say any words. She was just walking behind Erza. She had no idea how good Erza was at talking friendly to guys. Although in sorcerer magazine's latest monthly poll, she was also listed on top 50 hottest female mages, along with Erza and so many female mages across Fiore, she may have been the only female mage who was bad at talking friendly to people from opposite gender, although she was admired by many guys too.
"Erza, aren't you angry that those guys are making passes at you?" Kagura asked.
"They're not. They're just complimenting and praising us..." Erza replied. "Well, they're flirting too, but just a little. It doesn't bother me. They're this town's citizens' too and they show respect and support to Fairy Tail." she continued her words.
"I really thought you were short-tempered when it comes to guys."
"I usually don't get mad at guys easy. Only to the guys in my guild. Ya know. Even if you understand guys, you can never understand Natsu and the other guys in Fairy Tail."
"Oh..."
Silent for seconds...
"After this, we won't have much time to meet and have sparring. I am doing my S-class mission the day after tomorrow." Erza broke the silence.
"Erza... do you really believe there is such a thing as friendship power?" Suddenly Kagura changed topic.
"Oh... of course I greatly do. Why are you of a sudden asking that?" said Erza.
Erza and Kagura arrived at the restaurant. It was an outdoor restaurant with a large square canopy tent. They picked one table, and took seats. There were four chairs around that table. Erza and Kagura sat down facing each other. Kagura put her sword and towel into an empty chair. Erza put her towel into the other empty chair. A French-styled maid with short skirt and long stockings came forward and asked for their orders. She left after she got the orders.
Kagura and Erza continued their conversation.
"In Grand Magic Games, you and your comrades kept bringing this up, is it some kind of religious dogma or principle that Fairy Tail's mages must obey and spread?" Kagura tried to rephrase what she was talking about.
Erza replied, "Well, it's not easy to describe what friendship power is. But when you have it, you witness how useful and powerful it is. Just like... belief. Belief is not always logical, it is intuitive too. But that affects your life. It makes you strong and stronger."
"So, this friendship power is like faith, right?"
"Yup. Everybody has faith, no matter how logical they are. How do people still believe they will make their dreams come true? Logically, no one can guarantee you will win your goals or not, because your life is more than just math. You can't calculate it and get certain answers. But you still have to move forward. That's what faith is for. And friendship power is like that. The faith that makes you strong and stronger, overcome your fear and weakness, and win your goals. I am sure there is friendship power in Mermaid Heel and other guilds too. And I am sure all of you will witness that."
"Yeah, I think your point is beside rationality, faith is needed to make decisions in order to fulfill dreams... Or something like that. And believing in friendship power is a sign that you have faith."
"Yeah, I believed I would defeat you and Minerva in Grand Magic Games, not only because I had trained hard. It's also because I had this faith called friendship power. I was badly injured while you and Minerva were in winning positions. But suddenly I got stronger thanks to my faith - friendship power. Maybe, you can say when you have positive emotional bounds with someone, their faith in you can magically affect you, and vice versa. When they have faith in you, they can make you stronger without any technical things involved."
The maid came to Erza's and Kagura's table to serve them the foods and drinks they had ordered. She dismissed and they started to eat.
Erza continued her explanation, "You witnessed that yourself right when Natsu defeated Sting and Rogue? After that, I defeated both you and Minerva. That's when friendship power gave us strength."
"Then, Erza... do you have faith in... lo..?" Kagura tried to reveal something to Erza but she didn't dare open up.
"L... what?"
"I mean this is something about us."
"About us?"
Erza looked at Kagura's eyes deeply. She tried to read her mind, thinking she was hiding something.
"Kagura, is there something about us you want to talk...or ask?" Erza tried to discover what Kagura was hiding inside her head.
"Erza, do you have faith we will meet and have sparring again? Your mission is a very hard mission. And we can't see what will happen in the future..." Kagura spoke nervously . "Ah, I don't mean you won't make it." She continued.
For a moment, it was silent. Until...
"Kagura, I promise I will survive." Erza broke the silence. " We will meet again. We will have sparring again. Just have faith in me. What about after that mission, we will have some fun at Night Festival with Milianna? Try some various delicious foods and snacks? Try some cool games? Watch some shows? What about that, sister?"
Erza smiled at Kagura. Kagura's cheeks blushed. She looked more nervous than before. "Yes... thanks, sister." She finally spoke up.
"You have cute side too, Kagura-chan." Erza tried to tease Kagura. "Now I can't decide which one is cuter, Milianna or you."
"Don't tease me." said Kagura. "There's no way I am cuter than Milianna. I will unsheathe my sword if you say that again."
Erza laughed. Kagura looked somewhere else and tried to hide her smile. "I will show you my own friendship power too, Erza. My faith, my comrades' faith. Mermaid Heel will surpass Fairy Tail!" She then spoke up as she looked at Erza again.
"Sure. Even though I am not sure you will stand battle against me in our next sparring." Erza teased Kagura to make her upset like a spoiled kid, because she thought it was cute to see her that way. But her response was unexpected.
"Have faith in me. Because I have faith in you."
"Oh.." Erza, for a moment, was impressed by Kagura's words. And she ended up smiling. Kagura pretended she didn't care.
Erza actually didn't think Kagura had said all the things she was trying to say. Despite that, she didn't bother asking her to open up again. They continued their conversation with sharing stories about their missions, friends, and guilds.
Several minutes later, they finished eating their foods. They were going to finish their drinks.
"So, Erza. You prefer orange juice?" Kagura initiated starting a new topic.
"Of course I do." said Erza. "I will never be be bored drinking it. And you seem to prefer strawberry syrup, Kagura?"
"It tastes better to me. It is also sweeter compared to your orange juice."
"I have had enough sugar from souffle and cheesecake. Orange juice will be a proper drink."
"Are you sure, Erza? During our sparring, we lost so much sweat. We need more sugar."
"And despite that, you still ordered tempura and sukiyaki?"
"Well, that's because eating them makes me energetic. But as I said we need more sugar so instead of tea, I would ordered strawberry syrup."
Erza didn't reply. She just thought Kagura just had a different taste.
"...actually, Kagura. My orange juice tastes much sweeter than your strawberry syrup." Erza spoke up. Kagura didn't believe what she said. "Are you kidding me, Erza?" She was a little bit surprised.
"Try it if you don't believe." Erza challenged. "There is still remaining juice."
"Sorry but I am not used to getting free drink, so..."
"Then let's exchange our drinks."
Erza handed her orange juice over to Kagura. Kagura then handed her strawberry syrup over to Erza. Kagura drank the orange juice through the straw. Erza also drank the strawberry syrup through the straw. But she did not take her eyes off Kagura.
Kagura then spoke up, "You were lying, Erza. This is less sweet than my strawberry syrup. Not even close."
In satisfaction, Erza smiled at Kagura. Kagura felt like her eyes looked teasing and seductive.
"W-Wait, Erza. Isn't it considered... uhm..."
"What is it, Kagura?" Erza raised her eyebrows.
Kagura blushed and she couldn't continue her words. She thought Erza trapped her into committing an indirect kiss! That's why she didn't dare continue her words.
Erza was still smiling.
"Ah, nevermind. I think you were just lying on purposes..." Kagura said words out of the blue.
"I wasn't lying, Kagura." Erza replied. "When I drank that orange juice in front of you, the juice became sweeter when I looked at your face. The same thing happened when I drank that strawberry syrup. I think that whatever juice or syrup I drink, it always tastes sweeter whenever I look at your face. Because its cute."
"Just... What are you trying to say, Erza?" Kagura blushed again and she was embarrassed.
"But seriously, Kagura. Somewhat, I would rather you unsheathe your sword." said Erza.
"Huh?...what are you on about, Erza?"
"If calling you cute would make you unsheathe your sword, then I would rather say that."
Kagura gasped. Her cheeks blushed again but she was still unsure about what Erza meant when she said that. Maybe she just teased her again?
"I am just being honest, Kagura." Erza continued her words. "You are really cute. I can't even resist that. I would do anything just to show you how much I adore your cute face, Kagura. Even if it would make you unsheathe your sword. I would die happily."
"S-Stop, that, Erza. You make me nervous... are you really sure you want me to unsheathe my sword?"
Erza laughed hearing Kagura say that. She really enjoyed teasing her.
Just a moment later, Erza slowly stopped smiling. And her eyes didn't look teasing and seductive anymore.
"Kagura, I actually have something I want to tell you related to us. This has been on my mind since long."
"S-Something about us? You have it on your mind too?"
Erza breathed in.
"Kagura, it's been long since the first time we met. After that, we have done things together. And the more I meet you the stronger the feeling I have for you..." Erza's eyes turned softer. She continued her words "Since we both are sword artists and are always involved in swordsmanship and martial art stuff, we have rarely talked about our relationship outside our work. It makes me wonder how far you actually feel for me. Although we are friends, somewhat, I feel like being with you is different than being with any of my other friends."
"W-What do you mean? Being with me different than being with any of your other friends? Why?" Kagura wondered.
Erza's cheeks suddenly blushed. Kagura gasped again. Her cheeks blushed too.
Erza continued speaking her mind, "When I know I'm not alone because I am with my friends, I can sense the power of friendship, so I get excited and confident to win battle. But when I am with you, I can sense something different. It's not the usual friendship power I feel. I makes me relaxed and anxious at the same time. This is quite a big mystery."
"Huh? Being with me makes you relaxed and anxious at the same time? Seriously what are you trying to say, Erza? I am now more confused than before."
"I can't explain about that myself. But the one thing for sure is, I am very happy when I am with you, Kagura."
Erza held Kagura's hands. She looked into her eyes.
Kagura gulped.
"I may feel happy right now but I am still anxious. Really anxious. The only thing that makes me relieved is to know what feeling you have for me." said Erza.
Kagura still didn't understand what she was trying to say, even so she started to think further about relationship between them. "Huh? My feeling for you? You want me to tell you my feeling for you?" she said, realizing that she actually had a feeling for Erza, although her mind was still too complex to find a certain answer.
"Yea." said Erza, "If you are not able to confirm it with words... then confirm it with body language."
"But... why, Erza? Why are you so pushy toward me?"
"Kagura, I know you are hiding something from me. You haven't revealed everything inside your head. I know you have a feeling for me too. But you don't want to open up. So I don't want to open up too. Unless we agree to confirm our feelings together at once."
"Huh?... b-but how do we confirm our feelings for each other at once? I-I don't even know what to say.. I-I am not even sure where this feeling is going to be... even if I really have a feeling for you, do you feel the same way I do?" Kagura spoke nervously. Her head was full of confusion.
Erza stood up and moved her body closer to Kagura. She was still holding her hands.
"As I said, confirm it with body language."
Erza smiled. Kagura blushed. She then stood up too.
Erza and Kagura were now standing and holding hands. They were so close.
Kagura looked doubtful. "I-I am not sure about it... can we really do this?"
"Have faith in me. Because I have faith in you." said Erza, trying to build Kagura's confidence.
Kagura's heart beat faster. So did Erza's.
"We do it together, right?" said Kagura.
"Yes." Erza replied.
Erza and Kagura closed their eyes. Their lips got closer and closer, they could smell the mixed aroma from orange juice and strawberry syrup, and...
They kissed!
Everybody else around them was watching. Too many witnesses. Certainly, there would be big news spread over Fiore. But Erza and Kagura didn't care. For now, they were so happy that they could finally confirm their feelings for each other even though without saying that explicitly. They wished that moment would last forever.
*** THE END ***
