Staring in a haze from the bar, her arm propped up to hold her lazy head, she felt something…and it was eating away inside of her. A selfish and evil thing, it nibbled and toyed at the back of her brain where she tried her best to ignore it. She knew after all, he could hear her.
Kinana turned to look over at the ever joyful Mirajane, staring across the bar as well as she wiped down some cups for fresh use.
"They're so cute together." The white haired beauty sighed, making Kinana blush a bit in response.
"Mira?"
Mira looked over at her with sparkling hopeful eyes, "Hmm?"
"Who are you talking about?"
Mira smiled bigger and pointed out into a mass of people in the guild "Try and guess."
Kinana looked through the mass of people, there were many regulars crowded in that area; Natsu getting fired up about something or other, Lucy trying to calm him down, Grey yelling at Natsu to get off the table, Juvia bashfully reminding Grey of his clothes, once again, being stripped off, Happy trying to give Carla a fish, which she adamantly refused and Panther Lily offers to take it her stead, Reedus was painting a picture of Gajeel in a menacing pose, Levy watched in awe, Romeo was laughing at Lucy trying to calm both Natsu and Grey down, Erza ate a cake at her separate, but nearby booth, not mentioning a word, but clearly staring at the rowdy fire and ice mages.
After a while Kinana looked over at Mira, defeated. "It all looks the same to me."
Mira looked back at her from the daily scene that was the Fairy Tail guild hall. "It's ok to not see at first, but if you look at them carefully, you can see certain people meshing together."
"Meshing together? Are you sure you're not just seeing things?" Kinana asked in worry, coming closer to Mira to feel her temperature "You seem alright to me…maybe its anemia…"
Mira giggled and took hold of Kinana's shoulders, looking her in the eye. "Look here; there are certain people that even when they're in a crowd, they shine their best when they're together with another specific person."
Mira and Kinana turned to see Team Natsu assemble and ready to leave for a job excitedly. "It's sometimes so hard to see, even the people themselves can't see it, some can sense it, but disregard it as the usual feeling of being close to that person…it's a tricky thing that is elusive yet plainly obvious. It contradicts itself, but makes perfect sense."
Kinana gave her a saddened look "I'm sorry Mira…I really just can't see it…"
Mira smiled "Then…try to hear it."
Kinana's eyes widened slightly, something like a whispered memory tickled at the back of her mind. She turned to look at the group once more, heading out into the setting sun of a beautiful summers day, she closed her eyes and listened.
"I can't wait to have money for my rent!"
"Yea, once you do, we can come crash there again, right Happy!?"
"Aye! Maybe Carla would like to visit Lucy's place!"
"As amusing as it may be to know where Lucy may live, Tom Cat, I'm not all that sure I'm all that wanted there."
"Don't say that Carla! Lucy may be mean sometimes, but her place is so cool! I know where she hides the fish!"
"I don't hide my fish Happy! It's called the freezer!"
"Well then it's ripe for the taking! What do you say Carla!?"
"Well…if you insist, but I won't partake in any fish eating."
"I'll take what I can get! Did you hear that Natsu? It's a date!"
"Oh? I'm happy for you little buddy, I guess me and Lucy will spend some time elsewhere then!"
"What?! How did my place become a date site for cats?"
"Gray, my love! Would you like to invite me over to Lucy's house for a date!? I'm free everyday this week if it's for you! I want some time alone with you!"
"NO! Lucy's house isn't a dating spot, and I don't know if you noticed, we wouldn't BE ALONE because two CATS will be there! And where on earth land did you come from!? We're heading for a job now Juvia!"
"Did my beloved Gray just admitted he wants to be ALONE with me? I'm so happy!"
Kinana opened her eyes and watched them disappear. Mira leaned over the bar table and flashed a smile "Did you hear it?"
"What…was it I needed to be listening for?"
Mira's smile widened "Well of course silly, you could hear their wishes become one couldn't you?"
Kinana stared at her in slight shock. She was supposed to hear the sound of wishes becoming one?
Later in the night as Kinana walked home, she stared up into the sky, still perplexed as to what exactly it meant to hear the sound of 'wishes becoming one'.
"I didn't hear them make any wishes…" Kinana muttered to herself, still staring at the starry night sky "Just as I thought, maybe Mira did need some rest after all…"
As she continued on her way, a shooting star fell through the sky and Kinana gasped in surprise, pouting immediately after. "Oh darn, I forgot to make a wish…"
Her mind was suddenly filled to the brim with the memory of that night a while back ago, that night where a million stars appeared to be falling, she'd not made a wish then either…instead…she was occupied with that man who'd been calling out to her, Erik.
When she reached home she couldn't help diving headfirst into bed, not bothering to switch on the lights or anything, sleepy as she may have been, she also felt restless, as she often did when she thought of that man. She turned to look out her window to the stars again, a question rising to the attention of her mind.
"If I could make a wish on a star…what would it even be?"
She thought about it, what did she need? She had a roof over her head, a job, money to keep her fed, clothed and housed, so many amazing friends willing to teach her new things and even take a bullet for her…she had her health and happiness…what more could she need? It would be selfish to want any more than that. She was so fortunate, but there was something there, something more she wished to have.
"The sound…of wishes becoming one."
She thought back to the conversations her guildmates had, their individual presences and then their presence altogether.
"Natsu and Gray are always fighting, but when they get along, it's quite admirable and pleasant to see…could that be what she meant by shining?"
Kinana turned over in bed and stared at her dark room. "Lucy looks so excited to be there every day…she'd mentioned it on many occasions that she loves Fairy Tail with a passion I've yet to see in anyone other than…Natsu?" her eyes slightly widened.
"Could that be it? Their wish, is it Fairy Tail? They always glimmer when they're there…even when they're making a ruckus, aren't they always around each other? Always watching each other?"
"I can't wait to have money for my rent!"
"Yea, once you do we can come crash there again…"
"…I guess me and Lucy will spend some time elsewhere then!"
Kinana sat up. "They always naturally gravitate towards each other; they share the common wish that they want to be near one another!"
"Gray, my love! Would you like to invite me over to Lucy's house for a date!? I'm free everyday this week if it's for you! I want some time alone with you!"
"…we wouldn't BE ALONE…"
"Did my beloved Gray just admitted he wants to be ALONE with me? I'm so happy!"
"The both of them too…though it's remarkably more subtle than Natsu and Lucy…"
Kinana leaned back the wall, her head tilting back until it reached the open window's sill. "I was able to hear it…the sound of their wishes becoming one…" Her eyes narrowed slowly "He would have been able to hear it instantly wouldn't he? He could hear it…no…he could hear even their thoughts of it."
"My prayer is to hear the voice of my one and only friend, Cubellios."
Her lips shook and her eyes watered "How silly of you to waste a wish on a snake…I'm not even a snake anymore…do you still want to hear me? Or is that why you pushed me away that night, Erik?"
Kinana reached up and wiped her eyes, but the sobs became more and more prominent, shaking her body and restricting her breathing out to small pants "A prayer is the same as a wish in itself isn't it, Erik? Can you hear that? Then I want it to be known! I want to be selfish and wish for something even though I already have everything!"
She covered her crying face as the sobs broke her voice, she thought in screams: "Hear the sound of my wish becoming one with yours Erik! I want you to hear my voice Erik! And what I have to say is that I want to hear your voice respond to mine!"
For a while she laid there, head beginning to ache from the crying and neck uncomfortably starting to build up dull strain from resting on the sill too long. She whimpered and began to pull her head up off the sill, meeting something warm as she did. She uncovered her face and her red eyes shot open wide to meet a familiar amethyst eye looking back down at her.
"You…you…"
"I heard you." He finished "And I'm sorry…for not listening to you sooner. I never meant to make you cry…"
She shook her head and pulled herself from the sill, sitting up properly as she wiped her face off. "I…how are you-?"
"Here? It wasn't easy, but I couldn't stand your loneliness anymore."
As she finished wiping off her foggy eyes, they received the visage of a heavily injured Erik, bruises and burns all over his body. How he was even moving right now was nothing short of luck and the feat of will.
He groaned slightly as he fell from the sill he was perched on and landed heavily to the mattress beneath the window, face lying on her lap. She gasped sharply and moved to get a first aid kit, but was stopped by his hand tightly wrapping around her wrist.
"No…I'm ok…I've come here to listen to you. Talk to me…it's all I need."
Her eyes watered again, she knew he was lying, hell, he knew that she knew he was lying, she could see it in his eye, staring back up at her, but she knew him too. That grip he had on her would not let go anytime soon.
She helped him turn over on the bed to face her from her lap more easily, thinking back on everything she could say to him.
"I lost my memory." She began, "When I was changed from a snake to a girl a few years back…even so I heard you calling me. I wondered who it was I heard, because no one else could hear it, so I thought I was losing my mind…"
"I'm sorry." he whispered "I didn't mean to make you feel mental."
She giggled "Its fine, thanks to you doing that I couldn't stop thinking about you. I started to regain my memories after some time. First it was all just sounds, then I could begin to see things…like different places, the sky, I could remember the feeling of flight and the feeling of fighting by someone's side…your side…"
He smiled "Oh? How'd that feel?"
"It felt scary. I was worried a lot about you. You're really cocky sometimes, you know."
He laughed "Yea…I am."
"I remembered even further back…I remembered the times in the Tower of Heaven. I remembered my anger towards those people that made you unhappy…I remembered you being happy to see me..."
Her cheeks turned pink slightly "I was happy to see you too."
Cobra's eye fluttered shut, his mouth grinned almost wickedly "But that wasn't enough for me…I had to hear you too…I didn't know how good I had it. I could see you, talk to you, touch you…hell I could even smell and taste you if I wanted…!"
She blushed harder as he turned his head to the side slowly, he sighed softly.
"Don't tell me you're going to fall asleep on me." Kinana chuckled, letting her hand brush by the hair framing his face. "No…I'd never waste my time with you like that…you know that I can't stay here for much longer…?"
She nodded slowly, feeling a coldness return. "I know…I'll miss you when you go."
"I won't be able to respond to you, but I'll be able to listen to you, and I will, I promise."
She nodded slowly once more as he slowly rose from the bed. "I'm sorry…our time is up."
Kinana looked over his body, still heavily injured. "Do you really intend to escape like that…?"
"It's not as bad as it looks…"
"You're right, it's worse."
He turned to her, giving her a smile "Yea."
Her eyes looked down, hands squeezing the sheets in frustration.
"Hey don't beat yourself up about the small things…"
"If only I could give you poison like before…!"
Suddenly an idea struck her; she blushed a deep crimson as her heartbeat took off a million miles an hour, frightening Erik slightly.
"Hey! What are you doing Cubellious? Your heart is…"
Her hands reached up and cupped his face; she looked up with a sort of pleading face that made even his mind go numb and deaf. She leaned upward to his face, parting her lips slightly more as she rose, revealing two thin snake fangs, poking past her lips, a small hiss following. "This will….make you better…"
She pressed her lips to his and released the most venom into him that she could, shocking the man considerably. Soon, his wounds healed and his strength came back three fold, he parted from her and stared her in the eyes, crimson faced as well.
"Hey…couldn't you have just bitten me…?"
"Yes…" she admitted slowly "But…I didn't want to…rather, I wanted to…not the bite, but the…"
He continued to stare at her, both reddened and hearts racing, slowly he wrapped his hands around her waist and pressed his lips to hers once more. The two engaged in a sweet, longing kiss that continually deepened, the pair for the first time silent of both mind and voice, listening only to their own drumming heartbeats and the sounds their lips and breaths made coming together.
They parted once more and rested their foreheads together, panting softly.
"I'll be back."
"I'll wait."
He grinned and fell back out the window, landing easily on the ground below. "Don't even think about having anything with any other man, you hear!?"
She looked out the window and smiled, calling back "I wouldn't dream of it!"
He turned to see a pillar of fire come at him; he easily dodged showoffingly and looked back up to Kinana with a cocky grin, but addressing the angry fire mage coming up fast to his side. "You'll have to try better than that fire breather! I'm back and better than ever!" he took off running down the street, Natsu chasing after him, followed by Lucy, Gray, Erza and much later, Happy, Carla and Wendy.
Kinana stared for a while, concerned, but sighed and giggled instead. "I guess this is a mission Lucy won't be getting rent money for…"
The next day in the Fairy Tail guild, while Team Natsu pouted about the failure of their last job; capturing the escaped Cobra, Kinana practically twirled and danced as she served everyone, an outstanding glimmering aura shining from her like none had ever seen.
"I can't believe we lost him…" Natsu said nasally, rubbing his nose softly "He messed up my nose so I couldn't track him anymore…"
Lucy, who sat beside him, pressed her face to the table "Now how will I ever be able to pay my rent?"
Happy cried between the both of them, face full of fish. "Not only have I lost my date with Carla, Natsu's so broke he can't even afford to buy me anymore fish. I'll go hungry!"
Lucy stared at him, "Then what's that you're eating there Happy?"
"The fish from your apartment."
"Didn't I say I didn't have enough for the rent!? Don't you think I should have at least my food with me!?"
"I'm still growing so I need it more than you! And if you grow anymore than that, Lucy, you'll pop!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean you stupid cat!?"
As Lucy and Happy started a fight, Kinana giggled watching Natsu trying to pry them apart from each other. "What an interesting turn of events!"
She paused to refill some mugs and cups at the bar, where Mira looked at her in surprise.
"Kinana, what's with you today? You look like a completely new person. Did something good happen?"
She smiled at her brightly "I thought you of all people would recognize it! Seeing as how you're the one who taught me to hear the sound of two wishes becoming one"
Mira stared at her in confusion as Kinana was called over to another table, she skipped away to serve.
"Well now I can hear it too, Mira!" Kinana called to her as she left "Loud and clear!"