"I thought you left for a job last night."
Kai lifted his chin to look over when someone settled into the seat beside him. It had been quite a few months since the Tenrou team reappeared and according to Romeo, things were finally returning to normal. Normal for him, not so much for Kai, at least. By now, Fairy Tail had managed to reclaim their title as the strongest guild in all of Fiore after their performance in the Grand Magic Games. Kai hadn't been inclined to participate this year, due to the attention his new comrades would be likely to bring, but he ended up acting as a reserve member at the last minute.
It didn't help that afterwards, there was the whole Dragon King Festival. Since then, the rest of the guild was made to acknowledge Kai's level of power and skill, which what he'd been conscious to conceal up until then. It was the last thing he wanted, but when he was facing a dragon intent on eating him whole all the carefully constructed plans flew out the window. Still, Kai was as stubborn as ever and he kept a mindful distance between himself and the guild.
Even so, there were still a few who made it a habit to approach him now and then. Aside from Romeo, it was mainly Team Natsu.
Today it was Gray.
"Simple job," Kai murmured. "Enough for rent."
Gray nodded his head in understanding, raising his hand to Mirajane for a drink. He wasn't entirely familiar with the boy, but he found his company to be rather relaxing as opposed to Natsu's fiery temper. Kai just sat there most of the time and so did Gray. That seemed to be as close to peace as he would ever get when lounging around in Fairy Tail.
Kai, on the other hand, couldn't help but think to himself that these recent events were only bringing him closer to chaos. Then again it was silly to think a person could run forever. Kai had been stationary for far too long and he knew would reap the consequences of it soon enough. He sighed quietly, rubbing his forehead with one hand.
"Gray, Kai," Mirajane smiled at them as she placed a mug in front of Gray. "Perfect! The Master was just asking about you two."
"Eh? Why?" Gray asked, brows furrowing together as he took a swig of his wine.
Kai remained silent, taking a long drink himself as he blinked at Mirajane. He was feeling skeptical about this, but he patiently waited for an explanation.
"Someone's requesting the two of you for a job," Mirajane giggled. "They must've seen you guys at the Grand Magic Games. The job requests are really rolling in these days."
"Really? What kind of job?" Gray leaned forward, interested.
"Something about slaying a demon," she said. "I don't know the details, but they specifically requested you guys."
There was a low chuckle and Kai turned to look at Macao sitting at a table nearby. Kai knew he was laughing because this would be the first time he'd ever take a job with a guild mate. The new Master was much more demanding than Macao ever was, which was why Kai ended up participating in the Grand Magic Games in the first place.
"I'm not interested," Kai murmured, looking away. "Isn't there someone else?"
"What? Come on, Kai," Gray turned to face the lithe boy beside him and leaned forward. "Natsu, Happy, and Lucy took a job without me. And Wendy went off with Erza this morning."
"Juvia?" Kai asked, brow raised.
"She's out with Gajeel," Gray frowned. "I heard you were a recluse, but I didn't think you were this bad. Do you have something against me?"
"No," Kai said immediately, looking over at him with a mild frown.
Gray was giving him with a piteous stare and Kai couldn't help but sigh. Gray seemed fairly tame compared to the fire dragon slayer as long as they weren't together. Still, Kai couldn't help but feel that this was a very bad idea.
"Gray, Kai, did Mira already tell you about the job request?" Makarov suddenly jumped up onto the bar in between them, face a little red from drinking.
When they nodded, the old Master looked thoughtfully to Kai as he rubbed his chin.
"Kai, I've been told that you've never taken a partner on your jobs," he said. "I know you have your doubts, but I'm asking you to try it this time with Gray."
"Alright," Kai finally mumbled, although it was clear that he wasn't looking forward to it. He supposed that it would be alright this one time.
Makarov grinned at them as he handed them the flier before hobbling away. Kai sighed heavily, glancing over it while Gray smiled broadly at him in what he guessed was victory. After while, he offered it to the ice mage with a raised brow at his sudden lack of clothes.
"I can finally show you what being a part of Fairy Tail is all about," Gray said, answering the unspoken question Kai had posed to him as he took the flier from his hand. "It's important to rely on us once in a while."
Kai had nothing to say to that as he finished his drink and sighed again. Gray soon started to talk about making preparations before they agreed to meet at the train station in a few hours and left to go their own ways.
"Gray, you're pretty good friends with Kai, aren't you?" Lucy smiled as Gray came to sit down at a table with her and Wendy.
"I guess," Gray replied with a shrug. It had been a few weeks since they went on their first job together and it was becoming somewhat of a habit for him to occasionally accompany Kai after that. "He's as stubborn as ever though."
"I'm glad he has someone he can rely on now," Wendy said. "Other than Romeo, at least."
"I try talking to him, but I think he's kind of shy," the blonde mage sighed. "He's so cute though... I don't really go for that type."
Wendy blushed and stared at Lucy with shock. "Lucy, do you-"
"She liiiiikes him," Happy snickered from over her shoulder.
"Happy!" Lucy roared, blushing as she got up to chase the blue exceed around the guild.
It wasn't long before Romeo came over and sat next to Gray, looking a little worried about something he had yet to share. Wendy was busy laughing as Carla was caught up in the antics when the ice mage shifted his attention to the younger boy and tilted his head slightly.
"What's the matter, Romeo?" He asked.
"You went with Kai on his last job, right?" Romeo frowned. "Did he get hurt?"
"No, Kai was fine," Gray replied, furrowing his brows. "Why?"
"He's got these burns, around here," the boy said, gesturing over an area on his abdomen. "They look pretty bad."
"Did you ask him about it?"
"He said he got it on the job, but he's not up to talking much today," Romeo murmured. "He seems a little tense today."
"So he's lying," Gray said flatly, lifting his eyes to the dark haired mage hunched over the counter by himself. "Let's ask him."
Romeo looked startled as Gray stood up and started towards Kai. But halfway there, Natsu collided with him after being swat aside by one of the other guild members. The ice mage was in no mood to deal with the dragon slayer and he promptly sent him flying across the room with a large, conjured hammer. Unfortunately, Gray sent him crashing straight into Kai and Natsu ended up in a heap at his feet. Kai winced, having barely managed to stay on his feet after being knocked off the barstool, cushioned Natsu's fall. He seemed to be asking if the dragon slayer was alright when Natsu's hand snaked up and grabbed the collar of his shirt.
The fire dragon slayer pulled himself up. But the loud sound of tearing fabric cut across the guild, much to Kai and Romeo's horror. It was a mere split second, but a few of them caught a curious glance of the swell of Kai's bosom before he clutched his jacket closed and blushed.
Gray's jaw dropped, as well as a few other guild members that happened to glimpse over at that time. Natsu remained oblivious as he turned to Gray and marched over to him with the intent of revenge. Romeo ran over to Kai quickly, laughing in an exaggerated manner as he took Kai by the arm.
"Kai, I didn't know you were a joker," Romeo announced. "That was funny. You caught us by surprise."
They didn't look entirely convinced, but Jet and Droy reluctantly turned away to discuss what they saw. Meanwhile, Gray was busy wrestling with Natsu as Romeo went on to drag Kai outside. He was quick to launch the pink haired boy over to Elfman, who had no problem carrying on with the brawl. Gray slipped out shortly after that to find Kai standing with Romeo, his jacket zipped all the way up to his neck.
Kai's straight face made everything look normal, but from the bright blush still staining Romeo's cheeks, it was obvious that something was going on. Gray stepped toe to toe with Kai and squinted down at him, taking in his long lashes and the feminine curves of his face. It was still hard to believe and he was almost certain that it was all in his head. But the reactions from the other witnesses told him otherwise.
"Kai, are you a girl?" Gray flat out asked, making Romeo wave his arms about to quiet him.
"It's ok, Romeo," Kai said calmly, taking a step back. "Everyone just assumed I was a boy and I never bothered to correct them."
"Romeo, you knew?" The ice mage looked to the smaller boy with disbelief.
"He's known for a long time," Kai suppressed a smile. "He didn't even tell me."
"Wait, you knew?" Romeo flushed.
"You caught me in the shower when we were younger," Kai told him. "You already seemed so traumatized that I didn't want to rub it in."
Gray and Romeo stared at her, unable to find the words to say. She merely gave them a small, amused smile and crossed her arms over her chest.
"But… why?" Gray asked. "And you're lying about your injuries. Romeo told me. So what are you hiding, Kai?"
"Kaito isn't my real name," she said. "But I just can't be who I was. I'm sorry for lying, but I can't say any more than that. Not now."
"You're hiding from someone," Gray stated, expression stern. "Kai, what sort of trouble are you in? You need to tell us."
Kai looked between them and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I can't," she said quietly. "These people are dangerous."
"Screw that," Romeo scoffed. "You're family. We'll protect you no matter what!"
"I know," Kai replied, her violet eyes darkening as she eyed her toes. "That's why none of you can get involved."
She offered them a melancholic smile as she turned and walked away, leaving them no choice but to watch her go. Gray then exchanged a look with Romeo and they nodded their heads in silent agreement. They were very familiar with how hardheaded Kai tended to be, so they would ultimately have to take matters into their own hands.
Author's Note : This thing is in utter chaos. Dx