Iced Honey
Chapter III – A job at Akane's Resort
"Good morning!" Lucy greeted as soon as she got into the Guild's building.
"Good morning, Lucy!" Erza greeted back. "We are just waiting for Nina."
"Oh, okay." Last night, she got a message from Master saying that he had a special job for her team, Juvia and Nina. "What's that about anyways?"
"We don't know yet." Gray answered.
"Morning." They heard a very annoyed and scaring voice behind them. "What the hell does Master want with us this early in the morning?"
"Nina, it's eight o'clock." Lucy said a little bit shocked with the Honeywell's looks.
"Exactly my point." She was about to sit next to Gray when she looked at him. "Why are you only in your boxers?"
Gray turned tomato red and dressed up as quickly as he managed to. Natsu, Happy, Erza and Lucy laughed. Juvia sighed.
"You'll just have to get used to our stripper here." Natsu teased.
"Aye, sir!" Happy agreed.
Nina raised an eyebrow.
"Shut up you two." Gray complained. "She'll think I'm a pervert or something."
"And aren't you?" it was Lucy turn to tease.
"Juvia thinks Gray-sama did nothing wrong." The water madoushi tried to get her love's attention.
"I just don't want to hear the explanation." She sat next to Erza instead and asked Mira for her usual drink: tomato and beetroot juice.
Gray cursed quietly. He had managed the other day so well! He stayed with her for hours without missing one single sock!
"Okay, enough with the party!" Master Makarov's voice announced. "I've got an important job for the six of you."
"Six?" Happy whined. "What about me?"
"I'm sorry, Happy. But this is an undercover mission. I'll have to ask you to stay with Wendy and Charle for a while. I already talked to them. Is that okay with you?"
"Aye!" he answered, feeling quite happy with the fact that he would be able to spend time with Charle.
"A job without Happy?" Natsu made a face. "I'm not sure I want to do it." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, like a stubborn child would.
Erza directed him a mortal glare.
"Shut up and listen, Natsu."
"Aye, sir." He mimicked his feline best friend and shrank away from Erza, hiding behind Lucy. The Heartphilia blushed.
"So, as I was saying" Master continued. "I have a job for the six of you. It's a quite different one, though. You're going undercover to Akane's Resort. I guess some other guild will be doing the very same. We suspect there's some illegal magical activity going on there."
"Then, why so many of us? Wouldn't it be easier and less suspicious to send Natsu and Lucy or Gray and Juvia playing couples?" Nina asked.
Lucy gasped. Natsu raised an eyebrow. Juvia fainted. And Gray just looked down to his glass of iced tea. Makarov laughed hard.
"Natsu would never be able to act like a couple and Juvia would never be able to keep a good watching eye on Gray." He explained. "I got you three rooms, you decide how are you going to split up. Oh, and there's one more thing: act like normal people, don't let anybody see your tattoos and don't use magic unless is an emergency! Did you hear me, Natsu and Gray?"
Natsu almost hugged Lucy for protection. Gray gulped, terrified by the look on Master Makarov's face.
"What are you still doing here?" he yelled. "Get your fat asses moving!"
"I think our room is not big enough for that much baggage, Erza." Nina was shocked since the trip started. For someone that barely changed clothes it was a very, very, very large amount of suitcases.
"They always fit in just fine." Erza said matter-of-factly.
"If you say so." The Honeywell shook her shoulders while placing her single bag besides her bed.
"Heeeeey!" Lucy's excited voice invaded the room. "Have you seen the weather? It's amazing! We have to go sunbathing!"
"Lucy, we're not here to have fun." Erza serious voice was a cold water bucket on Lucy's excitement.
"But Master said to act normal." She said in a very small voice.
"She's right, Erza." Nina agreed.
"Okay, then." The Titania said while re-equipping to a two-piece black swimsuit.
"Are you coming too, Nina?" Lucy was back to the excited mood.
Nina grimaced. There was nothing in the world she hated more then sun. Or beaches.
"Just a minute." She locked herself on the bathroom for some minutes and when she was back, Lucy almost broke her jaw as it cracked open.
She was all dressed in very light colors: Indian style cloth-made pants, a long sleeved shirt with turtleneck and a big hat.
She almost laughed seeing Lucy's expression, but managed to keep a serious face.
"Don't forget to hide your tattoos." She said while putting flip-flops and sunglasses.
Lucy grimaced. How was she going to hide her tattoo? Nina held another laugh.
"Here." The Honeywell handed a set of fingerless beige gloves to the Heartphilia.
"I don't want to use that." She whined.
"Okay. Just keep yourself locked on your room until the job is done. By the way, who told you it was a good idea to have a tattoo on the hand?"
Lucy sighed. "Let's go."
Soon they were under the sunshade that Gray, Juvia and Natsu already shared.
"Are you all out of your freaking minds?" Nina almost yelled. "Gray, Natsu, shirts, now! Juvia, shorts!" She, then, lowered her voice to almost a whisper: "No one can see our tattoos, you stupid fools!"
"We're sorry." They said in unison.
She was as terrifying as Erza.
"We are going to be very good friends, Nina." The Scarlet smiled while lying down on the sun, a towel covering her arms and shoulders.
Nina smiled back and hid herself on the small shadow of the sunshade.
"Nina, how can you stand this heat wearing this turtleneck?" Lucy asked. "By the way, why are you always wearing a turtleneck?"
"My neck kind of needs it."
The answer was so mysterious that Lucy decided not to ask any further. Nina didn't seem to be very comfortable talking about that.
"So you are a fellow heat-hater." Gray smiled while sitting next to Nina under the sunshade.
Nina looked him over her sunglasses. Almost naked. Again.
"Gray, if you want to be naked from your waist down, that is just fine. BUT PUT A GODAMN SHIRT!"
That annoying habit was starting to give her headaches. Gray blushed furiously and dressed as quickly as he could.
"Don't yell at Gray-sama!" Juvia protested.
"That's okay, Juvia. She's right. I'll not disgrace Fairy Tail's name."
Nina just ignored him and focused on the sea of feelings around them. It was so crowded she could barely tell when a feeling ended and other started. But, for now, it was most happiness and joy.
"Nina" Gray called.
"Yes?" She didn't even bother to look at him.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes. It is too damn hot in here."
Gray laughed. So, she was not that irritated with him.
"I couldn't agree more."
"Oh, yeah! Almost forgot you are an Ice-make madoushi. How can you stand it?"
"Truth is I'm melting inside."
"Of course you are." It was Natsu's voice answering. "You're a popsicle."
Gray glared at him.
"Shut up, hot head. It's your fault that is hotter than it should be!"
Nina laughed quietly. They were like two little brothers fighting for the last cookie on the pot.
"Hey, Gray." She interfered before they started to roll on the sand. "Would you like to come inside with me? There is something I would like to check."
"Sure." He answered immediately, much to Juvia's dismay. He used to give her more attention, but since Nina arrived he seemed to have forgotten all about her.
"And for god's sake, wear something!" the Honeywell shouted. "If you get arrested don't say no one warned you."
Gray dressed up and followed the Vampire Slayer into the hotel. As soon as she was inside, she took off her hat and sunglasses and rolled up her sleeves.
She walked straight to the bar and sat on a bench at the counter. Gray sat next to her.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
"I am searching."
"Searching?"
"Yes. For the madoushi that had been messing around the resort."
"Oh, you're searching bad intentions or something."
"Exactly."
"So, the beach was clear."
"I think so."
She ordered her favourite juice and focused on the feelings of the room.
"What is that juice?" Gray asked making a face.
Nina smiled widely.
"It is tomato and beetroot juice!"
Gray's face twisted with disgust.
"Why are you drinking it?"
"Don't make that face! It is my favourite!"
"I'm sorry, but it's disgusting. Really, why do you drink it?"
Nina sighed.
"It makes my urges lighter." Such a serious answer for an innocent subject.
Urges. This word traveled Gray's mind for a second. Did she mean what had happened when she fought with Erza?
"I can't lose control, Gray. I can be dangerous." Her eyes were very serious and that didn't go unnoticed by the Fullbuster.
"I can't believe that." His eyes mirrored hers in seriousness.
Her face softened a little bit. She felt tears forming, but held them on their place.
"You should. I need you to believe, Gray. Especially you."
Why was she saying that?
"You're not dangerous, Nina. I don't know what you "urge" for, but you asked Natsu to burn you so it wouldn't get the best of you."
"I'm not always that strong."
"No one is."
"Gray" she sighed.
"Quit it." He smiled. "Stop worrying. You're a Fairy Tail's madoushi now. That changes everything. You have nakamas now."
Nina laughed. He was right. Fairy Tail could make anyone better. Maybe even her. She felt her heart get warmer with his caring words – and that was definitely a dangerous feeling.
She looked at her juice for a small second, enjoying the tones of pink and red and trying to hide her blushing face. When she looked back at him that entire atmosphere was lost.
"Gray…" her voice was low and menacing. "Put. Your. Clothes. Back. On."
Gray laughed and dressed up.
"I guess I am ready to hear the explanation for this terrible behavior."
"You know, you're right. You're dangerous." He paused for a laugh. "You're vice-president on Erza's disciplinary committee!"
She couldn't hold it. She laughed until tears were running down her face.
"Come on, tell me before I try to glue your pants on you."
So, he told her everything he told Natsu, Lucy and Happy at Galuna Island.
"I had no idea…" Nina whispered quietly. "I am sorry for yelling at you because of that."
"What?" Gray was shocked.
"You need something to prove yourself she existed. And the only thing you found was this annoying habit she gave you."
Gray smiled.
"Annoying is this ability you have! It's not fair when you know what I'm feeling."
She ignored his words because of the pain she was feeling coming from him.
"You are right, Gray. I don't have anything to prove my most loved ones really existed. For all I know I imagined them both and had always been alone."
Gray looked right into her violet eyes. That emotion… he has seen it before. What she had just said… Was that what Ur felt too? Because that look was just too alike.
"Oh…" Nina realized. "Ur is the one I remind you of. Wow, I am honored."
He wanted to come closer to her. He wanted to touch her. He wanted to protect her. He was not going to make the same mistake again. He wouldn't lose her.
The wave of emotion that hit Nina was overwhelming and she froze on her sit. No, that wasn't right. Gray was not supposed to care for her that much. She was supposed to be just another nakama to him, nothing else.
"Gray, you shouldn't-" but her voice died on her throat as another source of feeling hit her. It was recognization, shock and surprise. Were they coming from one of the illegal madoushi they were looking for?
She turned her back to the counter, looking for the owner of those feelings.
"What's wrong?" Gray asked.
"Someone here knows you." She found the men and locked her gaze on him as he approached.
"Lyon." Gray was also surprised.
"What are you doing here, Gray?" Reitei Lyon asked.
"I guess the same as you."
"Hm."
"So you are Gray's senpai." Nina said, still analyzing Lyon.
For the first time, the Lamia Scale madoushi turned his eyes to the Vampire Slayer. Nina felt the surprise coming from him again. Gray couldn't feel it, like she could, but he could see it on Lyon's face.
"Yes." He answered. "I'm Lyon. And you are?"
"I am Nina."
"Nice to meet you."
Nina smiled. His reaction to her was the same as Gray's when he first met her. So she must really look like their Master Ur. Nina wondered in what way.
"Hmmmm… Lyon-san, that is a girl looking for you. She is quite desperate."
"How do you know that? Anyway, I'll go after her." He sighed.
"No need. I will entertain her for you a little bit."
She then stood up and left, heading for the source of the desperate feeling she felt.
"How does she know?" Lyon asked Gray.
"Nina can feel other people's emotion."
"It' a very useful ability." He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. "Gray, her eyes…"
"I know." Gray looked for her until he spotted her shining long black hair. She was already leaving the room. "They're just like Ur's."