AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. Unfortunately.
Chapter 4
Fried sat alone under the tree on the knoll, surveying the sight below him. It was an open fair day in Magnolia, a day before the Harvest Festival, and Fairy Tail had come to participate in the playoffs being held. The mages had promised not to use their magic, as this would give them an advantage over the residents, but anyone could see this promise had been broken. Everywhere he looked, he could see Fairy Tail members using their magic to win themselves prizes. He could see Evergreen walking around, wearing a number of trinkets she had won, and (he snickered to himself), Bixlow carrying a number of wooden dolls, Erza carrying a gigantic teddy bear and throwing deadly glares at whoever saw this sight and laughed and Elfman walking around with a goldfish in a bowl. Nearly all the members of Fairy Tail had won themselves something or the other. But Fried was not interested in throwing darts, nor was he interested in stuffing his face with cotton candy. He remembered that tomorrow would be the anniversary of his, and the Raijinshu's treason to Fairy Tail, and the memories robbed him of any desire to be taking part in the fête.
They had forgotten they were a part of something bigger, they had forgotten that they were not only bodyguards of Laxus, but were first and foremost part of Fairy Tail. He had, with his own hands, injured his comrades. He had forced them to fight one another to save themselves. He buried his face in his hands. He was ashamed. He was ashamed he had not stood up to Laxus, when he should have done. Did he himself think that Fairy Tail was weak? No! Then why had he done such awful misdeeds? To gain the respect of someone who did not deserve to be admired himself? Yes, he admitted in his head. He had fought against his precious comrades and forced them to fight among themselves to gain approval from Laxus. He groaned. What was he thinking at the time?
"Fried-san?" questioned a gentle voice. He softly cursed to himself. She was the only one he could not bear facing now. He was grateful to her for stopping him; if she had not . . . he would have murdered her brother. He shuddered. He would have murdered his own comrade.
"Fried, are you alright?" Mirajane asked worriedly. She was worried about him when he didn't deserve an iota of her concern.
"I am fine," he replied curtly, and then mentally cursed at himself for taking that tone with her.
"I don't think you're fine," she prodded, crouching down next to him. He turned away and wished she'd go away. He decided to be blunt with her. She would leave then, who wouldn't?
"I would have killed him you know. If you hadn't interfered, Elfman would have been dead," he said flatly. He wanted her to stop being nice to him. She could be as gracious and nice to everyone else, but he wanted to be an exception to it. She made him feel guilty just by her presence.
"I know that," she replied calmly. Fried looked at her. Her face betrayed no signs of hostility nor bore any hatred.
"Then why do you not hate me?"
"Because you did not kill Elfman," she said simply.
"But I would have," he insisted.
"But you didn't. And that makes all the difference." They were both silent for some time.
"But what about all the other stuff I did?" he challenged.
"I forgave you. I forgave you for everything you did, like everyone else," she replied quietly.
"That doesn't make me feel any better," he grumbled.
"That's because you haven't forgiven yourself for it. Like I didn't forgive myself for not watching Lisanna. But I did eventually, because I knew I would have to. Now it's time for you to do the same."
He looked at her. She looked at him. They both smiled. And for some strange reason . . . they both felt a pleasant fluttering in their stomachs. Mirajane blushed. She couldn't like Fried could she? Maybe . . . she did. And to her surprise, she found herself not minding. Acting on impulse, Fried hugged Mirajane, much to her delight. Fried was always so reserved, and calm and quiet; she liked to see a more open, sensitive side to him. As for Fried, he couldn't help it. He could feel himself falling for her, and he welcomed the unfamiliar feeling. If he had wanted to fall for any girl, it would have been Mirajane. He realized, belatedly, that he had actually liked her for some time now.