Hi all! A slightly faster update for you... I'm getting a little better, I think lol. Another long one for ya. Please enjoy!

Approvesport has posted a picture from the previous chapter. If you'd like to check it out, you can see it on her Tumblr page or my own. It is AMAZING as always! She captured the NaLu moment perfectly!

Also, thank you all for your continued support. I really can't express how much it means to me that you still read my story. I probably would have quit long ago if it wasn't for you guys.

Chapter 14: Entwine the Lives

Erza groaned painfully as she slowly came to, the moonlit sky coming into focus overhead. The ground was hard beneath her and a lump was sticking smack dab in the center of her back, a root poking her spine. Attempting to move she found that her arms were tied up at her wrists and soon after, she realized that her ankles were tied up as well. When she tried to move at all it felt like a thousand needles were stabbing her feet, blood rushing to painfully wake up the immobile appendages.

Though it was dark, she was able to see remarkably well due to the fire burning strongly only a few feet away. It looked as if she was in some sort of small camp. On the opposite side of the fire was a bedroll, spread out and empty. A pack leaned up against a tree and if her ears served her well, she could hear a horse not far off. But how had she gotten here? Her mind was fuzzy as she tried to think back. She remembered arriving at the town and remembered walking towards the tavern… but anything beyond that was blank.

Her heart quickened at a sound nearby, branches rustling as feet shuffled over the grassy floor. She shimmied back against the trunk of a nearby tree and stared ahead of her. She could just make out the outline of a figure approaching through the darkness, wide shoulders and a thick chest illuminated in quick flashes from the firelight.

She looked around her for something, anything that she might be able to use in defense against the man, but there was nothing... not even a stick or a rock. She tried to stand up but she kept slipping as she struggled to get her bound feet underneath her and soon the man was upon her, making his way into the ring of light cast by the campfire.

His tanned body was bare except for a pair of buff riding pants and dozens of droplets of water dripping over his skin. Around his neck was a small towel, wrapped around his shoulders where his hair hung in wet strands over his forehead and down over his neck. His waist was surprisingly lean for such a towering individual, abs etched clearly over his stomach and slimming into narrow hips. His face was finely chiseled, giving him an almost regal appearance that stood in direct contrast to the harsh size of his body. In fact, he looked alarmingly like a statue of a God with his straight nose, hard jaw and piercing eyes. He was the embodiment of perfection and the epitome of intimidation and though she struggled not to allow it, fear crept unbidden into her mind. He may have the appearance of a God, but it was certainly no God she ever wished to meet. Quite honestly, she wouldn't be surprised at all if it was Pluto himself, the God of the underworld walking towards her.

Erza stuck her chin out in defiance and narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?" she asked, her tone showing none of the fear she was feeling.

The man stopped a few feet in front of her and just stood there while he finished drying off . He seemed to be in no rush to answer and after several more moments, Erza repeated her words in a darker tone. "Who are you?" Still the man took his time in answering and continued to stare at her till he finished drying off.

"My name shouldn't be your immediate concern, I wouldn't think." His deep voice was uneasily calm. Erza pressed her back closer to the tree and tilted her head further.

"Many things are my immediate concern at the moment," she answered. "Which I voice first shouldn't be one of yours."

A small grin spread over the man's face and he crossed his arms over his chest before speaking again. "Actually, wasn't that the question I was asking you not all that long ago?" Erza recalled the moment the man was referring to and hardened her jaw. "Well, judging from your response, it seems I will have to be the first one to reveal. My name is Acnologia... though I'm sure that means nothing to you."

"What do you want with me?"

The man shook his head, "Tsk tsk, that isn't how this works," he replied. "When I give you my name, you're supposed to give me yours. And considering the predicament you are in," he nodded his head towards her bound hands and feet, "I don't think you're in a position to deny me."

"My name is Erza, Erza Scarlet," she answered quickly and then reiterated her earlier question, "What do you want with me?"

Acnologia ran his fingers along his jaw, rubbing over the several days of stubble that was there. His eyes strayed over her body, pausing at her abundant curves and then looked back up at her. "Information."

Her eyes widened infinitesimally, expecting something much cruder after his blatant perusal. "I have no information." Her thoughts immediately strayed to her conversation with Makarov and Laxus and she straightened her shoulders in defiance.

No, she would never divulge anything. Even if it cost her her life.

Acnologia grinned wickedly, as if reading her thoughts. "Oh I'm sure you have lots, Ms. Scarlet" he said and leaned forward, taking her chin in his hand. His face was tanned and his blue eyes practically glowed as they stared down at her. "It's just a matter of how to get it out of you."

Levy started into awareness and blinked several times to keep herself awake. They'd been riding all day, a fact that Levy's ass was completely aware of. Only a handful of times had they stopped, and those times had been very short, giving them just enough time to do their business and get right back to their pursuit. But Levy understood their urgency, in fact, she felt the urgency just as keenly herself. Lily might not be her pet, or even one that she knew very well, but he'd still managed to squeeze out a small place in her heart.

Still though, it was getting more and more difficult to keep her eyes open. Twilight had appeared hours ago and with every step the horse took, her muscles rebelled. She was sore in places she'd never known existed and the skin on the inside of her thighs was raw and burning. But it didn't seem to bother the man in front of her. He seemed to be made of stone. The entire trip, his posture had been stiff and unyielding, creating an invisible barrier that Levy had felt quite keenly. She'd attempted conversations, but nothing had led to anything more than a few curt words and then silence once again. And that was ok. She hadn't signed up for this for the conversation. She wanted to save her friend. And if putting up with that friend's grumpy owner was part of it, she would just deal with it.

Right now though, all she could think about was closing her eyes and drifting into a deep, dreamless sleep. She was so tired. The man's back in front of her was sorely tempting, so broad, so invitingly warm. Through the few inches between them, she could feel the heat radiating off him and she had to struggle to resist giving in and leaning against that warmth.

Yes... she definitely had to resist that ridiculous thought. How it had even popped into her mind, she didn't know. But she was so tired. She could feel her lids getting heavier and heavier, sliding closed before she blinked them open once again. Her body swayed with the heavy steps of the horse and it was getting harder and harder to keep herself upright. It would be so easy to just give in, let her body do what it wished and release the hold she had on her muscles.

As if persuaded by her own thoughts, she fell slowly forward and her forehead found the space between Gajeel's shoulder blades. She jolted quickly away, embarrassed and became more so as Gajeel turned his head to the side and glanced at her.

"Sorry," she muttered and slid as far back as she could, putting a whole whoppin' inch or possibly two between them. Riding on a horse together didn't allow for much personal space.

Gajeel turned back and Levy sighed in relief, exhaustion quickly overwhelming her once again. She knew she couldn't do this much longer, but her pride just wouldn't let her ask to stop. She knew how he'd felt when they'd left. He hadn't wanted her to come, had made it quite clear. And she definitely didn't want to give the arrogant man any reason to throw this back at her. So she mustered up the last bit of energy she had and straightened her spine. Nope, she would not give in. She would not be the one to ask to stop first.

Ahead of her, Gajeel suppressed a yawn and took a quick glance behind him. He couldn't believe the tiny woman had made it this long. He'd thought for sure she'd have been complaining hours ago to stop but not once, not even a word had left her mouth of complaint. Instead she'd sat there, keeping to herself for the most part. Even the few stops they'd made had been because of him.

When he'd felt her fall against him, he'd been certain she'd ask to stop. He knew she had to be tired... hell, he was. It was all he could do to keep himself upright in the saddle. For the past hour he'd been struggling to stay awake. The only thing that had kept him going was the thought of Lily but he knew they couldn't continue like this for much longer. Their horse needed to rest even more than they did and it was wrong to push it any further.

So, with a pull on the reins, Gajeel steered the horse to a stop and slid off. When he looked back up, Levy was sitting there, her eyes half open looking like she was only an instant away from passing out. "We'll stop here for the night," he said and reached his hands up to help her down. His fingers slid around her tiny waist and he lifted her up. She didn't protest like she had the other times and she leaned heavily against him as he helped her to the ground.

"Thank you," she mumbled, the sound barely audible even in the remote area they were in. The last house they'd seen had been miles back and where they'd stopped was covered by trees creating an almost perfect oval around them.

Levy took a step away and swayed dangerously, shooting her hand out to steady herself against the horse but instead found a hard torso. She snatched her hand back just as quickly and then stumbled forward, her tired leg muscles giving out on her.

Before he could think, Gajeel grabbed a hold of Levy and hauled her up in his arms, cradling her like a small child.

Levy stared up at the man in shock. What was he doing?

As if he read her mind, Gajeel adjusted his hold on her and grumbled, "I don't need you falling and knocking yourself unconscious."

Levy could do nothing else but nod her head and let him carry her. She was beyond exhaustion. Her muscles had finally given up on her. She wasn't used to this sort of physical strain and determination and stubbornness could only go so far. So when Gajeel knelt on the ground and laid her down, she mumbled another quiet thank you and curled up on the grass, falling asleep less than a second later.

Gajeel suppressed a chuckle as he watched the small woman fall instantly asleep. She was certainly a piece of work. He'd never met someone so stubborn before. No matter what insults he threw at her she would always come back with something that turned it right back around on him. It was frustrating beyond belief, but he actually kind of liked it. And he had to admit, he admired her a little bit for that. Her tiny figure made her seem like she'd be a pushover but she certainly was anything but, especially when it came to battling with words.

Shaking his head at his own thoughts, he stood to his feet and walked over to the horse. He grabbed two small blankets and then headed back over to the woman. Her breathing was slow and deep and a small bit of blue hair had fallen over her forehead. He noticed that one of her arms was twisted at an odd angle beneath her side and he reached out and gently pulled her arm free. She immediately fisted her hand and pulled it against her chest without stirring from her sleep. At this point, he doubted even an earthquake could wake.

After laying one of the blankets over her body, he folded the other and slid it beneath her head then stood up. He wished he could go to sleep as well but there was still a lot that needed to be taken care of so he walked back over to the horse and started removing all of their gear and then washed the animal down. A while later, he finally sprawled out over a thin blanket and as quickly as Levy had, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Levy woke to the sound of Gajeel's annoyed voice, "Get up. It's time to go."

She opened her eyes and the sun was just poking through the trees, telling her that it was still very early. She could probably sleep several more hours but the instant she thought of Lily she started helping Gajeel pack things back up.

Several hours later, Levy struggled to suppress an agonized groan as she slid off the side of the horse, her body rebelling at being put through the same torture for another day. Gajeel was a dozen or so yards away, stretching his arms high in the air and walking towards some scattered bushes nearby. In the other direction was a small stream and she made her way towards it, wanting more than anything to get rid of the grime that seemed to cling to every inch of her body. Although she couldn't give herself a complete bath with Gajeel so close, she sure as heck could try and get as much cleaned as was decent.

Carefully she squatted next to the running water, balancing on two semi-flat stones and cupped her hands. The cool water felt amazing as her fingers dipped into the stream and then she splashed her face, uncaring that the water was dripping down her neck and soaking the front of her shirt. The droplets made their way all the way down between the valley of her breasts and she splashed her face several more times, moaning in delight at the feel of it against her flushed and sticky skin.

The top she was wearing had no sleeves so she was able to rub water up and down her arms, removing the dirt that had become a second layer of skin. Then she pushed up the hem of her skirt and winced at the feeling of the cloth ripping off of the chaffed skin between her legs. She could smack herself for having been so stupid and leaving without packing supplies of her own. She'd just jumped on the back of that horse without thinking at all about the fact that she would be riding for hours and hours wearing a lacy skirt. Luckily she'd had enough layers of fabric on the garment and had been able to fashion pants of a sort, tucking the folds between her legs to give her a decent amount of modesty, as well as protecting her skin from rubbing against the leather beneath. But sadly, it didn't seem to be enough... not nearly enough actually. And if the throbbing pain between her thighs was any indication, she was going to really hate the next few hours.

Grabbing a few more handfuls of water, Levy cleaned her legs all the way up to the raw skin, careful to avoid the injury and then moved on to her feet where...

"Did you fill up the water skins?" Gajeel's voice broke into the privacy of her thoughts and startled her, making her jump and fumble with her skirts to give herself some modicum of decency. Unfortunately though, her foot slipped on the wet rock beneath and she went flying into the stream, a scream renting the air as she splashed noisily into the slowly running water.

In a mess of clothing and hair she sputtered to the surface, thankful that there'd been a foot or so of water to break her fall before hitting the rocky floor. But now she sat there, her hair clinging to the sides of her face and her clothing soaked through. Luckily the fabric was a deep shade of purple so you could barely see anything, but that fact did little to lighten Levy's current mood.

"Gajeel!" she screamed, slapping her hands into the water in a fit.

A strange chuckle left Gajeel's mouth and Levy narrowed her eyes at the man, clearly not amused by the situation. "It's not funny!" she fumed, trying to stand up but slipping once again.

Another laugh burst from Gajeel's mouth, ignoring the death-like stare he was receiving from the woman. When she slipped once again, he finally decided to help her out and extended his hand, a grin still covering his face which infuriated Levy even further.

"No thank you," she said, refusing his help and finally standing up on her own. She stomped out of the water and made her way back to the horse.

Behind her, Gajeel continued to laugh to himself, wondering why he'd found the sight of her looking like a drowned rat so amusing. She'd been furious as she'd walked away but all he'd been able to do was laugh. That was until her shapely backside caught his attention. The thin layers of wet cloth clung enticingly to her curves and his amusement died a quick death, rapidly replaced by something much more primal. 'She may be tiny,' he thought, still staring at her rounded backside, 'but she certainly wasn't lacking there.'

When Levy turned back, Gajeel coughed and quickly looked away.

"Are you just going to stand there?" she asked in annoyance and walked angrily by him. She knelt beside the water once again and went about filling their water skins. She was beyond embarrassed and at the moment, all that embarrassment was being reflected in anger. She couldn't help it. Not only was she miserable because her body hurt, but now she had to deal with sopping wet clothing. On top of that, Gajeel had gotten a front row view of her embarrassing show. Not that she really cared what that man thought about her, but it was never fun to be laughed at, no matter who was the one laughing.

Behind her, she finally heard Gajeel's footsteps retreating and she sighed in exasperation and stood up. At least she was clean, she thought to herself. When she turned around, Gajeel was leading the horse to the stream and she avoided the pair as she found a small spot in the grass and laid out to dry off.

"Don't get too comfortable there," Gajeel said. "We're leaving in a few minutes."

Levy didn't even bother opening her eyes... just nodded her head and tried to let herself relax. If she was going to make it through the day, she was going to have to calm down. They had a long ways to go still to get to the first town on their list and to even make it there before nightfall was going to require a long, hard day of riding.

Several minutes later, as she was finally feeling some of the tension leave her, a shadow crossed over her body and she slit her eyes open and looked up. Standing above her, with his arm extended, was Gajeel, holding out a white shirt and a pair of old brown pants. "What are you doing?" she asked, feeling some of her aggravation return.

Gajeel dropped the clothing and turned to start walking away. "You're going to get me wet if you stay dressed like that," he said over his shoulder.

Levy just stared at him. She didn't know how to take what he'd just said. From just his words, he sounded like his normal arrogant self. But something about the action made her rethink how she understood them. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she'd been led to believe. Maybe his gruffness was a disguise to keep people from getting close to him. Maybe she'd been too hard on him and...

"Would you hurry up already!"

Her pleasant thoughts died a quick death and she turned dagger filled eyes towards his back. Jerk.

A few minutes later, Levy came out from behind some bushes with her bundle of wet clothing in her arms. It felt great to get out of them and she was actually dreading the rest of the day a little bit less now. That was until Gajeel's laughter rang out and spoiled her mood.

"What?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at him for what seemed the millionth time that day.

Gajeel continued to laugh and pointed at her clothes. She looked down and rolled her eyes. "What did you expect? Did you think they would fit me?"

He didn't respond and she ignored him as she shoved her wet clothes into a side pocket of the pack. Sure, the clothes were big... huge actually. But she didn't care. They felt like heaven, even with the rope she'd had to tie around her waist to keep the pants up. And she'd only had to roll the sleeves six times to keep them from covering her hands. Not that much...

"You better hold on tight," he said as he lifted her atop the horse, "or you might turn into a kite." He chuckled at his own comment.

"Very funny," she said, rolling her eyes. But she couldn't quite be as annoyed as she wanted to be. The pants made a huge difference in helping with the sore's between her thighs and with the thought of a much more pleasant journey ahead, her mood lightened. "Thank you," she mumbled against his back, realizing she hadn't thanked him yet.

His only response was a tensing of his body and then they set off, heading for the first town on their list.

"So, is she hot?" Bixlow asked as he and Laxus passed beneath the gate at the front of the palace. In front of them was a large, shallow pool that stretched for over a hundred yards with several fountains leading to the main entryway.

"Does it matter?" Laxus replied, his words as dull as his mood. "She's already betrothed."

Bixlow just shrugged. "Eh, that doesn't bother me."

Laxus raised a brow as he glanced at his friend. He was going to argue further but decided against it and instead said, "She's decent, I suppose."

"Really," Bixlow exclaimed excitedly, "She must be hot then."

"I just said she's decent..."

"Yea and to you, even your own betrothed is just "decent" but I've seen her before and she's a major hottie."

Laxus didn't bother responding. Bixlow was probably right. It was a pretty solid consensus in the empire that the princesses were beautiful. It was only him who was indifferent to them... or rather one in particular.

They walked through the entryway and a servant met them, bowing low as he led them through a huge atrium towards the back of the palace.

Waiting for them outside was Mira and Lisanna, both dresses in light colored silks that draped enticingly over their abundant curves. The pair saw the men as they stepped out onto the lawn, still several dozen yards away.

"Is that him?" Lisanna asked, grabbing a hold of Mira's arm as she craned her neck to get a better look.

Mira winced and Lisanna yanked her hand away.

"Oh goodness, I'm sorry!" she cried. "I didn't realize where I was grabbing. Does it hurt horribly?"

Mira shook her head but inwardly cursed. The pain had lessened since the other day but it certainly was still bad.

"I still can't believe you tripped over your own nightstand and fell on that vase. It's not like you at all," Lisanna said and then peeked once again at the men who were closer now.

Mira smiled nervously and adjusted the bandages. "Yea, silly of me, wasn't it?" She hated lying to her sister, she really did. But she just couldn't let her know that she was a masked gladiator who snuck out at night to train and creep through the city. If Lisanna let it slip to the wrong person, it could be disastrous.

"Wow! Look how tall he is!" Lisanna exclaimed and then turned towards Mira. "How do I look? Is this color ok? Should I have gone with the pink?"

"You look gorgeous," she answered and tucked a stray piece of hair behind Lisanna's ear. "Though I don't know why you're nervous. You have a betrothed arriving any day now."

Lisanna frowned. "...if he ever does arrive. I'm starting to think he isn't coming at all."

Mira couldn't help but wonder the same thing. The expected arrival date of the caravan had been nearly two weeks ago and as of yet, there had been no word of anything... not even a rumor of a them being anywhere near the city. She hoped that nothing had happened during their journey.

"Anyway," Lisanna interrupted her thoughts, "You said there was no harm in having fun, and that's just what I plan to do," she said and smiled as the men finally stepped up on the dais. "And you should try to have a little as well..."

An hour later, Mira was ready to throw herself off a cliff. It had been the most painful lunch she'd ever sat through. Laxus had dutifully sat beside her the entire time but she could count on one hand the amount of times he'd actually spoken to her. And those few times had been in answer to something she'd asked him. Did the man not have a thought in his pretty little head? It was like he was all muscle and good looks with nothing redeeming to be found between his ears. Though that didn't seem to be the case when he talked to his friend. They actually joked around with each other and made fun of each other... she even heard Laxus laugh a few times which, when the first deep chuckle had left his mouth, had almost made her gasp in shock. The sound had been so... human. For that short span of time he'd seemed like a real person, rather than the cold, hard individual who always eyed her with abject boredom.

Even Lisanna seemed to be having a good time, joking with Bixlow who Mira couldn't help but like. His smile was easy and handsome and his personality seemed laid back and fun. It was obvious, even in the short time she'd spent with him that he admired his friend greatly but that didn't stop him from getting in a few jabs here and there. If only she could be as easy going as him, she thought but then frowned when she noticed Laxus leaning away from her.

"We should go for a walk," Lisanna happily suggested, smiling at her sister before turning bright eyes towards Bixlow.

"That sounds great," the man with dark purple hair replied, "My legs need to stretch out a bit."

With that, all four of them stood up and began walking along the stone dotted trail that wound through a well manicured garden. As usual, Laxus took his place beside her, holding out his arm to lead her while Lisanna and Bixlow moved to the front.

"Those two seem to be getting along well," she commented suspiciously, more to herself than to the man beside her.

Surprisingly he responded, "Yes they do," and then asked, "How did you hurt your arm?"

Mira looked down at the bandage and told him the same lie she'd told everyone else. She could feel her face flaming with the deceitful words but she figured he wouldn't notice considering he rarely even glanced at her.

Little did she know that Laxus actually was watching her, noting the way her eyes kept wandering to the left as she relayed her tale. What was she trying to hide? He couldn't imagine it could be anything all that bad. But why did she feel the need to lie about it?

A strange thought popped into his mind and he quickly shoved the image of the mysterious gladiator out of his head. Another beautiful woman with yet another secret.

"I'm glad you're ok," he said when she finished telling her story.

They continued on in silence, watching the pair in front of them babble on excitedly. Laxus could barely suppress the desire to roll his eyes at his friend who seemed to be completely infatuated with the younger, light-haired sister. He was really pouring on the charm despite the fact that she was completely unattainable. Not only was she a princess, but she was a betrothed princess at that. His chances were beyond slim. But who was he to say anything? Lisanna didn't seem to be discouraging the attention so let them have fun.

Next to him, Mira started waving her hand in front of her face, trying to cool herself off. It definitely was a scorcher of a day and Laxus was tempted to do the same thing... that was until he realized how he would look if he did. Instead he commented, "It's been a hot summer."

Mira nodded in agreement and turned towards him, "That must make your job more difficult."

Laxus shrugged. It didn't necessarily make it more difficult, it just made it more annoying. Plus, he wasn't outside guarding anymore. He was the one telling the guards what to do. So the elements didn't really bother him more than any other person in the city doing their normal work.

Quietly they passed over a small bridge nestled behind two huge ferns. The shallow stream beneath flowed smoothly with tiny fish darting here and there. Mira paused a minute to admire the picture it created and mindlessly grabbed the leather strip that was hidden within the pockets of her silk clothing.

Laxus watched as Mira gathered her thick hair behind her head and tied it up, the white strands hanging all the way down to the curve of her back. His throat constricted uncomfortably as he watched her and once again, a familiar image etched itself into his mind. As clear as if it was happening right in front of him, he saw the demon's untamed white hair whipping in the breeze, savagely wild just like she was. He coughed quietly and looked away, disturbed by the thoughts that were running through his brain. Why couldn't he get that damned woman out of his head? It was like everything he saw today reminded him of her. He must be losing it. Of all the people to remind him of her, his fiancé was the farthest from what he'd imagine her being like.

"Laxus? Are you alright?" Mira asked, looking at him with concerned eyes.

He suppressed a curse at being so distracted by his thoughts that other people were noticing and nodded his head. "Yea, I'm fine," he said and continued leading them on, placing his hand on the curve of her waist. His fingers brushed against the sleek strands of pearl-white hair and a thrill of heat shot through his arm and into the rest of his body. Even if he didn't like to admit it, his fiancé definitely did resemble the female gladiator, at least in a purely physical sense.

"Do you still see my sister?"

Laxus looked ahead of them where he expected to see the young couple and frowned. "No, I don't." They picked up their pace as they walked along the path and came to a intersection within the tall bushes. Either way was empty and they looked at each other, both with the same question on their minds. "Which way did they go?"

Without a word they both turned down the same path, hoping that they'd selected the correct way.

Meanwhile, a small distance away, Bixlow and Lisanna stopped at a bubbling fountain surrounded by a circular marble bench. Lisanna took a seat and smiled up at Bixlow. "Thank you for coming today," she said as she curled her fingers around the edge of the seat. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest and her entire body felt flushed as she flicked lingering glances up at the man. He was so handsome with his wild purple hair that seemed to do whatever it wanted to do and bright green eyes that, when reflecting the sun, were nearly neon in color. He had a brilliant smile that you couldn't help but try to imitate whenever he flashed it at you and his charm seemed to flow out of him just as easily as his humor.

On top of that, he had an incredible figure which Lisanna was almost embarrassed to admit she'd looked at more times than she'd care to count that afternoon. The first thing she'd noticed about the man was his height, easily a head taller than her with broad shoulders that slimmed down to narrow hips. His arms were toned and tanned, obviously a man who knew his way around a sword. And from what she could see of his stomach between the folds of his clothing, his tummy was lean and muscular with the hint of abs catching her gaze whenever the fabric slipped open.

Overall, he was perfect. And this afternoon, so far, had been one of the best times she'd had in years.

She watched the man lift both arms above his head and cradle the back of his neck as he glanced up at the sky. She looked up as well, noticing for the first time the dark clouds that were creeping overhead. "Those don't look good," she commented, also realizing that the wind had picked up significantly over the past several minutes.

Bixlow nodded in agreement and dropped his arms to his side. "Do you like storms?" he asked.

She thought about it for a moment, picturing the lightning that would split the sky. "I do and I don't," she answered and continued, "I think they are magnificent to watch, but they're also terrifying in their power."

"You're absolutely right," Bixlow said, feeling the first few drops of rain touch his skin. He held out his hand and helped Lisanna to her feet. "I was once struck by lightning, back when I was a teenager."

Lisanna turned wide eyes towards Bixlow. "Seriously?" she exclaimed. When he nodded, she asked, "What happened?"

"I was outside the city, playing with some friends and a storm came in. We took shelter in an abandoned cottage nearby and we were going to wait out the storm but one of my friends dared me to run outside and stand on top of the nearby hill. I was young and stupid and needless to say, I made my way through the rain and walked straight up the hill. I didn't make it all the way though," Bixlow said and Lisanna watched him tell his story with rapt attention. "A loud crack of thunder sent me screaming and running back towards the cottage. I made it halfway there and the next thing I remember was seeing my friends faces hovering above me."

"Did you get hurt?" Lisanna asked, aimlessly following Bixlow's slow steps.

"At the time, I was fine. I was able to stand up and even walked all the way home. But the next day, when I woke up, I couldn't move the entire left side of my body."

Lisanna's mouth fell open on a gasp. "Oh my goodness!"

"It was nearly two weeks before I was able to regain any sort of feeling there and a full month before I could move normally again."

"Wow!" she said and felt her back brush against a bushy tree. "Are you ok now?"

Bixlow nodded and took a step closer to her. Lisanna followed suit but found herself pressing her back against a tree. She swallowed loudly and turned her face up to his as he answered, "I'm great now." Thunder rumbled in the distance but the sound was nothing compared to the pounding inside her chest. "In fact," he continued, "I don't remember ever feeling this good."

Lisanna exhaled audibly. The man was so close, invading her private space in the most seductive way. She stared at the top of his chest and reached behind her, wrapping her fingers around the trunk of the tree.

"I'd be willing to risk getting struck again if it means I could stay out here longer with you."

Her eyes collided with his and she was lost, the world around her disappearing behind a veil of green. He was intoxicating. Everything about him drew her in; his musky scent, his mouth that curved enticingly up at the corners, the slight trail of stubble that lined his jaw. She felt like a spell was being woven around her and she no longer had control over her body. She watched his lips descend and she inched closer, moving at an agonizingly slow pace. She moistened her lips without thought and closed her eyes…

"There you..." Mira's words effectively destroyed the fantasy that had been surrounding her and she quickly turned her head.

"Mira!" Lisanna exclaimed and pushed away from the tree. She bumped into Bixlow and nearly fell over before he grabbed her elbow and steadied her. "We... we were just about to come find you. We umm... we should probably head back inside, don't you think?"

Mira and Laxus stood there, one in shock while the other was grinning at his friend.

"Yes, I think we should," Mira answered, her eyes staring daggers at the man beside her sister.

Laxus watched his betrothed walk menacingly towards the couple and cringed for his friend. Apparently his prim and proper fiancé had a bit of a temper. Her shoulders were straight and her spine was rigid as she moved. Her long hair caught a gust of wind and whipped around her body. He saw Bixlow's eyes go wide and then watched him take a step back, looking as if he wanted to disappear within the trees behind him.

Lisanna stepped in front of him at the last moment and grabbed a hold of her sister's arm. "L-let's go," she said, tugging on Mira's arm. An agonizing moment later, when Laxus thought Bixlow was done for, the pair turned and headed in the direction of the palace.

When the women were a dozen or so yards away, Bixlow walked over to Laxus and released a huge breath. "Damn, did you see that woman?! I swear I just saw my life flash before my eyes."

Laxus chuckled and the pair began following the sisters. "Serves you right. What the heck were you thinking?"

Bixlow shrugged.

"Didn't you hear a word I said before we got here? She's betrothed… to a prince!"

Bixlow stared sheepishly at the ground and kicked a rock off of the path. "But I think she likes me."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "I don't care if she's in love with you. She's the princess! You could get killed for doing what you were about to do."

"But you wouldn't…"

Laxus sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Of course I wouldn't. Being the Prefect has to have some benefits."

They walked on in silence for a bit, watching the pair that was a good distance in front of them now. "You know," Bixlow began, "I had no idea your fiancé had a temper like that. You always say she's so prim and proper."

"I didn't know either."

"She was like some… some… some sort of monster or… demon. I swear she had flames coming out of her eyes."

Laxus turned a raised brow at his friend and grunted. "You haven't had many women get mad at you, have you?"

"You know that's not true," Bixlow argued and then lowered his voice. "I think she might be possessed."

Laxus laughed, the sound echoing around the room they'd just entered. "Yea, and I'm the God of lightning."

The rain was coming down hard as Jellal slipped inside the small store, his hood drenched and clinging to his face. He threw it off the moment he was inside and ran his hands through the wet strands of his hair.

"Who's there?" a voice shouted from the back of the shop.

Jellal bent towards the ground and rubbed his hair once again, trying to get as much of the water off as possible. "It's just me," he called out and then made his way back. Bent over a simmering fire was Meredy, her pink hair pulled back into a messy knot at the back of her head.

"When did you get back?" she asked, not bothering to lift her head up from her task.

The air in the place was stifling hot and Jellal immediately felt sweat bead along his forehead and down the center of his back. He took the lone seat next to a cluttered work table and dropped his pack to the ground. "Just a few minutes ago. I stopped by Makarov's place first but no one was there."

"Oh right," Meredy said, straightening and setting down the tool she'd been using. She wiped her face with a cloth that was dangling from her belt and then threw it to the side. "Something happened while you were gone and Erza had to go up north for something."

Jellal's eyes widened and his entire body went rigid. "Up north?" he repeated. What could she have needed to go there for? And why was a sickening feeling crawling into his gut?

"Yea. She seemed to be in a hurry too."

Jellal rose to his feet and began to pace restlessly around the small room. "Did she tell you why?"

"No, and I didn't ask. You know I know better than to ask about stuff like that."

"Stuff like that?" he questioned.

Meredy nodded, her eyes taking on a look of concern. "Yes, stuff like that… What's wrong Jellal? Why does this bother you so much? Erza goes on missions all the time for Master. You know she can handle herself."

Jellal continued to pace and started rubbing his fingers along his lower lip. Why had she been sent north? And why had it been so urgent that she'd had to leave immediately? Makarov knew better than anyone the turmoil that was going on in the northern territories so why wouldn't he wait to send him instead?

He was completely lost in his own thoughts when Meredy walked up to him and tugged on his sleeve. "What's going on Jellal?"

He shook his head and then walked back to the chair. He grabbed his hooded cloak and threw it back on then slung his bag back over his shoulder. "I have to go," he said and made his way towards the back exit.

Meredy ran at him and grabbed him before he could leave. "You'll tell me, right?" she asked, staring up at him with wide eyes. "You'll tell me if something happens to her?"

Jellal swallowed hard and looked down at the short, pink-haired girl. He didn't say a word but he nodded quickly and then disappeared back out into the hard rain.

To be continued...

Thank you all for reading. I hope you are still enjoying it :)