A/N: Well guys, as Promised I came up with this quick Omake that takes place the night after finding Fogbound Lake, I hope you all enjoy it. I teared up a bit at the ending. It just came at me out of nowhere. See ya later guys!

Fogbound Lake Omake

Steamy Hot Springs

Aiden sighed contently as he lowered himself into the hot spring. Phoebe had found them earlier when the Fog was still surrounding the forest. She had been able to find them without trouble due to the fog being cleared out of the area. It had taken everyone awhile to come back down from the top of the lake, after fighting Nick, the Earth Dragon Slayer. They had finally found the treasure and made plans to head back home. Of course they weren't going to head home without enjoying the hot springs, they were free after all.

He had set up several torches around the area, lighting up the forest with a beautiful blue glow. Among them were some torches he didn't light, the bright orange fire looked alluring in-beween the blue flames, and tasty too. He should have been happy to be in hot springs, especially ones he didn't have to pay to enter, but the fact of the matter was he wasn't.

He was alone, in his own spring. The girls, for obvious reasons, had chosen their own spring not far from where he was, leaving him alone with this thoughts. He leaned back against the edge of the pool, glancing at the sky. The stars were twinkling brightly in the vast darkness of space. He could see so many stars in the sky, and even parts of the Galaxy itself. This was something he barely saw in heavily populated cities, and something he barely had the chance of seeing back at Cait Shelter. In that moment of tranquility, he just sat there, enjoying the light show nature was providing him.

He tore his eyes away from the sky for a few seconds. His eyes fell to the Verdant Emerald, the item he had gotten from Fogbound Lake. It was the sole reason for the entire expedition, and now that he had gotten it, he didn't know how to feel. He had felt a sense of accomplishment when he got the gem from his fellow Dragon Slayer, but now that he had it, he didn't know what to do with it. He reached for it, stopping himself from actually grabbing it.

"Why did you want me to find this gem...who are you really?" he asked, as if the mystery person would reply. He felt the breeze pick up, and he caught a familiar scent. He rose out of the water and turned around, looking into the forest. His eyes were scanning the treeline, trying to find the source of the scent. After a second, he noticed the scent disappeared. He calmed down a bit, lowering himself back into the pool.

"I'm paranoid...there's no one out there." he muttered. He heard the cries of his friends, who weren't that far away from him. He felt himself smile. Even though he wasn't there with them, he was glad they were having fun. He leaned back against the edge of the pool, his eyes back at the starry backdrop that was surrounding Fogbound Plateau.

A stray memory made it's way to the forefront of his mind. He remembered the time his sister told him the story of Fogbound Lake. She had always made stories of this place. She had said many times that she wanted to discover it herself. He smiled a bit, closing his eyes.

"Well sister, I guess I discovered it for you. If only you could see this now...if only you knew how much I miss you." he whispered.

"Um...Aiden."

He looked down from the sky, eyes widening when he saw Wendy standing at the edge of the pool, in nothing more than a towel. She had brought along a change of clothes with her, along with a few other things. He swallowed hard, his face heating up.

"Hi sweetie...something wrong?" he asked, lowering himself a bit more. He felt extremely naked, mostly because he was, but he hadn't been expecting her to just show up.

"Would you...mind if I joined you?" she asked. He shook his head, not mustering up the courage to reply. She blushed brightly, setting her stuff down, she reached for the corner of her towel.

"Um...don't look okay." she said.

"Oh..right." he said, looking away from her. He closed his eyes for extra measure, doing his best not to look. He heard the sound of the water as she lowered herself in.

"You can look now." she said. He lowered his hand from his face, glancing back at her. Her long hair was covering most of her chest, but he could still see her still developing breasts. He could also see the Sun Village mark he had tattooed on her all of those weeks ago. He looked at the back of his left hand, seeing his own mark.

"So...how are you feeling?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"I'm alright...still excited about finding the lake. Still a bit tired from the fighting, my back still hurts from the acid." he said. He remembered seeing the scar that was now on his back. It wasn't as big as he once thought, but it was wide and a ghastly purple fleshy color. He was glad he could easily cover it up, but he still felt a bit self-conscious about it.

"It'll be better. Do you want me to heal you?" she asked. He gave her a nod, turning around for her. She slowly made her way to his side, holding her hands to his back. The soft glow of her magic brightened the area up a bit. He felt the sharp stinging disappear, making him sigh contently.

"You need to be more careful. You've turned into a scar magnet recently." she said, a small pout on her lips.

"Comes with the job my dear. You can't expect me to come out unscathed from every battle. Besides, Scars are awesome." he said.

"Not all of them...some of them are ugly and hard to hide." she said, mostly speaking of her own. He turned around, looking right into her eyes.

"Hey, not even a scar is going to make you look any less beautiful alright. I like every single bit of you, even your scars." he said, kissing her forehead. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, just enjoying his embrace.

"Maybe we shouldn't keep doing this." Aiden said, after a minute. Wendy's eyes widened a bit and she let go of him, pushing herself back.

"Right...I'm sorry. I forgot." she said, her face flushed a brilliant red. Aiden's face was much in the same state. He looked away, trying not to focus on her bare chest. She quickly fixed her hair so that it was once again blocking her body parts.

"So...what are we gonna do once we get back home?" Wendy asked, as she relaxed into the water. Aiden shrugged, leaning back against the edge.

"I'm not sure. We'll take more missions of course...I want to make some money so I can take you out on a date. I know you wanted to have on on Fogbound Lake, but I felt like we were intruding on Nick's domain. You know how possessive Dragons a can be." he said.

"I understand. I'm in no hurry, just spending time with you is enough." she replied.

"That's sweet of you. I'll make it up to you I promise...but I have a question...when was it that you started liking me?" he asked. Her eyes widened a bit, not expecting that answer.

"I'm not sure when...I guess it was from the moment I met you. You looked so peaceful when you were sleeping. But I could also tell there's been a lot of pain in your life. I can see it in your eyes, even now that you've opened up a bit more to me...I just want to find out more about you, to make that pain go away." she said.

"Thank you...it means a lot to me that you care so much. I guess I started falling for you during that second mission, after I tattooed that mark onto you. It had been a hundred years since the last time that mark was traditionally tattooed onto someone. Having the honor to do that...It just made it more memorable...plus you have cute boobs." he said.

"Aiden!" she cried in embarrassment, crossing her arms over her chest. He laughed, earning himself a splash to the face. He just stared at the girl in shock.

"Don't get into something you can't finish Wendy." he said. She smirked, using her wind magic to send a bigger wave of water at him. He shook his head, getting the water off himself. He smirked, pulling his fist back. His fire made contact with the water, sending it back full force at her. She screamed in surprise as it surged over her. She stood up, ignoring the fact that she was naked.

"Now you've done it!" she said, using her sky magic she lifted a large orb of water above her head, throwing it at him. He quickly reacted, punching the orb of water quickly turning it into steam. A quarter of the pool was gone, but was rapidly filling up. The two stared at each other, about to make another move.

"What the hell are you two doing?" a firm voice cried. They looked up to the small drop above them, seeing an angry looking Carla standing behind them, wearing nothing but a towel. Aiden and Wendy looked at each other, eyes widening. They let out a simultaneous scream, lowering themselves into the water.

"Honestly, I can't take my eyes off of you Wendy. What makes you think it's a good idea to take a bath with a boy. Standing in front of him, fully naked? Are you serious?" she cried.

"Oh lighten up Carla, who cares if we're naked! We're all friends, friends should be able to take baths together." Phoebe said, ripping the white haired girl's towel right off her body. She screamed loudly, covering herself up with her hands.

"Wow...those are nice." Aiden said, a bit of blood dripping from his nose. Wendy grit her teeth as she slammed her fist into the back of his head, he groaned as he rubbed his new sore spot. Phoebe pushed the girl into the pool, jumping in right after.

"Jeez, you girls have no manners. At least invite the rest of us." Sherry cried, appearing next to the pool, with Chelia in tow. Iona stood next to them, not bothering to cover up as well.

"What the hell are you doing Iona?" Carla cried, pointing at the girl. She shrugged.

"I don't care if people see my body. It's just skin right?" she asked, lowering herself into the pool.

"Jeez, have you no shame?" Sherry asked.

"Shame has nothing to do with it Pinkie!" Phoebe cried loudly. If Aiden didn't feel awkward before, then he definitely felt awkward now. Being surrounded by naked girls was great, but when they were your closest friends, and one was your surrogate sister, then that's when things got a little bit different. Phoebe looked over at Aiden, who was blushing like crazy. He had turned away from everyone, facing the treeline instead.

"What's wrong Aiden? Can't handle seeing all of our bouncy bits?" she asked.

"Damn Phoebe, don't point it out like that. You sound like you don't even care!" Sherry cried out.

"Because I don't. Me and Aiden have been taking baths together practically since I was born. I don't care if he looks at me."

"Can we change the subject please?" Aiden pleaded.

"Alright...um...so what's the plan for when we get back home, with Fogbound Lake's discovery and everything?" Sherry asked. He gave her a thankful look.

"Well, we were gonna go straight to the Magic Council office in Crocus. After all, I think it's time everyone knew the real reason behind this lakes myth." he said.

"Me and Aiden talked about it when we were walking back down. We want this place to be preserved instead of turned into a tourist attraction. We don't want it's beauty and mystery to be ruined by people. I can't imagine this place filled with trash and other pieces of litter." Wendy said.

"I agree..this place...it needs to remain peaceful. It's a good call kid." Sherry said.

"Big sister, can we come back here again soon?" Chelia asked, earning a nod from Wendy.

"Yeah, we can come here for vacation after tough missions. It would be great to come to these springs and relax after a hard mission." she replied.

"Maybe we can talk to Nick about building a small house here. It can be a home away from home." Aiden said.

"I'd like that, our own personal retreat, of course Lamia Scale can come here and stay for as long as they want." Wendy said, looking at Sherry.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"Sure, we've decided to give Lamia Scale 50% of the discovery rights. After all, you deserve that after all the crap Team Skull put you through." Aiden said. She smiled brightly, eyes tearing up.

"Oh Aiden my love, I could kiss you!" she exclaimed.

"Well don't because I'll kill you if you do." Wendy said, raising a wind covered hand. Carla and Sherry shivered.

"S-Scary." the pinkette whispered.

"I have something to say..it's kind of important." Iona said, catching everyones attention. It was a bit awkward for Aiden, especially since he could see the girl's chest. She caught his line of sight and quickly covered herself with her hair.

"I'm glad to have been invited to this expedition. When I left the Crystal Cave, I was confused. I didn't know how the world worked, or what to do. I'm happy to have met you, Team Flaming Skies. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have joined this guild, I wouldn't have friends...please...allow me to be in your team. It would mean the world to me." she said, bowing her head. Aiden smiled, glancing over at Wendy.

"Well, what do you say? Can she join?" he asked.

"Yeah can she big sis, can she?" Chelia asked, tugging on her arm. Wendy gave her a nod.

"Of course she can. She's part of the family now."

"Yay, congratulations big sis Iona, now you're part of the team." Chelia cried, hugging the little girl.

"Oh...um..thank you...thank you for having me." she said, wrapping her arms around the pink haired girl.

"Man, I can't wait to rub this in Natsu's fat stupid face. He's gonna be jelly." Phoebe said, a smirk on her face.

"Of all the damn things to worry about and you just want to rub this in people's faces. How totally like you." Carla said. Phoebe grinned, pulling the girl into a hug.

"Oh you love me anyway. Man, check these melons out! There so big!" She cried, cupping the girl's breasts, much to her displeasure. She cried in embarrassment, trying to make the girl let go. Wendy pouted, looking away from them.

"I wish my boobs were that big." she muttered dryly.

"Hey kid, just so you know...I think your man likes them small." Sherry whispered, gesturing to Aiden, who was looking at the sky again, most likely to distract himself from what was going on around them. Wendy looked down at herself, smiling a bit.

"Man, look at all those stars." he suddenly said. Phoebe stopped wrestling with Carla, and looked up at the sky. It wasn't long before the others followed along, loosing themselves in the night sky. A bright streak cut across the sky, making them gasp.

"Did you see that cousin, did ya?" Chelia cried out.

"Yes sweetheart, now make a wish." she said. The little girl nodded closing her eyes. Aiden did the same, a small smile on his face.

"If I could have one wish...it would be for us to be together forever. I want my friends to be there for me, just like I'll be there for them."

"Hey Aiden, what did you wish for? A million chocolate chip cookies?" Phoebe asked.

"Pfft, no! Who would wish for that?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter." she said, brushing it off.

"Besides, if he tells you his wish, then it wouldn't be granted." Carla added. Iona just looked around in confusion.

"Why is everyone acting like it's a big deal? It's just a small meteorite entering the planet's atmosphere at a rapid speed." she said.

"Well yeah...but we like to call them shooting stars. If you make a wish on them, then they might come true." Wendy said.

"Does it really happen though?" the water basilisk slayer asked.

"Well..it's more of a thing that we like to do for fun. It isn't about the wish being granted or not...it's just something special, that's all." Sherry said.

"You know...my sister Kurumi used to tell me this sweet story every time I saw one. She said that a shooting star was a soul, shooting up to heaven, and that wishing on it would allow the soul to finally rest in peace." he said.

"Do you honestly believe that? It sounds a bit far fetched." Carla said, crossing her arms. He shrugged.

"It was just a story. I didn't have any validity to it...but I remember..when my sister Kurumi was killed, I ran through that flaming forest. I ran for hours on end, just trying to get out of the flames, and when I finally did, I saw the stars. I was crying, tired and hungry..but when I looked at the stars...I was just calm. I saw a shooting star that night...and for some reason, I felt reassured, like she was telling me she would be fine, and that I would be okay. I made a wish that night...so that she would be happy in the afterlife." he said.

"What was the wish?" Chelia asked curiously.

"For us to meet again in heaven." he said, tears welling in his eyes. He chuckled a bit, wiping his eyes.

"Man, I really put a damper on the mood...sorry about that." he said.

"Don't be." Sherry said, giving him a serious look.

"Never be sorry. You've been through a lot in your life...and I'm happy to be someone you can talk to. I may act like a love crazed freak, but in the end I'm your friend Aiden, and I'll always be there for you." she said.

"Same here." Phoebe added, they all gave similar replies, making him smile.

"Thank you guys...it means a lot to me." he said.

"Hey, how about we play truth or dare? That should be fun!" Phoebe said.

"Not on your life!" Carla snapped. Everyone started laughing loudly, enjoying the cool night and the hot springs. Going on the expedition was definitely the best choice they had ever made.