*Violet's POV*

Unlike Natsu, Gajeel didn't rush ahead of me as he led the way through the streets of Magnolia. Despite the large difference in our heights, he managed to naturally match my stride. Perhaps he had experience walking with people shorter than him. I considered asking him, just as a means for conversation, but then thought better of it. Gajeel had been August's priority, not mine. If everything had gone according to plan, then it was more than likely that the man beside me would have fallen by my brother's hand.

I wondered sometimes if the universe was playing some kind of cruel joke on us. It had never crossed my mind before, but the nature of undercover missions were somehow inherently tragic. The people that we were required to grow closed to where the very people who we would have to kill.

Or the people we would have killed anyway.

As we walked, I found my eyes occasionally sliding over to Gajeel. There weren't many facets of life that August and I didn't share. And the few we did have were generally unpleasant. Save special circumstances, all training exercises and examinations were conducted individually. As where the punishments received when the expectations were not met.

Other than that August and I had shared almost every part of our lives. Ever since he brought me to the guild all those years ago. It made Takashi somehow special, like he belonged to me and only me. I wanted a stronger claim to him.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

I hadn't expected Gajeel to speak to me, there had been no warning in his mind about it. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised. He seemed like the type to indulge in spur of the moment actions.

"Do you want me to?"

He was surprised, but it quickly morphed into amusement, a natural transition. I wondered if he equated the two often.

"August talks a lot," he said instead. "Once you get him going."

A topic we both knew about. It was a rudimentary rule of conversation, to stay on even playing ground. And yet… the one thing we had in common was the one thing I didn't want to think about. The one thing I had to do if I was going to find a way to calm August down when I saw him next.

"Are you implying that I'd do the same?"

"Maybe." but my silver tongue told me the answer was yes.

"You know him pretty well don't you?"

Gajeel looked over at me for the first time. I realized my mistake. Obviously I knew August better than anyone, but aside from me, Gajeel was probably the closest to him...unless you counted the master maybe.

"I guess." was all he said.

I tried to formulate something else to say, try to get the conversion moving again before it stopped completely, but I was interrupted when Gajeel stopped walking.

"There he is."

We had made our way to South Gate Park, the same place in which Grey had confronted me a few days earlier. I could still see the stick I'd used in the grass near the tree. I shook my head slowly. I had other things to focus on now. Like August.

I could only just make him out, slouching on one of the benches bordering the green space with his back turned to us. I knew it was unlikely he knew of our presence yet, and didn't want to give him any surprises.

I almost stepped forward before stopping myself, and turning to Gajeel.

"Thank you for helping me find him." I gave a clumsy bow.

"Uh, yeah no biggie." Gajeel said, and then, reading the mood, "I should be heading back now, lot's to do ya know."

I nodded slowly, accepting his escape plan. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah...later."

He wandered off awkwardly, and I turned to face August alone.

I took a few steps toward him, intending to jump over the hedge rather than walk all the way around to find the entrance. I was just about to announce my presence when August spoke first.

"I know you're there."

I paused, then stopped forward, feeling the prickly branches of the bush rubbing against my thighs.

"How did you find me?" he asked.

"Gajeel," I said, "he offered to help, you just missed him."

"It's probably for the best."

I felt in him a sudden wall, the same kind of barrier that I had felt in Erza before. A blocking. I took a deep breath and jumped over the hedge, landing smoothly a few feet away from August, waiting for him to speak again.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I felt the wall in him shutter, shaking under the weight of what was pushing behind it.

"I knew you would get angry." I said honestly. "We were in the middle of a job. We had to focus." I hadn't wanted to face the prospect any more than he did now. I had buried it deep down as well.

"And you didn't think to bring it up after I told you what they'd do if we failed?"

"I was confused," I said, "and I didn't have that much time to figure it out before I had to...well you know."

"I just…" August shook his head, then as thought with great effort, looked at me for the first time. "Where are you going to say yes?"

"I hadn't decided." I said, "but I know I can't now. I won't now. I won't betray you like that."

I sat carefully on the bench next to him, and I felt the wall starting to break, hints of fear and abandonment peeking through the cracks like sunlight through a moth eaten curtain.

I took his hand in mine, leveling the playing field allowing him to understand me as I understood him. We both took a deep breath and...the wall shattered. We sat there for a while, both of us reading the other, feeling what the other was feeling.

"It's like you always say." I said, "we're in this together. Takashi and I might have worked well together once, but he's not here. He's not you. He doesn't matter anymore."

August seemed to be convincing himself of it, forcing himself to trust me. I gave him time, looking out across the park, watching the way the setting sun turned the tree bark gold.

"Okay." he said finally.

"Okay?"

"Okay." he stood, gently dropping my hand in the process. "We have enough crap going on without fighting with each other." he said. "And I hate trying to hate you so… I'm going to let it go."

"Thank you." I said, "I didn't mean to-"

"I know." he took a deep breath, turning away from me. "I know."

I let out a sigh, realizing with it all the fear I'd held that he would hate me, and even the fear that his words were just that now, and not a reflection of what he thought.

For now, we were together. We were friends, and all we had to do was stay together.