Chapter 180

Spring Talk

It was now sunset. Tu Chi was still waiting for the others to come back from their mission as she sat by the fire as it popped and flickered. Then, Elfman, Lisanna, and Cana soon came bursting through the bushes. However, the three of them were completely disheveled, their clothes slightly tattered and out of place, covered in mud, and also out of breath, panting like dogs as they tried to catch their breath.

"Ah. I see you came back safely," smiled Tu Chi.

Cana then glared indignantly. "Are you freaking kidding me?! Is that all you have to say?!" she cried. "I almost died out there so many times; I've lost count!"

"A... A real man never runs from his enemy!" panted Elfman as he collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. "Even though the enemy... is large enough to swallow you whole."

"That doesn't even make sense, Elfman!" Cana snapped crossly. "So, do me a favor and can it with the "real man" stuff, would you?!"

"This place is like a swamp version of Tenrou Island," panted Lisanna as she sat on the ground. "Only I think this place has a lot more dangers than it ever did. I think I almost drowned in quicksand who knows how many times, and I kept getting tangled by vines."

"You think you had it rough? Try being in my shoes, girl!" gasped Cana. "I almost got eaten by a crazy four-legged monster and a giant flower!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I barely managed to survive a gang of giant insect things!" Elfman squawked. "Handling one would have been fine, but getting ganged up by a bunch of stinkin' insects isn't manly!"

"Elfman, I swear! Not now!" Cana snapped again, a bit more annoyed. "Or else I'll use my Card Magic to burn you to a crisp!"

"Now, now. There's no need to get so frantic," said Tu Chi. "From what I've heard from Makarov, this should be nothing for wizards such as yourselves. After all, you've dealt with bigger threats such as Grimoire Heart and Oración Seis."

"Yeah, but at least they weren't trying to eat us for dinner!" pointed out Cana.

At that moment, the bushes started rustling again, causing the three to jump and tense up instinctively. But much to their relief, Mira came walking through them, who was as disheveled and muddy as they were.

"Bis Sis Mira!" Lisanna gasped. "Guess you had a little bit of trouble too."

"Yeah. I did," said Mira. "Did you guys find the stone?"

"Unfortunately, we didn't find squat," said Cana flatly. "Due to the craziness of this lousy swamp, we were busy trying not to die."

Mira then dug into her cleavage and took out a large stone that was as big as the palm of her hand, blue, and was almost in the shape of a circular prism. "I did," she said with a smile.

Elfman, Lisanna, and Cana all stared at Mira, eyes wide and jaws slacked in disbelief.

"You got to be kidding me!" cried Cana. "How the heck did you manage to find it?!"

"Well, first off, I figured out the location by solving the riddle," explained Mira. "The answer was sunflowers. Sunflowers need sunlight to grow as their source of nourishment, and they're named after a light source. So all I needed to do was find some sunflowers. I eventually found some sunflowers growing just a few miles deep in the swamp. Although I'll admit, I was caught by surprise by a couple of the locals, and I had a few close calls, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

But then, a small trickle of blood dripped down the eldest Strauss siblings' forehead, causing everyone to pale in horror.

Tu Chi then came over. "Well done, Mira. I'd expect nothing less from an S class wizard such as you," she said warmly.

Mira smiled in thanks, but then she noticed that a certain someone hadn't returned yet. "Has anyone seen Willy?" she asked.

Elfman, Lisanna, and Cana shook their heads.

"Now that you mention, I haven't seen him yet," said Lisanna. "Not since we all went out to search for the stone."

"You don't think that he's still out there, do you?" asked Cana. "Or worse yet, you don't think that he-"

"Come on, Cana! This is Willy we're talking about here," said Elfman. "He's probably on his way back right now, so I'm sure that he's just fine. After all, he's a dragon slayer, and he's pretty tough."

"But he's still recovering, Elfman, so he's not fully one hundred percent," pointed out Lisanna. "What if he's in trouble or hurt?"

"Don't worry. If he is, Jade's still out there overlooking the swamp," said Tu Chi. "I'm sure that she'll let us know if the boy is in trouble."

Then, a bird caw cried out, and Jade came from above, circling over them a couple of times, swooped down, landed on Tu Chi's staff, and chirped a couple of times to her. The old woman nodded, appearing to understand her, and then stood up.

"I see," said Tu Chi. "So, that's where he is." She turned to the others. "It would appear that Willy's having a difficult time."

Mira was now worried. "Is he okay?" she asked. "Is he hurt or anything?"

"Do not worry. He's fine," reassured Tu Chi. "But it would seem that he requires help, so I'll go and retrieve him."

"I'll go with you," said Mira.

"There's no need, my dear. I'll be all right," replied Tu Chi. "Besides, something tells me that I'd be better by myself, especially since you kids just came back. While I'm gone, why don't you get dinner started? It ain't gonna cook itself."

Tu Chi then strolled away, disappearing into the bushes with Jade following close behind.

WILLY'S POV

I was now sitting on a large branch in a tree high above the ground above a marsh area. This served to avoid any creatures that would attack me and somewhere where I could be alone. I stared at the same spot of water, sitting and watching various creatures swim or flying about, not even bothering to move. I managed to calm myself down after my recent meltdown, but I still couldn't get over what I had seen or what to make of it. So much so that I couldn't even work up the energy to search for the stone anymore. All I wanted to do was sit on my branch and brood.

"So, this is where you've been hiding," said a familiar voice from behind me. "You do realize it's sunset, do you?"

Without even looking up, I knew who the voice belonged to. "Sorry, Master Tu Chi. I didn't even notice," I spoke in a quiet voice. "I was too busy losing my mind with visions."

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" asked Tu Chi. "Tell me everything that saw."

I looked across to Tu Chi, who had now taken a seat beside me on the branch while Jade perched next to her before looking back down towards the marsh, beginning my recollection.

"Well, for starters, I tried looking for the stone using my Aqua Sense, but there was so much magic power, I couldn't sense anything. Then, I started seeing visions of all the enemies I've encountered. After that, I saw myself as this monster that attacked me, and I could actually feel him hurt me, or at least I think I did. Am I going crazy, or is something making me see these things?"

"I do not know," said Tu Chi. "Why do you think you saw them?"

"How should I know? I mean, they've tried to hurt, torment, control, or kill me, along with other innocent lives," I spoke with a hint of frustration. "Not to mention they have a weird obsession of hammering into my brain, no matter how hard I try to be good, I'm gonna get dragged through the gutter with them, even though ending up there wasn't even my fault in the first place."

"It would appear that you've been carrying your enemies the same way you're carrying the toxin inside of you," said Tu Chi. "They made you feel afraid, weak, worthless, and powerless for letting it all happen and believe that you should be like them, becoming as ruthless as they were. Someone having no regard for life or emotions to hold them back from doing what they do."

"I... guess so," I said reluctantly, knowing that she was right. "But that still doesn't explain why these visions keep haunting me."

"Perhaps your mind is trying to tell you to face your past enemies, in other words, all of your fears and worries, " Tu Chi spoke sagely. "When you experience tragedy, it can be damaging and traumatic. However, you can let it define you for the rest of your life, or you can learn and move on from it. You can't expect to defeat your future enemies if you're busy fighting your past ones."

I took a minute to process Tu Chi's words. Everything she said was right, but I still couldn't help feel unsure."But, how am I supposed to do that?" I asked pleadingly. "I don't know how to move on from it."

"That is why you're here. To learn how, Willy," said Tu Chi. "It will take time, but I promise you will overcome this because I believe in you, even if you don't believe in yourself."

I then fell silent, my eyes returning to the water of the marsh.

"Come now, Willy. It's getting late, and the others are already starting to get worried," went on Tu Chi as she stood up. "Perhaps some dinner and a good night's rest will perk you up."

"Yeah. I guess so," I replied quietly.

Tu Chi and Jade jumped off the branch, landing on the ground with me following, and the three of us started back to camp.

It was nightfall by the time we came close to the camp. As we came through the bushes, a familiar smell wafted into my nose, causing me to sniff instinctively. Sure enough, when I looked over by the campfire, I saw that fishes and mushrooms were cooking by it.

"Hey, there you are, Willy!" said Cana. "Looks like you managed to avoid getting eaten or maimed."

"Are you okay?" asked Mira. "We were starting to get worried about you when you didn't come back."

"I'm okay, more or less," I told her. "Sorry to make you guys worry."

"I hope you're hungry because we got lots of mushrooms and fish ready to eat," said Elfman.

At first, I was going to say no thanks, but then hunger began to creep into my stomach, not to mention the smell of the cooked fish.

"Actually, eating sounds pretty good right about now," I said while eyeing the fish. "I am a bit hungry."

"Well, sit right down," said Cana. "We've made plenty. And by the way, you gotta try these mushrooms. They look weird, but they're actually freaking good!"

I then came over by the fire and sat down between Cana and Elfman, and Lisanna handed me a mushroom and a fish. I took a bite out of the fish first and marveled at the freshly grilled taste of its meat on my tongue. Then, I looked at the mushroom. It still looked weird despite being cooked, but then again, Cana did say they tasted good, so I decided to give it a go and bite from it. The moment I did, I felt something spark in my head as a wonderful taste graced my tongue.

"This is... delicious!" I couldn't help but mumble out as I started scarfing it down.

"I told you," smirked Lisanna. "I guess Tu Chi wasn't kidding about these things. They're delicious!"

"So, Willy, what happened to you?" asked Elfman with a mouthful of fish. "Did you get lost or something? Or were you busy running for your life from all the crazy creatures in this place?"

"Well, I guess you could say I that," I spoke, choosing my words carefully. "I couldn't find where I was, and I guess I lost track of time. But, thankfully, Master Tu Chi and Jade were able to find me."

Jade came over to me, landing on my shoulder and chirping while nudging against my cheek. I couldn't help but chuckle and gave her an affectionate scratch on her head. All of us then ate our fill, and when we were finished, Tu Chi addressed us.

"Well, now that we're all here, it's time for me to explain the reward," she said. "As you're all well aware, Mira was able to figure out the riddle and thus was able to locate the stone. To that, I extend my congratulations. However, I noticed that some of you were having a bit of trouble locating the area due to... circumstances, so you will all reap the benefits of the reward."

"Seriously? That's nice of you," said Cana. "So, what exactly is the reward?"

"Come, and I'll show you," said Tu Chi. "I promise it's quite the reward."

Tu Chi then led us to the back of the tree to a curtain of vines entering them. As we entered, we were welcomed to the sight of a large spring. It was in a secluded area surrounded by many trees and greenery, not having a single animal or creature to be seen.

"Oh, wow! Look at this place," Lisanna spoke in awe. "It's beautiful!"

"Yeah. It sure is," agreed Elfman.

"Mira, may I have the stone, please?" Tu Chi asked.

"Sure thing," said Mira as she handed the stone over.

"You've all done a good job searching for the stone," said Tu Chi as she held it up. "Now, as your reward, I will show you the powers this stone possesses."

Tu Chi then walked over to the spring and dropped the stone into the water. When she did, the stone began to glow a bit, then the water began to bubble and pump up while steam started to come out. Feeling a bit curious, I dipped my hand into the water as a test and was surprised to find it warm.

"The water. It's warm," I spoke. "Is this because of the stone?"

"Yes," said Tu Chi. "That stone has the ability to turn any form of water into a soothing bubbling bath."

"A bath? Are you kidding me?!" exclaimed Cana indignantly. "You're telling me that we've risked life and limb over a magic stone which only has the power to be a freaking jacuzzi?!"

"But of course. After all, there's nothing like a hot bath after rigorous training," said Tu Chi. "And considering that you're going to be training over the next few months, this will prove very beneficial for you. Unless you'd rather go through three months without taking a bath and smelling like sweat, Miss Cana."

Cana was about to object, but then her words died in her throat and said nothing more.

"Well, she's right about one thing. I don't want to be all sweaty," said Lisanna. "Sweat does make a person stinky after all. Besides, I think it's a wonderful reward. At least we'll have the opportunity to clean ourselves off. I certainly could use a bath after running around."

"I agree," said Elfman. "Even real men need to take baths so that they can smell nice and clean."

"Yeah, no kidding," agreed Mira. "Plus, it'll help us relax for a little while."

"It's just like you to have something like that as a reward, Master," I said as I smiled. "Either way, we appreciate it and will make good use of it."

NO POV

Lisanna then gasped, realizing something as she whispered something to Cana. "Hold on a minute! Could this be what your fortune-telling predicted? After all, it did say something about water."

Cana then realized. "Hey, you're right!" she whispered back. "This could be the scenario that'll get Willy and Mira closer!" She then frowned. "But isn't a bath a little too much for the two of them?"

"Don't be so sure," Lisanna spoke while wagging her finger. "As Sieri says, a bath is a great way to deepen the bonds and trust between people, and this is the perfect chance for Willy and Mira to get closer!"

"Then I'd say it's time we make this happen," Cana spoke with a mischievous grin. "You game?"

"Oh, you know I am," Lisanna grinned back.

Later, everyone was getting ready for bed while taking their turns in the spring. Master Tu Chi and Elfman had already taken their turns and turned in for the night, and now the girls were having their turn in the spring. On the other hand, I tried to get to bed early to start training early in the morning. Despite it being the first time sleeping in such a location, the sound of small insects chirping could be heard, echoing throughout the area. A peaceful rhythm that could lull anyone to sleep, but it didn't for me.

I was lying on my back with my eyes closed, trying to drift off to sleep, but I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried.

The events of what happened to me today were still racing through my mind, having no intention of stopping.

All of those visions of me looking weak and vulnerable, the anguish and pain I suffered at the hands of those I've seen in them, and the fear of turning into that berserk form. It still made me terrified to even think about it happening again. And yet, despite it all, I couldn't help but feel that it was my fault that all of that happened. After all, I was foolish to think that I could control the toxin's effects despite doing more harm than good to me and everyone else. Now all of this was happening.

Tu Chi was right about one thing with what she said before, that trauma was wreaking havoc in me, and if I didn't do something soon, it would never end. I would continue being a burden for the others, and I would never be able to move on. But like with everything else in life for any human being, it was easier said than done.

"Hahh."

As I let out a sigh, I heard a voice.

"Willy? Whatcha doing over there?"

I then sat up and saw Cana and Lisanna walking past me.

"Oh, hey, Cana. I... guess I was trying to get to bed early, but I guess I'm too wide awake."

"Yeah?" suggested Lisanna. "Well, why don't you go for a dip in the springs? You haven't had your turn yet."

I shook my head. "Nah. I think I'll pass. Besides, I can wait until tomorrow."

At that moment, Cana and Lisanna suddenly appeared in front of me, their theirs almost a foot away from me.

"Sorry, kid, that ain't gonna fly," said Cana. "No offense, I'm ain't going to be sleeping next to someone who smells like sweat and fish."

"Yeah. Besides, you gotta give it a try," said Lisanna. "The water feels so amazing and does wonders with your skin, and you can use a good soak."

Knowing that the two weren't about to leave me alone, I decided to take their advice.

I got out of my sleeping bag, walked over to the back of our tree, went through the vines, and came over to the spring. Thankfully, the stone was next to the bank if any one of us wanted to use it. I looked back, making sure that no one was behind me. I dropped the stone into the water, and it started to warm up and bubble. Then, I stripped down, folding and setting my clothes into a pile, and then stepped into the water, sitting down close to the bank.

I let out a sigh in content as I felt the tension release from my body.

"This feels way nicer than I expected. Way better than anything I felt back at home."

As the temperature of the water and the massage of the bubbles continued to soothe my body, I started to let myself go, letting myself sink into the water until I was below the surface, keeping my eyes open while breathing normally. It was probably because I've been around water all my life, but I always felt at peace whenever I immersed myself in water. If this weren't a training camp, this would be the perfect place to have a vacation.

But as I let myself continue to lay in the water, I heard two muffled splashes coming from just above my head. This made me sit up from the water, breaking the surface, believing that there was an intruder. But as I wiped the water from my eyes, I stopped, turning still as a statue and my eyes going wide as a pair of saucers.

In front of me was a girl completely naked, save her silver hair covering her chest and the water covering the rest of her. Her eyes were wide, her blue pupils had shrunken to half their usual size, and her body was stiff as a wooden board. And I also knew that it wasn't Lisanna. It was definitely Mira.

A few seconds of silence passed between us as we stared at each other unable to say a word. Then, I could feel my cheeks heat up immensely as Mira's entire face went red as a cherry. At that moment, my wings sprung forth, breaking the tension, and both of us each let out a scream in surprise as I instinctively crouched down, covering myself up.

"Mira! What the heck are you doing here?!" I exclaimed shrilly.

"What am I doing here?! That's my line!" Mira screeched back. "Why were you hiding the water?!"

"I was just enjoying myself, that's all!" I cried. "Besides, you're the one that walked in on me!"

"What're you talking about?! Lisanna and Cana told me that the spring was free!" Mira squeaked indignantly. "They didn't tell me that you were in here!"

"Well, they told me to go ahead, too!" I squawked. "How was I supposed to know that you'd be coming?!"

Mira huffily glared at me in embarrassment while I looked away, shutting my eyes.

"Look, I wouldn't come here to cause trouble or anything like what you're thinking," I went on calmly. "I'm sorry if I startled you. I only wanted to clear my head a bit, so.. I'll just... go ahead and leave."

I carefully saw my way out while being careful to cover myself, but just as I went past Mira, I felt a hand grab hold of my wrist, causing me to stop.

"Please, wait a minute," I heard Mira say. "I know that I barged in unannounced, but... since you're here anyway, you can stay here if you want to."

"A-Are you sure about that?" I asked. "I mean, I don't mind waiting for you to come out."

"I-It's fine. As long as you don't look at me," said Mira. "Besides, it's pretty much my fault, so we... might as well make the most of it."

At first, I couldn't believe my ears, but for some reason, a tiny little voice inside of me was telling me that this was fine. To go for it. However, my heart wouldn't stop beating as I stood there in hesitation. Then, after swallowing some air, I mustered up the courage to speak.

"A-All right then. If you're okay with me being here," I said, trying not to croak. "I promise I won't look. If we sit back to back, it's fine, right?"

"Y-Yeah," I heard Mira say.

I then sat back down into the water while facing away from Mira while hearing the sound of her sitting down behind me. We both sat there in awkward silence, neither of us saying a single word.

"Damn it. I feel so self-conscious right now. I know that I used to bathe with my parents as a kid, but this is the first time I've ever done this with a girl! And with Mira no less! I gotta try and break the ice somehow, but I don't even know what to say!"

"So... um... the water... feels pretty nice, doesn't it?" I spoke, unsure of what to say.

"Y-Yeah. It does," said Mira. "It's almost like a hot spring and a jacuzzi. That stone works wonders, doesn't it?"

"I-It sure does," I said, trying to smile. "I should ask Master Tu Chi if I should get one for my place."

I immediately felt like slapping myself in the face. "What kind of a response was that?!" I mentally screamed at myself. "That was the worst thing I could have said!"

Then, Mira spoke up. "So, what happened to you out there?" she wondered. "You were late in coming back, and Master Tu Chi had to go looking for you."

This immediately snapped me out of my flustered state, bring me down to reality. After taking a breath to calm down, I started explaining.

"So, along with seeing yourself in your berserk state again, you saw visions of your past?" wondered Mira when I finished telling her.

"Yeah, and Master Tu Chi believes that it's because of my mind and body telling me to face my fears as well as my past enemies, but I know it's not that simple," I said. "I still can't help but honestly can't help but feel a bit scared. I mean, I've been trying to bear with it on my own for so long, and having to face them, still seems like a tall order."

"Yeah, that's true, but that's what makes it a worthwhile challenge, don't you think?" said Mira. "And yes, the past as a way of hurting us in some way or the other, but the way I see it, no matter how hurt someone is, no matter how much they're in pain, they're meant to overcome it and try to move forward. That's how I became the woman I am today. And since I know you're not the kind of guy that would run away from fear, I believe you can do it."

"You really think I can?" I asked.

"Of course I do," said Mira. "I always have and always will. You just need to have some confidence to believe in yourself too."

I started to glance back towards Mira but quickly kept my eyes forward, remembering that she told me not to look. But, I felt a little bit better and all the more determined.

"Thanks a lot, Mira," I said. "I promise, I'm gonna do my best tomorrow and train as hard as I can until I get past my fears."

"Glad to hear it," Mira spoke, a smile evident in her voice. "Let's both give it our all until we're strong enough to make our guild number one."

I smiled while chuckling lightly. "Yeah."

NO POV

As Willy and Mira continued to sit together in the spring, enjoying each other's company, Lisanna and Cana had been watching the two the whole time. They had heard everything. So much so that they gave each other a thumbs up, feeling pleased with themselves.

I figured I'd add a bit of Willy x Mira fluff at the end before the training begins.

As always, thank you for reading my story, and I hope you continue to support it!

Until then, Dragomaster, signing off!