The parade was beautiful and full of life, colour and sounds. My sister and I performed together, wearing matching outfits as she danced within a ring of swords whilst I stood on a lower platform of the float with a long sash of fabric, dancing with a bright smile as I held it in my hands to let it ripple and move gracefully through the air. When Erza requipped her outfit to change, I did the same. Both of us wore rather revealing outfits, though it suited Ezra better because she had a much larger chest than I did. I pouted slightly. My lack of sizing was a rather sore point for me. First I had always been too small, but even after I had grown up, all that had changed about me was my height. The universe was against me, it seems.
Shaking my head, I smiled once more as I twirled elegantly on one foot and spread out my hand, using my magic to summon a cluster of arrows which shone brightly with different colours before shooting into the air. They burst into brilliant fireworks, however when I brought a bow to my hand from my armoury, I pulled an arrow from the quiver that appeared on my back and knocked it against the string, giving another twirl before drawing it back to my cheek. "Cosmic Bow, Comet Shot!" Grinning from ear to ear, the golden bow came alive with warmth and hummed softly.
The arrow tip began to give off a spiralling light, gleaming with magic before I released it into the sky and immediately it looked like a streaking star, blazing upwards before exploding into a flurry of shooting stars which danced and fell through the sky, causing all faces to turn upwards and gasp in awe. Laughing, I continued to dance before with a leap, I joined Erza's side and together, we thrust up our index finger into the sky as everyone else did the same. Master had been very specific about this during the parade's preparations, so everyone in Fairy Tail all raised their finger to point upwards.
Somewhere, I could sense Laxus's presence. Even surrounded by the magical energy of others, I had always found it rather easy to sense his. It was rather electrifying, after all. My head turned naturally towards it, sensing him within the crowds before it started to fade away. He was leaving. My pulse quickened uncomfortably, giving a strong surge and before I knew it, I had jumped down from the float. "Zera? Where are you going?" Not having the time to answer, I quickly disappeared through the crowds of spectators and followed after Laxus, wanting to say goodbye to him properly before he left. It was a shame that he had been expelled from Fairy Tail, but I was confident he'd be back someday. After all, master loved his grandson a lot, there's no way he'd be angry forever.
"Laxus!" Having caught up with him in the park, I quickly opened my arms and caught him around the middle and embraced him securely whilst being mindful of his injuries. "You're leaving without saying goodbye?"
"What are you doing here? You should be in the parade." Laxus responded with surprise, holding his travel bag over one shoulder with his large coat draping over him.
"I sensed you in the crowd so I chased after you. I know things are a little difficult at the moment, but I wanted to see you off properly and say goodbye." I explained, letting go and stepping back to give him a smile. "We're friends after all, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't wish you a safe journey?" For a moment, Laxus just looked at me, a tumult of thoughts tumbling through his mind until slowly, I saw his shoulders go lax and a small smile touched his softened features.
"Thank you. Guess you're not so bad, for a pest at least." I grinned. Trust him to say something like that, the jerk. Still, I guess that's the best I'm going to get right now, so I'll take it and hope for better next time. "You take care of yourself. Keep an eye on those idiots back there, as well as my team. I'd appreciate it if you'd watch out for them for me."
"Sure, you can count on me Laxus, I'll do my best." I promised, nodding my head eagerly whilst clenching my fists. "But you gotta promise that you'll be back soon, alright? Even though master expelled you, you're still Laxus of Fairy Tail, you're one of us, so you have to come back after you've sorted out your feelings." I told him determinedly, feeling a slight chill so I hugged my bare arms before suddenly realising that I was still in my performance outfit. I squeaked and flushed with embarrassment, quickly hugging myself in order to hide more of my body and pressed my legs together. "I can't believe I forgot I was wearing this! I'm so dumb." Wailing I quickly requipped my outfit to change back into my normal attire, feeling much more comfortable once my cloak fell over my shoulders.
Laxus smirked slightly, seemingly amused as he closed the distance between us and placed a large hand upon my head. Instantly I was reminded of just how warm his hands were, heat pooling through my skin and bringing an odd sense of familiarity and comfort. Laxus was smiling so kindly right now that I couldn't help but feel a slight flutter. He had such a nice smile, filled with kindness and gentleness. I almost couldn't believe that earlier today, he was trying to kill us all. "See you around, little pest. Look after yourself."
"Y-Yeah, I will." Recovering, I smiled once more. "Safe travels Laxus, hurry back." Reaching up I took his hand from my face and touched it to my cheek to nuzzle it gently. The breeze picked up slightly and a scattering of leaves fell from the trees, their autumn colours darkened by the night, however as I watched them, an idea suddenly came to mind. Releasing Laxus's hand altogether, I spread my fingers and pushed out my hands towards the falling leaves which cascaded around us. "Arcane Art - Mutata in Papiliones!" A magic circle appeared underneath my feet, a soft blue colour rising upwards and the leaves suddenly began to quiver and curl, swirling together before beginning to gleam.
The leaves turned into wings and soft golden light filled our small pocket of space as the butterflies fluttered around us, each wing bearing the Fairy Tail crest. Laxus blinked then stared in wonder, watching as the butterflies radiated light and cast away the shadows to create a warm ambiance. "Since you're leaving the parade early, I'll see you off like this. Don't forget us whilst you're away, Laxus. This is my gift to you, to brighten your heart and give you a good memory to take with you on your travels. I hope this light will stay with you forever!" I told him as I stretched out my hand to let one of the butterflies land there, each wing beat creating a trail of sparkles as the Fairy Tail crest stood out prominently upon its wings. "The light of Fairy Tail."
The butterfly flew away then as I then closed my eyes and murmured another enchantment. All at once the butterflies turned back into leaves but began to swirl around us as they gleamed with an array of colours like a rainbow, creating a cyclone around the two of us before all at once, I thrust the index finger of my right hand up into the air and instantly the leaves all burst into bright sparks, crackling in the air like small fireworks around us as I beamed. "I'll see you around Laxus. Come home soon, 'kay?" Without warning, I was suddenly surrounded by warmth and strength as well as the furred hem of Laxus's coat. "Huh?"
"Thank you." Laxus was actually hugging me. I was amazed and completely stupefied, stiffening in place as I stared upwards unblinkingly. This was the first time Laxus had shown any real gesture of affection at all, I could hardly believe it, but there was no mistaking the feeling of his arms around me. He was just so strong, but incredibly tender and gentle, there was no way I was imaging things. Recovering, I blushed deeply and squirmed a little awkwardly as I lowered my hand to his back, returning his embrace for the brief moment that he remained before he let go. He ruffled my hair a little playfully, messing it up as I protested and pouted at him, watching as he gave me one last smile before he flicked up his hand in farewell. "I'll be seeing you."
"Yeah…stay safe, Laxus." I answered distantly, still processing the fact that Laxus had actually hugged me. What a crazy couple of days, I hardly knew what to do with myself now. All I could do was watch as Laxus slowly disappeared from sight, leaving Magnolia Town and Fairy Tail to travel alone. I hope he'll be alright, though I doubt I have any reason to worry. It was Laxus after all, the guy was practically unstoppable. Natsu was lucky yesterday that he managed to knock Laxus out briefly, thus ending the fight, I'd hate to think what would have happened had Laxus been true to his intensions and simply destroyed everything in his way. With his power…there's no doubt he could absolutely annihilate Magnolia Town on his own power alone. I'm glad it didn't come to that. "Please, don't forget what it means to be in Fairy Tail." I murmured, touching a hand to my head where I could still the tingle of his finger's touch before finally turning and running back to the parade, sending my hopes on a prayer that everything would be okay from now on.