Hey! Sorry for the long awaited update but it's been a busy week for me. House moving and other stuff have prevented me from working on the fic, but hopefully it's back to regular updates! I realised in the last chapter I had completely forgot to mention Charmy But I've hopefully made up for it in this chapter. Anyways I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2:

"Stupid Finral, throwing me away like that when I've been by his side the whole time he's been in that place" Vanessa quietly fumed into the bottle of booze she was currently drinking.

"What's eating her?" Yami asked magna as he entered the room and saw her slumped over a table.

"Oh ya know, Stupid Finral this, stupid Finral that" Magna snickered.

"Explain?" Yami questioned.

"Basically Finral asked Vanessa to stay away whilst he gets rehabilitated. I mean she can still go after his sessions have finished, but she's took it as a total rejection"

"I see"

Yami walked over to where Vanessa was drinking her sorrows away. She was still slurring away to herself with Rouge pawing at her hair. She was using it as if it was a ball of yarn.

"Hey what do you think your doing!" Yami demanded pulling his cigarette away from his lips.

"Oh hey captain! Come have a drink with me. It'll be fun!" she hiccupped as she began to pull on his arm.

"Why the drink all of a sudden? Shouldn't you be staying sober for visiting one of our comrade's later?"

"What? Noooo. I'd rather sit here and get drunk with you. Come on Captain, take a swig" she tried pushing the bottle towards his mouth.

"Your seriously going over the edge because of a little rejection?" Yami frowned pushing the bottle away.

"Oh please, I'm not that soft. I can take it" Vanessa slurred before turning away and letting Rouge jump onto her shoulder and nuzzle her cheek.

"And I thought better of you! It's obvious why he doesn't want you there! Use your brain, if you have one!" Yami scolded.

"Captain?" Vanessa looked at him quizzically and a little offended.

"Damn it" Yami sighed, "I'm really not the caring type. But the guy just wants to keep what dignity he has left. Be honest, if it was you in his position, you wouldn't want your team mates seeing you struggle as you learn to use your body again. Hell if it was me, I'd kill you all just for peaking!"

Vanessa was quiet as she sat feeling increasingly stupid as Yami berated her. How could she not have picked up on that?

"You need to get your head together. Start listening to what your team mates are trying to say before jumping to conclusions. Now sober the hell up, your not going anywhere near that hospital today. I'm not having your drunken arse show us up in there!" Yami continued.

"But..."

"The answers no. Keep pushing it and I'll kill you!" Yami glared.

"Ok Captain" Vanessa reluctantly agreed, hiding her flushed cheeks behind her hair as she kept her head down. It was useless to try and argue with the captain.

"Good now that that's cleared up. I'm gunna go take a dump"

Yami left the room leaving behind a rather ashamed Vanessa. Taking the opportunity to cheer her friend up, Charmy plonked herself down next to her.

"Do you want some cake? It'll soak up the booze" she offered.

"No point" Vanessa grumbled, "I'm not allowed to go to the hospital today"

"Oh right" Charmy thought for a moment, "It'll help sober you up for tomorrow's visit"

"Thanks' Charmy but I'm good" Vanessa smiled weakly, "I just feel a little stupid for not picking up on what Finral wanted, that's all. I think the realisation has sobered me up, but now it's to little to late and now he's going to be sat in that place on his own because I'm such an idiot. I even called him ungrateful before I left yesterday, I was so angry! Damn it, I'm so stupid!" she despaired, "Even if I never drank I doubt he'd want to see me anyways"

"I would never let my sweet prince be alone" Charmy muttered under her breath, as she pictured Yuno in her mind laying in a hospital bed declaring his gratitude to her for never leaving his side.

"What?"

"Nothing! And I'm sure he'd still want to see you" Charmy smiled, "BuBuhow bout's I go and see him for you today?"

"Finral! I've brought you gifts!" Charmy yelled as she entered his hospital room.

"Huh? Charmy what are you doing here?" Finral asked looking up at her questionably from where he was sat in his bed.

"I've come to keep you company for a change and I've got lots and lots of yummy gifts" she sat in the chair next to him and her sheep chefs, which she had conjured up, began to produce cakes upon cakes.

"Uh, I'm not really in the mood for ca..."

Finral was cut off as Charmy shoved a spoonful of jammy cake into his mouth.

"There see, I told you! Yummy right? Of course I've brought some for myself to. We can eat together!" she laughed gleefully.

Charmy began stuffing her face with the mountain of cakes she had brought. It wasn't until she took a brief pause for air that she noticed Finral was staring down at his own plate refusing to touch it, a sad expression was clear on his face.

"So how did today's session go?" she asked concerned.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It was ok, I'm just a bit sore now" he smiled weakly back at her.

"So is it good news? Or bad?"

Finral didn't answer, he was staring at his plate again.

"Finral?"

"Hmm?" he was brought back to himself and looked back at her.

"What's up?"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything. And I really am glad you've come to visit but, why hasn't Vanessa come? Is she still mad at me?" he asked expectantly.

Charmy thought for a moment. She didn't want to tell him the truth about her stewing away all day and night because she was furious with him. Not only that, but she had also gotten drunk and dashed any chances of her visiting him today.

"No she's not mad anymore, the only reason she's not here is because she had a small mission to do. She'll be back tomorrow, so don't worry" Charmy lied, "Once she realised what it was you were asking she felt pretty awful about what she said to you. In fact, when I offered to come visit you for her, she asked me a favour"

"What's that?" he asked confused.

"She asked me to help her make you a cake"

Finishing her sentence, she summoned one of her sheep. It was holding something that Charmy removed before the sheep vanished again.

"Here" she said, as she placed a small cake tin in front of him.

He looked at it closely, confusion clear on his face, before taking the lid off. Inside was a small, round cake with the word 'Sorry' wrote on it in red frosting. It wasn't perfect. The cake itself was a little burnt around the edges and the frosting a little messy. But that to anyone that knew her, proved that Charmy was not the one to bake it and Vanessa was indeed the chef behind it. So to Finral this was the best thing in the world.

"So you said Vanessa Baked this cake?" Finral asked quietly, his eyes still fixed on it.

"Yep! This one is the sixth one she made. She had a little help from me on the first couple and they really weren't edible, which is a shame because I hate wasting food!" Charmy almost cried, "But this one was 100 percent her, and by far the best one. No magic or anything was used to make it!"

"I see..." Finral trailed off. He sat looking at the cake on his lap for a small while. There was a slight if some what sentimental smile on his face.

"You going to eat it?" Charmy almost drooled as she sat staring at it.

"I think I'll save it for later" Finral laughed as he placed it on the bed stand beside him carefully.

Charmy watched on in dismay. She had licked the batter from the bowl Vanessa had used. And it was by far the best batch the pink haired witch had made, so Charmy had really wanted to try the finished product.

"Oh well" she thought to herself, "At least I fulfilled my promise of making him smile for her"

The day after Charmy's visit, Finral had just finished his physiotherapy. Once he was back in bed and settled until his next session, Vanessa walked into the room after two quiet knocks on the door. She walked in sheepishly refusing to meet Finrals eyes as she did so. Eventually, realising she needed to see where she was going and noting Finral hadn't acknowledged her entrance, she had no choice but to look up.

"Hey cutie!" she beamed up at him, hoping her cheerfulness would hide how she really felt, "How are you feeling today?"

She was met with silence. Opening her eyes and peering over to him, she noticed he was asleep.

"Finral?"

Again no answer.

"Trust you to be asleep when I've come all this way to see you" she sighed out loud, "Oh well, it can't be helped"

She walked over to the chair by his bedside and sat down, Rouge, who had been sat on Vanessa's shoulder, jumped down and perched herself at Finrals feet. Vanessa looked around a little, she noticed the cake she had made him sat on the stand where he had placed it the night before untouched.

"Guess you were afraid to try it" she shrugged a little hurt, "I guess I would be to if someone with zero cooking skill made something for me"

She looked back to where the injured wizard was lying asleep.

"I really am sorry though. I should have known you had your reasons for not wanting me here, yet selfish me had to take things personally. I know now you weren't being ungrateful, in fact, your one of the least ungrateful people I know. Your always so happy go lucky, like nothing in the world bothers you, unless there's a battle to be fought!" She laughed quietly as she continued talking out loud to herself, "I've always been a little jealous of that. But you have your own demons like the rest of us, you just hide it well. Ah, anyways listen to me rambling on, I just wanted to say I really am sorry and from now on I'll know you have a reason for saying what you do. I'll take your word for it no matter what"

She stood up and walked a little closer to him.

"Your hairs a mess. Guess I'll pass some time by brushing it for you" she pulled a small comb out of a bag she was carrying and began to gently brush it through his hair, "To be honest I really like playing with your hair, it's so soft"

It was then that Finral began to snicker a little bit.

"Huh? Finral?" Vanessa looked confused as she carried on pulling the comb through his hair.

He couldn't contain it anymore, and burst into laughter.

"What the hell?!" Vanessa exclaimed.

"Sorry!" Finral gasped for air between laughs, "But I've never heard that side of you before Vanessa. It was surprising and out of character, plus the comb tickled a little. I couldn't contain myself anymore!"

"You..you heard all that?" She asked in horror.

"Every word. I saw that it was you coming into the room so I pretended to be asleep. My plan was to wait until you got comfy then scare you, but this was much better" he finally caught his breath.

"You bastard! I hate you! Why didn't you stop me sooner?!" Vanessa fumed.

"I was going to but you'd never say anything like that to me in person. It was nice to hear it"

"I'm going to shove this comb somewhere you'll find rather uncomfortable"

"You sure? You won't be able to brush my soft hair" he winked at her.

"You arse" Vanessa huffed.

"Not my fault I'm so darn irresistible" he shrugged.

"You wish you were"

"Mean, but you know it's true so I'll forgive you" Finral smiled.

Vanessa glared at him, but seeing a sincere smile on Finral's face, soon melted her heart and she quickly forgave him.

"Never do that again ok? Next time I'll push you out of that bed" she took up the comb again, "Now let me finish fixing your hair"

She began to gently comb through his hair again. Rouge walked over to Finral and meowed for his attention. He obliged by stroking her.

"How have your sessions been going anyway?" Vanessa asked.

"Honestly, they've been going good. I've been struggling a little bit, but other than that my joints still work. It's tiring and there is still muscle damage, I mean I can barely lift my arm above my head without pain, but Owen said I should hopefully be back to my old self in a few weeks"

"That's great news!" Vanessa sounded genuinely pleased, "But how's the walking going?"

"Well I can walk a few steps and then need to rest a little. Owen said that that's to be expected with the muscle damage, and he is still working on repairing them so there should be improvements there soon as well. The best part is that after each season I get a full body massage from some sexy nurses" Finral laughed.

"Pig" Vanessa scolded, "There here to do their job. Not to be eye candy for a pervert like you"

"Jealous?"

"I am not!" Vanessa smacked the comb a little too hard off the back of his head.

"Ouch!" he groaned.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" she panicked and as she lowered her hands to check he was ok. He took the opportunity and grabbed hold of one.

Holding her hand gently in his own and giving its little squeeze, he smiled up at her surprised face.

"Finral?" she asked dazed.

"Thank you for coming back" he replied gently, "I really am grateful that your here"

"Finral, I really am sorry about that. I just didn't use my brain, that's all"

"I know, I just wanted you to know that I appreciate everything you've done for me. Oh and thank you for the cake" he laughed, "I had to save it from Charmy a few times, honestly I'm surprised you trusted her with it"

"I admit it was a risk, but it can't have been all that good considering you haven't ate it"

As he let her hand go, Vanessa noted how lonely and cold her free hand now felt. Finral had reached for the cake and was now holding it in front of him.

"Why have you got that?" Vanessa asked, trying to hide the longing in her voice.

"I thought we could share" he smiled.

"But I made it for you"

"I know and I choose to share it with you"

He split the cake in half and proceeded to hand one of the halves to Vanessa. She accepted and watched as Finral took his bite first.

"Well?" she asked, "What do you think?"

"Damn this is good!" he exclaimed as he took another bite.

"Really?" Vanessa asked surprised before taking a bite herself, "Well it's not bad" she concluded.

"Stop selling yourself short, it really is good. If it were you taking me on a date, I'd pick for you to cook for me"

"You really are sweet Finral" Vanessa smiled shyly, "I'll make you a deal. If you show me a good time on your date, I'll give you a second date where I'll cook for you. So what do you say?"

"Deal" he grinned.

"Oh you have a crumb at the side of your mouth"

Before she even knew what she was doing, Vanessa had reached over and swiped the crumb from its place near to his mouth with her thumb. Seeing his cheeks flush brightly, it was then she had realised what she had just done.

"Oh, erm...sorry" she awkwardly moved to her seating position again.

"I..its fine. You just caught me off guard that's all" he stammered.

Clearing her throat and giving her head a little shake, Vanessa began speaking again.

"Well now you have two goals to work towards. So hurry your arse up and get out of this place. Asta wouldn't let himself sit around this long, so why are you?"

"Your right. In the words of Yami, I'm going to push past my limits!"

They both broke into laughter at how stupid that sounded in this situation, but at the same time it was true. Finral was going to push himself to recovery one way or another, he was going on them dates.

Well that's another chapter down. I really hope it was worth the wait and I'll hopefully be updating again soon. Please forgive any mistakes, and feel free to review they'll be appreciated. Until next time!