Only a minute after Karissa had passed out, Gray had regained consciousness.
"Hey…" he got on his knees and cradled her face, he was shaking. He flinched when he stained her cheek with blood. He didn't even realize his palm was covered in it. Her blood.
It was a nightmare.
Her body? Injured.
Her blood? So much of it was spilled.
Her eyes? Closed.
He couldn't breathe.
His hand flew to her neck to check her pulse as he sealed her wound closed in the back. It was faint. In an attempt to wake her, he called a shattered version of her name while he felt his heart beating hard against his chest. There was no answer from the immobile girl.
The memories from moments ago flashed in his mind which made a wave of guilt crash into him. Gray grabbed his head with a pained expression as he recalled and felt every action he did to render his dear friend in this state.
The ground began to blur as he felt his tears building up.
He froze. What the hell was he doing?
Doctor. She needed to go to the hospital in Novera. Now.
He quickly wiped his tears.
Gray quickly scooped her up in his arms, ignoring the flare of pain coming from his injuries, and started running back to the town as fast as he can. But it was going to be a pretty long run despite the adrenaline rush he was feeling considering how far out they were in the forest. That fact alone only served to increase the fear inside of him; the fear of letting her life slip between his fingers.
He had to make it there fast. There was no way he was going to let her die.
He peered down at her face and grimaced.
"Come on," he looked ahead. "Stay with me. Please."
He didn't know after how long, but as he made it to the main path a bright light flashed behind him, causing him to halt in surprise. Behind him was a carriage that was occupied by military personnel that happened to be patrolling the forest for some reason.
Gray's eyes widened.
The person driving the carriage looked immensely shocked at the sight of them. "What on earth—"
"She needs a doctor!" Gray suddenly shouted. "She lost a lot of blood… we were—" he remembered about the children he left behind. "There are kids back there who were taken by traffickers… I- I just need—!"
Help me save her.
Upon seeing Gray's trepidation, the officer driving cut him off and quickly urged him to get inside the carriage while the other officers inside would check on the children that were still stuck in the forest. Gray could only thank his luck for running into help when he needed it most.
As the carriage took off fast towards Novera, Gray sat in silence. His elbows were on his knees and he had his hands in his hair, his eyes fixed on the ground while the horrific scene replayed in his mind. He clearly remembered the way her hands weakly touched him after he impaled her with an ice sword, the way her body fell to its knees when he pulled out it, the way her face twisted in pain, the way she weakly called his name.
Gray gritted his teeth in frustration and inhaled shakily. "Fuck…"
It was so fucked up.
He shifted his hands to look at her body as it laid on the other seat without a hint of movement.
Again, he touched the side of her neck to feel her pulse to make sure she was still alive. It was the only thing keeping him together at the moment.
Even if he was under a mind control spell, it didn't change the fact it was him who ended up hurting her. He was the one who shoved a damn sword into her body without hesitation. He spilled her blood. Hurting Karissa like this was no doubt the last thing he ever wanted to do in his life. No. He never wanted to hurt her. Period.
It was truly a nightmare.
When they arrived back in Novera, Gray immediately brought her to the hospital where the doctors were quick to take her in their care once they laid eyes on her. He felt very reluctant to leave her side but he knew better than to be stubborn and get in the way of her medical treatment. Every second was going to count for her survival. Numbly, after being rooted in place and watching them take her away from him, he allowed himself to receive treatment for his own wounds before letting the military officer question him on the events.
If this was a nightmare, then he was desperately praying for it to be over.
He wanted to wake up and find her laughing by his side as she joked about the funny face he made while he slept.
He wanted her to talk to him again.
He wanted to hear her voice instead of hearing this silence.
Gray just wanted her to live.
…
…
…
"Stop!" Karissa shouted with her outstretched in front of her.
Gray was held by someone behind him who held a knife to his throat. In response to her plea, they only laughed and pressed the knife closer to his throat. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she quickly tried to find a way to save him.
But her friend shook his head lightly as he made eye contact with her.
"Don't look…"
"No!" Karissa cried and watched in horror as the knife sliced his throat. His crimson blood flowed down and stained his shirt as his eyes rolled back before the person behind him shoved his body.
Gray fell motionlessly on the cobblestone at her feet.
He was dead.
Karissa could only stare at his body with her mouth open, no sound left her, ignoring the manically laughter echoing around her. He was dead. Gray was dead. Her precious Gray was dead.
She couldn't breathe.
Then her throat felt so raw. It hurt.
She was screaming.
…
…
…
Karissa's eyes shot open. Her body sprang up fast from its lying position but pain flared in her body when she did, causing her to inhale sharply. She winced and lowered her head, her hand cradling her left side tenderly.
She hissed and squinted from the brightness in the room. Her hair served as a curtain to shade away her face from the light coming through the window.
Window?
She lifted her head and glanced around the room and realized that she was back in the hotel room in Novera. It was probably mid-afternoon judging by the warm orange light outside. But why was she there?
"Gray…?" She called softly with a raspy voice while she shuffled off the bed as fast as her injured body allowed her to. "Gray?!" she called louder once her feet touched the floor.
She started to panic.
Hearing her voice, the person she had been desperate to see burst out of the bathroom with widened eyes. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt and some loose black pants. The towel he was using to dry his hands just slipped out of his hands as he stared at her.
His face burned with relief. She was finally awake.
He just wanted drop on his knees right there after feeling like he could finally breathe again.
And he nearly did.
"What are you doing?!" Gray quickly closed the distance between them while she had her hands reached out to him. He carefully pushed her back towards the bed. Karissa didn't even care that he was pushing her back, she just lifted her hands to gently touch his neck, her fingers gently tracing a line to make sure the skin was all smooth and unharmed.
Confused, Gray paused, his face turned a little warm from the sudden gesture, and stared at her after he sat her down. He didn't pull her hands away since her face looked a little nervous, almost scared.
"What's the matter?" he asked her.
"… I thought… I had um," she pulled away her trembling fingers awkwardly and looked apologetic. "I had a dream where your throat got… sliced."
His expression softened when he understood why she a little shaken up. He never saw her shaken up from a dream like this. The dream must have happened because of their experience in the forest. Still, having to hear how she dreamed about getting his throat sliced wasn't pleasant.
Gray heaved out a breath and just rubbed her arm to comfort her. "It was just a nightmare." She still nervously stared at him. "I'm fine."
Her gaze skittered away, she almost felt small. "It felt so real… I thought you were dead."
Silence fell between them since he had a hard time responding to that. If anyone thought that someone was dead, it was him.
Karissa noted how the hand on her arm had tightened a little.
His hand was bandaged.
Her eyes widened as she realized why it was wrapped in the first place.
The mind control.
One of them might have died that night.
But thankfully, Gray and Karissa were still together and alive.
"Gray, what happened?" she finally asked, staring at his hand as she gently reached for it. "I mean, how did I get here? Can you tell me what happened?"
I did this to him.
The black haired girl's eyebrows knitted when she brushed her thumb across his bandaged palm. She felt bad for giving him that injury. She didn't want to hurt him.
Gray frowned as she regretfully held his injured hand in hers. She also carried guilt for her actions that were done against her will.
Without pulling away, he pulled the chair behind him closer to the bed and sat in it. She was sitting on the edge of the bed in front of him, still holding his hand, looking at him with concern. Up close, she could see his dark eyes shadowed from lack of sleep. His left cheek also had a bandage patch.
Karissa had been unconscious for five days. She had three wounds: the stabbing wound in her shoulder, the slash on her left side, and the impalement located also near her left. The last one was the major wound since it nearly left her to bleed to death if it were not for Gray. She was able to receive treatment and a blood transfusion in Novera's hospital.
Honestly, it was a miracle that there was no severe damage after having the ice sword pulled out of her body. It was also a close call considering how much blood she lost. If he had come a minute or two later, she might not have survived.
The hospital allowed him to bring her back to the hotel once they deemed that her body was alright enough to be without their care. It was up to her body to finish the healing process. It was mostly thanks to Porlyusica who sent a healing potion for her with the reply letter that Makarov had sent when Gray informed him via letter why the two hadn't returned to the guild yet. It helped speed up the recovery process.
As for the traffickers, the military officer had informed him that they were found dead somewhere near the shore in the south. Gray had to accompany them to make sure they those were the ones who responsible since he remembered certain faces. Unfortunately, the leader of the group was nowhere to be found. That made Gray angry since the bastard was still roaming free.
"… What happened to the kids?" she finally asked after a moment of silence.
"They were able to get them home."
Karissa looked at him silently, specifically at the areas where she remembered she had wounded him. His hand, his shoulder, and his stomach that was hidden away because of his t-shirt.
"… Is your hand alright?" Karissa wondered with concern about the possible damage.
Gray flexed his hand for her to see. "It's not so bad." He shrugged. "It's mostly healed by now."
She blinked and then swallowed. Now seemed like a good time to apologize. Her hand released his and settled on her lap where she fisted it. "I'm sorry I did that to you. I'm sorry, Gray…"
"No." Gray shook his head, gritting his teeth. "I'm the one who should be saying sorry. I… didn't want to do this to you. It's my fault you nearly died back there."
His tone had notably raised. Karissa's shoulders jumped in surprise. "What? No! It's not your fault that I ended up like this!" she quickly shot back to try and erase the guilt he felt. "It's that guy's fault! It's… And I could have stopped you if I knocked you out… I just wasn't fast enough."
"No. It's not your fault." Gray laughed hollowly and looked at her with a face clouded with remorse. "I saw you. You broke out of the mind control and tried your best to snap me out of it. I heard you. I did. But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't gain control of myself. I just watched myself try to kill you— I almost did. Plus, I saw him fire that magic at us, but I was too slow to react. All of this could have been avoided if I reacted fast enough."
Gray looked away because he couldn't look at her without feeling pathetic.
"I couldn't protect you."
Karissa watched him clench both his hands tightly, he was angry with himself in addition to the guilt. The girl didn't know what to say, or more like she was hesitating on choosing the right words.
After a brief pause, the girl grabbed his hands and undid them gently. When they laid flat on his lap, she took his injured hand and sandwiched it in hers. "Hey, you're not weak. I know for a fact that you are very strong so I don't know what you're talking about. And look, I don't know how I broke free of that mind control. All I did was cry out helplessly while crying like a pathetic child, I don't think any of that contributed to breaking the spell. So, I don't think it's your fault if you couldn't break out of it."
"It doesn't change the fact that I was the one who ended up hurting you so badly." He told her sadly, his other hand holding one of her hands so that he could hold it the same way she did. Her hand was soft. He was glad her hands came out unscathed. They were important for her to draw.
He turned his head back to face her, his eyes solemn, and said, "I didn't want to hurt you. I never want to hurt you."
He sounded so hurt.
She bit her lip.
She understood his feelings because she felt undoubtedly the same.
Karissa sighed and looked at him seriously. "Yeah. Okay. But I will never blame you for that. Because I know you are the kind of person who would never harm his friends unless it was against your will." She did her best to give him a good smile. "If anything, I know you'd do anything to protect them. As long as I know how you truly feel, then I'll never hold it against you."
They held each other's gaze for a moment. Karissa's was daring him to argue with her while his was looking a little less sad.
Gray stared at her wordlessly, letting her words sink in.
"You're not to blame." Karissa spoke again, her voice softer. "And I don't want you blaming yourself."
No one is at fault.
Neither of them was willing to blame the other and neither was willing to let the other blame themselves. The raven haired guy shut his eyes, resigned.
What matters the most is that they were both still alive.
To her surprise, Gray just rested his forehead on her good shoulder after a moment of stillness, causing her to freeze up and shift her head to look at his raven hair. But she didn't say anything. She simply sat there, almost frightened to move and disrupt him.
He breathed out heavily through his nose.
He could never hurt a comrade.
But in the end, he still did the worst thing possible.
And the incident had done some damage to his confidence to protect.
However, he knew that he needed to fix that for his sake and others.
He had to come out stronger from this, only then would he fully forgive himself for bringing her harm.
The scars that Karissa would inevitably have to bear would serve as a constant reminder of his inner vow. If he forgot about it, then he would look at his hand or his reflection in the mirror where he would find his own scars to help him remember.
Her life was…
Suddenly, he slipped his hands away from hers and carefully wrapped his arms around her, surprising her once more, pulling her into him. He needed this right now. He needed to just feel her being alive. Flustered by his sudden embrace, Karissa's arms hovered in the air for a moment as she blinked dumbly. But when he just tightened around her a bit more, Karissa returned his hug with a small smile on her face.
It wasn't everyday Gray just gave out hugs.
Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
"You're the last person I want dying on me." Gray told to her, his eyes fixed on the window behind her. "So, you can't die, you got that?"
Karissa laughed lightly at that, enjoying his warmth. "Hey, no worries. I won't die that easily, I promise."
"I'll hold onto that promise." He told her softly.
She held him tighter. "And thanks for saving my life. If it weren't for your quick thinking, I wouldn't be here."
"There was no way I was going to let you die there—"
"Besides, you'd be a lost cause with me."
Gray huffed at her jest. "Okay, now you're just making shit up."
Her smile dropped and she looked a little solemn when he couldn't see. "Promise me the same. You won't die easily."
Sensing the unease in her voice, he moved his head to hide away his eyes from the window, throwing his sight in darkness as he rested his forehead on her shoulder once more. "I thought that was included in our last promise."
"Right…" Karissa realized with a small chuckle. "I guess I forgot."
"After making me do a pinky promise with you? You seriously forgot?"
"I'm kidding. I remember it clearly since it comes right after that little stunt of yours that pissed me off. But hey, I'm really sorry I stabbed you and stuff." Karissa told him, leaning her head back to look at him. "Your apology was a whole ass novel so at least let me express some regret."
He shifted his head to look at her and give her a frown. "To be fair, you suffered more damage. So, I think my novel apology is needed."
"Okay, I'll give you that."
Gray pulled away from her and looked at her for moment before asking, "Are you hungry? I can go and get you something to eat."
"Oh! Can I come with?" Karissa asked, eager to get some food in her system. "I wanna see what—"
Gray gave her a stern look, stopping her just before she could stand. "No. You're staying here."
Karissa kissed her teeth with an annoyed look. "Fiiine." She carefully shuffled back towards the center of the bed so she could lay down. "I want to drink water."
"Gotcha. I'll get you something you'll like, don't worry." Gray put on his shoes and then shot her look over his shoulder. "You better not move around too much."
"Oh, don't worry, I'm about to jump out of the window and do a backflip." She said sarcastically and she caught him shaking his head.
When Gray left the room, Karissa stared at the door for a few seconds before lazily looking up at the ceiling.
She raised her hand up and flexed her fingers.
"I'm still alive…" she whispered to herself, a little in disbelief, just before she dropped her arm back down on the bed. Recalling the moment before she passed out, she realized that she never thought that she was going to die. Her mind fell unconscious without giving her the time to feel the fear of death. It was scary to think how some people could face this: to fall asleep and not realize they were never going to wake.
It was also upsetting to think that Gray had to see her in that state.
Her dark brown eyes closed. The experience had done nothing but reinforce what she believed: life was precious. The value of life is what she recognized as important. Even if death was inevitable, she didn't want anyone she loved to die by a cruel hand because she at least wanted others to have a long life.
Her eyes opened.
She sighed.
Gray really needs to sleep. He looks terrible.
After munching on some greatly needed food, Karissa busied herself with her sketchbook, and she was drawing a sunflower while her friend was gone. He was out buying some food for the next few days so that they wouldn't have to keeping paying for a takeout meal. She let him take her wallet with him since she knew the whole point of coming out to Novera was to earn more money. She didn't mind spending her share.
Satisfied with her sketch, she looked up and observed the room quietly. Her eyes drifted to the kitchen nearby, watching the water drip from the faucet.
According to Gray, he moved his stuff to her room since his had a broken window. He was staying in hers while she was in the hospital.
Problem is, there was only one bed.
So…
Where the hell did you sleep? The floor? In those uncomfortable chairs?!
There isn't even a couch in this room!
Karissa sighed and dropped her sketchbook on the bed. "I really hope he didn't sleep on the floor while he's also still healing."
She jumped (and winced) when Gray came back inside the room, he surprised her.
"I got stuff." Gray held up the plastic bag as he entered the room. Karissa only hummed in response, picking up her sketchbook and stared at it thoughtfully.
"Hey, um, where did you sleep when I started using the bed?"
Gray looked at her and just pointed at the chair across the room with his thumb. It was chair across the bed, a typical wooden chair with an armrest. "There." He said, indifferent to Karissa's sudden impassive face. "Couldn't really sleep though with everything that happened."
"Gray, you could have asked for another room to stay in." she rubbed her forehead with her hand.
"Well, I didn't want to leave you alone." He told her, resuming his task.
Karissa scratched the back of her head, a little annoyed, but yet touched by his care. The black haired girl waited for him to finish putting the grocery away while she sketched another sunflower. When she looked back up, she found him going through his bag in only his pants since his shirt was just hanging on the counter.
From where she sat, she could see his bandaged shoulder and that one on his stomach. She still felt a bit of guilty for being the one who gave him those injuries even though she knew it wasn't her fault. She could still remember how she shoved that dagger into his shoulder, she didn't like remembering the feeling.
"Hey, uh, Gray."
"What?"
She awkwardly patted the bed. "Do you want to sleep on the bed this time? ... I'll scoot over to the edge."
Gray's face turned a little red at that. "What if you fall and hurt yourself while turning in your sleep?"
The two had shared a bed three times in a hotel with the intention of saving money since the ones they checked into were asking for a little too much than what they normally paid. Their little agreement on single beds was kept a secret in order to keep Gray from a gruesome end at the hands of Pandora Sinclost if things weren't properly explained. Pandora treated like her siblings almost like her children, so it's only natural that'd she feel protective over them.
But, Gray always felt just a little nervous whenever he had to share a bed with Karissa. Why? For the simple reason that they were opposite genders. That's all.
However, if it were anyone else, he would have flat out refused.
"Then bring me back to the hospital if I start bleeding or something." Karissa waved her hand dismissively. "I seriously don't want you sleeping in a chair. Plus, a bed will give you some good sleep," she pointed at his face with a scowl. "because you look freaking dead!"
The raven haired mage closed his eyes to think for a moment. Karissa knew Gray would much rather sleep on a bed than sleep in a chair. It was obviously more comfortable.
Karissa sighed dramatically. "Or I sleep on the floor."
This made Gray give her a look. "Shut up, no you won't."
"Wanna try me?" she tipped her head with a smirk.
"Karissa."
"Gray."
He deadpanned.
"I just need a pillow and my sweater as my blanket and I'll be a-okay." She made a move to get off the bed.
"Alright!" he threw his hands up. "I'll sleep on the bed."
Karissa snickered and settled down. "Smart choice."
Gray gave her an irked look as he crossed his arms. "You're messed up for using your condition as blackmail."
Karissa shrugged it off. "Call it tough-love."
…
The raven haired male had to admit, she was right, because not long after he lied down and nuzzled into his pillow, he fell asleep like a light and got his much needed sleep.
It took five more days for Karissa to feel much better. At first, she felt bad that she was practically trapping Gray with her, but he quickly brushed off her concerns and told her that it wasn't so bad. They weren't tied to the hip 24/7. There was interesting stuff to do and see in Novera.
Gray waited up on Karissa by the door with his hands in his pockets and his back against the wall. They had plans to eat outside since Karissa was getting pretty sick of being sedentary. Plus, she was going to use that opportunity to buy the markers she so desperately wanted.
They were leaving tomorrow so she might as well buy it now instead of waiting at the last minute.
Karissa popped up from around the corner with her hair tied back. She had given up on trying to keep it from looking so messy so she decided to tie it. When he watched her slip on her shoes, he saw her ears, that were usually covered by her long hair, and he was surprised.
"Your ears are pierced?" he peered closer. This was actually the first time he noticed it.
"Huh?" she looked up at him. Then she nodded. "I think my mom got them pierced when I was a kid." She held her earlobe with her index and thumb. She laughed lightly. "I remember screaming in the store because I was terrified of whatever they were using to poke a hole."
"Really?" Gray chortled and opened the door, walking out with her behind him. "Knowing you as a kid, you were probably trashing around so much."
"You bet I was."
…
…
…
Karissa leaned back against the wall near a café and watched the small family walk together. She was holding a bag with what she purchased inside behind her back. She was waiting on Gray after he told her that he would check out something in a nearby store. He just told her to wait somewhere when she was done since he wouldn't be long.
"Mommy, I want ice cream!"
"Okay, okay. How about we all get ice cream? Me, you and daddy?"
"Yeah!"
The little boy was holding each of his parents' hands with a huge smile on his face. It made her smile a little as she remembered the days when she used to do that with her own parents. The joy of being in the company of one's parents and feeling the unconditional love, it was a life that was long gone since it was washed away by the rain on that day.
She still remembered that fateful day when her parents disappeared. At that time, they had left her behind with her siblings in the rain, leaving them purely confused as they wandered back home.
Now that Karissa was older, she was able to reflect back on that day and realize how suspicious things were back at home. But she didn't want to believe it the conclusion she came to.
Because it made her feel… sad and insecure.
With the way they were acting before they disappeared…
Behind her back, her hands tightly gripped the handle of her bag.
She lowered her gaze to the pavement.
"Karissa, you okay?"
The said girl looked up at the owner of the voice, Gray, who had a hand in his pocket. She didn't even hear him approach her.
"Uh…" she straightened up. "Yep. I got the stuff I needed." She lifted her bag and wriggled it. "How about you?" she asked him, confused since he was supposed to be buying something yet she didn't see any proof of any purchase.
Gray pulled his hand out of his pocket and held out a small piece of paper.
Karissa blinked, her mind registering the sight in front of her.
"H… Huh?" she looked at him, confused. "Why?"
"A late birthday gift."
A pair of ice blue stud earrings attached to the small paper.
Karissa continued staring at him.
…
…
…
"HUH?"
"Did you hear me?"
"N-No, I mean yes! But, I mean… why now all of a sudden?"
Gray scrubbed the back of his head with his hand, urging her to take it, which she did, and started explaining. "Remember when you got me this?" he pointed at the cross necklace on his chest. She nodded dumbly. "I figured I should get you something since you went through the trouble of getting something for me."
Karissa stared at him. "Oh."
Gray grunted and shoved his hand in his pocket. "Also, Loke wouldn't shut up about me not getting you anything in return since gifts are essentially used for showing appreciation. And after all the hell that happened, I figured now would be a good time."
After all that happened, it was obviously clear how much the two cared for each other but he still went through the trouble.
That's…
Karissa put a hand on her chest and gave him an exaggerated touched expression. "D'aww, you appreciate me?" she put a hand on his arm. "How cute." she cooed.
Gray deadpanned at her tone and she only laughed at his reaction.
"I didn't think Gray Fullbuster appreciated me at all! Like damn!"
"Alright, alright." He started walking past her. With a snicker, she linked her arm with his just in time as he passed by so that he could practically drag her along with him, then she released him once she faced the same direction.
Karissa examined the earrings closely. She found the ice blue colour so pretty, especially when it glittered with the sunlight. She didn't wear much jewelry because she thought it was distracting and she feared losing them on a job if she wore any. She always wondered how Erza could wear her earrings without thinking that they could get damaged.
But these earring studs… I don't think I could lose them.
Karissa nicely tucked the small paper into her right pocket. "But you know, you didn't have to get me this just because someone told you to."
He arched a brow at her. "Since when do I let people tell me what to do?"
"Erza." Karissa smirked.
He sweat dropped. "That's different. This is your gift so, of course, this was my decision."
How nice of him.
The black haired girl put her hands behind her back and smiled a little. "Well, thank you for the late birthday gift, Gray."
Gray looked at her as they kept on walking in the street. "So, what exactly did you buy from the store? Just markers?" he asked, pretty curious about why she was so set on getting them.
Karissa smiled and brought the bag in front of her so she could bring out the package. "They're alcohol based markers! They dry pretty fast compared to regular store markers and there aren't any marks from when you colour over something." She explained to him while doing drawing motions with her hands. "So if were to draw let's saaay…" she looked around and spotted a flower shop in front of them.
She pointed at the blue orchids that were neatly displayed.
"Those flowers over there. See how the blue is lighter or darker on some parts? I can draw an orchid and colour it to look just like that. It would look all smooth!" Then she had awe in her eyes when they got closer to them. "It's such a nice colour… Maybe I'll draw some orchids when I get the chance."
"Will I get to see them when you finish?" he wondered curiously and she glanced up at him with a knowing look.
"Don't you always? You always end up going through my sketchbook whenever you get the chance." she told him with a slight miff since he got to see some of her inadequate ones. She was wondering if she should rip them out.
Gray could only laugh at that as he shrugged his shoulders. "I like seeing your drawings." he proclaimed. "It's nice to see how much you progress."
This brought a small smile on her face.
"Sometimes it's a little cringey to look back and see them though." Karissa admitted with a sheepish look. "But it does bring some sort of satisfaction to know how much I progress."
Gray's lips curved upwards as he watched her. He liked the way she got a little more animated when she talked about drawing. It was nice to see compared to her quiet self. Perhaps, in another life, she might have become a full time artist or illustrator.
But in this life, she was enjoying being a mage that put her drawing skills to good use when it was required.
That life could have been easily lost if she didn't survive. The person at his side would have never walked next to him again if she died. Just thinking about that possibility brought him back to that night.
He recalled the despair he nearly plunged into when he thought she was lying lifelessly in a pool of her own blood. That feeling alone was something that he never wanted to experience again.
It just hit him. Until now, he never actually realized just how much she meant to him until her nearly lost her. He knew he cared a great deal for her, but he just wasn't aware that it was more than what he believed.
Or maybe he did know, and he was forced to clearly see it now.
Her life was precious to him.
A DAY LATER
…
…
…
The two ice mages finally made it back home after spending what felt like an eternity in Novera.
"Holy crap! Karissa!"
"Oh, hey CaNAA— oof!" The black haired girl stumbled a little from the sudden hug from the brown haired girl while Gray held a hand behind her just in case.
The brunette pulled away and held her shoulders. "I heard about what happened! How are you feeling?"
"Alright. I don't feel any pain when I stretched my body." Karissa shrugged nonchalantly.
"I hope you didn't let her do anything reckless while she healed." Cana told Gray who was standing behind her.
He only laughed and gave his best friend a pat on the shoulder. "Kept her on a tight leash." Gray replied with a smirk.
"Oh, shut up. I listened to you!" Karissa socked him in the arm.
The rest of Team Natsu as well as Karissa's siblings went over to greet the two who finally returned from their job. Karissa ended up slamming her face into Erza's armour when the scarlet haired wizard gave her a one arm hug.
"I'm glad to see you're okay." Lucy smiled at her in relief. "We were worried about you."
Timidly, Karissa smiled back as she lightly rubbed her stinging cheek. "Sorry about that."
"I'm glad you're safe." Pandora hugged her.
"Ugh, gross." Natsu pinched his nose after catching a whiff of Karissa's scent. "You smell like the stripper!"
Gray's eye twitched. "Oi..."
"That's the first thing you say to her?" Happy gave Natsu a tired look.
"Well, she does!" Natsu crossed his arms. Then he grinned widely. "Glad you made it back alright though!"
"I'm glad to be back." Karissa grinned back at him.
While Karissa was occupied with the others who were crowding around her, Gray noticed Van standing away from the crowd. His face looked unreadable as he stared at his younger sister, almost in a daze. There was no hint of relief on his face nor upset. He didn't make a move to join the crowd.
Gray raised a brow at that behaviour. It was odd to see him like that. He expected him to be hugging his sister by now much like his older sister.
As if he sensed Gray's eyes on him, the middle child of the Sinclost family blinked with a jump and whipped his head to look at Gray in surprise. Still odd. Van's face immediately brightened up, a wide smile on his face, and approached Gray with a wave, completely contrasting his behaviour from a mere seconds ago. approached Gray with a wave, completely contrasting his behaviour from a mere second ago.
"Gray, thanks for taking care of my sister." The older brother thanked him with a pat on his shoulder. "Knowing you were there for her really put me at ease."
"Uh- yeah. Anyone would have done the same."
With a thankful smile, Van swiveled around and made his way through the small crowd to affectionately hug his little sister, leaving Gray to his own puzzled thoughts.
...
...
...
"What's wrong?"
Karissa's head perked up when she saw Mirajane leaning on the counter in front of her. She was wondering why the ice mage had her hand stuck inside her shirt and staring into space. The youngest Sinclost pulled out her hand and just answered that she was brushing her fingers against the new scar on her body, the one that nearly killed her.
"It really is unfortunate that you two went through that." Mirajane said with a sympathetic look. "Magic can really be terrible sometimes."
The black haired girl just sighed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah..." she rolled her shoulders back, there wasn't any pain anymore.
Then Mirajane leaned a little closer, "That reminds me, how was your time with Gray?"
"I thought everyone already knew what happened." Karissa tilted her head in confusion but she had an idea where this conversation was driving towards. She just wanted to try her luck playing dumb.
"Not that, silly." Mirajane lightly poked her forehead. "I'm taking about how you two were stuck with each other for several days. He took care of you after saving your life, right?"
"Yeaaah." Karissa answered slowly. "Why?"
Mirajane smiled cheerfully and peered at the other ice mage who was sitting somewhere in the guild. "I told you Gray would make sure you'd stay alive. But aw, I could just imagine him being there taking care of you and feeding you. That's so sweet!" she almost squealed.
"Mira." Karissa snapped her out of her imagination with a flat tone. "I was injured, not disabled. I ate by myself."
"But he still took good care of you, right?"
The female ice mage only nodded in response as she took a piece of candy from out of her pocket and plopped it into her mouth. Then she looked at Mirajane with a suspicious look. "Are you about to say that Gray and I make a cute couple again?"
"You do!" Mirajane exclaimed without hesitation. "You guys are so close and you care so much about each other! You also feel more at ease when you're with him, and I can see that he's the same with you! You know, I think Gray might have a thing for you." the bartender gave her a wink.
Karissa made the most exaggerated and comical confused face as she slowly tipped her head to the side. "Huuuuh?"
"Don't you feel anything for him? Don't you find him attractive?"
Karissa grabbed her head with one hand and stared at the wooden counter like she was suffering. "What is happening right now?"
Mirajane poked her arm with a grin. "Come on, it's an easy answer. Yes or no."
With a sigh, Karissa turned her chair so that she could look at Gray from a far. He was sitting with Elfman and Juvia. Mirajane observed her quietly with a silent smile. After a few seconds, Karissa turned back around to face Mirajane with a pout. "Okay, I'm not stupid, and you'd have to be stupid to think that Gray is ugly."
"In other words, you think he's good looking~"
"Well, yeah, I mean, look at him! Even I can see that puberty was nice to him. I know when someone is good looking."
This made the older mage giggle happily. Aside from her older brother, Karissa had never admitted to thinking that she found someone good looking. So, this was the first time that Mirajane was hearing Karissa admit such a thing. Somehow, it filled her with a excitement to know that she was able to get that information out of her.
"And you're a pretty girl, so he might think the same!" she placed a curious hand on her cheek.
"Mira, please... you're killing me." the younger girl moaned in despair. "Why do you have to keep torturing me like this?"
"Now you're just being silly." Mirajane straightened up with a wave of her hand.
The black haired girl heaved out a sigh and crossed her legs underneath the counter. "I don't have any experience with love to understand if I have feelings for someone." Karissa casually said with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulders with her hands. It was the truth. But then her eyes blinked when she remembered something from the past which caused her to grimace and flush in embarrassment, something that didn't go unnoticed by the lovely bartender.
"Oh? What's this? Your face is saying something else."
"... Okay, maybe what I said isn't true." Karissa rubbed her cheeks hard with furrowed eyebrows. "But I don't want to go into detail... Every time I remember it, I just wanna punch my past self."
"Oh, my. I'm guessing it was a childhood sweetheart?"
"Yeah..."
Mirajane giggled and patted Karissa's head when she pinched the bridge of her nose with a mortified expression.
And this small little Arc is over! Just in case, let's call this the Mind Control Arc for future referencing.
This chapter turned out different than what I imagined but thankfully it went well.
Anyway! We move on to the Battle of Fairy Tail Arc in the next chapter! That whole Arc might be a chapter (or two).