The stay in Canean was interesting.
Gray, being the only expert out of the two, suggested they eat at some barbecue restaurant for lunch after disembarking. It was an all they can eat type of restaurant. There was no way Karissa was not going to eat until she felt drowsy. Gray was no better since he had to sit down on a bench outside just to digest everything. Karissa nearly fell asleep while they took their respite.
Afterwards, Karissa decided to use her reward money to just spoil herself and buy some stuff she thought was nice such as sketchbooks and paints. She bought the latter since she was getting interested in painting stuff even though she was just a neophyte at it. Gray wandered off and did his own thing and they met up near the central plaza. She ate some ice cream while waiting and took her time to admire the sights.
Canean was really a nice town. It was a nice sight for the eyes and she couldn't help but envy those who lived there. She found out that Canean was also called the town of Beginnings and Ends since many people meet up for either business or showcase projects and art exhibitions.
They spent almost the whole day outside.
They were too busy waiting for the night to come so that they could see the night skies that was tinted in various colours because of the lacrima clime.
That was their mistake.
…
…
…
Gray blinked several times. "C-Come again?" he finally spoke.
The staff behind the desk smiled politely. "I'm sorry. That's really the only room available tonight."
Karissa glanced at Gray who turned around and walked a few steps away, holding his face in his hand. She could see the tip of his ears turning red. Compared to her, he was a little more explicit in how he felt. Sure, she internally freaked out and snapped her head towards him when the staff revealed what kind of room they had left, but she had to remember and think logically about the issue.
She had no desire to sleep outside on her birthday either.
"Is he alright?" the staff wondered.
"… Um, give him a moment."
"Gray," she waved her hand in a blasé manner. "Let's just take it, alright?"
Gray ran his hand across his face and exhaled through his nose when she approached him. "A honeymoon suite?"
Karissa put her hands in her sweater's pockets, rocking on the heels of her shoes. "It's not like it's the first time we'll be sharing a room, remember that. Besides, we aren't touching each other like that, we just need to sleep." She tried the rational approach. "Don't worry, I'm not Juvia. I'm not going to jump you in your sleep." She joked with a laugh. "I literally just want to knock out after today. I don't want to sleep outside."
"You're seriously too rational about this." Gray sighed.
"What?" she squinted her eyes, confused. "Would you rather I get all flustered and panic when I know nothing is going to happen?"
Upon hearing her say that, Gray narrowed his dark blue eyes at her. He straightened up and looked at her seriously while she stared him indifferently. He wanted to say something but his mouth wouldn't open, chains reining his words deep down his esophagus.
He looked away. "Fine."
"Alright." Karissa spun around her heel and went over to pay for their rooms while Gray stared at her back.
She decided to keep the receipt tucked away in her pocket, away from his eyes, so he wouldn't see more proof of what suite they were in. She didn't even let him pay for the room either much to his annoyance.
When they arrived inside the room, they were a little surprised by what they saw but not shocked. Flower petals scattered on the bed with two swans and lamps lit up with lacrima coloured to room to set the mood. Other than the obvious signs of romantic setting, the room was fairly nice.
To make Gray feel less awkward, she slammed the balcony door open and proceeded to toss the flower petals outside before going back inside and detaching all the lacrimas setting the mood except for two since they could use a night lamp.
Gray let her use the shower first to get ready for bed since she could be quite slow. He didn't mind waiting. When she was done, he plucked out some night clothes that he would most likely strip off later during the night.
Karissa dropped her bag on the floor and peeked at the windows once the water started running again. Their room had large windows and it was on one of the top floors of the hotel, giving them a perfect view of the town below. The lacrimas that were still going to remain active looked dazzling in the night.
"Cool…" Karissa placed her hand on the glass, peering down below.
…
…
…
A sigh was drowned out by the running water in the shower. The shower of the honeymoon suite was the glass type so he could see his reflection if he turned towards the mirror in front of the sink behind him.
His forehead was planted on the cool tile and his hands were hanging limply at his side.
This setting is really not helping me calm down.
He was feeling unsettled with the current arrangement. It was the first time sharing a room with her after he came to terms with how he felt about her, and this current predicament was not helping his mental that was deviating. He almost felt like bashing his head against the tile to put a stop to everything.
Gray clicked his tongue. "Get a grip, stupid. Stop blushing!"
He fumbled to turn the water freezing cold.
He forced himself off the tile and finished his shower so he could just crash and sleep. After he finished towel drying his hair, he exited the bathroom with the towel around his neck, and he nearly tripped when he saw her with her back facing him and removing the sweater she was wearing, causing the back of her shirt to rise up, gradually exposing her back.
Panicked, his eyes darted around and he hurriedly slammed the bathroom door closed to announce his presence. It worked. She hurriedly removed the sweater and straightened up while pulling down her shirt.
"Oh hey." Karissa nonchalantly greeted him while turning to face him, completely ignorant to his panic a few seconds ago. Gray watched her fold the sweater and pluck out a comfier one from her bag. She must have disliked the way it felt, not comfy enough for the night.
He walked over to her to grab his bag he dropped near the foot of the bed. "I'll sleep on the couch for tonight, alright?" he said while using his foot to slide his bag across the spotless floor.
Confused, Karissa tipped her head. "You don't want to sleep on the bed? Look how huge it is. Plus, it's super comfy."
"As tempting as it is, I think I'll have to pass." If the bed was comfy then the couch might be just as good anyway.
"You sure you don't want to share the bed?"
"Look, I know we've known each other for a long time, but you can at least pretend to know I'm a man too. You should really be careful around men… even the most composed ones can do a 180 given the circumstances."
Karissa averted her eyes away from him when he turned to look at her, she puffed one cheek. "You think I don't know that? Pandora and Van tell me that all the time. I just make you an exception because I trust you."
The taller one sighed and scrubbed the back of his head with another sigh. She really was too lax around him. "Just take the bed. It's your birthday anyway."
She furrowed her brows. Quietly, she watched him set up his little bed with a small frown. He didn't seem upset. Maybe he was really just being considerate...
… But why do I feel disappointed?
"Okay."
They didn't waste any time to get settled for bed since it was already late.
Just when Gray thought he'd be fine, he could feel his heart making a ruckus when he could hear her breathing on the other side. He gripped the side of his pillow to calm himself down.
As for Karissa, she also needed to calm down and reassure herself that nothing would happen. It just wasn't possible. Gray wasn't the type of person who would do something bold to someone in their sleep. She just needed to shut off her mind and sleep.
Fortunately or unfortunately, they were able to get some sleep after almost an hour of noisy thoughts.
...
...
...
Karissa was woken up the next day by Gray who repeatedly patted her cheek in an annoying manner since she wouldn't wake up when he tried a gentler approach.
They needed to catch a train.
Gray frowned when he saw her snuggle into her pillow while pulling up the covers up to her neck. With a huff, he proceeded to rip the covers off her, revealing her a fetal position. He saw her scowl and bring her knees higher to try and conserve the warmth to lull her to sleep once more.
"Get up you lazy idiot." Gray picked up his pillow and dropped it on her head. She whined about how he was being mean to her. "It's not your birthday anymore. You don't get the royal wake up treatment."
"… If I keep my eyes closed, it's not the next day."
Gray deadpanned. This...
He latched his hands on her ankles, making her head spring up in alert. He then dragged her body across the sheets to the end of the bed, ignoring the way she squealed and kicked while trying to latch onto the side of the bed. But her drowsy self just gave up and let him pull her off the bed and set her on the floor, looking down at her smugly.
"Mean." Karissa whined and frowned when he lightly bonked her head.
"Shut up and get dressed."
"'kaaay." She yawned into her sleeve.
Karissa and Gray returned to Magnolia around 9 AM. They just decided to head straight home to get some more rest instead of heading to the guild. When Karissa came home, Van was lying on the couch in the living room reading a book and drinking a soda.
"Oh, hey. Welcome home." he flashed her a smile.
"Mhmm. Hi."
"Had fun?" he turned a page.
"Yep. We stopped by Canean and I bought some stuff." Karissa lifted her bag to show her brother who just hummed in response.
"By the way, we bought you a cake and it's in the fridge. We'll eat it later at dinner." Van told her as she started going up the stairs lazily. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks~"
She didn't notice a piece of paper flying out of her pocket after she took her hand out of it. Van lifted a brow and put the book down. He didn't bother calling after her since he figured she just wanted to crash in her bed, so he went over to pick it up and check what it was on his way to her room.
His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Next thing he knew he was flying up the stairs.
Karissa had only set her bag down when he slammed the door open with a shout of her name, prompting her to jump in fright and hold her arms up in defense. He slammed the door shut while looking at her in utter confusion mixed with disbelief.
"What the hell, Van?!"
"Did you sleep with Gray?!"
Blinking, she stared at her brother. "What?!"
He waved the receipt she dropped in the air. Her eyes followed the paper as a frown began appearing on her face. Right. She forgot to throw it out.
Great…
"Did you?!"
"NO!" Karissa barked and snatched the receipt from him and shoved it in her pocket. "The honeymoon suite was the only room left in the only open hotel at that time! I'm not going to sleep on a bench on my birthday!"
"But you still slept with him, same bed and all?!"
"N—"
Her door opened when Pandora poked her head inside the room, looking at them curiously. "I heard Van screaming from the bathroom… what's happening in here?"
Van and Karissa stiffened under the suspicious-like gaze of their pseudo mother. Either Van was going to rat her out and make the situation worse or he was going to hide the truth by lying. Karissa sincerely hoped that he chose to show her mercy by the way he was biting his lip, looking like he was restraining himself from spilling what he just found out.
Pandora blinked at them.
Van finally decided to talk. "She went to Canean... y'know that nice place? I'm just jealous that she saw an art exhibition that I was interested in."
Pandora quirked up an eyebrow. "Since when are you interested in artwork?"
"… Ever since Karissa decided she wanted to try painting… I wanted to know more about it."
"…"
"Yeah."
Pandora gave them one more look before closing her door, but then she opened it again and marched into the room to give Karissa a bearhug.
"Happy belated birthday!"
"T-Thanks…!"
Van stood behind Pandora while giving his little sister a stern look that basically translated that they were going to have a talk.
…
…
…
They had to escape to the park for Karissa to freely talk without fearing Pandora eavesdropping. Van was very persistent to know the details of what happened as if it would put him in her memories to personally witness everything from her perspective. And even when she reassured him that nothing happened and that the closest thing Gray did to touching her body was literally yanking her off the bed to wake her up, he still looked panicked. He didn't even sleep in the same awesome bed as her for goodness sake!
So, she told him another piece of information.
Karissa stared at her older brother in a blasé manner while munching on a cookie he bought her.
"Not the first time…?"
"Nope."
"Four times in total?"
"Pretty much."
"And he hasn't touched you?" Van patted his body.
Karissa rolled her eyes. "No. What, do you want us to look for a magic that can detect whether or not I still retain my virginity? Like geez, enough already. What do you take me for?!"
Van crossed his arms and leaned back on the bench. "Look, I'm just making sure. You should be glad Pandora isn't the person interrogating you right now or else Gray Fullbuster would be a dead man."
"Don't I know that."
Gray sat down with Cana at the counter. A minute ago, he was sitting with Juvia, who came to join him after Elfman got up from his seat, and began chatting about her job and how dashing he looked when she saw him in the cruise. She kept saying how she wished she was on the cruise trip with him. That made her scold him for being there after clearly following them, but she was quick to say that she couldn't let Karissa try something sketchy and give Gray a hard time when they were supposed to be working, showing clearly protectiveness over him. She was really obsessed with him.
Their conversation was cut short when Master Makarov called her over, giving him the chance to just head to the counter and get something to drink.
He was making light conversation with his old friend as he drank his water every now and then.
"Hey, Gray, let me ask you something." Cana put down her drink and leaned on the counter and twisted her body to look at him properly. He arched a brow and turned his head to look at her too.
"What's up?"
"Do you like Karissa?"
Gray's hand stiffened around his glass. 'Like' was a poor choice of word to compare what he felt. Cana was no aware of his feelings too? God, he should really be more careful around the older guild members…
He turned away from Cana when he could feel himself blushing. That alone was a good enough answer for Cana.
The brunette smiled at her dark haired friend who returned his gaze to his glass.
"Don't worry, it's not so easy to tell. You both are sort of the same when it comes to how you feel." Cana mused with a light chuckle.
Gray looked at her with a frown on his face. He's aware of that which is why he's had the guts to be a bit bolder with his feelings, just a bit.
"Why not tell her how you feel?"
"It's a little hard to gauge how she feels since she's pretty secretive when it comes to how she feels…" Gray finally spoke, rubbing his nape. He glanced to the side and spotted Mirajane talking with Levy and Lucy. He's hoping that she doesn't pass by and listen to their conversation.
"True." Cana sighed and rested her cheek in her palm. "That's one thing I hate about her."
"But that's one of her strengths because she's able to stay strong until it's time to let it out." Gray admitted. It's true that it could be annoying, but he couldn't help but admire her ability to remain focused on the task much like how she did during the Oración Seis. Having Clavis on her mind would most definitely distract her, but she managed to keep it out of her mind for a time. For certain people, it was hard to remain focused like that.
"I don't know if she feels the same." Gray sighed and stared at his water. He stared at his reflection and couldn't help but dislike how troubled he looked over it. That night on the cruise where it he had her to himself, he didn't know if he should dare and try to read into her words and actions only to be disappointed. Honestly, he felt like it could be possible that she might feel something too. It was a little hunch.
"Well, you won't know unless you tell her that's for sure. Go ahead and confess. There's no harm in doing it."
Should he?
Was it too soon?
He narrowed his eyes at the water.
He always thought that a man should say what he's feeling instead of hiding it. So, why should he be an exception?
Maybe he should tell her instead of trying to figure her out.
Yeah.
But…
"Not now." Gray lifted the glass and gulped down all the water as if he was drinking up his courage. He slammed it down on the counter and looked ahead. "For now, I have something else to focus on."
It was almost time for the S-Class Exam. As much as telling her how he felt was important, becoming an S-Class mage was also something just as important to him. He wanted to focus on that first before doing anything else.
He swore to himself that once it was all over, he would do it.
"Well, would you look at that."
Karissa looked up from the counter where she was drawing in her sketchbook. She found Wakaba and Macao walking towards her. She was currently managing the Souvenir Shop for Max since he was out on a job. He was one of those doing so many jobs to get the Master's attention for the S-Class Exam.
She didn't see the point in taking on so many when it was right around the corner. It would be foolish for the Master to choose candidates based on their performance now instead of all year round.
Wakaba leaned on the counter and moved away his pipe out of courtesy for Karissa who detested the smell. "A few years ago, I never thought I'd see you managing the store." He said with a grin, thinking about all the times she shrank away because of her anxiety.
Macao reached and ruffled her hair with a laugh. "Feels like just yesterday when you were a new member of Fairy Tail."
Karissa smirked in amusement and then smiled like a fox when she cocked her head. "And now I'm an adult. Doesn't it make you feel old?"
The two older men both let out sighs at that. Yeah, they definitely got older, an undeniable truth. Why did she need to remind them?
"Geez, and you used to be much cuter when you were a kid." Wakaba scowled, poking her forehead. "Now you can be mean."
"Why, thank you."
All of a sudden, the makeshift roof of the store loudly slammed close, frightening both sides. Karissa almost fell from how she tripped over her own feet when backing away. Macao and Wakaba were left confused outside, wondering what just happened. Then, the roof started being pushed up by Karissa who looked at them with an annoyed face after.
"It's been closing since the screws are loose." Karissa explained as she kept pushing it up until she heard a 'click'. She lowered her arm and groaned about how she warned Max about it but he still didn't fix it.
Macao and Wakaba didn't stay long since they were off to meet a friend in town, leaving Karissa with her sketchbook. It became quiet again with the occasional chatter she could hear as people passed by, as well as some leaves rustling in the wind. As she sketch, her mind wandered to Clavis. She was raking out the memory of the way she held his hand when she was a child.
A hand of a toddler holding onto hers warmly.
I wonder what the magic council is taking so long to give an answer…
Karissa huffed. "Maybe they just don't care…" she murmured in annoyance.
When she saw something in her peripheral vision, she lifted her head when she thought it was a customer. She was about to straighten up and get ready until she saw who was coming to the shop.
Juvia Lockser. The blue haired mage was approaching, her hands fidgeting together, as she looked at the items at the store. Was she here to buy something? Karissa certainly didn't say anything to greet her and just went back to drawing when Juvia stopped and glanced at the figurines. The ice mage had an idea of what this girl wanted to buy from the store. Not even a second later, figurines, posters and a key charm was placed in front of her. She glanced up and found Juvia beaming at her.
She looked at the items.
It was all Gray.
Oh… my god. This is weird.
She's really obsessed with him.
Creepy.
She had literally snagged whatever was Gray related.
The water woman then pulled out her wallet. "Juvia would like to buy all of these."
Indifferently, Karissa just stared at the items and mentally did the math quietly before asking for the fee. Juvia eagerly thrusted the money towards her. Karissa plucked the money from her hands and put them in the cash before reaching below the counter to pull out a bag to put the things inside. As she calmly put the items inside, she heard Juvia say her name.
Her dark brown eyes looked at the water mage, silently replying.
"What did you and Gray-sama do when Juvia left for her job?"
Karissa impassively stared at her.
I don't think it's any of your business.
"Why?"
Juvia pursed her lips. "Juvia just wants to know because it concerns her darling Gray-sama."
Her darling Gray-sama? Man. That made her want to give her the most 'what-the-fuck' face she could pull.
And frankly, it was really none of Juvia's business. She didn't want to share her precious memory with her.
"But I don't need to tell you." Karissa said flatly. The tone she might have used might have been rude, but she didn't really care. Why the hell did Juvia need to know what she and Gray did with their time? She wasn't supposed to be following them in the first place. "I don't owe you anything."
Juvia looked incredibly jealous as if Karissa just insinuated that she had a tryst with him on the cruise. She took the bag that Karissa nonchalantly held out to her and stood tall.
"Karissa-san may have won this round, but Juvia will remind you again that she will come out on top. Juvia knows that you and Gray-sama are childhood friends so she knows that Gray-sama may have been acting nice because of their history." Karissa narrowed her eyes at her. "But Juvia will still win because she is determined to win his heart!"
A click of tongue. Why did she always say that?
Karissa almost looked like she was glaring when she stared at Juvia. It wasn't her intention to look like that though.
"You don't even know him." Karissa pointed out flatly. "You don't even know what scares him the most and what he strives to become. You still don't know and understand things about him. At least I can understand him. Can you really love a person without completely understanding them?"
The words that came out of her mouth were almost automatic and rapid fired. It was a question she was also genuinely curious about. She surprised even herself when it came out. Even if she never loved anyone other than Lyon, she knew that someone had to at least know the other person to some degree to truly fall in love with someone. Otherwise, people were just making up and projecting their fantasies. That's what she thought at least.
Her words seemed to have struck something in Juvia because the blue mage just stared at her after opening her mouth to say something. Nothing came out. She just held her breath, and then bit her lip and fisted her hands. "Juvia may not know all of that, but Juvia is certain she will get to know more about Gray-sama in due time. She wants to. So, yes, Juvia can still love him. And if Juvia continues to love Gray-sama with all her heart, Gray-sama will open his heart to Juvia as well."
Karissa scratched the back of her head, unsatisfied with her answer. Was this also what Juvia would like to refer to as 'the power of love'? Nonsense. Illogical.
Juvia steeled herself and pointed at Karissa. "Love rival, don't think that you have the upper hand on Juvia because of you know much more about Gray-sama. Don't you know? The childhood friend never wins!" she said with a smirk before bolting off somewhere that Karissa could care less about.
"Weirdo." She exhaled an annoyed sigh.
I can't believe all of that came out of my mouth though… That was way too bold.
I think that's jealousy acting up though. I should rein it in.
Juvia was like a foreign entity.
She was someone Karissa couldn't begin to understand when it came to showing their feelings towards another. Surely being obsessive like Juvia wasn't a healthy version of being in love. Didn't she realize that following someone around to keep tabs on the person they loved or to watch the person that may have potential interest in the same person was weird as fuck? It was creepy.
Her obsession with her friend just made every girl seem like an enemy. Why did she have to look at almost every girl like they were the biggest threat when they didn't even look at Gray in that way? Lucy didn't like Gray but found herself being Juvia's rival. That rivalry was completely one sided.
That couldn't be love, right?
Karissa ran her fingers through her hair. "It's weird."
If it were me… I'd hate it if someone followed and insisted on being around me because they liked me. Thank god the last person who liked me didn't do anything like that.
Pandora would have obliterated him.
Gray and Van would most likely do something as well.
After Juvia, there was a few townspeople who dropped by to buy some things in the last two hours. She was currently leaning on the counter after making herself an ice chair to sit on. Standing felt like such a chore. She was hungry too. Should she just abandon the shop real quick and run home to grab her wallet to grab herself a sandwich or just bear with it? She didn't know. But being lazy seemed like a much easier route.
Her stomach made more of the rumbly sounds.
She was debating whether or not she should just sleep away in the shop now…
Her dark brown eyes stared at Erza's figurine at the end of the counter, her eyes were beginning to flutter shut.
She was tired of just sitting at the shop. Clearly, customer service wasn't her forte.
"Hey."
She had a slow reaction.
Tiredly, she turned her head and found Gray standing in front of her with a shoulder bag with no shirt on. Much like everyone else, he was also running in and out of the guild with all the jobs he took to impress the Master. His hair looked quite disheveled.
"Hi." She droned.
With a small laugh, he reached for her head and patted it. "Max just gave you his job, huh?" He was on his way out of the guild when he spotted her sitting at the Souvenir Shop. He already knew what she was doing there since he passed by Max who was on his way out of town for a job.
She closed her eyes when the pat felt nice enough to sleep to. "Pretty much. It's so boring. I don't know how Max can do this all day." She let said with a pouting voice.
He put his hands in his pockets. "Why don't you go on some jobs since the S-Class Exam is coming up soon? Didn't you say that you wanted to become an S-Class because it pissed you off that you failed?"
"You mean 'we'?" Karissa looked up at him with a lifted eyebrow.
Last year's S-Class Exam allowed the chosen candidates to choose a partner that could also potentially become an S-Class Exam if they did just as well. Karissa was chosen and she chose Gray as her partner. But unfortunately, they failed during the second test because her sister was no pushover. Gray was literally screaming for his life when Pandora came at them like a feral animal. Their fight against her ended up with them unconscious.
Gray sighed a self-deprecating smile and shrugged. "Yeah well… I'll admit I wasn't strong enough for it back then. But this year," he punched his palm with a wide smirk. "I'm ready to prove that I've gotten stronger and worthy of the title S-Class!"
She smiled at his determination. "To become the best you can be?"
He nodded. "That's right."
She hummed and straightened up roll her shoulders back and cracking her back. "Well, if I end up as your opponent, I won't be going easy on you. As you already know, I also want to become S-Class even though I'm not so enthusiastic as Natsu."
"Yeah? I won't go easy on you either."
"Good to know. But I'm pretty sure I could wipe the floor with you." She grinned haughtily, prideful in her abilities.
He scoffed. "Keep dreaming." He leaned on the counter and smirked at her. "Don't think just because you use two kinds of magic that you have the upper hand."
Her stomach growled again.
They blinked at each other.
Karissa sighed.
Gray let out a breathy chuckle when she just folded her arms and rested her chin on them. He adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "You wanna eat?"
Karissa peeked up at him with a frown, looking pathetically hungry. "I was too lazy to eat. And even if I wanted to eat, I don't even have money… maybe I should just steal money from the cash and replace it later…"
"You idiot. Eat. Don't starve." Gray flicked her forehead which earned him a bat on the hand. It reminded her of Loke telling her to eat just before he disappeared from Fairy Tail. "But I have money." Gray patted his back pocket where his wallet was. "If you forgot, I've been going on jobs non-stop today."
She looked at him curiously. "You'll treat me?"
He crossed his arms. "You don't want me to?"
Temporarily rejuvenated, she sprang her head up and looked at him seriously. "I want!"
"Maybe you just hang around me because I get to pay for meals…"
"Shut up, you know that's not true!" Karissa poked his arm. "That's just a bonus."
Gray waved his hand dismissively in a nonchalant manner and then motioned at the roof. "Just close up and come out here so we can go."
She didn't even need to be told twice. Her body shot up from her seat before reaching down and picking up the ice chair to pitch it over the counter, startling Gray, and watched it shatter into a million pieces once it fell on concrete. No big deal. It would melt in the sun anyway.
"That could have hit me by the way!" he commented quickly. She pressed her lips together to conceal a giggle that threatened to slip past her lips when he saw her look with shock and disapproval.
"Oh please. I'm not careless enough to throw an ice chair at your face." She slammed her fist on a beam which forced the already loose roof to slam shut, startling Gray once again. He looked at the roof, wondering what just happened. She locked it and threw all her things in her bag before coming out of the store while brushing her clothes.
With a bounce in her step, she jumped into the spot next to him and smiled eagerly. He chuckled and shook his head at how fast she came to his side like if it was the most natural thing and then turned to lead the way.
"What are you in the mood for?" Karissa asked him while adjusting her bag.
"I'm actually craving food from Arkus."
"Blue Moon street?"
"Yeah." He looked at her. "That okay with you?"
She nodded with a quick hum. Where they would eat didn't matter to her at all since all she wanted was to shove food down her throat to stop her stomach from complaining. Arkus was one of those small restaurants that served food worthy of being rated as five star. It was just that good. She brought him to Arkus on his birthday that one time when he was sleep deprived because of her. After that meal, he nearly passed out on a bench from the food coma and the lack of sleep.
"So," Karissa glanced at him. "Once you become an S-Class, do you think you'll also be worthy enough to be someone's teacher?"
"Where's this coming from?"
She cocked her head to the side. "Weren't you the one who said you wanted to take on an apprentice one day?"
He just smiled a little. "Yeah, but I have no intention of taking on one right away after becoming S-Class. Maybe in a few more years."
"Oh man. Could you imagine if you trained a young girl and she gets your stripping habit? The poor thing. You'll be the reason she'll get sexually harassed for walking around in her undergarments." Karissa laughed jovially at the thought.
"I doubt habits are passed down." Gray mumbled. He was actually reassuring himself with his words. The idea of being the reason why a girl walked around naked made him dread taking on an apprentice. He might have to limit the candidates to boys only.
"But it's a good idea since Ur's legacy can sort of stay alive." Karissa remarked with a soft smile. The only literal thing left of Ur for the three of them was their ice molding magic. To teach someone the same magic would be like keeping a piece of her alive even while her body forever mingled with the ocean waters.
Gray put a hand under his chin and narrowed his eyes. "I never thought of it that way…I guess you could put it like that too." He turned his head towards her. "What about you? Do you want to train someone?"
"Me? I don't think so." She let out a sheepish laugh, shaking her head. "I'm not cut out for that. But maybe I'll make some comics one day. I mean, I like stories and I like drawing… so why not?"
"So basically, Lucy, but with drawings instead of words." Gray summarized with a grin.
"Yes." Karissa chuckled.
Erza crossed her legs. "Gray is smart, extremely capable and strong. He knows what needs to be done."
Gildarts leaned his cheek in his prosthetic hand. "Despite Natsu's recklessness, he's also just as capable and meets the requirements to take the exam."
"And Karissa is much stronger than last year. Her strength and rational mind let's her work efficiently. She most definitely meets all the requirements." Mirajane smiled.
"Levy is extremely intelligent and is capable of taking the S-Class Exam as well. We all know the same goes for the others. We don't need to review them all again." Pandora leaned back in her seat. "So?"
Makarov looked at the faces in the room after they all went down the list of this year's candidates. Gildarts, Mirajane, Erza and Pandora were the ones who helped him formed the final selection with their input. They were confident in their choices.
The candidates were Natsu, Gray, Karissa, Juvia, Elfman, Freed, Levy, Cana and Mest.
"If we all agree on these people. Then I suppose we have our list of candidates." Master Makarov clapped his hands together, signaling the end of their little conference.
The oldest Sinclost gazed the paper, eying the name of her little sister. It was going to be her second time taking the exam. She hopes that she manages to pass this year considering how determined she was to improve and be ready for the next.
If I end up facing her, I still won't hold back.
It was snowing.
The announcement of the S-Class Exam was approaching. Many people were getting antsy and excited, a small majority was indifferent, and at least someone was dreading the coming event.
That someone was Cana Alberona.
Karissa had decided to accompany her on a stroll since the brunette looked so glum. She had literally flown out of her chair when she saw Cana walk to the exit with a solemn look on her face, completely abandoning the conversation she was having with Lisanna and Levy.
She was always concerned about her best friend around this time of year since she always said that she wanted to quit Fairy Tail. Cana didn't want to share what was troubling her after all these years, keeping it solely to herself. It was really unfair. Karissa felt like she couldn't do anything for Cana at all.
"Do you really want to quit Fairy Tail?" Karissa quietly asked.
Cana just stared up at the sky with a frown, stuffing her hands in her pockets to seek warmth. "… I'm still trying to decide."
"But… I don't want you to go."
The taller mage looked at Karissa who was looking at the side while trying to hide a sad expression.
"You're the first friend I made here… I don't want you to go."
…
…
…
Karissa blinked.
Um…?
The girl's surprised expression was easily replaced with a friendly smile. "Hi, there."
"… Hello." Karissa answered dumbly.
"Are you Karissa?"
Karissa wanted to answer sarcastically considering that her name was literally outside her door but she chose to hold her tongue.
She opted to nod her head instead.
The brown haired girl opened the door wider so that she could properly show herself to the black haired girl. "My name is Cana. I live in the room next to yours."
…
…
…
Cana was walking behind her while holding the back of her sweater like a rope. She felt uneasy about venturing so far into the forest. Hell, she didn't even know how Karissa managed to rope her into this.
"It's so silent and creepy here."
"Oh, come on, it's daytime. There's nothing scary here!" Karissa laughed at her for being silly. "Besides, if we see something coming for us then we'll just use magic to hit it."
"I guess…" Cana still felt uneasy despite her rational reasoning. "So, um, I noticed that Pandora doesn't really interact with other girls in the dorm. How come?"
Instead of focusing on the fact that they were in the forest, she decided to keep her mind off it by bringing up some random subject.
"Hm, Pandora hasn't really had any friends her age before. It's because she was usually too busy for it. I guess she still feels awkward about being able to now."
"I hope she realizes that there's no reason to feel awkward." Cana sighed.
"Me too. She'll have more fun that way."
Suddenly, there was a sound behind them.
Cana and Karissa flinched and then whirled around only to find a lady with pink hair staring down at them with her arms crossed. It was Porlyusica.
"HAH?" she looked down at the two kids with a scary face, causing them to cry out in fright before bolting back whence they came.
Thankfully, Porlyusica didn't make an effort to chase after them.
…
…
…
"Can you tell me why you always feel like quitting?" Karissa almost pleaded. "I… want to understand what you're feeling… Please?" then she held her arm and skittered her gaze away abashedly. "But, I mean... It's okay if you really don't want to talk about it…"
The brunette's eyes softened at the sight. After a few seconds of silence, Cana turned her gaze away and stared at the concrete floor beneath them.
"Alright… I'll tell you."
Instead of talking out in the open in the streets, the opted to go sit in the park under a roof, away from the falling snow.
And so, Cana told her the truth. Gildarts Clive, the S-Class wizard, the strongest mage in Fairy Tail, was her biological father. She had decided a long time ago that she would only have the right to reveal herself as his daughter unless she was an S-Class mage as well because he was in a different league than her. Seeing others who joined the guild after her become S-Class mages like Mirajane and Erza only plunged her into a depression of never being able to rise as an S-Class mage. Every year after failing the exam the previous year, she further loses the courage and will to reach her goal to the point where she would rather leave the guild and town entirely.
Despite feeling prideful in her ability to be perceptive, Karissa couldn't help but feel like shit when Cana told her the truth. She never noticed her friend internally suffering like this? Was she that good at hiding it or was she simply a terrible friend who couldn't see it?
"I'm sorry I never saw you suffering." Karissa managed to speak after a while, staring down at the table.
"I didn't want people to know." Cana sighed. "Like I said, I could never reveal myself as Gildarts' daughter if I wasn't on the same level as him." She then let out a self-deprecating laugh before jokingly saying, "You're not the only one good at capable of hiding things."
"But wouldn't it be better to just say it to get it off your shoulders? Obviously, it's not doing you any good to keep it inside. Why not just tell him and be done with it?" Karissa put a hand under her chin. "Unless you're expecting him to like… accept you or something?"
Cana just let out a hollow laugh. "Easier said than done. It's tough, Karissa. I just can't even though it would be better for me. And no, I'm not really looking for a father figure. We have Master Makarov for that. I've just come too far with this mindset."
Karissa frowned, still unhappy for not noticing the slightest thing about Cana's dilemma. What could she do to help her?
She thought for a moment.
An idea easily came to her.
"If you get chosen and I don't, I'll help you pass the exam no matter what if you choose me as your partner." Karissa promised with a serious expression on her face, surprising Cana. "But if I do get chosen and somehow end up facing you in a fight… I'll let you win."
"No!" Cana raised her voice, snapping her head towards her, startling her. "Don't you dare do that! I don't care if it's to help me move forward, if you don't come at me with everything you got then I still won't feel worthy even if I somehow managed to pass!"
Karissa shrank and lowered her gaze. "But…"
Cana calmed down and looked at the snow "I appreciate it… but I don't want you to just let me pass."
The brunette truly did appreciate the fact that her old friend was willing to fail the exam for her, honest. But for someone with Karissa's strength to just give up wouldn't make her feel like she was worthy to press on. And her pride just wouldn't allow Karissa to do such a thing for her.
"But thank you. I'll definitely choose you as my partner if you don't end up as a candidate though. I'll trust you to have my back and help me reach S-Class."
Seeing the way Karissa remained quiet for a few seconds made Cana sigh and tousle her hair to cheer her up.
"Anyway," Cana sighed. "Let's change the subject. I don't want to keep thinking about this right now."
"But—!"
Cana put a finger on her lips. "Eep. Enough."
Karissa looked at her with eyes that Cana couldn't help but compare to big dark brown puppy dog eyes.
Cana gave her a soft smile. "Since we're on the subject of letting out secrets, do you think you can be honest with me and tell me something?"
"What kind of something?" Karissa asked her curiously while bringing up her legs to sit criss cross. She tucked her hands between her legs and looked at Cana.
"Do you have feelings for Gray?"
Karissa didn't let surprise or any sort of emotion to surface. She kept it together and refused to let anything show. She looked at Cana blankly and cocked her head to the side. "Feelings for Gray? Of course not. Why would I have feelings for him?" she played the genuine curiosity quite well that even Cana was almost second guessing her thoughts.
"Karissa."
"Hm?"
"Just be honest, you don't always need to feel guarded to hide what you feel. I'm not going to judge you for it and I certainly won't tell anyone. You're safe."
The black haired mage's hands clenched. Did she dare let it out? Did she truly want to let someone know about her affections for Gray? Letting someone know was akin to trusting a part of her to Cana. It's not like she distrusted Cana, but this is something she truly didn't want anyone to know about. It's not like she owed Cana anything either.
She lowered her head.
Maybe, she decided after falling silent, there isn't any harm.
With a sigh, Karissa lifted a head to her head to scratch, her eyes looked ahead to stare at the children running near the park.
"I guess I do."
Cana smiled at her as she kept looking ahead. She brought a leg up and propped an arm on her knee to lean on and looked at her. "It's about time."
Puzzled, Karissa finally looked at her. What the hell did she mean by 'about time?'.
The brunette huffed and gently flicked her nose, causing it to wrinkle. "I had a feeling you would develop feelings for him. You guys are so close." She stated the obvious. "You care about each other a lot."
She averted her eyes away. "That's because we've known each other for a long time."
"That's true. It's another thing that builds the foundation of your relationship. Your flirting language is teasing each other and sometimes touching each other, maybe you guys touch even more when no one is looking. I've seen it all." Cana finished with a small laugh. "Remember, I'm the closest to you guys out of the other older members."
Hearing this, Karissa frowned. She wasn't familiar with flirting, she never consciously did it. She had no idea that she was flirting with him unconsciously. She always teased him and enjoyed how he teased her back to continue their playful banter. Just how long had she loved him?
With a groan, she ran a hand over her face.
"But I don't understand… I'm positive that I never liked him when we fourteen. And suddenly, I'm in love with the guy? It's weird."
Snorting at her innocent confusion, Cana patted her hair affectionately. "Falling in love doesn't have a time frame, it's unpredictable." She told her, earning her a lost sigh. "It's when you get much closer to each other that the process speeds up though."
"But how do I know if I'm not just making it all up and thinking about this because Juvia is interested in Gray?"
Cana deadpanned. "You get jealous of Juvia?"
"… Yeah."
"You like being with him?"
"Obviously."
"You want to touch him more?"
"Um… I guess."
She smirked at her. "Ever wanted to kiss him recently?"
"Uh, I mean…" she scratched her cheek with her finger. "Just once." She said softly.
"I bet your heart races too, doesn't it?"
"You're not wrong."
"Ever had that magical moment where you couldn't look away from his eyes?"
"Magical?" Karissa repeated, quirking up a brow. "I doubt magical is the word for it… but I did have a hard time looking away once after the whole Edolas. That was the night I realized I'm in love with the damn stripper." She lifted her hands and shook them lightly. "I remember my hands shaking after I went to get a glass of water."
Cana laughed at her. "Oof. You must have had an awakening."
"Maybe." Karissa chortled.
"But I don't think you need to worry about validating your feelings. I'm positive you're in love with him, and it wasn't just a recent thing either. You just didn't see it."
She pinched the bridge of her own nose. "That I know."
Cana started to laugh at her for being so blind to her own feelings. "Man, you pure precious child." Despite being troubled by this whole Gildarts thing, she was glad to be given the privilege to know both sides since it was plentiful of entertainment. "So, you gonna confess?"
The ice mage scoffed. "Hell no."
"What?!" Cana exclaimed. "Why not?"
"I'm never going to tell him." Karissa stated firmly, locking her fingers together with a frown. "It's scary. Plus… I doubt he could fall in love with me the same way I did for him."
Man, Cana just wanted to push her into the cold river to give her a wake up call.
"What, you never even tried to suspect that he might love you back?"
Karissa sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't want to risk reading into things and be disappointed."
So, she has thought about it.
"And I don't think he would like me—"
"If you say it's because you're not pretty, I will throw snow at your face"
Karissa snickered at the warning tone in her voice, she was even holding up her hands to get ready to pick up some snow. "I'll have you know that I've been working on that." She told her proudly. "I've been thinking more positively about myself. I think I look pretty when I look in the mirror these days."
"Well, that's good to hear." Cana lowered her hands, smiling at her. She was happy that her friend was doing some self-love work. "But you know, Karissa, there's one thing about you that's fairly obvious. You don't like to try." Cana remarked as she lowered her leg back down. "It's like as if trying to do something new scares you."
"What— that's not true…" she trailed off when all the times she had an aversion to something she labeled as foreign or out of her comfort zone flashed in her mind. There were actually very few times where she decided to dip her toe into the pool of something new and actually felt like it wasn't so bad. She recently felt like this when she wore her dress on the cruise. It feels akin to getting to know someone and learning that they weren't so bad.
Sheepishly, Karissa slowly glanced at Cana and found her looking skeptically. "Okay… maybe I do."
"Right. So, why not confess? You won't lose a limb."
"But…"
"The worst that'll happen is that he won't feel the same way. I don't think he'd push you away just because of something you can't control." Cana was quick to reassure her. "I won't force you to do it, but I think you should try and do it. Personally, I think he might have a thing for you."
Confess to Gray? The thought was simply unthinkable and terrifying. A thing for her? Impossible.
"Even if I am curious about his reaction, I'm worried about making things awkward." Karissa grabbed her head.
But the sooner she got it out of her system, the easier it might get… It might even fade away with time if he clearly gave her an answer to her feelings.
Cana grabbed her hands and pulled them away from her head. "Life's too short to worry. You never know what he might say. Just be honest and courageous! Even he knows how anxious you get, so seeing you come up to him will definitely impress him! He won't brush it off. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
Cana could see fear and vulnerability swirling in her friend's eyes. It would be much easier to tell her that Gray felt the same way about her. But things in life were never easy. It would be meaningless to always do things for her when she should be the one to stand up and say it. She truly believed that Karissa had courage to push aside her anxiety to do something intimidating. Besides, she basically kind of told her that Gray also loves her just a moment ago.
"Don't always shy away." Cana told her with a reassuring smile.
Karissa puffed her cheeks.
To confess or not to confess?
What should she do?
Oohh, are we getting closer to the confession scene?!
I'm trying to keep this story realistic in terms of relationships/interactions such as pointing out Juvia's creepy behaviour that should have been addressed. It wasn't pointed out in Fairy Tail because it was obviously treated more like comedy. Speaking of Juvia, I'll admit that I've never really liked her character since her character satellites around Gray. I found her annoying. I guess you could also say I am an Anti-Gruvia fan for reasons I won't get into because I won't turn this into a discussion.
But anyway, I'm struggling with her character because it's like... what will she become when Karissa and Gray get together? I won't make her hop on the Lyon train and dust my hands off. As much as I don't like Juvia, I don't feel like sliding her character under the rug and be done with it like most fics do. Currently, I have one idea but I don't know how I'll make it work... Hopefully I'll figure it out soon.
Also, the part about Gray taking on an apprentice is actually a canon future dream of his.
Redflame7: I'm glad you liked the chapter! :)
SnowPaws101Reverie: I'm glad the chapters are not a hassle! I hope that when the time comes for them to get together it's not disappointing since you've been so looking forward to it XD
Please don't be shy to drop a review to tell me what you guys think so far!