One more chapter, there is still a long way to go. Hope you like it.

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Ryker awoke to a knock on his door. Waking up and disoriented, he sat on what appeared to be his sofa, surrounded by beer bottles and all sorts of other beverages. He looked around trying to understand what was going on, rubbing his eyes with his hands, wiping away the remnants of sleep and cursing himself. More knocks on the door snapped him out of his trance.

He got up, stretching, and went to the door of his apartment, unlocking it and opening it, which damn soul tormented him at that time.

"E… Erza!?", he said with difficulty and a bad headache.

"You look awful," she looked him up and down. She walked past him and into his apartment. She looked around, noticing the whole mess. "What happened here? This is a mess!", she said seeing the scene, which looked like a place of war.

"I am a man and I live alone. It's normal for a house to be messy", he replied, sitting down on the sofa and moaning with the hangover.

"Your house has never been this messed up, Ryker. And you're quite an organized person, so don't make excuses for me", she crossed her arms, looking him seriously up and down.

"There was a party yesterday. I just didn't have the heart to fix everything", he tried to justify.

"The party was at the guild, not here," she reminded him. Erza sighed and sat beside him on the sofa. "What actually happened, Ryker?" she said putting her hand in his.

He snorted. "I may have wanted to forget some things," he sighed in defeat. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"Didn't see you at the guild this morning, so I decided to look for you around here", she replied.

"I see", he got up from the couch and went to the kitchen. "Can this conversation wait until I make some coffee?", Erza waved at him with a slight smile.

As he boiled the water for the drink, Ryker began cleaning up his mess with a garbage bag in his hand, picking up the bottles that were scattered around the room. Once the water was just right, he brewed the coffee, pouring it into a cup. He offered the redhead, but she declined.

"Want to tell me why you left the party like that?" Erza asked him.

Ryker eyed her wearily. "I didn't think you would notice. You were always with Jellal."

"Don't be like that! I care about you, just because I was with him doesn't mean I wasn't watching you," she chided him.

He sighed and turned away. "I was tired, I wanted to go home," he said gruffly.

Erza wasn't convinced, she saw him and knew why, she just wanted confirmation coming out of his voice. "It's because of Mira, isn't it?" He looked at her in surprise at her insinuation.

"No... it's not what..."

"I saw how you were looking at her yesterday, don't try to deny it," the redhead stated.

Ryker was speechless and sighed in defeat. He lay down on Erza's lap, she smiled tenderly and stroked his head, on her lap, gently and lovingly. "I didn't know she sang, it was… divine. But I was just admiring her performance."

Erza laughed at his placement, it was obvious that that was not the reason. "I know how you look at each other, and not just yesterday. I saw how you touch and how you speak to each other. Ryker…you don't have that same look on me and we've been together for weeks," she smiled fondly at him.

He stopped for a second to look at her. "I can say the same about you. I've seen the way you and Jellal look at each other", she smiled with a slight pink tinge to her face. "Should I say that's what you wanted to talk about the other day?" she nodded back.

"Tell Ryker, how do you really feel about me?" Erza asked.

He looked at her deeply for a while. Sighing he replied looking into her eyes. "Erza, I have a huge affection for you, we have our special connection, I think you are beautiful, strong, intelligent. You are amazing and I would like to have you in my life..."

"But you don't love me," she concluded.

"I'm sorry, I realized too late." He stood up and bowed his head. Erza held her with her hands, one on either side of her face lifting her up for him to see. She smiled and kissed him softly on the cheek.

"Don't apologize, you are a special person and I admire you. What you went through and then turned around in all that, becoming the person you are today, few could manage. And... and I like it and I want to be by your side".

"But you don't love me either, I can conclude", she nodded, confirming. "How did we end up in this mess?" they laughed to each other.

"I don't know, I'm as new at this as you are. But I think we confuse our connection, our friendship or even a brotherhood with something else. We didn't realize who our hearts belonged to," Erza concluded, but all she could do was make Ryker chuckle softly and smile herself.

They leaned their foreheads against each other holding their partner's face gently, stroking it. "If we're going to be together in the future, we will, but now we need to follow our hearts," Erza said and he nodded. They shared their last kiss, a kiss full of affection and love for each other, carrying feelings that even if they weren't romantic, would be with them forever. They would be friends, more than friends, family.

"Tell Mira how you feel, she deserves to know," she said.

Ryker sighed. "I would like to, but..." Erza looked confused. "It's too late, Erza. I saw her with Laxus yesterday, they... they were close. She's moved on, and she's right," he said wistfully and with an air of regret.

"Ryker! Mira and Laxus are just friends, they've known each other for a long time, don't see things where they don't exist."

"I didn't make anything up. You, Gray and Natsu are friends too and aren't as close as she and Laxus were yesterday. And not just yesterday, but at Lucy's book party, too."

"Ryker don't do this! She loves you and…".

"That's exactly why I won't say anything", the redhead was surprised by him. "She moved on, if I tell her how I feel it will turn into a mess, it will mess with her feelings and ruin what could be her future," he sighed. "I'll leave it at that and deal with the consequences like this. She's happy now, Spark is happy with her, and I turn around. I've suffered worse, it's not a big deal."

"Ryker!" she yelled.

"Enough, Erza! My decision is already made!", he got up and went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Erza sighed, he wasn't anyone she could threaten to do something about. She got up and went after him, hugging him as a friend.

"Think carefully about what you're going to do," she told him.

"Hope you and Jellal get along, too," he grinned at her. They parted from the embrace and Erza had to leave, but before she left the apartment he called her.

"Hey Erza!" she turned around. "Thanks".

She smiled before leaving and closing the door.

Two days passed and Ryker was in the guild as usual. Arriving early and helping Mira with whatever she needed. She noticed, however, that he was darker and more distant, even claiming that it was okay whenever she asked if everything was okay.

Erza saw the situation and tried to talk to him to reconsider his decision, trying to convince him, but he managed to be as stubborn as the rest of the men in the guild. Ryker was adamant that nothing would change his decision. The redhead, however, had lost patience with her friend and if he didn't do things for himself she would do it for him.

"Mira," Erza called to her.

"Erza. Want something?" Mira asked sweetly.

"No, just talk."

Mira giggled. "That's weird. You just want to talk," she smiled.

Erza underscored the comment. "Have you seen Ryker lately?"

The white-haired mage looked at her more seriously. "Aren't you supposed to know about him?" She looked at her deeply.

"Maybe, but that's not the case," Erza replied.

"What do you mean? Don't you know where your boyfriend is?" Mirajane snapped. Erza would reveal, she had more important things to take care of at the moment.

"The thing is, we're not together anymore, Mira", the magician Take Over was surprised, and didn't know what to say. "We decided that we are better as friends."

"Eh... is that true?", Mira asked not quite believing the redhead's words.

"Yes, it's true," she replied.

"That explains why he was so downcast these days," Mirajane mused.

"I don't believe that's why, Mira," Erza said.

"You mean what by that?"

"First answer me one thing, Mira. Are you with Laxus?" Erza asked seriously.

Mirajane looked at Erza with a start. "Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"You two are pretty close, aren't you?"

"We've been friends for years, we share memories and moments. Just like everyone else in the guild, but beyond that there's nothing," Mira replied.

Erza looked her in the eye, seeing the truth of her speech. She needed to make sure, to make sure she was doing the right thing and what would be best for these two. She was playing matchmaker, but it was for their good.

"Then you should go after Ryker, Mira," she said and Mira looked shocked, not understanding what she meant. "He likes you," such a statement shocked the white-haired mage even more.

"No…he doesn't love me. He said it himself," the waitress stated, not believing her friend and rival.

"Yes, he do", confirmed the redhead. "I've seen how he looks at you and he's jealous of you and Laxus," Mira didn't know what to say about it.

"It's true," Lisanna chimed in. "The way he looked at you at the party, while you was singing, I didn't see him looking at anyone like that. He got weird after he saw you and Laxus together. Of course he likes you."

"But…but why didn't he come talk to me?" Mira asked in shock, not knowing if she understood what they said and not knowing what to do or believing their words.

"He thinks you and Laxus are dating. He doesn't want to complicate things by intruding on your life. He thinks that telling you how he feels to you, being in another relationship, would only cause problems. What he doesn't know is that you're single. Go after him and resolve the situation, Mira. Otherwise the two of you will suffer and get hurt," Erza advised her.

Mira didn't know what to do or how to react, she looked at her sister who waved at her and smiled. "You've done a lot for us, onee-san. Go after your happiness now", with teary eyes she left her post and ran through the guild door.

Ryker was especially irritated that day, he decided to isolate himself in the afternoon, going to his favorite spot, enjoying the scenery sitting on the ground leaning against a tree. It was a beautiful sight, very calming for her nerves, her frustrations and her irritation.

"I really am an idiot!" he thought. "I should have known sooner, now it's no use crying. Just move on, eventually this idiotic feeling will go away", he thought.

He was resting, thinking about life, relaxing in peace, the only sounds were those of nature around him, he hadn't asked for anything else.

"Ryker," a sweet voice called him. He looked up and to the right to see a voluptuous figure in a beautiful red sleeveless dress with ruffles and a butterfly knot on the chest.

"Mira!?", he said, surprised by her presence. "What are you doing here?".

"I was looking for you", she said, sitting beside him on the tree, the same one the two had stayed on when they first left months ago. "I went to your house but you weren't there and seeing how upset you were in the morning I thought I could find you here", she said with a beautiful smile.

Ryker's heart raced at how close they were. He could feel that his heart might explode at that rate, or he would have a heart attack before then, one of two possibilities. His breathing was labored and his eyes glazed over at the woman in front of him, it was hard to resist her and he felt his face heat up and his hands sweat. All this with her simple presence.

Mira was no different. She felt the blood boil and rush to her white cheeks, giving them a reddish tinge. Her heart raced and she was breathing hard. It was too much to be close to him like this, she wanted him, wanted to be with him, touch him, kiss him and do many more things that she forbade herself to think at that moment.

"And…and why did you want to meet me?" he asked.

"I…wanted to talk," she said shyly. "I heard you and Erza broke up."

Ryker was surprised. "Yes, we decided to just be friends. But why..."

"You love me?" she was blunt and repeated the same question he'd asked her, startling Ryker into despair.

"It's… the… it's… it's… it's… what!?", he was so lost and scared that he choked on the words.

"Did you hear me! I want to know if you love me," she repeated, determined to get the answer out of him.

He snorted and turned away. "And what does it matter now? You moved on, I saw you with someone else," his voice came out sad and frustrated.

"I'm not with Laxus," she stated.

"How...? Erza…" he connected the dots.

"Listen to Ryker! He and I have been friends for years. We've drifted into the past and we're getting back to our friendship, we have our memories, just like everyone else in the guild, but that's just it." Mira tried to soothe him and he listened to her, pondering. "It's not him that's in my heart or in my dreams when I sleep," Ryker's heart raced again and heat rose in his chest, blushing heavily. She cupped his face in her hands making him look. "Is that you. Now tell me. What do you feel about me?".

Ryker swallowed in a cold sweat, his heart pounding in his chest, he couldn't see anything in front of him anymore. There was just that goddess, her perfect white skin, the most beautiful blue eyes he'd ever seen, that perfect mouth and pink lips, asking to be kissed. He couldn't hold back any longer, and what better way to respond than to show how he felt?

In a quick movement he leaned into her, capturing her lips on his. Mira was startled at first, but after a while she relented. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding his head, feeling his hair in her fingers. She pulled him closer, he didn't complain. He cupped her face in his hands and brought her to him, deepening the kiss.

It was a kiss unlike any other for them, better than any other. It was as if two were joined into one. The love between them overflowing, the heat rising and the complicity deepening. They were sure they would write their story together, starting right then.

They only stopped kissing when their lungs demanded air. They pulled back just enough to breathe, standing inches from each other, feeling the heat from their faces.

"I love you," Ryker whispered to Mira.

"I know," she smiled, that smile he loved about her so much.

"Sorry, I didn't realize it sooner. Sorry I made you suffer. The truth is, I don't deserve you," he said wistfully.

Mira slowed his face up and looked at him deeply, but with warmth and understanding. "Everything has a purpose in life, Ryker. And everything has its time. Now don't say you don't deserve something. I love you and I want to be with you", he felt a weight leave his chest with those words, he smiled genuinely happy.

They resumed the kiss, softer and full of love and affection. Mira approached him, nearly climbing into his lap, which knocked him off balance and he toppled over onto his back on the floor, pulling her along with him, eliciting a soft, cuddly little cry from her.

Ryker started laughing out of nowhere, a laugh she'd never seen him have before, it sounded like pure, legitimate happiness, a goofy grin plastered across his face.

"What are you laughing about?", she asked starting to laugh all the same, silly and meaningless.

"I... I don't know", he replied beneath her laughing, she laughed along with her hand over her mouth elegantly.

"Stop it", he took her hand from her mouth and they both continued to laugh lying on the floor. Neither of them knew exactly the reason for the laughter or the happiness.

He suddenly stopped laughing and she followed. They stared at each other, Ryker resting his right hand on her face gently caressing her affectionately, looking at her contemplatively. She rested her face in his hand, enjoying the contact as she watched him.

"I want to show you something", he said and got up taking her by the hand and they walked around the area. They said nothing, just ran across the fields to the place he wanted to show her.

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Mirajane.

"I knew you would like it", he took it in his hand and they ran across the flowered field.

Flowers of every color covered the ground as far as the eye could see. Mira walked around the place admiring everything around her, feeling the aromas, colors and shapes. It was almost like she was a child again, a happy child. She laughed with Ryker following and smiling with her.

They sat on the floor, one another in a frenzy, talked and laughed at everything. He paid for the flowers from the ground around them and gently pinned each one in Mira's hair above her left ear. There was no color that didn't match her. Blue flowers graced her eyes, yellow with her fair skin, pink with her hair and red with everything. For Ryker, Mirajane was too perfect.

Mira couldn't contain her happiness, discovering every minute a new side of him that she didn't know, and that maybe even he didn't. She got the best of him.

"Mira?" she called to her.

"Say…" she replied. They were lying in the field, surrounded by flowers, she was resting on his chest while he held her, in the purest calm and tranquility that place could offer.

"I know it's still early and it takes some time, but I feel like we can go on like this", she looked at him confused. "Do you… do you want to date me?" he asks her, feeling completely nervous, frustrated, embarrassed and feeling like a complete idiot all at the same time.

Mira looked at him with wide eyes, but a gleam came over them and a smile of genuine happiness. "Of course I do", she advanced on him and kissed him. She was glad he wanted a serious relationship with her. He wasn't kidding or looking for an adventure, he wanted her.

"I don't know a lot about romantic relationships, but I promise we'll do it all, Mira. We go on dates, walks, walk hand in hand and whatever else you want. Let's even fight and make up," he smiled.

"Anything I want?", she said, looking at him mischievously, inches from his face.

He laughed. "I'll go over this part", they chuckled and sealed the distance with another kiss, long, hot and deep.

They ended the kiss and embraced, lying in the flowers and the day ending on them. The mantle of night began to fill the sky and the first stars appeared. Ryker, in his entire life, has never felt happier than at that moment.