Here is the next chapter!

Enjoy!

Chapter 103

A Beach Day of Fun

"Alright! I can see it! We're finally here!"

I was utterly overjoyed for what I saw before me. Everywhere I could see nothing, but the vast blue ocean, areal sight for sore eyes. I was so excited that I felt like I wanted to explode with excitement.

In case you were wondering how I got here, allow me to explain. You see, the other day Mira asked me if she wanted me to go with her to the Akane Resort, so she could use the tickets that she received from Elfman from the Bingo contest. At first, I didn't want Mira to waste something like that on me, and I wanted to train some more, but then two things changed my mind.

The first was that this was the perfect opportunity to spend some time with Mira when she wasn't busy. I mean every time I saw her, she was either on break or busy helping Master Makarov. So I figured that it'd be great to have some fun with her finally.

The second thing was that the Akane Resort overlooked the ocean. The moment when I heard that, I immediately wanted to go. It had been so long since I'd been to and felt the ocean. Sure, there was the canal back in Magnolia which... wasn't a good thing to do according to Lucy, and the rivers in the forest, but I wanted to have a little bit more room to swim.

And so after some careful planning and me having to buy a swimsuit of my choice, Mira and I headed to the Akane Resort now just arriving. It took a bit of time due to riding the train and eventually by carriage, but we finally made it. I couldn't help but feel so excited; I wanted to strip right then and there and dive into the water.

"Calm down, Willy. The ocean's not gonna go anywhere," giggled Mira. "You're just like a little kid."

"Well, can you blame me? I've been dying to see the ocean for so long!" I spoke. "I've also wanted to to do some swimming ever since I came to Magnolia, but there hasn't been any good places to swim!"

"If that's the case, then why didn't you use our swimming pool?" asked Mira. "I mean we do have one after all."

"Wait... Fairy Tail's got a pool? Since when?" I asked with a hint of surprise. "And where this pool?"

"It's just behind the stage," said Mira. "I'm surprised that no one told you. Then again, with all the craziness that was going on with Edolas and the whole business with Black Tiger, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you didn't know. Anyway, before we do anything else, let's get settled into our room. Then we can go ahead and have some fun."

"Alright!"

The two of us then walked towards the hotel to check into our rooms. When we approached the hotel, I couldn't but stare up towards it in amazement. Aside from being enormous, the central hotel looked like a giant and beautiful castle you'd see in a storybook apart from the cartoonish character with Akane Resort in its mouth. There was also an amusement park right next to it with a giant Ferris wheel, a roller coaster that went all around the area including the hotel, and numerous other rides that looked like great fun.

My eyes widened even further with wonder as we walked inside the hotel. As we did, we went over to the front desk and were greeted by a young woman wearing a uniform.

"Hello there and welcome to the Akane Resort," she said politely. "Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, we do," smiled Mira. "One room for Mira, please."

"Oh, yes! You must be Mirajane Strauss," said the woman. "I remember now. I'll get your key straight away."

As she looked through the wall of keys behind her, I couldn't help but look around the interior of the place. The rugs on the floor had all sorts of colors on them, and it felt as soft as an exceed's fur. The walls were a beautiful white tan color with some brown curtains hung over the windows.

There were a couple of couches here and there that were colored blue and looked rubbery, fancy brown tables that were made of an unknown wood that made them shine like gold and there were also some strange paintings on the walls.

I then looked up, and I saw something that made my eyes wide with wonder. Hanging from above was a large chandelier. It was big, had several crystals all around it and glimmered like the stars above as the sunlight shone upon it.

"Wow..."

"Hey, Willy. What are you doing standing around? Come on."

Upon hearing Mira's voice, I shook my head refocusing on her and then walked with her down a hall with a man in uniform leading us. We walked quite a distance down until he finally came to a stop in front of a door with a small label that read 1205 on it.

"This is where you will be staying," said the man. "I hope you two enjoy your stay."

He then went on his way. Mira then used the key to open the door, and we walked inside. When we did, my eyes couldn't help but widen with wonder once again.

The room was quite spacious enough to fit for about ten people. It had a big fancy table with four chairs, all of which were a caramel brown color appearing to be made from the most beautiful wood. It also had a small vase on top of the table with some pretty white and pink flowers. There were two large beds, each having large fluffy purple blankets with big pillows and on the walls, and there was a couple of decoration here and there like paintings and some wall ornaments.

"Whoa... this place is amazing," I murmured as I looked around. "I've never seen anything like it."

"If you think this room's great, just wait until you check out the balcony," smiled Mira. "You'll really flip when you see it."

She then went over to the back of the room in front of two large doors and flung them open and then walked out to the balcony. I followed after, and I was welcomed with the incredible sight of the ocean. Sure, it was the same ocean, but from up from where we were, it looked way more spacious than before, and the view was even more stunning.

"Wow! Look at that view!" I exclaimed as I looked out. "This view's amazing!"

"I know, right? It was worth getting this room. Hope you enjoy it because you'll be seeing this view for the next few days," said Mira. "Now, what do you say that we get dressed in our swimming clothes? We got a lot of playtime and relaxation to look forward to."

"Alright. I can't wait!" I said. "Man, I can't wait to get into that water! It feels like it's been forever since I had a good swim."

Mira then giggled. "My goodness, you're like a little kid. Then again, I can relate to how you're feeling," she said. "In fact, now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever been here before myself."

"Really? You haven't?" I asked, raising a brow before smiling. "Then I guess this is the first time for both of us."

"Yeah. I guess it is," Mira smiled.

"Well then, shall we get dressed?" I asked. "We got a lot of stuff to check out."

"Sounds good to me," said Mira. "I'll go get dressed in the bathroom and... do you mind if you get dressed out here?"

"I've got no problems with that," I said. "You go on ahead."

Mira then walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. When I heard the lock click, I then started undressing by taking off my shirt first.

NO POV

Mira was now all by herself in the bathroom. Her heart was beating lightly but quickly in her chest.

"It's okay, Mira. There's no need to be nervous," she thought to herself. "This is what you've been wanting. Stay calm."

She then took a deep breath, and she felt her nerves lessen a little. Then she opened up her bag and took out her swimsuit. She held it up against her admiring herself in the mirror.

"I wonder if Willy will like this one?" she wondered. "I did wear this one back when I modeled in last month's Soceror Weekly and... apparently Cana specifically recommended I'd wear this one to get his attention, but I knowing Willy, he'll probably say it looks great on me and stuff. He always was a bit shy of a girl's feelings back then."

She then remembered back to when she, Willy, and her siblings were kids; they would play together at the lake in Osia. She remembered the time they spent together, the good and the unexpected. The thought alone made her let out a nostalgic sigh as she started taking off her clothes.

"We sure did make a lot of memories back then," she said to herself. "But now, it's time for me to make new ones."

WILLY'S POV

I soon finished getting dressed. I was now wearing a body suit that was colored white with black patterns. Truth be told it looked nice, but they were kind of uncomfortable. However, it wasn't because they didn't fit or anything.

"Man. I'm so used to hardly wearing anything when I swim, I've forgotten how weird it feels to wear a swimsuit much less a body swimsuit. Then again, I probably shouldn't go around swimming in the nude. Otherwise, Mira might scold me like Sieri did back when we were kids, so I guess I'll put up with it. At least it covers up-"

Then the bathroom door opened, causing me to turn my attention towards it, and Mira came walking out. When I saw her, I couldn't help but stare. She was wearing what appeared to be nothing but a t-shirt. It made me kind of puzzled as to why she was wearing something like that for swimming.

Mira noticed me staring. "Is... something wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing really. It's just that I've never seen a swimsuit like that before," I said. "It certainly looks different than what I've seen you wear before."

"That's because I'm wearing my swimsuit underneath my shirt, silly," Mira said. "Anyway, you don't look so bad yourself. Where'd you get that?"

"Oh, this? I bought it the other day," I told her. "Since I didn't have a swimsuit in the first place, I figured I'd get one for an occasion such as this."

"Well, it looks good on you," said Mira. "And here I thought that you'd go nude."

"Come on, Mira. I wouldn't be as dumb as to go nude in public," I said chuckling. "The last thing I want is for you to freak out and scold me as Sieri did back then. Besides, if it were me, I would have just stayed in my underwear, and things would be fine."

"Uh... Somehow... I fail to see how that is any better," Mira spoke flatly. "Anyway, let's get going. We got a lot of fun to have today, and we're burning daylight."

"Oh yeah! Let's get going then! I wanna get in that water and swim all day!" I said with enthusiasm. "Let's go have some fun!"

We soon were at the beach. The sun was shining bright, the sounds of the ocean could also be heard, and there were quite a bit people either relaxing in the sun or playing in the water enjoying themselves. There wasn't too many or too little, so this was the perfect day for a beach day, While carrying some necessities for our outing, Mira and I walked around trying to find a space for us to relax. Soon we found a place that wasn't too far from the shore, but not too close to the water. We then set up our stuff, laying down our towels and setting up our umbrella.

I then turned faced the water and breathed in the salty air of the ocean, letting it out with a sigh of content.

"Man... it's been forever since I've smelled the ocean. Just the way I remember it back when I was a kid."

I was just about to step towards the water when Mira grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

"Hold on a second, Willy. Before you get in the water, could you do me a favor?" she asked as she handed me a bottle. "I need you to put on some sunscreen on my back."

"Sunscreen? Why would you need sunscreen?" I asked. "I mean I hardly ever had to use that stuff, and I got along just fine. Plus, I can just use my healing magic if we ever get sunburned."

"That may be so, but magic can't always solve everything," said Mira. "You'd be wasting a bunch of magic for something trivial. Besides, my skin's a lot lighter than yours is, so I always make sure to put on plenty of sunblock. Don't wanna damage my skin, you know."

She then took off her t-shirt, revealing her swimsuit underneath, but it was a swimsuit that I've never seen before. It appeared to be two articles of clothing, showed quite a bit of skin, and both were colored red and had white flowers all over them.

"Wow! Is that your real swimsuit, Mira?" I asked as I looked at her up and down. "It looks awesome! You'll be able to swim pretty quickly in something like that."

"I'm not sure what that has to do with my swimsuit, but thank you nonetheless," said Mira. She then laid on top of her towel face down and undid the back of her top, exposing her back. "Now then, could you please start rubbing my back? I can't reach back there, which is why I need some help."

"Well, sure. I can help you with that," I said. "Just leave it to me."

I then poured some sunscreen on my hands, lathering them all over, and went to start rubbing Mira's back. The moment my hands made contact on her skin, Mira's body jumped a little as she let out a little squeak.

"I'm sorry. Is it a bit too cold for you?" I asked.

"W-Well, a bit, but it's nothing that I can't handle," said Mira. "Please keep going."

"Alright then," I said. "I'll keep going then."

I then resumed rubbing lotion on her back, carefully rubbing sunscreen all over her back, making sure that I didn't miss a single place. As I continued to rub Mira's back with sunscreen as she began to shiver a little from the touch. However, I paid no mind thinking that she was just not used to the sunscreen. After a few seconds, I finished applying the sunscreen.

"Alright. That should do it for back, Mira," I said. "I'm gonna get started with your legs now, okay?"

"O-Okay," said Mira. "But... don't go too hard, okay?"

I squeezed out some more lotion onto my hands and then started applying sunblock onto her legs, which made Mira once again shiver. I carefully rubbed all over her legs, making sure I was being as gentle as possible and got every nook and cranny until I finished. Mira then tied the top of her swimsuit on and sat back up. After that, I put some sunscreen on my face and made sure that our stuff was safe. We were now ready to go.

"Now, what do you say we go swimming now?" Mira asked, smiling. "I think I've kept you waiting long enough. Last one to the water is a rotten egg as they say."

She then dashed ahead, heading towards the water.

"Hey! No fair! You got a head start!" I complained, as I followed close behind her.

The two of us ran straight into the ocean and dove straight in. When I was entirely in the water, I kicked off of the ground and swam forward with Mira alongside me. Underneath the water below us, there were numerous fish swimming around, and there were a few reefs here and there. I couldn't help but smile, feeling happy to be in my home territory.

I looked at Mira alongside me, and I could see that she was all smiles too as we swam together. Then she swam ahead of me with a big kick from her legs. Taking this as a challenge to a race, I pumped my feet and swam even faster, trying to catch up with her. We raced against each other, having fun swimming from left to right.

After that, we went to a beach house which had some delicious food. Mira and I both ate separate meals and savored every bite. However, at some point due to my eating so fast, I accidentally choked a little on the food. Luckily, Mira was able to save me by giving me a couple slaps to my back.

Then we the walked around the beach aimlessly along the shore chatting with each other about the little things. We honestly didn't have much to talk about, but we didn't care. We were having a splendid time enjoying each other's company.

Eventually, the sun began, and we were resting on the shore suntanning.

"Wow. We sure played a lot today," said Mira.

"No kidding," I agreed. "I don't think I've ever had this much fun in a while."

"Glad you enjoyed yourself," said Mira. "I can't remember the last time I've been able to relax like this. It feels like it's been forever."

"I know what you mean," I said, smiling. "I've been to the ocean plenty of times back when I was a kid, and I've missed being around it when Aquadia disappeared, but now seeing it once again make me feel like I've come back home again."

As I gazed up towards the sun, I admired the evening sun now a deep red color giving the water glow in the same color. After a few minutes of staring at the sunset, Mira broke the silence.

"Say... Willy? Can I say something?" she asked.

"Sure. What's up, Mira?"

Mira stared at the sunset for a few seconds; then she turned towards me, smiling.

"I had a lot of fun today," she said. "So... I want to thank you. For coming with me, I mean."

"Aw, it's no big deal, Mira," I said waving my hand. "Besides, I needed to have some time away too, with all the craziness that happened. I'm happy that I could come with you. I'm grateful that you came up with this idea.

"So, you wanna head back to the hotel?" asked Mira. "The sun's beginning to set, and I was thinking about getting back to the hotel before it gets dark. We got lots of other places to check out at that Akane Resort."

"Sounds good to me," I said as I got up. "I'm looking forward to seeing what else Akane Resort has to offer. Maybe we can check out the amusement park."

The two of us then took one last look at the sunset and then set off back to the hotel.

NO POV

It was now night, and Mira was in the bathroom taking a bath. She felt very pleased with herself.

"Today was so much fun," she said to herself. "Even though some parts of it were a little naughty."

She then recalled the moment when Willy was applying sunscreen on her back. The thought alone made her blush a bit.

"When he was putting on the sunscreen on my back... his hands felt so strong and yet very gentle. I wish he'd do that to me some more. I can only imagine the fun we'd have."

She then realized the things that she was thinking and quickly shook her head, trying to get those thoughts out of her mind.

"Come on, Mira! Don't be pervy!" she said to herself. "That isn't right! Geez! Why does Willy have to make me act so weird?!"

She then sank into the water, letting out some bubbles. After a few seconds, she got out of the tub. She dried herself off and got dressed in her pajamas and went back to the room. She then saw Willy, who was now fast asleep in his bed. She went over to him and watched as he quietly breathed in and out, looking peaceful.

"How did I end up falling for a guy like him?" she thought, smiling. "He's like a little kid at times, and he's a bit naive as well as a fish freak, but other times he's one of the bravest and strongest wizards I know, and very sweet. It's actually kinda cute."

She then reached out and poked his cheek a little with her finger causing him to stir in his sleep furrowing his brow. Seeing this reaction, she couldn't help but snigger. Then she took a good look at Willy's peaceful face as he slumbered. It was a look on his face that not even she expected to see.

"Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen Willy sleep so soundly before. Especially given everything that he's been through."

She then brushed aside some of his hair from his forehead as she stood up.

"Have a good sleep, Willy. There's a lot more fun to be had tomorrow."

Sorry for the delay, but I had to grind my gears on this one!

But here's a little bit of fluff for this chapter.

If you like what you read or you want to give me some pointers,

Review or PM me!

Dragoman signing off!