Chapter 205

What Drinking Reveals

It was a moonlit night. Crocus was ablaze with lights coming from the lacrimas inside the numerous buildings. A gentle breeze could also be felt, its gentle breath blowing through the silent streets. But then, the quiet was suddenly shattered by the sound of a scream which was suddenly cut off, followed by the crumpling of a collapsing body.

The reason for this was Fuzen, who had just drained another victim dry.

"Haah~. Another satisfying treat," he spoke in content. "All these people are filled to the brim with misery." He then frowned. "But for some reason, I feel it's not enough to fill me."

Then, another male's voice came from behind him.

"I see you're just as insatiable as ever, Fuzen."

Fuzen turned around and saw someone standing in the shadows of the alley. Although this new accomplice remained hidden, he knew who it was.

"Well, well, well. I didn't expect to see you here," said Fuzen. "I would have thought you'd still be sleeping at the base."

"Yes, but after going through strenuous tests, the master deemed me fully combat-ready," replied the male. "I was also ordered to join you here in Crocus and help you with your mission."

"Is that so?" said Fuzen. "What about Amina? I would have thought that she, of all people, would want to be here, especially considering her hunger for revenge against that Strauss girl."

"True, but the master decided I would be far more suitable than her," replied the male. "Not only as a precaution but also to test my abilities. But, unfortunately, I also believe that Amina hates me."

Fuzen chuckled. "Well, normally, I'd say she's like that with everybody," he said while walking up to the male. "But with you, there's no helping that. Anyway, I suppose I have no right to complain, so I look forward to working with you."

He reached out to pat the male on the shoulder when he suddenly shot forward and sliced with a swift chop to the neck, forcing him to jump back.

"Hey, hey, hey! No need to get hostile!" Fuzen spoke while feigning shock. "I was only trying to be neighborly."

"Don't give me that," the male spoke with an icy demeanor. "You were trying to drain me."

Fuzen pretended to be offended. "Who? Me? I would never. You know that hurts my feelings."

"Like you have any," countered the male. "All you care about is toying with your prey and sucking them dry like a parasite."

"Ouch. Now that's just plain mean," pouted Fuzen. "I'll have you know that I have a very complicated personality."

"I don't care," replied the male. "We may be allies, but make no mistake, we're here to complete our mission. And if you even think of trying anything funny or do anything to impede its success, I'll make sure to give you a swift death. Are we clear?"

Fuzen sighed. "All right. All right. No need to get hostile. Geez, and I thought Amina was the angry one. Then again, your obligation to stay focused is something to be admired."

The male then walked away, but not before saying this.

"I have to be. After all, failure is not an option for me. Everything I do is for Lord Zeref and to fulfill the wishes of my mistress, my master, and my own. And I will stop at nothing to make them come true."

There was nothing but partying over at the Bar Sun, everyone celebrating their victories. But at some point, Bacchus and Rocker from Quatro Cerebus, or Quatro Puppy, had arrived and made things even rowdier. Bacchus was already making friends with Natsu and his group.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU! COME ON, PUT SOME MORE SPIRIT INTO IT! YOUR SOUL WILL ALWAYS BE...!"

"WILD! ! ! !"

I tried to ignore the yelling, but it grew louder every time.

"Someone, please kill me," I groaned. "Can't a guy drink in peace?"

Bacchus then drunkenly came over to me. "Hey, watcha doin' over here, kid?!" he slurred. "Why don't cha get your soul pumping too?"

"I think I'll pass," I huffed. I then looked at Rocker. "And for that matter, what are you two doing here, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be our enemies? Especially considering what happened in today's match?"

"Aw, come on. Don't be like that," said Rocker. "We wanted to join in on the celebration and give our congrats, too. That and Bacchus wanted an excuse to get some booze."

"Yeah, that much was obvious," I spoke with sarcasm.

"Come on, Willy. Lighten up a bit," urged Natsu. "You know the old saying. An enemy today is a friend tomorrow."

"It's "Yesterday's enemy is today's friend," corrected Lucy. "At least try and say that quote correctly."

"Well, the master doesn't seem to be mind," said Wendy. "And everyone else is OK with it, too, so I think it's fine."

"Yeah! The more, the merrier, I'd say!" concurred Cana as she took a swing from her beer bottle. "Besides, I need a good drinking buddy, and that guy's the perfect man for the job!"

I still couldn't help but feel suspicious, most notably after Bacchus made that bet during his match earlier today and the fact that he was my opponent coming tomorrow, so I made sure to keep my guard up. But, then again, he was still injured from his fight with Elfman, his arms bandaged from hand to shoulder to prove it, and it seemed that they meant well, too, so I didn't object to it any further.

"Just try not to get too out of control, alright?" I said sternly. I glanced at Bacchus. "Especially you, Bacchus, considering you went a little too far earlier today. The last thing we want is another drinking contest that makes Cana end up topless and Macao and Wakaba planted into the floor."

"You got yourself a deal!" Bacchus cackled. "But not making any promises or anything!"

All I could do was roll my eyes as I took a big swig of water.

Then, Bacchus took a seat next to me. "Look, kid. I'm going to level with you," he said. "I didn't just come here to party and booze it up. I came here to talk to you."

"And what reason would that be?" I asked.

Before Bacchus could answer, there was a loud slam that was strong and loud enough to make the whole bar shake causing both of us to jump. This was followed by a familiar voice that shouted angrily.

"Hey! Bacchus! I got a bone to pick with you, you lousy drunk!"

I looked up and saw something that almost made me do a spit-take. Stomping towards us, scowling, was Mira, whose face was bright pink, and her eyes were a bit glazed.

"You got a lot of nerve betting Lisanna and me in Elfman's match!" Mira snarled. "Not to mention you did quite a number to Elfman too! Someone ought to teach you a lesson!"

"Whoa! Take it easy there, Mira!" Bacchus relented. "I'm all for a good brawl, but I know better than to mess with a lady like you."

"You should've thought about that before!" Mira snapped with a leer as she stomped her foot on a chair. "Now, let's get it on, you drunk perv! When I get through with you, you're going to end up as the literal definition of smashed because I'm going to smash you till you bleed!"

I was quick to cut in between them. "Mira, calm down. What's gotten into you?" I said. "You're not acting like yourself!"

"What are you talking about, Willy? I'm fine!" Mira huffed. "I just got an itch to kick someone's ass, and this bastard's on the top of my list!"

Lisanna then came rushing over. "Mira, please! Settle down!" she cried worriedly. She turned towards me. "Sorry about this, guys. Mira had too much to drink, and she's a bit tipsy."

"A bit? I'd say she's completely smashed," I replied.

"What do you mean, tipsy? I'm not drunk! I'm just in the mood to hit something!" Mira barked while hiccuping. She then glanced in Natsu and Gray's direction and immediately stormed over to them. "Hey! Natsu! Gray! Just the two I'm lookin' for! I need a couple of punching bags, and since you two are a part of Erza's team, you both fit the bill!"

"But why us, though?!" Natsu and Gray exclaimed indignantly.

Bacchus laughed. "Well, damn, didn't know that Mira had this kind of side to her! I'm kinda digging it!"

"Don't encourage this!" I barked at him.

"Come on, Erza! Where are you?!" Mira continued to yell out. "Do I have to eat one of your strawberry cakes again?! Or are you too much of a chicken?!"

Wendy then timidly called out while trembling slightly. "M-Mira! Please calm down! You're scaring me."

Mira then whipped her head towards the little bluenette, and as soon she saw her, a giddy smile crossed her face, and she began to shiver.

"Awww. You're so cute, Wendy," she cooed. "Please don't be upset."

Wendy immediately cringed and quickly hid behind Lucy.

"Hey! Turn off the creepy right now, Mira!" Lisanna spoke firmly. "And on that note, you need to sober up." She turned towards me. "Willy, help me out."

"U-Um, right."

Lisanna and I took Mira by her arms and dragged her down to a chair.

"Hey, Willy! Lisanna! What's the big idea?!" she slurred. "You two are supposed to be on my team! We gotta teach those punks from Team Erza a lesson!"

"Looks like she'll be like this for a while," I sighed. "Make sure you keep an eye on her, Lisanna."

But as I started to get up, Mira suddenly reached up and grabbed me by the hand, stopping me. "Hey. Willy, where do you think you're going?" she spoke gruffly.

"I'm just getting you some water," I replied. "I'm told that when someone's drunk, it's essential to keep them hydrated while they rest."

I then tried to pull my hand away, but while keeping a firm hold on it, Mira suddenly yanked at it pulling me toward her, and before I could react, I was sitting on her lap while her arms wrapped around my waist as she hugged me tightly.

It took me a few seconds to register what was happening before I yelped in surprise, my cheeks burning up. "H-Hey! Mira! What do you think you're doing?! Let me go!"

But Mira's arms squeezed tighter. "No!" she spoke with a pout.

"But why not?!" I demanded.

"Because I want you to stay right here!" Mira said firmly. "Besides, I won you in my match fair and square! Therefore, you belong to me and have to do what I say! Got that?!"

I struggled to try and break free, but Mira refused to let go, gripping my waist tighter with a surprising amount of strength.

"H-How the heck is she this freaking strong?!" I cried. "Somebody get her off me!"

"What's the big deal, Willy? Don't tell me you've got a problem with this?" teased Mira. "Or is it because you're embarrassed about being so close to me?"

Immediately, my cheeks grew hotter. "Wh-What are you talking about?!" I asked with a slight squeak.

"Come on, it's so obvious," Mira continued, leaning close to my ear. "Your face is as red as a cherry, and you're acting so flustered just for sitting on a girl's lap. What? Is it that embarrassing to you, or are you hiding the fact that you're happy to be so close to me?~"

Her breath began tickling my ear as she spoke, making me instinctively shiver as I tried to endure the sensation. "M-Mira! Please! That's enough! Let me go!" I cried. "This is a bit too much even for you, so please knock it off!"

But Mira giggled, letting out a slight hiccup. "Oh yeah. Your wings usually come flying out whenever you get surprised. So it's a surprise that they haven't sprung out yet. Let's see what happens when I do this~."

Before I could object further, Mira gently blew on my neck, immediately sending a unique sensation running through my spine, making me squirm slightly while yelping. "H-Hey! What was that?!"

But Mira giggled impishly. "Oh? So you're pretty responsive in that area, eh? OK then. Let's see how you react to this."

She then gently blew right into my ear, making an unusual gasp and shudder to escape my mouth while my wings sprung from my back.

"Well, look at that," said Mira. "Looks like your wings come out when you're embarrassed, after all."

"M-Mira! Stop it! Th-This feels weird!" I cried.

But she didn't let up as she turned my head towards her. "Awww, but you're reacting to it so nicely," she cooed. "It's pretty adorable how you're squirming and writhing in my arms. But it's still not enough.~ How's about I do something a bit more drastic like, say... a kiss?"

That single word made my eyes snap wide as my face grew redder than before. In addition, Mira started leaning in close, appearing ready to kiss me, which made me even more flustered and a bit frightened as I shut my eyes expecting the worst.

"W-Wait! Mira, stop!" I begged. "Not like this! You should do this kind of thing with the guy you like! I mean, there's a proper order to things like this!"

But the kiss never came. At first, I thought she was still teasing me, but after a few seconds of passing, I slowly opened my eyes to find that Mira had fallen fast asleep on my shoulder, snoring peacefully. Her grip had also lessened, enabling me to gently pry her arms away and finally stand up and disperse my wings.

"Whew. That was way too close," I sighed.

But my relief was short-lived as I looked up, finding numerous people staring at me. Most of everyone else was too busy partying or passed out, but Natsu and his group wore looks and dubious looks, while Lisanna and Bacchus were all grins which made my cheeks grow hot once again.

After that ordeal, the party started settling down, and most of our members had already passed out on the floor or at the tables. I made sure to watch over Lisanna and Mira as they slept soundly on a table. Natsu and his group, along with Bacchus and Rocker, were still awake, still partying it up.

"Man, oh, man! You guys sure know how to party, dontcha?!" rumbled Bacchus.

"Have you looked in a mirror? You are the party!" said Happy.

"Well, quite frankly, I think I've had enough partying for one day," I said wryly. "Especially after what I went through."

"Speaking of which, you've certainly dodged a bullet on that one, Willy," said Gray. "For a second, I thought Mira was seriously going to kiss you."

"Not to mention how she was teasing you was something even I didn't see coming," added Carla. "I didn't even think she was the type to act that way when drunk."

"Me either," I said. "Although it brings back memories from when we were teens. She used to act the same way all the time."

"No way! I had no idea!" gasped Wendy.

"Now that you mention it, Mira told me that a while ago," said Lucy. "Back then, she lived up to her title as "The Demon" and would bully everyone else in the guild before she turned into the Mira we all know today,

"But she certainly bullied you quite a bit, didn't she, Willy?" teased Happy. "And I bet you were disappointed when she fell asleep before kissing you, huh?"

My cheeks grew hot again as I looked away. "No comment."

"Well, anyway, I think it's time we head back to the hotel," said Rocker. "It's getting pretty late."

"But where the hell is Erza?" wondered Bacchus. "Anyone seen her?"

"Dunno," replied Natsu. "She's been gone for a long time."

"I think she mentioned something about having to take care of something," said Gray.

"She's probably meeting up with Jellal to discuss their investigation," I thought. "That would explain it."

"By the way, Bacchus, are your arms going to be OK?" asked Wendy. "You are going to be fighting tomorrow."

The S-Class drunk laughed. "To be honest with you, kid, I can barely feel a thing right now."

"Yeah, he's wild, remember?" agreed Rocker. "Besides, there's nothing that a good night's sleep can't fix."

The two got up and were just about to leave the bar when Bacchus stopped.

"Hold on a sec. I almost forgot," he said as he looked over at me. "Hey, Willy. Mind if we picked up where we left off outside? It won't take too long."

I still felt suspicious and wary, wondering what he could have wanted with me, but I followed him outside anyway. Bacchus and I went further away from the bar while Rocker stayed further back to give us privacy.

"So, what's up?" I asked.

"Well, to get right to the point, I wanted to tell you something before tomorrow comes," said Bacchus. "Tell your buddy, Elfman, I think it was, that I hope he makes a speedy recovery."

This surprised me. "Wait, seriously?" I couldn't help but say.

"Well, yeah. That was a seriously wild battle," smiled Bacchus. "And even though he didn't throw a single punch, that guy had me beat when it comes to his manliness. I may be a bit wild, but even I got mad respect for someone like that. I'm looking forward to the day we lock horns again."

I stared at Bacchus for a few seconds before answering with a nod. "Sure thing. I'll tell him the next time I see him."

"And also, I wanted to tell you to make sure to give it everything you got tomorrow," went on Bacchus. "I'm looking forward to seeing how strong you are against me, and you don't want to look bad in front of Mirajane. After all, she is your girlfriend."

At that moment, I let out a groan. "Oh, please, don't you start," I huffed. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I've told everyone else; Mira is not my girlfriend."

Bacchus gave me a puzzled look. "Is that so? I would've thought that you two were an item considering what she did back there," he said. "Not to mention Mira made it clear that she likes you."

Immediately, my eyes went wide once more as my wings shot from my back. "H-Huh?! What the heck are you on about?! You're just saying things because your drunk, aren't you?!"

"Come on, kid. I may be a guy who gets buzzed half the time, but I'm about as sober as I can get," said Bacchus. "Besides, why would I lie about something like that? And after what happened not too long ago, It's pretty obvious that girl's into you."

My heart started to hammer in my chest, and my face was burning enough to catch fire. Bacchus then put an arm around me and spoke in a sage-like tone.

"Listen, kid. I'm going to give you some wisdom. I've been drinking booze for a long time now, and if it's one thing I've learned, alcohol can do many things to a person. It can numb their pain, make them forget the things they want to forget, and all that stuff. But the one thing it does out of anything else is bringing out their true wild selves. And based on what I've seen tonight, Mirajane's got the hots for you, brother."

All I could do was stare, wanting to deny it, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Also, when it comes to women, and as a real man, you gotta take advantage of things like this while you're still young," continued Bacchus. "Otherwise, if you let it slip through your fingers, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You only live life once." He then moved his arm away. "Anyway, I'll be seeing you."

He then walked away but not before looking back at me while holding up a fist.

"And your soul will always be...?"

"Wild?" I responded flatly.

Bacchus then laughed. "Aww, come on! You gotta put more spirit into it!"

And with that, both he and Rocker walked away.

While watching them leave, I could only stand there under the cold night air, contemplating what Bacchus had just said, my cheeks burning while my heart pounded inside my chest, my mind in a storm of confusion.

I apologize if it's been so long since my last update!

I've been playing catch up on many things, and it's a miracle I got this done!

Anyway, I decided to add a little bit of something regarding a particular subject. ;3

As always, thank you very much for reading! And I hope to see you next chapter!

Dragomaster, signing off!