All the Time in the World
Brandish Myu was walking at a leisurely pace with her shrunken partner and crush, Dimaria Yesta clutched in her hand. The two walked in silence as Dimaria was still traumatized at what had happened when she saw Brandish battling Lucy Heartfilia. Not only the brutal attack she suffered at the hands of a possessed Natsu but also the guilt and shame she was feeling about what she had done to Brandish. Dimaria's thoughts were interrupted when Brandish sat down on a bench near a train station.
"OK, I'm going to turn you back to normal, so don't attack," Brandish said in her usual monotone voice before gently putting Dimaria down, Dimaria feeling like Brandish briefly ran a finger through her blonde hair, and snapping her fingers. Dimaria quickly grew back to her normal height, but much to Brandish's surprise, Dimaria sat down with her head looking down at the crack filled sidewalk.
"Why did you save me, Randi?" Dimaria mumbled, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"What do you mean? It was so you wouldn't get hurt," Brandish responded as Dimaria continued to sigh, which was shaky due to her attempts at keeping herself from crying.
"But…I almost killed you. I left you lying there, bleeding out. I didn't even hear you out, and if it weren't for your magic…you would've died," Dimaria responded, her voice cracking by the end of her sentence as a couple of tears started to roll down her cheeks. Brandish looked at Dimaria, just now noticing that she was on the verge of tears, and walked up to Dimaria. Just as Dimaria looked up at Brandish, Brandish knelt down and hugged her, lightly massaging her back with her right hand.
"Dimaria…do you remember what you promised me when we were children?" Brandish asked in a whisper. Dimaria looked down, this time in thought, to think about what Brandish was talking about. After a moment, she put her head back up and started reciting her promise.
"I promised you that I would be by your side every day to make you happy after I saw you crying by a Cliffside about your mother," Dimaria responded as Brandish nodded before letting go, and holding both of her hands in hers. "I…don't think I've done a good job, huh?" Dimaria asked, with a forced smile forming on her face.
"No, quite the opposite. You've done a great job making me happy. I may not show it, but you really do make me happy," Brandish responded before she noticed the look on Dimaria's face, with her raised eyebrow and her eyes looking away from that she didn't believe Brandish's words.
"Dimaria…I never told you, or anyone, this, but when I was by the Cliffside that day, I…I was going to kill myself," Brandish confessed as Dimaria's head shot up and looked at Brandish with wide and surprised eyes. "That day…was the anniversary of my Mom's death and the more I thought about it, the more I would just feel happier if I was dead with her. But then…you came. You came when you didn't need to and spent so long trying to make me feel better. And…that promise you made me…really made me happy". Dimaria continued to look on in surprise, and Brandish took this as a hint to continue.
"You were the first person to ever really…talk to me. When people saw me depressed about my mom, they…never really did anything and tried to ignore it. But you stayed with me, and spent time with me every day, making me laugh and smile on the inside. I'm sorry that I couldn't show you how happy you made me, so…I want to show you now," Brandish explained, her lips turning upwards to form the biggest smile Dimaria had ever seen on Brandish's face, and it was starting to make her cry.
"W…w…what are you saying?" Dimaria practically whimpered out as Dimaria, still smiling, pulled Dimaria closer to her and looked right in her face.
"I can't imagine living my life without you in it. That's why I saved you, and that's why I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me. Dimaria Yesta, I love you," Brandish whispered into Dimaria's ear, with tears appearing in her eyes as her smile remained the same size as Dimaria looked at her in disbelief.
"Do you…really mean that?" Dimaria practically whispered as she quickly looked back down.
"Dimaria, I mean it with all my heart. I love you, and I have…for a long time," Brandish confessed as Dimaria looked back up at Brandish, with a small smile starting to form on her face.
"I…still feel guilty about what I did to you. I…went too far, and I don't know why you're even bothering with me after all that. If I were you, I'd find someone else," Dimaria confessed as Brandish gave Dimaria a playful punch to the top of her head before hugging her, burying her face into Dimaria's chest.
"We all did things we regretted during the war. I almost killed someone too all because of a misunderstanding, and she wanted to be friends with me afterwards. I think we can make this work, Dimaria." Tears began spilling out of Dimaria's eyes as she leaned in and kissed Brandish on the cheek before looking up with a smile on her face.
"I love you too Brandish! I've…I've loved you for a long time, but I was scared that you didn't feel the same way about me," Dimaria confessed as Brandish's smile grew wider as she kissed Dimaria back on the lips. Dimaria looked down at Brandish with her eyes wide in shock as she started participating in the kiss, closing her eyes, and rubbing Brandish's back as the two fell back onto the bench in front of the train station. While they were kissing, Brandish heard the sound of the train coming in, with a whistle loud enough to wake the dead.
"Mari…it looks like the train's coming. We should get ready," Brandish said. However, before she could let go of Dimaria, she saw the familiar blue tint of Dimaria's Age Seal as everything stopped completely. Brandish looked at Dimaria with a warm smile on her face, as Dimaria was giving her a smile with the same amount of warmth as she leaned in closer to Brandish.
"Well, it looks to me that we have all the time in the world," Dimaria whispered into Brandish's ear as she held Brandish's right hand with her right hand and started kissing her in the mouth again. Brandish returned the kiss, still noticing the blue tint around, reminding her that for now, it was only her and Dimaria.
'All the time in the world,' Brandish whispered in her head. 'Yeah, we have plenty of time to make this work. Plenty of time to ease Dimaria's guilt, to find a home together, to find new work, and…to start a family. And I can't wait,' Brandish continued as she went back to focusing on Dimaria. Dimaria suddenly stopped the kiss and laid back on the bench, with her hand still clasped in Brandish's.
"I don't have much magic left, so I only have two and a half minutes of the Age Seal left. Let's just cuddle so I can be near you and keep enough energy to leave the Age Seal up," Dimaria explained as Brandish nodded and laid her head onto Dimaria's shoulder. Dimaria responded in kind, putting her head on top of Brandish's, as the two sat with each other in silence, thinking of what their future held after the most devastating war they have ever been a part of.