"Craig, look out!" A light green haired girl that seemed to be in her late twenties warned a sixteen-year-old Craig. She ducked herself as a horizontal energy blade slashed and stretched off towards them. Both the woman and Craig kept their heads low as the blade went straight through the rock behind them. Small shards of rock exploded outwards, striking Craig and her own back.

Dorizel laughed in amusement as he watched the teen and older woman in the fight of their lives. His wild blonde hair flickered as his dark eyes showed no remorse. His torn attire was but a symbol of his barbaric nature. He swiped his arm again, sending another disastrous wave at the duo. His second swipe was even greater in length, and Craig and the woman again dodged, letting the slicing attack vertically slice straight through the air. The attack, like before, bored through every grain of rock behind them. The two-hundred-foot tall structure behind the two erupted into a violent explosion, shooting the blast wave high into the sky. A boom ranged through their ears and dwarfed out their screams of anguish. The clouds in the night sky dissipated from the massive pillar as far as the eye could see.

In the remnants of the mountain range that wasn't blown up by Dorizel, rubble and rock filled crevices, and the landscape that was previous was all but turned on its head. As Craig and Alena were still caught in the shockwaves, Dorizel's fumes raged on.

"How's about more?! HYYAAAAAAHHHH!"

Erupting was a humungous explosion from him. The radius expanded outwards and lit up the night sky. The exact spot of impact could've been seen from space as the radius was beyond massive. It stretched out so far over the barren country of Sin. In terms of Fiore, it could've demolished an area ten times bigger than Crocus.

Everything that was mountainous was all but destroyed. The land raged with devastating earthquakes and the epicenter was Dorizel. The tyrannical man huffed with exhaustion as his full power was unleashed, demolishing the desolation he created himself.

"Yes…yes!" He chuckled. "You really thought that you could overthrow me?! ME?!" He yelled out. "I told you, Craig Crius, no matter what happens, everything in my line of sight is instantly destroyed!" His fists clenched tighter than ever, eyes dilating as he looked at the barren rubble as far as the eye could see. "You disgusted me too, Alena! I thought we had something, but too bad I have no use for you in this world that I envision."

He turned away and sneered. "Now, I'll restart by building Sin from the ground up…"

Rubble fell apart and Dorizel's eyes widened. He gasped and he twitched upon hearing the sounds of panting come up. "What…?"

"Did you really…think we'd…lay down while you devastate…more lives?"

"You really are a twisted man…no matter what…you'll be stopped."

"No…no! I thought-?!" He turned around and went wide-eyed. He saw Craig and Alena both standing atop of rubble; albeit with great injuries and blood in a few places, they were both enveloped in a blue veil.

He growled. "Alena, damn you…!"

"Craig, go now!" Alena extended her arm forward, and the veil protecting Craig and her split apart. It shrunk around Craig until it became a blue coating that glowed all around his body. She cried out as Craig joined in on the battle cry.

Drawing all of his blades, Craig lunged ahead after Dorizel. He sliced right through the rock at his feet and zoomed on in after his adversary. "You've done nothing but massacre the country of Sin, and all you care about is making your own utopia? Sorry pal, but nothing will ever be perfect, not in this or any other world!"

Gritting his teeth, Dorizel violently extended his arms forward. "No, you're wrong! I shall establish perfection! I AM perfection! And you can't take that from me! Hrraaah!" He fired a monstrous beam that was an explosion, and the attack, despite hitting Craig, did not blow him up. His swords were around the protective veil as well, and they sliced right through the explosive beam.

"The only thing you've established, was your demise! Devil's Cross!"

Craig past Dorizel, slicing in a holy cross-like manner with his mouth blade up vertically. The attack spilled Dorizel's blood as he fell over, screaming and gaping. His arms, chest, and neck had been cut into, and his eyes went wide and white.

"My…utopia…" He muttered before falling onto his back.

Craig panted as the blue veil around him and Alena faded away, and the former fell to his knees in exhaustion. As he was catching his breath, the swords fell to the ground. He couldn't bother picking them up, and he could only stay set on the fact that he and Alena managed to salvage all of Sin. Alena on the other hand took in a sigh of relief and smiled. In the end, she felt a weight lift. She was fooled, and Craig made her open her eyes. The true enemy would never endanger innocent lives, and Craig proved his side and Alena joined in. With her boss defeated, his utopia was forever but a dream.

"Craig." Alena hurried over to Craig's side and knelt down to him. Craig panted on as his ally smiled. "We did it."

"Yeah…we did, didn't we?" Craig smirked.

Both the smiling teen and older woman were cut off at that instant when a light resonated from behind. The light was charging up, and there was a brimming intensity all around them. The particles all around them were sparkling like fireworks.

"The particles…" Craig trailed off.

Alena looked distressed. "Wait, this power." Her eyes widened. "It can't be! Dorizel-!"

Chuckling was heard from behind. The ear-splitting chucking was a terrible omen, and it was proven when it resonated from Dorizel's shining body. Both turned around with shock to see his shining body taking in light particles.

"This is far from over, not for me it isn't." He said. "If I can't have my utopia, then no one can…"

Alena covered her mouth as she stepped back. "He's going to use is self-destruction spell!"

Craig's eyes widened. "What?"

"It's his most lethal weapon. In the event he couldn't make it, he made it so the spell double commits an omni-suicide! He'll literally blow up half of Sin!"

Craig gasped and turned back with horror.

"Even if you tried, my body is rigged. I did it myself, so that even I can't undo it." Dorizel smiled as the light around him got brighter. "My world is ruined by people and their arrogance, and you support them. That's just distasteful. My utopia shall wait elsewhere."

Craig stepped back out of disbelief. "No way, you're saying…you-!"

Alena rushed on in and got in front of Craig. "Dorizel!" She announced.

Craig stepped off to the side. "Alena? What are you-?!" He was cut off when a blue veil surrounded him, cutting off his sound from reaching out to Alena. "Alena? What the heck is wrong with you?!"

"Oh?" Dorizel looked intrigued. "Being so bold, Alena? You're gonna shield him and not yourself?" He looked so amused despite how his insides were starting to bubble. He saw Alena approach him and towered above. The well-endowed woman only gave a blank expression. Alena gave no vocal response and instead moved her arm in front. A blue veil surrounded her and Dorizel alike. "What?!"

"Alena!" Craig shouted.

"You played me for a fool, Dorizel. You left Sin with a mortal scar. Craig has told me of others being so bold as you at some point, and in the end they always get blinded by their ambition. Turns out you were no different. You thought it was a benefit, but you burdened others instead; you used people like tools and not living beings without hearts."

Alena turned towards a distraught Craig. Craig had his lips parted a little and his eyes were dilating, but Alena expected that of someone of his character. She powered through with a smile, with the glow from Dorizel radiating her from behind as though she were an angel.

"Craig, I'm going to contain the blast as much as I can. We don't have any choice. You have to keep on going."

"Alena! Don't be damned! C'mon!" Craig shouted. His eyes began to mist up. "Please…"

Alena continued smiling. "Craig, thank you for opening my eyes. I thought there was a utopia on Earth Land, but it was really…here." She pointed to her large chest, more specifically her heart. "I know what you're thinking, but those guys from before, they all knew the risks. I wanna see what wonderful people you've befriended, in the real utopia." Her smiled softened as the pressure built up by Dorizel was starting to make her skin pale. "No matter how you see it, nothing is perfect, and it can never really be. Perfection is a word to define someone or something in an opinion…like you." Tears swelled in her eyes. "I am forever in your debt of kindness…Craig, thank you."

Craig couldn't even swallow before the light shined brighter, and the radiance of the woman disappeared. The earth shook as everything exploded, and Craig looked away as his tears were blown away, along with himself as a ten-mile blast wave shot outwards.

"ALENA~~~!"

A loud gasp mad Craig jolt back up. He woke up in his bed with another case of anxiety flowing through him. His eyes dilated and spectated the bedroom. Looking around, seeing nothing short of just himself, the last drip of sweat hit the blanket.

Craig took in a despairing sigh. "…Alena, huh?" He could only fathom the memory he had with that woman, despite only having teamed up for about two days before she went kaboom. It wasn't funny, not in the slightest. Knowing a friend and ally who had dreams and wishes pass on was something Craig had dealt with, but it had some bitter consequences on his sleeping. Noticing something dripping from the side of his face, he used the think blanket and wiped away the tears. He looked at the salt deposits and stared into the blue mesh. "It's always the same, isn't it?"

With a mournful sigh, he got out of bed and began his day with a distasteful and grimacing lack of sleep in his eyes.

It had been a couple days since the Essence incident, and Craig had used a fair portion of his savings he had on hand and purchased a small home. It wasn't extravagant, but that word didn't belong in his dictionary. It was furnished and well-maintained, but what really mattered was it being shelter for him. It was perhaps a location that was shrouded inside the vicinity. Like Gray's own home, Craig's house was somewhere that he labeled irrelevant.

Yesterday he came back after getting word of a ruffian in Hargeon, and so he went on and did his little bounty hunting theatrics, and got paid to last him for a few days in terms of food.

When he got dressed in black pants and a fresh black shirt, he put his leg weights on and rolled his arm, spectating the titanium and heavy armbands on his forearms. With himself set, he looked at the time and saw that he overslept…again. It was eleven, but to him that was basically bright and early.

With a groan, he made way out of his house, giving no bother to lock up as he left to go get from fresh food.

In the forest, Natsu and Happy were present. They were looking focused as they stared at the water glistening with sunlight. Today was a good day for them, as they were catching lunch fresh out of the riverbank.

"You think it's here today, buddy?" Natsu asked with an energetic smile.

Happy nodded. "Aye! I'm positive this time!"

"That sucker's around here somewhere this time of day, that much we know. It'll be big enough to hold us down until supper." Natsu was of course talking about a fish, but one that they've been dying to catch for awhile now. As far as they've been keeping track, the current's very weak, barely moving at this time of day, so fish are more likely to spawn and swim around the riverbank freely until the current picks up again in the afternoon.

"This time, it won't get away! Today's the day we catch that sucker and eat until we pop!"

"Aye, sir!"

The two sat patiently, waiting for the opportunity to catch the rich fish. They waited, and as they were focused on catching their prize, a familiar but not pleasant someone lethargically stepped out of the woods. His stride was like that of a hunting dinosaur as he picked up his head and hunched forwards a little. Craig was the culprit, and he took note of Natsu and Happy, but immediately brushed them off. He took a right ad went up the riverbank some. His throat gave a low growl, which could rival his stomach.

Natsu's line tugged. "Oh! I think I got one!" He grabbed hold and pulled the line. There was some resistance to the line, but he reeled it all in, only for his findings to come up for. "Aw, man. This ain't it." He held up a plain blue fish as it wiggled.

"It's just some plain old sunfish." Happy explained. "Huh?" While looking at his line, seeing as how he wasn't getting anything, his eyes caught sight of Craig walking slowly along the riverside. "Hey, Natsu." He called out to his pal as he put the single fish into the basket. "Look!"

"Huh?" He squinted his eyes and saw a person walking in an odd manner until he was at a suitable slant alongside the river. "Oh, hey. It's that Craig guy."

"I wonder what he's doing here?" Happy wondered.

Craig scrutinized the water. It looked like a small current, and there was a plethora of fish swimming. The number of fish actually surprised him some. His head lowered to the water, he stepped into the river and his steps in the water scared off a number of fishes.

"Whatever he's doin' it's weird. Is he supposed to catch fish like that?" Natsu questioned.

Craig's still feet in the rock of the river left fish at ease and swam along like he wasn't even there. Craig watched with a scrutinizing sense as fished swam towards his right. His mouth opened up, showing his powerful jaws and sharp teeth. It was an indication that he was locked onto a target. His eyes caught something long and large heading his head, and it seemed unaware of Craig. His sharp sea-blue eyes followed the fish, and when it got close, he struck.

Craig lunged his mouth into the water, snaring the giant fish in his powerful teeth. Once he got a grip with his incisors and canines, he cranked his head back up, revealing the fish to be a milky white on the underside with a rich royal blue. It was a meter long, making it larger than the usual fish caught by Natsu and Happy.

Happy's eyes widened. "No way! Natsu, that's the fish we've been trying to catch!"

"He got to it first?!" The Dragon Slayer exclaimed.

Craig turned his head and body so as to exit the river with his sturdy stride. Once safely out, he whipped his head and threw the struggling fish inland. The tossed, large fish flopped on the shores as it landed. It attempted to wiggle its way back to the river, but Craig suppressed it with a firm grip with one hand and pressured it to the ground. Taking his other arm, the motion made only took two seconds. In a violent swift, he drew his blood red sword and cut right through the back, ending the fish's life with the huge cut. He sheathed his sword and spectated his catch of the day for a few seconds. After it looked clear, he violently took a bite and thrashed the fish in place, ripping out a massive chunk of skin, bone, and everything. He raised his head and devoured it all in one go.

Happy drooled at the site. "Aaaah! No fair! We had dibs!"

Natsu's fish shook in frustration. "Damn right. And why is he eating it raw?"

Happy, taking the matter more personally, got up and attempted to walk over. Natsu was shocked as Happy's temptation over the large fish overtook his pal. Despite Natsu warning him then and there, Happy wanted the fish bad…and if he was gonna try and get a few bites from Craig's catch, he was about to learn a very hard lesson.

Craig snapped his jaws and ripped out another piece of the fish on the ground. As he was having brunch, Happy snuck up as silent as a cat could be. He watched Craig's vicious eating habits unfold, which disgusted him. 'That's not right. You can't eat such a fine delicacy like that. You have to savor it. He's ruining it!' Happy looked at the fish as it was still wet and fresh. The meter-long food made him drool again, and he slowly reached to grab the tailfin.

"Hnnngh!" He tried hauling it away, but not only was it too heavy, but Craig took notice of Happy, and he didn't look pleased at all. He violently roared into Happy's face, causing the Exceed to lean back and stare with a beating heart into jaws if the beast. The wind made by his roar made him fall backwards, and Craig's warning was accompanied with him sneering at the shocked Exceed and picked his catch up with his jaws and moved it aside.

Turning, Craig sat down again, gripped his prey, and resumed his meal. However, Happy wasn't gonna give up the prize when it was a rare species of fish on the line. His mind told him to head in the opposite direction, but his stomach said take it no matter what.

His mouth drooled again, and he couldn't take it. "It's mine!" Happy pounced onto the fish, taking a bite into it. However, as he tried nibbling, he was met with a backhand. Craig viciously smacked Happy away and the Exceed spiraled through the air, becoming a glint that fell elsewhere.

Natsu didn't take it very well. "Hey you jerk! What the hell! Taking away our dibs was one thing, but mess with Happy and you pay a serious pri-!"

Agitated, Craig didn't think twice as he snagged Natsu's arm in a tight grip and stood up. His grip was so strong that not only was blood circulation was cut off, but the bone in his arm almost cracked from pressure. "I wanna have my brunch in piece, so I would appreciate it if you and your feline thief of a friend find your own fish. Beat it, vultures!" Pivoting around, Craig swung and sent Natsu flying off into the unknown in the same exact course as Happy. He screamed as he spiraled through the air, landing elsewhere.

Craig growled low and shook his head. "Ignorant swines." He picked up the remains of his brunch with his teeth and carried his meal off to another location, where he could enjoy it in peace.

Natsu and Happy learned a hard lesson that morning: Craig despises sharing.

It was later on that day that things were turned towards the guild hall. There was the usual going on, or rather very mellow in this case, since there was no fight raging as of the moment due to Natsu's…absence.

At the bar, Cana was busy indulging her thoughts in her booze. She looked content as she gave a sigh after gulping down a mug. "Yeah, now we're talkin'. Hey Mira, another one?"

"Sure." Mira took a clean mug and filled it up with fresh booze from a barrel. She handed the beverage to Cana with a smile. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Cana swiveled on her stool and looked away. "It's nice to unwind after the stupidity that happened."

"Well to be fair, we've already unwind. You're still stuck on that stage."

Cana waved Mira off. "Bah, who wouldn't?" She put the mug close to her mouth. "I mean we did kick butt out there, right?"

Mira chuckled. "You're not wrong, but we hardly did half of the fighting. It was really Craig who did all the work out there."

Cana didn't sip from her mug and instead slammed the mug in the table, much to Mira's surprise. "I'm still pissed about that guy. Seriously? You thank him, only for him to brush it off and venture off elsewhere to nap it off. I can't even fathom what goes on in that messed up head of his. Is he an ally? Enemy? Indifferent? I know he hates about, well, everything, and yet that questions why."

Mirajane looked just as questionable as Cana, though she had a more innocent look than Cana's irritated one. At least she wasn't bothered by thinking about the rude brute of a human being. "I'm not sure. Maybe it's best to not think about it, you'll get wrinkles." She politely warned.

Cana rolled her eyes at the prospect. "Yeah, I guess." She lifted her head and downed the booze in the mug. Each gulp she took was large quantities that fell right into her stomach. She slammed the mug down and sighed again, this one with a little hiccup. "Well, enough loafing around. I gotta stretch my legs." She stood up from the stool and turned her attention to the request board that had a number of jobs posted. "I'm gonna head out on a job."

"Okay, be safe."

Mirajane signed Cana up for a small job located in Hargeon. According to the standards, the job shouldn't take too long, and she should be back in time for dinner. The brunette ventured out of the guild hall with her things and began her trek towards the train station. The sun made her smile, and the light breeze was like a blanket of serenity to her. The brunette stretched her arms overhead with a smile.

"Man, this weather never gets old." She mused.

"Probably, but you will."

And all that was serene in the air died that moment. Cana's face turned sour and her gaze was blank as her peace was gone. She didn't even bother looking towards her left as a person was standing on some steps. It was none other than the one person capable of defying everything known to ever be created.

"Cranky, I was having a swell time." She told him. "And then that tone and voice you just spatted out, completely ripped that away from me. You must feel so proud of yourself right about now."

Craig smirked sourly. "Then my day has been made. I can cross 'emotionally shatter Brownie' off my checklist for the day." He sarcastically said.

"Don't get ahead of yourself there, I ain't lying down and begging' to your knees yet." Cana snarked back. "And what are you doing here?"

Craig took his knuckles and knocked on the building door behind him. "What's it look like? I'm gonna lie down."

Cana's face twisted. "Really now?" She added extra emphasis on the first word as she moved her hands to her hips. "I seriously question of how someone as annoying, lazy, and hyper-aggressive as you can be so strong as to rip someone's head off."

Craig's head moved back and forth in a mocking manner. "Like you could ever hold yourself up with me around. Every time either you or your guild – mostly you – find yourself about to be ribbons, I always have to do the job." He turned towards the doorway. "I think that booze is making you gutless."

Cana grew a tick mark. "Oh! So you condemn me for what I love. How noble of you." She was extremely sarcastic. "I think you got issues yourself, like table manners for one thing. You even care about public appeal."

Craig narrowed his eyes and glanced back at her. "It's me against the world. I couldn't care less what you all thought of me…even my own opinion doesn't matter." He gripped the door handle to his abode. "Can I trust myself to be there when lives are on the line? No. Will I always doubt myself? Yes. Why do I do what I do? Because I can, that's why." His eyes sharpened. "No matter what anybody says, I follow what I want, and I take no crap and beat the man in front of me."

Cana blinked at Craig's seriousness. It was another surprising feat she saw him enact. It was true that it was no surprise that they bicker, and bicker, and more bicker, but at the same time she can't help but be in awe of Craig's seriousness. It was like a more intellectual, and partly scary, side of him has revealed itself. The same happened during one of those nights during the whole Essence incident.

"…oh, and I take no crap from you too."

And there he goes again, snapping her right back into the mood. "I hate you."

"At least we agree on something, which I also hate."

"I hate how we just agreed on hating the fact we hate each other." She huffed.

"Well I hate how I'm doomed to be in this guild of yours that goes and destroys stuff for no reason!"

"Well I hate how you're napping and being an anti-team player!"

"I'm my own team, and I find it despicable knowing I had to cooperate with you sometimes."

Cana smirked. "You're in living hell, a place I put you in. I can cross that off my checklist of achievements for the day." Her attention drew towards the building. "Looks like I found your little hideout away from our so-called 'barbarian cage' as you'd put it."

"Ha-ha. Real funny. What're you gonna do? Snoop around and spy on me 24/7?"

"Oh please, I ain't no peepin tom like the guys are in the girl baths."

"Well keep your eyes and perverted aspects to yourself, especially your eyes. If you try burning holes into me out of rage, you'll go blind." He went inside the opened door and walked inside. "But still, be safe and try not to break your legs, Brownie."

With that snarky remembrance, Craig shut the door behind himself, leaving Cana be, as well as a few shocked citizens as they had to hear then rant on. While they watched the commotion they had a number of lingering questions, like why would they choose to bicker in the middle of the stinkin street?!

Cana yelled at the door. "Go ahead and nap, I hope you have nightmares about me haunting you, Cranky!"

"That's already happening right now!" Craig yelled, which was muffled by the door.

Cana took off without further delay, her mood as sour as a lemon. "That guy, does he really think I'd spy on him? What is there to even consider? Watching him eat up a cow?" She murmured her way through the streets and off for the train station to get a ticket for Hargeon.

…

Craig didn't bother heading up the stairs to take a nap in his bed, instead he chose to fall onto his sofa and groaned. His groan, of course, accelerated into a disgruntled low roar. He rolled onto his side, facing the chimney and fireplace.

"Dumb Brownie, I swear, that bra is too tight for her own good." His ranting turned into his mind, but nothing was coming too mind. "…" The more he stared at the fireplace, the calmer he seemed to have gotten. He didn't speak for awhile as he stared off into space. His eyes were blank, only seeing but figments of brick and tan-painted wall.

"…it's hard to believe that's the same Cana from long ago. I still can't quite wrap my mind around it, nor why I have these lost memories occur when she's around. This can't have magic involved into it, right…?" He turned himself so that he would be facing up at the high ceiling. He stared at the smooth surface and was lost in his puzzling even further. "So far, I remember being maybe three, and then met Cana, and what looked like her mom. Both were sweet to me that day I met them…but this dream I had against Essence, it had nothing to do with that. I was older, and I was learning the art of chi manipulation. Was that because I was currently in battle? So little answers to all of these questions." He closed his eyes, seeing nothing but black. 'I better pace myself or I'll fall over with a headache…'

It was the dawn of a new morning in the sweet little town of Gardenia. The morning dew on leaves dripped onto the grass as the sun shined brightly. The morning September mist around the forest and town was fresh and was expected to last for quite some time until the sun rises further.

Getting out of bed, the little Cana stretched with a cheery smile. Her large purple eyes glistened from looking out her window. Her house in general was small, actually it was but a cottage. She was happy with her mom, that's all that mattered.

However, meeting and inviting Craig to stay with them gave Cana hope.

"I hope Craig slept well." She happily wondered. Her little body reached for the doorknob to her door, barely able to grab onto and twist the knob. As a result, she was nearly hanging onto the knob as the door opened up all the way out.

"Oof!" Cana fell onto her behind and shook her head. It didn't bother her; it was more of a casual basis. She looked over towards the couch, seeing the couch vacant. Her eyes blinked. "Craig?" She looked around the small living room, seeing it to be vacant as well. "Craig?" She turned her attention away from the living room and instead to the kitchen, where she heard some loud chomping.

"Craig?" She called out again. Her call was met with scuttling heard, meaning something was fleeing. Her little body carried her to the entrance to the kitchen, hoping to find him there. "I hope it's not another mouse again…!"

It was far from a mouse. Instead, it was Craig, but he was no different from a pest. Everywhere around the small three-year-old, there were bite marks on everything. The wooden table was bitten into all over it, especially the legs. The countertops and their edging were bitten into, with chunks of them taken out. It was also the wooden pantries that had lots of small bite marks. Around Craig was also some food, obviously taken from the fridge. It looked like shattered glass of jam, hence the purple mush around his face.

Cana stared with shock. "Whoa!"

Craig's eyes widened and hiccupped. Some jam spit out as he saw Cana at the entrance. "Uh…uh…"

Her mom put her brown hair into a ponytail as she smiled. "Morning, sweetie. Have you seen that young boy? He wasn't in the living room so I thought…!" Her attention was brought to the kitchen, to which she realized what Cana was staring at. If she had anything in hand, it would've dropped to the wooden floor. The kitchen was a mess, and the mom gasped in utter shock over the hysteria that Craig had brought.

When she met eyes with Craig, the three-year-old was instantly frightened with what may happen. His instincts followed, and his fight or flight system told him flight. He scuttled away with hurry underneath the cupboards beneath the sink and slammed them shut,

"O-oh my…" Cana's mom wasn't sure as to what had to be done. Was there something that needed to be said? What could she say? Craig practically desecrated the kitchen. How was she gonna fix this? There was so much confusion at what just happened and how to handle it. Craig was there for a single night.

Cana tugged on her mother's skirt. "Mommy?" She sounded worried. "Is Craig okay?"

Her mom knelt down to her daughter and half-grinned. She stroke her daughter's hair to alleviate her worries. "No, no, sweetie. Craig is okay. He's just…uh…trying to get used to here." She stood back up and turned away. "Stay here, okay?"

Cana nodded her head. "Okay."

Cana's mom slowly maneuvered her way through the kitchen, being sure to be weary of the broken glass and jam. "Craig?" She called out to the cupboard. "Craig, sweetie. It's okay. Please, come out."

There was shifting from inside, but the door did not open.

She knelt down to the cupboard and half-grinned again. "Craig…please? I won't hurt you, I just want to talk."

Slowly, the cupboards creaked open. Craig's arm moved the cupboard and it immediately reeled back. Cornelia got a good view of Craig. He looked scared, and at the same time like he was ready to fend for his life. It was a sad scene to see a child like Craig so scared and threatening at the same time, especially since he's been all alone.

"Craig, sweetie?" She asked softly, but kept her hands away so that Craig didn't bite them off. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Craig looked away from her, ashamed. "…I…was hungry." He mumbled. "I ate whatever I could find. The tables and everything weren't tasty at all."

"That's because you can't eat them, silly." She responded. "I'm not mad, I swear."

Craig then looked towards her again. "Then…I realized that the fridge was easy to open, so I grabbed the first thing I found…so I wouldn't get caught."

Cana's mom backed off at this realization. It was pitiful enough Craig had no whereabouts of his family, but what was heartbreaking was how desperate he looked, let alone his acts. Even after being entrusted with a home, he was still scared for his life about people and savage, wild animals attempting to steal what he got to first, let alone make him into a meal of their own. The face Craig had said.

The woman looked around once more and saw that aside from Craig's obvious…teething issue, he was just going by instinct. She smiled back to him and had her arms out. "Craig, it's okay. I swear I won't hurt you. It's okay with what you did, really." She saw Craig's weary look ease up, which was a step in the right direction. "You don't have to scrounge around. I'm sorry you weren't raised to find food like a normal human being. How about this? After we help clean up the mess, we can all have breakfast together. How's that sound?"

Craig slowly crawled out of the cupboards, his head poking out. "Really?"

The mom smiled. "Really. Come here."

She pulled a distraught little Craig in for a comforting hug. To Craig, this was a shocking revelation. He never felt a hug so warm, so caring, and so forgiving. His little body didn't know how to process it. All he could do was just accept the warm hug and be forgiven for what he did to merely feed himself.

"Awww, yay! Hear that Craig, mommy's not mad! Food for everyone!" Cana joined in on the hug as well. The two warming hugs shared by the innocent girl his age and her sweet mother left Craig with small tears in his eyes.

For the first time, he was happy to be around people.

Craig eyes slowly opened up. When he came around, he gasped and jolted back up, sitting upright. "What…?" He looked around, seeing how he was back in his stay. He was surprised to say the least over his shocking revelation. He adjusted his body and sat up alongside the couch. "A memory…?" He blinked, and put his fingers to his head. "That just now, it was after Cana left…that was the morning…when I woke up from that first night there…?"

He got up from the sofa and made way towards the kitchen, his steps silent. As he pondered of the memory restored, he looked down at his chest. There was this warm sensation running through. The memory of that hug from mother and daughter; it was still fresh, and it made him feel all warm inside.

He stared at the ground, a small grin plastered onto his face. "Cana and her mom, huh…?"

He looked outside the nearest window, seeing how the sun was at the brink of evening. He shook his head while still grinning. "I must be getting delusional. I gotta get some fresh air or something."

With that said, he got his shoes back on and went upstairs towards his bathroom. He brushed his teeth, showered, and he was all set. That dream left him grinning on, and he decided to head out.

However, what will happen later on, it was gonna be one of the moments that would define his nature: Insubordination.

Night fell onto Magnolia soon enough. Everyone was fast asleep and the guild hall was practically vacant. After everyone departed either for an overnight job or for home, the guild hall was completely silent. It was shrouded in shadows, but then the door creaked open as a lone figure found its way in.

The figure revealed itself as Cana, and she had just arrived mere minutes after the guild closed. She gained access inside and huffed in a frustrating sigh.

"That job took longer than I thought. So much for peace at mind…again!" She groaned. The brunette looked around, seeing the lights were either dim or off. "I guess the guild hall's closed. I better sign myself out and grab the booze bottles I left behind and make it home-!"

There was a sudden creak from afar, which struck the Card Mage with vivid shock. Her eyes widened as she looked around, but the creaking was but for that moment.

"Someone there?" Even through the guild hall's poor lighting at night, she could barely make out any sound or figurations. It sounded like it came from the stairs, so she pulled out a card in the case of an emergency. She silently stepped forward towards the sound and stopped just before the staircase. "Hello…?"

"Geez, you nearly made my heart jump. You must feel so proud of yourself."

Cana's eyes widened. "…oh crap."

The figure atop of the stairs openly drew himself in and his figure was seen in the lighting. His frown and irritated look was all the more devastating to look at in the dimness of night.

"And an emotionally-shattering evening to you too, Brownie."

"Craig?! The hell! You scared me there!" She retorted.

"I scare everyone, whether it'd be day or night." He rolled his eyes. "It's nothing new."

"I didn't even know you were there. What the hell are you doing here anyway?"

Craig tilted his head, gesturing towards her. "I could be asking you the same thing. You forget something?" He pointed his thumb off to the side, right to where the bar was located. There was a whole carton of booze in bottles in a six-pack.

Cana blinked, albeit wearily as she was still off about Craig. "…right…thanks for pointing that out." She walked towards the bar and plucked out her six-pack of what was further labeled as her favorite booze. She then looked over as Craig nonchalantly mozied on down and went over to the bar as well, but ended up on the opposite end. He looked through the bottom of the bar, looking.

Cana sat in her stool, curious about Craig. She was aware he meant no harm, so she was in the clear…for now. "So, Cranky, what are you looking for?"

"Shut up, I'm looking…" He looked around the bar, until he finally found what he'd been looking for. "Okay." He pulled out the work records book and opened to the most recent job. He plucked out the pen and pulled out the request he had in his pocket.

Cana, again, was surprised. "Wait, so let me get this straight; you're deliberately signing yourself out on a job under the cover of night?"

Craig just looked back and forth from the job to the work records and continued signing in the stuff needed. "Pretty much."

Cana shrugged. "Okay, well, it ain't my business, so why am I even as…king…?" Her eyes happened to capture what the job was. It was what made her almost spit out her drink. She choked a little on her booze and swallowed hard, panting and gasping for air. Her body shifted to look at the job again, seeing what was a big S on it.

"What the…you're taking…an S-Class request?!" She exclaimed.

Craig closed the work records and put the pen back into place. "Yeah, so?"

Cana stood up from her stool, opposing Craig. "That's so against the rules! You can't just go and take an S-Class job! You're not even S-Class you idiot!"

Craig plucked the job and folded it into his pockets. "And yet is that stopping me? However you see it, it's a job nonetheless. In my point of view, this job I'm taking, it's no different from my usual out there before I was forced to save you."

"What?" Cana shook her head and refused to be caught off track. "Are you not listening? You're breaking the rules!"

Craig's stare sharpened. He glared into Cana's eyes, a trait that meant he was as serious as can be.

"I heard you the first time. And I'm telling you, I don't give a damn."

"So you're gonna risk getting punished?" Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe I should tell you of the last bunch who broke guild rules and did what you did and stole an S-Class job."

Craig gave another mocking motion of his head back and forth. "Yeah, well, I didn't steal. I signed myself out formally."

Cana hiccupped and stopped right in her tracks. Her eyes darted to the work records, seeing as how Craig was telling the truth. It's not stealing if he did sign himself out. He just found a loophole. Still, Cana thought what he did was completely wrong.

"Craig, do you not get it? The Master and Erza are going to be pissed when they find out what you're doing." She leaned in again. "The Master is gonna punish you big time." She groaned. "You don't wanna be caught in it." She herself shivered at the prospect of what that meant, and it's what she was afraid of.

Craig rolled his eyes. "Hoorah for me then." He worked his way around the bar and continued talking. "Brownie, I'm telling you this: you can't punish me."

"And why's that?"

Craig stopped five paces away, looking at the open doorway of the guild hall. "You tell me was 'it' really is, because I don't give a damn what 'it' is? I've been through worse than what you sissies have been put through." He turned back towards her, a vicious intent in his eyes. "So you tell me what kinds of embarrassing punishments he puts you through. I've been stripped naked three days in a concentration camp, I've been forced to fight bare-handed in a den of lions in front of public eyes, I had to suffer cuts and gashes out of torture, I took burn marks and electrocutions that made my insides and body sense numb for days, I've been deprived of food and water to the point where I hunted raw living animals and had to fight for it!"

Cana was stuck in the prospect of what Craig was going on. She thought he was joking, as to how anyone could go through that torturous stuff. It sounded inhumane, despicable, and unbelievable. She was gonna tell him off, but when she stared into his eyes, there was horror, and she could see fires and insubordination. All sense of decency dropped from her as her tone went flat. "Oh…you're dead serious."

"I'm a lot of things, Brownie, but I'm living insubordination in your case. So you tell me right now…does he do all of that?"

Cana lowered her head, guilt coming across her. The idea of being naked in a concentration camp, shocked and burned, and forced to fight unimaginable demises…it actually left her quivering. Now she thought 'it' was a day at the beach compared to those punishments.

"I thought so." Craig pointed a thumb to himself. "I take no crap, and I learned to survive by fighting the man. Nothing in my path keeps me down if it means there's something on the other side for me to achieve. If someone stops me, I strike them down. I break a rule? Screw it. They try and hurt me or force me to do what I don't like? Too bad, I'll break their faces." He stepped closer to Cana, his stride sturdy rather than normal like it was earlier. This made Cana back off a little. "I made it clear that your rules mean nothing to me. If you try and hold me down, or that redhead she wolf, or any one for that matter…I'll drive you into the ground until you stay down. I'm not afraid of any punishment, and I'll smite you all if you come after me during my adventures." He held up the S-Class job to her.

"You see this job? I don't see any risks. However you see it doesn't apply to me. To me, the more important the job, the more desperate people are. When I see jobs with a plea as big as this one, I don't care about the reward, and I don't care about the level of skill it takes. All I want out of these jobs is for the desperate to be happy in the end."

"For the desperate…to be happy?" Cana wondered.

"Have you ever been on a job where you had to find some lost child, or find and retrieve a family prized item? Think about those tears shed, or the sad looks of failures on their faces. That's my drive for these requests. Look, you can do whatever you want, but just know this: While you send someone to stop me…do you really wanna leave those souls sad with no comfort?"

Craig turned and walked away out of the doorway of the guild hall. Cana was left without words. The tales Craig told, and the way he spoke, he was absolute resolution. The brunette was left to ponder about Craig's words. While she was distraught at the forms of punishment he's went through, what startled her further was how he described how he did jobs. For the sake of making people happy.

It was a painful pill to swallow, but after several minutes of mulling over Craig's reasons, and given his experience in his wits, fighting, and experience, she may as well just leave him be with his judgements.

In the end, she shook her head and groaned. "I'm gonna hate myself for doing this…"

Outside, walking through Magnolia's streets, Craig was silently prowling as he trudged towards the exit of east. That's all he could do as the S-Class job said: east. He let out a low growl and shook his head. "Why do they care? I made it clear I won't hesitate to pound their faces in…"

As he walked along, a quick pair of footsteps followed. "Cranky, you reckless nincompoop! Hey!"

Craig stopped upon hearing Cana's voice. He turned around and looked back at her, seeing her run up towards him. She soon caught up as he coldly stared at her panting. "What now?"

Cana waited to catch her breath for a few moments, and then she spoke. "I'm tagging along."

Craig raised a brow. "You can't be serious. Go get a hangover or something else rather than have me drag around your weight."

"Just here me out!" She demanded.

"…"

Cana took in a deep breath as she finally got her breathing organized. "Look, I admit that what you're doing is labeled as insubordination, and you couldn't give a care to the world about that…" She rolled her eyes around as she crossed her arms underneath her chest. "But you did prove yourself a number of times out there, especially against Essence, and those horrific things you said that happened to you does make 'it' more pleasant than it should be…and, plus the Master would find out anyway and would punish me for not trying to stop you, not that I could."

Craig cocked a brow at that understatement.

"So, if I'm gonna be punished in the end, I may as well try and make people happy." She raised a brow and smirked. "I still think you should be choked in your sleep and all, but if you really are intend on fighting punishment and living your life to its fullest, I guess I can try and be, bleh…cooperative…" She lurched at them working together again. "And help out."

There was a long silence between them. Cana was reluctant that she would be breaking the guild rules too, but she could take care of herself. Plus, she and 'Cranky' hate the other's guts, and yet they don't try and hurt the other. Craig to tell she was serious, and he turned away, starting his stride.

As he walked off, he spoke back to her. "Do what you want. Welcome to the real world and defying the man, Brownie." His face twisted and he shook his head as he walked off. "Just know, you're carrying your own weight, and if I fall asleep, you're dragging me."

Cana smirked as she joined in on the journey, with her acing ten feet behind Craig. "Funny, you said I'm carrying my own weight."

"Well if you fall asleep, I'm still stuck with you, so I gotta haul you around anyway. So do me a favor and scratch my back and I scratch yours."

"Fine, but I ain't touching your back."

"I rather not look at your back."

"Well I'm looking at your back right now."

"Well then sucks for you."

As the two bickered on with a mild tone rather than a harsh one like earlier, they embarked on their S-Class mission as the night sky was filled with twinkling stars.

Here's the new arc for you guys. I'm calling it the Fogbound Arc. I thought of this idea after reflecting back to some video games and original ideas mixed inside of my head. This is a perfect way to get Craig and Cana to interact, especially with Craig knowing more of his and Cana's lost history from a long while back.

I also went ahead and got a head start on The Fairy Contender's sequel. It's up, and called A Contender's Bonds. Feel free to check that out and review along with this story.

As always, review and comment, and thanks for reading another chapter! :)