A/n: Please tell me what you think. I'd love to hear from you! :)

Disclaimer: FT doesn't belong to me!

Erik lounged lazily in his cell. Or, at least, he tried to make himself as comfortable as possible despite sitting on a bed made out of stone. At this rate, he'll turn into a cranky old man with never-ending back pain, he mused.

Not only that, but he was bored as hell. The day before, he'd learned that Nadal had suddenly quit due to "personal reasons", but he had a pretty good idea what his real reason was. They would assign another guard to him later, but they weren't able to find someone that could step in so soon. And until then, he wouldn't be able to interact with anyone, and he wished there was someone, anyone he could talk to.

Erik knew he should be contemplating his crimes, but that was the least of his worries. He sighed, thinking back to the past few days. To him, everything had been a blur. He'd been released from prison, met Kinana, then found himself back here again in the blink of an eye. If his gang were here now, they'd probably laugh at how stupid he was for getting caught in a crime that he didn't commit.

And then there was her. Kinana...what was she doing?

He wondered how she was coping with her friend's death. Losing someone was a terrible thing, and he hated himself for not being able to be there for her. But then, he knew he was protecting her by distancing himself from her.

He wondered if she was thinking about him. Then again, he'd been a jerk to her, so there was no way she would miss him. She didn't deserve someone like him.

How many days has it been since he was thrown in here again? Erik had already lost count. He half expected Gildarts to come and question him again, but they wanted to keep him locked up for as long as possible. Erik wished he wasn't so useless, but there was nothing he could do to ensure Kinana's safety. After all, the real culprit was still out there while Gildarts and the police were barking up the wrong tree.

He wanted to speak to Richard or any of his old mates, but his phone had been confiscated by the guards. The signal was probably weak here anyway, so he wouldn't be able to call them either.

Speaking of his old pals, he faintly remembered one girl in particular. She was a few years younger than him and followed him everywhere, gazing at him with wide, adoring eyes. She had purple hair and a chubby build, and he had been rather taken by how cheerful she always was, laughing even after she'd tripped. He remembered that while he probably would never admit it, she was the closest thing to a crush that he'd had. Erik wasn't someone who had crushes on girls, you could get any girl to fall for him, but she had been different.

What was her name again? Erik wondered. His silly childhood nickname was Eri, and Richard's was Richi. Most of his friends had eventually formed the Oracion Seis with him after they were too old to stay at the orphanage, but not her. She had been adopted by a loving couple, and they never got to see each other again.

Erik wondered what it would've been like if she'd became a part of the Oracion Seis with him. Would she still be cute and innocent?

Wait a moment. Her nickname had been Kina, hadn't it? And...there was only one girl he knew who resembled her this much. Erik's eyes widened at this realization. Suddenly, it clicked. If she truly was the same girl from back then, everything made sense. The culprit must have known about their friendship, and threatened her to get to him. His hand clenched into a fist at the thought. When Erik found him, he was going to pay.

He suddenly yearned to see Kinana again to confirm whether she was the girl from his past, but he knew he couldn't reveal his past to her and put her in more danger. It was best for her to be kept in the dark, in case she accidentally revealed anything to the police and forced the culprit to make his next move sooner. Because if the culprit was smart enough, then there could only be one more step in his master plan...

And that was to kill her.

"Kinana-chan!"

Mirajane rushed forward and flung her arms around the younger girl as soon as Kinana stopped by to visit. "How are you doing? I've been worried sick about you!"

"Oof, c-can't breath," Kinana choked out. Mirajane seemed to be delicate, but she was surprisingly strong. "I'm doing a little better," she responded after managing to struggle out of the supermodel's hug. Kinana could already imagine the number of jealous male fans if they found out that she knew her.

Mirajane smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, dear. Speaking of, what's this Jenny told me that you've finally found a man?"

Kinana blushed. There was no point in denying her feelings in front of Mirajane, a self-proclaimed love guru who found enjoyment from pairing up her friends. Take Gray and Juvia, two of their mutual friends, for example. Kinana still couldn't believe that Mirajane was the one who pushed Gray to admit his feelings for her. "I...I don't know," she admitted finally. "We only just met yesterday. I mean, I do have a crush on him, but he rejected my friendship. He...he probably hates me."

"Oho," Mirajane teased, winking. "So, Cobra, huh? I didn't know you had a thing for bad boys, Kina-chan."

Kinana's cheeks warmed in embarrassment. "I-I don't, Mira-nee!" she denied quickly. "Erik appears rough, but he has a caring side, too."

"That's exactly what a bad boy is," Mirajane said cheekily. "But, never mind that. Why do you think he hates you? I read the tabloids from yesterday, and the paparazzi was all about him having feelings for you, you know."

Kinana's gaze fell. "It was my fault that he got arrested again," she mumbled.

"Did he say that directly to you, Kina-chan?" Mirajane asked.

"No, but - "

"Then there's nothing to worry about!" she reassured Kinana kindly. "You're too kind for your own good sometimes, Kinana-chan. I'm sure he had his reasons for doing things his way."

Kinana was still doubtful, but she knew she had to believe in him. "You're right," she agreed.

"See, I'm always right," Mirajane joked, her eyes twinkling. "And don't you worry about developing feelings for someone you just met! Love at first sight is perfectly normal, and if you ask me, I think it's absolutely adorable. Besides, you've technically known him for far longer than that," she pointed out. "You've been glued to the TV every time the reporters mention him."

Kinana couldn't object to the other girl's comment because she knew it was true. "You noticed," she mumbled, blushing again. She had to admit that despite his horrible past, she had always been interested in him since the first time he had appeared on TV. Not to mention that he also reminded her so much of her childhood friend. Her memory was still fuzzy, but she remembered that they had made a promise that if they ever got separated, he would ride a shooting star to find her.

The small purple-haired girl sneezed. She had been hiding underneath the bridge for what felt like forever, and the sun was setting. She shivered as the cold breeze flew by her small frame.

"Dummy Eri," she sobbed, unable to stop herself from crying. She had tripped on her way down from the riverbank, and the scratches on her arms hurt. Her belly growled, and she longed to go home, but she was a little lost.

Okay, she was very lost.

She recalled to earlier that day, when Eri, Richi, her and the other kids had decided to play hide-and-seek to pass the time.

"I'll be 'it'!" Eri boasted. "I'm the best at this game. I can find you no matter where you are!"

"Bet you can't find me!" Kinana had challenged. "I'll hide so well that you'll never find me!"

"Oh, we'll see about that!" Eri argued back.

As soon as the game started, Kinana turned and ran as far away from the orphanage as she could, sliding expertly through the trees and stopping by the river that ran through the nearby forest. As she looked around for a hiding space, she heard a low growl come from behind her.

She whirled around to see that a coyote was glaring at her with his fangs bared.

"Oh no!" she panicked, not knowing what to do. What was a coyote doing so close to the orphanage? She couldn't let it hurt the other kids.

Without thinking, she turned and raced away, the coyote hot on her heels. She didn't know where she was going, but all she wanted was to get away, to get away, to get away.

As she approached the river, she slowed down, tired and scared. Eri had probably already forgotten about her, and she was alone, facing the scary animal all by herself.

"Eri, help me," she whimpered. She backed away, but let out a yelp of surprise as she tripped in the mud and started tumbling down toward the river. Suddenly, cold water hit her skin and she gasped as her head went under.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. But maybe...just maybe...if she stayed there, the coyote would go away.

She'd been stuck under the bridge until now, and it was getting dark. Just then, she froze as she heard something rustling nearby, and wondered whether the coyote had returned and brought his friends with him. But, instead -

"Kinana!"

A familiar, comforting voice yelled out her name. His voice instantly made her feel warm and safe.

"Kinana, where are you?" the concerned voice of their teacher followed.

Heavy footsteps pounded the earth as Eri ran down the riverbank and skidded to a halt in front of her. He was still panting, as he stared at her with wide eyes and took in her battered form.

"Are you okay, Kinana?" he demanded, his voice filled with concern.

Just seeing him again was enough to bring a big smile to Kinana's face. "I win," she said triumphantly.

"You idiot!" he grabbed her arm and suddenly pulled her against his warm chest. She was soaked, but he didn't care. "Who cares about stupid games when you could've been in danger? Are you alright? Did anything hurt you?"

"A big dog," she said, shaking. "It was chasing me, and then I fell down to the river. I thought if I hid here, the dog would go away and you wouldn't be able to find me."

"Idiot," he scoffed again. "I found you, didn't I? No matter what happens, I'll always find you."

She looked up then, just in time to see a shooting star flash by. "Look, Eri! It's a shooting star!"

He gave her a smile and hugged her tighter. "I'll find you even if I have to ride a shooting star to do it!"

While he comforted her, neither children noticed the teacher's eyes narrowing as she looked around. "There are no coyotes in this area," she noted to herself. "Someone must have set it free here. Who on earth would do such a thing...?"

"How do I look?" Kinana asked, twirling a strand of her fake brunette hair nervously. Mirajane had donned Kinana in an old, faded button-up shirt, an ugly dress that fell to her feet ("You have to play the part of a poor lady looking for a job, Kina-chan!" Mirajane had scolded when Kinana tried to protest), and given a her a wig to cover up her conspicuous hair.

"You look like a completely different person!" Mirajane joked, "Which is, you know, the point. You remember how the plan goes, right?"

Kinana nodded determinedly. "Thank you, Mira-nee," Kinana said softly, taking a deep breath. She didn't know what she would do if Mirajane hadn't been there to help her.

She lifted her head boldly. "Well, here I come!"

After waving goodbye to the supermodel, Kinana left Mirajane's hotel room and called for a taxi. While waiting for her ride, she went over the plan again in her mind. She was going to pretend that she was looking for a job, then hopefully be able to infiltrate Magnolia Prison as a custodian. Then, after seeing Erik, she'd start preparing for the new concert, where they would hopefully be able to lure out the culprit.

Kinana knew that the plan was dangerous, but she was out of options. Locking Erik up wasn't going to help solve anything, and the killer was still out there. Who knows what he was doing...Was he already planning for his next attack, and planning to put even more of her fans in danger? she shuddered at the thought, fidgeting impatiently as the taxi brought her closer to the person she wanted to see the most.

Erik...I can finally see you again.

A/n: Sorry it took a while for me to update! I recently went on a trip during spring break and didn't have time D: but here is the next chapter~ Sorry Erik isn't really in this chapter again, but here's a little more backstory and a look into what Kinana thought about Erik before their meeting. She indeed did have a crush on him since first seeing him in the news, because he's quite hot ;)

Hope you enjoy! The plot is actually inspired a little by Detective Conan because I've watched way too much of that anime lately LOL. I'm not going to spoil anything though :P I love reading everyone's reviews and seeing your predictions on what happens next~!

Fun fact: All the names of the characters actually have appeared in Fairy Tail at some point XD

leave a review if you liked it? :) Special thanks to Vilandel, and the kitty killer for reviewing the previous chapter! New readers are always welcome! :D