Hello again everyone! God, how I have missed you ;-;
Well I must first apologize for this ridiculously short chapter but I wanted to get something out to you after what, 3 months? Ah well I must also confess it is to drag out the story a bit heehee~
Well, I shall be back on my regular(ha as if it ever was) updating schedule. :)
~InSanIty-of-REALITY
dreamscometrue410: How Gray started to show concern towards Mizuru was cute!
I guess Mizuru already has someone in her heart. Is he dead? This is Oc x Oc so he can't be dead, right?
I'm not a big fan of OCs but Mizuru's power (both magic and liquor) and past just draws me in.
One question, did you intentionally leave Natsu outof this chapter? He was all shaken up in the first chapter and he wasn't mentioned afterwards. Wonder what's going through his head.
Anyway, great to know you updated , please update soon.
I'm glad you liked my OC, I tried to make her realistic and not too overwhelming (does that make sense?) And I did leave Natsu out. I wanted to show what happened in Mizuru's pov first. Ah poor Natsu-kun~ Sorry I took forever to update!
TheSlayerGirl: WHOO YAY! I'm so happy right now
I am too! I'm BACK! Thanks for reading!
scared sapphire: oh i love you! I KNOW YOU WILL CONTINUE THIS, ASAP, WON'T YOU? :d :p ;) :')
I love you too! /hugs/ FORGIVE ME FOR NOT CONTINUING THIS SOONER! /bows deeply/
EvansPukesSouls: It's awesome, can't wait for the next chapter!
Thank you sooo much! Hope you didn't wait too long! (jk I know you did...)
Morgan AMV: She is cruel she didn't think how natsu would feel if he knew what happened. Cause if l were him l would say 'l forgive you, but l will not come between "YOU" and "HER". And try next time not to do anything with her in my form.' And l bet he would get angry and frustrated, but who CARES! HA!
Hmm, I never thought about it that way. I guess I would be pretty angry too if I was Natsu. But you're right WHO CARES! *evil laugh*
The pink-haired mage growled as he watched the on-going contest between the two women. He watched as Mizuru and Cana both passed out after at least twenty drinks, the onlookers erupting in cheers. He clicked his tongue and turned back to his drink. Why the hell is that damn ice mage still here?! It's bad enough having one snow-cone… Natsu quickly shook his head as thoughts of Gray invaded his mind. NO! I refuse to think about that ice-baka! His sigh was lost in the crowd's cheering as Mizuru struggled to stand. His eyes grew wide when he saw Gray walk over to her, scoop her up in his arms, and walk out of the guild. He was about to call out to them but decided against it when he felt the familiar knot in his stomach. Baka-Gray…
It had grown dark and Natsu was quickly walking back toward his home, Happy flying low beside him. The night had grown cold and Natsu pulled his scaly muffler tighter around him. He picked up his pace not wanting anything to do with anything cold. Happy could sense his pink-haired friend's bad mood. "Natsu, what's wrong?"
"Nothing Happy, why do you ask?"
"'Cause you're not going the right way. You're going toward Mizuru-chan's house."
"EH?!" Natsu froze and whipped his head around, realizing the blue Exceed was right. Natsu growled and balled his hands into a fist. Happy sighed at Natsu's distress and quickly picked him up and flew them home to their small cottage in the woods. As soon as they landed Nastu fled into the house and collapsed on the small bed in the far corner, exhausted. Happy jumped up beside the uncharacteristically depressed Dragon mage. Natsu sniffed and pulled the blue cat into a tight hug, burying his face in his fur. Happy returned the hug as best as he could, worry twisting in his stomach. "Natsu…"
"Don't Happy…just…don't…"
"Aye…"
Natsu's sleep that night was fitful. He continuously twisted and turned in his sleep, his dream's plagued with a certain exhibitionist. His eyes finally snapped open. He groggily sat up and looked out of the window and saw the sky painted the gray of pre-dawn. Natsu chuckled dryly, enjoying the irony. He sighed and glanced down at his small blue friend who was sleeping soundly beside him. He couldn't take it any more; he had to stop this before he started to worry his friends, or before it drove him insane. With that resolution in mind, he plopped back down and slept for a few more hours before Happy delightedly shook him awake begging for fish for breakfast.
After their fishy breakfast, the pair walked toward the guild. Happy was pleased to notice the change in the mage from the previous night. The little blue cat figured Natsu's strange behavior was due to a few too many drinks at the party last night. Said mage turned toward Happy. "Hey Happy can you do me a favor and hang out with Wendy and Charle today?"
Happy's face lit up with excitement at the mention of the young Sky Dragon-Slayer and the female white Exceed. "Aye sirrr!"
Happy dashed ahead to the guild and Natsu mentally high-fived himself knowing Happy would leap at the chance to be with Charle and wouldn't question the reason. Finally alone, Natsu dashed off to his true destination. He barely paid attention where he was going but still somehow dodged groups of people and merchant's carts lining the streets. He panted as he stopped in front of his destination but quickly righted himself and rang the doorbell. His heart nearly beat itself out of his chest when the door opened revealing an annoyed ice-mage.
"What are you doing here?" Mizuru gave a low growl, clearly angered over having her bath interrupted. Natsu blushed furiously when he noticed she was only covered in a small bath towel, her wet hair still clinging to her head. He shifted uncomfortably before taking a deep breath and blurting out what he came for.
"I want to know why you did that with Gray, WHILE LOOKING LIKE ME."
Natsu's sudden outburst drew the attention of the few townspeople out that morning. Mizuru sighed and ushered the pink-haired mage into her home, closing the door behind him. She placed him on the couch in the medium-sized living room and ordered him to stay put while she dried off and got dressed. Having decided he was going to learn the truth, Natsu had no choice but to comply. A few minutes later, Mizuru came back out dressed in the same attire as the day before. She took a seat across from the Dragon Slayer and leaned forward, her chin resting on her folded hands. "So, Natsu-kun, you want to know why. Are you sure? It's a long story."
Natsu nodded, not quite trusting his voice at the moment. Mizuru gave what he thought to be a cat-like purr. "Very well. In order for you to understand, let me tell you my story. Don't worry, I'll try and keep it brief…"
"First of all I must confess a small lie I told. I didn't actually grow up in Magnolia. I was born in a small rural village near the base of a mountain, surrounded by a large, branching river. Where I grew up, it wasn't uncommon for children to never know their parent's faces. The village, if you could call it that, was like a refuge for the parentless. I, however, was one of the lucky few that knew a mother's love. But when I turned ten, I was unlucky enough to learn the pain of losing those you love. It was a 'cleansing', or so they say. Back then, the Magic Council would send a group of elite mages to wipe out those kinds of settlements like the one I grew up in, deeming them trash. Few escaped that night when they came. I suppose it was because those few of us had learned to use magic by then. Out of those who survived was a young raven-haired boy I would soon befriend, and later, fall in love with.
No, shush. Let me finish. This boy isn't quite who you think it is, let me finish explaining.
After we escaped together, we decided it would be safer if we stayed that way. Cress, I would soon learn to be his name, and I traveled from town to town, living by doing odd jobs here and there. Almost like our own private guild now that I think about it. We trained together as we traveled, having both learned Ice Magic, my Ice Illusion and his Ice Make. We lived like this, peacefully, for five whole years and we were happy. But since life seems to have an undying hatred for happiness, our way of life was destroyed three years ago.
It was just a simple matter of wrong place at the wrong time but I constantly believe that if I hadn't persisted him to take that higher paying job, it would've never happened. What was the job? Ah, I will never forget, no, I can't.
We were going to be paid 100,000 berries to take care of a small territorial scuffle between two practically unknown villages. An easy, high-paying job right? Oh how I wished that was the case. It turned out the client left out one thing; one of the villages was controlled by a notorious dark guild at the time. So, since it was our mission, we were caught in the deadly crossfire. After realizing we were way over our heads, we attempted to flee but Cress was seriously injured by the enemy's magic attack. I carried him as far as I could, it was enough to get away from the scene of the battle but we could still hear the enemy, and they were getting closer. Cress had pulled himself out of my grasp, set on delaying the enemy enough that I could escape. He figured his time was drawing to an end but I would hear nothing of it. I begged him to run with me, that we would be able to make it out together, but he just smiled and I knew then there would be no changing his mind. So, like the coward I was, I fled, leaving my one love behind.
Before I ran, Cress had told me something, but no matter how much I try, I can never remember it. I heard an old tale once that said if you're final words go unremembered, they never really were your final words. Taking that to heart, I searched desperately for him for three years, believing, knowing, he was still alive out there somewhere. My searched led me to Fairy Tail, as you may have guessed by now. I was at first shocked at how similar Gray's appearance was to Cress's but after a few days I knew he wasn't the man I was searching for. However, during those days, I notice how often he looked at you. And, if only once, I decided that even though this person only has his appearance, I would try and give them the happiness they so deserved. You may just say I was looking for a way to wash away my guilt of abandoning Cress. I would probably agree to that."
The room stayed silent for what seemed like hours after Mizuru finished her tale. Natsu could barely make sense of the whole thing, but that really wasn't anything new. After a while, Natsu was able to pick out the more important points of the story. The main one that stuck out in his head, though, was the realization that Gray was in love with him.
Natsu's eyes went wide and his heart started racing when he thought about the ice mage having feelings for him. He himself never quite considered how he felt toward Gray but really because he figured the exhibitionist would never reciprocate those feelings. The more he dwelled on it, the more he realized that, deep down, he had always liked the annoying ice-baka more than just a rival or a friend. Maybe he could go as far as to say he… loved the crazy stripper…
Mizuru waited patiently as the Dragon Slayer fought within himself but soon she had to cut it short or they would be late to meet with the rest of the guild members. "Natsu, we need to head up to Fairy Tail. We both have jobs we need to do."
Natsu blinked and nodded. He stood and followed Mizuru out of the door like a lost dog, even waited while she locked her house. Mizuru noted his still conflicted feelings and she gave him a light flick on the forehead. Natsu rubbed his forehead and gave the younger mage an irritated and confused look to which she replied with a wide grin. "Cheer up Natsu-kun. Not everyone has a chance like this."
"A chance like what?"
Mizuru gave him another smile but this one didn't quite reach her silvery eyes. "A chance to tell the one you love how you feel before they slip forever out of your grasp."
The rest of the walk to the guild was a peaceful kind of quiet and Natsu could only help noticing how this eighteen year old girl seemed almost twice her age.