No matter how badly they're animated, I'm in LOVE with both Sting and Rogue's voices man. Can't say the same for Lector's but Frosch's was just so perfect. Omg.

POLL IS CLOSED. 5 FOR. 1 AGAINST. ALL CHAPTERS WILL NOW BE NAMED.

When Ken finally let us all down, we discovered that Emily had already done the honors of inviting the shadow dragon slayer. Who, like her, was also carrying a wicker basket on his arm and trying not to look disheveled at the scene.

I groaned and rubbed the side of my head in pain. Unfortunately for me, the ritual had left me a bit disoriented. So unlike Auguston and Sting who had the grace of a swan after recovering the fall, I managed to kiss the ground good afternoon and just narrowly dodge getting a concussion.

Quite an excellent way to start off your day if you ask me.

"Up you go," I glanced upwards awkwardly just as V grabbed my elbow and helped me up, dusting the dirt off my clothes as I awkwardly stood there trying to swallow back my surprise. It was hard not to forget that this was the same girl who almost killed me a few days back.

I felt horrible watching her. V was nothing but nice to me and when she finally looked up and smiled at me, I just felt my heart plummet.

She looked so tired; like she had stayed up all night blaming herself for the death of one mage she went up against in a death match.

"What happened to your sho-" Ken asked in confusion and I felt my heart jump at the dark circles under his eyes. Or maybe the darker circles under his eyes.

Oh my god. He was growing white hairs.

"I'm sorry..." I pulled them both into a huge hug, awkwardly placing my arms around both of their necks as I whispered and quietly tried to console myself.

Even if Sting and I decided to stop going on on our charade, I would never live down the repercussions.

We literally tricked hundreds of people into thinking Bunny Girl died that day.

And while doing that, it almost seemed like we had exchanged one life for another as well.

"Lilian..." I heard Ken mutter in shock before wrapping his arms around me and V. Slowly as if he wasn't used to the gesture and yet it almost felt as if he was a little bit too eager.

And I realized in a shock he was probably still searching for the cure for Maya's disease. And that he had to live everyday with the constant fear of her leaving him one day and that I had left him and that he was partially responsible for the death of Lily Harvard.

And now I was back, and Ken who was literally the most laid back adult I knew, was finally getting his friend back.

I could feel the world just slowly lifting off his shoulders the more he squeezed into the half-hug.

V, on the other hand, calm little V Blaze, had started whimpering the moment I pulled her into a hug.

L'arc Sibyl was literally her family; she was one of those orphan children who were so renown to be left at the doorsteps of guild halls. But that didn't stop Master Apollon from taking her in.

Growing up, every adult mage she knew was her mom and dad. And later when En and I decided to join and on came the onslaught of younger teen mages, we became her brothers and sisters.

Her whole life revolved around the guild that I had slowly changed and destroyed when I was playing the coward.

"V, I'm so sorry..." I whispered into her ear and patted her head slowly. Placing my forehead against her's.

"Never again." She kept choking out between sobs and I nodded, and repeated it back to her like a mantra. "Never again."

Pulling apart, I gave them all a firm look before nodding. Letting a huge smile cross my face as I locked my arms around their's and began to drag them out of the gardens of Mercurius castle.

"Let's go!" I squealed and momentarily forgot about the three dragon slayers I had left behind as I dragged V and Ken off to the city streets barefoot.

We were all making our way down the city streets, laughing at old inside jokes when I heard Sting give a huge groan from behind me.

"What's wrong?" I asked in confusion, stopping in my tracks and turning around to stare at him. Everyone else looked at me in confusion and stopped walking as well to observe our exchange. Everyone except for Rogue and Emily it seems, as they were too engrossed in their conversation to realize we were not keeping up with them anymore. Even Frosch looked at Sting as if something big was about to happen.

"Don't think I haven't noticed!" He said in an unusually irritated voice as he pointed down at my feet.

"What are you-"

"Are you trying to make me feel guilty or something you crazy-" He ran a hand through his hair and I could just see him counting to ten in those small few moments he decided to take a break in, "you've been tippy toeing this entire time!"

Three pairs of eyes shot down to my feet and I realized with a start that I had been walking as if I had a pair of invisible high heels on.

"That's what you're so peeved about?" My head shot back up and stared at him in disbelief, screaming in a voice that was little too loud and cherry. "You're the one who dared me to-"

"And you actually did it!"

"Because it was a dare!"

"Your feet are getting sore!"

"Well you're the one who promised to-" I placed my hands on my hips and rolled my eyes, looking away from Sting just as he turned around and dropped to one knee. His arms pushed out behind him and his head turned towards me to see the shocked expression on my face. "What are you doing?"

I was blushing. I knew it, and I was pretty damn sure I heard someone cooing in the background and if it wasn't allergies I could've damn well also said Sting was blushing as well. But maybe it was just me cause all I saw was red at that one moment as I felt my temperature skyrocket like in a cartoon.

It's just a crush, I kept repeating to myself as I stared at him. Just a crush.

"Making true to that promise," Sting muttered as he turned his head away slightly before turning back to glare at me with an annoyed expression, "now hurry up and get on!"

And I did, because he was glaring at me with those cat like eyes that just said he was going to beat me up if I didn't climb on his back in the next two seconds. I was about to comment on how awkward it was when he beat me to it

"Jeez, if you were bustier I could actually enjoy this." He muttered under his breath and smirked.

I felt myself going even redder as I muttered darkly through my teeth, "you know what? You actually do belong in a senior's home."

"That's just the hunger speaking, princess."

"Are we talking about you or me?"

"I don't know but you gained weight."

"You're a fat ass."

"And you're a big ball of lard."

And as we bickered and bickered and bickered, we didn't realize just how natural it came out as.No acting, no forced comments or expressions. We were just two best friends.

We didn't even notice the curious pairs of eyes watching us as we continued on our way.

Ok, I swear to god the next chapter is the picnic. IT WILL ACTUALLY HAPPEN GUYS, I'M NOT GOING TO SKIP IT LIKE THE CIRCUS ACT HAHAH.

Urgh I suck at naming chapters guys. Whyy.

Review?