"Ah, Erza! Welcome back!" Ava waved at the red-haired mage as the armor-clad woman gave her a warm smile. The black-haired girl stood up and walked over to her elder teammate, all the while smiling. "How have you been? Are the S-Class missions really as hard as they say? Did you meet any new mages? What kinds of magic did they use?"

"Slow down." Erza put her hand up to stop the barrage of questions as she couldn't help the proud smile that found itself on her face as she set down a giant horn nearly double the size of Happy on the wooden table, all of the rest of Fairy Tail's members gawking at the souvenir as Ava laughed and said something along the lines of 'impressive'. "The mission was fine. It just takes some preciseness and accuracy to complete S-Class missions. I've been fine. I met one Poison-Mage, I'll tell you about it later." Switching her gaze to the crowd, Erza noticed the absence of two (or three, counting Happy) prominent members of their team missing. She already knew Lucy was probably out shopping for either books or keys: the Celestial Mage was always doing that whenever not working on her novel. "Where are Natsu and Gray?"

"They went off on a mission."

"Together?" Erza could hardly believe that the naturally inclined to argue boys were actually doing something together.

"Involuntarily. Master said they needed to work out their problems and teamwork and forced them on a mission together. I think Juvia followed them, though. She's always worried about Gray's health." Ava giggled, the fifteen-year-old leaning back in her wooden chair as she set down the array of cards in her hand and redirected her gaze to Cana. "Royal Flush."

"Dang it!" Cana set down her own cards in mock exasperation, sighing. "You win again, Ava… I don't understand why a fifteen year old would know how to gamble, but you do. And you're good at it." She sulked silently on her chair.

"I picked it up from my father. He was a Card-Mage." Ava's eyes turned wistful for a moment before being pulled back to reality by a certain red head.

Erza banged both of them on the head, the brunette wincing and clutching on to her barrel of alcohol, the black-haired girl rubbing her head and giving the Re-Equip Mage a forlorn look which Erza promptly ignored. "Cana, stop teaching Ava your bad habits. Ava, stop listening to her, gambling isn't something you should be doing in your spare time," she said sternly.

"Well, you're to talk! All Ava does is pour bags of sugar into her tea whenever she drinks it! I swear she's almost as sugar-hyper as you." Cana protested.

"I only like cake." Erza denied.

"Suuure." The Cards-Mistress sighed, realizing that she wouldn't win the argument, and went back to sulking as she gulped down a healthy amount of alcohol from the wooden barrel she was holding, the amber liquid easily downed by the well-experienced drinker.

"Hey, Erza, are you going to teach me that new move you were talking about?" Ava piped up, the young girl looking fairly excited as her amber eyes sparkled. Erza was always her role model: unwavering and strong both physically and mentally, proving that men weren't the only ones who could become powerful. Her Sealing Magic could only amount to so much, and she wanted to be able to defend herself and others if she needed to.

"Ah, yes. I suppose we can work on it at Fairy Hills or somewhere since Natsu and Gray are gone." The last time the Ice and Fire mages had heard that Erza was going to train their teammate in the art of swordsmanship, they had immediately stolen Ava away for a mission, claiming that they didn't want their teammate to turn into a demon or be killed by the red-head's training, citing Natsu's experience of learning how to read as evidence. This time was perfect: no idiots in sight, minus a few of the unnamed members of Fairy Tail cowering beneath the tables or bar as they glanced nervously at Erza. They had probably been victims of one of her rampages when her strawberry shortcake was destroyed, and Erza made a mental note to apologize later. No need to make unnecessary friction between guild mates.

"Okay, let's go!" Ava cheered, pumping her fist in the air as a smile reached Erza's lips as she watched her younger teammate. Somehow, she felt like she didn't want Ava to grow up: the girl brought life into Fairy Tail, cheering on her comrades even though she could be slightly immature sometimes (Erza amounted that to her age, the Re-Equip Mage was sure she would grow out of it eventually).

"Erza, let's go!' Ava held out a hand.

"Yeah." She took it.

They're alive.

You don't know that. A small voice in the back of her mind voiced her doubts. They're probably dead, and now you can finally bury their bodies back home.

They're alive, she insisted. I know it. I can feel it, right down in my heart.

Ren watched, his eyebrows creased, as Ava mentally wrestled with herself, frowning as she stood silent as they waited to board the Christina. He felt like he should say something, anything to stop her from thinking too much of the situation. It could have been a false reading. It might have been a false alarm. It might be fake. There might not actually be anyone waiting at what once was Tenroujima Island. He-he-

He didn't want her to leave.

Somewhere, selfishly inside of him, he wanted Ava to stay with them. They were her new team; her new guild. They were the ones who picked her back up again and helped her when she needed it. They were the ones she had been spending time with for the past 2 years. And they could have, no...would have spent even more time with her had they found her before then.

It wasn't like he loved her. No, that honor went to Sherry and Sherry alone: the pink-haired woman had stolen his heart a long time ago. But Ava was his teammate, his friend, his comrade. Thinking back to the days when she wasn't on their team made his chest constrict. She was like the little sister he never had.

Ren shifted, the collar of his leopard-print shirt bumping into his tanned neck as he ran his fingers through his dark hair, his other hand adjusting his collar, clearing his throat. "Ava-"

"I know," she said darkly. "I know the chance of them actually being alive is close to none. Yet...yet.." Ava casted him a desperate look, looking for solace and advice that really only Gray and Lyon could give her, and Ren had never felt so useless to help his teammates until that moment. "Why can't I forget about them?"

His mouth felt dry as he urged his body to move forward, to embrace her, to comfort her but it was too no avail: his feet felt like they were cemented to the ground. Ava sighed, her shoulders slumping as she gave him a weary smile, pushing back the wave of emotions as she apologized for inconveniencing her teammate. "Sorry, Ren. I'm just...stressed."

"It's alright, sweetheart." The words slipped out of his mouth half from habit and half out of the urge to comfort her without much thought. Trying to find something to say, he finished lamely, rubbing his head and blushing slightly as he looked away. "Even if...well, even if there isn't anything, you...you always have us."

Ava hummed thoughtfully, her eyes softening as she said, "I guess so." Sighing, she let out an exhale. "Sorry, Ren. I was just acting irrationally and selfish for a moment there."

"It's fine. That's why we have our team, right?"

She did not reply, but the smile that graced her lips was enough of an answer to Ren as he relaxed, his good deed done.

The two stood in a comfortable silence: one having tried so many times to flirt or start a conversation that he had just learned to give up (not to mention the long lecture he got from her about how flirting ruined team dynamics defintely helped), and one perfectly content with the quietness. The moment of peace was only ruined by the arrival of Ichiya, his orange hair sweeping back as he landed before them and posed, his hand outstretched and fingers shaped into a 'V'. "She's ready!"

"Thank you, Ichiya."

"It is no problem! The perfume of your love and appreciation is enough!" He sparkled, and the two had to duck before they were overwhelmed by a barrage of sparkles that eminated from their team leader.

Both couldn't help but smile at Ichiya's comical antics, and Ren put an arm around her waist as she tried not to tense too much before lifting them with his Air Magic onto the ship. That brief moment in the air was enough to make her woozy, and silently she cursed Natsu for influencing her to the point that even she could feel a little sick now whenever on a moving vehicle. As soon as he dropped her on the deck, she fell to her knees and tried to glare at him. "I thought you didn't have to hold anyone to lift them. Or touch them in any way, for the matter."

"I don't." He shrugged nonchalantly. "But I wanted to. Makes the ladies swoon, you know?"

She raised her eyebrows, and he blushed and looked away, rubbing the back of his head boyishly as he let out a small, "I-it's not like I want to impress you or anything."

"Oh, drop the act," Ava said exasperatedly, sighing as her eyebrows knit together. "As wonderfully amusing as it is seeing you act all tsundere, you're more of a classic playboy."

"I thought that was Hibiki's thing?"

"Nope. Hibiki's the suave one. You're the arrogant one. Eve's the cute one," she deadpanned without an ounce of remorse as Ren winced at her choice of words.

"Aw, that hurts."

"You want me to kiss it better?" she retorted.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind that."

…

…

…

"I give up." She did a 180 and flipped around, stomping away as she muttered something about incurable flirts and how she always got the stubborn idiots.

It was always fun to tease her. Ren chuckled.

"You know, you're strange, nee-chan." Eve noted. They were both standing near the edge of the Christina, allowing the wind to blow in their faces and loosen their hair. It was refreshing in a way; the tranquility, peace, and quiet of the atmosphere was something that seemed almost unearthly.

"How so?" Ava gave him a scowl, the motion looking natural on her face as she turned to face him fully. She tucked a stray strand of black hair, dark as the night sky, as she waited for his answer impatiently, looking slightly irritated from some reason Eve couldn't fathom. It seemed like ever since the Christina had taken off Ava had been in a bad mood, but he couldn't help but say what he had to say next.

"The women of Fairy Tail are usually only insanely scary, crazy, or sweet. But you seem to possess all three of these traits."

Her eyebrow twitched, and bronze orbs stared down sky blue in a deadpan expression. "I'm not sure if I should thank you or kill you for that."

"You see?" Eve grinned happily. "Just like that!"

"Why, you-"

"You're proving my point~ You know nee-chan looks really pretty when she's flustered."

"Eve! I swear when I get my hands on you I'll make you suffer like you never have befo-hey! Hibiki!"

"Now, now." Hibiki smiled placatingly, barely flinching as her furious gaze landed on him. "As lovely as it is hearing you spout profound curses and threats at my teammate while we're aboard the Christina, I'd ask you to refrain from distracting me from my book, Ava-chan."

"Distracting? Me? You distract all of us whenever we meet Sherry and some of the other members of Lamia Scale on a job!" (Well, in actuality he was distracted by every woman he met, so she couldn't comment on it too much.) "Jenny too, and she's part of our own guild!"

"That's...different. Sherry is a very beautiful individual and any man with eyes would feel slightly distracted when around her. Same thing with Jenny." He suddenly smirked, adding to his sentence slyly, "Besides, you can't tell me that you don't get a little...distracted whenever you see Lyon."

She blushed, her face turning a scarlet tint that Hibiki couldn't help but think suited her. That rare moment of discomposure was over, and she quickly assumed her business-mode again, a side personality Hibiki had gotten quite used to in the time they had spent. She was always like that: schooling her expression to show no emotion whenever any comment struck too close to home. "We're just friends."

"Of course," Hibiki said in a supposed to be reassuring manner that had a playful lilt to it that signaled he was completely skeptical of her statement as she gave him a deadpan expression that spelled I don't believe you. "You know, if you don't make a move soon, he'll find someone else he likes right? Trust me, I know."

"Says the guy who ranked second consecutively in the Sorcerer's Magazine's poll of The Wizard I'd Like to be My Boyfriend." She snorted. "I don't need a man, least of all Lyon Vastia. Or you, for the matter."

"Keep saying that, Ava-chan." Hibiki's eyes glittered mischievously, a mysterious look coming over his face as some emotion she couldn't recognize took over. "Keep saying that."

A/N: Don't worry. We'll get to all the drama soon...next chapter. (mwahahaha)

Anyways, thank you for all the reviews/favorites/follows/reads! It means a lot to me and helps me get inspiration to write~

On a totally different subject, who do you guys want to see more of? So far I mainly think everyone loves Lyon (I do too hehe) and that's why you'll see more of him in the future, but I want to know what the readers want to read.

Thanks for reading!