15th: …grows love

Summary: After Fantasia, many things were seen clearer and a love that had been merely a bud two years ago grew into a beautiful flower. [Connected to 3rd: Where pride and modesty meet…, MiFri and 12th: Tower, Cana & Juvia]

AN: Lots of personal head cannon ahead – yay!

Don't sue me for making Levy and Fried distantly related. I always liked the idea of Levy and Fried working together and Gajeel getting jealous and now I took it one step further and decided that their families are related and that Fried is kinda protective about his cousin of … eighth degree.

Fantasia was finally over and Mirajane Strauss found herself once more on the graveyard where she visited her sister's grave. What had happened two days ago had left traces on a face that often seemed to be ageless. The sight of the defeated Cana and the danger of losing her brother as well had pushed her back into her demon soul takeover. She hated herself for this weakness but she was impressed that she had been able to control herself. Before Lisanna's death, she would have crushed Fried under her fist like a cockroach and somehow, she was happy that she hadn't done this because to kill a nakama was a crime she didn't want to commit. Still, the memory of Cana spitting out blood was etched into her memory as she stared at the grave in front of her.

Cana was a guild veteran, one of the most capable mages, outshining many of the older mages like Macao or Wakaba. To see her like this had scared Mira deep inside because she knew that usually, Cana should have won against Fried. She had been participated in the S-class exam four times so far while Fried was still waiting for his chance to reach the S-class. Even Erza had voiced her shock about Cana's defeat by Fried's hands because this didn't mirror their real abilities.

Mira believed, however, that Cana had snapped after seeing Juvia's sacrifice. No matter how much of a leader the card mage was, she was always utterly devastated by the sight of a fallen comrade – each Fairy Tail member was like this and Juvia was Cana's friend – maybe the best fried the brunette had right now … and Mira remembered just too well how much Lisanna's blood had shocked her – and back then, she hadn't been as compassionate as Cana was.

"Mirajane-san," a calm voice said. "I … I came to thank you."

She turned her head and frowned at Fried. "For not crushing you?" she asked.

"For leading me back to the right path," he replied. "You kept the promise you gave me two years ago and I wanted to thank you for this … because … well, I would have understood if you had killed me. What I did to Cana-san and what I indirectly did to Juvia-san … I was wrong and they were right. Fairy Tail is just as strong as it is right now because every single mage gives his or her best to strengthen the guild. That's the Fairy Tail Makarov-san has in mind and this is the right Fairy Tail."

"You don't have to thank me. I am a woman of my word … but did you apologise to Cana and Juvia?"

"I heard from Ever that they have locked themselves up in Juvia's room up at Fairy Hills with tons of vanilla ice cream and sad love movies. She said that it sounded like one of them is nursing a major heartache … and well, I didn't want to disturb their girls-only-time," the green-haired mage sighed. "There will be a time and a place for an apology … but that's not now."

"I wonder why one of them would be heartbroken," Mira said as she walked away from the grave. "Juvia still has this major crush on Gray and Cana hasn't had a crush in centuries." She stopped and frowned slightly as she stared at the sky. "One question: do you know if Laxus apologised to Cana?"

"He said nothing about it … but probably. I mean … he basically ordered me to kill them both."

The white-haired woman chuckled softly. "My, my, isn't he a drama queen? They were best friends, once … and it surprised me that he went through with it after he saw her there … maybe he believed Evergreen to be impossible to defeat … because she would have been save then…" she muttered. "Ah well, I will have to beat the answers out of him when I see him the next time."

"You take the whole issue very relaxed, Mirajane-san," he said.

"Call me Mira, please," she said as she patted his shoulder. "You and I, we used to be friends as well … and to lose friends makes live sad and less enjoyable. Cana isn't the only one who lost someone dear during this stupid fight. I lost a friend as well but unlike her, I can reclaim him now."

"You are very forgiving, seeing that we fought just yesterday," he said. "And especially since I nearly killed your brother and two of your friends … I am not sure if I deserve your forgiveness."

"Cana said probably something similar to Laxus if they talked before he left," the demon grinned impishly. "The person I fought wasn't the person I have known before. This was a strangely twisted and completely crazy situation … and I believe that we have to move on from this." She took his hand. "You have seen me at my worst after Lisanna died. I saw you at your worst as well, so I consider us as even. You helped me then and I help you now. It's only fair, right?"

He looked down. "There was something I wanted to tell you back then but I chickened out," he said to his shoes. "I am probably the most silent member of my team … but that makes me very observant. What I wanted to tell you was that I actually like the way you smile and laugh … because if you laugh, everything laughs … your eyes, yes, especially your eyes. I like your eyes."

"And … you wanted to say this even though I was probably the worst bully ever back then?"

"A bully wouldn't have been that protectively about her siblings," he said as they made their way back to the guild. "Um, how is Cana recovering? I saw her at the parade but…"

"According to Juvia, she is doing fine," Mira shrugged. "Cana is a tough one, a guild veteran."

"I witnessed her endurance in the fight against her," Fried nodded. "That was impressive. I saw taller and broader men collapsing after half of this."

"She comes from a family of mages, you see? Both her parents were mages and I believe that she once mentioned that her mother was a prominent mage of Mermaid's Heel," Mira stated. "Anyway, it's nice that you came to thank me personally. I guess that the Thundergod Tribe will leave soon again. You guys never stayed long in Magnolia after all…"

"All of us have to make amends for injuring so many nakama," he shrugged. "And since Ever is having a hard time to figure out how she is supposed to apologise to your brother, well, it might take a few weeks until we leave town again. Why are you asking?"

"Well, quite a few new restaurants opened up since the last time you were here…" she said.

"…and so you suggest that we should check them out together?" he asked.

"As long as it wouldn't bother you, Fried…" she said with a smirk.

"As a matter of fact, it wouldn't bother me at all to go out with you, Mira," he replied. "There are many things I would like to ask you and a nice dinner might be just the right location…"

"So it would be just too practical to pass up the opportunity," she nodded. "And it would you get out of Gajeel's range. He is probably just waiting to give you hell for using a kind of magic that is pretty similar to Levy's … I think that he might have a crush on her," she whispered.

"Levy McGarden? The same innocent Levy McGarden I used to work with every once in a while before the Thundergod Tribe took all my time?" the green-haired man asked. "And that man has a crush on her? Poor little bookworm … but seriously, if he ever hurts her, he will face the darkest side of Dark Écriture … a darker side than anyone else ever faced…"

"Don't tell me that you are actually that protective about her," Mira giggled.

"You should have studied families with lots of mages a little bit more serious, Mira," he sighed. "The Justine- and the McGarden-family are those who use script magic as their main one. Sure, there are a few transformation experts as well but script magic is what we do best … and I think that Levy's mother is a distant cousin of my father … making me and Levy related on a very distant way."

"So I don't have to fear any concurrence from her side, correct?" she asked as she raised one eyebrow. "Because I would seriously hate to go all Satan Soul takeover on her, you know?"

"Jealousy doesn't fit someone as gorgeous as you, Miss Strauss," he sighed. "And no, you don't have to fear any concurrence from Levy. I rather think that she will pester you for details. And believe me, for someone who looks that innocent, she sometimes gets pretty stubborn when she wants to know something. But that's how we script mages are."

She chuckled before she suddenly stopped as deep blue runes appeared in front of them. "What's that?" she asked with a deep frown. "Did you accidentally leave a rune enchantment from the fight, Fried? Because if you did, it was extremely reckless."

"I don't do recklessness and even if it would have been me, the runes would be purple instead of blue … no … argh, of course…" he sighed deeply. "I should have predicted this … I talked with Levy before I came here and well, while she isn't as profound with runes as I am, she is able to write easy enchantments. And that's what she did here."

"And … um … what is the rule to get out of this?" she asked as she secretly swore to embarrass the blue-haired mage somehow to make up for this trap.

"We … um … have to kiss … on the lips," Fried muttered quietly. "Levy is smart enough to define what she wants to see instead of leaving us a loophole. So she cannot be all that innocent."

"I just came to the same conclusion," the white-haired woman stated drily. "Alright, so, um, let's just do it, alright? It … it is just a kiss after all, right?"

Levy was relaxing in the guild as Fried stormed into the guildhall with a red head that rivalled both his own jacket and Erza's hair. "I would like an explication, you know?" he hissed.

"Oi, don't go talking to the shrimp like that," Gajeel interrupted.

"It's alright with me, Gajeel," the blue-haired woman grinned. "Well, you see, Fried, I was feeling sorry for both you and Mira because with your damned pride, you wouldn't have kissed her in the next four centuries. So I just used my beautiful light pen and wrote a few runes. Your fault for running straight into it because I wrote only one set and you ran straight into it…"

"Be happy that I try to be a better person now because I would love to fight you for this."

"Tsk, wouldn't that be against the rules, Fried-kun?" she taunted.

"Levy McGarden, I am warning you," he replied dangerously soft.

"Why didn't you simply rewrite them in first place?" she asked as she closed her book. "Oh well, I guess that you actually wanted to kiss Mira and that the runes only helped you with that. In that case … you don't have to thank me, you know?"

"Those are exactly the moments when I wonder why, oh why I joined the same guild you joined," he sighed. "Still, thanks for everything, Levy. And you did a good job at the Battle of Fairy Tail."

"You only got predictable after so many years, Fried," she replied as she chuckled. "Anyway, I am out of here. Jet and Droy wanted to go on a mission now."

Fried waited until she had left before he turned his gaze at Gajeel. "Hurt her and you will have to face my wrath," he said grimly. "Levy is a good girl and should anything happen to her while you are with her, believe me, I will find ways to make you pay for this. And I swear, that won't be nice."

"Fried…" Mira appeared behind him and grabbed his arm. "Don't threaten other people, will you?"

"I accept, Justine," the iron dragon slayer said grimly. "But if something happens, fight me like the man you are and … not like the weakling you were against Juvia and booze chick, alright?"