19th: Touching hands

Summary: The first time, their hands touched, it was an accident. The second time, she grabbed his to pull him out of the way of an attack. They were both too focused to think anything of this. The third time, he held hers as she was hurt. The fourth time, she dragged him out for diner to thank him. The fifth time, they got married.

Makarov frowned as he read the letter his fellow guild master, Serena Alen had sent him. The woman was the master of Mermaid's Heel and she had inquired if Makarov couldn't send a few of his mages to a meeting between multiple guilds. The topic would be a dark guild which had to be defeated. The council didn't seem to care and after mages of Mermaid Heel had been attacked – along with mages of Blue Pegasus and Fairy Tail, the master didn't want to wait a moment longer and she wanted to strike back while they could.

"Ivan," Makarov said as he looked up to his son. "Get Gildarts … he's probably hanging out with Macao and Wakaba. I need him for a job."

"Of course, father," Ivan said with an unreadable expression and left the room.

"This doesn't sound good," the pink-haired woman by the window said softly as she poured tea into a cup and put it down in front of him. "And you shouldn't forget that you have to drink your tea. You were reckless to take that curse, Makarov."

"I know, Porlyusica," he sighed. "Anyway, I will send Gildarts to deal with this on our behalf. I cannot afford to send many mages right now with the injuries some suffered and whatever this dark guild will do, Gildarts can deal with it."

"That's certain," she replied calmly as she stared outside. "I am still worried that something bad might happen to him. "He is a potential successor after all, right?"

"Yeah…" the guild master said gloomy. "Ivan is … well, you know, right?"

She nodded darkly before she looked towards the door where Gildarts appeared.

"You called, master?" the S-class mage asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

"You will join the guild meeting at Mermaid Heel's headquarters on our behalf," Makarov said. "It's about that dark guild that stirred up trouble for far too long. Alen won't tolerate it any longer and I guess that Bob, Goldmine and Ooba have enough of this as well."

"I never cooperated with mages of Mermaid Heel before…" Gildarts remarked.

"They will be nice – and probably very attractive," the pink-haired medical advisor stated. "It's a women-only guild after all…"

"Great – I will be on my way then," the crash mage announced before he grabbed the map from the desk and left the office in a hurry that was rare for him.

"I hope that Alen prepared her mages for this," Makarov said. "And I hope that he will return without being harmed by a scorned woman…"

The meeting point was an inn, somewhere on the countryside. The insignia on the door already revealed it to belong to Mermaid Heel and the inside of the inn was thoughtfully decorated and looked very cosy. The receptionist led Gildarts into the conference room in the back of the building. The room was nearly empty. Only couches and chairs were arranged around tables and on the windowsill sat a young woman who was frowing at something that lay in front of her. On her stomach gleamed the sign of Mermaid Heel in a deep blueish black colour and it was only visible because her scarlet dress had a tear-shaped cut just above her hip. As Gildarts knocked against the doorframe, her deep brown hair slipped away from the second shoulder and she turned her head into his direction, looking at him with blue eyes that had a hue of purple in them.

"You are the first to arrive," she stated as she got up. "Welcome in Mermaid Heel's private inn. My master thanks you for your help, Mister…"

"Clive," he said and before he could stop himself, he added. "I'm Gildarts Clive, miss."

He wondered for a moment why he wanted to tell her his full name. Sure, in his guild, everyone called him just Gildarts but this woman was no part of his guild. She was part of another guild and chances were high that he would never see her again after this job was done but he wanted to get along with her as good as possible while they worked together.

"Cornelia Alberona," she said as she held out her hand. "I'm Mermaid Heel's delegate."

"Didn't your guild call in this meeting? Usually, there should be more of your mages…"

She looked down in embarrassment. "The flue got them all," she said. "I was on a job for three months so it couldn't get me too. Originally, I was supposed to be in Era right now but master told me that I've to represent my guild here."

"Well, it's not a matter of quantity but a matter of quality," Gildarts said with his most charming smile. "So, Miss Alberona-"

"Cornelia," she corrected. "Miss Alberona reminds me of my mother, Mr Clive."

"Then you should call me Gildarts because Mr Clive was my father," he smirked. "I was wondered when the other mages will appear…"

"Ichiya from Blue Pegasus can arrive later – I wouldn't mind that," she said as she returned to the windowsill and picked up the cards which she had left there. "I … don't feel comfortable around people like him. He means trouble and I don't want to be bothered by anything that might distract me during this mission."

"I can understand that feeling towards Ichiya," Gildarts nodded. "So, and you're a card mage? I never heard that Mermaid Heel had a strong card mage…"

He eclipsed the fact that he had never heard much about Mermaid Heel at all.

"That's perhaps because master never brags with her mages," Cornelia said slightly distracted as she put her cards onto one of the tables. "She wants us to have the moment of surprise on our side. Anyway, I am doing another fortunetelling if that's alright with you."

"I never knew that card magic is related to fortunetelling…"

"It isn't," she replied as she shuffled the cards. "I don't another card mage who uses fortunetelling. It's an advantage I have against most mages."

"Knowing the future … that's kinda overpowered," he said as he watched how she slowly put down the cards again. "The advantage this magic grants you is too … enourmos."

"It's not all that exact," she replied as she put the cards back into her bag. "I was supposed to meet my soul mate a week ago in Era but he didn't show up."

Half an hour later, Katharina Summers made her appearance. The white-haired Lamia Scale Mage with the angelic voice dragged Ichiya and a few other mages behind her as she kicked the door close behind her. "We are complete," she stated as she sat down on one of the tables. "We're listening, Mermaid."

The brunette woman frowned as her before she inhaled deeply. "Nice to meet you, Kat," she said before she got up from the windowsill and crossed the room. "Caught any nice souls for your takeover lately?"

"Have you any idea how difficult it is to catch more demon souls with a fiancé that always tells me that I shouldn't be that reckless?" the woman snapped. "You're so lucky that you can make your own cards, Conny. It's so annoying to depend on someone else … I nearly envy you for your independence."

"Miss Alberona, I've to tell you that you look simply amazing today!" Ichiya announced as he tried to hug Cornelia who dodged him and accidentally tripped over Gildarts' foot. Before she could fall, the crash mage grabbed her hand and winked at her.

"Shut up," Katharina ordered strictly. "We've a dark guild to beat after all and I've a wedding to plan. Conny, your guild called in this meeting. Did Alen say anything about a plan?"

"You know her … she never says anything until it's too late," Cornelia replied. "Anyway, we do have some intelligence about this dark guild. This should be enough to plot something."

"Got it," the white-haired woman said before she glared at Ichiya. "You get me a coffee – without milk or sugar. I drink my coffee pure black … so that it resembles my soul."

"The Demon Soul Takeover ruined your personality pretty badly, huh?" the card mage sighed. "I am already worried what kind of children you will have one day, Katharina…"

"Don't sound so worried," the other mage smiled. "I've everything under control, Conny – and I am getting behind Alen's weird way of making files. Alright … I will work with Ichiya – we can't have you killing him. Master Bob might be upset afterwards."

"You don't say," Gildarts said sarcastically as he realised that his hand was still wrapped around Cornelia's which felt strangely comfortable.

"Well, so I will also take little Jura … and the others will make a team as well," Katharina said before she grinned devilishly at Cornelia. "And since you're getting along with someone else but me for once, you are a team with Clive over there, Conny."

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room tensed as the card mage glared at her friend. Katharina actually took a step back and sighed deeply. "Not funny, huh?" she muttered.

"Not funny at all," Cornelia growled, moving her hand into the direction of her cards.

"Ichiya!" the takeover mage snapped. "Get her a drink – she's completely sober and that means that she is lethal right now. Damn her for her immense magical power…"

Katharina waited until Gildarts was alone in front of the inn, waiting for his partner before she appeared in front of him. She unsheathed the knife that she always kept hidden in her long hair and pointed it at him. "If something happens to Cornelia while you are with her, believe me, I will find ways and methods to make you pay for this," she whispered. "I am sure that you never saw a Satan Soul Takeover before … and I hope for you that it will stay like this … well, you heard my condition."

"I simply don't get why you care like this," he replied. "Sure, you are old friends or something like this but … if you are an S-class mage, you know the risk that a job might kill you. You know the risk of every damned step you take…"

"We were friends before we were mages," the white-haired woman stated as she gazed into the distance. "And once, she saved my life 'cause even something as powerful as a demon soul takeover has a weakness … it takes lots of magical power to uphold it for a long time. I don't have the insanely high amount of magical power Cornelia has … and so she could still use one of her most complicate cards when I was out of magic."

"So you are indebted," the Fairy Tail mage stated drily. "That's just too cute."

"Neither Conny nor I ever did cute," Katharina hissed. "She used to be a member of Lamia Scale – just like me … but she left. She cannot stand machos so be prepared for lots of lightening bolts. My friend is a dangerous one, you understand?"

"I will remember this," he rolled his eyes as he watched her walking in Cornelia's direction. The both young woman looked at each other and exchanged a weak smile before they stepped away from each other, both to their respective teammates. For both of them, it was the first time that they participated in a multiple-guilds-operation and since it would be a dangerous one, they said goodbye as well. Gildarts frowned slightly as Cornelia appeared next to him, one hand already buried deep in her bag where she kept her cards.

"We should try to stay out of trouble," he advised.

"According to the plan, this might be difficult," she replied. "Ah well, we have Kat as our backup. She will complain but she could save us."

"Well, we shouldn't plan on being saved but we should plan on staying alive," he stated.

For a moment, he wondered how old she might be. She acted far more mature than most mages from Fairy Tail and the subtle no-nonsense attitude she had gave him the impression that she wasn't only a capable mage but also a good person.

"That sounds like a smart idea," she sighed as they left the yard in front of the inn. "I cannot miss Kat's wedding after all, can I?"

"Chi-chi-chi…" the dark mage chuckled as he spotted the both S-class mages who looked grimly at him. "Looks like both the fairy and the mermaid managed to get through the monsters we lured into this forest…"

"Not funny," Cornelia stated as she wiped away the blood from her forehead where a talon had scratched her earlier. "Anyway, we are here to put an end to your evil doings."

"The queen of cards and the daydreaming crash mage … well, I guess that today is my lucky day," he replied. "Anyway, I think that this battle should start now."

"We are ready," Gildarts grinned darkly. "Show what you got, will you?"

"He uses Lightening Magic," Cornelia muttered under her breath as she searched for cards that might cancel the effect of such spells. "Well, I expected more from a guild that is supposedly a risk for my nakama."

"You are quite arrogant, young lady," the dark mage said as he threw a first lightening bolt into her direction. "I really wonder if you seriously have this much self-confidence or if you are only good at looking tall when you feel small."

"Sorry to break the news to you but you will never find out," she snapped as she threw her cards upon dodging. "Spiral sight," she said smugly as lightening bolts hit the area around Gildarts and her. "Lightening mages require a clear sight … and I cancelled that. Gildarts, the way is free now."

"Card Magic is actually extremely useful," he laughed before he moved forward to deal with the mage in short ranged combat. "We are a good deal. You take them out from afar and I take care of the guys who get a little bit too close."

"I believe that this was the reason why Katharina put us into the same team," she said before she twirled around and blocked a beast's stroke with her left forearm as she pressed a card onto the arm and burned it severely. "That was a close call."

"For such a fragile looking thing, you are sure strong," he said a she finished of the monster. "That wasn't supposed to be an insulting comment or something like that…"

"Tsk," she snorted as they walked on. "Comments like this are the reason why I joined a women-only guild. To think that there are seriously women who put up with this … tsk."

"Katharina-sama…" the bald boy said worried as she collapsed and spat out blood after being pierced by a sword. "Can I do something to help you?"

"Jura-kun, no," she replied as she pressed her hand onto the wound. "This is the first time that I got hurt in my demon form. This worries me. Usually, I am too fast to be injured."

"We don't have a healer," one of the Blue Pegasus mages stated. "What shall we do now?"

"I will have to increase the debt I owe Conny," the takeover mage sighed as she leaned against a tree after transforming back. "She has a card that would numb the pain and stop the bleeding. That wouldn't equal a real healing of the wound but it would fix the problem temporarily … and that would be enough for me right now."

"We were supposed to meet here anyway, Katharina-sama," Jura stated as he sat down next to her to press the jacket she had abandoned earlier against the gash. "You won't have to wait much longer, I am sure of this."

"You are a good boy, Jura-kun," she said as she patted his shoulder. "I am sure that you will be one of the strongest in our guild one day."

"…attention, Gildarts!" Cornelia screamed as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the side. The magical attack missed him by mere inches and as he watched the destruction it caused, he paled. "Oh well, I guess I owe you one, Cornelia," he sighed.

She nodded solemnly. "I will keep that in mind," she said seriously. "But don't worry – I am usually more than fine on my own."

"If it's like this, I could take you out on a date sometime," he shrugged as he watched with hidden glee how she stared at him with confusion written onto her pretty face. During the past few hours, between blood and guts, he had realised that even though Miss Alberona was part of a guild, she was used to working alone. Well, the same went for him so this was probably the reason why they hadn't killed each other yet. He had learned that she had quite a temper and that she had cards, no other card mage had because she made them herself. She was a creator just as much as he was a destroyer and he liked her for being so different from him. She was younger than him – but not naïve. She was careful and she had looked out for him just like he had looked out for her.

And her hand – which he had touched multiple times since they met – felt nice in his own. He liked that she wasn't overly excited and that she could take care of herself because that meant that she was strong, a real fighter. He liked that she hadn't complained after a monster had nearly gotten her leg before he had killed it.

"A date, huh?" she raised one eyebrow. "Well, why not? It's not like I have anything to do."

Cornelia tried to remember what had happened before she had passed out as she slowly regained consciousness but everything she could remember was how she had stopped Katharina's bleeding before an attack had hit her from behind and world had gone black.

She realised that she was currently lying in a bed while her left shoulder hurt terribly. She assumed that Katharina who had been healed had completed the task by taking out the main problem because even with a barely healed gash on her stomach, the takeover mage was one dangerous woman and Cornelia had known her for too long to believe that the white-haired woman would have done the reasonable thing (leaving this task to someone else) because this would her pride never allow.

"I see that you are waking up," a smooth voice said and she suppressed the urge to groan as she recognised Gildarts Clive's voice. That man was infuriating – in a good and a bad way at the same time – and for someone who hated being caught in a state of weakness, it bothered her that someone who wasn't Katharina had to see her like this.

"Yeah…" she muttered tiredly as she slowly opened her eyes. "How did the job go after I passed out?" she immediately inquired.

"Your friend Katharina is still gone with that Jura-boy but she should be here soon," he said calmly. "You scared us quite a bit … that spell left quite a scar on your shoulder – even after your guild master healed it…"

"Serena-sama is here … oh no…" the injured card mage muttered. "Gildarts, can you please kill me now? She will make a fuss about this…"

"If he kills my S-class mage, I will kill him," the harsh and strangely distanced voice of Mermaid Heel's guild master, Serena Alen, resounded in the room as the woman entered. "Tsk, Cornelia, you have to pay more attention the next time and you have to rest three weeks. If I see you one day earlier in the guild, I will renounce your S-rank personally."

"Understood, Serena-sama," the brunette muttered as the master rushed away. "Well, this went better than I expected. Usually, she would scream at me for being a – and I quote – 'goddamn fool who puts the success of a mission in front of her own wellbeing' … she can be quite annoying if she really wants too."

"She was really worried for you … said something about an injury you suffered earlier this year…" the crash mage shrugged. "Maybe you should understand that some people really care for you … and maybe you should stop pushing everyone away, Cornelia."

"I don't have commitment issues," she snapped. "Why does everyone assume that I have issues just because I am fine on my own and don't dream of marriage like any other girl?"

Gildarts was happily back in Magnolia and recovering from the job by drinking with some of his friends as a shadow fell onto the table and he looked up. "Hey there, Cornelia," he grinned. "Did the lioness finally let you get up again?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm still suspended from work," she said as she brushed back her hair. "So I was wondering if I can interest you in dinner … Kat said that you carried me back to the inn after the accident and so I wanted to thank you…"

"I guess that someone as beautiful as you will never have a problem to get me to go out with her," he smirked as he got up. "Well, Miss Alberona, I think that I owed you dinner for pulling me back during that stupid mission…"

"Well, I asked you right now and it would be impolite to turn the offer down," she smiled and brushed back a strand of her hair. "C'mon, I want to get a good table…"

She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the street.

"Do you even know any good restaurants here in Magnolia?" he asked confused.

She shook her head. "It's my first time here anyway," she admitted. "Master Serena asked me to deliver a letter to Master Makarov and so I am here. And since I was here, I decided that I would force you to go out with me today."

"Aren't you a bossy little thing?" he grinned as he walked next to her.

"He, I'm not that young," she said darkly. "I am eighteen, alright?"

"Tsk, seven years younger than I am," he shrugged. "That makes you being an S-class mage even more admirable. I guess you worked hard for this, huh?"

"Yeah," she said. "Kat helped me a lot … she made it years ago … when we were still both mages of Lamia Scale. I never got it right, you see? I needed six attempts before I finally managed to become an S-class mage but that makes the victory even sweeter."

"Well, you do have a strong offence but your defence is pretty weak," he nodded.

"Oh well, I wanted to ask you if you want to come to Kat's wedding with me," she said. "Kat said that she would like to have you there as well and that I should ask you if you want to come as well…"

"Well, how could I say no to someone as beautiful as you are, Cornelia?" he asked. "If Miss Demon really wants to have me there, it will be my honour to be there."

"Sure she wants to have you there," she grinned. "I will give you the exact dates soon…"

She was beautiful – even more so than usually – and he felt how his breath stayed away. Her scarlet dress made her tanned skin glow and as usually, she showed of her guild tattoo. This time, the cut that allowed the audience to see the blackish blue sign was heart-shaped, obviously a homage at the romantic reason why the wedding was taking place. Even as she stood all alone on the balcony, she radiated a glow no other woman would compete against. Even the bride paled in comparison – but maybe this was just Gildarts' biased opinion because Cornelia was his date after all.

"You should go and talk with her," Katharina said amused as she crossed her arms. "Conny's a sweet girl and I want her to be there when I throw the bouquet, understood?"

"Understood, Mrs Strauss," he sighed. "I will do my best."

"That's nice, Clive," she chuckled. "Oh – and if you mess up, I will kill you."

"You aren't above threatening my life on your own wedding?" he asked with a frown.

She laughed as she walked away. "Many years will have to pass before I will really calm down," she called out over her shoulder. "But that's alright for everyone."

He merely waved at her before he walked over to his date who was staring at the stars. "They are nice," he said as he rested his hands on the railing.

"Only nice?" she asked with a pout.

"Well, you are outshining them – so what do you expect?" he asked as he patted her hand before he held it. "I like stars … they are probably the only thing that will never disappear in this crazy world."

"Nothing is forever in this crazy world after all," she agreed. "Usually, I can accept that without trouble but right now…"

"For me, that's one of the moments that aren't supposed to end, yeah," he nodded before he looked seriously down at her. "If this was a movie…"

"…we would kiss now, yeah," she muttered as she tilted her head upwards. "So, what's stopping us? No one is paying attention anyway…"

"Your demon friend is glaring into my direction," he replied as he bent down.

"Let her glare," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

When Gildarts and Cornelia married, there were hardly any guests.

Sure, a few of her Mermaid Heel nakama had come and Katharina as well, dragging her poor husband along. Gildarts had been reluctant about inviting Fairy Tail mages because he hardly knew anyone in the guild right now. A few of his old friends had left the guild and they had come. Otherwise, there was no one he had wanted to have there at his wedding. He had invited Makarov and his wife but they had declined because of personal reasons (the birthday of their only grandson).

"Finally," Katharina grinned once the priest was gone and the few guests congratulated. "I was getting worried that you would never get married, Conny."

The bride glared at her. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't kill you," she hissed.

"You would have to let go of Gildarts' hand if you were to kill her," Serena smiled as she shook the couple's hands. "I hope that you will be blessed with wonderful children … with children of great magical skill … and I really hope that your kids can hold their liquor better than you do, Cornelia."

The female S-class mage stared down. "I know that I'm a lightweight – no reason to make fun of me, Serena-sama," she muttered as she gently squeezed her husband's hand. As long as their fingers were connected, nothing would ever come between them.