A/N: Uwaaahhh! Look at that! 100+ reviews?! Is this for real? Thank you so so much! :') I nearly cried T.T In happiness of course :") As promised! Here's another chapter~ Hehe ^_^ I didn't want to post this yet actually. Since it's been so busy in school lately, I didn't even get the chance to reread and improve this. Sorry? ^^" It's a work of an amateur. T.T I'll be tied up with a hectic school schedule until maybe around mid-December so I figured if I don't update now, I might completely forget about it! Hehe ;P
Oh and forever I will be thankful for the ever so kind readers of this story! I so love you guys~! Your heart-warming reviews keep me going. Thank you! *hugs and kisses* Okay, I won't keep this long as much a s possible since I still have to be in school by tomorrow morning. I just want to thank those who reviewed personally, to show how much you mean to me :")
LoveIsARoseawww! Thank you so so so much! I'm glad you liked it! I sure hope I won't let you down with this chapter :') Thank you, again!
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Enough of me, here's the chapter and uhm… *prays silently* I hope you enjoy your read~ :')
Chapter 11: Crossing Paths Once Again
Gray's POV
Utterly speechless and dumbfounded, I just stood there with my mouth hanging open. For how long, I didn't want to know. I might've stayed that way all day long had I not been brought back to myself at the sound of her sweet, mellow voice.
"Oh, come on in. I'm sorry I can't get up." Lisanna's sister said when she saw me and of course, Lucy. "As you see, he's down with a fever and he's been using my lap as a pillow. Take her to a seat. I'll do something about him shortly." She gestured to Freed with a helpless smile, her right hand stroking his long green locks.
He was far off in dream land, I'd guess. He was sleeping so deeply that he didn't even notice us coming inside. His cheeks, no, his whole face is flushed red, breathing heavy. He really is down with a fever. Woah.
I'm getting a big, BIG hunch that this lady in front of me is the fiancée Miss Evergreen was talking about. Besides, Lisanna did call Freed 'Onii-sama' on her first day and Freed never really mingled with girls that much so it'll be quite a question if she isn't. My confusion and weird conclusions started to make sense by the glistening gold I happened to catch sight of on her right ring finger. 'Bingo.'
Natsu took Lucy and sat her on a chair while I was still distracted. "Look, we don't mind but…" He gently pulled out Lucy's red-stained socks, earning a soft cry from her. "Can you please do something about this, quickly?" He gave the nurse a serious look as he said this, emphasizing his last word, before turning to Lucy's injured foot. His eyes widened in horror when he did so. "G-gahh! It's swollen! And it's dripping red! It's bleeding,! What do we do, Gray? She'll lose all the blood in her body and—"
"Calm down, stupid!" I hit him on the head to shut him up. "First of all, I know it's bleeding that's why I didn't let her walk in the first place! And what are you sputtering about? You're overreacting way too much."
"That hurt, damn it! I heard what you called me!" Natsu complained, his knuckles giving off a cracking sound.
"Bring it on!"
Before we can even start our rampage, White-hair called out for Lisanna and smiled meaningfully. Gently, Lisanna took over and watched over a snoozing Freed in her sister's stead while the so-called nurse picked up her stuff before kneeling in front of Lucy. "Oh dear, what happened here?"
"Some sick bastard placed a nail in her shoe." I said almost before she finished. I didn't notice that I was gritting my teeth by just thinking of it until Lucy's pitched voice reached me.
Tears started to build up at the corner of her caramel eyes as she stifled another moan with her hand. Still the crybaby I've learned to care for so much, I see. Geez, she's so helpless.
The long-haired woman cleaned her wound well, treated it up with some medicine and patched some bandages around her foot. "It's not that bad of a wound. You must have such a delicate skin for it to bleed that much. Don't worry; it's not deep enough to be fatal." She commented while cleaning up, her eyes pleased with her neat work on the once gory foot. Lucy's an 'Ojou-sama' so the comment proved to be worth mentioning. She turned to Lisanna and smiled. "Care to introduce them to me?"
Distracted, Lisanna almost forgot the presence of Freed on her lap with her immediate attempt to stand up and respond. She looked… nervous, as if something between the uttered words revealed a secret of hers. Or maybe I really am thinking too much. Introductions began with Lucy then me, her composure back on and lastly, Natsu. Just as when Lisanna was about to name him, the ash-brain abruptly stood up and headed for the door.
"Natsu Dragneel." The pink-head stated with his back turned on us; ready to take off anytime now. He turned to Lucy with a small smile before he left completely, mouthing her 'take care' in the process.
"Mirajane." Undeniable sadness came with her voice as she spoke. I turned to look at Lisanna's sister who smiled weakly at the spot where Natsu was standing a few seconds ago. "He could've at least stayed to know the name of who took you away from him. He seemed pretty upset. Does he hate me that much?" Her gaze never left that spot but I, even Lucy, could tell her words were directed at Lisanna.
The said girl bit her bottom lip and lowered her head. "It's not your fault, Mira-nee. You did nothing wrong. It's me that he…"
My inner self was telling me that any longer of stay here would be an invasion of privacy. I inspected Lucy's foot quietly and lifted her up from her seat before her attempt to stand up on her own. "Much thanks." I said, which is so out of place with the current mood but I knew better than to linger around.
Mirajane smiled sweetly after a moment of distraction. "Anytime." She paused and looked at me with concern. I raised a brow at her and she sighed. "I'm sorry you had to hear something like that from me. Please don't mind it too much."
Nodding, I exited the room with Lucy in my arms. I really shouldn't poke my nose into other people's problems. I have plenty of my own. First off is this dense girl. "Now then, rooftop?"
Lucy didn't struggle as much as I expected when I swept her off her feet, bridal style. Made me wonder if she preferred being carried this way and made me remember of some unpleasant memory of when Lyon used to carry her like this back then too. She gave me a raised brow. "Rooftop?" she repeated.
"You have something to tell me, right?"
"Oh."
~Meanwhile~
Levy stood behind Gajeel, a nervous hand over her chest. It took them a while to get the news to Laxus since their teacher wouldn't take their excuse seriously but it was crucial matter so they came despite the lateness. And man, were they scared by his glare. Well, Levy was.
Gajeel was rubbing the back of his head while Laxus was giving off an irritated look. "S-so that's the case and if you want to go visit her she's in the infirmar—"
Not even getting the chance to finish, a flash of blonde passed by the two, a trail smoke and dust tailing it. Laxus had gone off without second thought in a speed that left them flabbergasted.
"What just happened?" Levy asked, tugging on Gajeel's sleeves.
"Beats me."
∞Ж∞
"Damn it! Why is the infirmary freaking far from here?!" Laxus breathed deeply and increased his pace. Reaching the corridor separating their building from Lucy's, he took bigger steps in anticipation and anxiety. "A bit more!" He yelled, encouraging himself.
"Lisanna! Wait!"
His ears perked up at the familiar voice. Footsteps came after but that didn't matter nor did it even register in his mind. He got overly distracted by the sudden tightness he felt in his chest and missed the chance to evade a collision with another body. They both fell to the ground with a loud thud. He shook his head with a hand over his aching temple. Perhaps it was the collision but he actually remembered the fact that he was new and he didn't really know the way towards the infirmary. Crap. Him ditching his supposed tour guide was now a bad idea for him. Or maybe not. He hated clingy girls, or even the general whole breed as well. And that woman was just plain annoying for him.
"You again!" a feminine voice cried out. It was not the same voice he heard earlier. Laxus took note of that but this certainly isn't the first time he heard this voice.
Laxus raised his gaze up from the floor to a frowning short-haired girl. "Huh? Oh. Nice to see you, too." He smirked, practically amused.
Lisanna stifled an exasperated sigh, making her lose control of her furrowed brows. "Why do you have to be such a klutz? Can't you walk normally without bumping into anybody along the way?" She exclaimed, twitching at the pain she felt on her head which got a direct hit from Laxus' own hard skull.
"I could ask you the same thing, unless you did it on purpose so I'd pay attention to you." Laxus countered, crossing his arms with a straight face.
Rolling her eyes, Lisanna chose not to answer back to save her breath and dusted off her skirt before turning around to leave.
"You'd pass for a professional actress, Missy." Laxus smirked and stood up, following after her. He found it amusing for her to act all cutesy with other people and all snobby with him.
"Whatever, Mister." The youngest Strauss once again rolled her eyes and walked faster now.
"Hey, wait! At least tell me the way to the infirmary!" Laxus called out, halting briefly at the feeling of being watched. He turned around and saw nothing but an empty hallway. "That voice earlier… Is it my imagination? Of course… it can't be." It can't be. Shrugging, he went on with his chase. "Hey!"
A hand travelled over her aching chest, right where her pounding heart is supposed to be. It was a close call. She was almost seen by the person she least expected to encounter. "Laxus? Why is he here?" She closed her eyes tightly as she gripped unto her white coat. She could just feel her nervousness taking over.
If she hadn't snapped out of her bewilderment just before the blonde lad turned her way, if she hadn't hid herself at a nearby pillar by then, she might've not known what to do, what to say, where to start at the very moment she finally gets to meet him again. She feared and yearned for this moment at the same time. It was all too confusing and sudden that she couldn't quite keep up. "Oh, what am I even doing?" She sneakily popped her head out to check whether the lad had already left. There was no one at the place where he stood all high and mighty like he used to and she was grateful for it.
"Mira?" A tap on her shoulder startled her and even more was she frightened when a manly voice called out to her.
'No way.' She thought. 'He left, right?'
"Mira? Are you alright?" The voice spoke once again.
Slowly, she turned her head around to see the owner of the voice and she felt a stream of relief wash through her when she finally recognized who it is. "F-Freed… It's you." she smiled awkwardly and placed a hand over the said guys cheek. "Why are you here? You should be resting. You're still burning hot from that fever."
A panting Freed barely returned the smile as he leaned onto the nearby wall for support. Well would be the last thing to describe him with his current state. "What's wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost." He chuckled softly until the fatigue took over him.
Mirajane shrugged her current worries off and faced another thing yet to worry about. She caught Freed before he collapsed to the floor. "Geez, why are you so stubborn? You know you can't walk around yet and you insisted on going to school. Moreover, you're loitering here in the hallway instead of sleeping in the infirmary. How would you get better that way?" She scolded, pouting.
"I… woke up… and you weren't there. I just had to… see you…" He replied weakly, a smile gracing his lips.
Without further ado, Mirajane placed a soft kiss on his cheek and slowly aided Freed back to the infirmary. "Whatever you say, Freed-sensei. Now let's get you cooped up in bed again, okay?"
Freed replied with a faint smile, his face redder than before. "Alright, then." He muttered weakly, happiness evident in his voice. He gave in to his weariness right after.
Mirajane eyed a half-asleep Freed, shaking. Despite her resolve of focusing on her present, she couldn't help but think of the boy whose image never left her mind, ever. She bit her lip to refrain her tears from falling. The pain of her teeth on her delicate lips was nothing compared to the vicious pain in her heart. Shaking her head with a long sigh, she tightened her hold on her companion's hand. "Don't worry. I won't… falter." She brushed her lips gently against his and carried on, her shaky voice dying at the silence that followed soon after.
A/N: I'm sorry if I can't meet up to your expectations but I sure do hope you like it somehow :') I can't post a preview yet since I'm not completely done with the next chapter. Another sorry ^^" It's half-way through though :') I'll try to update again after two weeks. My mood is constantly changing and I hope I get my inspiration for writing back. It flew off somewhere again, vacation perhaps? ;P Uwaah! This sucks! Help me T.T
Please do review and state your opinions. They really help a lot with building up courage :') I don't mind criticisms. Just please, please go easy on me, ne? ^^"
Love love lots,
MartiaLae