Chapter Six

Nightmare

They'd drunk more than enough, and he'd paid again. Not just at the bar either, but for the bottles of wine they bought at the shop on their way back to her place, too. So of course she offered him a place to stay again in exchange. Cana undressed and sprawled out onto her bed. Nothing ever felt as good as a soft bed when she was just at the right point of drunkenness.

Unfortunately, they didn't even get around to doing Bacchus' second reading. He had drank too heavily and ended up falling asleep before she could set the cards up. I guess he wasn't ready to talk just yet. A little too much liquid courage. Luckily for her, he was already on the couch and had removed his armor when he passed out, so it saved her the trouble of breaking her back trying to take it off him and putting him on the makeshift bed herself. He snored so loudly she was surprised she didn't hear him all the way upstairs the night before or now.

She giggled into her pillow at the thought of him in such a state. Sleep was beginning to weigh down on her eyes after she crawled under the covers. Just have to wait to do the reading in the morning. What the cards would tell her about him made her curiosity stir. It was true that they weren't really meant for actually predicting the future, but she couldn't help but wonder what she was going to learn about him. Her mind wandered from there and soon enough, she succumbed to a sweet, drunken slumber.

That was, until a loud crash woke her from such pleasant sleep. Her heart immediately leapt into her throat, catching her breath in it as well. All the hairs on her body stood on end as a numbing tingle in her legs that made them feel as if she couldn't even attempt to stand. She cursed the alcohol that she had drunk just hours before for the woozy way she felt after sitting up so quickly.

When another bang came, Cana found her nerve and jumped from the bed, grabbing her cards and hurrying down the hall to the stairs. Carefully she crept down the first few steps to listen carefully at what was happening. It sounded as if someone was talking, but the whispers were too quiet. It was too dark to see all the damage, but Bacchus' body wasn't difficult to miss when she came down to the last few steps. He was kneeling on the floor, his hands covering his ears, and speaking softly. Even if he wasn't speaking just above a whisper, the words were strange to her.

"Bacchus." She whispered sharply, but he gave no answer. He didn't seem to notice her as she descended or even when she approached him either. As she got closer, she heard him whimpering. Fear began to seep into her as she crouched in front of him. His hands were clamped so tightly to the sides of his head, she feared he would crush his own skull. He was still speaking a strange language and had his eyes shut.

Those dreams were nightmares? She touched his bare shoulder and watched as he flinched away from her touch. The yelp that came from him frightened her. Without thinking she held to either of his wrists and shook him.

"H-hey! Wake up!" She tried to wrestle his hands from his head, but to no success. "Bacchus!" She yelled now. He only whimpered more and curled tighter into himself. "Bacchus wake up!" Frustrated she gave his arms another good yank, freeing up his face and gave him a good smack to the cheek. His eyes popped open after being struck, a stunned look on his face as he tried to figure out what was happening. Sweat was pouring down his temples and glistened in what little light that came in from the window. Unsure of what to do, she sat there uncomfortably as the man in front of her regained his senses. He'd uttered a question, but again it was one she did not know. She watched as his eyes slowly cleared and his face calmed.

"Cana?" His voice was raspy and laced with a slight accent.

"You were dreaming." She tried to keep her voice steady. Immediately he quieted and swallowed hard. His breath, while still ragged, had calmed and he absently rubbed at his cheek. Suddenly, he opened his mouth to speak again when she interrupted.

"I'm fine. You didn't break much. Well, aside from my couch. And the table." It was her attempt at trying to ease him. Bacchus looked relieved at her lightly sarcastic answer, assuring her as well. But the fear in his eyes had soon faded into shame.

"I'm not going to kick you out." Her own fear had subsided somewhat by then, leaving her exhausted from the rush of adrenaline that had begun to wear off. Standing, she reached a hand down to him to help him up. He rubbed at his face and neck some more and groaned before taking it.

"Cana, I did n-"

"It's okay, really. We don't have to talk about it right now." She went on to find the right lacrima and touched it gently, letting the lights only barely brighten. "Come on. I'll make us something to drink." He followed her to the kitchen where she activated the fire lacrima for her new stove. The water in the pot would take a few minutes before it began to boil, so she sat at the table and motioned for him to take the seat across from her. Though she would often comfort the other girls at the dorms, comforting a man was not her strength. She was used to them taking on their own burdens and keeping to themselves with their feelings or just drinking them away. Like the guys at the bars. It was painfully obvious how uncomfortable they both were at that moment.

"Is that what you always wear to bed?" He finally spoke up, nodding at her. She had worn more conservative sleepwear than usual as a precaution, but the plain, light pink shorts were still well above mid-thigh and the matching sleeveless top hugged her upper body and left some of her navel exposed. Just like before when he was removing his armor, she suddenly felt a little self-conscious and glared at him. Her arms crossed over her chest as if it were bare.

"Better than wearing the same clothes two days in a row."

"Not like I have a choice. I also don't usually sleep in the nude in other people's homes." He gave her a tired smile. "Especially when I'm not in a private room." She felt her cheeks heat up at the thought. The accent from earlier had faded from his voice already, though she had to admit the exotic way it made him sound did intrigue her.

Bacchus chuckled when she didn't answer and went back to being silent until the kettle whistled, prompting Cana to get up and pour the water into a new pot where the tea would steep.

"You don't strike me as a tea drinker."

"I don't drink booze all the time you know." She shot him a playful glare. The palm mage was noticeably calmer and had relaxed into the chair now, an arm draped over the back of it casually. Though it was still hot, she brought the pot of tea to the table, setting it between them and placed a cup in front of him. He glanced from the plain white pot to her and started to drum his fingers on the table as she expected he would. After a brief moment, she realized he was waiting. Does he expect me to serve him? How arrogant can this guy be? A small fire of anger sparked in her when he reached out to grasp the handle before she could and served her drink first.

"I'll buy you a new one." He said after taking a sip from his cup. She wasn't certain what he meant at first as she was still caught off guard by both his polite action and promise and simply blinked at him.

"What's wrong with my teapot?"

"What? Teapot?" One of his eyebrows quirked at her expression until he realized he had spoken out of context. "No. I meant a new table. To replace the one I broke in there." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder.

"Oh, that." Cana smiled at him from behind her cup. "With a matching couch, too?"

"Heh. Maybe a bigger one at that, then." The cup muffled his words as he drank.

"Planning on staying more often?"

That made him noticeably laugh with a little more heart. He reached for the teapot but Cana put her hand on his to deter him. Their eyes met briefly when he withdrew his hand and watched as she poured for him this time. Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy again. Sleep gave her a persistent tap on the shoulder but she resisted.

"The sun's coming up already." His voice perked her up some as she look at the window. Sure enough, the black of the sky had started to lighten to a gray-blue on one side.

"I take it you've seen this time of day quite often." She'd meant it as a simple comment, but the lines deepened in his features, making him look solemn once again. He had his chin resting in his hand and looked out the window above her sink. He was thinking of something to say. If she'd picked up anything about him from the past couple of days, it was what he looked like when he was actually giving thought to something.

"Yi Kai." He didn't move his head much, making what he said muffled. Cana turned her attention to him, unfamiliar with the word he had said.

"What's that?"

Deeming that it would be easier to talk without the hindrance of how he had his head, he took his arm out from under it.

"My home country. It's just on the other side of the south sea."

"That so? I've only heard about it. Supposed to be a beautiful place."

"It is. Very beautiful actually. I've seen more beautiful, however." She caught the glance he gave her, knowing he meant to be caught. Flattering, but I think I know what you want. Explains a lot if this is how he shows he's feeling better.

Cana paused for a moment, trying to keep her eyes from shutting. She wondered if now was the right time to do what they originally had intended to do. Hesitant, she placed the deck she had slipped into the pocket of her shorts earlier on the table.

"You're not too tired?" He asked, turning his attention to her.

"I am. But I also promised I'd give you another reading. And Fairy Tail mages always keep their promises."

Unable or unwilling to argue, he yielded and set the teapot and their cups aside. Cana split and restacked the deck like a second nature. It had become as easy as breathing to do this. Once she had finished shuffling and preparing, she looked at him to ask if he was ready. He had his hands folded, pressed to his chin and slouched forward. His hair was still loose about his face and a few silken strands slid forth around his temples. It was his eyes that drew her in however. There was an intensity in them despite the fatigue and just as much nervous energy was pouring out from him as he watched her pluck one card after the other and laid them facedown. When she looked at him again, he nodded, keeping his sight on the table.

She turned over the first card. Nine of Swords. Then the next one. Justice reversed. Her blood turned to ice and her mouth dried. That's impossible. Hesitantly, she turned over the last card. The Star. Words would not come. He knew it too when she looked at him. The way his jaw tensed and flexed in his temples made her just as anxious. This isn't possible. The likelihood of something like this…

"What gives?" He broke the tense air of the room when he spoke. Too shocked and still wordless, Cana could only look at him and feel her heart beginning to race. She tried to answer when he interjected.

"I thought you were going to give me a different reading. Not the same one as before." There was unease in his voice and eyes, yet he grinned at her. Taking it as reassurance, she mustered up a shrug. Her heart still pounded, but not as loud as before while she searched for something to say, something to tell him, and something to tell herself, yet there was nothing coming to mind.

"I suppose this means I have no choice then." His whole body seemed to loosen as he slouched back into his seat and looked out the window once more.

"No choice with what?"

"In telling you." Bacchus drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. He closed his eyes, still facing out and began. "When I was a kid back in Yi Kai, there were these girls. Older than me, though I'm not completely sure by how much." He paused, staying his hand from drumming and making a fist. "And I dream about them."

Cana feared what he would say next. Did he hurt them? Or worse… Her thoughts must've reached him because he opened his eyes and glanced at her and shook his head.

"I didn't kill them if that's what you're thinking. At least, I don't think I did." His fingers were back to drumming already. "They died in a fire in the palace. I wasn't inside when it happened, but I'd heard after that they were found in their rooms. Burned like the rest of that wretched place." He swallowed hard and she realized how difficult this subject was for him.

"Were you close?" To that he chuckled resentfully.

"I guess you could put it that way. We spent a lot of time together. Though we weren't related. They were though, the girls I mean. They were sisters. The princesses Lin and Lim."

"Do you dream about when you would spend time together?"

"Yeah." Another chuckle. The pieces came together then when she saw how his lips twitched and he absently reached up, itching at his shoulder. There was a faint scar there, no wider than a finger, but it looked like it'd taken years to shrink down to that. They were the ones that hurt him. She recalled the way he had curled into himself earlier during his nightmare. They abused him. Her chest felt as if it would collapse inward thinking about how the man sitting across from her could once have been so vulnerable and so frightened.

"Justice reversed." She said, getting his attention. "What happened to them, it was not the justice they deserved, the one you deserved, but a resolution." He made no comment or sound. He must have realized that, also.

"And then the last bit?" He asked, apparently trying to move on, but that paused her thoughts for a moment. There wasn't much more she could figure out for him at this point.

"Look." Cana's hand reached out and covered his. "I don't know how to make them go away. These dreams seem to want to force you to remember something. Even if it's through something like that." She hesitated before going on. "Maybe it's so that you might confront some sort of fear." That earned a scoff.

"Maybe." He said thoughtfully. "It was around this time five years ago that I first had these dreams. It was only a couple times the first year. The dreams are usually different, but they're always in them. Then after a week, they stopped." Bacchus took a slow breath before going on. "At least, until the following year, which they came more often, and have with every year since. But this time, it's almost every night."

"How long does it go on for before they stop?"

"A few weeks, usually no more than three. One year it went on nearly six. But this time, it's been a few months already since they started."

That information worried her. The increasing frequency was alarming, but she didn't want to give him anything more to worry about than he probably already did.

Pulling his hand out from under hers, Bacchus finished the tea in his cup and pushed himself from the table, standing and stood upright to stretch his back. "But I guess that's something I'll just have to figure out on my own." He gave her a sincere look with a small smile. "Thanks for your help."

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you. I wish I had more I could tell you." She rose as well, taking his action as a sign that he was ready and wanted to leave.

"You helped plenty." They headed toward the front room where he attached his armor and pulled his hair up into its usual style. She opened the front door, letting him walk outside into the slow approaching dawn. He thanked her again and casually went on his way. Though truly she knew there wasn't much else she could do for him after doing the two readings, she couldn't help but feel as if there had to be something else she could have tried or done. It may have just been guilt or sympathy or both, but for some reason, her heart felt as if it had been chipped at, if only a little, as she reflected on Bacchus' session. There has to be something. And there was only one person she could think of who might have an answer.

A/N: Alright, alright, alright. It's that time of the week folks! Hope you all like the chapter and are still out there reading! I've been pretty busy lately so I haven't gotten around to writing too much, but I do have a couple chapters down! Thanks for the views! Until next week! Betty B.