Chapter Sixteen

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It threatened to rain again all morning and afternoon. It wasn't until after lunch that it finally began to pour. They enjoyed cold noodles with fresh herbs and vegetables to assist with the humidity. Mei had given Cana a fan the day before to help cool herself down with, which she was currently appreciating greatly. She wiped at the sweat beading on her brow with a small cotton handkerchief, also from Mei, and dabbed at the back of her neck. Shan and Bacchus were talking about their match from the other morning again, commenting on one another's performance and joking about a rematch after his lessons with the students. He seems to be all buddy-buddy all of a sudden. She eyed the man beside Bacchus warily from behind her fan. Since their match, Shan had asked Bacchus to assist him with teaching and joining him in his classes with the children, leaving little time for them to coordinate a plan or even speak much. And he wanted to lecture me about being cautious. With a roll of her eyes, she went back to fanning herself and looked out at the garden. Mei had left after breakfast to go into town with her son to visit with one of her friends and their son, leaving Cana to listen to the same conversation two days in a row as it waivered between Fiorian and Yikani.

Bored, hot, and tired, she absently watched the rain, waiting for a new topic of conversation to start up. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't long until she heard a change in subject.

"You never told me what you came back for." Shan poured more tea into Bacchus' cup, adding more ice and then his own. Taking it and pausing for a moment, the larger man looked at the contents of his cup thoughtfully.

"Like I had told you before." He casually sipped the cooled drink. "Answers." His eyes stayed focus on his beverage as he contemplated more. "Truth be told, I had not intended to come here in the first place." That sparked a look of curiosity in Shan's expression.

"Where was it you intended to go then if not here?" He asked but Bacchus shook his head.

"I cannot say." Cana watched as he placed his cup down and looked directly at his old friend. Shan seemingly understood at once, likely from the way Bacchus' shoulders drooped ever so slightly and his lack of eye contact.

"These answers you seek cannot be found any other place?" He offered, but again Bacchus shook his head.

"By the look of this rain, you will not be able to go for a few more days at best." Shan's expression was blank as he looked out at the nothing Bacchus was and put down his cup as well. It was when their conversation started back up in Yikani that she dismissed herself. They hardly acknowledged her as she left, which she was grateful for.

The windows in her room were open, letting the sounds of the rain in. She had always enjoyed the sound and smell of it, even though in this country it was more like bath water and somehow had a different tone to it. It soothed her still, and in combination with the heat and her full belly, found herself soon drifting into a doze with an unexpected dream.

Gildarts was in it and she was a child again. He had just come back from a job and had been badly injured. She remembered how scared she was to see him all bandaged up and dirty. All she wanted to do was go up to him and tell him the truth and take care of him, but she couldn't. Not yet. She told herself.

The S-Class Trial was coming up and she had to wait until she was a great mage to face him. It was her second try already, but she knew she would get it this time. Stupid Erza and Mira. Mira had beaten Cana during the last trial, which led to her loss in the semi-final round. I'll win this time. And then I can tell you, Papa. She looked on as Gildarts sat at the bar beside Master Makarov. He noticed her then and waved, a cheeky smile on his face. Shyly she waved back and watched as he continued speaking with Master.

Her eyes fluttered open then, the sight of her father's smile still fresh in her mind. Her room was dark and the rain continued on outside it, making her long for home and her bed and cooler weather. It had cooled off, but she still had broken a sweat during her nap, making her uncomfortable in her clothes. She sat up a moment to free herself from sleep's grasp and rolled her neck from one side to the other.

Gathering up fresh clothes she stepped out, bumping directly into Bacchus' chest. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling and when she looked up, he looked down.

"So this is where you've been hiding." His grin matched the one Gildarts gave her in her dream and she immediately pushed herself from him before the nostalgia turned into something deeper.

"Where else could I have been?" Her mood seemed to easily deteriorate around him after just waking up. She didn't wait for an answer and started to head for the bath. As expected and much to her annoyance, he followed.

He spoke most of the way, teasing that he might have to go in with her since he had to play the role of a "dutiful husband". The comment earned him an elbow to the rib.

"Remind me to pay you back for all this husband crap after we get back to Fiore." She muttered to him, getting a chuckle for a response.

To her relief, he only accompanied her to the entrance of the room and did not follow her in as he teased he would. Steam still rose from the tubs of water indicating it was still warm enough. Cautiously she looked around as she approached it, stripping once she deemed she was alone and entered one of the tubs.

She soaked for a while, letting her body and muscles all relax and her mind clear itself of the unpleasant walk she just endured. It wasn't often she had such a spacious place to truly groom and pamper herself in lately, so she did as she'd wanted to for a while and took her time. After having spent just over three weeks aboard Yanti's ship and hardly having adequate space for bathing or even hot enough water for it, the feeling of being able to submerge herself in a large tub the past couple nights was a highly welcomed feeling.

It was a while before she believed herself clean enough to leave. Her grumbling stomach had more to do with it than anything as she heaved herself out of the water and dried off.

Unsurprisingly enough, Bacchus was not waiting for her outside. She also didn't find it odd that he had not been in their room when she returned to it. Must have already gone to eat without me. Cana shrugged as she tucked away her soiled clothes and wandered out for dinner.

It was when she arrived to an empty room and table that her suspicions began to raise up. Could they have finished already? I wasn't in the bath that long. She wondered as she peaked into the kitchen where the cook buzzed around from one corner to another. The food looked as if it had barely been put on.

Somewhere in the busy room, she thought she heard Shan's voice as he spoke in Yikani. They just can't stop talking about it, can they? She shook her head and started back for her room. I'll just wait for him to come get me when it's ready.

She sat in her room for over an hour, nearly falling back asleep before leaving it again. Where the hell is everyone? Her search took her almost all around the entire building. She even checked back with the kitchen to see if Shan and Bacchus were still there. When only the cook still buzzing about was seen, she felt a pang of worry. On she looked for any of them until she was near the large window that looked out into the garden. The rain was coming down hard, making it a little more difficult to see out and hear, but there was no mistaking the two people she spotted next to the pink and purple flowers just feet away.

Cana blinked, hoping for a second that she had a case of Juvia vision and that the rain had made her hallucinate. Reality however, made it clear that she wasn't. The rain poured around them, misting the air and silencing any other noises but the sound of the water smacking against the stone and wood and plants surrounding Bacchus and Mei. He had an arm around her back while his free hand cradled her head as he leaned down to her. She was standing on tiptoe with her hands locked in his undone hair. There was no doubting the passion between them by the way their mouths locked and unlocked again and again. And by the look of how they held one another, this was not the first time they had done this with each other either.

After a moment they broke off, resting their foreheads together and speaking softly in Yikani. When he started to caress her cheek and kissed her forehead, Cana remembered her legs and tried as best she could to leave unnoticed.

Her heart felt as if it had crawled into her throat and a sort of embarrassment flushed her cheeks. It was something she knew she ought not to have seen, especially knowing how dangerous the repercussions were. Quickly she straightened herself out, sitting at the vanity and tried to calm her breathing. She was livid the more she thought about it. Is this why we're been sitting here for three days? She started to brush her hair, staring at her reflection. If he wanted to track down his ex-girlfriend all he had to do was say so in the first place. She thought back to what he had said to Shan earlier about not having planned to come to the school in the first place. Bullshit. Explains why he tried to get rid of me back in Hargeon. I should have just taken the jewel and left. Her thoughts continued to race and her anger rise when he opened the door and entered only minutes later.

"Why are you all wet?" She tried to turn around casually and look at him standing there soaked as he peeled off his tunic.

"I was training with Shan."

"In the rain?" She questioned, but he only shrugged. They were silent a moment as she turned back around and watched in the mirror as he slicked back his hair, pulling it up and tying it up high.

"Dinner should be ready soon if you're hungry." He was tying a white bonnet over his hair.

"How much longer before we leave?" Cana asked suddenly, keeping her back to him and fiddling with her hair.

"When the rain stops." He didn't look at her as he stripped off his pants and put dry ones on. Her face flushed but she held on, pretending as if she hadn't seen him. "Like Shan said, we wouldn't be able to get too far with the weather like this."

"That could be days from now." She turned and looked directly at him now.

"Then we will leave days from now." He went to sit on the edge of the bed and faced her.

"Speaking of. You and Shan seem to be getting along a lot better." Cana said, keeping the conversation going and her eyes on his actions.

"He's come around some." He answered slowly, looking at her.

"Well I'm glad you are rekindling an old flame." Her eyes stayed steady on his as she sat there with one eyebrow raised. Somewhere deep down, she knew there was a line she was approaching the more she spoke, but what came out of his mouth next made her sprint toward it.

"Are you jealous?" He said giving her that same stupid grin he had earlier when she had bumped into him. Thinking about being in his arms then and how quickly he went to go wrap them around Mei not even hours later made her temper spark.

"Jealous? Of you and Shan?" She snorted. "Not one bit." She leaned back against the vanity, crossing one leg over the other and her arms.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" His grin turned into a frown as his brows knotted together.

"I think you're getting too close with Mei. As I recall, we're supposed to be married on this little mission and you're risking our cover." Her brow quirked at him once more, but his expression didn't change. "And in case you haven't noticed, she is actually married. To your best friend and has a son, too."

"You are jealous." His face relaxed as he chuckled more, fueling her bubbling anger.

"Is jealous the only word you can say right now? Is that what you really think this is?"

"Why else would how close Mei and I are bother you so much?" His words were frank and ones she was not ready to admit to.

"It's not Mei that's bothering me." Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Isn't it?" He returned her look with that damn smile still smeared on his lips.

"Whatever." Cana broke off first, waving her hand as if to brush him off. "We've been lingering here for close to four days. If you'd wanted to come back to Yi Kai to reunite with your long lost love, you should have said so and left me out of it and back in Fiore."

"That's not what we're here for and you know it." His smile faded completely now, giving her ego the satisfaction of finally penetrating his mood. The line from before had become clearer and closer now.

"Isn't it?" She mocked and stood, walking over to stand in front of him. "Please tell me then what exactly we're still doing here if not that?" She looked down at him, her hands on her hips. "Or maybe." She paused, tilting her head to the side. He seemed wary of her sudden change in tone. "Maybe you're just too afraid." She knew the line was in front of her now, but the anger bubbled out, threatening to push her over it.

There was a look to him almost reminiscent of Shan's constant stone one. "You are." She saw how his face darkened after that as he watched her begin to pace in front of him. "You're just a scared little shit who can't get a grip on himself and wants to hide under Mei's skirts." His temples flexed as he clenched his jaw, and the high of seeing how much she was pissing him off became stronger. "Not that she wouldn't let you under them if you asked." She had a smug look of her own on this time. Seeing how tightly he had his jaw clenched only made her want more.

"Enough." He had whispered, but Cana would not stop now.

"I'm right, aren't I? You're so terrified because going to the palace means facing your past. Oh, but you can't stay here because Shan would kick your ass after he finds out you're fucking his wife." She stopped her pacing again to stand directly in front of him, looming over. "Or is it not Shan who you're worried about?" His whole body tensed, and she relished in it, continuing. "No. Shan you can handle. He's not what you're scared shitless of." The line was before her now, and without hesitation, she crossed it. "I bet you're the most afraid of showing your face at the palace and getting your ass handed to you by a couple of litt—"

"ENOUGH!" He bellowed as he stood up and grabbed her by the arm. He had his hand raised and ready to strike. Cana hated that she flinched. They maintained eye contact for a few intense seconds before he closed his hand and lowered his arm, turning from her.

"Get out." He hissed between still clenched teeth.

"Gladly. You can let Mei know that you have an empty spot in your bed to fuck her in tonight." She would later hate herself for what she said even more than how she had flinched from him. The satisfaction she had gathered abruptly crumbled into dust. She knew she was wrong to say such horrible things but Cana was too stubborn and angry to apologize just yet. I'll just let him be angry for a while. I needed a drink anyway. With her mind made up, she turned and left, slamming the door loudly behind her and ran through the rain into town.

A/N: Alrighty guys, sorry it's a bit late in the day, but here is this week's chapter update! It's a little shojo, so again, bear with me on it. I thought it was about time the two of them had a quarrel. We're also reaching the halfway point of the story! Whoo!

Speaking of reaching milestones.. THANKS A BUNCH FOR THE 2K VIEWS!

I couldn't have done it without you guys (though I suppose I could just look at this story 2,000 times by myself, but that's no fun).

Thanks for all the views and to the new followers I've obtained in the past week!

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and have a great weekend.

And, as always, until next week everyone...

Betty B.