Chapter Thirty-Three

Reunion

The ship had finally come into view of land after its three weeks at sea, which Cana found she was both grateful for and a little disappointed. She would miss the routine she'd gotten so used to aboard and knew that it would be a little hard to adjust to land-life after so much adventure. Even if Magnolia had been her home for her entire life, seeing its shores left her feeling underwhelmed when she came up on deck and found the harbor as plain as when they'd departed nearly three months before. The thought of her plain, non-rocking bed and solid ground was appealing however.

"Glad to be back?" Bacchus joined her on deck, leaning on the rail beside her. She inhaled the salted air deeply and sighed.

"Somewhat." It wouldn't hurt to tell the truth. "Fiore just seems so ordinary compared to Yi Kai. It's as if we never left at all."

"I'm sure the captain wouldn't mind you sailing the seas with her." He laughed lightly.

"Unless I can learn to hunt basilisks I doubt Yan-Yan will take me with her." She turned so that her back and elbows rested on the rail and she faced the sun. "Plus, I think my guild is missing me."

"They've probably noticed how much more wine is left in the barrels than usual." He snickered as she struck him.

After a short, quiet moment he stood upright and stretched. "I'm glad to see something other than water on the horizon finally." He was right. They weren't long from the docking pier in Hargeon now and until the night before, there was only dark water as far as the eye could see. It would be less than an hour before they set foot on land, but it felt as if it was taking much, much longer.

Less than an hour before we head back to our guilds. A sinking feeling came over her as she realized this might be the last time she would get to see him for a long while. The events from the week before came back to her then, as did some of the shame she hid. Cana had been turned down before, once or twice maybe, but those had never bothered her. One of those times specifically being by Maccao during one of their drunken nights together. The memory made her blush deeper. Like always, she had easily blamed her behavior on drinking and claimed she hardly remembered any of that when she saw him the next day. Perhaps it turned out better that way anyway. Gildarts would have pummeled him if he ever found out. The thought took away some of the sting, but being rejected by Bacchus was still too fresh. An important person, huh. She glanced over at him. He looked pensive, maybe even a little calmer. It was a lot for him to take in. Finding out you have such a complicated past let alone the events that had followed and loosing so many... She felt herself choke up as she recalled all of the things that had happened. It feels like I lived a whole other life back there and like nothing has changed here. She realized this must have been what Bacchus felt when they first landed in Yi Kai a lifetime ago and her sympathy for him deepened.

The ship docked finally by mid-day and they each went below to gather up their belongings. Again the awareness that they would go their separate ways came upon her as she tried to think up excuses to keep him around for just another day, but she didn't want to seem desperate. She ended up not saying much more to him aside from wishing him a safe rest of his journey back to Clover where his guild was. He had done the same, embracing her tightly for a long moment. She had half thought he would kiss her again, and foolishly she anticipated it when he drew back from her. Instead he merely grinned and thanked her for her help.

That night, when she came home to her empty house, had involved more Green Salamander that Yan-Yan had gifted to her than Cana could take and ended with her head and stomach roaring the next day. It was a rude reminder of how much she had to drink while sailing to Yi Kai and how Bacchus teased her every morning about her nearly routine purging over the rail of the ship. The memory, though a little sour, made her smile.

The roaring laughter, slamming of pewter cups, poor taste in music and other noises pulled her from her thoughts and were welcomed distractions for Cana as she slumped forward on the polished wood of the counter. She had wanted to go drink at the guild hall, but after two months of being bothered by Mirajane's ever-probing nose for gossip she settled for a bar near home instead.

It didn't take long for her to readjust to her old routine of being back in Magnolia. The biggest surprise to her was finding out about Levy's pregnancy. But aside from the initial over-done three day welcoming party, her friends settled down and they all went back to their typical antics. It was comforting to be around it and she soaked it in eagerly.

She had gone on a few jobs, too to help take her mind off of things, though she avoided anything that was near Clover, regardless of how much the pay or easy the quest.

Is two months long enough? Cana had debated with herself for the thousandth time as she finished her drink and remained slouched over. Mirajane had provoked her enough to go after him and she would have, but something always managed to hold her back. If he was ready, he would have come. It wasn't a reassuring thought as she was certain that he was stubborn enough to make her chase him. She'd concluded that she wasn't going to subject herself to him in such a way and that it would be better that she moved on.

With a glance, she looked over at her date that had been long since passed out on the floor. The fool had challenged her to a drinking contest. She told him she would pay for the drinks if he won, so he was eager to accept. He had been nice enough. He owned a lacrima shop in the next town over and seemed a decent enough man sober. He had gotten a little too bold and friendly while in his cups, hence her challenge. It would be their second and last date. Bored, discouraged and drunk she decided it was time to head home. Early night tonight I guess.

"He's paying." She told the bartender as she pushed from the counter and sauntered off into the cool autumn night to head home.

She must have been too absorbed in her thoughts to notice it right away, but after three blocks, it became apparent she had a guest. It was not the first time some one had tried to follow her, but they weren't doing too badly of a job at keeping their distance and even slipping from her awareness a few times.

Her stalker had gotten closer as she neared her home. Their footsteps became audible as they walked down the cobbled street. Not wanting to show then where she lived she turned the corner going to opposite way and readied herself from behind the wall. As her follower stopped in the intersection confused, she jumped form around the corner and flung her projectile with all her strength landing a direct hit to his head. With a yell he was brought to his knees and swore a slew of curses at her. A few of the words she recognized despite them not being in Fiorian. His silhouette faded from a mysterious shadow to a person she recognized with more familiarity than most who knew him.

"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes." She held back a laugh as she approached him. He stood and glared down at her playfully as he handed the shoe back to her upward facing hand. There was a red spot smack dab in the middle of his forehead that he rubbed at, but he had a wide grin on his face as he laughed with her.

"What are you doing here? And don't tell me it's for a job." She added as she replaced her shoe.

"Some greeting." He huffed and watched her balance against the wall of the building beside them.

"I can say the same for you. I thought you were some pervert following me home."

"You mean that guy you left back at the bar?" He smirked at her in his drunken way. Her face flushed realizing he had likely been watching her whole date gone wrong.

"So you're spying on me now?" She scoffed at him as he rose up. "Don't you have anything else better to do?"

"I do." His grin widened as they started to walk together.

"Got another job in the area?" Cana mocked.

"No, but I do have some unfinished business." His eyes met hers directly, their depths pouring into her. Feeling brave by cause of alcohol, she snorted and quirked her brow saying that he was still just as bad of a liar as the first time.

"For once your talent for prediction is off." He offered his arm to her.

"Oh?" She had a tumbling feeling in her stomach that wasn't alcohol based. With slight hesitation, she took his arm and continued walking down the rest of the block to her home. "And I suppose this unfinished business is with someone in this town specifically?"

"You're smarter than that, Cana." His free hand gently placed itself on top of the one she had in the crook of his elbow.

"What have you come to finish with me, Bacchus?" Her buzz had started to diminish and was tainting her mood and tone further than when she had left the bar.

"To give tell you something I should have weeks ago." He didn't look at her directly this time, but she could still feel his attention on her. They had reached her front door by then and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Bacchus turned to stand in front of her, the features on his face softened. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears as she struggled to keep still. Slowly, he closed the gap between them, setting one of his hands on her shoulder and resting the other hand on her hip. As if second nature she placed her arms comfortably against his chest, letting the heat of his bare torso fuse with hers. His smile was gentle as the hand on her shoulder moved to cup the side of her face. The kiss he placed on her forehead was as sweet as the first time he had kissed her and left her speechless for that moment. Cana fought with herself on how to feel about him, about what he was doing, how much she had waited for this and how badly she hated him for doing this to her now. Didn't I just say that I wasn't going to let this happen? She cursed herself as he pulled his face back to look down at her and speak softly.

"I haven't stopped thinking about you since we went our separate ways at the pier." His lips twitched slightly as he paused a moment, thinking and choosing his words carefully. "I thought it had only been because I was so accustomed to you being around for those months we were away and that after some time, I'd adjust." He leaned in closer now, his thumb brushing along her skin. "But I haven't."

She tried to stifle the way her body began to tremble, uncertain if it was in anger or if she was swooning to his cheap romantic words.

"Well I have." She rebuked.

"So I saw." He quirked his brow at her, his lips still smugly curled upward.

"Then why don't you take the hint, Bacchus." She tried to frown convincingly at him.

"Cana, I'm still uncertain of having a relationship with anyone after what happened in Yi Kai," He confessed as his hand drifted from her cheek to the back of her head while the other still rested on her neck. "But I am certain that I can't stand the idea of another man being by your side and not even trying to-"

"No." She shook her head and cut him off. Her hands pressed to his chest as she pushed back from him slightly. "You don't get to say this. Not now."

"Don't you get it? I'm trying to tell you that I've made up my mind about you."

"Can't you get that I've made up mine about you?" Her frown came more easily now as she stepped back from him.

"You realize I gave up a kingdom for you." He returned her scowl.

"Then you lost a kingdom for nothing." She hissed.

His eyes did not reflect any sort of reaction, but the way his temples flexed and his mouth tightened, she knew he had not been expecting her response. It made her furious.

"Did you think that you could just come back after two months, two months of silence, whisper tales of romance gently into my ear on my doorstep, feed me this gushy story of how much you missed me and of how you can't stop thinking about me but don't want a relationship, and expect me to just fall into your arms?"

He laughed at her then, straight to her face, and pulled her back to him once again. She tried to fight, but only half-heartedly as the angry flush on her face burned in her cheeks. Bacchus cupped the side of her face within his rough hand once again and turned her face to look up at him. As she continued to frown, he gave her his slyest smirk and chuckled under his breath.

"Not at all." Without any of the tenderness he had displayed before, he pulled her face upwards into a hard kiss and held her there until she was breathless. She damned herself for letting him and again for how weak her knees went and for not even putting up a fight. When he drew back, it was hardly by an inch as whispered against her lips. "Because if you didn't put up a fight, you wouldn't be the woman I gave up my kingdom for."

"I hate you." She huffed as she damned herself again and repaid him with a kiss of her own.