Kaede's village was becoming a safe haven for the wizards as they were starting to regroup. It now held everyone but Lucy and Yukino. Erza, Juvia, and Sango were injured, and Natsu, Sting, and Rogue were freaking out about Lucy and Yukino.
"Where is she?!" Natsu mumbled as he ran is fingers through his hair in frustration.
"Where's Yukino?! They're the only ones still out there somewhere." Sting paced back and forth as Natsu hit the wall.
"I have a bad feeling about it." Rogue seemed to not be able to sit still as he fidgeted around.
"We'll go look for them tomorrow after everyone is rested and hopefully healed." Kagome said as she watched Wendy work her magic on Sango in awe. The three injured mages lay on futons with wet rags on their foreheads as a feverish sweat lined their bodies, and Jellal sat next to Erza with a worry stricken face. Mira and Laxus sat off in the distance, but Mira was reveling in a newfound excitement, and it had peaked Laxus's curiosity.
"Why are you so bubbly at a time like this?" He asked as he peeked at her through one eye. He was sitting in his usual stiff manor with crossed arms, and she smiled.
"All my OTP's are finally coming to life!" She whispered with fervor as she watched Levy and Gajeel holding a flirtatious conversation.
"OPT's?" He turned to her.
"One true pairings." She said like it was obvious.
"You're kinda scary sometimes." He said, and she smirked.
"You can't say that you've never thought about it before." She teased. "I mean, it's so obvious sometimes." She kicked her feet back and forth, and he closed his eyes as a smile spread across his face.
"See?" She laughed. "What's the one you came up with?" She asked with interest. "Let's see if you're any good." She challenged.
"I don't know. Mines not as interesting." He smirked, and she punched him in the arm.
"Tell me!" She complained, and he sighed as he tried to annoy her.
"Ugh, Laxus!" She whined, and he grabbed her shoulders, taking her by surprise.
"L-laxus?" Her eyes became as big as saucers.
"I call it Miraxus, but you may be better at naming it." He smirked, and realization spread across her face.
"You sly thing! You were waiting for th-" He cut her off by planting a soft kiss on her lips, and she became stiff at the unexpectness. He pulled away as he let go, and she stood stock still in shock.
"I-i," she looked away as her face heated up, "Laxus, what am I gonna do with you?" She sighed as she rested her head on his shoulder, and he smirked in victory.
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"Hmm, what do you think Mira and Laxus are up to?" Cana playfully asked to herself, but she wasn't alone.
"Memorized." A smooth voice said, and Cana looked over to see Rufus watching Mira and Laxus. She laughed.
"Hey, Rufus." *hiccup* She lifted a jug of something to her lips.
"What are you drinking now?" He asked casually as he sat down.
"This thing that scary monk gave me." She said carelessly, and Rufus sighed.
"You would drink anything." He shook his head.
"Oh, yea!" A man in purple robes walked over to them. "She asked if we had any boos. I didn't know what that was, so I gave her some sake." He said.
"Sake?" Rufus asked, and Cana giggled.
"Tastes great." She praised as she looked at the bottle.
"It's an alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice." He explained, and Rufus closed his eyes.
"Memorized." He whispered, and the monk looked confused.
"Anyway," the monk took Cana's hand, "will you do me the honor of bearing my children?" He smiled, and Cana snatched her hand away as she clumsily hit him upside the head with the sake bottle. Rufus bursted into laughter, and the monk stood up with his usual, friendly smile.
"I'll take that as a no, but it was worth a try." He laughed. "I'm surprised you're not the one hitting me." He looked at Rufus who raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I?" He asked. "It wasn't me you were asking, thank god." He said, and Cana giggled.
"You two aren't a couple? Sango said you were." He said casually, and Rufus's eyes widened. Cana became angry as her face flushed, and she huffed in annoyance.
"We-we're not a-erm-couple." Rufus choked as Cana stumbled around.
"Well," the monk became amused, "it seems that way." He teased as he turned and walked away, and Rufus and Cana felt awkward.
"Wait! Monk, get me mor-" cana began, but Rufus covered her mouth. She brushed him off and glared at him.
"What was that for?! I just want more boos!" She yelled in frustration, her cheeks pink.
"You've had enough. I won't let you have anymore. You shouldn't drink like that anyway. I'm astonished you drank as much as you did without puking your guts up." He panted, and she walked up to him.
"You're not my mum, and you can't stop me." She pointed a threatening finger at him as she stumbled for equilibrium.
"You can't even stand up straight! Sit." He took her shoulder and made her sit. She crossed her arms and pouted like a child.
"See? Wasn't hard." He said as he sat next to her, and she looked at him.
"I hate you." She said childishly as she rested her head on his shoulder, and he stiffened.
"Doesn't seem that way." He whispered as he hesitantly put his arm around her.
"Memorized." He sighed as he looked up at the stars, and Cana's breathing calmed.
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"Thank you, Wendy." Jellal said as the little dragonslayer moved onto Juvia who seemed to be waking up on her own. Sango had woken up and was already recovered from her head injury.
"Anytime." Wendy smiled as her hands glowed over a fully awake Juvia.
"Do you think Erza will ever recover? She's been like this since the incident." He said, and Wendy shook her head.
"I don't know. All I can do is help with my magic. She seems to be suffering from some sort of illness. It has to have something to do with the black holes. If we figured that out, maybe it will help." She said, and Jellal nodded.
"I'm going to go see if any of the people that associate with the demon knows anything." He slowly stood up, but something stopped him.
"J-jellal." Erza weakly raised her arm, and Jellal quickly sat down as he took her hand.
"Erza?! How are you feeling?" He asked, and she grunted.
"S-sword. H-his s-sword." She said hoarsely, and Jellal furrowed his brows.
"Sword? Erza, what are you trying to say?" He asked, and Wendy and Juvia got up to leave.
"T-the h-holes," Natsu, Sting, and Rogue walked up, "c-come f-from s-s-swor-" She lost consciousness once more as her arm became limp, and Jellal cursed under his breath. Natsu seemed to be contemplating her words, and Sting and Rogue looked at each other as if they were thinking the same thing.
"Inuyasha." All three said in unison, and now they were out for answers.
