Fairy Tail - Eyes of Ice

Chapter 6 - Tower of Heaven Pt. 1

Strong waves lapped up on the shores of Akane Beach while the sun pelted down on Kai's pale complexion. Lucy openly welcomed the sun as she attempted to get her tan on, and somewhere off in the distance, Natsu and Happy grilled away at all the fish Happy had caught earlier. Gray stood in the shade. Iggy was busily mingling.

Kai adjusted his sunglasses and wiped away a few beads of sweat from his forehead. Loke—or, Leo the Celestial Spirit, as he'd found out after Lucy returned from a recent job—had offered her a little vacation at the Akane Resort, and Lucy brought along Team Natsu and Kai to unwind as a result of the Phantom Lord attack and the stresses it brought them. Kai did find it relaxing, though, it was difficult not to address the elephant in the room: Erza.

And how he most definitely admitted he loved her right after breaking her trust.

His magic had fully returned and he no longer ached if he needed to use it. Some snowflakes absentmindedly drifted off his body. His hand scraped the necklace he wore that had his sword there, shrunken down to that of a little pendant with a shrinking magic he bought a long time ago to keep it hidden.

Just like how Erza felt safe in her armor, Kai always felt safe with the sword on him. It meant he was always ready to fight in case someone sealed his magic...and it was something Erza had given him. It was something that kept her close.

"I can't tell if you're sleepy or angry," Lucy said, lowering the magazine she had almost pressed to her nose.

"Me neither," Kai said.

"Still upset about Erza?"

"How'd you know about that?" Kai asked. Cherries bloomed in his cheeks.

"Oh, come on, Kai. I'd have to be about as much of a dolt as Natsu not to notice."

"That's basically what Mirajane said."

"Also she told me, and possibly every other girl in the guild."

"Even Cana?"

"She was drunk."

Kai rolled his eyes. "What the heck is that supposed to mean, she's always drunk." Kai tried to wipe the blush out of his face but it didn't work. "Oh, great, I am going to hear it when we get back, aren't I?"

"I don't get why you don't embrace it. I mean sure she's crazy, but, from what I've seen, so are you and everyone else."

"Embrace it when she doesn't even feel the same way? She didn't even come down to the beach with us, Lucy. I don't think she particularly wants to have any quiet moments around me."

"But you love her, Kai. Maybe it was just bad timing, maybe now that we're away from everything that went on with Phantom Lord it'll be better."

Kai shook his head. The call of the ocean rang in his ears. The waves rolled against the sand. The ocean expanded on for miles and miles.

"It's probably still not a good time," Kai muttered.

Lucy gave her that puppy-eyed look she was so good at, but Kai wouldn't budge. His mind drifted with the sea, dragging him into the dark depths of his memory. To the time after Kairi, to the time after wandering Iceberg, to his early days with Erza surrounded by nothing but water, stone, friends, and horror.

Somewhere out there in that ocean stood the Tower of Heaven. Kai reached up and grabbed his necklace. He shut his eyes and tried to shove out the memories but he simply couldn't. Nor could he forget leaving all of their friends behind. Especially Millianna, who so helplessly wanted to chase after them.

Dusk soon came and beckoned them back to the villa they were staying in. They all took turns bathing and getting ready, as Lucy wanted them all to go to the casino at the resort. Kai got ready last out of all of them, lost in his thoughts. He could smell Erza, not by choice as that would be weird, and knowing she was close comforted him and hurt him. He wanted to go to her, to see if she felt the same way near the ocean but couldn't.