Gaining Courage: The Search for the Lost Keys (a Fairytail Galu story)

Chapter Forty-Four: Staying In The Present

Later the next day at the Lucy Welcome Home party I was resting safely on the second floor away from the noise and chaos of several allied guilds visiting all at once. As I sat there nursing my drink, Laxus came over from the guild masters table and slid into the chair across from me.

"So about those up-coming S-Class trials, thinking of entering?"

I did a fair imitation of him when I raised my eyebrow and scoffed. I was only just back I hadn't even thought about my next job let alone the promotional trials. The last S-Class quest I did hadn't gone smoothly after all.

"I've started thinking ahead see. The way the wind's blowing, with everyone settling down it's only a matter of time before the Demon gets her wish and the guild is chock full of babies. There's Guildarts taking fewer missions so he can stalk Cana and keep an eye on her fuck-buddy status with Bacchus. I'm stuck at the guild hall being Master and shit and Mira won't leave even with Lisanna back and messing around with Bicks. The S-Class missions aren't getting done. The only two active S-Class wizards we have are Titania and ex-wizard saint Jellal who got his blue ass automatically promoted (didn't even need the paperwork, loved that shit) and half the time she drags him away so they can go on missions together."

Letting out a short sigh of frustration, Laxus drank his beer and gazed around the guild hall. Frowning at the different mages embroiled in the huge fight downstairs, he gestured over with his cup.

"I've got to promote at least three of these dimwits if we ever want to get back to top class. Sure everyone knows who we are but without any cash from the S-Class coming in every time these numbskulls break this joint it gets harder to fix."

I looked out at all of the wizards gathered and could tell just by looking that the promotions themselves shouldn't be a problem as Fairy Tail was made up of powerhouses. The old gang held numerous wizards who in any other guild would already be S-Class 'cough-END-Natsu-cough-DEMON-Gray-cough'. Even some of the new people that had joined after the War were a shoe-in as they had been some of our toughest enemies, Cobra and Brandish need I say more.

"My problem is I don't want to go back to the island and all that bad karma. Sure we'd kick ass but it's not worth the bloody crying."

I sat there and thought for a couple of minutes. I had to agree with him that it probably wouldn't be best to go back to Tenrou at least for this next promotion; the members who would be entering were some of the worst hit by their encounters with the Grimoire Heart guild.

"You're probably right Laxus going back wouldn't work. There are several places I can recommend that I found on my travels looking for the Staff and Aquarius. I can think of three out of the way spots off the top of my head that would work for a trial. In fact why don't we see what Crux and Triangulum can come up with about some safe locations. With Crux's research and Triangulum able to get real time data I'm sure we could have a few likely candidates in no time."

Before I can tell him more I was suddenly glombed on by Juvia crying about getting married. Laxus nods and gets up as he walks away he calls back that they'll talk later and leaves her to a very wet conversation. In-between the tears I'm able to decipher that Gray had finally proposed but wanted to wait till his 'sister' was back before getting married.

"Now that Love-Rival can stand with her Gray-sama and since Gajeel-kun is back he can give Juvia away."

At the mention of Gajeel I started and before I can decide how I felt I heard his voice come from behind me.

"Tisk, it's about time that damn Stripper made an honest woman of ya. You've shacked up enough, I surprised there ain't little icicle rugrats running around yet.

With a cry of 'Gajeel-kun', Juvia jumped off me and hugged him instead. I could hear a few quiet comments about Gray treating Juvia right and then I watched as Juvia ran off to comfort her Gray-sama who had been knocked out of the fighting pile and was leaning against the far side wall. While I was watching Juvia run down stairs I felt more than saw Gajeel sit down beside me.

Even after he was seated I couldn't look at him as I didn't know what to say. It feels like my heart was going a mile a minute and I was close to hyperventilating. I was about to say anything to break the rising tension when Gajeel's hand slid across the table into my line of vision; when it moved away their lay a brand new keyring on the table with several silver keys on it.

"Your overgrown pussycat dropped that off with me, told me that the other back stabbing wizard abandoned the keys at the lake and the spirits want you instead. I noticed your old ring was getting kind of full so made you the new one. Had a friend of mine who deals in enchantments give it a going over, only one able to take all your new friends off will be you once you put some power into it."

I took a closer look at the ring and was surprised I will have four more spirits in my family: Orion the hunter, Lacerta the lizard, Fornax the furnace, and Equuleus the little horse. I said a soft 'thank you' as I reached out and embraced the ring. I knew I would have to leave the spirit contracts for later as Wendy had told me no magic for the next few days.

As I held them it occurred to me that the only way he could know about the wizard and the lake was if he was the one that rescued me. I had vaguely known that it was him, the feeling I'd gotten before passing out had felt like him but with everything with my old team I had been pushing all of my other emotional problems away. I tried to think of what to say, after everything they meant to each other and what with the hotel room and at the ruins how can they go back to being just friends. Do I even want to be just friends, when my heart is constantly aching for Gajeel.

Gajeel is in the same predicament, though he knows that they have to talk about what they feel for each other as when she was injured and he couldn't do anything he realised he didn't want to lose her not again, he couldn't go through the pain of losing someone he loved again.

After looking round the guild and seeing that they have an overabundance of dragon slayers capable of overhearing a conversation due to half the guilds in Fiore coming down for Lucy's homecoming, we decided to take their conversation outside. It didn't take us long to leave out the back door and make our way over to one of the unoccupied training arenas. Making sure not to be spotted going, we settled down on the grass to finally have a real conversation about our feelings and what they are going to do now.

It took over an hour to go over all of our feelings and emotions. We talked about the last few years and how each new day spent together had brought about a change. They talked about the kisses and their shame at what was changing in them. They each admit that they like each other as more than friends and have for a while. Their talk about Levy has them both admitting that they both feel Levy wouldn't mind. She loved them both and they couldn't see her being upset that they had found themselves falling for each other; she didn't have it in her. Sighing they reached over and held hands as their emotions settled down.

"Bunny, will you go on a date with me?"

Smiling, I nodded and squeezed his hand as he pulled me up to stand. Giving me time to object he pulled me closer and gave me a gently kiss before leaning back enough so our foreheads still touched. I knew we would be taking things slowly and just have to see where things would lead but that was o.k. I had my family back and while it wasn't how it was before, somethings were o.k. being different. As we set out for a stroll through Magnolia I couldn't help smile at how things had worked out, not back but forwards.