Phoenix Fire || Fairy Tail [1]

𝐱𝐱𝐱𝐯. 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 {𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝}

𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙜: 𝙤𝙝 𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙤
❛ ... ❜

◊

Rose took a deep breath of fresh air in as she reached the top of the hill, her gaze lingering on the cluster of homes which made up the village below.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of longing for some reason, but she shook it away.

Adell placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, the clink of his armour reminding Rose of Erza. The phoenix slayer wondered how the rest of her guild was doing, but her thoughts were interrupted by a soft nudge to her side.

Rose sent Adell a look with narrowed eyes, thinking that he was trying to initiate an argument, but her expression shifted when she realised what the knight was gesturing towards.

Kou.

The dark-haired boy was still strangely silent, his gaze on the village. Feeling a bit guilty, though she didn't know why, Rose took a hold of his hand.

"Let's go. The one who issued the request was your grandmother." Rose smiled at him, but the boy didn't return the gesture.

As they made their way down the hill, Rose continued to sneak glances at Kou. She wasn't sure what was wrong. Did she do something wrong? Did he not want to go home? Was he too attached to her?

Rose wasn't the best at dealing with children.

Sighing softly, Rose paused in front of the door of a quaint little cottage with a collection of flowers growing in front of it. She allowed Adell to knock on the wooden door, before they both stepped back. Kou remained in front of them, still a bit gloomy, but he seemed excited to see his family again.

There was a muffled, 'I'm coming!' from behind the door and the sound of shuffling before it swung open slowly.

"Kou!" the elderly woman who was revealed from behind the door flung herself at the boy, her arms wrapping around him as she squeezed with a strength which Rose didn't think was normal. Kou returned the embrace, caught up in the emotional moment.

◊

A few moments into their reunion, Kairi (Kou's grandmother), had invited both Rose and Adell into her home. She was an older woman in her late forties, with silver-streaked black hair and brilliant green eyes. Rose realised that the eyes of both Kou and his grandmother were identical. There were some other similarities, but their eyes were the most obvious.

The duo sat side by side on the couch awkwardly, Rose chewing absent-mindedly on a cookie which Kairi had given her.

Her eyes were focused on the wall opposite them.

On the wall was a polished wooden plaque, with several words emblazoned on it.

'In honour of those who perished during the raids. (X740)'

Rose adjusted her muffler nervously. 'The raids?'

Noticing the phoenix slayer's interest in the plaque, Kairi smiled.

"Curious? This plaque is a memorial of a battle which occurred in a village near here when I was a child. My family were the only survivors, and we moved here." the woman's eyes glimmered as she spoke sadly. 

Rose couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with the story.

"There was a blaze set off by a dark guild which was raiding us. They destroyed everything... but there was a woman who saved us..."

Kairi looked at her with strangely piercing eyes, which seemed intimidating for some reason.

"Come to think of it, you look a lot like her."

Rose squirmed awkwardly, ignoring the curious look which Adell shot her.

"Of course, that's just me!" Kairi waved them off with a short laugh. "It would be impossible for her to still be the same age she was then!"

"Hehe... of course!" Rose rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes closed as she laughed awkwardly. She held back a hiss as Adell jabbed his elbow into her side sharply.

She could tell he was curious- and also angry.

Kairi smiled, not having noticed the exchange between the two, before gesturing for Rose to help herself to the plate of treats in front of them. Rose took her up on her offer, happily biting into a jam-filled pastry.

The phoenix slayer didn't realise she had been entranced by the baked good until she noticed Adell staring at her confusedly. She waved him off, blushing furiously as she wiped a smear of jam away from her face with the sleeve of her shirt.

Her gaze refocused on Kairi, who smiled at her fondly. Kou was sitting beside the kind old woman quietly, watching the phoenix slayer intently.

Rose squirmed in her seat, earning yet another confused head tilt from Adell. She had somehow made her way from the other end of the couch to him, and was sitting so close to him their knees touched. 

"Anyway..." the onyx-eyed knight started, seemingly hesitant. "It's about time that Rose and I set off for the guild. We weren't supposed to take so long on this request..."

Kairi opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Kou.

"Wait!" the emerald-eyed boy protested, his eyes widening frantically. "Y-you can't leave yet!"

Adell frowned, his eyebrow raised sceptically. There seemed to be a strange atmosphere between the two. "Why not?"

"I... um..." the dark-haired boy turned to Rose desperately, as if waiting for her to say something.

Rose looked up from the plate upon noticing the drop in noise, her cheeks stuffed with so many pastries she resembled a chipmunk.

"Wha...?"

Adell rolled his eyes at her childish expression, explaining their predicament to her with a low whisper. 

"Kou wants us to stay with them for a bit longer, but we should be getting back soon." He paused to tap his cheek, signalling that she had managed to get more crumbs on her face.

"Oh...um," the dark-haired phoenix slayer rubbed the crumbs away from her face, and dusted her pants off. "I don't really see a problem with staying a bit longer... if it's okay with you, that is."