Mating Season, A Sequel

Chapter One

A/N: this is totally ahead of schedule, but I'm giving the first chapter out now! The next one will be out in about 3-7 days (for real this time!). See you next time, peeps!

Tomorrow was the day. The day of the yearly Grand Magic Games. She took a deep breath-and suddenly an deep thirst for water struck her. Her eyes widened slightly and she leaped into action, pilfering the whole apartment for any liquids she had on hand. She found none. None! Had she been insane?! She didn't have time to think about whether she had been clinically insane earlier. She was too busy sprinting down the stairs to find any sort of liquid substance that could quench her thirst. She skidded into the guild hall with uncharacteristic haste. "Hey!" The Master called towards her in greeting and she only held up a hand in a sort of half wave in response. She practically threw herself onto the barstool, looking for whoever was manning that position today. "Slow down!" A familiar voice called towards her. She looked up and her eyes met brown ones. "Sorry!" She chirped out, blushing just slightly. "What's got my favorite celestial wizard in such a rush?" The girl asked, leaning over the bar just slightly and  looking into her eyes. "Well... I need some water..." The blacked-haired Mage straightened up and nodded, turning around to grab a bottle. She'd been working the bar almost everyday as punishment for last year and what happened... leaving their guild for a dark one was a serious offense, after all. "Here you go, Yukino," Minerva said as she set down a small cup of water in front of the white-haired Mage. Yukino looked at it, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically indignant. She downed the water with one gulp and saw a bit of surprise in Minerva's eyes before she turned around. "I think I might need to get you another bottle..." she glanced back. "Or five." Yukino nodded at the wise words.

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She suddenly felt oddly hungry. She had always prided herself in the whole 'mind over matter'... but dang it she was hungry! Way hungrier than she should have been! She buckled her sword into its holder on her belt and tried to be uninterested as she descended the stairs to the guild hall... but, if she happened to have walked slightly faster than normal, that could have been chalked up to the fact that she thought her stomach might start making very betraying grumbles if she didn't hurry herself up. She sat down at the classic bar that could be found in any guild hall. She ordered an admittedly large, if not gigantic, breakfast. A familiar form plopped down unceremoniously into the seat beside her. "Hi!" She cried happily, legs kicking and tail wagging like an excited animal. She glanced over at her. "Wow! That's a lot of food there, Kagy!" Millianna cried. The feline-like woman had taken to calling Kagura by the nickname of 'Kagy'. That fact was one that would have made Kagura attack most people... but she had a slight soft spot for excitable girl that she couldn't really seem to explain. It was the most infuriating thing, really. It was weird to treat someone special but not know why. She suspected it was because she saw her as someone to protect. Don't get her wrong, Millianna was incredibly strong and was training day and night for the Grand Magic Games... but... Kagura couldn't help but get the feeling that there was something special, something innocent inside of Millianna that had to be preserved. That was why she did not allow any within their guild to make fun of the other girl. Of course that was why. Kagura suddenly found herself smiling just slightly. Today she was going to see Erza again. It had been quite a while since they had seen each other in person, but both Millianna and Kagura had been keeping tabs with her by means of Lacromas... Erza even said she had a small surprise for them and Kagura was, embarrassed to say that she was, excited about hearing the news. She wondered what it could be and had spent long stretches of time silently theorizing about it. She had heard Millianna going on and on about it at different times, saying that perhaps Erza had found herself a boyfriend. To quote Millianna, "Maybe she finally realized she liked that Natsu guy! Or maybe it was Gray! She talks about them a lot!" and in response to those words, Kagura had pointed out that every time she had spoken about them she had been complaining about their childishness. "Sometimes someone needs to be with someone childish! You can't be all grown up all the time!" Kagura had to admit that she had replayed those words in her head many times since the girl had said them. It had seemed as if Millianna had been pointedly staring at her when she had said them and it had left Kagura feeling odd. It was as if she was trying to tell her something, but Kagura hadn't figured it out. Millianna suddenly reached over and grabbed onto a bit of her pancake, making Kagura's eyes widen as she reached for it. There was a quick battle in which Millianna and Kagura each grabbed their knives and had a mini sword battle right there and then. Millianna finally popped the small bite into her mouth. "I won!" She sprang from her seat and did an odd, and admittedly adorable, dance that Kagura had never seen anyone do before. "I beat you!" She exclaimed, continuing to do that odd dance. Kagura watched and suddenly found herself realizing just how pretty Millianna was. It was an odd thought, but she found herself watching as she continued the odd show. When she finally stopped, she looked at Kagura with a smirk. "I BEAT YOU! That was the best pancake I've ever had!" She sad, looking smug. Maybe I was just a little distracted... Kagura suddenly blushed just a bit at the thoughts. Now where had that come from?! What did it that mean?! Kagura didn't know if she wanted to know.