Chapter 42

Walking the streets of Magnolia were five dragon slayers, each with their exceed partner in tow. They had just returned from a very successful mission and Natsu was looking forward to telling Archer about this one. He didn't set anything on fire, be it the forest or the town itself. That was mostly due to Wendy and Rogue constantly making sure he didn't destroy anything. It was hard work for them both seeing as Natsu was so reckless. Them actually succeeding was a miracle in its own right. Naturally Natsu was very excited as he walked ahead of the group. He was far too enthusiastic to get to the guild hence his quick paces in order to get there faster. It took him five years, but he managed to do the one thing Archer told him to do. He managed to complete a mission without damaging the village in anyway or burning down a forest. If he were to request an S-class mission with her she could not deny. He grinned brightly at the idea. Finally he had the upper hand. Archer could not say no. He knew she wouldn't say no. She always kept her promises, even the stupid ones.

"S-class mission here we come" Happy was as his name suggested as he flew above the heads of the group. Of course he had been looking forward to the mission as well. A higher ranking mission meant more money amd more money meant more fish. And more fish meant a greater chance at getting Carla's attention. Okay, maybe the last part was invalid. She never accepted any fish from him. She doesn't like it he guessed. She always eats cake and drinks tea. Erza must've influenced her at least a little bit.

Gajeel scoffed at Natsu and Happy's joy. He had never asked to accompany Archer on one of her missions. He saw no need to. The only time he would be attending an S-rank mission is when he achieved that status himself. Nothing else would be acceptable. He was determined to finally earn that title in the next upcoming tests. He was sure to be recommended again. And though his first and second try were a bust, due to his very terrible luck, his third try would have to bȧrė success. He was still angry over the last two tests. It was very unfair to add Archer as an opponent in his way. Actually it was his own fault anyway. The only way she was to become his opponent was if he challenged her and like an idiot he did. Archer knew exactly what buŧŧons to push. He needed to learn to be more calm and level headed. If he always let her get to him he was never passing that test.

"I wonder what happened while we were gone" Lily mused as he landed on Gajeel's shoulder. The exceed wore nothing but tiny pants on this day, having rid himself of the shirt he wore. He found he was far more comfortable without it. He might make it a habit.

"Someone could've died for all I know"

Wendy glanced at Lector at those words. He said it with a shrug and a fair amount of nonchalace. Her first instinct was to scold him,but then she realized that he had a point. The way the guild was set up she wouldn't be surprised either. The fights they get into were terrifying, especially when Archer decides to join out of pure amusement. So Wendy said nothing to Lector's rather crass statement.

"This year for sure" Sting mumbled to himself with a fire in his eyes. The upcoming test would be his first if he was nominated. Last year he was disappointed at having been left out. He was excited since he turned ten for that was the required age. From then on you can qualify for the tests and he was sure he would be noticed. Alas he wasn't, but Rogue was. The shadow dragon slayer had almost done it. He had almost gained the title of s-class mage. He was so very close. "We'll both do our very best Rouge"

"Sure" he wasn't as enthusiastic as the others. S-class or not, it made no difference to him. A mission is a mission and the money earned is still worth much. That was all that mattered to him. He had enough money to support himself, finally not needing Archer's help. He didn't want to be too reliant on her. She already gave them a place to stay and everything else they wanted. Their monthly allowance was actually more than what they had earned on their mission. She always took such good care of them. Rogue appreciated that and would like to thank her by learning to look after himself. So he started with going on his own missions and earning his own money. He never really spent that money though, most of it went into savings.

"Frosch thinks Rogue will do his best"

"I will" Rogue reassured as he petted her head with a small smile. Precious little thing she was. Rogue was still not sure when she started speaking in third person or if he should do something about it. It was cute, that he would admit, but should he help her speak in first person or not?

Finally the group of five arrived at the guild. It was as loud as expected, but not of a brawl. That was rare and also made much sense for it was Natsu and Gray who often times started these fights. Were it not those two it would have to be Sting and Gajeel. Somehow those two would end up in the middle of certain free for alls in the guild. In Sting's case he would've most likely challenged someone and proceed to beat the hell out of them. As for Gajeel someone simply needed to piss him off and that's all it would take.

"We're back!" Natsu shouted as he kicked the door down.

"No one cares!" Came Gray's shout in reply as he stood shirtless over some helpless guildmate.

"Yes, giving me attention is not caring at all" the sarcasm in his voice was heavy. It wasn't something many would expect from Natsu, howbeit he did spend a good amount of time around Archer which extends to Mira and Cana as the two were her friends.

"We just got back" Evident disappointment could be heard in Wendy's voice as she watched Natsu approach Gray with a flaming fist. Sting was also no longer at her side, having already found someone to pound his fist into. Lector was close by to cheer him on.

Rogue watched silently before sighing and carefully maneuvering through the mess of a guild with Frosch securely in his arms. Things never change in this guild.

Gajeel had rolled his eyes before following Lily to wherever it was Levy had placed herself this time. She was buried in a book, bȧrėly aware of the chaos happening around her. Hovering nearby were Jet and Droy. They had joined the guild a year or two ago and had instantly attached themselves to the script mage. With Gajeel being around her often they were of course intimidated and tended to stay a good distance away. As they were currently. When they saw him approach they scrambled like a pair of ċȯċkroaches.

"You're scaring them again"

"And you could've stuck around to keep me company"

"I apologize" the words were purred as Lily leaned into the attention he was getting. Levy treated him lavishly, unlike a certain grumpy dragon. Next time he would remain at the Guild with Levy or accompany her on a mission.

"Traitor" Gajeel said almost inaudibly.

"They just got back" Cana ġrȯȧnėd as she quickly packed her cards. The guild had already been throwing things and eachother around it would only get worse with those idiots returning. They could've stayed away a bit longer. Would that have been so bad? Cana was seriously debating leaving the guild for a few hours. She could either hide out at Archer's house, for she was always welcome. Her second option would have to be her apartment and her third somewhere else, obviously.

"Running off?"

Cana instinctively moved to make room for Mira when she approached. When she noticed she stopped what she was doing to appreciate just how dumb she was. Glancing at Mira she met a sweet smile, one she never trusted. She looked back to her cards, returning to packing them away.

"What of it?"

"I know a place"

Cana looked at her again. And why exactly was she telling her this? What would Mira be getting out of it. She would want to accompany her for one. That Cana was sure of.

"The catch?"

"No catch"

"Don't lie to me,demon" Cana placed her cards back in their box and proceeded to pocket it.

"A date"

Cana sniffed at the word, boldly meeting Mira's eye.

"Try again"

"I am" Mira pointed out. "You told me five years and I did ask you out last year. Of course you had to be stubborn and say no so here I am asking you again. Go out with me"

"You're telling me" Cana corrected and said nothing further for a moment. Yes she had told her to come back in five years. Yes she knew she would do it. Yes she was not surprised when she did. Yes, she did feel kind of bad about turning her down the last time. Mira wasnt a bad person, especially not to her. And she would be an idiot as dense as the pink dragon slayer if she said she didn't actually have some type of feelings for the take over mage.

Did she pursue them? No of course not.

Why? Because it seemed like a lot of work and worrying and guessing and emotional rollercoasters and everything Cana did not want to waste energy on.

"Sure"

Again she had to take a moment to appreciate the level of stupidity she had achieved. It was truly amazing.

Even Mira seemed surprise at the answer as she stared at her wide eyed for the complete of five seconds.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah"

"You're not joking are you?"

"No"

Silence followed as the two simply stared at each other.

"Okay" Mira finally spoke, slowly smiling. Cana had finally said yes and it took all Mira had to contain the overwhelming joy she was suddenly experiencing. How she had managed to remain calm was beyond her, but it was relieving. "A date it is. Wait here"

Before Cana could say anything Mira was gone. She watched her walk out of the guild with a dumbfounded expression playing on her face.

"Never thought I'd see the day" Lisanna giggled next to her, snapping Cana out of her own thoughts. She turned to the younger sister, curious as to when she had moved to her side. "You actually said yes"

"I did" Cana nodded as if she had to confirm it herself. "And she's very happy"

"Wanna know a secret?" the twelve year old held a secretive smile as she smoothly moved closer to Cana, who seemed immediately interested. "She was super nervous to ask you out because you're a dumbass and she's an even dumber dumbass"

Cana leaned away from the youngest sibling. She was stuck between taking offence and being genuinely impressed with the kid.

"And you wanna know something else?" She beamed with a childish glee. "I may have "accidentally" started a fight in the guild and I may or may not have instigated a fight between Natsu and Gray"

"You knew I would want to leave didn't you?" Lisanna could be very devious it seems. Not too surprising seeing as her sister was a demon literally and figuratively. She'd have to rub off on her one way or another. "You sly kitten" Cana could only smile in respect and pat her head affectionately. She can't even be mad at her.

"Enjoy your date"

~~~~~~

Cana was a simple person. She said so herself and it was easy enough to see the truth in her words. Mira knew her better than anyone, at least she'd like to think so. Cana would not enjoy some grand romantic gesture. Asking her out on valentines day would be overly romantic hence Mira avoided that. Taking her out to a fancy restaurant or any restaurant in general would offend her. Taking her out to a bar, however would be greatly appreciated. But Mira was not trying to get her drunk so that was crossed out. Mira had years to think of the perfect date for Cana. There was no such thing, she realized. There could never be a perfect date. Her date would just have to consist of elements Cana would appreciate.

What would Cana like?

Mira would like to think she answered it correctly.

"You're staring"

The statement was accompanied by two fingers between her brow, pushing her away slowly. Mira giggled as she let Cana put a distance between the two of them. Once she was satisfied with their lack of closeness she returned to eating the sandwich she had so rudely plucked out of Mira's hands. Her eyes were intently focused on the horizen dipping off the cliffside they found themselves on. Mira had led Cana out of the city and into the forest only to come out to a lush clearing with plenty of trees to shelter them from both the sun and the rain. The cliff was just an addition. Cana had made multiple jokes about pushing Natsu and Gray off the edge for entertainment.

"It's quiet" Cana observed with a blissful smile. It was quiet, secluded and far enough from the guild that none of the idiots could accidentally stumble upon them and ruin the calm she was enjoying. "I'm surprised"

"Well I know you don't like anything over the top and you don't need much. You like to be alone in quiet places where you can just relax and entertain yourself with your cards. You also like the outdoors, that I noticed. Plus you like sandwiches and your favorite drink is lemonade, next to booze of course" she had years to pick up on the simple things about Cana. She was a simple person so much wasn't needed to satisfy her, something she had said herself many a times. She would not like anything she considered needlessly romantic nor would she like anything that involved spending money for no reason. Hence Mira didn't even try to bring up this occasion just the day before knowing Cana would absolutely decline on valentines day. It was also why she crossed out anything to do with the town or guild knowing Cana would enjoy a quiet place instead. That was what led her to where they currently found themselves. she had accidentally stumbled upon it some months ago and thought it was perfect for the brunette.

"I heard you were too scared to ask me out, demon" the sudden words almost cost Mira her life for she came very close to inhaling a piece of her sandwich. She blinked multiple times as she looked at Cana, who wore a smug smile.

"Lisanna" she hissed silently. Her younger sister was dead the next time she saw her.

"I had you shaking in your little boots, huh?"

"No!" Her cheeks puffed as she angrily ate her food, swearing to get back at her little sister. "I wasn't scared. I was nervous. It's different"

A soft hum was her only reply as Cana finished her grilled cheese. She glanced at the take over mage in interest, a tad bit curious. She wouldn't expect Mira to be nervous when it came to such thing. She didn't seem like the type,so to learn that she had her anxious was interesting.

"But I didn't let that stop me" she mumbled through small bites of her ham sandwich. "And that's brave don't you think?"

"I guess it is" Cana agreed. She had pulled her knees up to her chin and had her eyes on Mira, silently watching her in wonder. "You really like me, don't you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Mira looked at her with furrowed brows. Was she blind? Why did she say it as if she only now realized it?

"A valid one" she bit the inside of her cheek gently as she met her eyes. "I didn't think you actually did. You're kinda tricky to read sometimes"

"I'm tricky to read?" the gasp of disbelief was almost comedic. "Have you met yourself?"

"Relationships aren't something I'm as enthusiastic about as you" Cana admitted with a shrug. She never looked forward to such things really. Relationships never last for long and someone would end up broken and forgotten. Her mother was proof enough. Hell she was living proof of that. "And admitting my feelings isn't my strong suit"

"Buuut?"

Cana resisted the urge to move closer to the eldest Straus when she leaned towards her in interest. Her sandwich had been completely forgotten at this point.

"But" Cana rolled her eyes, even as she smiled happily. "I'll admit that I like a certain dumbass"

"I am not a dumbass" the offense on her face was enough for the both of them, which had Cana holding back a laugh

"Lisanna sure seems to think otherwise"

"What?" That kid was dead. "What did she say about me?"

"She said you're even more of a dumbass than I am"

The audacity of that little minx.

"Sweet little Lisanna" the amusement was clear in her voice as she thought of the younger sister. She shifted slightly as she reached into her pocket to retrieve her deck of cards. She had multiple, all varying greatly. Her current deck was one used for silly little games she liked to play to entertain herself. After a quick shuffle she placed three cards face down on the blanket they were seated on. Her deck consisted of three types of cards. Some bad luck. Some were good luck and some were neutral. The chances of there being one of each were very low. The chances of there being one of good luck even lower. It made the game interesting.

"Pick a card" she spoke quietly as her eyes remained on the cards. If Mira got bad luck she would flick her on the forehead. If she received nuetral, she won't do anything at all. If she got good luck, she'll reward her by doing anything she requested.

"No rules?"

"None needed"

"How do I win?"

"You don't need to know that" she waved her hand in dismissal. "Pick a card"

Mira was thoughtful as her hand hovered above the three white cards. She didn't know what they were playing or what would count as a loss or a win. Cana had always explained her rules so this was rather unexpected. This lack of knowledge had Mira taking far longer than she usually did to pick a card.

When she finally did she held it up to Cana, not even looking at it herself.

"Four leaf clover" the card was plucked out of her hand. "Good luck"

"I won?"

Cana shrugged in reply. There was no winning or losing in the game. Just luck.

"You got good luck. As a reward I'll do whatever you say"

"Okay, that I do not believe" Mira was very skeptical. "There are many things I can ask you to do that you wouldn't even bother thinking about"

She had a point, but Cana was not admitting that.

"Name one"

"You wouldn't kiss me" Mira said almost immediately.

Silence.

Cana chewed on her bottom lip in thought as Mira smirked in victory. Mira knew she wouldn't do it And Cana knew she knew. Cana never liked when Mira was right. She always had to prove her wrong. It was very childish but she couldn't help herself. If they weren't arguing over something stupid, gossiping about their guild mates or plotting some dumbass plan then they were constantly trying to prove each other wrong.

And this was no different. Mira said she wouldn't do it. She knew her well enough and she was right. Normally Cana wouldn't do it.

But she had to challenge her.

Mira blinked in surprise as she was suddenly trapped between the tree and a determined Cana. The distance between them was almost none existent as Cana slowly straddled her. Surprise couldn't even begin to touch upon what Mira was feeling. Cana never got this close. She would always push her away when she was within thrity centimeters of her. So for her to suddenly reduce their distance to bȧrėly two inches was astonishing.

Cana remained where she was, silently watching color coat Mira's cheeks with their proximity. It had her resisting a ċȯċky smirk at her achievement.

Slowly she trailed a single slender finger down a pink cheek to her chin, tilting her head back until she was looking into her eyes. She had no idea where the sudden confidence came from, but would not complain. She allowed herself a small chuckle to steady any nerves she had before she closed the distance completely, closing her eyes at the last minute.

Her lips were soft, tasting of the sandwich she had just eaten. And yet Cana found them to be the sweetest thing. The kiss was nothing more than the soft touch of lips. Having never kissed someone before Cana was curious as to what it would feel like. She didn't expect the sudden warmth that filled her ċhėst and engulfed her entire body. Nor did she expect her heart to be hammering out of her ċhėst. She didn't expect to feel drunk off the taste of her. She went and forgot how to breathe as the terrible urge to deepen the kiss arose making her pull away.

It did her little good for Mira followed her retreat until their lips met again. The take over mage pulled her fully into her ŀȧp as she deepened the kiss enough to receive an audible response from the brunette. As her arms came around her waist and she gently held her bottom lip beteeen her teeth, fully enjoying the taste of her, Cana pulled away.

Her cheeks were tinted pink as she panted hotly. She had her hands on Mira's shoulder to make sure she remained where she was and did not tempt her into another breathtaking kiss. She had to stop when she felt those arms around her waist. That wasn't allowed. She wasn't allowed to hold her like that. She wasn't allowed to have her sitting in her ŀȧp like this.

The brush of a single finger on her bȧrė hip almost made her jump as a sudden rush of feelings overcame her.

"Dont do that" Cana tried to scramble out of Mira's hold but she wasn't letting go. "Mira, let go"

"I don't want to" Mira protested as she held her securely. She was confused as to why Cana was fleeing. "What's wrong?"

"You!" Cana huffed angrily as she gripped her wrists tightly. "You can't hold me like this"

"Why not?" Mira was genuinely baffled at the moment.

"I don't know, just let go" cana couldn't come up with an explanation. All she knew was that Mira holding her had her feeling things she had never felt before and that was very unexpected.

"Fine" Mira let go of her and held her hands up in a harmless fashion.

Cana stayed exactly where she was, seated in her ŀȧp. She released a sigh of frustration as she was immediately missing her touch. With a groan she ordered the very confused Mira to hold her again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You, goddamn it!"