A/N: Heya guys. wiErD here and I got another one-shot for NaMi so let's start.
Recommend to listen to this song, Time Bomb - Chris Wallace.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its elements. All belong to its respective owner. Support the official release.
- Tears & Memories –
It was just any ordinary day in Magnolia as people flocked the streets in high spirits. Families gathered together while some opened their stores and shops to start their daily lives in the process.
Of course, mages in Fairy Tail are not exempted in such a day as the usual brawls on familiar people went on like it was normal for them. Most of the others stand out, watching in amusement as the contenders fought with energy.
They seemed to never get tired of it no matter how much time had passed. Anyone might think that they never cared about time at all.
"Shut it, Ironprick!"
"Who you calling Ironprick, you stupid stripper!"
"You wanna go?!"
Out from one of the tables, Gray and Gajeel had their usual arguments and eventually went for a fight as the day progressed. It seemed like the two are the most prominent brawls for this day since Natsu wasn't here to steal the spotlight.
It was then, Elfman and some other members joined in the fray once again and started another huge brawl that broke out once more to add more noise to the guild.
"Here they go again..." A blonde mage sighed depressingly from her seat as she watched the chaos unfold around her.
"I'm sure they'll get over it soon." Another spoke in a timid voice as she sat beside the blonde mage with a sweated look on her face.
"I'm surprised that you didn't even try to keep them down, Erza." The blonde mage looked at the scarlet-haired knight in curiosity who was busy eating her strawberry cake as usual across the table.
"It's alright, Lucy... As long as they don't meddle with my cake, I see no reason to calm them down. Plus, Natsu isn't here to add more trouble so that's fine." Erza reassured as she continued to dig into her cake without much care of her surroundings.
"So Natsu is the biggest problem of them all, huh? It seems like Gray and Gajeel should top it up a notch." Lucy joked.
"Don't encourage them, Lucy... One guild is enough for one troubling mage. Don't add one or two into the fray." Erza advised.
"N-Natsu-san isn't that much troubling. He's just making the guild lively."
"Please don't defend him too much, Wendy. If you get used to it, you'll know just how much he can cause trouble for anyone." Lucy groaned after thinking all of the things she went through during his occasional barging into her apartment for food.
So many jewels are spent and lost on those days. It's a blessing that he stopped visiting her a few months and it gave her a moment of peace and a lot of jewels to save for the rent.
"Well, Wendy is already used to it since she's been here with us for two years. Plus, I think I agree with her regarding Natsu's intentions whenever he tries to make a fuss." A voice called from behind as the girls looked at the source of the voice and recognized Mirajane coming over to them.
"Mira!" They exclaimed in surprise.
"Speaking of him, where is he exactly? I haven't seen him around since morning." The barmaid asked.
"Oh, that. He and Happy went on a trip together to explore places. He said it to us before leaving. They said they'll be back later at night so he will take jobs again tomorrow." Lucy explained.
"I'm quite surprised at first since I never thought of him suggesting of a trip together with anyone. He could've let us tag along." Erza frowned.
"Well, he did ask us but we were too busy the other day so it's our fault for not accepting it," Lucy explained.
"How rude! He invites you guys but not me." Mira cried comically after hearing that.
"Well, you always tend to the bar so he might've thought that you were busy all day."
As soon as Lucy said that, Mirajane pondered at that moment and eventually realized it.
"Now that you think about it, I think I might have..." She mumbled.
"See?"
"I-I kinda feel bad for Natsu-san for not accepting his offer back then." Wendy slightly regretted.
"It's not like we can do about it. Plus, I think he's fine with Happy. Both of them are inseparable, right?" Erza reassured which earned the others to feel relieved in the process.
"Maybe we can do something for him when he gets back." It was then, Mirajane suggested.
"What do you mean?" The three girls looked at her in confusion.
"Well, what I'm saying is that we could hold a surprise party for him when we return. I mean, it's not that big of a deal since we always do that to everyone." She explained.
"Hmmm..." Erza thought about it for a moment.
"That might be a good idea. Can we get everyone to help out as well? I'd like to see what sort of reaction he's going to make when everyone surprises him a party." Lucy smirked.
"I think you got a rather twisted reason for helping out, Lucy-san." Wendy sweatdropped.
"So what do you guys think?" Mirajane asked the three who pondered their heads for a moment until-
"Let's do it," Erza spoke in determination.
"Yeah!" The other two agreed in unison.
"Well first, we should ask the others and help organize a party for him," Mirajane suggested with a bright smile.
"But how? Everyone is literally at each other's throats. It would take a day for one to convince them to help out in the group." Lucy pointed her finger over to the ongoing chaos around them. But Erza simply smirked underneath her breath.
"Leave that to me..." And in just like that, she stood up to quell down the guild with her usual scary expression.
"I'll go out to his house to see if I can see anything that might interest him," Mirajane spoke afterward.
"Wouldn't that be invading someone's privacy?" Lucy reminded.
"Natsu always leaves his house open. I'm just going to visit and have a quick look before heading back to the guild." She reassured.
"Well, okay..." Lucy agreed.
"I-I'll buy some sweets. I don't know what he wants but I think that's a good start for me." Wendy raised her hand for a suggestion.
"I guess I'll stay here and help with the preparation with Erza and the others until he comes back." Lucy proposed.
"Okay, it's settled. We should come back by sunset and prepare ourselves for his return." Mirajane spoke as the two nodded in response before going to their designated objectives.
Mirajane eventually took a long break from the counter and have Kinana on her place for a moment before making her way outside the guild. She passed down on the streets of Magnolia as several people noticed her appearance and waved at her along the way.
She greeted them with the same gentle smile and went on her way to the outskirts of town. It didn't take her a few minutes as she spotted a secluded house in the forest, completely hidden from the eyes of the people.
The road was pretty much overgrown with grass so it's hard to notice a road that leads to the house itself. Mira knew the path all too well despite not visiting for such a long time. It must be at that time when she was still young and often barge in to tease him back then.
Even when he was still sleeping, she would actually break down the door and see him jolt up in fear and eventually will start running around without knowing.
Well, it was all in the past now and she hasn't seen their home since then. This is probably the perfect time for her to visit it again.
Unknowingly, a small giggled escaped her lips after remembering a part of her memory with him.
Eventually, she reached the house who is still as the same as before when she visited it, except for some new things piled on some places to probably add to his collection of mementos from each job he'd taken.
She made her way to the door who was left open before slowly pushing it open and saw the room's untidy condition.
Well, she expected it in the first place since he had a habit of messing around with his things. Despite that, she only smiled.
"My, my... It seems like there's work for me to be done." She simply placed a hand on her cheek and smiled before starting her cleaning work on the house.
She started to pile up garage on one bag and started to clean up some things that are scattered on the floor back to their original places. She started using her magic to wipe off some of the dirt that are seen on unreachable places and fixed all the things altogether.
She also washed some of the unclean dishes piled in the sink and made the room tidy again. As an experienced barmaid, she knew household chores since every brawl inside the guild creates much mess such as the pinkette's room.
For her, it's an easy task no matter how messy it is.
As she was cleaning the floor and finishing some things, her eyes eventually spotted a book located on one of the shelves where his other things are located.
She stopped cleaning for a moment and peered over it.
Her eyes widen in shock as she recognized the book's title in its front cover.
"Memorial Book?! Isn't this one of the rare books?" She exclaimed in surprise before calming herself down and tried to recompose herself in the process.
As soon as she was able to regain her composure, she looked again at the book for a moment before shifting her gaze around her surroundings for any suspicious onlookers and tried to get the book.
The book was quite different from the rest of the book presented on Earthland. The book is magically crafted by some unknown mage from an unknown time and distributed several pieces throughout Fiore.
No one sure knows about the nature of these books but rumors told about its wonders that it can store memories from its user and can recall everything back by just opening it. When a reader opens the book, he goes into a dream-like state and will begin to watch the memories of the user.
It simply lets you delve into one another's memories without having your consciousness disappearing. You might think you're dreaming but at the same time, you're not. It's pretty much strange to understand the work behind the book but most of the scholars simply dismissed it due to its incompetence or use to the Magic World except for the individual so the book's nature is forever made a mystery.
If Natsu had one of these, he might've stored some of his memories in it in order not to forget some of his memories.
How convenient for her since she was also trying to look for anything that might interest him.
'But... wouldn't this be invading someone's privacy?' She thought about the same thing Lucy had told her back then but-
'It's not like it's gonna hurt to take a peek or two. Plus, he's not here so it's fine at least.'
Of course, Mira went for the deceitful route since she often had the habit of knowing everyone's secret and tease them in the future.
Poor Natsu...
Without wasting enough time, she proceeds to open the book. The papers flipped into several sides despite not even touching each one of them and simply revealed a small lacrima screen that consisted of categories.
She looked closely at the titles and saw different types of memories that are stored inside.
'Amazing, the book can even do something like this?' She awed at its craft and simply took her time to sift through the memory title that might interest her.
It took a few moments until her eyes landed on one specific memory title that got her piqued with curiosity.
"Hmm... My Most Unforgettable Memories, huh?" She read its title before clicking it and showed another list of categories.
She sifted through and read the titles inside her mind.
'Hmm... Let's see here, Unforgettable Childhood Memories. This would be a good start.'
She clicked over to the title and revealed several tiny lacrima lights hovering above the pages which got her surprise yet again.
This is really one amazing book. No wonder why it was so rare.
However, as she tried to look at the lights, they seemed to contain no title of whatsoever.
'I guess, I'll just have to watch them all.' With a slight smile, she clicked the first one and began to feel her vision turning a bit hazy in the process as she could feel herself drifting her consciousness in an empty space.
..
..
Flashback from 16 years ago… X778
"Come on, give it back, Mira!" Natsu groaned as he looked at Mirajane with a strained face.
"Nope, if you're a man, you should have no problem getting it from me." The entitled Demon simply answered a teasing smirk towards the dragonslayer as she grabbed his scarf and had a chase from him over town.
Unfortunately, Natsu was still a novice and Mira was already an experienced mage with an S-Class status under her name so it's obvious who's got the upper hand.
Additionally, Mira had quite the twisted personality when it comes to others. It's probably the reason why Erza hates her guts so much.
Nonetheless, Natsu made his decision and tried to give the inch of his strength to get his scarf back.
They were situated in an open forest with several trees seen around them. The chase somewhat ended at the outskirts of town and the two had been going at it for quite some time now. The sun is still up in the course of the noon.
Mirajane jumped on trees while looking back at Natsu who climbs to one tree after another just to catch up to her. However, the gap between their strengths are too long and she could almost feel pity for the struggling dragonslayer.
"Why don't you give up already?"
"I won't!" Natsu declared.
"Why?"
"Because Igneel gave it to me..." He replied.
"Heh... Dragons aren't real." She teased.
"Yes, they are! And I lived with one!" He defended.
"If so, I should be able to see one now right?"
"You're already seeing one."
"What?"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shot out a stream of fire out from his mouth as Mirajane widen her eyes in surprise, causing her to jump away the moment the flames went close to her. She recovered on a nearby tree and simply regained her composure until her eyes picked up the pinkette jumping from behind to catch her.
"I got you!"
"Not a chance." With just a slight move on her body, Mira dodged the incoming pinkette who zoomed past her figure and landed back on the ground face down.
Of course, Mira laughed out to her heart's content after seeing his magnificent fall while Natsu stood up from the ground without caring her mocking laugh.
"I was quite surprised there. You really do have a knack of forcing your way straight without thinking. No wonder you're not an S-Class mage yet."
"What did you say?!" Natsu felt a tick mark growing out from his head as he steamed his fury towards the white-haired girl above him.
She then turned her gaze at the scarf on her hand as she gave it a careful look. Sure, it looks out of fashion but she was curious about how he valued this much. Dragon aside, there must be something that kept him from not sharing this to anyone.
"Hmm..." Mira thought out to do about the scarf until she proceeded to wrap it around her neck to try it out.
"Hey!"
After a moment, she felt a soft warmth around her body as soon as she tried it out. She can't tell but for some reason, she felt cozy just by using his scarf. It does not even snow in this time of the month to wear something like this yet this scarf is unlike any of the cloth she tried to wear.
Well, she was not fond of them until she met the pinkette. Needless to say, it was pretty nice.
It was as if there was some sort of magic wrapped on this one piece of clothing.
Unfortunately, she was left preoccupied with its magical warmth as she didn't notice coming up towards her. She tried to dodge him as he goes for another jump from the tree but it was too late.
Natsu tackled her body thus, knocking her over the branch and they both fell to the soft grass below. A rustle of leaves went after his reckless assault and eventually a loud thud resounded from the silent forest as the two mages fell together.
Mirajane winced lightly from the pain as she closed her eyes due to her knee hitting the ground first before realizing her current situation.
As soon as she opens her eyes, she saw Natsu sitting on top of her with a proud look on his face. His hand which had the scarf that was in her possession earlier is seen by her eyes before staring back to the pinkette in shock.
"Gotcha! I win, this time, Mira!" Natsu declared his victory over her without knowing their current situation.
Mira on the other hand, simply blushed in the process as she found herself in such an embarrassed position.
"A-Alright, just let me off already." She shoved the pinkette away from her and simply sat on the grass with blushing face.
"O-Oi! What's the big deal?!" Natsu retorted.
"I get it, now get out of here before I steal it again from you, idiot!" She shouted in anger while looking away from him.
At first, Natsu thought she was joking but somehow saw through her strained expression that made him frown all of a sudden.
"Hey, Mira..."
"..." The white-haired mage didn't reply as she looked away from him which only made him depressed.
It's not like he wanted her to be mad at her. He didn't even do anything bad yet. He just wanted his scarf back.
As soon as he remembered that, he looked at the scaly scarf at his hand before looking back at the white-haired mage in front of him.
Mira waited for him to walk away and leave her alone but instead, she felt a flash of gray from her eyes and saw Natsu wrapping his scarf all over her neck.
"W-What are you doing? You got your scarf so why won't you go away already?" She looked back at the pinkette with confusion and anger but Natsu simply ignored her words and finished putting it on her.
"There..."
"What are you–"
"If you want it so much, you should've just asked me instead of making me run all over town, you know. Honestly, I don't get you, Mira." Natsu scratched his head in confusion as if he was trying to understand her.
On the other hand, she only stared at the pinkette for a moment as she felt the same warmth creeping up to her once more as she looked at the scarf with a gentle expression.
"So how was it?" Natsu asked.
"It's warm."
"Right? It was made from Igneel's scales so it's a special scarf." He explained.
"So you're really telling the truth?"
"Of course! Why would I lie? No, rather, do you still not believe me after all this time?!" He exclaimed in shock as he looked at her with such expression that only made her chuckle in the process.
"Well, I do believe now." She reassured.
"Oh... Okay... Anyways, I didn't say it was yours so please... don't take it away from me! It's really important to me and it's the only thing I have with Igneel." He bowed in front of her with a plea which surprised her at first but immediately softened in the process.
"Don't worry, I won't take it away from you. I'm just trying it out." She reassured.
"Oh, I see... Well, I guess you can keep it for now. You can give it to me back tomorrow if you want." He offered.
"I-Is it alright?" She asked embarrassingly.
"Yeah."
After that, she smiled in the process as she dug her head closer to the scarf to feel more of its warmth. It was then, she leaned closer to the pinkette sitting beside her and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Mira?"
"It feels much better when it's like this. Can we stay like this for a bit longer?" She mumbled.
"Sure..."
And with that, the two simply rested their head onto each other as Mira felt his warmth for the first time. It was also her first time to feel comforted ever since she was shunned by the others due to her powers.
'Natsu Dragneel, huh?' For some reason, she called his name inside his head before a huge blush went over to her cheeks as she happily rested on his shoulder before her sleepiness took her over and eventually slept along with the pinkette after such a long chase between them.
They were exhausted but they both found peace and rest from each other's company and warmth.
..
..
Flashback end...
Mirajane was surprised... Utterly surprised.
To think that such a memory will be counted as one of his unforgettable ones. She was a little violent back then but she didn't expect him to keep it as one of his precious memories. For some reason, she blushed at the thought of him putting her time with him as one of his unforgettable memories.
'So Natsu still remembers that...'
She regained her consciousness as the memory ended and returned back to the present time with the book still in her hands. Several lacrima lights are still floating above the pages as she recomposed herself in the process.
'Even the smallest of things, you even stored them right here, aren't you?' She thought out with a smile and proceeded over to the next one.
'I wonder if there are still more of his friends here.'
She looked at the first light she touched and saw it slightly dimmer than the others. It seems like the lights get faint whenever someone tries to recall the specific memory.
Well, at least she won't be confused on how she would pick the next one.
Poking the next light below the first one with her finger, the lacrima light shone brightly before her and eventually blinded her vision thus, bringing her consciousness back to the past memory of the dragonslayer.
Flashback from 14 years ago... X780
"Shut it, Ice queen! I'll take this quest!"
"No, I will, Pink-haired monkey!"
"I got it first!"
"My hand's already here since you came here!"
"You wanna go?!"
"Bring it!"
The usual banter between the two boys began once again on the guild as they fought over an A Class quest. No one sure knows who came to get the job request but it's obvious that the two won't back down when something is already decided to be the start of their rivalry.
Other familiar guildmates sat amusingly from their seats as they watched the fight unfold before them.
"Hoh? Natsu and Gray are at it again!" Macao called out from one of the tables which then accompanied by Wakaba and some of the other members who wanted to watch the fight.
"So what's going on again this time?"
"Who knows... I thought this two settled their rivalry but I never thought it would drag this long." Macao spoke.
"It's been two years since then... And they're not yet tired of each other. Looks like Gray found his equal rival."
Without warning, Wakaba was thrown with a pair of fire and ice spells straight onto his face as Natsu and Gray overheard his statement from afar.
"Who you calling equal?!"
Of course, the fight only escalated further as Wakaba accidentally fell down from his seat, knocking off some drinks from the table which drenched Macao in the process. The spill also went over to some hot-tempered members which only made the situation worse.
"You wanna go, you old fuck?!"
"Bring it! Let's settle our rivalry right here!" And then, Macao and Wakaba are finally beating each other up like the two boys in the far distance. After a few seconds, Elfman and the rest jumped into the fray while Laxus simply ignored the whole the chaos and walked outside.
"This is too boring..." Laxus mumbled before disappearing from the guild doors.
It didn't take long for a certain redhead to step into the fray and twisted both the arms of the two troublemakers who only made painful screams due to the unnatural twist of their arms.
"Ow ow ow! Alright, we give up!"
"H-He's right so don't break our arms!" The two pleaded to which Erza closed her eyes for a moment and released them from her hold, causing them to flex their arm to see if it's working properly.
At the same time, the whole guild quieted down as she gazed the others with a sharp and intimidating look.
"Cause any more trouble and I'll personally give each of you a deserving punishment."
"Y-YES!" With a unified between children and adults, they nodded in response as the redhead sat at the counter to eat her strawberry cake in peace.
Natsu and Gray recovered as well before looking at each other with retorted looks.
"You got lucky this time, Flamebrain."
"Same to you. I'm getting that A Class job."
"Hmph..." Instead of confronting him, Gray cupped his hands down his pants and walked away from him.
"Hey, are you running away from me? Or are you scared to get the job request from me?"
"Stupid. Didn't you see what Erza said before? I'm too young to die but suit yourself. Have fun surviving in the job, Flamebrain." Gray mocked before leaving which only made the pinkette angered more than ever.
"Who you calling scared?!"
Despite his shouts, Gray ignored and went along with the others to stay quiet until Erza goes on a job which leaves him frustrated.
"Alright, fine! I'll take this myself!"
"Where are you going now, Natsu?" Before he could even pick the paper, someone picked it up before him as Mirajane looked at the paper request to read its conditions.
"Subdue a Vulcan from Mist Forest... Reward 200,000 jewels. Extremely dangerous..." She paused before looking at him in curiosity.
"... Are you really sure you can handle the job? Even though you started a mage, taking A class quests are a bit too risky." She warned.
"T-That doesn't matter! If I can't overcome this I won't be able to become stronger as you!" He declared in determination as the white-haired girl looked at him with surprise.
Is that the reason why he wanted to do high-ranking missions at an early time? She really couldn't understand this boy. Even she had to take B or C Class missions during her time as a novice mage.
"Heh, that sounds pretty shallow for a reason-"
"I don't care! I will... definitely, surpass everyone! And when I'm done with that, I'll reunite with Igneel before everyone knows it." He stomped away from the guild with a determined face until-
"In that case, I'll tag along." Her statement made him floor down to the ground and looked at her in disbelief.
"Hell no! I'll do it myself! I want to defeat it alone! I'll show you!"
"I know... I'll leave the Vulcan to you."
"Then why are you coming with me?"
"Isn't it a bit lonely if you go alone? At least I can keep you company while you're at it. If things get out of hand, I'll defeat it." She teased.
"It's not gonna happen! I'll show you. I won't screw up on this one!" He steamed in irritation.
"I believe you." She smiled gently which soon made him stop for a moment.
"Eh?"
"Didn't you hear me? I said I believe you can do it so I should be the one to see it. If you managed to defeat the Vulcan, I'll acknowledge you as a worthy mage." She explained.
"Really?"
"When did I ever lie to you?"
"A lot." Came the deadpanned expression which made her stutter in response.
"W-What?"
"Remember that time when you said you lead the way back when we're together with Lisanna in a forest, you hid and scared us along the way. Oh, there's also this one time where you-"
"Alright! I did lie a lot but I won't this time. Does that work fine for you?" She spoke in embarrassment.
"Well... I guess so but having someone tag along with me is kinda-"
"New? Since you always go on jobs alone, you don't enjoy the company of others." She finished.
"W-Well, Gray is stupid. Erza is too scary to approach. Lisanna is always smiling without understanding anything that I'm saying."
"What about me?"
"Y-You?"
"Yeah... Why haven't you asked me to go out with you? I'm always free anyways aside when I'm with Erza."
"Well, how can I say it?" Mira tilted her head in confusion as she saw him pondering for the first time since the pinkette never think things in the first place. Heck, it would a strange phenomenon if he thinks with his brain.
"You see... You seemed so far away." He mumbled which catches her off guard at his response before replacing her face with a worried expression.
"What do you mean far away?" She lost her confidence and simply quivered in her voice.
"You mostly stand out with the others so I can't ask you for anything. So... that's why it felt so distant to reach you or anything like that." He mumbled.
On the other hand, Mirajane was the one who is surprised because she just realized that how she was also a bit confident to her own self that she forgot about him amongst the crowd. Her level of position is different which caused him to avoid asking her for anything.
It made her realize just how far they are from each other in terms of approach even though they're in the same guild.
She slightly shook her head in which he noticed as he asked her in worry.
"What's wrong?"
.
..
...
"If..."
"Huh?"
"If I try to be normal like the others, will you finally ask me out?"
"I-I think so... But if it's too much of a bother, then don't. It's not like I don't have others to ask for help-"
"NO!" With a defiant shout, Mira silenced him which surprised him for a moment as he looked on her blushing her face.
"I want only you to ask me alone and no one else, i-is that clear?!"
"Eeeeeh?" Natsu felt like wanting to repeat what she just said.
"Y-You hear me?! I-I'm the only one you will ask for anything. Not to Erza or to Lisanna, alright!" She stuttered in her voice as she tried to voice out her words to him with finality.
"O-Okay but-"
"Promise?!"
"What?"
"PROMISE?!" She raised her voice once more to make him submit.
"P-Promise!" Natsu cowered as she calmed down in the process before replacing it with a gentle smile before pulling his hand over to her and went towards the exit.
"So let's go! If we get to know more about each other, then you won't be scared to approach me again, okay?"
"O-Okay..." For some reason, Natsu blushed after holding her soft hand. It was his first time being held by a girl in the hand which kinda gives him a rather unusual feeling though he can't tell why.
Only one thing's for certain, Mira is really sweet girl no matter how violent she can be towards the others. He thinks he might be the first one to see her like this and that she probably never showed this vulnerable side of hers to anyone but to him.
Well, at least he saw something new to her.
..
..
Mirajane actually had to help out the pinkette on the Vulcan later on, though.
Flashback end…
It's somehow strange for her to think that most of the memories stored in this book were about her. Not that she was complaining about it but still-
It was pretty strange since Natsu never talked to her about any of this or why he regards this as one of his unforgettable memories. Over the years she spent with him, there's little to none of the times she'd ever talk to him like they had before.
He would now spend most of his time with his team so he should keep them stored here.
Hoping to get another shred of memory from the lights, she clicked the third one and eventually ventured once more to his stored memories once again.
Flashback from 10 years ago… X782
The rain was really heavy and the huge clouds over above Magnolia as the streets drowned in water puddles as the downpour continued throughout the day. The sun was nowhere to be seen from the skies as it was completely covered in the process.
Thundering sounds and lightning strikes flashed through the gray clouds as a multitude of people went over to Cardia Cathedral for a time of mourning.
Yes...
It's the year where Lisanna supposedly died a couple of years back that soon changed the whole guild for the first time.
Fairy Tail is deemed empty and the guild members all gathered in front of the newly carved stone right in front of them with the rest of the townsfolk standing behind them with the same solemn expression.
Their hearts went for the two siblings that cried at the loss of their family member. Mira cried heavily as Elfman shared the same expression and felt even guiltier, blaming himself for something like this.
No one could've avoided it. There was nothing they could do. He was completely controlled and she just stood there as if she still believes that he was somewhere within in that wicked monster but-
It was too late...
Before he could even regain his consciousness, that dreadful event came and without a moment to pass, she disappeared from their hands, never to return back.
The others simply stood by beside them, looking at the stone that carved the name of their now deceased member.
"Who will start?" With a strained voice, Macao tried to continue the gathering as Makarov simply nodded in response before making his way over to the two Strauss siblings.
"We can't have our grievances take us forever. She would want us to move on and not be weighed down with sorrow and guilt." His words resounded from the background as the two slowly stood up from their feet and faced the stone with sadness.
"Today we are gathered together to show our feelings on the loss of one of our precious family... Lisanna was a bright child. She gave us the warm joy of loving each other as a whole and looking after one another without the need to hold back for anything else..."
"... She was a truly gifted child. A true caring girl for her family. Her gentle smile will always remind us that we will move on. Her spirit will never go away and will forever more right inside our hearts, ever moving towards the future."
After the speech, a couple of people went over to the stone and showed their sympathies to the deceased family member and showed their condolences to Fairy Tail.
A few hours passed by and the people started to head back to their own homes along with some of the guild members to let time forget their sorrows. However, there's not much that can be said for the two Strauss siblings as they watched the stone before them.
Makarov stood beside them with the solemn expression before turning his attention back to the two.
"We should also go. Lisanna wouldn't want us to mourn for her for too long."
Elfman was about to do the same and try to lead Mira back to the house until a stomp caught their attention from behind, prompting them to look back and saw Natsu coming into view.
His clothes were drenched along with his pink hair which lost its spikiness from the rain. Happy flew beside him with a strained look towards them as his eyes went over to the stone located on one of the graves beside the church.
"Natsu..." Makarov spoke as soon as he spotted the dragonslayer in his eyes.
Natsu didn't speak but instead looked at the two, specifically to Mirajane who looked at him with widened eyes but not long before she broke free from Elfman's and sprinted away and ran past the two and went somewhere else.
"Big sis!" Elfman called out but Natsu stopped him.
"I'll go after her. Stay with them, Happy!" Natsu gave both of them with a serious look and simply sprinted off to catch the fleeting girl.
Happy and the other two simply stared down into the distance where they both disappeared with somber looks.
'There are just some things that even comfort alone cannot overcome such sadness.'
Makarov carved that thought inside his mind in silence before shifting his eyes to the small figure of the pinkette from the distance.
..
..
..
It was painful...
Every step she took is hard to bear and the rain simply made it harder for her to press on. Her injuries from her last mission haven't fully healed and her arm is still not fully recovered but she didn't care.
She wanted to run away from this pain. She wanted to forget it.
But... It keeps coming back to her like a life-long curse. The thought of her sister smiling before her flashed right back into her mind only made her grit her teeth in anger.
'Why? Why did I have to accept such a job?!' She screamed inwardly in frustration, cursing everything around her.
She continued to run without looking back or even looking at what's in front of her. The rain from the gray skies and the overflowing tears from her eyes made it hard for her to see through her vision.
All of a sudden, she felt a tight grab on one of her hands from behind.
It was then, she finally stopped as the grip held her back and stopped her from running any further.
"Mira." His voice sounded strained as if he finds it hard to say anything right now instead of her name.
"What do you want, Natsu?" She straightened herself out, wanting to keep herself composed as possible to hide the pain. And he easily noticed it.
"Mira. Let's go back." He answered with a straight tone.
"I can't go back... After what I've done to her. After what I've done to my family when I'm supposed to be the one who should protect them." She couldn't control her emotions. All of them flooding her head in a bad mixture of despair and sadness.
"Mira... Everyone's waiting for you."
"Please, Natsu... Please leave me alone. I don't deserve anything from you or anyone else. I-"
"Mira..." He trailed off in sadness as she finally stared back at him in tears along with the emotions that she tried to keep from everyone.
"DON'T YOU SEE?! I KILLED LISANNA! I, HER SISTER LET HER DIE WHEN I HAVE SO MANY CHANCES TO SAVE HER BUT I..." She shouted as her strong figure instantly broke down right in front of him.
She lost it. The only people that she wanted to protect died before her. How can she face Elfman or even him when it was her who let her die in that mission?
It broke her heart. It was just too painful for her to bear that she can't even think straight or even notice her current condition.
"Mira, it's not your fault." Natsu stayed calm for her but she couldn't handle his unusual behavior towards her.
"WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME COME BACK?! IF I HAD TO GIVE THE SAME DECISION BACK THEN, I WOULD'VE TAGGED YOU TO PROTECT HER BUT I DIDN'T BECAUSE I WAS STUPID! CAN YOU STILL SEE ME AS THE SAME AFTER I LET HER GET KILLED, YOUR BEST FRIEND?! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, NATSU?! I WANT TO ESCAPE FROM THIS PAIN!" She cried as Natsu stood there with a strained look on his face, seeing her broken more than ever.
Her cries were the only thing that resounded on his ears. The rain even grew heavier as the sounds of splattering water drip impacted the hard ground in rapid succession.
"Natsu I... I–" Before she could even speak further, she felt a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her figure and simply covered her from the rain. Her head was sheltered in his chest and the tears stopped momentarily as her eyes widen in shock that soon turned over to the pinkette who only embraced him softly close to her.
And in an instant, her emotions went into a full stop and the silence reigned down between them. No words are exchanged as Mira couldn't understand anything right now except that her feelings have started to ease.
"Natsu..." She whispered his name but Natsu gently hugged her closer.
"You don't have to say anything else... I'll take that burden with you. You don't need to shoulder this pain alone... I know that it's not easy to forget this feeling but-
"... I'll be right here beside with you. If you feel sad, I'm here. If you feel angry, I'll be the first one to comfort you. I'll rush by to your side to share any feelings with you. You don't need to blame yourself, Mira. That's why..."
"... you don't have to hold it back. I'm with you, now and always."
There was nothing for her to say as she finally broke down in tears once again but this time, she cried deeply to his chest, expressing her sadness in which he simply took it to himself. She doesn't have to hide it from him. It's okay for her to just express her emotions to him freely and let it run for awhile... and let the comfort of her friends to fill that void.
He will be that person to fill that hole in her heart. He wanted her to smile and move on. He wanted to comfort her until the time she will finally smile again for him... for everyone.
..
..
The rain continued to pour down as the sobs slowly became silent as he slowly gazed at her.
The sorrow was gone and the grief has passed. He gently wiped her tears away from her closed eyes as Mirajane slept right beside him.
There was a moment of silence between them as Natsu began to whisper.
"I love you, Mira. These are my feelings that I kept from you for so long..."
"You were the first person who showed me everything about the world. All the times we spent together, I truly treasure them inside my heart. I want to stay with you and enjoy our time together. I can't think of a day where you would never smile... You were the only one for me so that's why..."
He paused before slowly leaning close to her forehead and gave a soft gentle kiss.
His last words to her played inside his mind as he placed a finger over to her head.
'Smile for everyone when this is over.'
..
..
..
"Goodbye... Mirajane."
Flashback end…
As soon as that memory faded from her consciousness, Mira froze in shock.
She never recalled anything back then. There must be some kind of mistake here! How can something like that memory be forgotten without remembering it one bit? She was utterly confused.
She had a long-term memory capacity and recalled every memory of her time back when she was still a little kid up until now. But she never came across such a memory that is completely forgotten and hidden from her all this time. How could Natsu have something like this from his memory?
This might be some sort of a mistake but judging from the nature of the book, it stores the memories of people in clear detail.
More importantly, the last detail of that memory somehow got her curious and confused at the same time.
'What did he mean by that?'
She was sure of it.
He was bidding farewell to her before everything faded from her eyes and returned back to the real world. She wanted to know what he meant by that but-
"E-Eh?"
For some reason, tears streaked down from her eyes without knowing. She was dumbfounded as she stared into space, thinking about that memory.
"W-Why? Why did I-" She answered to herself, asking why she suddenly felt the need to cry all of a sudden. She cannot be sure about that memory but for some reason, she could feel that somewhere inside her heart, it was there...
In an instant...
The lost memory was finally remembered. Her eyes widened in shock as her mind recalled every scene of it. The words he said to her and the forgotten feeling that she never heard for all these years. It was all right there from the start.
How could she not realize it after for so long?
With a shocked expression, she placed her hands on her mouth in tears. The book fell from her hands and simply scattered down on the floor before rethinking the memory she had with him.
"N-Natsu... just why-"
She stopped as her eyes noticed a person at the door. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Natsu with the same look as hers after seeing her here inside his house. Behind him was the blue Exceed who was oblivious to what's happening right now.
What caught the pinkette's attention was the book right beside her and also her teary eyes that stared right back at him.
"Mira..."
"N-Natsu?"
As soon as they uttered each other's names, an awkward silence fell before them until Happy's voice interrupted them.
"Oh hello, Mira! It's quite rare for you to visit our house every now and then. Did you clean the house? Woah, I thought Lucy fixed it but I didn't expect it to be you."
He eventually stopped as he looked between Natsu and Mira in confusion. Their faces looked strained and it took him just now to realize her tears as well.
..
..
Then all of a sudden, Mira stood up from her feet and pulled the pinkette forcefully to her and began to drag him away.
"Come with me, Natsu." She momentarily recomposed herself to hide her tears. For some reason, Natsu offered no resistance and silently let himself be pulled to her and dragged to somewhere else.
"W-Where are you going, guys?!" Happy tried to follow but Natsu stopped him.
"It's okay... There's something we should settle first. You don't need to come, Happy." With a faint smile, they disappeared into sight as Happy looked at the distance with a worried look.
Noon has already passed and the sun sets on the far horizon as the sky was filled with an orange hue from above along with the beautiful cloud patterns across it. Mirajane lost track of time as she noticed the number of people outside the streets reduced only to a few.
However, she didn't care. She simply focused on her objective to pull the pinkette away from anyone and demand some answers to the memory she just remembered from the book.
The two silently walked towards the same place where they used to chase around when they were still little. The same tree and place where they started it all.
As soon as they approached the tree, Mirajane lets go of his hold and eventually looked at the pinkette who had a rather solemn expression on his face unlike when he was so energetic with the others.
After a moment of silence went passed between them, she finally started.
"So will you tell me? About that memory." She answered with anticipation.
Instead of answering her, Natsu simply looked away in shame, unable to face her straight in the eyes which worried her.
"Natsu... Please look at me." She pleaded but Natsu still can't force himself to look at her despite her strained voice.
"I know everything, Natsu... The words you said to me. The feelings that you kept inside your heart all this time."
"Mira... I..." Natsu tried to speak but failed once again as he felt his throat tighten all of a sudden. He felt guilty for himself after seeing her face back when she looked over to that book of his.
Noticing his hesitation, Mira looked at him.
"Why? Why did you do that?" She whispered in tears.
As soon as he saw her crying face, he finally spoke in sadness.
"You were unstable, Mira. Your emotions are spiraling out of control. Gramps feared of what would happen to you if you stayed in that condition for too long so he came to me for a request." He revealed.
"A request?"
"A request to lock someone's feelings in exchange for the sadness of one." After saying that, she finally understood.
"T-Then what happened back then–"
"Yeah... I used the spell that Gramps gave to me on you to bury that sadness away from your heart and at the same time locked my feelings for you. Since then, I distanced myself from you in order for you not to remember all of it..." He explained.
"I locked my feelings for you because I don't want you to end up like that..."
"L-Locked... your feelings?"
Natsu answered with a depressing look. Mira could only confirm it through his now hollow eyes. His onyx eyes that once sported a fiery gaze has turned shallow and empty. His face was strained and it just made her upset.
"A-All this time, you... did all that just for me?"
"..." The pinkette can't even begin to talk directly to her after seeing her troubled face.
"But things have changed, Natsu! Lisanna is back! W-Why didn't you tell anything up until now, knowing all of this?!" She demanded.
"Do you think you would still like the person who loves you that erased your memories in the first place? Are you still willing to love me even after all that horrible thing?" He clenched his fists tight as he looked down on his feet in sadness.
It was then, Mira froze as she noticed a tear forming in his eyes, holding it back from her all this time.
"I-I played your memories! Lied everything about my feelings and locked them away from you! Do you think I hold such feelings when I accepted Gramps' request without even denying it? Do you still feel the same way after learning what I did to you?!-"
"YES!"
"!"
Without warning, Mirajane leaned forward to close their distance together. Leaving the dragonslayer off guard, she pressed her lips onto his as a drop of tear reflected from her eyes. She closed her eyes as soon as their lips touched and Natsu only widened his eyes in surprise at the sudden move.
He felt her lips colliding on his own as Mirajane inched her body closer to him and wanted to feel his warmth once again. She placed both of her hands onto his cheek as soon as she broke away from their kiss and gazed at the pinkette with a gentle smile.
"I don't care what you did to me back then. No matter how much things you've done to me, I could never hate you..." She paused as she slowly wiped away his tears which are now starting to streak down from his eyes as soon as she spoke.
"Because the man I love made me the person I am right now. You did everything for my sake. You sacrificed your feelings for my sake. You shared most of my unforgettable memories..."
"... Just those reasons are enough for me to love you in return. You did all that because you love me. Why would I say no to that?"
"B-But Mira, I'm-"
"No more excuses... All I want is to live my whole life with you without any lies and secrets. You suffered enough. Didn't you said it to me before?"
She recalled the words that he said to her in that forgotten memory.
..
You don't have to say anything else.
I'll take that burden with you.
You don't need to shoulder this pain alone.
I'll be right here beside with you.
If you feel sad, I'm here.
If you feel angry, I'll be the first one to comfort you.
I'll rush by to your side to share any feelings with you.
You don't need to blame yourself.
That's why,
You don't have to hold it back. I'm with you, now and always.
..
Natsu remembered all of it. The things he promised to her on that day. He remembered them all.
It was there all along. The feelings that started in their first meeting and the feelings that they expressed to each other on that one rainy day.
"M-Mira..." Soon afterward, his voice called out to her name as he trembled in tears and hugged the woman before him in affection. The white-haired woman simply hugged him in return and buried her head close to his chest.
"Natsu, will you say it again? This time, I want to hear it from you." She requested with a soft voice as Natsu soon broke in tears and embraced her before voicing out his feelings to her.
"I love you, Mira!"
The two stayed within each other's embrace as their tears of sadness had finally ended. Joy and happiness filled their hearts as they hugged each other under the setting sun. The long time memory is finally lifted, putting an end to the invisible wall that kept each other apart for a long time.
Instead, a new path where they would finally end their tears and reconnect their memories will be made for the two of them.
A/N: Sup peeps. How'd you like the one-shot so far? I sorta got a thought of giving the pairing a meaning since I thought NaMi could see it as such NaMi(da). Which in term means tear in Japanese so I made a boggle plot of memory thingies and twisted something in between and made this.
I think by far, that this is the only pairing that gave me an idea to redefine it as a Japanese word. Well, it's a silly thinking but it gave me a vibe that if FT took a different turn, I would personally like Mira to end up with Natsu.
Given that, I would only leave my imaginations here in FF. Everyone could write their own conclusion for their favorite pairing so let's keep at it to ourselves. ^^
Anyways, leave a comment and tell me what you think on this one-shot. I'd appreciate it. See you guys again on my next future stories.
- wiErD SpeCtrumz blacking out… … …