Kinana and Erik reunion fic! Mashima didn't give us any more than the boyfriend comment in the manga so this is my take on what happened.
WhAT? You're writing straight ships? Ik ik but these two give me feels and I headcanon Erik as bi sooo
Thanks for the request Popstar_wannabe I love Kinabra so I ended up writing a lot! 4k words! I hope you enjoy!
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It was him. Kinana knew it was! He was battered and bruised from battle, but that wasn't enough to obscure him from her sight. His spiny maroon hair, his tan skin, his fanged grin. Excitement coursed through her veins. Giddy with glee at seeing him again.
"Erik!" She cried, running to him and waving, not caring how ridiculous she looked, not caring about how her aching legs throbbed or how the rocks in her shoes pricked at her skin. All thoughts left her head as her vision tunneled on him.
He turned towards her, his pointed ears twitching at the sound. Erik smiled at her, not even paying attention as he blasted an enemy soldier who tried to run up behind him.
Tears streamed out her eyes as she threw herself at him, his arms easily catching her, pulling her close.
Kinana buried her head in his chest, breathing him in. This was him. This was the man who had been calling to her. Who had came for her on a shooting star.
Erik tried to gently push her away, but Kinana stubbornly held on. Wanting this moment to last forever.
"C'mon, lemme look at you."
With a huff she loosened her hold around him, not daring to actually look up at. She'd been afraid to look, scared this would all be some illusion that would break the minute she looked to closely.
Erik cut right through those doubts as he tilted her head up, making her meet his gaze.
"It's good to see you again, Cubellios." He smiled, thumb smoothing over her cheek.
Her mind distantly reminded her that her name was Kinana, but she paid it no heed. Her rational mind being pushed further back by her swelling heart. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch, her body starved for it.
"Say something," Erik told her. "I wanna hear your voice."
"Uh.. what should I say?" She laughed nervously, tucking a lock of violet hair behind her ear.
Then there was a yelled battle cry as a soldier who had been playing dead rose up to swing at her. His axe whistling through the air as it sliced down in a deadly arc, then bounced right back as if it hit an invisible wall, there was a loud clonk as the axe's handle slammed into the man's forehead and making him fall down. He had just K.O.'d himself.
"Tch." Erik's nose wrinkled, his forehead creasing. "Way to ruin our moment."
That was it. Kinana burst out laughing. Not just a soft giggle, no, it was a mouth splitting laugh that had her doubling over and clutching her stomach. "Ruin the moment." She managed to gasp out, tears in her eyes.
Erik crossed his arms, looking away as warmth bloomed across his cheeks. "Well, excuse me for wanting our reunion to be something special."
Kinana simply smiled at him, coming back into close proximity. Starting from his temple, she slowly ran her finger down his face, ending at his jaw line. "You always were sweet."
Erik looked taken aback by the statement. Obviously sweet wasn't the first thing most people thought when they saw him. But I'm Kinana's case, sweet described the way he treated her perfectly.
Then his face softened, going from startled to sentimental in a moment, even a hint of mischief as he smiled wider exposing his pointed teeth. Kinana's finger ran back up again, ghosting over the scar tissue on his eye.
Then suddenly his head snapped to the side, and for a moment Kinana thought she'd gone too far with her touches.
"Get behind me." Erik ordered, one arm pushing her behind his back as he snarled at some invisible foe she couldn't see. All the soldiers on this field were defeated. So who was this no-faced newcomer?
Kinana stood up on her tip toes, trying to peer over Erik's shoulder. There was an old man standing before them. He sported an impressive mullet-mustache-beard combination. In his hand was a long wooden staff with a glowing egg shaped orb on top of it, either a weapon or a cane. It was hard to tell. He was also shirtless, a habit a senior shouldn't get in the practice of, even on the battlefield. Even Erik still had his shirt on.
At first she'd thought he was some senile shirtless old man, but then she felt it. A wave of immense magic power that sent shivers crawling across her skin and down her spine, making her knees go weak.
The only thing she'd ever felt like it was when Master Makarov had powered up to fight the dragons rampaging in the streets of Crocus, but whatever it was... this was no dragon. Erik was the only thing with that likeness, thanks to the Lacrima the bad men had put inside him, after they'd cut him open. Kianna knew he still had the scars. A big X across his chest. Wait, her brows went together, how did she know that? She'd hadn't seen Erik without a shirt the two times they'd encountered.
You've seen him shirtless before. Something in the back of her mind whispered and she blinked, confused by the sudden thought. And completely naked, all those baths in rivers and streams- Kinana squeaked, bringing up her hands to clasp at her burning cheeks.
The elderly man pounded his staff on the ground, calling for attention. If he noticed her sudden outburst he didn't let on, and neither did Erik, not daring to take his eye off of the enemy. "I am Augustus." He announced. "I will defeat you in the name of the Emperor."
"You mean Zeref? The big bad black wizard everyone is talking about? I honestly don't see what the big fuss is about." Erik shrugged, unconcerned. A purposeful taunt that Augustus easily fell for.
He scowled. "Emperor Spriggan is our mighty leader, he is-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Erik interrupted, making a hand gesture that opened and closed like a mouth, strolling across the field as he did so, pulling Kinana along with him. "We get it. It's okay to try and commit genocide if you're an Emperor."
Augustus nostrils flared so wide that you could fit walnuts up the cavity. Erik continued on, with little quips and jabs about Zeref or even outright insulting the Alvarez Nation. Then Kinana noticed it. How Erik was slowly shifting their position close to a pile of boulders. A perfect cover position. His monologue a ruse to distract Augustus from his true goal of getting her to safety.
The urge to grab Erik and hug him tight washed over her, but she kept the desire capped. This wasn't the time for that. It wasn't just her common telling her so, it was that something roiling inside her gut. Instinct. The feeling belonged to the 'something' that crawled under her skin and made her eyes go slitted. The Master had always been so careful around her, asking her how she was and if the voice was still there, and telling her to ignore it. To ignore Erik.
A sudden spike of acid hot anger roared in her ears. The Master... he had kept Erik hidden from her, had kept her in the dark and watched as she spent everyday wondering what that voice was. Kinana had thought she was going crazy.
A painful sting shot through forearms and she gasped, eyes snapping down to her hands. From elbow down her skin was glowing with swirling violet light.
Augustus' gaze snapped to her, at the supernova glowing in her arms. Suddenly the threat wasn't Erik, it was her. She was the unknown.
"Shit," Erik cursed then pivoted towards Augustus and unhinging his jaw. "Poison Dragon's Roar!"
Crimson poison scorched the ground as it blasted across the battlefield in a funnel like cloud. Augustus didn't even try to dodge, his only move movement was the flick of his wrist, deflecting Erik's attack as if it was nothing.
Kinana gaped, and Erik cursed colorfully again, grabbing her by her elbow, careful not to touch the chemical reaction her forearms were having, and pulling her towards the shelter of the rocks.
"There is no escape, sinner." Augustus marched forwards, his power pulsing like a beating heart.
Thump thump, thump thump.
The jewel stop his staff started to glow. Magic crackling and sparking around the egg-shaped gemstone. The area around them rising in warmth, as if they were being mixed in a stew pot.
Thump thump, thump thump.
Then it fired. A beam of blinding light that spliced through the air, and tore a hole right through Erik's chest.
Thump thump, thump thump.
Her eyes widened, going empty as the shock shot through her system. Erik fell, droplets of blood spewing from his wound the moment his body hit the ground. Those same red crystals shooting up, hot against her face. And all of it was his blood.
Thump thump, thump thump.
A raw scream decimated her throat. A horrible, horrible noise that she didn't know she had been capable of making. She dropped to her knees, hands hovering above him. There was so much blood.
Erik head lolled to side as he looked over at her with unfocused eyes. "Y-your voice shouldn't be um... making such an- such an awful sound. I uh..." his sentence trailed off, and his eyelid drooped, yet he still tried to reach for her. "Cubellios..." and then his hand dropped, hitting the ground with a soft thud.
The voice she'd heard in her head everyday, the one that had haunted her for seven years, was gone. Everything around her was so silent, but the roar in her head so much louder than before.
Thump thump, thump thump.
She slowing turned back towards Augustus, acid pooling in her gut and coating her tongue, "You."
Her eyes stung. Her tears suddenly cut off as her pupils thinned into needle points. The purple glow crawled up, past her elbow and over her shoulder. Her skin tingled and she shuddered at the feeling. It felt... so good, and so, so right.
The bones in her back cracked as wings burst from her back, her soft skin cracking and bleeding as violet scales burst through. Her face narrowed, her nose and mouth elongating. Her arms molded into her waist and her legs molded into each other, becoming one thick tail. Her gums split open and elongated fangs jutted out of the soft pink flesh.
Cubellios' body curled around Erik, the chinks in her violet scales gleaming in the harsh sunlight. Protect, protect, protect. She hissed at Augustus. Head angled and jaw ready to grab his staff and snap it in two.
His lip curled. "You're not even worth it, creature." He spat on the ground, then turned to his troops, giving them orders to go deal with 'it'.
She watched him go, eyes trained on his back. Waiting for an opening, a chance to shoot him full of poison and watch him rot away.
The chance never came. He just kept on walking until he disappeared on the horizon line, gone.
The men wearing masks closed around her and a sudden memory flashed over her vision. Houses burning, men in masks, children screaming and crying, hands grabbing at her.
Her head snapped around as one stepped too close, instinct taking over as she lashed out, fangs sinking into those hands that were just like the others that had snatched her, and her dignity away. Never again. She ripped his hand off his arm, blood and god knows what else flying up into the air. He looked at his handless arm in shock before reality set in and he started to scream.
She shook her head, throwing the hand to the side, already moving on to the next target. She struck, neck jutting out like a spring and jaw clamping onto the next bit of flesh. The soldier gaped up at the sky, blood blooming on his shirt. She spat him out, needing her mouth free as her jaw opened and let out stream of poisonous clouds.
The men coughed, hands wrapping around their throats, eyes bulging out of their sockets. One by one their limbs failed and they dropped like stones. Until none were left standing and it was just a sea of fallen men.
The best of all of the men was of course the first to fall, the only one who would be unaffected by her poison, Erik.
She nuzzled his face with her snout, her forked tongue flicking out to lick his face, but he didn't stir, not even a wince.
Erik wouldn't respond. Even though it was supposed to be her unable to respond. Even so Erik would still talk to her, he knew she could hear his voice, even if he couldn't hear hers. That's the way it had always been.
She wrapped herself around him, burying her face into his chest, to shield him from the horrors of this place. Listening to the steady beat of his heart, counting each pulse. Thump thump, thump thump. It was all she could do.
After what seemed like an eternity of faint heartbeats that were slowly being deafened by the heavy silence, she heard a sound.
Footsteps crunched on gravel and her head snapped up. Fangs bared, a hiss crawling up her throat.
A group of mismatched people in torn clothes stood twenty feet away. All battered and bruised from the battle. Had they come to eliminate the stragglers? No, she couldn't let that happen.
Stay away, the hissing grew louder but the words were not formed. Her scaled body tensed around Erik, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Run or fight, run or fight?
"Kinana?" A scarlet haired woman covered her mouth, brown eyes wide. The light glinted off her steel body, and she narrowed her slitted eyes. That name sounded familiar, the woman looked familiar, but she couldn't place where the feeling stemmed from? Was it some kind of trick?
"Kinana is that you?" The woman asked, then she pointed at herself. "It's me, Erza. Remember?"
Remember, remember, remember, people had always told her that. Had always asked her to remember, and frowned when they realized she couldn't.
That name. That woman. That word. She knew them, they were... they were threats. She steeled herself around Erik, ready to protect what was hers. Acid bubbled in her throat. He was hers, and hers alone.
"Oh my god, Erik!" Someone stepped forwards, body white and feathered, a finger aimed straight at them.
Threat. She let her instincts take over and poison shot out of her mouth, barreling down her tongue and flying through the air.
A yelled warning, "Sorano watch out!" But it was too late, the attack was already in motion. Churning dark red poison closed in, a tidal wave of death. A blur sped by and the poison fell onto the ground, darkening it like a rain puddle, the smell and sound of burning assaulting the senses of those around. No trace left of the angel.
One down. Six to go.
"S-sorano?" Tears filled a girls eyes, her pink curls were matted with grime and her face streaked with it, the only thing that was clean was those emerald eyes. Clear as crystal with dirt cleansing tears.
"Right here."
Heads whirled towards the gruff voice. A long limbed man was crouched in a runner's position, Sorano in his arms.
Sorano gaped up at him. "Sawyer-"
"-your savior." He cut in smoothly.
She scowled, nose wrinkling. "You cut that pretty close. What if some of the poison had hit me! It would've blemished my skin." She stretched a creamy white arm out for emphasis. "Look at this flawless perfection."
"Wow so this is how you thank me? Next time I'll just let you-"
A blue haired man coughed, red marking stark against his eye. "I'm glad you're alright but we should get back to the problem at hand." He gestured back at them, the snake and the treasure she was guarding.
"Buzz kill." Sawyer muttered and a few people from the group laughed. Elbowing each other and snickering about how Jellal never failed at being a wet blanket.
The hiss that had crawled up her throat cut off suddenly. Why were they laughing? They didn't seem to be laughing at them, like the ones from before had been. It had been their fatal mistake. Their bodies littered the battlefield around them, twitching and spawning from the poison that ate away at their bodies.
The amusement kindled something inside her. She remembered laughing like that once, with a lilac haired woman in glasses, and a man with fat lips, his jet black hair spiked into a point. What had they been laughing about? Kinana closed her eyes trying to remember. Recalling something about a man dancing with a broom.
Wait... Kinana? Where did that name come from? She didn't have a name. She didn't know of any names, except for one -Erik.
She looked back at him. Tan skin battered with bruises and streaked with blood. He wouldn't last long like this. The warmth she felt from him was fading fast. He needed help. Something that she didn't know how to do, but maybe, just maybe they would.
Kinana hissed at them, but didn't bare her fangs, all she wanted was their attention. Seven pairs of different colored eyes looked her way, wary and on their guard.
She angled her head towards Erik, even lifting her tail so they could see him. Help him, she urged.
The one they'd called a wet blanket raised his hand slowly, palms up so she could see them. "You want us to help, Erik?"
A hiss and a bob of her triangular head, yes.
"Okay." He came closer, shuffling towards them, and she had to resist the urge to strike. Erik needed help, and they were the only people around for miles, or more accurate; the only ones still alive. Those dark guild soldiers, she'd struck them all down to protect Erik. Kinana would do anything to keep him from further harm.
And if this man tried to harm Erik... her slitted eyes bore into him, searching for signs of ill intent. She'd strike him down too.
She watched with bated breath as he reached Erik, crouching down in the dirt so he could get a better look. Kinana eyes his hands and the back of his vulnerable throat, if he made one wrong move-
"Careful Jellal." The pink haired girl warned and Kinana hissed in agreement. He better be careful.
"I'm just checking his pulse." Jellal reached down, grasping Erik's wrist and Kinana's tail twitched, wanting to hit his hand away, to put hurt on anyone who dared to touch her best friend.
Friend. The phrase was familiar. Everything about these people was so familiar, and yet... she couldn't figure out how.
"He's alive." Jellal announced and everyone let out a sigh of relief, including Kinana. Erik was still here. She nuzzled his chest with her giant head and he didn't stir. If he was alive then why wouldn't he wake up?
"We need to find Wendy. Sawyer, you and me will go find her." The scarlet haired woman ordered and Sawyer nodded. Erza was always the one to take control, Kinana thought dryly, then stopped. How did she know that? Her head was pounding and she desperately wished for hands so she could rub away the aches and pains assaulting her temples.
"And Jellal..." He looked up at Erza, hands pausing in their work of assessing Erik's condition. "Keep him alive."
Jellal's lips quirked up, his olive colored eyes warm enough to keep even winter's freeze at bay. "Yes sir."
With one last look at Jellal, Erza turned to Sawyer and let him scoop her up, running far far away. To where help was. Kinana looked back at Erik, tongue flicking his grimy face. Help is coming for us. Just hold on for a little longer.
A memory flashed over her vision, of the two of them soaring high in the sky.
One of Erik's hands gripped her scales, the other out to the side, his feet spread on her back, body balanced in a surfer's pose.
He let out a cry of pure elation, as they soared through the sky. The horrors of ground so far below that it was like they didn't exist. The only thing that existed was the two of them. Together, up high in the sky, they were untouchable.
"This is what freedom tastes like, Cubellios." He had told her. "Just you and me."
She hissed her agreement, wishing she could whoop and scream like he could. To express her joy in being with him.
A hand settled on top of her head, smoothing over the purple scales. "Don't worry, one day I'll be able to hear your voice. We'll talk all day and night, so loud that even Midnight won't be able to sleep through it."
He grinned, wild and free. The look something reserved only for when it was just the two of them, away from everyone else and inside their own little world.
If only it could have lasted forever, Kinana thought, looking down at Erik.
Jellal and Midnight had their hands pressed to the biggest of Erik's open wounds, trying to stop the blood flow. The pink haired girl hovered by Erik's wrist, twin glowing bands around their wrists, her face was pale. Sorano paced back and forth, muttering to herself and running her hands through her white hair, the movement agitated Kinana. Shouldn't she be doing something to help? Then Kinana's stomach sank as she realized she was doing the exact same thing. Just watching as the others tried to save Erik. How useless was she?
"Thank you, friend." The large man with bushy hair came to stand next to her face. The one place the others avoided. It was where her poison fangs were, getting too close was an invitation for a painful bite.
He patted her head and Kinana stared at him startled. Why wasn't he afraid? Erik was the only one who wasn't afraid of her when she was like this, and this man was nothing like Erik. Erik was laying down on the ground, clinging to life. This man was on his feet, talking to her, alive and well.
"You protected him. That's what love is. I'm glad you're back with us again." He smiled at her, so kind and warm that Kinana wanted to sob. Except snakes couldn't cry, they had no tear ducts. She was not human right now. She was not Kinana. She was Cubellios. Cubellios could protect Erik, Kinana couldn't.
Then in a cloud of dust Sawyer appeared, Erza in his arms and Wendy on his back. Wendy. A healer. Erik was saved.
Her tail slung out, grabbing Wendy who let out yell of surprise as she was yanked from Sawyer's back. Kinana lowered her down next to Erik, gently because this girl was precious. She could get Erik to open his eye. Kinana let out a low hiss as she looked at his other eye, the one scarred and sealed shut. He had hurt himself. For her. She would never forgive herself.
Wendy didn't waste any time, she extended her palms over Erik, glowing with teal white light. The same light was the only thing that could combat her deadly poison, and heal fatal wounds. Heal Erik's fatal wounds.
She watched as Erik's body was bathed in the light, painfully aware of the tally of seconds in her head, the number growing as Erik's chances for survival lowered. Please, wake up. I don't wanna be alone again.
Erik's hand twitched, and he winced letting out a low groan. "Fuck."
A tremor of excitement and relief passed through the group at that one curse word. Their, Erik was back.
He squinted against the light, and looked up at her. "Cubellios? H-how?"
Erik tried to sit up but Wendy quickly pushed him back down. "Don't move, you're just gonna hurt yourself."
If he paid the healer any heed he didn't show it. He still reached for her, hand outstretched. Kinana met him half way, nuzzling her head into his hand.
Erik cracked a smile, despite all the injuries. "Still looking after me, huh?"
"Well someone has to." Sorano snipped, propping her hands up on her hips, and Kinana let out a puff of air through her nostrils, a snort of endeared amusement.
"Jeez," Meredy huffed, the pink bands disappearing from their wrists. "You gave us a scare."
"Well my deepest apologies." Sarcasm dripped off his tongue. That was good. If he was being sarcastic that meant he was okay.
Everyone laughed, their relief coming out in hysterics and they swapped battle stories and made jabs at each other. Like a family.
Kinana wanted to laugh with them, but she couldn't. She curled in on herself, the feeling of not belonging looming over her head. She was out of place in this body, out of place in her human body, nothing seemed to fit quite right.
Erik's hand reached up again, caressing the side of her serpentine face, "Why don't you turn back? We're safe now."
She recoiled in shock, unblinking eyes staring at him, unbelieving. She'd thought he'd liked her better this way. He knew Cubellios. Not Kinana.
"Don't get me wrong, I like you this way," He looked back up at her, almost shyly. "but I like you even more when I can hear your voice."
Kinana softly exhaled, the magic slipping away and leaving a girl sitting next to him, fists clenched in her dirty skirts. Her shoulders shook and tears rolled down her face and fell onto her hands, drip drop, drip drop. Back to human. A sniveling, weak, pathetic girl.
Erik sat up, and this time Wendy didn't protest, watching as he pulled Kinana into a hug. "It's gonna be okay." He told her. "We're together again."
Back in Erik's arms she know longer felt out of place, and why would she? It was a perfect fit. Kinana curled into him, hands fisted in the fabric of his shirt, and openly sobbed.
Erik rocked her back and forth, muttering sweet nothings and petting her hair. Eventually the wracking sobs subsided and they reluctantly pulled away.
"Hi, I'm Erik." His violet eyes shined as he took her hand, a gentle squeeze bringing her back to earth. "What's your name?"
She sniffed, and smiled up at him through her tears. "K-Kinana."
"It's nice to meet you, Kinana."
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And they live happily ever after, the end. My tragic soft sneks! *sobs* I love them so much.
Thanks for reading! Make sure to leave a comment on what you thought or leave a fic request! My comments are always open!