"welcomes ladies and gentlemen!" the pumpkin man's voice echos through out the stadium. "this is the first day of the final challenge, teams will verse each other until one team is left standing. winners will verse winners until we are left with this years champions." the crowd roars in response.
"is it just me or does it seem like there are more people here then before?" Lucy leans over the edge to look out at the crowd. from my place at the corner of the balcony i can see the way Sting moves so that if she did fall he would be in a better position to catch her.
smiling i look down at the pumpkin man, half drooped against the edge. if anything i should be the one worried about falling. turning around i lean on my back as i look up at the lycra screen above us.
1st place Trigon
2nd place Dreamtime
3rd place Fairytail
4th place Quantum Cerberus
5th place lamia scale
6th place Blue Pegasus
That is the placings so far. i have a sneaky suspicion about Trigon being first though. "their up to something," Levy's voice startles me. jumping i launch myself away from the edge the moment my center of gravity goes a tad too far over.
"how long have you been standing there," then as an added point i add. "did you read my mind?"
"I've been thinking over everything we have seen them do." trust levy to already be thinking about it. "i have some theories but i'm sure that they're up to something." looking over the arena at their balcony she puts on her thinking face.
"do you want me to do some resonance?" following her line of sight i judge the obstacle known as Trigon. she goes quiet. "i'll be careful, they wont know i'm there or that i've gone through their stuff." nodding she steps back and turns to me with a stern look.
"do the bare minimum. if they see you spying on them then who knows what they'll do. And we still need you for the final task." grabbing my hand she squeezes it. "don't get hurt, or worse,"
"I've got this." squeezing her hand back i offer a reassuring smile.
"first up we have Trigon against lamia scale!" nodding i take a step backwards and drop her hand.
"i'll be in and out," promising her i turn and walk away. in doing so i catch the eye of a certain shirtless guy next door. shaking my head i turn away and walk to the door. taking a moment to nod to Auma on my way out.
"Axey," a small voice calls out. Ollie looks up at me from her spot on the floor.
"i'll be back." ruffling her hair i leave the room.
time to put my skills to work. i'm like the opposite of a beacon, people instantly look away whenever they get close enough to notice me. Allowing me to walk straight down the middle of the hallway without being noticed.
its a long circular hallway and the only indication that i'm almost there is the noise, and the people. i know that the group is coming before i can see them. i can see their attention on each other and the space around them.
Trigon turns around the corner and instantly my blood goes cold. my head flashes back to the alleyway, when they had corned Lucy and i when we were injured. Breath, i tell myself. they can't see you.
flattening my back against the wall i close my eyes and focus on my breathing. the attention in the room is like wisps of light i can see through my eyelids. every time one of those wisps attach to me or come near me i mentally slice through them. directing it in a different direction.
and again. i keep going until the attention is so far away that i can't reach them. staying frozen to the wall i exhale hard and open my eyes. shaking the gitters away i force my legs forward. one more deep breath and i push forwards.
one hundred meters, i think that is how far i go before i make it to the door labeled, Trigon. the storeroom next door is slightly ajar. a good hiding place should anyone return.
stepping quietly towards the main door i turn the handle and slightly push the door open.
suddenly a light flashes at the back of my head. jumping backwards i stand up and spin back to the direction of the hallway i had just come. seeing the flash of a person going around the hallway i take a sharp breath.
a force collides with me from one side and i'm pushed into something on the other side. the store room door opens and i stumble inside. looking up i see bright blue eyes. the figure pushes me up against the wall, and a hand is pushed against my mouth as he closes the door.
struggling i push back against the figure. this only causes him to push up against me to stop me from struggling.
"it's me," Grey hisses into my ear. the sudden realization of this shuts down my movements. Grey is here, his body pushed up against mine, in a dark closet. and i have no idea what to do with myself
i attempt to form words but he just pushes against me harder, stopping me from making any noise. i can feel his breath on my neck. the coldness of it sends shivers down my back. a very much unwanted feeling settling in at the bottom of my stomach. no matter how much desired.
the sound of footsteps outside of the room catches my attention. and i gladly take the distraction, its harder to control a persons attention when i cant see them, much less when it's through a wall.
seeing through the wall, in sense, i push his attention to the door next to us. instantly i feel the resistance and it doesn't work. furrowing my brow in concentration i push harder. it's one of the Trigon members. Abe walks up to the doors. pausing just in front of ours. it's slightly ajar.
the only source of light filling this room. it's like i'm fighting against a wall of bricks, trying to transfer his attention onto something else, anything else. a hand rests onto the door knob. he pauses.
another scene tickles at the back of my head and instantly i latch onto it. linking the two together and successfully forgiving Abe's attention onto the figure coming down the hallway. quickly the door is pulled shut as he turns to eye the new person.
there is a shuffling and the murmur of words. before they both walk away.
breathing out the breath i had been holding, i bring myself back to my body and my attention. blinking hard for a seconds i regain focus.
my eyes trailing up the chest in front of me and to the deep blue eyes looking down at me. without realizing i had been gripping onto Grey's arm. releasing my tight grip i relax slightly. there si one problem gone.
"your eyes." he says softly. "they glow," blinking i surprise, i don't break the eye contact.
"yeah," usually when i use my powers strongly like that and it's dark, the rim of the iris will dimly glow.
"their beautiful," my breath catches in my throat for a moment. I'm positive that the warm feeling on my face is a blush quickly expanding. glancing down i see his lips and Juvia's face flashes through my eyes.
"what are you doing here?" planting my feel i don't move away, no matter how much i want to.
"what are you doing trying to break into Trigon's room?" he flips the question.
"that's none of your business."
"isn't it?'
"we're enemies," i remind him. "shouldn't you be with your girlfriend watching the game?" i add forcefully.
"Juvia?" giving him a hard look i don't back down. "Juvia isn't my girlfriend. don't have a girlfriend." for e moment i'm confused. he says it with so much resolve that it sounds like he dislikes her as much as i do at the moment.
"that's not what it looked like the other night." i can't help it. the words fall out of my mouth.
"i had nothing to do with that."
"sure." finally looking away i slouch into the wall. "it doesn't matter anyway. you two." i trail off, not knowing where to go with that. "you two make a good combination." i finish softly.
"but i don't like her."
"are you sure about that?" i snap. "you two were kissing, shes in your guild, your powers are a perfect match, shes clearly in love with you." voice cracking on the last part i look away from his eyes. "why don't you just give up on denying it?"
suddenly a pair of lips are on mine, my back hit the wall as his body pushes up against me. my brain short circets, i fail to react. after a moment of shock he pulls back, pausing less then a centimeter away from my face. his cool breath sends shivers down my spine.
my mouth falls open in a silent O, however words fail to come.
"because your the one i like." staring at him i gape. "you're the one who i want to kiss, you're the one i want to match." he pauses and a cool hand brushes against my jaw. "your the one i want to be with." the room falls into a silence. his words doing circles in my head.
after a beat he moves back, i don't know if i mean too, but my hand tightens on his arm, my grip stopping him from doing so.
"me?"
"i wouldn't want anyone else,"
"are you sure?" he takes a step closer.
"i've been sure since the moment i got to know you" leaning forwards he pauses in front of my face, our lips almost touching. "and i have been wanting to kiss you since i knew you," almost closing the gap i hesitate.
"why are you telling me this?"
"because, i want us to be something." my heart jumps again. "if you want, i'd like to be able to kiss you in front of a crowd and call you mine." smiling like and idiot i close the gap between us.
"i thought i was the only one." breaking away to look up at him i smile.
"so did i, i did not expect today to end up here." laughing slightly he breaks of and sighs. "but i'm god damn glad it did." cautiously, almost experimentally, i raise my hand so it rests on the back of his neck. in doing so i knock something to my left and the room explodes with light.
Blinded i drop my head into his shoulder, blinking hard to rid the spots in my vision.
"what is this place?" Grey must have adapted to the light faster then my poor eyes do. blinking around the room i take in what i can see.
numerous magical weapons line the walls with a single table in the middle of the room. Grey moves back and i step forwards to inspect it. closed on the table is a thick, old, book with runes on the cover.
"i don't know," gently reaching forwards i hit something in the air. "but it doesn't look good." flattening my hand on the force field, blocking the book from us, i peer down at the writing.
"you need to get out of there soon, the match is almost over" Levy's voice echos through my head.
"we need to get out of here." quickly i memorize the page in front of me. taking in the name of the book and the chapter titles.
"how do you?" he starts before his face changes into an annoyed understanding. "oh, that thing you cant talk about?"
"sorry," grabbing his hand i pull him towards the door. "it's not something i have much of a say in," stopping at the door i glace back around the room. taking note of the weapons and other various items.
switching off the light, i softly close the door and let Gray pull me down the hall way, our hands still intertwined.
"i have to get back to the guild and tell them what we saw."
"what did we see?" grey slows his pace and turns to me, a concerned crease his brow. "what were you doing breaking into the Trigon guilds room?"
pausing i think over the reply. "i'm not sure, but we cant be seen sneaking around, people will suspect something."
"so? no one cares if two people from competing guilds are dating." smiling like an idiot i slightly melt on the spot.
"i don't mean like that," moving closer i hesitate. i want to kiss him right now, but can i?
"oh," flushing grey looks down. seeing a better opportunity i place a finger under his chin and raise it.
"but for the record, i would love for people to know that you're taken" even though i flush as the words come out of my mouth i stand by them, with a new confidence i didn't know i had.
"they'll know soon enough." smiling back at me he gives my hand a squeeze. "come on, i want some answers and i guess the person i have to go to to find them out is Levy?" i follow next to him like a giddy child.