"Yame, what the hell are you doing?"
"I love all of you so much," Ayame slurs.
Sting and Kira sighed as Emi giggled. The white haired girl brought a glass of water over to the drunk woman and performed a healing spell on her head. Ayame sobered up rather quickly and walked over to the group.
"Emi, I still have no idea how you do that."
"Alcohol is considered a drug, so I used my healing spell to reverse the effects of any drugs in the body."
"Anyway," Sting started before turning to Ayame, "we were all going on a mission in a couple days, and we wanted to ask you to come. That is, of course, if you're not drunk out of your mind."
"Oh hell yes. Going on jobs is awesome when Emi is going."
"Great!" Emi cheered. "We leave in two days. We'll meet here."
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"Lady Emiko! Sting has something to ask you!"
"Lector! Don't you dare--"
"Why are you two yelling?"
Lector had made it over to the cloaked girl and floated in front of her.
"Sting wants to know if--"
Sting had caught up to Lector and quickly put a hand over the exceed's mouth.
"Sting? What's going on? Why are you two acting so strange?"
"Uh," Sting stumbled over his words as he rubbed the back of his neck, "we were maybe wondering if--"
"We want you to go on vacation with us!"
"Lector!"
"Va...cation?"
Lector and Sting stopped bickering and turned to Emi with raised eyebrows.
"You don't know what a vacation is?"
Emi shook her head and asked for the pair to elaborate. Lector and Sting looked at each other before trying to explain.
"A vacation is like a longer break from jobs. You go somewhere and relax."
Lector nodded and continued, "It's super fun. We always go to the beach!"
"The beach? Why do you go there?"
Lector spoke up, "Because the beach is fun! You get to swim and build castles and lay in the sun."
"Plus," Sting added with a wink, "there's lots of ice cream there."
"Aren't we going on a job in a couple days?"
"That gives us just enough time. We were leaving tonight so we could be there tomorrow morning and spend the day."
"We'll sleep in an inn and then leave the next day to come home!" Lector excitedly explained.
"Do we have to tell Kira and Yame?"
"But they know Sting and I are going. Why wouldn't they assume that you would come with us?"
Emi looked at Lector in confusion, asking, "Why would they think that?"
"Because you're Sting's girlfriend."
Emi and Sting blushed in embarrassment as people walking by started to stare at the exceed's outburst.
"Lector," Sting hissed, "don't do that."
"Don't do what? You are! Why is it a secret?"
"Lector," Emi started calmly, "we're not trying to hide it because we don't want people knowing. It's just that I can't let certain people know where I am or who I associate with."
"That's weird," Lector commented before floating away.
Sting looked at Emi apologetically before taking her hand.
"Sorry about him. He gets a little excited. He, uh, really likes you."
Emi smiled and gently squeezed his hand.
"Let's go find him before he eats all the food at your apartment."
"That's going to be so cute!" Mira exclaimed with hearts in her eyes.
Everyone laughed at her enthusiasm and waited for the next memory to play.
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"The train sure is empty, don't you think?" Emi questioned out loud.
"That's a good thing, Lady Emiko. We have a couple hours to go."
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Emi asked the exceed.
"Well..."
"I'm gonna...be sick. Let...me die."
Emi and Lector completely ignored the dragon slayer and looked out the window. Emi pointed to a couple different trees and explained them to Lector.
"That's a Winter Daphne. Isn't it pretty?"
"Wow, Lady Emiko. How do you know all this stuff?"
Emi pulled out her flower book and showed it to Lector. She handed it over to him and pointed out the different flowers and trees that the book featured. Lector flipped through the book to look at the pictures.
"Can you read this page for me?"
-------------------------------------------
"You go check in at the inn and we'll gather all the stuff," Sting said excitedly.
Emi laughed at his energy, noting the contrast from how sick he was on the train. She turned and made her way into the inn before going into the room. She flopped down on one of the beds and spread out like a starfish.
"I hope this vacation will be fun. I've never been on one."
After a while Emi stood up and started to take off her cloak and change. Sting and Lector had flung the door open, surprising Emi.
"So everything should be all s—"
Emi and Sting looked at each other for a couple seconds before Sting started to apologize.
"I don't get what the big deal is. Why are you so shaken? I have clothes on."
"I just--"
"Lady Emiko, what happened to your back?!"
"Lector!" Sting barked.
Lector looked between the two and let out an "oh" before apologizing and sitting on one of the beds. Sting looked over at Emi to see that she was looking at her back scars in the mirror.
"I'm sorry about him. He gets--"
"Lector, if you wish to know about them then I can tell you."
"Emi, you don't have to--"
"I can also tell you if you want to know. Everything else has been told. I might as well share this."
Lector and Sting sat on one bed while Emi sat on the other. The boys faced Emi as she explained that a new scar forms every time she defeats a Sin.
"So far, I've defeated four Sins, so I have four of these scars."
"Why do they look like whip scars?" Lector asked.
"It is to be a form of punishment for trying to stand against those that are of the same race as the person who taught me the demon slayer magic."
"So if you defeat all the Sins, you'll have seven scars?"
"If I am able to kill all seven Sins, my purpose would be completed, and I will eventually die from the overflow of magic."
The group gasped as they looked to Emi with concern. Emi stared straight ahead at the memory and refused to look at anyone.
"Emi, will you really--"
"It must be done to stop the Book of Zeref. I will bear that responsibility."
Sting and Lector looked at the white haired wizard with wide eyes. Lector started to cry, which seemed to bring Sting out of his shocked trance.
"Little buddy--"
"I don't want Lady Emiko to die!" Lector said as he fought through the tears.
Emi repeated the words that she had said to Sting the other day, "I should die in a way that nobody would miss me. I should die alone. This is why I was told to not become close with anyone. This is why I always traveled alone. But it seems things have changed."
"There has to be a loophole of some sort, right?"
Emi nodded before going to tell him.
"There might be a way around it, but it's a longshot at best. I could--"