I was up early the next morning like Laxus instructed, however, 5 AM in the morning is probably a bit too early. I was just so excited for the day ahead (apart from the traveling). I waited until 8 AM before I grabbed my suitcase and left my flat.

"Are you sure that you'll be fine staying with Lucy for a couple of days Pika?" I asked.

"Has Lucy agreed to this?" Pika questioned.

"Not exactly, but we get on well anyway, hopefully she'll say yes." I replied.

"What if she doesn't?" Pika asked.

"I don't know, I'll just have to find someone else I guess. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." I said.

"Okay." Pika smiled.

"It's a shame you can't tag along." I said disappointedly.

"I know, I don't mean to be but, I'm still scared of water." Pika sniffled.

"It's fine, we're taking it a step at a time, soon enough you'll be splashing around having lots of fun." I said positively.

"I hope so." Pika replied.

I knocked on Lucy's door and after a few seconds she opened it.

"Hey Akari, are you okay?" Lucy asked as she yawned.

"Yeah, sorry for waking you." I apologized.

"It's alright, I needed to be awake soon anyway, what can I do for you?" Lucy asked.

"I know it's short notice but, could you look after Pika for a couple of days, me and Laxus are going on a quest that could be quite dangerous and I just want to make sure that Pika is safe." I explained.

"Sure, I understand." Lucy smiled.

"Thanks, I owe you one, how much do you want?" I asked.

"It's fine honestly, you don't have to give me anything." Lucy insisted.

"Okay. Anyway, I'll see you in a couple of days." I said as I handed Pika over.

"Alright, stay safe." Lucy said as she waved to me.

"I will." I said, waving back as I went down the stairs, making my way to the Fairy Tail guild hall.

When I arrived I didn't see many of the guild members there. At least me and Laxus had an advantage and could leave unnoticed, well, that's what I thought until, I saw the Thunder Legion on the balcony with Laxus. I looked up and waved at the group.

"Morning Akari, I'll be down now." Laxus waved back.

As Laxus picked up his things and walked down the stairs to the ground level of the guild hall, he was surrounded by a swarm of worshippers; surely he didn't wimp out and invite the Thunder Legion because they nagged him.

"So, is this a training session or a squad outing?" I asked Laxus as I looked at the uninvited guests.

"It's a training session... isn't it." Laxus stated as he looked at the Thunder Legion's disappointed faces.

"You know Laxus, we are very experienced ourselves, we can help out." Freed mentioned.

"I know but, I told you that this was just going to be me and Akari." Laxus replied.

"Well, what are we meant to do then?" Evergreen asked.

"I'm sure you'll think of something, take a day off or go on a job. You don't need me to hold your hands." Laxus said as he rolled his eyes and walked with me towards the entrance of the guild hall.

As we walked away, I turned my head to look back at the Thunder Legion standing there with their arms crossed.

"C'mon guys, it's not the end of the world." Bickslow said positively.

"Let's just get a drink." Freed said defeatedly.

Me and Laxus left the guild hall and continued walking down the street.

"That was close." I said, relieved.

"They weren't going to join us, I promised you that it was just going to be me and you, I don't break my promises." Laxus replied.

"Aw, that's sweet." I giggled.

"If you say so." Laxus said.

Yep, me and Laxus were very content until, we reached the dreaded part of the schedule, the puke express. Me and Laxus stood on the platform with our arms crossed and stared at the enemy before us.

"Are you sure that your cat can't fly us both to Crocus?" Laxus asked.

"I'm very sure, I would've said so otherwise." I sighed disappointedly.

"Just staring at this thing makes my stomach churn." Laxus said under his breath.

"We'll conquer it together, just think of the reward waiting at the other end." I said enthusiastically.

"It better be worth it." Laxus warned.

"Of course it will be. Come on, the train will be leaving shortly." I replied.

Me and Laxus boarded the train and sat down on the seats with despair of what was to come.

Back at the guild...

Freed's POV

Me and the rest of the Thunder Legion were still sat at the bar, drinking our sorrows away.

"Where did they go exactly for the job?" Evergreen asked as she ran her finger around the rim of the mug.

"Well, when I spoke to Laxus yesterday he was talking about going somewhere fairly far away to fight bigger monsters." Bickslow replied.

"It would've made sense for us to tag along wouldn't it?" I asked with confusion.

"Yeah, obviously he wants to test Akari on the skills she has picked up since joining the guild." Evergreen said.

"Something still seems off to me though." I said with suspicion.

Mira entered the guild and walked to the bar to start her guild duties for the day.

"Hey guys." Mira smiled.

"Mira, you know what job Laxus and Akari went on right?" Bickslow asked.

"Yes, it was a job specifically asking for them." Mira replied.

"So we weren't invited anyway." Evergreen said.

"That's that then." Bickslow replied.

"Hang on a minute. Where did they go exactly?" I asked.

"On a job." Mira giggled.

Whilst Bickslow and Evergreen were giggling at Mira's little joke, I was far from impressed.

"Seriously though, where is their job?" I asked with concern.

"I'm not allowed to tell you Freed." Mira responded.

I draped over the bar table like a piece of cloth and sobbed in despair due to my desire of wanting to be with Laxus. It's not fair.

"Have they gone somewhere far away?" Bickslow asked.

Mira paused for a minute before giving her response. She looked towards the ceiling in thought with her finger against her lips.

"Fairly far away." Mira replied with a smile.

Bickslow sighed and continued drinking.

Evergreen was still thinking about where Akari and Laxus had gone. She tapped her finger against the bar table in unison with the ticking clock nearby. Suddenly, it hit her. She stopped tapping her finger and looked at the clock. It had been an hour since Akari and Laxus left which, gave her an idea.

Evergreen stood up and tapped Bickslow and me on our shoulders.

"You want to find Laxus, I think I know where he and Akari might be." Evergreen grinned.

"Really?" I said excitedly as I was full of life again.

"Where is he then?" Bickslow asked.

"You'll have to follow me." Evergreen said.

Mira's POV

The Thunder Legion got up from the bar and tried sneaking away behind my back, instead, they were as obvious as you could possibly be, the people in the guild hall watched the Thunder Legion as they attempted to sneak out.

"What's up with them?" Wendy asked me.

"I reckon that they're searching for Laxus and Akari, I kind of had a suspicion that they would figure it out eventually." I sighed.

"Laxus and Akari are on a job request though, why would the Thunder Legion want to find them so bad?" Wendy wondered.

"You'll find out one day." I smiled.

And then...

Freed's POV

"Here we are." Evergreen declared with her hands on her hips.

"The train station?" Bickslow questioned.

We stood outside Magnolia train station watching the next load of passengers boarding the train.

"And you brought us here because?" I asked with confusion.

"Isn't it obvious? If Laxus and Akari went on a job request fairly far away then it means that they would've needed to travel, the most common form of job request transport is..." Evergreen explained.

"The train." I said with realisation.

"You got it. If they left just over an hour ago then we can roughly estimate what time they left the station, therefore, we have a better idea as to where they went by looking at the timetable for the day." Evergreen explained.

"Good thinking." Bickslow replied.

We walked on to the platform and looked at the train times for the day that were hung up.

"Let's see... it'll either be Crocus or Hargeon." Evergreen said as she scanned through the timetable.

"Well, I wouldn't say that Hargeon is that far away really, I reckon they've gone to Crocus." I thought.

"That's what I was thinking. Well, the next train for Crocus will be leaving in half an hour." Bickslow replied.

"Right, that means we should have enough time to collect our things and come back." I responded.

"Uh, are we actually going to follow them?" Bickslow asked.

"Of course, it'll give us something to do." Evergreen grinned.

"What about Laxus though, he won't be best pleased if we find him and he catches us." Bickslow cautioned.

"He won't see us though, we are going to just follow him and Akari undercover." Evergreen said.

"Good idea, let's go." I declared.

Akari's POV

Unbeknownst to us at the time, a big storm was coming our way to disturb our sunny day in Crocus, the Thunder Legion set off on their quest to track me and Laxus down.

Me and Laxus finally arrived in Crocus after hours of traveling, at least we were talking lots and trying to take our minds off the awful feeling in our stomachs. We stepped off the train and walked like zombies into the center of Crocus.

"Look, there's the Domus Flau colosseum." I said, as I had a small smile on my face and pointed at the amazing colosseum watching over the capital.

"That brings back memories." Laxus said nostalgically.

"Fairy Tail was part of the Grand Magic games right?" I asked.

"Yeah. I defeated a whole guild there." Laxus replied.

"Really? That is so bad ass!" I squealed excitedly.

Laxus chuckled and hooked his arm around my neck.

"Shhh! Don't make a scene, we're meant to be on a job remember." Laxus continued to chuckle.

"Alright, alright." I said whilst laughing, trying to get out of Laxus' grip.

We continued strolling through the center of Crocus, admiring all the colourful and wonderful flowers planted around the paths, the scents were divine and fragrant.

Me and Laxus decided to take a quick rest stop by the large lake in the center of Crocus. The descending sun reflected in the water, the sky painted with a warm orange as the ball of fire went out for the night. Me and Laxus admired the Mercurius castle that stood grandly in front of us.

"Crocus is such a beautiful city, the flowers decorating it are so pretty." I commented.

I looked at Laxus as I expected a reply, he was just sat next to me still admiring the view I guess but, I noticed that he sighed after my comment, he brushed his fingers through his blonde, spikey hair and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand; he must just be tired I figured...

"Let's go to the hotel for the night and then we can go to Ryuzetsu land in the morning and head back to Magnolia the next day, sound good?" Laxus asked.

"Yeah that's cool." I replied.

Laxus took us to a hotel called the Honeybone Inn, half way between the core of Crocus and Ryuzetsu Land. We walked inside and were waiting behind a couple of people who were booking in.

"So, you've been here before then." I said.

"Fairy Tail stayed here for the Grand Magic Games." Laxus replied.

"Ah." I said.

We walked up to the desk where a middle aged man was stood with a signing book.

"Hello, how can I help you?" He asked.

"We would like a room for two nights please." I responded.

"For two people?" The man further questioned.

"Yes please, that would be great." I replied.

The man turned around to grab one of the few keys that were hung up.

"You're pretty lucky actually, we are almost out of rooms, since this is the season of the flowers blooming, we have attracted a lot of tourists who want to see our wonderful array of flowers." The man explained.

"Yes they certainly are spectacular." I replied.

"Thank you. That'll be 30,000 Jewel please." The man smiled.

"That's a bit pricey isn't it." Laxus mumbled under his breath.

I nudged my elbow into Laxus' abdomen as a signal to 'zip it' until we got to the room.

"Here you go." I smiled as I handed the money over.

"Thank you, have a good stay." The man said as he took the money and handed me the key in return.

"Thanks." I smiled as we walked down the corridor looking at the room numbers on the doors. "Number 7..." I mumbled to myself.

We found the room and I unlocked the door, Laxus carried the luggage in as I shut the door behind him.

"Why did you have to nudge me like that?" Laxus complained.

"Because, you were saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, yes it is a tad pricey but, it's a decent hotel in a capital city where they get lots of tourists, they're gonna raise their prices because, they're running a business." I explained.

"I know, but still." Laxus replied.

"How is it a shock, I thought you said that you stayed here before?" I asked.

"We didn't pay for it, that was complimentary accommodation from the King who was running the event." Laxus responded.

"Okay. I'm sorry for hurting you, I understand what you were saying but, next time just be more cautious of where you are..." I said until I paused when I walked into the second room.

"Huh? What were you saying?" Laxus asked.

"Um, nevermind." I said softly.

"What is it?" Laxus asked as he walked over to me. "Oh." Laxus paused.

We both stared into the second room where the beds were meant to be, except there weren't two beds, just one, one king sized bed.

"We did specify that we wanted a room for two right?" Laxus asked with concern.

"Yeah..." I said when I suddenly gasped and put my hands to my mouth.

"What have you done?" Laxus asked whilst crossing his arms.

"I haven't done anything wrong... it's just that... maybe, I could've been more specific." I said cautiously and softly.

"Well?" Laxus questioned, raising an eyebrow as he wanted a straight answer from me.

"He must've thought that we were a couple, since I didn't specifically state for two separate beds. Plus, since he said that most of the rooms are booked up there probably isn't a room with two single beds." I explained.

"You idiot." Laxus sighed and then grinned at me.

"You're rather cool about this aren't you?" I asked with slight concern as Laxus didn't really kick up a fuss like I thought he might've done.

"Well, we could be in for an exciting night." Laxus said slyly as he raised his eyebrow with a large grin.

"No. Bad Laxus. No." I stated as I pointed at Laxus and shook my finger at him.

"I like that, keep going." Laxus smirked.

"Ooh! Shut up!" I said, frustrated as I tried to hit Laxus in the chest.

"Okay, okay. I'm just kidding." Laxus chuckled as he blocked my hits.

"Hmph." I replied.

"Seriously though, there's nothing we can do about it, you can take the bed and I'll take the sofa." Laxus replied.

I glanced away from Laxus and pouted my lips in defeat.

"No, you shouldn't have to do that, I should be sleeping on the sofa since I'm shorter." I stated.

"That's not fair on you then." Laxus responded.

Laxus sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at the ground, after a minute of silence he looked up at me as I was leaning against the doorframe.

"Why don't we both share the bed then." Laxus suggested, this time being deadly serious.

Me? Share a bed with Laxus? Has he actually lost it?

My face exploded with red and I turned my head away briefly to compose myself, my heart beat was picking up pace. What's wrong with me? I had no need to feel embarrassed, it's just two people sharing a bed... except Laxus is a man and I'm a woman... no one would know so, why was I stressing? I turned to look at Laxus again.

"I really don't mind sleeping on the sofa you know." I insisted.

"It's not very comfortable though. Look, if you are worried about the fact that you will be sleeping in the same bed as me then don't worry, I won't do anything to you I promise." Laxus said sincerely.

"Promise?" I questioned.

"I told you that I keep my promises, I'm not a creep." Laxus responded, crossing his arms.

"Okay then. I wasn't worried anyway, I mean we're friends so it shouldn't matter anyway." I said whilst flapping my hand and trying to laugh the whole awkward situation off.

"Yeah..." Laxus said as he started unpacking his things.

I stopped my forced laughter and looked at Laxus with his back turned. Man, why do I have to be so awkward? For some reason I felt guilty, like I upset him but, I couldn't understand why at the time. I began unpacking my luggage.

Laxus left the room to let me change and also so that he could change into his night gear. My PJs simply consisted of an oversized burgundy checkered shirt and shorts which, was fitting with the warm weather at the time. I heard a knocking at the door suddenly which, caused me to quickly jump into the bed and cover up under the duvet.

"Hey, it's just me. Is it alright to come in yet?" Laxus asked.

"Yes." I squeaked anxiously.

Laxus opened the door and looked at me oddly. He was wearing a fitted black t shirt with a pair of navy checkered bottoms.

"What are you doing?" Laxus chuckled as he shut the door and walked over to the bed.

"I'm just a little cold that's all." I said quietly.

"Cold? It's pretty mild in here actually, I might even sleep without the duvet." Laxus replied as he laid down on the bed, putting his hands behind his head and showing his rock hard biceps.

We didn't say much for a while, Laxus faced opposite me and tried to get some sleep, whereas, I couldn't sleep and I don't think it was from the excitement of going to Ryuzetsu land the next day. I turned over in the bed to look at Laxus' toned back. Up close his hair looked really soft plus, his arms must keep you warm if wrapped around you... Laxus turned over so he was facing me, I quickly closed my eyes and pretended I was asleep until, I realised that Laxus was actually asleep. He looked so peaceful as he was sleeping, almost like his tough guy demeanor had completely faded away. As soon as I felt at ease about the whole situation, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Laxus' POV

I woke up the next morning pretty early, my stomach felt a lot better for starters but, I felt a lot more refreshed in general. However, what I woke up to definitely gave me a shock. As I opened my eyes and went to rub them, I realised that I felt pressure on my arms. When I looked down, I noticed that my arms were wrapped around Akari.

Crap! I must've wrapped my arms around her whilst I was sleeping. If she finds out then she's going to kill me, I wouldn't have been worried when she first joined the guild but, after a month's worth of training with me, God knows what she could do. I gently moved my arm from beneath Akari, being careful not to wake her. As I was about to move my other arm off the top of her she wrapped her arms around it, trapping me.

"What am I going to do?" I whispered to myself.

Using my free hand, I cautiously put it against Akari's arm and pushed against it so I could slide my other arm out. I held my breath temporarily until I was out of the room. I rolled out of the bed and crept out of the room as quietly as possible. I shut the door. Finally, a sigh of relief.

"Phew." I sighed.

"What are you doing?" Akari asked suddenly.

Akari's POV

Laxus jumped after I spoke to him and turned around swiftly.

"You're awake?" Laxus asked with surprise.

"Yeah." I replied whilst crossing my arms.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Laxus apologised.

"No, I was ready to get up. Anyway, I'm gonna get changed and then we'll get breakfast. Is that alright?" I enquired.

"Yeah, that's fine." Laxus nodded.

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit." I said before walking back to the bedroom.

Laxus' POV

The door shut and I quickly sat down to try and settle my nerves, that was too close. Thank God she didn't know what happened.

Akari's POV

Laxus seemed a bit tense, maybe he had an unsettling dream during the night. Surprisingly enough, I actually slept really well, I don't know what I was worried about in the first place.

After getting changed and packing our satchels for the day, me and Laxus left the room and walked into town for breakfast. We found this small cafe that make an array of breakfast options, we both stuck with the traditional full English breakfast, it tasted so good.

"That was delicious." I smiled as I put my napkin down.

"It was actually, now we are all set for Ryuzetsu." Laxus said as he stretched his arms out.

"I can't wait." I replied excitedly.

Meanwhile...

Freed's POV

"These croissants are fantastic." Bickslow said as he was eating.

"Please keep your mouth shut when you are eating." Evergreen commented.

"Sorry." Bickslow replied.

Evergreen and Bickslow both looked at me as I was sat there playing with my food that was in front of me, I had a frown on my face, all I could do was think about where Laxus might be.

"What's the matter Freed?" Evergreen asked.

"I can sense Laxus but, he could be anywhere." I replied dejectedly.

Bickslow dropped his fork on the ground by accident, causing a small clattering sound. He bent over to pick it up and saw something, something that caused him to hit his head on the table.

"Crap!" Bickslow exclaimed as he put the fork on the table and rubbed the back of his head.

"What are you doing?" I questioned.

"I bashed my head on the table but, you won't believe what I've just seen and heard." Bickslow replied.

"Surprise me." I said sarcastically.

"Laxus and Akari are here, moreover, they are going to Ryuzetsu today." Bickslow informed.

"They're here?" I asked as I turned around quickly and spotted Akari and Laxus sat together.

"Don't be so obvious." Evergreen complained.

"I can't help it." I replied.

"I know you are eager about this but, if you blow our cover now then we won't get the answers we want, then all of this will be a waste of time." Evergreen explained.

"I know. I knew that there was something going on, didn't I tell you." I said.

"It doesn't really prove anything though, maybe that's where their job request is." Bickslow mentioned.

"Don't be so naive, a job request in a waterpark? There won't be any monsters or enemies there. Laxus said he was training Akari, not at Ryuzetsu land he isn't." Evergreen commented.

"Indeed, it does sound suspicious, we better check this out further." I said in agreement.

Akari's POV

"Ooh." I said, shivering slightly out of the blue.

"Are you okay?" Laxus asked.

"Yeah... I just had a sudden chill go down my spine, I feel like we are being watched." I mentioned.

"Not that I know of, it is a bit breezier today so that could be it." Laxus suggested.

"Probably. Do you want to get going now?" I asked.

"Yeah we might as well." Laxus replied.

Me and Laxus left the cafe and started walking to Ryuzetsu Land, unaware of the trio following us.

Freed's POV

"They're leaving, let's go." I said promptly as I stood up from the table.

"We need to keep our distance otherwise they'll spot us, give it a minute." Evergreen said.

"You two are ridiculous." Bickslow chuckled.

I couldn't even wait thirty seconds, I needed to catch up with Laxus as  quickly as possible. Evergreen and Bickslow weren't far behind as they tried to catch up with me. Let the chase around Ryuzetsu Land commence.