Rain hadn't felt this happy in a long, long time. With Varian by her side, and her new guild mates surrounding her, she felt strong. Powerful. Undefeatable, even, but she knew this wouldn't last too long. She knew this was just the beginning of a long, hard battle.

"The sooner we get to Edolas, the better," Erza said, a small smile still playing across her lips.

"Okay," Varian replied, breathing in deeply. His stomach was beginning to churn uncomfortably and he had the sudden urge to back down. His hands were beginning to shake. Varian quickly hid them behind his back. Why was he doing this, again?

"I'm still against this, but you can do it if you think you can handle it." Rain gave the man a small smile. She turned to the scarlet-haired mage. "So, how does this work? Does everyone appear in different places or together?"

The requip mage acknowledged her question with satisfaction. "Last time, we were all turned into lacrima so we don't really know. Wendy, Natsu, Carla, and Happy all entered and ended up together. There's a fifty-fifty chance for both."

    "Wait... If the portal starts to work as soon as it's summoned, won't Varian get sucked in too? If he gets Magic Deficiency Syndrome and everyone gets split up..." Rain covered her mouth and closed her eyes, fighting the nausea. The world seemed to spin beneath her feet. 

    Varian took her hand confidently. "There are risks for everything, Rain. And some risks...they're worth taking." He remembered why he was doing this; not just for Rain, or his new friends, but for all of Earthland. They had no idea what the brothers were up to, for all they knew, they could be planning to destroy Earthland. Their one and only home.

"I'm ready," the silver-haired man said, releasing Rain's hand gently. He turned around, slowly, meeting everyone's gaze, making sure they were ready too. Natsu grinned back at the man, while Wendy smiled happily. Gray and Erza both nodded in agreement. "Let's get going. Everyone is probably waiting for us."

The group began to walk back to the muddy path. "Wah-" Lucy whined. "I don't wanna walk in the mud!" she complained, wrinkling her nose with disgust.

Rain laughed softly. "I don't think you can avoid that." She laughed pointing out that it was raining heavily. Smiling, she began to run around in the rain. "Ah! I love this!" She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, allowing the droplets to run down her face, cool and soothing. It made her feel alive.

Varian and Erza chuckled at her childlike behavior, while Natsu snickered at her. "She really loves the rain, huh?" Erza laughed.

"Yup, her name suits her."

    "Hey! I can still hear you!" Rain shouted, standing still with her hand on her hips.

    "What? We aren't saying anything bad!" Varian teased.

    The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Obviously. How could you?" She flipped her soaked hair. "You love me," she said dramatically, before bursting out with laughter.

    Varian walked up behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, "Of course I do."

    A light, pink blush dusted Rain's cheeks. "H-Hey!" she shouted, prying Varian's arms off of herself.

The blue-eyed man laughed, letting her go. The rest of the group watched with subtle amusement. "Come on, let's get going." Varian smirked, dragging her into the mud.

The trek back was far easier despite the rain. Natsu and Gray had the time of their life, splashing around in the mud, throwing even dirtier insults at each other. Lucy talked animatedly about books she thought Wendy should read now that she was getting older. Meanwhile, Rain and Erza walked together in a comforting silence.

Varian lagged behind the group, deep in thought. 'Why did I do that? Oh my god, I've ruined my chances with her, haven't I? Ugh...'

Rain noticed how far behind Varian was and slowed down so he could catch up. "Um, why are you all the way back here?" she asked in a confused manner.

"Oh!" His cheeks heated up. "I was just-um-thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing!" he replied, a little too quickly for her liking. Rain rolled her eyes and smirked knowingly.

"Okay," she said, catching up with the girls. Lucy was now bothering Erza about books she loved. Erza was barely engaged in the conversation, merely nodding at the appropriate times. She appeared to be more interested in her rain-sodden boots. Wendy was just smiling and listening, so Rain decided to make the trip more fun. She transformed into her air demon form and walked up next to Wendy. "Wendy, I need you to climb onto my back."

The blue-haired girl looked up at Rain with her big, brown eyes and gave her an odd look. "Okay?" She climbed onto the Air Demon-Slayer, clinging tightly to the back of the older girl's soaked shirt.

Rain smiled mischievously. "Hold on tight," she warned before taking off into the sky at extremely high velocity. "Water Air mix!" she chanted, causing her to pick up speed. Wendy's grip tightened on the slayer as she squealed in part fear and part joy.

Varian rolled his eyes at his pretentious companion while the others watched in amazement. "Having fun?" he called out to the small girl.

"Yes!" Wendy screamed, unsure if he could hear her.

Rain sped ahead of the group, making sure to keep a secure grip on the smaller girl. She landed at their campsite with a fairy's grace.

"That was awesome!" Wendy gasped, hopping off of the demon slayer's back. Her legs felt a bit wobbly, but she could still feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "Wow," she murmured, sliding to the ground numbly.

Rain watched her, faintly amused. "You're going to get all muddy, down there."

"We should... probably... get the sleeping bags out," the girl replied, still dazed.

"I left all the gear with Varian," Rain responded promptly. Her lips quirked into a smile. "Why are you tired?" she teased. "I'm the one who did all the flying!"

The rain was beginning to slow by the time the rest of the group arrived at their designated camping spot. Exhausted and sore from the walk, Lucy sank to the ground beside Wendy. Even Natsu and Gray were quieter than usual.

Erza looked at them with a disapproving stare. "We all need to train using no magic. Edolas doesn't have magic, remember?" she said, glaring at Team Natsu. They straightened up under her piercing gaze almost immediately.

"Wait, what?" Rain exclaimed. "No magic?"

Erza sighed wearily and nodded. "But I'm sure you'll be fine. We all just need to train more."

Rain and Varian jumped. "Looks like we can finally find out who's stronger," Varian announced eagerly.

The dark-haired girl scoffed. "Right, like we didn't already know I was the stronger one."

Varian rolled his eyes. "Just take me on." The two got into fighting position, each ready to defend their honor.

"Wait- they're just going to...grapple?" Lucy asked, raising her eyebrows.

"What's a grapple?" Natsu inquired.

"Wrestling," Gray answered. Lucy watched the two boys curiously. A full conversation without a single jibe? What a nice surprise!

Rain and Varian were still crouched, eyeing each other the way two predators would before attacking. "Just attack," Natsu said in a loud whisper. He looked at Erza. "Why won't they attack? This is boring and I'm hungry." Erza retorted with a disapproving glare.

Varian lunged forward, aiming for his opponent's feet. Rain stepped to the side swiftly and countered by springing up from the ground and landing squarely on the man's back. Her arms reached around his neck from behind, in what would've been an intimate position, if only she hadn't chosen to elbow him in the jaw.

The silver-haired man grunted as he squirmed out of her grip and grabbed at her arms, keeping them locked behind her back. Rain kicked fiercely, nearly hitting her partner in the groin.

"Damn, Rain!" Varian hissed. "This is practice!"

"Sorry," she replied, still kicking and struggling. "Kind of."

The brawl continued, each of them taking turns being the dominant fighter.

"Surrender," Rain demanded, pouncing on Varian's leg. The man tripped as he tried to get away. The girl grinned, cocking her head to the side in an almost feline manner. "Surrender?"

"When have I ever surrendered?" Varian asked, pushing her off of him with a surprising amount of force. Rain landed on the ground heavily, watching with defeat as he strided over. Kneeling beside her, he grabbed her arms and pinned them to the ground. He threw a leg over her stomach, anchoring his heel into the dirt.

    "I think we're-"

    She turned in his steel grip and wrapped her leg around his. She batted her eyelashes at him. "It helps to be flexible."

    Rain yanked her leg out from under his, causing him to flip onto his back. With a final battle cry, she leapt onto his chest, keeping him down with a single knee. She pressed his arms to the ground with flourish.

    "I think we're done," she told him smugly.

    The man groaned and pushed her off. "Fine, but you only won because I'm tired," he bluffed.

    "Mhm." Rain nodded sarcastically. Lucy and Wendy cheered for the girl, while Gray and Natsu groaned.

    "Come on," Natsu yelled. "I was rooting for you, Varian!"

    "Sorry to disappoint," Varian said, making himself more comfortable on the damp ground. They were both going to be so very sore the next day...

    Rain made her way toward Lucy and climbed onto the flat rock where the blonde-haired girl was perched

    "Nice fight," Lucy complimented, wringing out her damp jacket.

    "Thanks," Rain said, sighing tiredly.

    "I heard you like to write," she continued, not looking up from her tedious task.

    "Wait, what? Who told you that?" she exclaimed, assuming it was Varian.

    "Varian," Lucy replied, confirming the other girl's suspicion. "He also said you like to sing. I was kind of surprised. You don't look like the singing type."

    "Oh," Rain said, flushing. "I'm not really good at singing... I just do it for fun. It's the same with writing. I'm not half as good at writing as you are." She trailed off unhappily.

    "How can you know that?" Lucy asked. "Has anyone heard you sing or seen your writing?"

    "No..."

    "You have an entire book written! Get it edited! Get it published!" Lucy encouraged, placing a hand on Rain's shoulder.

    Rain smiled. "How much did Varian tell you?" She sighed. "Did he spill everything?"

    Lucy blushed. "Maybe."

    "Even about..." She whispered something incoherent.

    "What?" Lucy inquired, leaning in.

    "Did he tell you about..." She continued quietly, "Cade?"

    Lucy looked down at the ground. "Was that his name?"
   
    Rain waved her hands frantically. "Nevermind! Sorry, I made things all sad. What were you saying about writing?"

    "Oh, um... I was saying... It's okay if you think your writing is bad. You just have to keep practicing. Try to be optimistic. I promise you one thing- if you keep up the writing and singing- you'll grow more confident and improve!"

    Rain wanted to agree, but her thoughts contradicted her. She just smiled and nodded. "Maybe we should get to bed." She got up, ready to get some sleep.

    Erza nodded. "Alright."

    Everyone got into their sleeping bags and fell asleep, trying to keep their worries and excitement deep within, hidden away from their comrades. 'Tomorrow, we go back to Edolas.' Lucy thought, before falling asleep.