The day dawned bright and warm, the skies above Magnolia a soft blue canvas. At Fairy Tail's guild hall, laughter and chatter buzzed like static, as Team Natsu, Shinra, and the rest of the crew prepared for what was meant to be a much-needed break. Loke, grinning with pride, stood at the center of attention holding up glimmering resort passes like a magician unveiling his best trick.
"Akane Resort, all expenses paid, five full days of bliss!" he announced, drawing cheers and applause from the nearby guild members.
Lucy blinked. "Wait… why do I get the feeling you're trying to butter us up before dropping some kind of personal drama bomb on us?"
Loke only winked in reply. "Don't worry, Princess. Just relax. Consider it my gift."
Erza, already fully armored despite it being a beach trip, looked solemnly at her suitcase. "I've packed fourteen types of swimsuits… just in case."
"Only fourteen?" Mira teased as she passed by with a mock gasp. "Slacking, Titania?"
Erza glared at her, cheeks coloring faintly. "It's about being prepared. Not… competition."
Mira merely hummed in amusement, her eyes flicking briefly to Shinra, who was quietly organizing his belongings into a compact duffle bag.
The group going consisted of Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Gray, Erza, Shinra—and of course, Loke, who insisted on coming as their "dashing vacation guide." Mira offered to stay behind to 'help' run the guild in their absence, but not before giving Erza and Lucy a long, knowing smile that made them both shift uncomfortably.
---
The journey to Akane Resort was as lively as ever. Natsu, predictably, spent the entire train ride groaning and puking into a paper bag, clinging onto Lucy's arm while Gray made sarcastic comments. Erza sat with her arms crossed, eyeing the others with her usual stern vigilance.
Shinra found himself beside Lucy, the window down as wind rustled through their compartment. "You ever taken a vacation like this?" she asked curiously.
"Not really," Shinra admitted with a chuckle. "But maybe I should have, considering how intense things have been."
"You've earned it," she said sincerely. "And besides, having you around makes everyone feel safer."
He smiled but didn't reply. His eyes drifted out to the passing scenery—and though outwardly calm, something gnawed quietly in his chest. A small, flickering sensation. A whisper of danger.
---
At the resort, the team split up quickly. The beach was vast and golden, the waves rolling gently as vacationers soaked in the sun.
Natsu bolted toward the sea with Happy in tow, yelling, "WATER WAR!" Gray followed right after him, shirt already off. Lucy squealed when a splash hit her before she even set foot on the sand.
"YOU GUYS ARE DEAD!"
Erza stood on the beach in a one-piece crimson swimsuit, glowering at the chaos. "They're acting like children."
Shinra stood beside her in simple black trunks and a towel slung over his shoulder. "You could always join them."
She looked at him sideways. "I might break them."
He laughed. "I think they'd still think it's worth it."
Erza's eyes lingered on him for a moment too long before she turned, her cheeks tinged. "I-I'll supervise."
Further back, under the shade of a beach umbrella, Mira sipped fruit juice through a straw. Though she hadn't joined the trip officially, she had "coincidentally" decided to take a personal vacation to Akane Resort on the same dates.
"Oh look at them all," she murmured, watching Erza steal subtle glances at Shinra, who was now building a sandcastle with Lucy. Mira giggled. "Romantic triangle energy."
---
Later that evening, the group gathered around a bonfire near the resort's edge. Loke played the part of entertainer, telling exaggerated stories to an audience of skeptical guildmates.
"I once singlehandedly seduced an entire division of the Rune Knights," he declared.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "You tripped in front of them and cried when they drew their swords."
"Details," he huffed.
Shinra sat beside Erza and Mira, the three of them quietly enjoying the warmth of the fire. The mood was peaceful—almost too peaceful.
Erza's gaze slowly drifted to the stars above. "It's nice. It almost doesn't feel real after everything with Phantom Lord."
Mira smiled gently. "We need moments like this to remember what we're fighting for."
Shinra remained quiet, yet internally, his senses stayed sharp. Something was coming. The thread in the weave of fate had shifted ever since they arrived.
---
As the night deepened and laughter softened to murmurs, Shinra stood at the shoreline alone, his feet sinking into the wet sand.
He stared at the moonlit sea and felt it—an echo, a distant cry. Something painful.
A memory—brushed his mind like a phantom wind.
"A tower… in the sea…"
---