"You seem bored, Cana," Laxus said as he turned around. The brunette woman was a rare sight outside her chambers or the hall where their fellow deities were currently enjoying themselves, partying and completely forgetting about their duties. "Or did you see something that displeased you? I promise you that I am not plotting another riot."

She snorted as she approached him, resting her hands onto the balustrade of the balcony that allowed them to look into far away worlds and dimensions. "I am getting tired," she said and he spotted the faint lines on her hands – and this also explained why she had not been seen in a longer time. "Tired of watching everyone repeating mistakes, tired of lying to myself."

"You have guarded millions of beings, no matter how insignificant for centuries," he said. "You deserve to rest for a few years, Cana."

"I was about to rest just before you had the brilliant idea to stage a riot, Laxus," she stated.

"I could promise you to be a good boy while you sleep," he offered. He knew just too well how tired she was. Centuries of waking and watching would have made everyone tired and she saw more than the presence – she also saw future and past. If she had been anything but exhausted, he would have suspected foul play and he might even asked his grandfather for advice.

"You are not the only one that makes me work overtime," she said as she turned her face into his direction. Wrinkles surrounded her all-seeing eyes and crow feet marked her face. She had not looked this old the last time they had met but then again, they had not seen each other face to face for nearly an entire century. "Lucy and Yukino … they are the ones I watch the closest now."

"The Star maidens?" he asked, wondering why the Goddess of Future even bothered with them.

"Yes," she said as she sighed deeply. "They are in love and I need to supervise all of that – orders from your grandfather, orders that I cannot ignore."

"In your current state, you will not be able to watch them much longer," he stated. "Did you tell my grandfather how tired you are? Or did you hide this weakness from him?"

She sighed deeply. "Makarov is not all-seeing," she said. "And he does not see what I do not want him to see. I did not want him or anyone to see this … my weakness."

"To tire after centuries without sleep is hardly a sign of weakness … everyone else but you and me slept in the past millenniums – even grandfather and even your father. And I, well, remember how I was stripped from my powers? When I returned, I felt refreshed."

"I will not betray the island!" she snapped, the very passion that had made her the woman he respected for centuries burning in her eyes that had seen everything.

"No one would ever expect you to," he whispered and he knew that this was the final truth. She had watched over everyone who lived here for millennia and she would not rest without ensuring that her family and friends would be safe. And yet, he knew what he had to do. He gently placed his hand on her neck and pulled her into a hug before a small lightening bolt hit her, sending her into the sweet land of dreams. "I am sorry, Cana, but I just did what I had to," he said as he lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder before he carried her to the mountain from where his grandmother reigned over the island. Porlyusica was a short-tempered woman who was capable of even scaring Makarov himself.

"Fool!" she hissed as she spotted her grandson carrying the brunette woman. "No matter how tired she was, she would have kept guard for another few years before falling into her sleep! Who is guarding the realm now, Laxus?"

He dodged the broom she threw at him and sighed deeply. "The safety of the realm should not depend on the single watcher we have," he replied. "And just because no one else does have a similar power, how can we force her to stay awake just so that we are safe?"

"She has rested before … and she would not be this tired of she had not been forced to join the Dusk of Deities you staged," the woman replied. "Put her onto the bed and go to your grandfather. Explain the situation to him and pray that he won't get to mad … maybe you get away with taking over for Cana … or maybe Erza will do this … she is the guard of the earth after all … Mirajane is busy enough down in the realm of the dead … Gildarts is travelling…"

"I will return to my grandfather's palace and see what I can do," Laxus said. "Meanwhile, you will ensure that Cana will recover from the strain she was put under lately, alright?"

"I can't make any promises but if anything, she will regain her strength as long as she is here."

"…I heard about what happened to Lady Gipsy," the rough voice of Gajeel resounded in the hall as Laxus entered. "Grandfather dearest is no happy camper because of that."

"Yeah," Makarov said grumpily. "She was supposed to tell me whether it would be save to bet on a soon wedding between Gray and Juvia – and now, I got no clue at all."

"I am worried about the safety of the island in general now," the red-haired woman in the armour said calmly. "Cana did a formidable job for so many centuries…"

"She really made me sleep better at night," Levy, one of the odd-haired educated twins, said softly as she stood at her brother's side. "I mean … she warned us when Hades tried to attack…"

"If I had her gift to see the future, I'd be replacing her until she awakes," the shy deity Lisanna said as a bird landed on her head. "Cana is a dear friend of mine and I hate to see her unwell."

"No, Lisanna, Laxus shall watch the worlds until Cana awakes again," Makarov said. "This means that you will temporarily share her ability, Laxus. Use it wisely – and tell me about Gray and Juvia. I am really curious about these two."

"Understood," Laxus said with a bow as he lowered his head.

"I warn you … even for Cana, her ability is often more a curse than a blessing," his grandfather said. "She is constantly plagued by nightmares because knowing the future often hurts. And she has been dealing with this for more than thousand years. Just so that you know … talk with Gray if it pains you too much. He has been through this once before."

Laxus nodded but in his pride, he did not believe that nightmares would truly be a problem for him. He was Laxus, the God of Thunder and Lightening, after all and he would be able to deal with a few little visions of past, present and future.

Or so he thought.

"C-coffee?" Natsu asked as he spotted the blond god. "Laxus, you look like hell warmed over!"

Behind them, the white-haired guard of the realm of the dead hissed softly, obviously unhappy about the thoughtless comment regarding the very area she reigned over.

"Coffee," Laxus confirmed as he rested his aching forehead against the cold surface of the table. "I really don't know how Cana could deal with those … visions all the time. My respect for the work she has been doing all those years just skyrocketed … that's really exhausting…"

"There you go," Levy said as she placed the coffee in front of him. "But Makarov did warn you!"

"He probably thought that if Cana can deal with it, so could he," Gray snorted as he handed over a glass of water. "There, I got some painkillers left over from the last time your grandmother believed that I needed a surgery for some reason … now, I am a god without wisdom teeth."

Laxus chuckled darkly as he downed the water. "I feel really pathetic," he muttered.

"You look just like Cana after she first reached the peek of her power," Gray said amused. "She hardly closed an eye at night either. Give it a few days and you will be used to it as well."

"But I want to do a good job now – and that's impossible with that headache…" Laxus sighed.

"Well, this is something you should have thought of before you knocked out Cana," Evergreen said with a motherly sigh. "Say, Laxus, can the Thundergod Tribe head out to the human world? We are getting bored up here … and Fried nearly freaked out at the uneducated fools…"

"Leave … it's not like I had time to join you anytime soon," Laxus sighed. "Anyway, I am over at Cana's workplace … maybe she's hiding something to kill the headache over there."

Gray watched how he left, shaking his head. "Once again, I realise why I do not want to trade places with Cana – ever," he said. "Okay, guys, I'll head over to the weather department. Eve and I think that a few worlds need some winter now…"

"Take something for the way, Gray," Mira said as she handed him a box. "Oh, and remember to talk with Juvia about the upcoming autumn in this world. We want something nice…"

Juvia floated into the Chamber of Worlds before she stopped, staring at the blond man who was sitting where usually her friend sat to watch and guard the worlds. "Did Laxus change his occupation?" she inquired as she approached him. "Juvia did not know that that God of Thunder and Lightening truly bothered with the small existences called humans…"

"I caused Cana to fall asleep and grandfather said that someone has to guard the worlds in her place," he said. "You can come in anyway, Juvia. You often sat here with Cana after all … so you belong here while I am the intruder."

The blue-haired woman chuckled softly as she sat down on the balustrade and picked up one of the thousand orbs. "Juvia has been watching this world for a long time," she said quietly. "Cana let me, saying that it is only natural that Juvia feels connected to the world under the sea…"

"You miss Cana, don't you?" he asked as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Of course," the water goddess said as she placed the orb back into the Well of Worlds. "It is so silent around without her in the realm … even Gajeel-kun says so…"

"Gajeel? Even he is missing her?" Laxus wondered as he played around with one of the orbs. "That's a surprise. I knew that you'd be unhappy and maybe Lucy and Lisanna too … but Gajeel?"

"She had promised him her help with Levy-san," the water goddess said with a shrug. "But … Juvia does not know whether Gajeel-kun really needs her for this … Levy seemed interested…"

Laxus sighed deeply. "I used to envy Cana … because this job seemed easy … watching a few humans and making sure that no one attacks the island … I didn't know that nightmares and matchmaking belong to this job like lightening bolts to mine…"

"Juvia has visited Cana earlier today," the woman said as she rose. "And … Laxus-san should do the same … she looked very lonely today…"

"Yeah, I'll check on her, I promise," he said with a short nod.

"This is good," she smiled. "I hope that Cana will return soon … it's getting boring without her."

Her breath went slowly and steady as he sat down at her side. She looked far better than she had that day in the garden. Her hair shone again and the wrinkles on her face had been smoothed out. And this was when he realised that he missed her. The faint smile that graced her lips was only a weak imitation of the bright one she had shown when he had returned to the island after his banishment to protect the family against Hades and his merry gang of fools. She had been there as well, dressed in her battle gear and all-seeing eyes colder than ice. Hardly anyone had expected her to join the battle because like Juvia, she had suffered during the Dusk of the Gods … and yet, she had been there to bring hell over their enemies.

He sighed deeply as he traced the thin scar on her wrist. It was easy to sit here by her side to guard her sleep but he knew that his duty was something else. Under normal circumstances, she would have chased him away and told him to do his job but at the moment, she was too lost in her dreams to tell him to leave and so he would stay for a little longer.

"Stop daydreaming," his grandmother snapped as she appeared by his side. "Cana is recovering faster than usual … you might have helped her with your reckless foolishness. Anyway, how are you coping as temporary replacement for the Goddess of Fortune?"

"It's a little more exhausting than I previously thought," he admitted. "The dreams are getting on my nerves and to space out at time because of a sudden vision is annoying as well."

"Did you consider of dreaming of something else instead?" the pink-haired woman inquired.

"To dream of something else is … not possible at the moment," he said as he avoided her gaze. He did not want her to know that he was dreaming of Cana and the way she used to be centuries ago, strong and witty, a formidable combatant and born leader. This was another reason why he did not sleep much at the moment – he was trying to avoid those memories because no memory would ever be capable to compare to the real deal.

"She will awake soon, Laxus," Porlyusica said softly as she nudged the brunette woman. "Give her a few more weeks and she will return … and make sure that she doesn't get behind on her work. It would make everything more complicated than it has to."

"Say, is it normal that for someone who got the power of a fellow god to develop deeper feelings for the one who shared the power?" he asked as he we looked at her carefully.

She flinched. "I've never heard of such thing," she said. "You should ask your grandfather."

But this was something Laxus never could to because seconds afterwards, the alarm siren of the medical department rang out, indicating the arrival of someone who had been hurt. Laxus was just about to leave when he recognised Levy on the stretcher.

"Uh-uh," he muttered. "Gajeel won't like this…"

"You miss her."

"Leave me the hell alone, Mira," he growled as he threw another stone into the lake.

The white-haired demon merely chuckled. "You miss her because you love her," she continued.

"You weren't listening – I told you to leave me alone," he replied darkly. "Or are you looking for some sort of fight? Because I am mad enough to start one."

"You are dreaming of her … you dream that you are kissing her … cute…" the woman said amused. "Oh, you are talking in your sleep, Laxus. That's really sweet … in a sickening way."

"Mira…" he warned as lightening bolts appeared around his hands.

"You miss her smile … her way to laugh … maybe even the way she used to kiss you?" the white-haired guardian of the Realm of Dead mused aloud. "You used to have some sort of relationship after all, right? So you probably miss to hold her in your arms…"

"That was more than a century ago … before I distanced myself, before the Dusk of Gods."

"Yes, the riot wasn't one of your smarter ideas, I agree," she said amused. "Anyway, do you want to hear a secret? Well, I am going to say it anyway so your opinion doesn't matter at all."

He stayed silent as he stared into the deep lake.

"She forgave you for that lapse of judgement a long time ago," the woman said as she turned to leave, unfolding her wings. "That's her greatest … and maybe darkest secret … she forgave you everything, that you turned her against Juvia and the way Juvia was injured. She does not like to admit this but … she has forgiven you for this ultimate foolishness."

"That's another proof that she is not extremely smart," Laxus said. "If I was her, I would hate the person who forced me to fight my best friend … and who forced my best friend to sacrifice herself so that she would not hurt anyone."

"That's why it is her darkest and … best kept secret," Mira replied as she vanished into thin air.

Laxus stayed behind, wondering why his best intentions had always the worst outcome. When he had tried to strengthen the community of deities, it had ended in a riot that had left quite a few of them gravely injured. When he had returned from his banishment, he had smashed down the gates to the island with too much force which had caused Gajeel to work overtime when he had repaired it. And now, he had only wanted the best for Cana – now she was in a coma.

"Let me give you some advice," the ethereal cool voice of the Great Mother of Ice said as she sat down by his side, freezing a small part of the lake and covering the surrounding in a thin layer of ice. It was rare to see her out of her realm because of the eternal winter that always followed her. But when Ur arrived to give advice, it was smart to listen to her.

"You are not as foolish as you believe at the moment," she said kindly. "Still, Cana's fate dictates a good deal of the fate this island has and so, well, you should have considered this before you sent her to sleep. Anyway, right now, you should consider waking her up. I believe that her gift is one of the most frustrating – even more annoying to be followed by ice and snow wherever I go."

"You tell me to wake her up even though my grandparents will kill me for that move?"

Dark eyes narrowed, became even colder. "Leave Makarov to me," she said. "Gildarts entered my domain earlier and told me that he wishes for his daughter to awake soon. I am merely trying to help him to achieve his goal … to fulfil his wish."

She was a strange person, sometimes nearly transparent and he thought that he could look straight through her but then, she was harsh and nearly aggressive in her ways. She left within a sharp breeze of icy wind and he was alone again – but he had a goal to achieve.

"Nothing," Levy said as her brother nodded. "We searched intensely but there is no confirmed possibility to wake someone who takes his well-deserved rest."

"Ur implied that there has to be a way," Laxus replied impatiently. "And she never lies."

"Are you familiar with the human fairy tale called Sleeping Beauty?" Freed chuckled as he pushed a dusty old book across the table. "Seeing that most of us do not bother with human literature – which is truly a loss for them – this might hold indeed the solution for your problem."

"Otherwise, we can only encourage you to find your own way," Levy said with a cheerful smile as she fiddled with the bandage around her wrist.

They were twins, something Laxus had always trouble to realise. They were as different as night and day but there were similarities, tiny details that made their relation logical. Freed was a good older brother for Levy, protective and strong enough to back up his promise that no harm would ever touch her while she was around. Levy was tiny but cheerful, making the stoic man smile and forget about the hard work they performed. To be in charge of knowledge was nearly as troublesome as to guard the island and the entire future along with hundred dimensions.

"Find your own way," Freed confirmed and empathised his sister's words as he smiled slightly.

"Alright," Laxus said before he headed over to the district where he had been too often since the fateful day he had knocked out Cana and since he had been caught in the whirlwind of events. Since she had fallen asleep, he had talked with deities he usually ignored – like Gray or Juvia. Even Ur was someone he usually avoided (which was very easy) because she had the annoying habit of seeing through lies and pretences as easy as he would look through glass.

Cana lay there in silence, still smiling, still unaware of the worlds around her. Probably this was the first time she could truly relax because the last time she had rested, she had still been aware of her surroundings. He sat down by her side, gently poked her cheek. There was no flinch, no reaction that might have shown that she had felt it. He carefully patted her shoulder but she only snored and turned her head to the side.

"Are you kidding me, Cana?" he muttered as he sighed deeply. She could impossible be still asleep. She had an extremely high awareness for presences, for hostile presences at least. Laxus stopped his chain of thoughts. "…I could try to get … Ivan here…" he mused. "That should wake her up … on the other hand, if it doesn't work, we got a lunatic on our hands. Bad idea."

He looked around, wondering whether someone was around but the hall was empty. His grandmother was most likely looking for herbs somewhere on the island and at the moment, no one else was resting so that the hall had no other visitor. He exhaled slowly as he leaned over and stared at her peacefully sleeping face. "She will kill me for this," he sighed but this did not keep him from placing a chaste kiss onto her lips.

He instantly felt how the borrowed power left his body to flood back to the woman who had been in the back of his mind since the last time she had kissed him. He barely managed to pull back in time for her to open the eyes. At first, her eyes were hazy but they focused soon enough and so she sat up. "Aw, good morning," she yawned. "How long have I been out, Laxus?"

"Eight weeks," he said as he handed her a cup of cold green tea. "Sorry about that."

She merely shrugged as she rested one hand on his neck and kissed him carefully. "Don't you dare acting surprised now," she smirked. "Remember – my eyes see everything."

He blushed slightly. "Sorry but it seemed to be the only way to wake up – that's what Levy and Freed said at least…" he said slowly.

"They knew that I was supposed to wake up today," she stated calmly. "You really shouldn't trust them blindly, Laxus. No matter how mature they seem to be now, they were extremely mischievous when they were younger … and such things never disappear competely."