Pride: This story is dedicated to Cardboard Pixie, an amazing friend, confidante and sister-figure who passed away on October the 9th. She dedicated her last moments to writing fanfiction, which she truly loved. I hope her hard work and dedication is recognized, because she truly deserves it. Thanks for the great memories and times we had, and no matter what, we won't forget you.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.
Moira
An original Fairy Tail fanfiction
A young man, seemingly in his late teens, stood up shakily on his feet and steadied himself, trying to regain his bearings.
All around him he saw nothing but vast, barren plains of glass, as far as the eye could see. Whatever this place was, it definitely was not where he went fishing with Happy. As the sweltering heat beat down on his back, he continued to survey his surroundings as though immune to the high temperatures that had made this part of land unfit for life.
Stooping down to the ground, Natsu brushed his bare fingers against the glass-like substance. Feeling it pull violently and almost hungrily on his magic reserves, he immediately pulled back and straightened himself.
Lacrima. The crystalline ground must have been made entirely out of lacrima. No other substance is capable of drawing on magic. And by the fact that it drew so strongly on his magic, he assumed that the lacrima was probably completely empty of magic.
Based on that, he had a slight idea of where he might be.
'Edolas. But I thought that Mystogan had all the Anima sealed the last time we were here? Anyways, if this is Edolas, the best thing to do would be to look for Mystogan and ask for his help,' he thought.
Looking all around him, he noticed that the only break from the lifeless lacrima plains all around came in the form of a dense forest to his east. Figuring that his best chance to reach the Royal City lay in traversing the forest, he set out with renewed vigour.
Along the way, he picked up a few pebbles of lacrima, knowing that his Master Makarov or Porlyusica might want to take a look at these. In the case that they didn't really need the lacrima…well, he could always sell them, they'd fetch a high price back in Earthland.
The forest wasn't as dark as it had seemed to be from the outside. On the contrary, it seemed to shine with the thin beams of sunlight filtering through the foliage, giving the moss-covered ground and tree barks an almost luminescent sheen. Natsu had to marvel at the wonders of this world.
He supposed this must be the balance that Master always talked about. Earthland was full of magic which was a wonder in itself, but Edolas seemed to encourage the growth of all kinds of flora and fauna in recompense for the lack in magic.
By nightfall he'd caught a ground sloth large enough to sate his monstrous appetite. He skinned, gutted and cleaned it then slowly roasted it over a blistering flame.
Natsu leaned back against a tree while waiting for the meat to cook, thinking about everything that had happened over the course of the past 24 hours. As his back heavily hit the bark of the tree behind him, the branches above shook lightly, causing some glittery substance to fall off the leaves and settle on his hair.
He'd been fishing with Happy, when he sensed something descending on the region nearby. Leaving Happy to continue fishing, he'd explored the area, looking for the phenomenon he'd sensed earlier when his senses burst in a splash of white.
And that was how he found himself in his current state.
He wondered why he didn't feel all that worried about the whole situation. Perhaps it was faith in himself and his ability to survive in any situation. Perhaps it was trust that Mystogan would definitely be able to find a way for him to get back home. Or perhaps it was true that he was an airhead, as the others often pointed out and that the reality just hadn't sunk in yet.
Grabbing a huge chunk of meat and bone from the fire, he began munching down his dinner. A wild sheep-looking creature trotted up to him and bit at the meat he held in his hand, pulling at it.
Natsu indignantly wrestled it back from the creature with a cry.
"Don't steal my meat, damn sheep! Or do you want to end up as supper that badly?!"
The creature didn't seem to want to let up either.
"Besides, since when do sheep eat meat? Let g-," he abruptly stopped mid-sentence when his enhanced sense of hearing picked up a set of heavy, lumbering footfalls a little far off.
He strained his ears to listen for any follow-up noises, and the sheep-like creature beside him perked its ears as well.
The second set of footfalls sent the creature scampering away. Natsu realized that whatever that sound was, its owner was best avoided. He promptly gulped down the crackling flames before him so that the brightness didn't give away his position.
Wolfing down the spit-roast in record time, he climbed up the nearest tree and leapt from one tree to another towards the source of the noise. Hey, mortal danger or not, dinner was the priority in Natsu's book.
Arriving at the source, he saw a large horned, winged creature drag its heavy body through the dense forest, head swinging from side to side, nose fervently sniffing and ears twitching. Atop the beast there was a humanlike figure. Squinting his eyes, he saw that the figure looked feminine and had…red hair?
He jumped closer to the rider and a grin split his face at the sight. Erza was always a welcome sight for sore eyes, no matter which Erza it was.
"Erza! Erza Nightcrawler!" he called out.
The armoured lady turned around in her saddle and scowled at the pink-haired man.
"Knightwalker," she hissed at him.
"Right," the boy's grin showed no signs of fading.
"Dragion. I thought it was clear that no one is to loiter around in the Forests of Traia beyond curfew," her scowl deepened. The years may have softened her, but her hatred for Fairy Tail and its members was a difficult trait to change.
She shot him a cold, calculating stare, as though more suspicious than irritated by the presence of the teenager. Natsu observed her closely in return. He took note of how she had changed over the years. Knightwalker had retained her tomboyish short hairstyle that she had come up with towards the end of the end of their last visit to Edolas. However, her wardrobe seemed to have gotten a little more conservative – in the sense that it simply wasn't as provocative as before.
She now wore long pants, no doubt because her previous outfit probably hindered her mobility. She had a short plated skirt that stopped way above her knees, just to make it look better, he supposed. She also donned a simple black blouse with shoulder plates and breastplates.
Natsu gave her a look of appraisal at her tastes – utility-based with a subtle touch of aesthetic appeal. He had never understood why some girls dressed to impress, even though it would hinder their movements during missions.
'I mean, you can't impress someone even with impeccable fashion if you're gonna get battered up badly during missions, no?' he reasoned.
"I'm not Dragion. I'm Dragneel, Natsu Dragneel! From Earthland, remember?"
The scarlet-haired warrior maiden narrowed her eyes in obvious suspicion.
"Prove it."
Natsu immediately tried to light his hands aflame to show his ability to use magic as proof. Only a few seconds after his magic failed to manifest did he remember that it was impossible to use magic here in Edolas due to the absence of Ethernano in the atmosphere.
However that attempt at magic was enough proof for Knightwalker. His natural, instinctive impulse to use magic proved that he was from Earthland, so she decided to believe him for the time being.
"Alright," she conceded to Natsu's surprise.
"Huh? That was fast."
"How did you get here?" she continued, finding it surprising that a mage from Earthland could find themselves in Edolas even though the occurrence of Anima had been greatly reduced and almost completely fixed by the King.
"I don't know. I was just fishing with Happy when I felt something weird, like a crack in the atmosphere. Then there was a flash of light and I find myself here," he finished off briefly.
"Was that an Anima that dragged me in here? Did you guys do it on purpose?" he asked her. As much as she reminded him of the Erza of his world, he knew the things she had done under Faust's reign and wouldn't put it past her to continue to do so. Old habits die hard, after all.
"Yes, it was an Anima, and no, we are not responsible for it – don't be stupid," she retorted, indignant.
"Even after King Jellal banished all magic to Earthland and sealed all the Anima years ago, some still managed to appear. It can't be helped. The fact that Edolas is devoid of magic means that magic from Earthland will try to flow into this world, in the same way that sand in the top of the hourglass will naturally flow into the bottom half. As such the occurrence of Anima continues to appear naturally. King Jellal, in his power, has tasked Commander Hughes of the 3rd division and his underlings with scouting the land for these 'rogue' Animas and sealing them up without delay. It seems that you must have been transported here through one that they missed," she explained elaborately.
"Uhhh I don't get all of it, but okay… I was transported to some lacrima desert sort of place near here."
"The Extalia plains. It was the place where the floating city of Extalia crashed when all the magic had been drained from this world. Since the floating island had been inhabited by the magical Exceed and suspended above the ground using magic for hundreds of years, the soil itself acquired lacrima-like properties, and the pressure from the crash caused it to compress into lacrima."
"Right. Listen…uh, now do you or Mystogan know of a way to help me get back home?"
"I do not, but I am sure King Jellal-" she stressed, expressing her displeasure at the informal way in which he addressed the King.
"Or King Mystogan, if you insist, will definitely be able to find a way to send you back to Earthland."
"Okay. How do I get to the Royal Palace then?"
Erza stared at him for a full minute, thinking of what she should do with him.
"Get on."
"What?" Natsu asked, not understanding exactly what she was referring to.
"Climb onto the Legion. I'll take you there," she said, gesturing to her Legion that was now placidly grazing on a patch of fresh, wet grass and a few ripe wildberries that had fallen from the trees.
Natsu obliged and climbed onto the Legion, making himself comfortable behind her.
"Get in front of me. I don't trust you with my back," she instructed.
Deciding that arguing with her probably wasn't worth the effort, he did as instructed, grumbling all the while about bossy redheads, which she ignored. When he finally settled himself in front of the saddle, he heard a snort behind him, that sounded almost like a giggle.
Natsu admired her cheerful and refreshing visage. She really looked so much more beautiful when she giggled and let her hair down – metaphorically, of course.
"What?" he asked, disgruntled.
"Your hair…it's coated in phantaspores," she explained through her muffled giggles. Seeing the confusion on his face, she continued.
"The phantaspores are glitter-like spores of the Phantasmagoria tree. They are powerful hallucinogens that can trigger extremely convincing, long-lasting hallucinations when they come into contact with the skin of living things. I'm surprised you're not on the ground screaming by now."
"Heh, my body heat is too high, all that halluci-whatever probably burned up long ago," he grinned at her, some of the phantaspores falling off his hair when he turned around.
Erza's lips quirked up slightly at the ends. She decided that she liked this confident, cheerful personality more to Dragion's meek, timid and shy one.
"I suppose so, Dragneel."
"Natsu. I'd rather you called me by my first name," he corrected her.
"But if I am to refer to you in public, we need to ensure that they do not mistake you for Natsu 'Fireball' Dragion."
"But still, 'Dragneel' is not a wise name to use in public, since they'd probably associate it with Demon Lord Dragneel," he chuckled, and she joined in.
"Fine. 'Salamander' then. It's what the Iron Dragonslayer referred to you as, is it not?"
"Alright then. But then I should do the same to you; it feels awkward to call you the same way I call the Erza of my world."
"Then you can refer to me as Knightwalker-"
"No."
"Or 'Fairy Hunter'-"
"Definitely not."
"What, then?" she frowned as the Legion continued to flap its way to the Royal City.
"Red." Natsu responded simply, to which the woman behind him nodded her head in simple agreement.
Having settled that, Natsu decided to drink in the sights of Edolas from the high vantage point. Until his motion sickness kicked in, that is. He immediately slumped backwards, his head hitting the chestplates of Knightwalker's armour.
"S-sorry…mo-motion sickness," he explained.
Knightwalker merely nodded, trying her best not to let her mind wander to unspeakable domains.
Natsu felt a rush of relief. The feeling of the cold, hard steel against the back of his head reminded him of Scarlet's 'hugs', which involved slamming a person's head into her armour. It was painful, but reassuring nonetheless.
He felt his motion sickness ease away enough for him to think clearly. He had been fine when he was talking with Red, since it took his mind off the fact that the Legion was pretty much transportation.
Deciding to do the same and take his mind off things, he initiated conversation with Knightwalker once again, to her slight annoyance. Never before in her life had she spoken for so long to any single person. It just wasn't her. It just wasn't Erza Knightwalker, Commander of the 2nd division.
Natsu continued to chatter and prod her to be more responsive, turning a blind eye to her slight discomfort. She really needed to let her hair down, seriously – oh, the irony!
The moment they reached a balcony at the Royal Palace, Natsu hopped off and set off running along the hallways, looking for anyone he recognised.
Along the way, he noticed and admired the intricate carvings and elaborate tapestries that decorated the wide arching corridors. The corridors were wide enough for a baby dragon to crawl through, he noted off-handedly.
He continued to 'ooh' and 'aah' at the large torches that lined the walls and the beautiful chandeliers that swung from the ceilings. Natsu may be a dunderhead, but even he could appreciate good taste in interior design when he saw it.
He recognised Mystogan's signature touches to the interior design here and there, in the circular patterns on the ceilings that resembled the former mage's illusion magic circles.
Reaching the throne room, Natsu saw the King having a discussion with a single Minister that he didn't recognise. His face split into a wide grin.
"Oi, Mystogan!" he yelled.
Erza, annoyed, hit the back of his head using the flat side of her spear.
"King Jellal," she hissed.
Mystogan dismissed the Minister he had been talking to, and looked at the newcomers with interest. One of them was obviously Erza. The other was obviously Natsu – that he knew for a fact.
However, some aspects were missing; the goggles, the gloves, the shy eyes, the slight slump of the shoulders and the other body language that screamed 'Timid!'. No, this wasn't Natsu Dragion.
The confident disposition, the fiery personality and the draconic features – this was definitely Natsu Dragneel, the many years Mystogan had spent on Earthland had made sure that he could recognize the pink-haired man before him at first glance, or second at worst.
"Your Majesty, please forgive his insolence," Erza pleaded, mortified that this…this cretin had dared address the King as such.
Mystogan waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.
"It is a privilege accorded to those who know me on such close terms, Commander Erza. I have insisted for years that you drop the formalities with me, as well, but you refuse."
"Royalty must be addressed accordingly," she replied, stubborn as ever.
At this, both Natsu and Mystogan rolled their eyes. Typical Erza. She was the same, no matter which world.
Mystogan turned his attention back to the matter at hand.
"Natsu? Dragneel?" he offered, trying to affirm his suspicions.
"The one and only!" was his reply. How endearing.
Erza stepped forward and briefly explained the pink-haired man's situation to Mystogan.
"I see. Natsu, I'm sorry to inform you, that I cannot assure you a return to Earthland. It is possible, but you'll have to wait for the next Anima to appear naturally. Even then, our methods of detecting the appearance of Anima are crude and unrefined, at best. We are improving on our technology, but this is all we have to work with at the moment. When I receive notice that a fully-formed Anima is present nearby, I will let you know so that you can hitch a ride home. Is that alright?" he said apologetically.
"That's fine with me," Natsu replied. He was a little disappointed, but if there was nothing more that could be done about the situation, then he'd just have to do with what he had and hope for the best. Mystogan nodded.
"By the way, have you got any more of those X-balls? Can I have some?" Natsu asked, perking up. Erza observed the two old acquaintances' interaction with faint interest.
"Well, I can't say I don't have any…but magic is almost taboo now in this world. The people have gotten used to living without magic. Any use of magic now might make you an enemy in their eyes. Your power and magic would place you as a potential threat to Edolas itself. Or worse, it might even reignite their greed for magic, and throw the entire world into unrest. No, the X-balls are better saved for extremely dire situations." Hearing this, Natsu nodded in understanding.
All the while, Erza continued to wonder what these X-balls were that the two talked about.
"Back to the matter at hand, since you have to wait for an indefinite period of time before you can return to your world, feel free to stay at the Royal Palace. If ever you need anything, you have but to ask and it shall be provided," King Jellal smiled at his guest.
"Nah. Thanks for the offer, Mystogan, but I'm not really the kind to stay still in one place for too long. I'd rather explore this world a little and see as much as I can before I have to go back home. So I think I'll just go around, look for some jobs to do, people to meet an' all. But I'd appreciate if I could have some of your world's currency just in case I need it," the pinkette grinned back at his host.
"I thought you'd say that. You really haven't changed all that much on the inside, Natsu," Mystogan smiled sincerely.
"Alright, wait here for a little, I'll assign someone to – at the very least, give you a tour around the city and the towns nearby. You'd get lost in no time, otherwise. Besides, we need to keep tabs on you so that we know where to find you if we get any information on Anima occurrences," the blue-haired king turned around, his royal purple cape swishing with the movement as he sought to summon one of his personal guards.
"There is no need for that, milord. I will personally see to it that the Salamander knows his way around the place and is mindful of our culture in a few days' time," Erza piped up.
"Well, if you're sure…I'm sure I can let you off duties for as long as you need. Also, I was about to tell you that you needed an alias here, Natsu. But it seems that Knightwalker here has already seen to it."
Natsu grinned appraisingly at the scarlet-haired woman to his left, causing her to flush a little at the intense gaze boring into the side of her head.
"That aside, Natsu, you need to dye your hair a different colour. I'm afraid pink is not a very common colour here either, and you'd only draw unnecessary attention with that kind of hair. The chances of people mistaking you for Natsu Dragion are too high, so I'd advice getting a makeover. And some necessities for your stay here, such as a place to stay, the like. And of course, clothes. You'll find that people here have a…different sense of fashion,"Jellal grinned.
"If you want to, feel free to drop a visit to the Fairy Tail guild here, seeing as you know some of the members here personally. For now, I'd suggest that you stay the night at the castle, seeing as it is extremely late at night. Knightwalker will lead you to one of the guest rooms."
"Lead the way, Red!" Natsu cheered, not at all tired despite the fact that it was currently nearing midnight.
Erza rolled her eyes and began to trudge sleepily out of the throne room, before she took note of her sloppy posture and straightened herself out, walking in a dignified strut. Behind her, Natsu sniggered, and she had the decency to at least look abashed. Not before she elbowed him in the stomach, though.
Mystogan watched the duo's antics and smiled to himself. If he hadn't known about the two already, he'd have thought that they had known each other for a while; they most certainly acted in a very familiar and relaxed manner around each other. It was far from easy to get strict, uptight Commander Erza to let her guard down easily.
Recollecting his thoughts, Mystogan felt a little grateful. He had almost gotten sick of the gloomy castle and godforsaken politics when Natsu came in and brightened up his day…err, night.
Meanwhile, Natsu was once again bouncing excitedly along the hallways, seeing the carvings of dragons along the walls. It amazed him, the amount of accurate detail that the artist had carved, despite not having seen a real dragon before. Watching him, Erza had a faint smile on her face. It surprised that this pink-haired specimen before her was so boisterous and amusing, while managing to retain a particularly masculine atmosphere around himself and not giving the impression of being a complete buffoon.
'If he were a character in a story, he'd probably be the protagonist,' she thought to herself.
When they approached a fork in the hallways, so enraptured with the carvings was Natsu that he unknowingly took a right turn, still chattering animatedly about the carvings.
"This way, dummy! The guest rooms are in the leftmost wing of the castle!" Erza dragged Natsu by the scruff of his neck in the other direction.
"Oh, the good old times," Natsu mumbled in slight annoyance, remembering all the times Erza Scarlet had dragged him like this. The only difference was, whenever Scarlet did it, he could be sure he was in for a beating. When Knightwalker did it, though…well, he had no idea.
Half an hour and four wrong turns later found Natsu and Erza in a guest room. The room was clean and well-kept, but Natsu had to suppress a laugh at the thought of the state it would be in by the morning. The room itself was spacious, and certainly had an air of luxury to it. However, it had nothing more than the necessary items, giving it a cosy look.
Upon spotting the bed, Natsu dove right at it and started bouncing on it. Erza had to suppress a smile at his antics. He was childish, but she supposed that the childishness was refreshing in itself. Both Salamander and herself deserved a break, she thought as she turned the chair at the dressing table around and sat herself on it.
"Salamander."
"Huh? What's it, Red?"
"We need to talk. About your mannerisms and behaviour while we are out in the city tomorrow. We can't have you making it painfully obvious that you're a foreigner."
Natsu groaned. Suffice to say, ever-energetic Natsu felt his body grow tired and his eyelids droop at the thought of a lecture, but Erza made sure he drank in every word she said attentively.
The next morning found Natsu sprawled out over the floor and Erza curled up on his bed, not unlike a cat. Natsu awoke to bright sunlight shining into his eyes through the gaps between the rich velvet curtains. He stretched, opening his jaws wide in a yawn, as his shoulders flexed against the warm, carpeted floor.
Standing up and rubbing his eyes, he let his gaze land on Erza, who was curled up on the bed in a foetal position, sucking on her thumb with a fierce expression on her face.
'Ha! I knew that someone so sadistic must have an equally unique hidden quirk!'
He laughed out loud, unwittingly waking her up.
Erza Knightwalker stretched herself with feline grace, humming sleepily while turning over onto her back. Her blouse had ridden up her torso during her sleep, exposing her bare stomach. Shaking his head, Natsu pulled her blouse back down.
"Salamander? You're awake." Erza stated more than asked, not questioning the fact that his hands were pulling at her blouse.
'It must be a habit of hers to sleep such that her blouse rides up her stomach,' Natsu figured.
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Judging by how bright it is, I'm guessing it should be about ten already. We've missed breakfast. I suggest you get ready if we're at least going to get some lunch."
"What's that?" Erza inquired curiously.
"What's what? Lunch? It's a meal that you-"
"No, not that, smartass. I asked what 'Sleeping Beauty' was. You mentioned it earlier."
"What? You mean you don't know what 'Sleeping Beauty' is?"
"No, dumb-dumb. Why would I be asking if I knew?" It was then that Natsu decided, a sleepy Erza was a grumpy Erza.
"It's a popular children's story where I come from. It's about this random princess who falls into a deep sleep for many years due to an enchantment placed on her. She only wakes up many years later when she shares True Love's Kiss with some random prince-dude and they live happily ever after. he explains briefly.
She snorts derisively. "'True Love's Kiss'? Forgetting the fact that him kissing her while she was unconscious was only slightly short of rape?" she questions.
"I wouldn't go so far as to compare it with rape, but when you put it that way, I guess?"
Natsu found that once he had gotten to know Red, she was really fun to hang out with, perhaps more so than Happy or Lucy.
"You and your people are weird," she scrunches up her nose in mock-distaste, playfully huffing at him.
"This coming from the girl who sleeps in such an unladylike manner. I could practically see your bra earlier, you know? Paw-printed pattern? At least you have good taste. Childish, yes, but good taste nonetheless," and he winked at her.
The nerve of him. The sheer gall of that grinning buffoon. A tick-mark appeared on the armoured maiden's forehead.
"Pervert!"
Natsu and Erza made their way to the Fairy Tail guild building which had been permanently relocated to the merchant city of Sycca, Edolas.
All around them, there was the hustle and bustle of goods being moved around and people crowding around to get their hands on the different goods that arrived in a steady flow of carts and caravans.
The dragon-slayer's sensitive ears picked up various sounds of shop owners crowing to promote their merchandise, customers haggling to get bargains, the steady clop of bulls' and donkeys' hooves on the crudely-tiled pavement.
He sniffed the scintillating scent of honey-baked turkey ham and other assorted meats. He slowly drifted away from Erza, in the direction of the shops.
"We just had lunch, Sally!" Erza hissed in his direction. Natsu's head snapped in her direction, bearing an annoyed expression.
"Stop calling me Sally, Red."
"It's too troublesome to say 'Salamander'. It has four syllables. 'Sally' has only two. I might consider if you behave, though."
Grumbling, he walked on, glaring at the pavement ahead and pointedly ignoring the smells and sounds that beckoned him ever closer to the food stalls. Every now and then, his gaze flitted in the direction of his companion, drinking in the sight of her looking like perfect wife material. A frilly white blouse and a cute flower-patterned skirt that went all the way down to her ankles, and a sunflower in her hair. This sufficed as a disguise for her, since no one in their right mind would suspect this unassuming, harmless-looking lady to be Erza Knightwalker, the fear-inspiring commander. The perks of being Erza, Natsu supposed.
"I still can't believe you dyed your hair silver," she mused from besides him, sounding awfully disturbed by the fact.
"Why not? It's an awesome colour!"
Ignoring him, she continued grumbling, "First pink, now silver. From a gay colour to a positively weird one. Well, I guess weird suits him better."
"Hey, pink isn't gay! And silver isn't weird either! It's as cool as 'Kakashi Hatake'!" he pulled an imaginary headband above his left eye, and struck a pose. "Nin-nin!"
Erza shot him yet another judgemental look.
"We're here," she announced, and pushed the doors open for Natsu to enter.
"Heeeeey everyoneee~!" Natsu sang as he strutted in, positively sparkling such that Ichiya and the Trimen would be jealous if only they could see him now.
He was met with blank stares. Poor guy forgot that his hair colour was pretty much his most defining trait.
"N-Natsu Dragneel? I-Is that you?" a small voice piped up, recognising himself despite the silver hair.
"You bet'cha!"
"D-Dragneel!"
"Dragion!"
"Dragneel!"
"Dragion!"
The two mages ran towards each other and embraced in a dramatic moment that would have made a heavyweight wrestler cry manly tears of joy – if not for the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.
"WHAAAAATTT?" the entire guild chorused. Erza mused that they'd probably do well in a choir. Better than they would in an odd-jobs guild as was the case right now, anyway.
"What's with the silver hair, man?" Gray, bundled up in an awful lot of clothes and blankets, smiled at the newcomer.
"Well, Red here suggested that I dye my hair so that I'm not mistaken for Dragion. By the way, I go by Salamander now, because the people would start mobbing me if they heard the name 'Dragneel'. Y'know, Demon Lord Dragneel?"
"Red? Who'dat?" Juvia raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
The guild's gaze turned on the homely-looking woman leaning against the walls by the door. With her civilian attire, sunflower in her hair and all – that sunflower, though – she looked well and truly harmless. If not for the murderous glare on her face, that is.
Cana was torn between feeling tickled (because scary ol' Erza looked like a newly-wed maiden), and scared (because she might blow up and slice them all to bits at any time). She settled for feeling amused, and raised a dainty hand to cover her lips as she giggled faintly in the background, cup of tea in her other hand.
Lucy was enraged. "You have some nerve showing your face in here, bitch," she growled.
"Not like I have nowhere better to be, slut." Erza hissed back, both of them poised as though prepared for a cat-fight.
"Lucy, no need to worry. She's with me." Natsu grinned, making her calm down somewhat. "And Red-" he walked over to her.
"Be polite, won't you. You won't be able to mend broken pasts to pave the way for a better future, if you don't make an effort right now, in the present," he nodded sagely, and flicked her on the forehead.
"Owww," Erza complained but decided to let it slide, and instead rubbed her forehead quietly and opted to stay in her corner of the guild.
After that, the guild partied, the way only Fairy Tail could, and Natsu had fun getting re-acquainted with the counterparts of all his guildmates. His day had been great so far, except that he was just the teeniest bit disturbed by the fact that the Edolas version of Wendy had been hitting on him all day.
The big, hulking figure of a man who seemed to be in his forties struck an imposing figure, with his scar-riddled limbs and his bushy moustache. However, a man of his bulk was doing something no one would expect – wiping tables. He hummed a merry tune that reflected his mood, as he cleaned up the place. Wiping the sweat off his brow, he looked lovingly at his wife who was mopping the floor clean, and then glanced at the silver-framed wall clock that hung behind the cashier's counter.
9 o' clock. In this part of Edolas, typically no one stayed up past this time. One could say that the city of Sycca was devoid of nightlife.
'No more customers for today, I suppose. Should be a'ight to close shop and -'
He was brought out of his thoughts by the familiar clink of the wind chimes placed above the door frame. Turning to the door, he saw an eccentric-looking couple – a silver-haired young man and a red-haired lady dressed in a fashion that stood out from those of the people in these parts.
"Sally. I told you that family restaurants don't open at this ungodly hour!" the woman gritted out.
"But look, Red! Oji-san here seems to still be open for business, right?" he looked hopefully up at the burly man, who simply couldn't refuse. His work ethics dictated that customers were placed in the highest regard, and so who was he to refuse the young couple?
"Come on in, then, you can get seated. Call me Darius," he spoke with a strong accent that Natsu supposed was the norm in this city.
The man's wife – Martha, as they learned later – took their order. Not wanting to impose on the middle-aged couple, Erza ordered light for Natsu and herself. Natsu let her do so, noting happily to himself that it was rare to see Erza this considerate, be it Scarlet or Knightwalker.
"Not from around here, I s'pose? It's not every day y'see a young couple walk in to a family restaurant at this time of night, especially in such foreign clothes, yes?" Darius boomed amiably making small talk while the two ate.
Natsu remained silent. He didn't know enough about Edolas to trust himself not to slip up.
"No, we're from the city. My companion and I came here bringing gold and porcelain," Erza explained.
"Ah," he nodded with understanding. "Heard that those arrive only once a year. You'll be staying in this city for a while then, you both?"
Natsu chipped in, picking up on Erza's white lie, "Yeah, oji-san. Actually, I was wondering if I could work under you until they call me back for the next gold expedition? I'd rather work than while my time away until then."
"Eh, why not? Never hurts to have another helping hand 'round here. My wife and I, we've been running this restaurant for years alone, it's 'bout time we hired someone to help, no? What about your girl, then?"
If Erza was flustered by the fact that the man thought she was 'Natsu's girl', she didn't show it. "N-no, it's alright. I have a job back in the Royal City, to occupy my time."
"A'ight then."
"Your order of grilled lamb chops, spicy buffalo wings and a soda, sir," Natsu chirped as he set down a tray containing the aforementioned orders, then he turned around and brusquely walked towards the kitchen to collect the other orders.
The usual clink that announced the arrival of a customer was accompanied by a soft voice.
"Salamander?"
Natsu whipped his head around. It had ages since he had last heard that voice. Well, technically less than a month, but to him it was a long time nevertheless.
"Red?" a grin threatened to split his face as he beckoned her in, and towards an empty table.
"Ma'am, can I have your order?" he asked teasingly.
"I'll have one of everything," she said, picking up on his playful exchange.
"Would you like fries with that?" and they shared a short laugh reminiscent of their times together thus far.
"Actually, I'll just have a slice of key lime cheesecake and some iced tea. The rest were for you," she nudged him, a teasing twinkle in her brown eyes.
Natsu rolled his eyes. "Wait here for a bit, okay? It isn't actually my shift, but I was bored of doing nothing so I decided to help out. I'll just hand out the remaining few orders, and join you for a bite with our orders."
"Sure, take your time," she smirked.
True to his word, Natsu was back in a jiffy, cake, tea and all.
"So, what brings you here? Don't tell me you came because you missed me and my radiant presence?"
"NO, no of course not!" she denied, shaking her head vehemently from side to side. Natsu thought she looked like a child trying to convince herself more than anything.
"Then?" he prodded her, that frustrating smirk on his face that she liked and hated at the same time.
"I…uh, I came here to collect my latest model of spear that I'd commissioned Tinker's Armorsmith to make. Well, they said it'd probably take a month for them to get it done, so I'm here to check up on it. Well, I told them to surprise me, so I can't wait to see what they've come up with!" she gushed spontaneously as though she hadn't just cooked up the story on the spot.
Natsu listened patiently to her gush, before he burst out laughing.
"W-what?! Why're you laughing?" Erza sputtered.
"Tinker's Armorsmith closed shop here and moved to another city more than a month ago, Red," he informed her, trying his best to hold in another gale of laughter.
Erza's cheeks burst into colour, taking on a deep pink hue, while the tips of her ears turned a bright red. She inconspicuously tucked her hair behind her ear to hide her rapidly reddening ears. Natsu found this side of her incredibly cute, and found himself inexplicably drawn to her, more than he had ever been to any other girl.
"A-ah, what? Whatever!"
Natsu burst out laughing once again.
The day of Natsu's return to Earthland finally arrived, and he found himself feeling weary as he trudged alongside Erza through the dark woods to their destination.
He had truly enjoyed his stay here, but he also loved his family back in Earthland, and so he was torn between staying and leaving.
Mystogan had received reports from Commander Hughes about the appearance of a fully-formed Anima, and had immediately notified Natsu, true to his word. Natsu didn't know how to feel about the fact that he would be returning home in a short while. Over his year-long stay in Edolas, the place and the people had grown on him. Darius, Martha, the other shopkeepers and citizens of Sycca, Edolas' Fairy Tail, and Erza. Erza.
He looked up to see stormy skies and a medium-sized Anime hanging in the skies overhead.
"Here. King Jellal said these were a watered-down version of the X-balls. Eat these, they'll give you a small magic spike so you'd get pulled into the Anima. Since they only have a low dosage, they also won't give you magic-induced headaches," offered Erza.
Natsu took them gratefully, and swallowed them in one go.
"I'll follow you to Earthland – because honestly, I'm curious to know what it looks like. And then I'll just return to Edolas," his companion explained.
"Right," he responded, not in the mood for anything much.
They did as instructed by Mystogan, and once again Natsu felt his vision go white-blank. He was used to it and was expecting it, having experienced this once before. Erza however, wasn't as prepared, and stumbled over her own feet, grasping Natsu's arm to steady herself as they landed on the cold, damp ground of Earthland in the early hours of dawn.
"You okay?" Natsu asked, concerned.
"Yeah."
"Right, let's go then," he said trying to sound cheerful. Looking up, he took in his surroundings for the first time since they arrived. They had landed right on the cobblestone pathway at the edge of the town of Magnolia. How convenient.
The morning air was humid, and dewdrops decorated the sparse greenery that coexisted with the glass-wood-and-concrete structures. Erza surveyed the surroundings and mused to herself that it wasn't very different compared to Edolas.
Natsu held out his hand for Erza to hold. He may have been too forward and she, eager, but they were both depressed by the fact that they'd have to go their separate ways soon, and were determined to make the best of their time together.
After giving Erza a tour of the town and the forest nearby, Natsu trekked with her back to the spot where the Anima had appeared.
Sweat coated both their palms, but they refused to let go.
"Erza. Do you really have to go?"
"I suppose. I may not have a family or friends waiting back in Edolas for me, but it is my home after all. And not to mention, my duties as Commander of the 2nd division are yet to be over."
"But Mystogan did say that if ever you felt like you wanted to stay here in Earthland, he'd gladly give you leave from your duties for as long as you wanted."
"I don't know, Natsu."
His heart fluttered when she called him by name for what was probably the first time.
"If you want me to stay…," she continued.
"Yes?" he prompted, perking up slightly.
"…then you'll have to convince me. Currently you are my only friend, the only person I've ever opened up to, that aren't my parents. So, convince me."
"If you stay, I'll promise you that I'll treasure you above everything else, and pamper you as any girl deserves," and he held her by the shoulders.
He kissed her forehead and continued. "Erza Knightwalker, will you be my girlfriend?"
This wasn't how he envisioned it going down. He had drafted and revised a long and cheesy speech for when he finally grew a pair and asked her out. But what came out were merely his honest feelings, no corny words to make her swoon, no empty promises. Just his honest feelings laid bare for her. And he was fine with that.
"You'd better be worth it," she teased when he pressed her up against a tree and leaned in.
"Is that a yes?" he leaned in to gauge her reaction before deciding to kiss her senseless.
She placed a finger on his lips and gently pushed him away. "Take it slow, won't you? We have more than enough time, after all, since I'm here to stay."
"One lifetime together isn't enough," Natsu protested softly.
"Oh? When did you become so cheesy and romantic?"
"When I met you," he spontaneously shot back, and she laughed, a melodic sound that teased his ears.
At that moment, he decided. To hell with restraint. Placing a hand behind Erza's head, fingers entangling themselves in her tomboyishly short but silky hair, and one around her waist, he pulled her flush against himself and kissed her hard enough to bruise her lips.
She didn't mind. If there was anyone she'd willingly give herself to, it was Natsu Dragneel. She slowly snaked her arms around his neck, kissing him back with ardor to match, if not exceeding his.
When they separated to catch their breaths in short, ragged pants, a faint voice at the back of Natsu's mind reminded him that he had yet to go visit his guildmates. They were probably worried sick about him. Never mind that, they had waited a whole year and could definitely wait a little longer – an hour, perhaps.
This time, Erza initiated the kiss, and Natsu willingly obliged. If he only had an hour before he had to give his attention to his guildmates, he was going to make the best of it.
End
Pride:I apologise for making Natsu and Erza so damn OOC, but it just didn't feel right otherwise. I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. (What am I doing with my life, writing in the middle of exams?)
'Moira' are personifications of fate according to Greek mythology, so I felt that it would be a good title for this story. 'The intervention of fate', sort of.
Please do review, and I would appreciate if you could drop some critique on my writing technique – was the pace too fast or too slow? Were the grammar or spelling flawed? Did I bring out the characters' emotions well enough? Did I manage to evoke the intended response and emotions in you guys?
I look forward to your reviews!
May good fortune rule over you
Peace live in your heart, and
May the stars watch over you
- Yours truly, Pride