No intro this morning. It's just too damn early, even though it's a quarter till ten.

I'm sure we've all seen Chapter 264 by now (if you haven't, go to MangaStream and read it there). Well, the thought of Jellal writing Natsu a letter regarding Erza crossed my mind. So this is how I'd imagine it to be written. And so, here it is.

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.

Pain.

Unbearable pain.

Pain he had until now thought unimagineable.

That was what Natsu was feeling after experiencing the Arc of Time. But if it would make him strong enough to put Fairy Tail back in its rightful spot as the top guild in Fiore, he would suffer through pain a thousand times worse than what he was feeling.

But that didn't mean he wanted to be bedridden for the next few days. Even if this dormant power Ultear had unlocked would be equal to the three months of trainingVirgo had made them lose, they still had five more days before the Grand Magic Games, and Natsu was determined to make the most of them.

Every step he took was painful, but compared to the actual process of drawing out his dormant power, this was nothing. He was used to it before too long, but he still gave soft whimpers if he applied too much pressure to his steps.

"Nastu-san!" called a voice. Natsu looked around and, to his surprise, saw Wendy, struggling to walk, albeit not as much as him. "You shouldn't overexert yourself in your state!"

"You should talk, Wendy," said Natsu. "What are you doing up?"

"I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer," said Wendy. "I just need to eat the air around me, and the pain is a lot more bearable. So what's your excuse?"

"I'm stubborn," said Natsu, as if that explained everything.

"Did you want me to start you a fire so you can heal, too?" asked Wendy.

"Nah, I'll be fine," replied Natsu. He slapped Wendy on the back, both letting out yelps of pain at the forceful contact.

"Natsu-san!" cried Wendy.

"Sorry!" said Natsu quickly.

Suddenly, both Dragon Slayers caught sight of a carrier pigeon with a letter attached to its leg. Wendy opened the window to let it in and took the letter from it.

Wendy took a look at the letter and saw that it was sealed with the Crime Sorciere symbol. Just above it, Natsu's name was written.

"It's for you, Natsu-san," said Wendy, handing it to him.

"Huh," said Natsu. "Wonder what Jellal wants now?" He unfurled the parchment and began to read:

"Natsu:

"If I know you half as well as I think I do, you'll be the first one up after recovering from the Arc of Time. I'd tell you not to push yourself, but I doubt you'll listen to me."

Natsu grinned. "Told you I was stubborn!" he said proudly.

"...I don't think that's necessarily a good thing," said Wendy.

"But that's not why I'm writing you this letter. I want to talk to you about Erza, but I won't be around to speak to you face to face by the time you fully recover, so this letter will have to do."

Natsu's face turned serious. "Owww!" he yelled. "Wendy, I think I do need that fire after all!" Wendy nodded and went off to gather the materials to build a large fire for Natsu's benefit. With Wendy gone, Natsu returned to his room to read the rest of Jellal's letter in private.

"We both know just how strong Erza is. The strongest woman in Fairy Tail, the universally feared Titania... you get the idea. But I'm sure you know that her physical and magical power is just a mask she wears to hide the pain she feels in her heart – pain that I had caused.

"You and I are two very different people, Natsu. We come from different walks of life, and we have different ideals. But I believe I can identify that which binds us together – a shared love for Erza Scarlet, a desire to see her live a life full of light and happiness. As I write this, I am reminded of the words you spoke before our fight atop the Tower of Heaven began: "Erza should always be strong and ferocious!" Did you realize the truth in those words, Natsu? Because when I regained my memories, I realized just how right you were.

"If Erza were to love me, I fear I would make her weak and timid, the exact opposite of what she should be. The fact is, I'm a fugitive, Natsu. As much as I'd love to fulfill my goal of eliminating all the dark guilds, as well as my wish to hold Erza safe in my arms forevermore, it's only a matter of time before the Magic Council outwits us. And when that happens, the only option for us is... death." Natsu visibly gulped at this.

"I can't - no, I WON'T - do that to Erza. That's why I'm writing this letter, Natsu. I want to be sure that I can trust you to protect Erza in my stead. I can no longer walk beside her and tell her everything is all right. But most importantly, I want her to find the freedom and happiness that have eluded me so long, to share it with someone she can depend on. I believe that person is you. Please help me Natsu. Give Erza everything she deserves, and if you can, give her more."

"I'll be watching over you both from the shadows and cheering for your continued health and happiness. You have my trust."

-Sincerely,

Jellal Fernandes

P.S. If it's not too much trouble, could you burn this letter? I'd rather not have something the Council can trace back to me.

Natsu found a pen and one of Lucy's sheets of parchment and scrawled down a short reply. He rolled it up, tied a string around it, and gave it to the carrier pigeon to take back to Jellal. The bird flew off with a soft coo just as Wendy came back.

"I just started a fire out back, Natsu-san," the Sky Dragon Slayer announced. Natsu nodded and went to inspect it. It was indeed a large flame, and eating it would certainly aid his healing. Remembering Jellal's words, he tossed the letter into the flame, making it a little larger, and he began to eat.

Meanwhile, at the Crime Sorciere campsite, the carrier pigeon landed on Jellal's shoulder. He untied the letter and read the five short, yet significant words Natsu had written in reply:

"I'll protect her. I promise!"

Honestly, I imagined this to be under 1000 words, in which case it would've gone under Nightlingbolt-1000. But looking at the word count, it's 1,019 words, and I added a couple somewhere in the middle, plus the author's notes.

Anyway, since this is based around Chapter 264, I guess I should give my thoughts on the matter. As a NatZa fan, I'm happy that Jellal's taking the high road, and that he and Erza seem to have come to an understanding. Like I've been saying, Jellal won't damn Erza to life as a fugitive if he can help it. It's pretty much the thing that keeps me from supporting Gerza.

But anyway, that's it for now. I do have two more stories for you today, the first of which will come in the afternoon. And I promise it's better than this one, though I can't promise by much.