Chapter 3: Natsu v.s Erza

Erza stood at the entrance of the guild and tilted her head back. She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath through her nose as the mild sunlight warmed her face. She smiled at the sweet scent of the summer air, then dropped her gaze to meet the angry, eager eyes of her adversary. As she did, the hoots and cheers of the crowd around made themselves known to her ears, as though she had pulled her head from water.

"Come on Natsu!"

"What a spectacle!"

"Don't let her beat you again!"

"Is this serious?"

"I think the whole town's here!"

Erza shifted her eyes about the crowd upon hearing the last comment, and sure enough their numbers could be great enough to portray a significant portion of the town's inhabitants. From the various calls, and the banners and posters they held, she could see that support was overwhelmingly in Natsu's favour. Despite this, she felt no grudge towards them; who could blame their ? The last time they had fought, Natsu had been hospitalised for several days, though Erza had been trying to take it easy on him. He'd been trying to burn her alive, though. She had underestimated his seriousness, so overreacted when surprised by his ferocity. This time, she wouldn't be so foolish. Natsu really wanted to win this. She looked around at the crowd again and tried to stop her cheeks from reddening with embarrassment at the hostility some of the crowd showed towards her.

"Grind her to the ground!"

"Burn her to a crisp!"

"Cut the bitch!"

Most were more tame with their insults, and no doubt the hecklers had placed bets upon her loss. She guessed it would be quite something, to see the underdog come back from such a fall. Inwardly, though, she was a little disappointed that few cheered for her, and she was hurt that the villagers could be so spiteful, especially when she had protected them for so long. She knew the villagers were often annoyed by the Guild, but she tried to have as few interactions with them as possible, to avoid any potential conflict her use of magic might cause. A sudden rise in temperature shook her from nursing her ego, and she blinked to see Natsu shooting fire into the air above him in warm up. She guessed she should ready herself too. In truth, she had no idea what the outcome of this fight would be. By how much would Natsu have improved? She studied him as he danced about roaring fire over the crowd to incite appreciative gasps and clapping. He was much taller than before. He was almost as tall as her now, perhaps taller if he straightened his stance, and had filled out some. Physically, at least, he should present more of a challenge. She felt a tug of uncertainty. She knew the potential power he had at his disposal. It had been a long time since she had seen him in enough of a predicament to know how much he could control. Absently she brushed a hand over her gauntlet and flexed the joints. Suppose she actually lost? The acknowledgement that she had such a thought shook her a little. It was not so much that she wanted to win, though her natural fighting spirit ensured this was true, but that she was scared of how a loss would alter her position in the guild, and her relationship to its members. If Natsu beat her, would she be able to face him tomorrow? Her pride shuddered at the thought. What about the others? How would they treat her if she lost to Natsu? Erza began to panic. It had been foolish to accept his terms. She had been so cocky, before! But now that her reputation on the line, she wasn't sure the risk, however minimal it had seemed, was worth it.

Erza quickly reequipped into her armour, using the task to take her mind off her alarm. There was no point in regretting; the decision was made, and backing down now would injure her pride more than a fair loss. Erza settled back onto her feet, the familiar heaviness of her armour an immense comfort. She readied herself for battle, subtly stretching and exercising her muscles. She engaged her hearing, tuning it through the crowd to sharpen her senses. As she did so, she caught Grey's voice commenting to Elfman.

"I expect Erza will win easily."

These words almost staggered Erza to her knees. All of a sudden, she felt foolish for worrying. Grey, after all, knew both her and Natsu's limits better than almost anyone else. If he had so much confidence in her abilities, it was very likely supported by fact. She released a sigh of relief. Still, she would put on a good show for the folk of the town. If they wanted to see Natsu fighting strong and proud, she had better give them a fight to remember. The show would be for Natsu, too; even though he might be unable to beat her, that was no reason to make him feel pitiful. Though, of course, she had better win in the end.

"How many years has it been since we've pitted our magic head to head like this?" She asked, beginning the customary banter preceding a fight.

Natsu had calmed down, and was settled into a ready pose. He answered her with a calmness and integrity that made her want to doubt Grey's assurance. "I was just a kid then! Things will be different this time." He clenched his fists to his sides. "Today's the day! I'm going to beat you."

His confidence was unnerving to Erza. She decided then to be conservative in her spectacle. Even the smallest mistake could give him an opening, and with his power, as ill judged as his attacks may be, she would likely fall if he landed one. Erza closed her eyes. She could not afford to play it dangerous. "I don't plan on holding back. It's been a while since I truly tested my limits." With that, Erza requipped again, this time into her Flame Empress armour. Its flame resistivity would assist in drawing the battle out, as well as protecting herself from his fire. Natsu didn't look perturbed; if anything, he looked more fervent. "Flame Empress armour?" He laughed in anticipation. "In that case, guess I have to go full power, no holding back!" The crowd cheered as he revved up his fists in balls of fire.

Erza felt a hint of sweat at the top of her forehead. She vowed to herself that, in the future, she would at least insist that these little fights be taken inside, so the whole crowd wasn't on his side. She wondered if their distracting her would cause her to make that one fatal mistake. Mentally, she roughly shook herself. If she was thinking too much, a mistake was inevitable. She blanketed her thoughts with the feel of her lance, and waited for the mater to start their battle.

"Begin."

Natsu came at her quickly, testing her speed with a series of heavy punches. Erza dodged and retaliated with a swipe of her weapon, deliberately timing it so she would get a feel for his agility. She also left her side open, to determine Natsu's battle wisdom. He saw the opening, but failed to penetrate her defence. Erza felt a smile beginning to curl her lips, and quickly covered it. Natsu was still well below her league, though his spirit and power were explosive. Still, she would not insult him by smiling at his strength. He was somebody to be watched and nurtured, certainly. But today, she could simply play with him. They broke apart, and turned to reengage, each preparing their next attack. Again, Erza left deliberate openings to tempt Natsu, and to test herself. At least this would be good sparring practice. As she drew back her lance to strike a half-hearted blow near a vulnerable place on Natsu's side when a ringing clap halted her mid lunge. Everything stopped but the ringing, and all eyes turned to the source. Erza wondered who would interfere with such a fight, and one with such a large audience. It was extremely daring.

Her eyes found a person-sized frog that she instantly recognised as a servant of the council.

"That's enough," the frog said, ""Everyone stay where you are."

It began to walk towards Erza and Natsu. Erza saw the look on Natsu's face, and hoped he would remain confused enough to forgo attacking the council member. Erza was interested to see that the frog's eyes kept whipping back to her, as though she would bite. Erza waited patiently for the frog to explain what its purpose was.

"I am a messenger from the council." Erza heard the mutterings all about with the news. Tension released from her as she recognised that any danger of Natsu protesting was likely over. Still, the frogs eyes followed Erza. Erza frowned in curiosity. After the whispers had quieted, the frog continued. "Stemming from the recent Eisenwald incident, we hereby charge you with eleven counts of criminal property damage." Understanding began to bloom in Erza's mind, along with a nervous chill in her abdomen. The councillor turned directly to Erza and pointed a incriminating finger. "Erza Scarlet, you are under arrest."

Erza drew a breath. She had not anticipated that. While she tried to comprehend, she heard Natsu protest, then the Rune guards had surrounded her and she lost sight of whatever might be happening amongst the Fairy Tail members. All she knew was that the sickening feeling had spread throughout her and made her legs leaden as she was trudged up a hill to a waiting enforcement carriage to be locked away until her judgement.