Ring of Fire.

When had it started for him? Was it the smile she gave him on his first day in Fairy Tail? Was it when she first beat him up? Was it when she told him, in the bowels of Phantom Lords moving guildhall, that he was the man who would surpass her? Was it when he saw her, weak and pathetic, in the Tower of Heaven, and realised that she wasn't just the beautiful, powerful, unerring war goddess he had once thought she was? Then when he realised that she was so much more, that she was a woman, a girl who needed saving? And when he realised that she was just like him, she needed her comrades by her side to be strong and that without them strength had no purpose or meaning? And when he realised that he wanted to be the only one who ever saved her? And when he hoped to never have to save her again?

He wasn't certain, maybe it was all of them, or maybe it was none of them.

Either way once he realised it he started burning. Not literally, but inside his heart felt like it was on fire, whenever she was around he could feel his whole body heat up. He was falling into a burning ring of fire and the flames were rising higher consuming everything he was, and he loved every moment of it.

Every smile she sent him made him burn all the more, every glance sent him a spiral, every touch made him so very hot, Natsu hadn't even known what the meaning of heat was until he felt that. He was falling, falling down, down, down.

He was in love.

Natsu had no experience in matter of love, aside from the teasings of Lisanna when he was younger and that couldn't really be counted as love, but what he did know was that he wanted more than what he had with Erza, he wanted more and more and more.

He wanted to hold her, to kiss her, to claim her as his own, but more than all of that, he wanted to be allowed to love her.

Funny really, that he hadn't realised what these feelings meant up until now, that all those times when he felt himself blush just because their shoulders brushed, he had put down to something else, like the sun, or the heater, or the spiced chicken he had eaten last night.

But now he understood, he realised, he comprehended… noticeably he didn't comprehend what the word comprehend meant, but basically, he got it.

This was what love felt like.

Like a fire burning, raging, inside, that felt like it wouldn't be sated unless he was close to her, yet when he was close it burnt all the more, because he wanted more closeness than what he had, than what he was allowed.

And so there was only one way to resolve this issue, that is, confess. And Natsu wasn't known for beating around the bush, and so, realising his feelings, he charged head first.

"Erza, I like you."

He didn't look anywhere but at the red haired mage, no one else mattered right now, not Mira's starry gaze, Gray's incredulous face, Lucy's slack jaw, no one mattered at all. He only had eyes for her.

"That you Natsu, that's really kind of you, I like you too" Erza responded with a smile.

But he already figured out that she hadn't understood and so didn't hold any false hope that that was a 'Yes'. So he shook his head "No, Erza, I like like you" he told her seriously, making sure she was looking him in the eye and took in the seriousness of his statement.

Erza just blinked however "You like like me?" her confusion was evident, as was her slow realisation.

Natsu nodded, seeing that she was getting there "Yeah, I like like you, as in how Bisca and Alzack like each other" Natsu didn't look anywhere else but Erza, so didn't see Bisca and Alzack blush and look away from each other.

Erza's eyes glazed over and she clearly wasn't quite there, then she jolted as if electrocuted "Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-like m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-me?"

Natsu didn't care that she stuttered, and instead just nodded again.

She opened her mouth and closed it, and opened it and closed it, and opened it and closed it, and no words came out "Really?" she finally managed to ask.

"Yes, really" he nodded twice to emphasize his point, really really, he was more certain of it than he had been certain than anything, even how certain he had been of having fish last night, he was more certain that he liked Erza than even that.

She frwoedn "I see" she chewed her lip and Natsu was forced to wait for several long moments, long painful moments each one making him feel worse and worse. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything, maybe he should've just… he gulped, swallowing back uncertainly and fear, it didn't matter now, he told her and that was all, now he had to wait.

Erza stood up, almost making him flinch and met his gaze seriously "It… it makes me happy to hear that… But I don't return your feelings. I'm sorry."

It felt like someone had stabbed him in heart, like she had reached down his throat and was pulling his stomach up through his throat, it hurt so much, he almost started crying. The inferno of love had been stamped all of and now he was left amidst the ashes.

"I understand."

But… but the fire wasn't burning him anymore, he was no longer afire, it had died down. In truth Natsu didn't really like burning, it hurt, but now, now he just felt content, at peace, like a great weight had been lift from his shoulders, like the fire had been quenched and no longer threatened to consume him whole.

He looked up, feeling a grin spread onto his face "Thanks for considering it, Erza."

As he turned and walked away he felt fine, great even, everything was fine now, everything would just go back to the way it always had been, nothing would or could change it. He would interact with Erza in the exact same way as he had done before and never give a second thought to his feelings again, never.

He truly believed that, that his love had burnt out, that it was nothing but embers now… but embers can be reborn into the mightiest blaze, with just the addition of some fuel.


So this wasn't supposed to come out as a companion piece of Love Bites, but it did, and yes Ring of Fire Johnny Cash was my inspiration but no this is not a song-fic alright.

Embers needing fuel, that's kind of my feelings towards NatsuXErza right now, its embers, burning down, dying, we need some fuel, some NatsuXErza moments in the manga rather than just this endless NatsuXLucy, ErzaXJellal stuff. Still, I'll keep writing, my passion for NatsuXErza will continue to burn up, and with any luck I'll set a few of you alight as well thus giving me more NatsuXErza to read, and thus making me want to write more, it shall be a never ending cycle, a perfect circle.

Thanks for reading, take a moment to review all it takes is a click, c'mon you know you want to.