AN: Yay for reviews!

Disclaimer: Don't own Fairy Tail. Really. Honest.

~Opening Strategy~

"Work on skill, not strength, master. Brutal hacking and slashing does nothing but tire out your arm and show the opponent how much experience you lack." She said, parrying another of Natsu's blows. Juvia's student was eager enough, but she could already tell that his talents did not lie with the sword. His strikes were too clumsy, nowhere near as neat and deadly as hers. A quick disengagement followed by a semi-circular parry and first counter riposte finally ended the fight.

And she was going easy on the prince.

Natsu threw his epee aside with a groan, removing his gauntlet. "What am I doing wrong? I'm trying and I'm training!"

Juvia raised an eyebrow at the minor tantrum. "As Juvia has said time and time again- fencing is a fine art. No amount of effort can fight skill."

"Well…" Natsu trailed off. Juvia could sense his frustration- the prince tried and tried, but he was simply not able to fence. In that respect she pitied him; Juvia remembered all too well how impudent she had been when Phantom Lord attempted to train her in basic marksmanship. It was all very well for one to have weaknesses, so long as they could compensate.

Her prince would never be able to fence, so she decided to try something new. Discarding her own sword, she faced him. "Do you still wish to learn defence?" She asked seriously.

At this he grinned and she felt somewhat relieved that the old Natsu was back. "Duh!"

"Then punch Juvia."

"Eh?" Natsu said, shock on his features. "But you're-" He shut up to block a blow from the girl, a smile once again breaking out on his face as he realised what was happening. He attempted to hit her in the gut, at which she ducked and twisted his arm behind his back before he tossed her off. Natsu went for a punch; she avoided it and swiped for his legs.

This odd brawl went on for some time, something of a vicious dance routine. Where Natsu was strong, Juvia was swift; he held determination, she had experience. Overall, the two were evenly matched, and such a fight brought adrenaline. Every move was purposeful, the tables constantly turning. They only stopped fighting when Juvia's skirt was accidentally ripped.

She looked at her pupil who was breathing heavily after such exercise, barely concealing her own exhaustion. How long had that brawl lasted?

Natsu grinned at her. "Guess that's something I can do."

Later on, Erza completely kicked his ass at fencing. Juvia, on the other hand, suffered from multiple stab wounds to the finger when she tried mending the tear in her skirt.

Dear Natsu,

The blonde girl shook her head and ripped the paper to shreds. It was wrong, just wrong. He hadn't replied to any of her letters, so why should she send more?

Whatever anger began to rise was quickly extinguished. Lucy couldn't stay angry at Natsu if she wanted to. No, this feeling was more one of loneliness and frustration, as though she had been abandoned. He probably had much better things to do- it was likely that she was nothing more than a name anymore.

Well, so was he.

…Or not.

Lucy sighed, brushing hair out of her face. Whenever she attempted to feel negative emotions towards Natsu, his dazzling grin would appear in her mind and chase them all away with its luminescence. That annoyed her more than anything else because she wanted to be as angry at Natsu as he probably was at her. Judging by the rumours she had heard, he had got himself a mistress- which, quite frankly, made Lucy's stomach churn. Her mental image of Natsu seemed to be becoming more outdated by the day. She had probably changed too; they were drifting apart much like leaves on a tree- growing close together before the wind blew them apart.

It wasn't her fault. She had a part in it, but she was not completely responsible for the situation.

Glancing at the comically growing pile of torn paper that was accumulating on her desk, the teenage girl supressed a groan. Why her?

"Wow, look!" Natsu chirped, peeking through the carriage curtains at the streets. They were decorated with garlands of flowers, paper lanterns and all manner of ornaments, and he looked as though Christmas had come early.

Erza raised an eyebrow and folded her arms. "You must remain dignified, your highness. Act like the model prince and you will find your support steadily growing with each public appearance."

"Yeah, yeah." The prince replied, turning to his companion. "I have to be dashing and charming and yadiyadiyada."

"Saying 'yadiyadiyada' is hardly royal." Erza scolded him. "You must behave, do you hear? I may not be Juvia, but I do know how to enforce discipline." Her voice was stern, but there were traces of friendly endearment in there.

Natsu, however, failed to detect this as his brow furrowed. "Come to think of it, where is Juvia? I haven't seen her since… since last night."

"Juvia may be employed by you, but I believe it is only right for her to have the occasional day off. She will be enjoying the festival whilst I shall take up her duties." Erza told him the partial truth. Natsu was aware of what a dangerous position he was in, but had no grasp of truly how perilous it was. The prince seemed oblivious as to how a small town celebration could be the perfect opportunity for assassination. In that respect, Erza was almost pitied him- such a sheltered childhood had left him seeing the world through something of a rose tinted glass. It was already beginning to crack, but the redheaded woman could already foresee it shattering and its shards cutting deep.

She just prayed that, when it happened, he would be able to bandage himself up.

Natsu was ignorant as to the depth of her thoughts. "Awww, man. And I wanted to show Juvia around! She's probably never been to a festival before." He complained. "Oh well, I'll just tell her everything when I next see her! Everything!"

Erza gave him a steely glare, a silent order to behave, before allowing him to continue gazing at the decorations in wonder.

Juvia made her way through the hustle and bustle. The festival was beginning to stir, and there was already a sizeable number appearing. Stalls were advertising handmade trinkets (most of which would never be of any use) or selling food. There was even the odd street performer such as fire breather or dancer, and several other entertainers of a less innocent nature roaming, all looking for ways to make a living. Similar to Juvia's task, only probably much less sinister.

She snuck a glance at the carriage, hoping that Natsu would not recognise her. She had covered her easily identifiable hair with a bonnet and was sporting a simple blue cotton dress with a green bow, the innocent look complete with a wicker basket. Many today had dressed in their very best, so she was another with the crowd. She felt a mixture of amusement and irritation when she saw him glancing mischievously out of the window.

Mingling with the crowd, she risked dipping her hand into the basket. Good, the knives were there.

The girl almost jumped out of her skin when she directly bumped into somebody. She luckily managed to stay upright, but withdrew her hand rather quickly to avoid attracting attention.

He didn't seem to have minded too much- indeed, Juvia didn't quite know how to interpret his reaction. His onyx eyes confused her as they seemed to stare for an eternity, the deepest black. A light pink was dusting his cheeks. The man's clothing was fairly inconspicuous, and his gravity defying snowy hair was passable. Juvia had never seen him before, but she understood little from what was in front of her.

Juvia opened her mouth to apologise before realising that she was attracting attention. She simply nodded her head before dropping it so that her face was covered by the bonnet's shadow and quickly scurrying back into the crowd.

The parade was to begin in around an hour and a half, and she had just as long to scout out any who wished to dispose of her master.

AN: Waaah, so short! I usually aim for at least 2k of words per chapter, but I'm going off to the Maldives tomorrow so I wanted to get an update beforehand. Sorry for the filler, expect more plot when I get back.

And, since there was one reviewer I couldn't reply to, I wish to clarify- I am not giving much away, but this is not a Natsu x Juvia. They're close and I may even have hints/teasing, but they will not end up as a couple.

Hasta luego!

~Meg