Chapter 4- Erza

"Erza?" Natsu repeated. He sniffed the air around her and frowned.

Lucy gaped. "Natsu, you've never heard of Erza Scarlet?!" she hissed in his ear. "She's the most powerful mage in Fairy Tail!"

Rupert looked at the silver armor on Erza's body warily. "Um… Hello there... " he greeted. It was evident that Rupert felt very uncomfortable and frightened by the red-haired woman.

Erza bowed respectfully. "My name, as I declared just before, is Erza Scarlet. I am a Requip Mage, and part of the guild Fairy Tail. Nice to meet you all."

"Mmhmm! Nice to meet you!" Lucy voiced animatedly. "I'm Lucy! This is Natsu, Happy, and Rupert! We're all mages that are not part of a guild yet." She emphasized her ending phrase. Happy took out a fish and chewed on it, unconcerned with the current situation.

"Requip." Erza's silver armor changed into a white sleeveless blouse with a navy- blue ribbon around her neck and a kneelength navy blue skirt. A blue Fairy Tail mark was located right below her left shoulder. Lucy's eyes sparkled.

"Awesome!" Natsu said. "You changed out of that so quickly! Is that requipping?"

Erza nodded. "I can also change into other outfits, but I prefer armor. However, your friend over there seems to be quite intimidated." She looked at Rupert and smiled.

Rupert reddened. "N-no! I'm fine! I was just worried that you were going to a-attack us or something…."

"That's obviously NOT the case!" Lucy whispered irritatedly to Rupert. "Geez, you and Natsu are terrible!" She looked at the blue cat, who was wandering away from the group. "Happy…"

"Aye?" Happy looked back. A whip encircled around Happy and pulled him away in a matter of 2 seconds. The three Mages stood frozen until Natsu ran towards the man who was running away with Happy in his hands.

"OI! YOU BASTARD!" Natsu yelled. He ran like a bullet, and only Erza could keep up. "GIVE ME BACK MY FRIEND, YOU COWARD! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?! FIGHT ME!"

Rupert stopped running and held out his hands. A magic circle formed at his feet, and plants and vines burst out from the street. They extended and shot towards the culprit. Instead of wrapping around him, the vines tripped the man, causing Natsu to pounce on him right after Happy escaped his grasp.

"FIST OF THE FIRE DRAGON!" Natsu roared. The poor man received a powerful fistful of fire to his face. Blood spattered from his nose.

The man whimpered. "Please don't hurt me… I just thought I heard the cat talk… I need money! I haven't slept or eaten in a week…"

Happy stomped towards the man on his little cat feet and shoved a fish in his mouth. Erza towered over the man.

"Do you think that that pitiful story will make you become innocent?" she growled. Her eyes were blazing with anger. "Your choices decide who you are, not your circumstances. Get a job! Ask for help! Don't be so weak and stupid."

The man began to cry. "I'm sorry…"

Natsu lifted the man up by his collar. "Sorry won't cut it! You almost sold my best friend, you bastard!" He pulled his arm back for a punch.

"Natsu, that's enough." Lucy placed her hands on his arm, then quickly drew back. "There are some people who make dumb mistakes like this. Although this is considered a crime, just let him go." Lucy smiled at the man. Natsu dropped him.

"Thank you, Miss…" the man cried. He wiped his eyes and frowned. "My name is Akihito. I'll remember you, Miss."

Lucy flipped her blonde hair. "I'm sorta hard to forget," she joked.

The man waved before scrambling away. They all watched him until he was out of sight.

Erza looked at Lucy. "You're very selfless and kind. But are you sure that wasn't a foolish decision?"

"Whether it was a foolish decision or not depends on his future choices," Natsu responded. Happy and Rupert nodded in agreement. "Although that's not something I would've done…"

Lucy took Natsu's hand. "But I like you just the way you are!"

They both froze, then reddened. "That's not what I meant!" Lucy screeched. "I just- it was-"

Erza held out her hands to the cat and the three Mages. "Come with me to Fairy Tail!"

They all joined hands. "Let's go!" Rupert yelled happily.

I reread this and realized it sounded corny.

(~.~)/ Oh well.

Please review, favorite, blahblahblah! This is my first fanfic, and it's actually a lot of fun. I hope you all like it and continue to read!

I try to update daily -.-