Omega: Alright so how was your Christmas, Kurama?
Yin-Kurama: You do know that it's about to be spring right?
Omega: (gulps)…Ah shit!
Yin-Kurama: Tch, tch, such a time waster.
Omega: (a red tick mark appears on my head) Hey! I told them why I take so long!
Yin-Kurama: Oh yeah, I forgot. How's that going by the way?
Omega: It's getting better, a lot better, but that's a whole another story.
Yin-Kurama: Ha, autobiography coming?
Omega: Ha, you funny. Anyways, we've rambled on long enough. You wanna do the disclaimer?
Yin-Kurama: Yeah, I'll do it. DISCLAIMER: All of the anime/manga series used in this story do not belong to the author and are owned by their respective authors and artists.
Omega: Let's start the show!
Chapter 3: A Confusing Summertime
"Natsu..." Her pink soft lips glistened brighter than her scarlet hair in the light of the fireplace and drew closer to his own, leaving enough space for him to feel her breath grace his lips. The snow outside and everything seemed to stand still and at that moment, it seemed Erza and Natsu were the only ones that could move as they move closer and closer to each other. Their lips inches away from each other until finally they touch and Natsu was drawn to the scent of strawberries in the air as he kissed the young beauty in front of him.
*THUD!* Natsu awoke suddenly as he slipped out his hammock, planting his face on the ground upon impact. "Ow..." He rubbed his face and head as he stood up and stretched. As he walked towards the bathroom, Natsu's mind was flooded with images of a certain redhead. As Natsu washed his face and brushed his teeth, his left hand lightly touched his lips. His thoughts immediately were brought back to the kiss he shared with the redhead, groaning as he rubbed his head again. 'Why do I keep thinking about Erza? More importantly, why do I keep thinking about the kiss?'
"Do you regret it?"
'Huh?' His focus changed as he heard the familiar voice of the Nine-Tails. 'What do you mean?'
"Just as I said: Do you regret the kiss?" Natsu turned silent for a moment as he pondered this question.
'...I don't think so. I mean I don't know...At least I don't think I don't. It didn't feel bad, it gave me a weird full in my...Here.' He pointed to his the middle of his chest, making the Kyuubi tilt his head.
"Your...heart?"
'Yeah! My heart! It felt kinda funny when we kissed. It was like when I eat really good food, ya know?'
Upon hearing his statement, the Nine-Tails sat back and folded his arms. "Hmm... I see. Has it changed anything?"
'No! Of course not! Me and Erza are still friends. At least I still think we are.'
"You're an idiot." The Nine-Tails sighed out his statement, making a tick mark appear on Natsu's head.
'Hey! How am I an idiot?!'
"You'll find out soon enough. Anyways, you need to get ready to head to the guild right?" After stating this, the Nine-Tails laid down and closed his eyes as he began to fall asleep.
After hearing that statement, Natsu's eyes widened as he quickly finished brushing his teeth. After quickly getting dressed and ready, Natsu soon made his way to the guild. As he walked towards the guild, his thoughts were focused on his scarlet-haired companion which made his head hurt even more so he decided not to think about it too much and decided to focus on his walk to the guild. Without realizing it, he arrived in front of the guild. Before he entered, he pondered for a bit. 'Dammit! I hate thinking this much! The fox wasn't much help so I guess I should try someone from the guild. Question is who to ask: Should I ask Gray? Nah, he'll just make fun of me. Gajeel will do the same. Maybe Macao? Nah, he's an old pervert. So is Wakaba.' Natsu sighed loudly as he realized none of his guy friends would be no help in this endeavor. 'Hmm, who do I ask then? Oh, I'll ask Mira! She'll help me!' Feeling much better, he lifted his head up and kicked open the guild doors. "Hey, guys! I'm back!"
The guild was much quieter today: there were some fights yes, but nothing too big. Mostly everyone was relaxing and were seated, but there were still a few who were rowdy and zealous such as Gajeel and Gray. The two of them were yelling and arguing by the request board, they both of them butting their heads as they shot death glares at each other. As much as Natsu wanted to go over and knock some sense into the two of them, he decided to focus on the pressing matter that was bothering him so he walked towards the bar and took a seat. "Hey, Mira!" Natsu called out to the barmaid who came walking over to the pinkette with a sweet smile on her face.
"Hey, Natsu. How are you?"
"I'm good, my head kinda hurts tho." Natsu rubbed his head, making Mira giggle, then he put his hands on the bar top. "Can I ask you for some advice, Mira?"
"Hm?" Mira raised an eyebrow at his question. "Advice for what?"
"It's something that's been bothering me for a while now. It's what's been making my head hurt. It's got to do with Erza." Having heard that, Mira's eyes widened a bit. "Please, Mira! I really need your help!" Natsu clasped his hands together.
"Alright," Mira turned her sister who was pouring Macao some beer and called out. "Lisanna, can you watch the bar for me? I've got to talk to Natsu for a bit."
"Alright sis, don't be gone for too long~!" After Lisanna called back, Mira walked out of the bar and motioned for Natsu to follow her. The two quickly left the guild and made their way to the Southgate Park.
"Mira, how come we needed to leave the guild to talk?" Mira stopped in front of the tree and turned around to face the dragon slayer with a mischievous smirk, making the pinkette tilt his head to the side.
"Well. Natsu, I'm sure that you didn't everyone hearing about your problem with Erza right?" Natsu raised his hand before putting it back down to ponder this. She had a point, the last thing he wanted was to be embarrassed by the men in the guild about his confused feelings for Erza. "Now then, if you're gonna want me to help, you gotta describe your problem to me."
"Alright fair enough, so what do you wanna know?"
"First, tell me how your date went. Was it good, bad, awkward?"
"Nah, the date was pretty good. It was really fun actually." Natsu then began to list off all the things that he and Erza did on their winter date. Mira smiled as she noticed Natsu looked and sounded very happy while he was talking. "And then we went back to my place to wait out the blizzard and then we kissed at the end of the night." Mira's eyes widened as she gasped, making Natsu tilt his head in confusion. However, before he could question her, she let out an ear-piercing girlish squeal that shot directly to Natsu's superhuman hearing, making his eardrums rattle in pain.
"Ahhh!" He quickly covered his ears as he shut his eyes in order to muffle her screeching. "Mira! Please stop!" Natsu opened his eyes as he felt his hands being pulled down and noticed Mirajane had an excited sparkle in her eyes with a huge grin plastered on her face. "...What?" He began to back away a little.
"Natsu!" Natsu flinched as she yelled again. "Do you know what that means?!"
He tilted his head in confusion. "No, I don't. what does that mean?"
"The kiss, you dummy! Don't you realize what that means?" Mira let go of his hands at this point and Natsu just scratched the back of his head.
"Uh...I don't know. That's why I came to you for help. It's been bugging me for months now and I can't bring myself to talk to Erza about it."
Mira crossed her arms and she took on a serious face. "Is that you've been avoiding her?" Natsu flinched at her sudden sharp tone.
He scratched his head even more as he looks away from Mira. "Y-Yeah...So, do you know what's going on? I really need your help."
Mira sighed as she crossed her arms. "Natsu..."
"Yeah?" He answered quickly, expecting the answer to his problem.
"...You're an idiot." She sighed out, making Natsu fall to the ground.
"How the hell is that supposed to help me with my problem, Mira?!" Natsu shouted as he stood up quickly.
"How do you expect me to help you with your problem if you don't even know what the problem is?" Natsu shot his hand up, but slowly pulled it back down as he pondered about her answer. Mira shook her head before unfolding her arms and walked past Natsu, but not before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Take on a job. You need to go clear your head for a while." Pleased by this answer, Natsu simply nodded his head and followed the barmaid back to the guild.
The afternoon sunlight was glistening through Erza's curtains and shone directly onto her face. She rolled onto her back as she rubbed her eyes, her hands gently falling down on her lips. Erza suddenly sat up with her eyes widening as her thoughts were immediately brought to the kiss. She blushed as she thought about the Christmas night. She sat back and roll over in bed as her heart was racing.
'Oh my goodness! I can't believe that I finally kissed Natsu! But...what does Natsu think of me now? Will...Will he feel the same or...will he...not and leave?' Erza grabbed and held onto her pillow as she began to hide her face within it.
She knew what she was feeling: it was love. Sure, she loved everyone in the guild, they all were like family, but when it came to Natsu, it was different. He was her first friend and the one who stood by her all the time they've known each other. However, the same love she had for him scared her. The last person she loved...Left a big wound on her heart.
"Agh! Now's not the time to focus on this!" Erza quickly got out of bed and headed towards the shower. She got dressed in her usual attire soon after, all while the date and her feeling was running in the back of her head. She left Fairy Hills, deciding to have a private conversation with Natsu once she saw him.
When she arrived at the guild, however, she was surprised to see that Natsu was nowhere to be found. Deciding to be patient for his return, Erza walked towards the bar and sat down. Erza perked up a little as she saw Mira walk towards her, hoping to ask her if she had seen the dragon-slayer.
Mira grinned gently as she noticed Erza's slight nervous appearance. "Afternoon, Erza." Erza smiled as Mira spoke to her. "Let me guess: you're looking for Natsu right?" Mira smugly smirked as she watched Erza's face turned red.
"W-What?! N..No! I was just thinking that it's a lot quieter without him here. That's all!" Despite the fact, Erza waved her hands and shook her hands in disagreement, her nervousness in her answers and her blood-filled cheeks gave all the answers that Mira needed.
Mira chuckled a bit before smiling again. "He went on a mission by himself. He actually left an hour before you got here."
"That's weird. Do you know why he went by himself? He never goes on a mission by himself." Erza looked at the barmaid with confused eyes, the worry in her mind becoming slightly bigger.
"He wanted to clear his head so he left by himself. Before he left, he told everyone that he didn't want anyone bothering you since you've been looking stressed lately."
Erza's eyes widened at this. 'Natsu didn't want anyone bothering me?' A small smile grew on her lips without her realizing it. The fact that Natsu had thought of her made her happy.
Erza sat at the bar for a few hours, ordering some plates of strawberry cheesecake as she waited. The time had seemed to slow down as it seemed that one hour was really a minute passing. She talked to Mira for a while, went to Master Makarov to discuss the jobs listed: the S-class ones and the one Natsu had taken, and soon enough she found herself in Team Natsu's usual booth, staring at the guild doors. She also didn't notice Gajeel walking up to her.
"Yo, Titania! Whatcha doing?" Gajeel sat down in the booth as he was chewing on nails.
"Nothing. Why are you asking?"
"I mean, you haven't taken your eyes off the doors for hours now. Who are you waiting for?"
"Whom I am looking for is none of your concern." She stated sternly.
Gajeel was taken back by this, but he understood why. He did destroy their precious guild hall so the two weren't exactly on friendly terms just yet. "Fair enough. I was just curious, is all." So he went back to chewing on his supply of nails and let her enjoy her silent. Then, a familiar voice caught both of their attention.
"Gajeel!" They both turned to see Levy walking towards the booth. "Oh hey! I was just looking for you."
He then turned to face Levy. "Oh yeah? For what?"
"I want you to try something: Solid Script: IRON! After crossing her outstretched arms before her and then spinning around, iron appeared in the form of the words, standing in front of the two, made completely of iron, however, some parts of it were brown.
Gajeel tilted his head and tapped the iron with his knuckles. "Not bad, Shrimp. But it looks kind of rusty a little." His response made Levy puff out her cheeks as she crossed her arms.
"Hey! It's my first time making iron. Give me some credit!" Levy unfolded her arms as she saw Gajeel begin to eat it.
"Mm, a little gritty but not too bad. Thanks, Shrimp." Gajeel picked it up and held it into his lap as he ate some more of it, making Erza smile at the two's small banter. Levy soon left as she was called to go on a mission with her Shadow Gear teammates. Erza chuckled, making Gajeel turn to face her after swallowing some iron.
"What?"
"It didn't take you too long to find a friend. I suppose that's the beauty of this guild."
Gajeel looked at her for a moment before simply shrugging and nodding. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Hey Mira! A Tough Lemonade please."
"Coming right up!" Mira answered as she went to go grab a mug from the kitchen. Erza turned her attention back to the doors as he went back to eating. As much as she wanted to keep the conversation going, she couldn't stop thinking of Natsu as she realized the sun was getting lower and lower by the hour.
'Where is he? Master said the job he took was a simple one so he should be back by now. What if...?'
She shook her head and caught hold of herself. 'What am I saying? Natsu is strong and can handle himself. Stop worrying, Erza.'
Mira walked up to the booth where Erza and Gajeel were sitting at, carrying the cold alcoholic beverage and placing it on the table. "Here you go Gajeel, nice and cold for you."
Gajeel placed the iron Levy gave him next to him as he grabbed the mug. Placing it at his lips, letting the bright yellow alcoholic beverage slide smoothly down his throat, he let out a satisfied sigh of ecstasy as he tasted the sour and tangy taste. "Ahhh, that's the best! Thanks, Mira. Hey Titania, you want some?" He then held the mug up to her.
Erza looked at him for a split second before looking back at the door, making Gajeel shrug as he went back to eating and drinking. "More for me."
"Still worrying about Natsu?" Erza quickly turned to face the barmaid as she heard Mira's question. She felt her cheeks reddened before she coughed into her hand as she regained her composure.
"No, Mira...I am not worried about Natsu, I'm sure he is fine."
"Are you sure? Because your cheeks are red again." Mira giggled as she watched Erza wildly try to cover her face before she turned to walk back to the bar. Erza sternly watched the barmaid who had a mischievous grin on her face before she turned back to the doors.
Erza turned around once she heard Gajeel snicker and chuckle. "Is something amusing, Gajeel?"
"So, you like Natsu huh? I always did wonder why you always smell like him."
As much as she attempted to look intimidating, her powerful glare didn't come off as strong since she had covered her reddened face. "Explain what you mean by that."
Gajeel waved his hands to calm the redhead down as he was still chuckling for a bit. "Well, which part?"
"You saying I smell like Natsu makes sense to me since I know dragon-slayers have heightened senses. The part that bothers is the one about you saying that I..." Erza paused for a bit. "A-About me liking Natsu."
"Well, I'm not dumb Erza." Gajeel smiled as he sat back. "I am not have been here long, but I can see the affection between two people. Well, one greater than other." Gajeel smirked slyly as he noticed Erza's face turn even redder. "I shouldn't even be surprised, after seeing you lose when you saw him during the fight with Phantom Lord." He took another sip of his lemonade as he finished his statement.
Erza uncovered her face as she was able to calm herself down. "I agree with you that...I have feelings for Natsu. But I'm, well, I'm confused." Erza looked to the ground as she began to feel sad.
"Confused about what? What do you think he doesn't like you back or something?" Gajeel drank more of his beverage but stopped when he realized the redhead hadn't answered and kept looking down at the ground. "Oh...Ha! What the hell are you so worried about? You're Titania ain'tcha?"
"It's not that easy, Gajeel. Natsu is...Complicated." She looked to the side as she rubbed the side of her face, making the iron dragon-slayer laugh loudly. This upset Erza greatly as she glared at him. "And what's so damn funny?!"
"I just find it funny how you think Salamander is complicated. He's not all that bright so you have nothing to worry about. Just be direct with him." He then chugged some more of his Lemonade before continuing. "He may be stupid, but from what I can tell, he's reliable and you can count on him being honest." Having finished his piece, Gajeel ordered himself another mug of Tough Lemonade as he chowed down on his iron supply. Erza sat back, thinking about what the man had just said.
'He can be annoying sometimes, I already know how Natsu is. But...He's right. I just need to be direct and face Natsu head on. Maybe I will get a...' Erza lightly touched her lips as she thought of the kiss before pulling her hand down and shook her head. 'Focus, Erza! As soon as Natsu returns! You need to talk to him!' She then turned to face the doors with a newfound determination glistening in her eyes.
An hour or so after their discussion, Erza glanced out of the guild windows to see that the sun was setting. She perked up once she felt someone touch her shoulder, turning to face them, Erza found that she was looking at Gray and Lucy. "Oh. Hello, you two. What is it?"
"Master wants to see us." Gray turned to walk up the stairs, with Lucy and Erza following quick behind him. They entered Makarov's office to see him sitting at his desk, his mouth covered by his hands as his arms rested on his desk.
Erza stepped forward. "What is it, Master? Has something happen?"
Makarov sat up as he placed his hands on the desk. "...Yes." He answered slowly. "Natsu... He's been abducted. I just received word about his ransom from his kidnappers."
"Where?"
Makarov was taken back by Erza's sudden response. "Excuse me?"
"I said where? Where are they holding Natsu?" Erza spoke in a cold tone as her eyes hardened, surprising the three other people within the room.
"They are stationed in the outskirts of Tuly Village. I believe they're hiding Natsu within the old clock tower." After having said this, Erza abruptly turned around and walked out of Makarov's office. "Erza! Where are you going?" She didn't respond and kept walking, not only scaring Makarov but also scaring her own teammates. Gray and Lucy quickly caught up to Erza and stepped in front of her to block her way.
"Erza! What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Gray yelled at the redhead who looked at him with a stern glare.
"Gray...Lucy...Please move out of the way." She stepped forward, however, neither of them moved an inch.
"Erza, please! You can't just go in by yourself." Lucy reasoned.
"I don't care. I need to save Natsu. Now, please move. I won't ask so kindly again." Erza stepped forward again and tapped on both of their shoulders, but Gray swatted Erza's hand away.
"You're not making any damn sense, Erza!" He pushed her back as he yelled some more. "Maybe if Natsu wasn't such a dumbass weakling, he wouldn't have been caught in the first place!"
Erza's face changed from surprise to utter anger as she heard this. "...Take it back." Gray tilted his head in confusion at her answer before he could answer though, Erza had grabbed his wrist with her armor-clad hand and squeezed it tightly. "I said take it back!" Unknowingly, her eyes had changed into the Sharingan as she clenched Gray's arm harder, making the ice mage kneel down and groaned in agony. Everyone watching the scene was surprised and scared for the man.
"Erza! OK, I'm sorry! Please let me go!" Gray tapped Erza in an attempt to calm her down, but it failed as she scowled, beginning to twist his arm.
"How dare you...HOw DARE YOU SAY NATSU IS WEAK! After everything, he's done for this guild, for his friends, FOR US! And you have the audacity to call him weak?!" As she was berating Gray, Lucy and Juvia tried pulling Erza off of Gray, pleading to stop hurting him but she was too focused on her rage to listen to her friends' request.
"ERZA! Enough!" Erza looked up and turned to Makarov with a stern, angry look on his face. "Let go of Gray! Now!" Immediately, she let go of Gray who fell to the ground, rubbing and clenching his bruised wrist as he walked towards the infirmary with Juvia helping me walk there. Erza reluctantly walked towards Makarov who still had a stern look on his face.
"I apologize, Master. I shouldn't have done that." Erza spoke in a soft, meek tone, making Makarov sigh at her actions.
"You're right. You shouldn't have done that. Erza, I understand you want to save Natsu, but you cannot harm your fellow guildmates. Remember, we're a family."
"I know, I know, it's that the inside of me is telling me to rush to Natsu's side." Erza clenched her hand and put it on her chest. "The more time he and I are apart, the more my heart hurts. I don't want this is!" Upon hearing this, Makarov understood why the redhead was acting so strange.
"That's fear, Erza. You're scared about what could be happening to Natsu." Makarov spoke in a smooth tone. "You need to go to him. Go save him!" Erza nodded as Makarov clenched his fist, smiling. Erza then walked towards the guild doors and as she got to the doors, she looked behind to find Lucy, Happy, Gajeel, Carla, and Wendy.
"What are you all doing here?" She looked confused.
"We're coming with you to save Natsu. We're worried about him too." Wendy stepped up as she gave Erza a warm but determined smile. "Right guys?" She then turned to face the group who all nodded and gave the same facial expression as the sky maiden.
Erza smiled and nodded before turning to open the guild doors. "Then let's go!" She confidently led the rescue team out of the guild and towards Tuly Village. 'Don't worry Natsu...We're coming to save you.'
Within the woods of Tuly Village, eight miles off of the ruined down clocktower, was a tattered guild hall that was full of cheer and excitement. Hundreds of dark mages were dancing, drinking, eating, and singing songs of glory. Their rambunctious party could be heard all throughout the forest that they were stationed in.
"Oh man, I can't believe we caught the Salamander!" One wizard said as he gulped down a mug of beer.
"I know! It was so easy!" Said another one as he chewed on a big turkey leg.
"And we're gonna be rich! Salamander's guild has no choice in paying it if they want him back alive!" Another cackled as he was dancing with his group of friends.
The celebration had the entire upstairs filled with glee as the dark mages continued to dance, laugh, and cheer as they fell over each other in their drunken daze. However, not all of the hall was as loud as the main room. However, not all of the guild was not as filled with such loudness. Downstairs in a poorly lit room, a man stood chained. His hands locked into a covering handcuff, with his arms locked with chains pulling towards opposite ends of the prison, being held in the air by chains on his wrists. He had been in there for the entire day, and from his struggles to break free of his captors, he was chained with heavy locks that prevented the flow of Magical Energy. He stood against the wall in exhaustion, his body covered in cuts and bruises.
'How the hell did I let myself get captured?' The man thought as he looked at his chained hands. 'Forget that. How am I going to get out of this?' He rattled and pulled on his chains as he tried to develop ways of escaping, however, the more he tried to think, the more his head began to throb in pain. He stopped once he heard the door open and saw one of his captors walk into the room, drunkenly.
"Maybe you should eat something." The dark mage spoke mockingly as she held up a large chicken leg in front of the man. "We wouldn't want you dying on us on the way to meet up with the other guilds…Salamander."
The man looked up at the bars in the door, a look of defiance in his eyes. "You know what, I guess it was a good thing you and your buddies chained me up." He said confidentially as he smirked, his salmon hair shining in the moonlight, the dark mage tilted her head in confusion. "Because if you guys hadn't...I don't know what I would have done." Unknowingly, Natsu had summoned some of the Ninetail's energy, making his eyes change to the feral red slits as he smirked, sending off a powerful, menacing aura that made the dark mage fall to the floor in fear.
The woman quickly stood as she tried to regain her composure, completely sober now. "T-T-Trying to s-scare me, Salamander?" She stammered out as she tried to sound tough. "Well, you can't do anything since you're still chained up so you don't scare me." She pointed at Natsu triumphantly as her legs shook, making Natsu sweatdrop as he sat back.
"I don't have to worry. I know my friends are coming." Natsu smiled as he sat down on the ground, the look of pride and defiance never leaving his eyes.
The dark mage stepped back, still intimidated by the man's fierce glare. "O-Oh yeah?" She stammered out as she tried giving out a small threat. "T-Those Fairy Tail wizards don't stand a chance! If we beat you, we can certainly beat your friends!" Feeling confident, the dark mage turned around and walked upstairs, laughing as she walked up to the steps before stopping as she heard no more noise, making her hurry upstairs.
Natsu stood up as he smiled. 'I knew it wouldn't have taken them long.' His smile soon disappeared as he thought of his scarlet-haired companion. 'I hope Erza isn't too mad.'
...
The dark mage ran upstairs rushed upstairs to find that the room was no longer filled with hearty banter as many of the wizards just stopped partying and cautiously looked around in the air. The mage then grabbed a drink and tried dancing to start the party once again. "C' mon guys!" She called out as she drank and danced more. "Why'd the party stop?" She stopped as one of the mages held of their hand up, signaling her to be quiet.
"Sssh... Do you hear that?" All of the members were silent as they stood still and listened. "It sounds like the wind is picking up." The dark mage who was previously taunting the captive began laughing.
"C' mon you guys!" She chuckled some more. "You guys are worried over..."
Before she could finish her statement, the entire guild was engulfed with strong and powerful winds, shaking the entire guild hall and blew out about half of the members within the guild. For the who toughed out the barrage of winds, they witnessed the doors fling open with four people standing in the doorway, with oddly two cats.
One dark mage stood up, enraged as he clenched his fist. "Who the hell do you think you are?! I have the right mind to-" His mouth was quickly covered by a fellow guildmate.
"Shut up! Are you insane?!" The other dark mage spoke in a worried tone. "Don't you know who that is?! That's Titania Erza Scarlet! One of the strongest wizards in the entire kingdom of Fiore!"
The dark mage who was shouting quickly closed his mouth as he stood there, his skin turning pale.
"W-w-wait a m-minute..." Another dark mage stammered as he stood up, stepping back as she held up a shaky hand. "Isn't that Black Steel Gajeel?! I thought he was with Phantom Lord! What's he doing here?!" Many of the wizards soon trembled as they realized the danger that they were in.
"Gihihi, looks like they're too scared to fight." Gajeel stepped forward as he smiled. "Maybe we should knock a few people out to teach them a lesson."
"We're here to rescue Natsu, if they don't pose a threat, then we're not going to initiate a fight or provoke violence." Erza said sternly, making Gajeel frown as he sucked air through his teeth and the other two Fairy Tail girls chuckle. One male dark mage stood still as he stomped on the ground, alerting everyone within the hall including the Fairy Tail Mages.
"Everyone!" He shouted as he clenched his fists and abruptly lifted his head. "If we caught the Salamander, then why the hell can't we take more Fairy Tail wizards?! There's at least fifty of us! And there's only six of them! WE CAN TAKE THEM! WHOSE WITH ME?!" After he finished yelling, many of the dark mages looked at each other and nodded their heads, grabbing weapons as they all yelled back. The many dark wizards soon turned around and rushed towards the Fairy Tail wizards.
"U-Um, you guys? They're coming!" Wendy stammered as she and her friends watched the mages run towards them.
"Well, Titania," Gajeel turned his head to face her. "What do we do now?" Without flinching or making a nervous movement, Erza lifted her hand up as she summoned a sword.
"We're fighting them, however, no killing. Understand, Gajeel?" She looked at the Iron dragon slayer who cracked his knuckles as he smiled excitedly. Gajeel then ran forward towards the dark mages as he covered his right arm in magic. "IRON DRAGON'S SWORD!" Having transformed his arm into a large, barbed blade, the blade began spinning and quickly changed into a make-shift chainsaw, allowing Gajeel to strike the earth and making him send shockwaves towards the mages, sending tens of dark mages flying and knocking many of them out.
"Spread out! He can't get all of us on his own!" One dark mage shouted, leading many of the remaining dark mages to run around the Iron dragon slayer and ran directly towards the women. "We have you now!" Wendy quickly shrieked as the dark mages got close and Lucy stepped back as she looked nervous. Erza, on the other hand, was completely calm.
"REQUIP! SEA EMPRESS ARMOR!" Erza covered herself in golden light before it quickly dissipated, revealing herself to be wearing a green armor with portions that replicated parts from different sea creatures. The headpiece had large fin-like appendages sticking out on the sides, covering her ears and the breastplate which gave a generous amount of view to her breasts, stomach, and the black bikini bottom, were seaweed-like and the gauntlets were the same shade of color but were much more adjacent to the fin design like the headpiece. As Erza gripped her sword and thrust it forward, many tornadoes of water appeared and engulfed many of the dark mages, at least thirty of them, before having the whirlpools down towards the ground, leaving the dark mages unconscious.
The remaining mages grew even more terrified but perceived on as they charged towards the younger dragon slayer and the blonde. "Let's do this, Wendy!" Lucy pulled out a key from her back pocket and smiled. "OPEN: GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!" After the golden light dissipated, there stood a minotaur with the color skin of a cow and held a giant ax. "Get 'em, Taurus!"
"Mooo! Looks like there are some fellas tryna to hurt Lady Lucy! Let me deal with this guys!" The bull gripped his ax and spun it before striking the ground. "Moooove out of the way!" After Taurus struck the ground, he brought his ax up and struck the groups of dark mages, sending them flying back into and past the guild halls, knocking them out efficiently.
'If Lucy, Erza, and Gajeel can fight, so can I!' With newfound confidence, Wendy sucked in some air before running towards the remaining dark mages, surrounding her arms with winds. "SKY DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!" She then expelled a strong amount of air into them, sending many of the dark mages into the air before they fell back on the ground.
...
Having heard the boisterous noise from above, Natsu smiled, he knew what was going on and what was going to happen next.
'I knew that they were gonna come.'
"Natsu! Natsu! Are you down here?!"
'Erza?' Natsu knew the voice instantly and attempted to stand, finding it oddly easy to do so. 'Huh? I'm feeling... Better?' He would think about this later, right now, he needed to answer her. "Erza!" Natsu shouted with newfound energy. "Erza! I'm over here!" Following the sound of his voice, Erza stood in front of the cage and sliced the front of it then the chains bounding Natsu.
Having the chains released from his appendages, Natsu rubbed his wrists and ankles soothingly. "Hah... Thanks, Erzy!" Before Natsu could say anything else, his head was brought abruptly to Erza's chest.
"I'm so glad that you're alright, Natsu." She pulled away as she covered herself in golden light once more before she was back into her usual outfit. Erza examined Natsu but found no injuries on him except some large cuts which surprised her, but she decided to ask about that later. Erza wrapped her arm under Natsu's shoulder and helped the pinkette stand up, aiding him to walk out from the darkly lit room and into the main hall.
There stood Gajeel, standing above some beaten dark mages before he grabbed some nails and began eating them. Lucy and Wendy brightly smiled as they saw Natsu and Erza walk up from the basement. Natsu smiled as he saw all three of them standing, chuckling as he began to walk on his own weight.
"What the hell are you doing here, Gajeel?" Natsu chuckled as he watched the man smirked, prompting the dragon slayer to turn around and face Natsu.
"Well, the guild got boring without ya so I decided to bring you back." Gajeel shrugged his shoulder as his smirk never left his face.
"We're happy to see that you're alright, Natsu." Wendy spoke as she stepped forward. "You're hurt, right? Let me hurt you." She held up her hands as she stepped closer to Natsu.
Natsu let go of Erza and stepped to the side as he swung his arms and rubbed his shoulder. "Actually... I feel good! Better than good! I think I'm completely healed!" Natsu smiled brightly as he stretched and jumped with much enthusiasm.
"Are you sure, Natsu? How are you healed?" Lucy asked as she stepped closer to the fire dragon slayer, lightly poking him. "This doesn't hurt?"
"Nope! I feel great!" Natsu shouted with joy, making Lucy and Wendy smile and be filled with the same happiness. As they celebrated, Erza noticed the remaining cuts that Natsu had were releasing steam as they began to close and heal.
'I wonder what's going on with Natsu...' She pushed that thought to the back of her head as she smiled. She was just happy to have Natsu back.
Much later in the night, after the group made it back to Magnolia and to the Fairy Tail guild, the guild was quiet. The members had just gotten done celebrating Natsu's return and said pinkette was stationed in the guild's infirmary, due to the order of Porlyusica. Many of the guild members had left to go home, leaving only a select few within the guild: Master Makarov, Juvia, Gray, Erza, and Natsu. After Porlyusica was done with Gray, he walked out from the infirmary, wearing an ace bandage around his bruised wrist and arm.
As he walked down the steps, Gray looked up to see Erza standing by the steps with a softened expression. "E-E-Erza! Hey! How's it going?" Gray nervously stammered as he stood in front of the knight.
"Gray..." Erza spoke in a calm voice as she frowned. "Please excuse my behavior from earlier. I did not mean to get so... Aggressive. If you wish to hit me, please go right ahead." She then bowed in front of the ravenette as she closed her eyes.
"Hey, it's alright." Gray tapped her on her shoulder, prompting Erza to look and stand up. "I stepped out of line by saying what I said. If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me. Please forgive me, Erza." Erza chuckled lightly as the Maker mage bowed back before standing up and offered his hand.
"Thank you for being so understanding, Gray." She pushed away his hand and hugged Gray who did the same almost instantly. The two mages smiled at each other before Erza walked past him and up the stairs, Juvia walking up to Gray and soothingly rubbed his arm.
"Going to go check up on Natsu again?" Gray asked with a slight smirk on his face. Throughout the whole night, Erza had been sneaking her way into the infirmary to check up on the dragon slayer, making it a total of six times.
Erza lightly blushed before she quickly turned around, hiding her face as she cleared her throat. "Yes, I think I'll stay this time to make sure all of his injuries have healed this time."
"Aww," Juvia smiled brightly at the redhead before looking at Gray. "Natsu's lucky to have someone like Erza, don't you think so, Gray?"
"Yeah..." Gray stepped back slightly as he felt the heated stares from the rain woman. "You think you could give me a little more space, Juvia?"
Juvia giggled as she grabbed Gray's other arm and began pulling him out of the guild. "Have a good night, Erza, and good luck!" Juvia winked at the redhead before she pulled Gray out of the guild, making the Maker mage blush as he waved goodbye to Erza.
Erza waved goodbye to the two as they left before she walked up to the infirmary. As she made it to the entrance, the older pink-haired lady walked out and looked at Erza.
"Hello, Ms. Porlyusica." Erza greeted the lady with a smile.
"There's nothing wrong with your boyfriend." Porlyusica answered quickly as she began walking past the redhead who was slightly blushing. "He's somehow made a speedy recovery. He should be up now so if you want to talk to him, now's the time."
"Thank you, Ms. Porlyusica."
"Now, I can get back to my home. It smells too much like humans here for me." The healer soon left after that exchange and Erza walked into the infirmary to sure enough see Natsu awake and look up at the ceiling. Natsu quickly looked to see Erza and sat up from the bed, smiling brightly.
"Hey, Erza! I didn't think you'd still be around."
Erza smiled as she sat down on the bed, placing herself next to Natsu. "I had to make sure you were alright."
Natsu quickly got up from the bed as he pumped his fist into the air. "I'm A-OK!" Natsu turned around and began rubbing his bandages as he spoke. "After a few days, I'll be ready to get revenge on those bastards who kidnapped me."
Erza's smile was replaced by a slight frown as her eyes widened. "... Excuse me?"
"Yeah, I can't just let those guys think I'm weak like that. I think I'll go by myself again, that way no one here gets hurt and I can focus on getting stronger. That's a good idea, right Erzy!"
SMACK!
The entire room was filled with the sound of skin being struck with a large amount of force. Erza stood up with her hand in front of Natsu face and Natsu stood there, with a large red hand mark on his face. "OWW!" Natsu shouted in pain. "What the hell was that for, Erza?!"
"...How? How could you say something so stupid?!" Erza closed her hand into a fist and brought it to her side as she trembled. "Why would you say something like that?! Don't you have any idea how much you had us all worried?! How much you worried me?! And you'd do that all over again?!" Erza brought her hand to her chest as she looked at him, her eyes beginning to mist. "Why Natsu? Why do you want to do this?"
Natsu, after having stopped rubbing his face, looked at Erza with a hardened face. "Because I want to get stronger and I'll do whatever it takes to do so." Natsu looked away as he crossed his arms. "Geez, besides what I do is my business and my business alone." After he said that, Erza stepped back and brought her hand down, her eyes widening at his statement.
'...Did the kiss mean nothing to you, Natsu? What we've been through together... Does any of that matter to you?' Erza thought, saddened by the harsh tone Natsu had taken. She looked at the ground, her hair covering her eyes as she walked out, not saying another word to the dragon slayer as she closed the door.
"Why the hell does she cares so much for me anyway?" Natsu grumbled as he walked out of the infirmary and down the stairs. He looked up to see Makarov by the base of the steps, looking back at him sternly. "Gramps? What are you doing here?"
"I am involved in the matters for all of my children, you know this." Makarov sighed as he stared down Natsu who was visibly shaken by the harsh look. "My boy, you need to understand how to deal with a woman's heart."
Natsu raised an eyebrow as he cocked his head to the side. "Deal with a woman's heart? What do you mean by that Gramps?"
"I heard everything. Natsu, let me ask you something: are you and Erza close?"
"Of course we are. Erza's the closest friend that I've got, she and I have been through a lot together. There's no one I trust more than her."
"Then, tell me this: if she didn't come back to the guild or even Magnolia for a half of a day, would you get worried?"
"Of course I would! I'll run and find her in a heartbeat!" Natsu stomped his foot down and clenched his fists before he relaxed and looked up, slapping himself in the face before rubbing it. "...Ohhh... Crap."
Makarov's face softened as he stepped closer to Natsu. "Now, you understand. While you were captured, she almost broke off Gray's arm."
Natsu's eyes widened. "What?! Why?!"
"Because he called you weak and pathetic, she was angry. Erza cares for you deeply, Natsu. Moreso than anyone in the entire guild." Natsu sat down on the steps as he rubbed his hands through his hair and groaned as his head began to hurt. "What's wrong?"
"This is why I took the job in the first place. To clear up my head, but now it's starting to hurt all over again. I don't have the answer I need!"
"Then perhaps, you should ask Erza about it." Makarov turned around and began walking out of the guild. "Natsu..." The pinkette looked up. "She's out on the balcony when you're ready." He soon turned around left the guild entirely, leaving a confused Natsu behind.
'Crap... Crap. Crap! Why does my head have to hurt so much? Why does this stuff have to be so complicated?!'
"I told you before: you're an idiot." Natsu grumbled before he stood before the Nine-Tails.
'Oh, shut up! Why don't you just tell me the answer I need?'
"It's not my place to say or give you the answer. That's something you need to find for yourself."
'What good are you anyway? You haven't done much for me anyway.'
The Nine-Tails sat up and crossed his arms as he squinted at the pinkette. "Who do you think healed you not once, but twice? Once after the guild war and the battle today?" Natsu's eyes widened and he stood back.
'...Wait, that was you doing that?' He frowned and gritted his teeth before relaxing and softening his face. 'I'm sorry... And thank you.' Natsu spoke in an almost low tone as he looked back up at the Tailed Beast.
The Nine-Tails just chuckled a bit, making Natsu grumble a bit. "Hehe, well if you die then so do I. Consider it to be rent money. You stay alive and I'll help you. Speaking of which, don't you think you should go talk to that Uchiha girl now?"
'I... I don't know what to say. For once in my life, I'm speechless.'
"Then be honest with her. You care for her too, don't you?" Natsu began thinking about all of the times he and Erza spent together: training, going on missions with Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla. How they escaped the Tower together, how they fought together, how they ate together. As he rubbed his throbbing forehead, Natsu slowly brought his hands down to his lips.
His mind was filled with the many things about their date together, how beautiful Erza looked, how good she smelled. How happy she was and wonderful her lips tasted as they came together for that warm tight embrace. When he continued to think of Erza, Natsu frowned in sadness. 'Aw man, I'm such an ass for saying that to her. I have to apologize.'
"You know where she is. You better get to it." Natsu got up from the steps and walked towards the balcony. To his luck, Erza was leaning on the balcony, looking up at the starry night sky. As he stepped onto the balcony, Natsu stopped and hesitated from walking further. "The hell's the matter with you? Keep walking."
'Yeah, but what if she's angry? I don't know if I could handle an angry Erza right now.' Natsu gulped as he attempted to turn back, however, he found that he couldn't move.
"Sorry, but you're going to follow through." The Nine-Tails spoke as he made Natsu walk towards the redhead, effectively taking over his body, surprising the dragon slayer.
'No! Wait! Stop!' As much as Natsu was pleading, his body continued to move forward. It wasn't until he was a few steps behind the redhead is when he had full control of his body again.
"Natsu." Erza spoke authoritatively, making the dragon slayer flinch and straightened up.
"Y-Yes?!"
Erza stood up and turned around, facing the dragon slayer. "Come here."
"Yes, ma'am!" Natsu quickly stood next to the redhead. He turned his head to face Erza, however, she just looked up at the starry night which prompted Natsu to look up at the stars as well. The stars shone like glistening gemstones in a cavern, but the one who shone the brightest was Erza. With the light of the moon and the stars, Erza's blood scarlet hair sparkled and her light fair skin glistened, making her appear like a fallen angel. The way she looked reminded Natsu of the first night he had met Erza and it was that beauty that started to confuse him. It was because the beauty reminded him of the kiss and he could not understand what the kiss meant. If anyone would have the answer, it would be Erza.
"Natsu... You can be just a moron at times." Erza continued as she kept her gaze on the stars. "You're always going into something without a strategy or any kind of plan. That's something that I've always found... Fascinating since it shows how far you're willing to go for victory and how brave you are but at the same time, it's also something I've always hated since you don't think about your actions nor how you could get hurt." Erza then turned her gaze towards the pinkette with softened eyes as she looked concerned. "You have to think about how your actions will affect others, we all care about you. I care about you... So much. If I ever lost you, I'd don't know what I'd do. Natsu... What am I to you?"
Natsu was speechless, he really had nothing to say. Of course, Erza was his friend, his dearest and closest friend for years. However, things have started to change. For the worst? For the better? Natsu had no clue. He wasn't all that smart when it came to these matters, no one ever taught him about dealing with emotions. Natsu didn't want to piss Erza off or upset her but he genuinely did not have an answer so he decided to answer honestly.
"I... I don't know." Despite his short and dismissive answer, Natsu smiled as he continued. "I want to say that we're friends, but now it's starting to feel weird whenever I'm around you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It means that..." Natsu began to avert his gaze away from the knight as he rubbed his head. "I don't know how to explain it."
"Be honest." After hearing that, Natsu immediately looked back at the knight.
"It's like my chest and heart gets warm and tingly, kinda like when I use my Fire Dragon Slayer magic, but not intense heat. It's a heat that fills my whole body, it's a weird feeling but it doesn't feel bad at all." Natsu rubbed his chest and looked down at it as he pointed to his heart, before looking back up at Erza, smiling as he rubbed the back of his head. "It feels nice, I don't hate the feeling at all."
Erza's eyes widened as Natsu finished his statement. She couldn't help it as her lips grew into a smile, she was content with this answer. If she was being honest, this is the answer that she was expecting Natsu to give. She was happy that Natsu had been honest and given her an answer that she knew came directly from his emotions, she didn't want anything else.
She blushed as she felt two strong arms wrap around her waist, making the redhead blush deeply. Erza looked behind her to see Natsu holding her, making her feel incredibly happy and safe in his arms. "What's this for?" Erza asked in both astonishment and happiness.
"I don't know. I just felt like doing it." Natsu was surprised by his actions as well, thinking that maybe the Nine-Tails had taken over his body again.
Erza chuckled lightly at how surprised the dragon slayer sounded. "Natsu, you made me promise something... Back at the Tower of Heaven." She turned around and wrapped her own arms around Natsu's waist. "Do you remember?"
Natsu looked up as he remembered.
"Don't ever do anything that stupid again!" Natsu shouted as he was on his hands and knees, streams of tears falling down his face as he shouted. Erza smiled as she brought his head up and placed against hers.
"I promise. Never again."
Natsu smiled as he chuckled. "Yeah. I remember, no way I could forget that."
Erza brought her hand up and rubbed Natsu's cheek as she smiled. "I want you to promise me something as well."
"Of course, what do you want me to promise?"
Erza looked away slightly as she hesitated, trying to find the right words to say. "I want you to promise... Promise that you'll let me protect you for a little while, just as you've been protecting me all this time." Erza gazed deep into the dragon slayer's onyx eyes, attempting to convey. "Let me be there for you in your time of need." She then nuzzled herself into his chest, making Natsu blush at the sudden closeness.
Natsu attempted to open his mouth to agree, however, he chose to do something different. He brought his lips up to Erza's forehead, kissing the flesh before placing his head on hers. "Of course, Erza. I'll always protect you, no matter what." He spoke in a soothing mature voice as their head touched, he pulled back and opened his eyes to see Erza with small tears forming in her eyes. "Erza! Did I do something wrong?! What'd I say?!" Natsu instantly began to panic and pull away from the knight.
Erza began to laugh as she wiped away her tears, smiling as she watched the pinkette worry. "I'm not sad, Natsu, don't worry."
"Then why would you cry if you're not sad?" Natsu raised his eyebrow as he looked at her confused. Erza simply shook her head and reached her hand out, gently grabbing Natsu's hand.
"Let's get back inside, Natsu. You have to rest."
Natsu just smiled back as he walked back into the guild, never letting go of Erza's hand, before walking fast and leading her. "Yeah, I have had a pretty long day."
'Erza looked at the same toothy grin she had seen for years and smiled back. 'I... I love you, Natsu. I have for some time now. I may not be confident enough to tell that now, but hopefully, in the future, I will. And hopefully... You say you love me too.'
As the two wizards walked back inside the guild, the Nine-Tailed fox sat up and smiled. "Don't worry, Uchiha girl... That day will come sooner than you think."
Omega: Happy Memorial Day weekend for those who live in the United States! This is my longest chapter yet, and I sincerely hope you all enjoy it! Thanks to fellow authors/writers Maximillian Havisham and SamuraiFlash344, it is because of them that I got the idea to write this story. Also big thanks so much to the following writers: lenartmusa123, Tylertaz, & Krimzon Krow for always helping me and getting me off of my ass to keep writing. It's because of them that I have planned to upload more constantly. I love y'all fam! I love all of you, my readers as well. Without your constant support and critiques, I would not evolve as a writer. Thanks so much for sticking with me! This is Omegadrift98 signing off and I'll see you in the next chapter. Peace!