MINOR CLARIFICATIONS FOR THOSE OF YOU IN AN UPROAR OVER LAST CHAPTER.

Author's Note: Well, hello again, guys! Thanks for taking the time to read this minor update. Before you click away from the screen because this isn't actually a chapter, I want you to at least give me the time of day to express my deepest condelences to those of you who were upset about how the last chapter turned out. If that apology applies to you, take a minute to scroll through these FAQs and comments about the past few chapters. I'm sure your questions and concerns will be answered and discussed. Thank you for your continued patience, as always!

"The battle royal was too one-sided…"

-Because it was meant to be :D No seriously, I wrote it that way on purpose to showcase what I had in store for Wendy. Originally, there wasn't even going to be a battle royal, but I wanted to write some action scenes AND I wanted to give you a taste of Wendy's awesome battle skills. I mean, it would have been boring if Laxus had just chosen Erza, Gray, and Wendy then moved on, right? Besides, Wendy is crazy awesome! Don't forget she's been training her ass off for five years!

"Gray was too weak in the fight. Even Happy overpowered him…"

-I got that one a lot. Gray was extremely surprised that Happy could even use Transformation Magic. Not only did Happy act quickly to overcome Gray, but if Erza hadn't decided to team up with Gray, there wouldn't have been a chance for Gray to react to Happy's attack. Sorry if you guys were expecting him to kick the shit out of Happy, but trust me, Gray is saving his magic power for someone much MUCH worse than a shapeshifting Exceed.

"Why didn't Wendy use her Healing Magic to help her friends?"

-She did. I made a mistake and uploaded the unedited copy of the chapter, which left out a huge chunk of information. My bad, guys. It should already be fixed if you'd like to go back and read the last chapter over again.

"Will Lucy be taking part in the fight against Erin? Will she reunite with Natsu soon?"

-As you guys have probably already figured out, Natsu has just about finished off Erin. You will see in the upcoming chapters what I have in store for them, but for now, understand that Lucy will be fighting on a different front, so to speak. 'Will they reunite?' Of course…eventually. Hahahaha. Just be patient with the story, guys! I swear, some of you want me to go ahead and end it but I'm having too much fun with it!

"Have you forgotten about Raven Tail?! When will we see Ivan again?"

-NOPE. I SURE HAVEN'T. VERY SOON. ;)

"Your Japanese sucks, dude."

-I know. Sorry :P

There were tons more PMs about the last chapter, though most of them involved the same topic. I hope I was able to clear up some of the discrepancies.

As always, you can PM me if you have any more questions. Most of you know that I'm happy to answer them as best as I can without spoiling anything major. ;)

Now, about the second part of the BONUS CHAPTER….

That's scheduled for Friday so that everyone will have a chance to read it over the weekend. I hope that's cool with the five people who messaged me about it in a fit of rage complaining that I 'DON'T UPLOAD FAST ENOUGH.' I try to upload as often as I can, since I do work and have a bit of a social life.

"Will the second part of the bonus chapter be a continuation of the date night, or something completely different?"

-Definitely a continuation. The night is young, my fans. ;) Lucy and Juvia may just have a trick up their sleeves…one that I wouldn't mind falling for, honestly. BUT that's the perv in me talking so— MOVING ON. NEXT QUESTION.

"Will it be…lemony?"

-No. -.-# Seriously?

"Will there be sex in this one? I'm so sick of you teasing me, Memphis!"

-Yes. Copious amounts of sex.

"Does this lemon even follow the storyline of your fanfiction?"

-It's set between chapter 4 and chapter 5. At the beginning of the chapter, you'll notice I titled it "Chapter 4.5". By the way, do you guys think my chapter names are witty or stupid? Lemme know, okay?

"Are you writing this bonus chapter based on past experience or your own personal fantasies? I can tell there is a bit of a personal touch in each scene, so I was curious."

-EXCELLENT QUESTION, Anonymous reader! (They asked me not to post their name. You're welcome Kiri—shit, almost said it. :3) A little of both, honestly. The Gruvia scene is how I picture my girlfriend and me acting, and what I hope others see in us. However, I have often fantasized about helping girls pick out an outfit when I was younger. The Nalu scene basically sums that up. So, yeah. Great question, oh anonymous reader whom I hope I didn't creep out with my personal life.

"Would you ever consider writing a full-fledged lemon fiction? If so, who would you write about?"

-I have considered it. I'm currently brainstorming an OC that I may throw into the mix of my upcoming stories. If I had to write a full lemon, it would be about my OC and Cana. There's not too many good lemons out there about Cana, much less including an OC, so that could be interesting.

A few of you also sent me PMs about upcoming stories that I keep 'hinting at'.

"Do you plan on explaining Wendy's backstory at all or are you just gonna leave us hangin, man? Hit a brother up."

-Yes, there will be a seriously lengthy one-shot tying up all the loose ends in Wendy's backstory. Be prepared for that. I'm currently thinking of a good name for it. My top two choices are 'For the Fallen Brother, I shall take Flight' and 'The Sky has no limit'. Let me know what you guys think, PLEASE!

"Will you be writing about other animes besides Fairy Tail?"

-I want to try writing something about Blue Exorcist or One Piece sometime this summer. That could be extremely fun.

Finally, the most frequently asked question. (23 PMs and counting involving the same words.)

"Memphis, how long do you plan on writing 'In the Essence of Time'?"

-Till my fingers break under the pressure. Till the inspiration stops seeping from my pours and flowing from my mind to the screen. Till I get bored with it. (I never will, I love this story too damn much to be bored with it.) I don't care how long it is, how many chapters it takes, and how long it takes me to finish it. I will write this story until I stop loving it. Period. Are you guys cool with that?

ANYWAYS, I really felt compelled to speak about the numerous PMs I've been getting since day 1. THIS DOESN'T MEAN I'M MAD AT YOU GUYS. PM ME WHATEVER/WHENEVER YOU WANT. I just wanted to prove that I do, indeed, answer the majority of your messages in a timely manner.

I love you all. Thanks for sticking with me this far. Until next time.

Memphis, out!