Well, welcome back. The number of days since my last upload is too damn high, but today I finally managed to finish this new chapter, so here I present chapter 8.

Oh blade of mine, grant me protection
I pray that you hold true
As I stand on a knife's edge
One step from life and one from ruin
I stand alone, but my spirit is unbroken
The fight for my life has only just begun

-August 3rd, X777-

The streets of Magnolia were unusually busy given that it was a weekday- so much so that it was hard to believe that a significant portion of the people in the city were still at work. As the throngs of people went about their business, Erza made her way through the town with a purposeful stride, slipping through the crowd. It had only been a few days since she had worked with Natsu, Gray and Cana on her first job, but she had been eager to make good use of that hard-earned reward. Cana and Gray had generously forfeited their portion of the payment, allowing Erza and Natsu to split the fifty-thousand jewel reward between the two of them. Twenty-five thousand jewel wasn't an awful lot of money, but it was enough that Erza had been able to go shopping today to buy some basic necessities- namely a few changes of clothing, personal care products and cooking ingredients. On top of this, there was one other thing that she had wanted to pick up today- a basic set of armour. For this reason, she had visited Johan's blacksmith shop to do some window shopping, but unfortunately, his wares had proven to be outside of her price range at the moment. However, she'd told herself that it could prove to be a good investment when she had the funds to spare.

As she had spent all that she could afford to, she had decided to take her spoils back to the dorms. Her route took her past the guild hall and as she passed the building, she gave it a quick glance, briefly contemplating stepping inside. However, she decided against it- she didn't want to traipse in there laden with bags, as she would only be in people's way. Besides, she just wanted to drop off her stuff and get on with the rest of her day. 'I'll visit the guild afterwards,' Erza thought, before walking up the path leading west. She reached the edge of the town very quickly and while the buildings came to an end here, the path continued on for quite some distance, snaking up a steep hill. Erza climbed upwards, straining against the force of gravity that seemed determined to drag her down and send her tumbling down the sharp slope. The wind was a lot stronger up here than it was down below, which made her glad that her hair was fairly short- otherwise, it would surely be furiously whipping against her face right now.

Somewhat out of breath and with a slight burning sensation in her legs, she reached the top of the hill. Ahead of her stood Fairy Hills, Fairy Tail's female dormitory. It was a large and mildly imposing building consisting largely out of orange and grey bricks and was raised on an extended foundation made from the very same materials. There were four floors to the building: the basement, ground floor, first floor and finally, the second floor. From above, it appeared to be shaped like the letter 'H', where the entrance was on the lower left foot. The outer walls were adorned by a great number of arched windows lined with stone bricks, while the elongated pitched roof was made from greyish-brown tiles. The central part of the front face of the building had a veranda that linked the two wings, which was tastefully decorated with graceful arches.

As Erza approached the building, she passed through the dorm's sign, which consisted of two large brick columns bearing a plaque with the dorm's name on it. She ascended the handful of steps leading up to the door and paused under the storm porch. She furrowed her brows slightly in concentration and focused her magic. She put her hand out in front of her and with a flash of light, a small object appeared in her palm. This object was actually a miniature key of sorts- a lacrima that could be used to gain entry to the dorms. In fact, it was the only way to gain entry to the dorms, as there was no physical lock and therefore no corresponding key. This pseudo key doesn't only unlock the door before her, but it also temporarily disables the defensive enchantments imbued within it. If someone attempted to open the door in any other way, the enchantments would activate and disable the intruder... painfully.

Erza pressed the key to the lock and with a flash and a slight click as the bolts retracted, the door swept open. She promptly stepped inside and the instant she cleared the entrance, the door closed by itself. The long narrow room which she now stood in was the lobby, which functioned as an entrance to the other parts of the dorm, as well as a visiting room. This was the only room that guests were allowed to visit unconditionally- if they wished to go into any other areas within the dorm, they had to first get permission from the Hilda, the matron of the dorm.

As one of the room's purposes was to entertain guests, the room was pleasantly decorated to provide a formal, but welcoming atmosphere. Towards the right wall, near the doorway, was a long counter, which was home to various bits of stationery, a lamp and a small plant pot. Just beyond the desk was the door to the stockroom, where Hilda kept a lot of office supplies. Just beside this door was a small landscape painting. Opposite the desk was a large green rug with an intricate pattern along its edges and a low coffee table, which were flanked by a comfy-looking sofa and armchair. Just behind the armchair was a short bookcase, topped with a couple of plants and another lamp. At the far end of the right wall was a door, through which existed a corridor leading to the common room. The far wall also had a single door, beyond which was the staircase leading to the second floor, as well as the basement entrance. Between the two windows on the left wall and the brilliant chandelier above, the room was a vibrant space.

Erza exhaled slightly, relaxing her shoulders. Though she hadn't been staying here long, she felt comfortable here. This place offered her a sense of security, which was something she had not felt anywhere for as long as she could remember- except for the guild hall to some extent. 'Though to be honest, the guild hall isn't exactly the safest place,' she thought with a slight smirk. 'Far too many fistfights for my liking'. So distracted was she by her own inner thoughts that at first, she failed to notice that the room was occupied. After a second or two, she caught sight of the two individuals sat at the table. The first of the two was Master Makarov, who sat in the armchair, perched atop a pile of cushions. The second person was Matron Hilda.

Hilda was a woman of fairly short stature, though still tall enough that Makarov appeared to be no taller than she was, even with the aid of his cushions. Her rounded face, complete with drooping facial features and prominent wrinkles, was a testament to her many years. As usual, she wore her long hair tied up in a tight bun and a violet shirt with long sleeves, with a darker red vest underneath. She also wore a frilly white collar with a pink ribbon around her neck, a long dark red skirt and a pair of brown boots. She appeared quite jovial as she chatted with Makarov and sipped her tea- then she took notice of Erza and her face took on her usual strict expression.

"Hmph, about time you got back, girl," Hilda said gruffly, with a frown. "Master Makarov here has been waiting for you,"

"He has?" asked Erza in surprise, turning to Makarov. "I'm sorry for inconveniencing you, Master,"

Makarov waved his hand dismissively, still sipping his tea. "It's quite alright child. It's not like I informed you that I was coming, so you weren't to know that I would be here". His eyes darted momentarily to Hilda, who had been about to continue chastising Erza. "If it's quite alright, young lady, I thought today we could go on a little outing."

"An outing, sir?" asked Erza in puzzlement.

"Yes... in truth, your injured eye concerns me. I happen to know of a talented healer who lives nearby and recently, I asked her to have a look at you and see if she can do anything. She's not too fond of people, but as we have a long history, she agreed to do what she can to help. I thought today might be a good day to visit her... if you have nothing else planned, that is." He raised his one eyebrow questioningly and Erza shook her head quickly.

"No, sir. I was probably just going to visit the guild hall again, but I didn't have anything planned. I'll go,"

"Excellent," he said with a nod. "Why don't you go drop off your bags first? It's not exactly an easy walk and too much baggage will just weight you down."

"Very well. In that case, please excuse me," Erza said with a slight bow. "I'll be as quick as I can."

"Take your time child, I am not in a rush," he said gently. "Besides, it gives me more time to drink my tea". He took another sip of his tea and sighed in satisfaction. As Makarov and Hilda resumed their earlier conversation, Erza made her way to the back of the room and upon reaching the door at the far end, she pressed the palm of her hand against it. She felt a slight tingling sensation in her hand and where her hand touched the wood, a small pulse of light spread outwards rapidly, before vanishing. Much like the entrance to the dorms, this door was also enchanted- only dorm members or registered guests could open this door. Having verified her identity, the door sprang open, Erza stepped through to the stairwell. She strode up the steps two at a time and quickly reached the next floor of the building. There were eight rooms on this floor: six dorm rooms which occupied the central part of the building; the utility room, which occupied this wing of the building and was used for storage and doing laundry; and finally, the communal bath, with occupied the wing at the far end of the building. Turning to her left, Erza started making her way down the corridor, stopping at the first door on her left- her room. Similarly to how she entered the stairwell, she pressed her hand against the door to unlock it, then stepped through.

Her room wasn't much to look at- as she hadn't been living here for very long, it was more-or-less identical to the unoccupied rooms, with few personal items or decorations to be seen. Like the rest of the main rooms in the building, she had plain wooden panelling on the lower parts of the walls and the upper halves were painted using the same tone of light beige. The floor and ceiling were both made from identical wooden planks and the coving that ran around the edges was of the same medium-brown wood. She had the same ordinary four-poster double bed, complete with white drapes and it was positioned in the usual position against the right wall. On the far wall, she had a small mahogany dresser and two windows which looked out onto the hills and Lake Scilliora- thou the latter was only visible if you stood to the left side of the windows and looked as far right as you could. In the corner to the left of the door was a small kitchen area, with a series of cupboards, cooking appliances and a mystical device that she referred to as an 'icebox', used to preserve food. Apart from that, the left wall also had a painting of a bouquet of flowers and a door, which led to the bathroom.

This room was nothing special... but it was hers. It had been a long time since she could say that she had something of her own and seeing this simple room filled her with boundless happiness. If she had the time to, she would no doubt continue to dawdle in this room and appreciate it all- but right now, she wasn't able to do that. Breaking out of her reverie, she quickly put away her perishable items into the icebox and dumped the rest of her goods by her bed to be sorted out later. She double-checked everything one last time and after confirming that everything was put away correctly, she left the room.

Erza gazed sceptically at the building in front of her. When the Master had told her that they were going to see a healer, she had expected that he would take her to a fairly prominent building within the town itself- a grand looking building perhaps, with a long queue of people waiting outside, the sort of building that would be home to a highly talented and distinguished physician. That, rather unexpectedly, had turned out to be far from true. Makarov had walked through the town with a strong sense of purpose, walking past all the more luxurious abodes. At first, Erza had simply taken this within her stride, thinking that maybe she had just been a little unrealistic in her expectations. However, the more they walked, the more unsure she had felt. Soon, they had left the streets of Magnolia completely, leaving the city via the gate in the south. After following an east-bound path for some time, they eventually left the road and entered the forest, following a winding path that varied direction between north and north-east. And then, out of nowhere, the Master had stopped and announced that they had reached their destination.

"Well, girl," he said, interrupting Erza's thoughts. "What do you think?"

Erza didn't answer straight away, instead choosing to assess the 'building' a little more. She had struggled to pick out the structure amongst the trees at first, as it appeared that the healer had turned one of the trees itself into their home. The massive organism dominated the glade in which they stood, with massive branches and roots sprawling outwards to an incredible degree. The trunk itself was as wide as six people stood in a line with their arms outstretched. The house appeared to be almost completely natural, with the only artificial aspects being the stairs leading up to the house, the door and a couple of windows.

"It's... not what I was expecting," Erza answered carefully. "But it's definitely impressive."

"Well said, girl," Makarov said agreeably. "An excellent response, don't you think, Porlyusica?"

"Hmmm... it was certainly a well thought out one," replied a croaky, yet unmistakably female voice. With a start, Erza turned round to face the speaker, who emerged from behind one of the trees. The old woman had both height and a slim figure, which only exaggerated her flinty temperament. She had long pink hair tied into a bun by two large crescent moon shaped edges and two long bangs that framed her face. Her dark red eyes seemed to peer through whatever she looked at and she a beauty mark located on the left side of her face, just below her mouth. She wore a crimson-coloured cape that hung to her ankles, with a wide collar with decorations similar to dragon horns and trimmed edges with an arch-like pattern. Through the gap in her cape, you could just about make out the rest of her outfit: a dark green blouse, a black tie, a long purple skirt and a pair of simple shoes.

The woman, whom Makarov had called Porlyusica, walked over to them slowly, carrying a small basket in her arms. She gave Erza a sparing glance, then turned to Makarov. "I assume this is the girl you were talking about?"

"Indeed she is. This young lady is Erza," Makarov replied, placing his hand on Erza's shoulder. "She only joined the guild fairly recently, but she already fits right in. However, the poor thing appears to have sustained a pretty nasty injury before she came to us."

Porlyusica merely grunted at his words. "Yes, you've already told me about her injury. However, I'm not particularly interested in your vague words- I'd much rather see the extent of the damage myself," She turned to Erza at this point and very bluntly said, "Well girl, no time like the present- let me see that eye of yours."

Erza wasn't particularly eager to show her injured eye to this stranger, as it wasn't exactly a pretty sight... but the entire point of this meeting so this woman could heal her. That was not something that could be done if she couldn't even bear to let the woman have a look. So despite her reluctance, she flipped up her eyepatch to rest on her brow. Porlyusica grabbed her chin and tilted her head back, leaning in the get a closer look. The healer instructed Erza to follow her finger with her injured eye and then proceeded to move her finger in different directions, noting with dismay that Erza could barely move her eye at all. At last, Porlyusica stepped back with a sigh.

"I didn't realize that her eye was so badly injured. It'll be next to impossible for me to restore her sight again."

"No need to be humble, I'm sure that you can do it with ease," Makarov said breezily. "It's just a shame she has to wear that ugly eyepatch when she has such a pretty little face."

Porlyusica glared at him and in a flash, her hand latched on to his ear with an iron grip. "You're not planning on putting the moves on her when she grows up, are you?"

"Of course not, woman," Makarov cried, desperately trying to pry her hand off his ear. "What kind of man do you take me for?!"

Despite his furious protests, Erza took a small step away from him... just in case. Eventually, Porlyusica relented and released Makarov grudgingly, before turning to look at Erza.

"Well, girl. I'd like to get straight to business," she said, before walking towards her home. "Let's get inside and I'll see what I can do."

"Is it worth me waiting around?" Makarov asked her retreating form.

"Not unless you want to sleep out here," Porlyusica replied brusquely. "I likely won't be done until tomorrow. You can come by to collect her in the morning."

Makarov nodded in understanding and gave Erza a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Erza. Porlyusica may not be the friendliest person, but she would never let harm come to a member of the guild. So rest assured, you'll be in good hands."

Erza thanked him and he turned to leave, making his way back to town.

"Well, girl. Are you coming, or not?"

Erza turned to Porlyusica, who had paused halfway up the stairs, waiting impatiently.

"Sorry, Ma'am," Erza said, dashing up the stairs after her.

The inside of Porlyusica's house proved to be just as bizarre as the outside. The inside of the tree had been hollowed out, creating a decently sized room. There was little in terms of furniture, but the room had all the basics that you would expect of a hermit living in the woods. There was a single bed, a desk, a handful of tree stumps which were likely meant to be basic chairs and numerous barrels and crates. There were a number of shelves that had been carved directly into the trunk of the tree, bearing a great number of books, as well as a series of unidentified concoctions in glass bottles and some alchemical ingredients.

Porlyusica gestured to the bed and Erza awkwardly saw down on the edge. The healer said nothing at first as she moved about the room, picking up various items, including a series of plants and an empty bottle. Having collected everything she needed, she took her spoils and the contents of the basket over to the bench and started mixing the ingredients using the equipment there. When she finally finished her work, she poured the resulting mixture into the bottle and approached Erza again, speaking for the first time since they had entered the room.

"I think it is time for me to explain how I plan to treat you," the woman said, wasting no more time. "Regrettably, I don't think I will be able to heal your eye- the damage is simply too severe and nothing short of healing magic will be able to save it. Unfortunately, healing magic is considered a lost art, so that is not an option for us."

"So... it's hopeless then? You can't do anything for me?" Erza asked sadly.

"Of course I can, child. Do you think I would have brought you in here to waste your time?" The woman snapped. "I said I can't heal you- but that doesn't mean I can't help you in some other way."

Erza looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean? What other option is there?"

"I can make an artificial eye for you. I know it's not the same as having your real eye, but with any luck, it will work just as well as the old one and you won't even notice the difference," Porlyusica explained. "It may seem like a drastic action, but that is the only option that I can give you."

Erza considered her proposal for a moment. "What would you need to do?" she asked.

"First of all, I would need to remove what's left of your damaged eye. For that reason, I made this-" Porlyusica said, raising the bottle in her hand. "It is a powerful sedative that will put you into a deep sleep while I perform the operation. After I've removed your eye and sterilised the area, I will go about making the artificial eye and inserting it into your eye socket. At that point, I just need to influence the assimilation process so that your body doesn't reject it as a foreign object and ensure that all the proper connections are made in order for you to see with it."

"...Ok, I get it," Erza said plainly.

"If you need some time to deliberate-"

"Let's do it," Erza interrupted suddenly. "As you said, there's no other option. So there's no point in overthinking it."

Seeing the resolve in Erza's face, Porlyusica swallowed her words. "Very well," she said. "If you're sure that's what you want. But don't come crying to me if you come to regret it." She handed Erza the glass bottle. "Make sure you drink it all," she said. "Can't have you waking up mid-operation."

Erza nodded, chugging the contents of the bottle, before handing it back to the woman. "What now?" she asked.

"Just lie down for now and let the potion take effect," Porlyusica replied.

"You're going to do the operation while I'm on the bed?"

"Do you see anywhere else to lie down?" the healer asked. "It's not like I have an operating theatre here, it's either a comfortable bed or the hard floor, so make your choice. Personally, I'd rather you spare my old knees and choose the bed so I don't have to kneel down. Don't worry about the bed, I have healed many people here over the years and it's done a fine job each and every time."

Erza nodded wearily, as she started to feel the effects of the potion. "If you're sure, then ok," she said, then lay down as requested. Before long, the building feeling of drowsiness overcame everything and she drifted off to sleep.

As consciousness slowly dawned on her, Erza started to stir restlessly. Her eyes- or more accurately 'eye', as she now had bandages covering her injured one- opened a mere crack, dazzled by the rays of the morning sun that pierced the room. She looked around her slowly, still a little disoriented. At first, she failed to recognise where she was, but as she laid eyes on the healer woman, perched on one of the logs on the other side of the room, she finally remembered.

As she heard Erza start to wake up, Porlyusica stood up and crossed the room to stand next to the bed. "How are you feeling, child?" she asked.

"I'm fine, thank you," Erza replied drowsily. "Did you manage to finish the operation?"

Porlyusica nodded but said nothing. Erza desperately wanted to ask her how the operation had gone, but she didn't have the courage to do so. Instead, she asked something else.

"I never asked before, but how were you going to make my new eye?"

"It's a fairly short, but complex procedure." the healer replied. "First I used a device to analyze your other eye, the one which is still in working condition. Using all the information recorded by the device, I took a small blank lacrima and programmed it to imitate your working eye, as well as form connections with the nerves and muscles in your eye socket. Then I simply inserted it into your eye socket and waited- eventually the lacrima expanded to the same shape and size as your other eye. In fact, the process was fully completed a few hours ago."

"I see," said Erza.

There was a short break in the conversation in which neither of them said anything. Eventually, Porlyusica broke the silence. "Well, girl, there's no point in dragging it out any longer," she said. "I understand that you're nervous about whether or not the operation was a success, but sitting here won't change the results. You have to take off the eyepatch if you want to find out if it went well." With those words, the old woman handed Erza a small mirror.

"You're right, Ma'am," Erza said reluctantly. There was no helping it, really. With her heart in her mouth, she took off the eyepatch. She blinked once, twice. For a second, her vision was a little blurry, but then everything resolved itself and became clear again. she looked into the mirror, saw that her new eye was identical to the old one. As a little test, she closed her left eye- the one that had been left uninjured. And to her surprise, she could still see. She could see everything.

"It's healed," she said in amazement.

"You can see with it?" Porlyusica asked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Erza answered.

"Good. Then I think it's about time you leave, young lady," declared Porlyusica. "Nothing personal, but I like my solitude and I'm not going to get it if you linger around here."

"Thank you," Erza said gently. "Thank you, so much." In her overwhelming joy, a single tear trailed down her cheek.

The healer woman looked at her in alarm. "Wait... something's wrong," she exclaimed, causing Erza to look up in distress. "When you cry, the injured eye isn't tearing up." She rushed to her table, rapidly flicking through the pages of a book that lay open there.

"I just don't understand it, I did everything perfectly," muttered Porlyusica in dismay. "I mixed the compound perfectly, used a flawless lacrima, followed the procedure to the letter. There's no reason it should have failed..."

"It's alright, Ma'am," Erza said quietly. Porlyusica looked over to her questioningly and the girl continued. "It's not your fault- it's probably cos I've cried so much that I don't have any tears left," she said with a bittersweet smile.

"You've done more than enough for me, thank you."

Erza left quietly, without much fuss. After all that Porlyusica had done for her, she could at least leave the woman in peace. As she descended the steps, she was greeted by the shrill sounds of a solo woodwind instrument. As he had promised, Master Makarov waited for her just ahead, sitting cross-legged on a tree stump. In his hands, he held the offending instrument, which he was playing so poorly, that he would surely desecrate the illustriousness of all woodwind instruments for ages to come.

Perturbed by this unusual display, Erza could only watch Makarov as he finished his piece. When the final note trailed off, the old man turned to Erza. "You have an unusual expression on your face, child," he said. "Anything on your mind?"

"I... was just surprised to see you playing an instrument, Master," she said carefully. "I never would have expected that you played the flute."

"The ryūteki is a noble instrument, which is something that I admire greatly. Besides, everyone has to have a pastime of some sort. Hobbies are something that we humans invented in order to enrich our lives- if it weren't for that, we surely would have gone insane a long time ago," said Makarov with a wry chuckle. "More importantly than that, child, I see that your eye is looking a lot better. I take it that Porlyusica's healing worked?"

"You could say that," Erza answered. "She wasn't able to heal my eye, but she was able to give me an artificial one that works just as well as the old one."

"I see," Makarov said. "Well, it's probably the best outcome that we could have asked for, given the circumstances. Certainly, worth the trip out here, eh?"

"Yes, sir. It was."

"Good to hear," said Makarov contently. "In that case, should we head back to town? I highly suggest that you try and find Natsu when you get the chance- the poor lad was getting all worked up when you didn't turn up at the guild yesterday. And when I finally explained that you were getting your eye checked out, he was very concerned." He sighed heavily, standing up. "Who would have thought that the lad would prove to be such a worrywart?"

Erza smiled gently as the two of them started walking back. "He can be a hothead sometimes, but it's clear that he has a big heart," she said.

"Yes, that does appear to be the case," Makarov said. "Quite the odd combination of personality traits, if you ask me."

He fell silent for a moment. "Speaking of Natsu, I noticed that since you went on your first job together, you appear to have picked up something of interest." He glanced pointedly at the sword that hung from her hip. "What's the story with that little treasure?"

Reflexively, Erza's hand dropped to the blade in question, her fingers grazing against it fondly. "When we were working on that first job for the client, Natsu ended up providing some extra assistance. The client offered a bonus reward for his help, so he asked for this blade and gave it to me." Erza explained.

"I see," said Makarov. "I'm pleased to see that the two of you are getting along so well. You two already have quite the relationship,"

"R-relationship?" squeaked a red-face Erza.

"Hmm? Why yes, you two are friends, aren't you?" questioned Makarov.

"Friends? Oh, yes... yes we are," Erza said, looking downwards.

The old man looked at her worriedly. "Are you sure you're alright, young lady? You look like you're coming down with a fever."

"I'm fine, thank you! Anyway, let get going!" she said, rushing off ahead.

Makarov watched her all but sprint down the path back to town, still highly confused about what had just happened. "Is it something I said?" he asked himself. Shaking his head, he trailed after her, muttering to himself all the while about the unusual new members of his guild.

Heart of Fire
Wings of Light
I have withstood the harshest of winters
In this barren heart of mine
Colder and emptier without you here
And yet my flame burns on

"...Ninety-seven, ninety-eight, ninety-ninety, one hundred!"

For what felt like the millionth time today, Natsu glanced at the entrance to the guild hall. And for the millionth time, he was left disappointed.

"Urgh! Where is she?" he cried in frustration. Master Makarov had assured him that Erza would be back sometime today, so he had waited for her arrival all morning. The anticipation was agonising and he had been unable to stop himself from glancing at those doors for more than a few seconds. In order to stop himself from going completely crazy, he forced himself to repeat this slow count to a hundred, only allowing himself to look up when he finished.

He slumped forward again, resting against the table that he sat at. "One... two... three..." he said, starting the cycle for another iteration.

It was sad really- without Erza here, there wasn't much here to keep him occupied. Had Gray been here, he could have messed with the icy weirdo a little- but he was out on a job right now. Likewise, Cana was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, that left him with few distractions to pass the time.

'I could try and talk to someone,' he thought to himself. Starting a conversation wasn't his strong suit though, so he was hesitant to just walk up to a random stranger to try and chat with them. For that matter, what would he even talk about? He still wasn't clued into human society enough to have a proper conversation with just anybody. He groaned in frustration at his own lack of people skills and slammed his forehead into the table.

"...Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred..."

Once again, he completed his count. But was there any point in checking the door? If Erza wasn't here yet, then she likely wouldn't be here for a while yet, if she was planning on coming at all.

"Curse my rotten luck," Natsu grumbled to himself.

At that exact moment, the door creaked open. A split second later, Natsu was on his feet, eyes glued to the entrance. The doors opened wider and someone entered- but it wasn't Erza. Instead, it was a short little girl with sky blue hair, who skipped into the room merrily. Feeling deflated, Natsu sank back down into his seat.

'As expected, she's not coming,' Natsu thought dejectedly. Slumping over again, he plonked his arms down on the table and rested his chin on his forearms. He once again returned his gaze to the immobile doors, though this time, he was unable to properly focus his attention on them. In this semi-conscious state, he very vaguely registered the blue-haired girl passing in front of him to sit at a nearby table. For a few minutes, he remained undisturbed- until he caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of his eye. Glancing to one side, he saw that the girl was fidgeting idly at her table, unable to keep still. Seeing that it was nothing interesting, he looked away and closed his eyes.

Not long after that, he heard the girl get up from her table, walk away and start rummaging through something. Curious as to what she was doing, he opened his eyes and saw her take something out of a nearby cabinet. With the object in hand, she walked back to her table and set it down gently, before taking a seat. Now that the object was a little closer to him, Natsu could see that it was actually a box of some kind. Taking off the lid, the girl emptied the contents onto the table carefully, then started to organize them. First, she took a flat board that had been etched with a nine-by-nine grid pattern and laid it down in front of her. She then took out a drawstring bag and emptied it out onto the table, revealing a series of wedge-shaped pieces of wood. Each was of a slightly different size and had two different symbols engraved on them, one on each side. She arranged the pieces onto the board in a symmetrical pattern, so that the pieces occupied the three rows closest to her, as well as the three furthest from her. The pieces on her side all pointed away from her, while the pieces on the opposite side all face towards her.

Thoroughly entranced by the almost ceremonious manner in which she moved, he was caught by surprise when she suddenly rapped one of the pieces against the table loudly. He looked up with a start to realize that she was looking directly at him.

"You know, if you're interested in what I'm doing, you can come and have a closer look," she said graciously.

"Huh, who said I was interested?" Natsu replied with an air of false indifference. "You just happened to catch me looking over,"

"I don't think so. You've been 'looking over' here for the last five minutes," she said dryly.

'Uck, busted,' Natsu thought, sheepishly. "Alright, alright! I might be just a little bit interested," he said, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Then come over and have a look," she said. "Don't worry, I don't bite."

Grumbling to himself, Natsu stood up and walked over to her table, looking more closely at the board. "So what is this thing?"

The girl's eyes lit up at his question. "This is a Shogi board- it's a game," she explained eagerly.

"Really?" Natsu asked doubtfully. "Doesn't look like any game I know. You're supposed to have fun with little pieces of wood?"

"Yeah, it's actually really fun. But it takes a lot of concentration and thinking," she explained. "Because it's so hard, not everyone likes it. Which means I don't have many people to play with," she added with a sad smile.

"So you need more than one person to play?" Natsu asked in confusion. "Why did you get the board out then if you've got no-one to play with?"

"Because I had nothing better to do, so I was going to play by myself."

"Wow, that's sad,"

"Hey, that's mean!" she pouted, pointing a finger at him. "If it's so sad that I'm playing by myself, how about you let me teach you and we can play together?"

"No thanks, I'm not a fan of thinking too hard," he said, shutting her down instantly.

"Oh, come on!" she wheedled desperately. "It's not like you're doing anything right now, you're just sitting and staring at the door."

An excellent point. Until recently he had been looking for some means of distraction to take his mind off the wait. Even if it wasn't something he was particularly interested in, surely it would be better than sitting around idly?

"Ok then," he said, sitting across the table from her. "I guess I can try it out."

"Great!" said the girl, flashing a dazzling smile at him. "Alright, so here's how you play."

The girl then proceeded to explain to him the rules of the game, including the overall goal, the mechanics and the purpose of the different pieces. Overall, it sounded like a very complex game that took a lot of strategic thinking.

"Is there anything you don't understand?" she asked, having finished her explanation.

Natsu contemplated her words for a few seconds. "I think I'm good," he said finally.

"Ok then, let's play!" she said. "Remember, If you're too aggressive with your pieces, you'll probably lose. You need to think about how your pieces work together and not just send them charging out to get taken."

Natsu nodded in understanding.

"Good. I'll play first then," the girl said.

With those words, she took one of her pieces and moved it into a new position on the board... and so the game began. The two of them took turns moving their pieces across the board. Natsu found himself contemplating each move carefully, trying his best to not get completely annihilated by his opponent. Despite his own inexperience, he could see that she was a skilled player. Her eyes darted across the board and she moved each piece with surety, like a conductor orchestrating a great performance. He lost a lot of his pieces during the early stages of the game, but the longer he played, the more he began to understand the moves at play. Eventually, he started to perform a lot better and while he wasn't able to put up much in the form of a counter-attack, he was at least able to hold his own. The girl took longer with each move and considered her actions more closely, giving him a little breathing space.

No longer under the same sort of pressure, Natsu scrutinized his opponent more closely. She looked to be about his age, or perhaps slightly younger. Her previously-mentioned blue hair hung loosely to her shoulders and was slightly wavey at the ends. She had a very expressive face, with a high forehead and brown eyes that leant towards the hazel end of the spectrum. Around her neck, she had an ivory coloured necklace with beads similar to the Shogi pieces. She also wore a sleeveless yellow jerkin with a red edging, black three-quarter length cropped trousers and brown shoes.

"Huh," Natsu said to himself.

"What?" asked the girl, as she picked up one of her pieces.

"Oh nothing," he said. "I was just thinking that you're really pretty."

"Eh?!" She stared at him speechless for a moment, before dropping her head down to avoid his gaze. She distractedly put down her piece, to which Natsu grinned, triumphant.

"You're wide open!" he hooted, taking out one of her most prominent pieces.

The girl gaped at the board and glared at him. "Hey! Did you just say that to distract me?" she asked indignantly.

"Partly," he said with a casual air. "But I really did mean it."

The girl pouted again and stared at the board intensely for a few seconds. By taking that last piece, Natsu had put her in a bad position. Feeling sure of his victory, he grinned smugly.

But the girl was more than eager to dash his dreams. She picked up another piece and moved it. "Checkmate," she smiled.

Natsu looked at the board again in puzzlement. "Oh... you're right," he said. While his last move had certainly inconvenienced the girl, he had inadvertently made himself vulnerable. "Guess I didn't really think that through," he mumbled bashfully.

The girl shook her head. "No, it was a good move. If you had more pieces, you might have been able to win." Despite her kind words, she scowled at him. "Though it would have been better if you hadn't cheated."

"Sorry," he offered. "It was the only way I'd have a chance of winning."

"Hmph, I guess I'll let you off this time," she said. "So what did you think? Of the game I mean."

"It was fun... a lot better than I thought it would be," Natsu answered. "To be honest, I wouldn't mind playing another game at some point."

The instant he finished talking, the girl shot up and launched herself across the table, almost headbutting him.

"Really?! Do you mean it?" she blurted.

Taken by surprise, Natsu leant back to put some distance between them. "Sure, I don't see why not."

He smiled as the girl shrieked and giggled. At the moment, he heard the doors creak open and he whipped his head around just in time to see a familiar red-headed girl enter. He jumped to his feet quickly, intent on rushing over to her.

"Hey, I need to go," he told the girl. "I'll see you in a bit, ok?"

"Wait!" the girl cried. He paused for a moment, looking back at her. "I don't think I was here when you joined the guild. What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragonslayer,"

The girl smiled at him sweetly. "My name's Levy... Levy McGarden. I hope we can play again soon,"

"Sure thing," Natsu said as he ran off. "Anytime."

Levy smiled to herself as he left, happy to have made a new friend. "Natsu, huh?" she said to herself. "I hope to see you soon,"

Natsu all but sprinted across the room to Erza's side.

"Erzaaaa!" he yelled furiously.

Hearing her name, the startled girl turned around to see Natsu barreling towards her. In shock, she lashed out reflexively, delivering a straight punch directly into his face and sending him tumbling to the floor.

"Ugh!" he croaked, stunned by the powerful blow.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Natsu!" she said, flustered. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, dazed. "Sorry, but could you help me up? Everything is spinning."

Still feeling mortified for almost knocking him out, she helped him get back to his feet. He was a little unsteady at first, but eventually, his double vision settled down and he managed to stay upright without her support.

"Thanks," he said. He looked at her face, noting immediately that she wasn't wearing her eyepatch. "Hey, your eye is better."

"Kind of," she replied with a somewhat bitter smile. "The healer had to give me a new one."

"What?!" he exclaimed. "That's so cool! And unfair... why can't I get a new one?"

Erza couldn't help but laugh at his childish words. "Only you would think that's cool, Natsu." Suddenly, her face took a more mischevious expression. "By the way, a little bird told me that you were pretty agitated while I was gone. Were you worried about me?" she asked teasingly.

"Pfft, no!" he replied, in an unconvincing manner. "As if I'd ever be worried about you. I just wanted to go on a job with my partner, is all."

"Oh, so I'm your partner, am I?" she said, poking him in the side. "In that case, should we go take a look at the request board?"

"Don't have to ask me twice," he answered. Without another word, he latched onto her hand and raced away, ready to pursue their next adventure.

And there we have it for chapter 8. This chapter was a little on the unusual side, as I switched focus from Natsu to Erza for a little bit. I will likely be doing this from time to time in the future, even if it's only for short periods, just so I can show what the other characters are doing when Natsu isn't around. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy seeing me mix things up in this way, but as it's going to be important for character building as well as just showing events in general, it can't really be helped even if you're not too keen on it. It'll all be worth it in the end, trust me.

Also, sorry if you felt this chapter was a little slow. I promise I'm not deliberately trying to tease you guys with my slow progress or anything, I just don't want to miss out anything I feel as significant regarding flashbacks and the like. Speaking of flashbacks, I've been trying to remember all the different episodes where we see these flashbacks, but there's only so much I can do without rewatching ALL the early episodes of the show. If you guys can remember any flashbacks, even if they're just little snippets, let me know! Drop a review or send me a PM, either is appreciated. For that matter, drop me a review anyway- Favouriting and Following my story is great, but nothing quite beats hearing your feedback on what you like/disliked about my chapters. A writer needs constructive criticism if they want to improve.

Thirdly, onto a slightly more serious topic. After uploading my last chapter, I received a couple of reviews that were a little spoilery. While I appreciate anyone taking the time to write a review on my story, there's one thing that I must ask: If you're planning on writing a review, please be careful not to include spoilers. The people who choose to read my story- or any other for that matter- may not be up to date with the series and therefore it could ruin their experience of reading/watching said series. Believe it or not, I am one of these people- I've only watched 5 episodes of the newest season so far, so I'm looking to try and catch up on it soon. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) I have actually read a fair few spoilers while doing my research, so it's not so bad for me. Anyway, the point is, please be considerate of your fellow readers. Thank you

Finally, I'd like to apologise (again) for the slow progression. I don't think it'll take too much longer though- the next chapter will probably be a fairly long one, so it may take a while to write, but after that, it's just a matter of churning out the flashback chapters and then we'll be onto the main story. Again, if you guys can remember any of the flashbacks, even if it's just a short little snippet of one, let me know. If you can list them in chronological order, even better. It'll help me a lot with chapter 10 onwards.

Anyway, I think that's all I have to say for this chapter, so until next time.