edited chapter 5 enjoy


After a few hours of walking, they made it to a nearby village, and fortunately, it was the village where the rumored blacksmith is.

After walking around, the two heard about a blacksmith that came here the other day, causing Natsu to grin.

"Looks like we found him Ultear" he grabs her by the hand and drags her along.

Ultear was fighting off a blush as they searched for the blacksmith.

Natsu still hadn't let her hand go, and secretly she didn't mind.

When he finally let go, they stood outside the blacksmith shop.

He walks in to see if he is there, and to his luck, he is.

Noticing the pink hair, he faced Natsu. "Hmm, is there anything you need, sir?".

"Yeah, are you the famous blacksmith that recently entered Fiore?"

"Yes, names Malcolm. What do you need"?

Natsu notices he was tall fairly muscular at a closer look, probably from all his years as a blacksmith.

He had black curly hair and wore your regular blacksmith clothes.

It was at this time Ultear entered, getting slightly surprised looks from the blacksmith.

Ultear instinctively took a step closer to Natsu, causing the man to have a slight pout but pushed it aside as he has a potential customer.

"I need some to purchase some high-quality vambraces. Is that the right word, Ultear?"

"Yes"

"What for? as you don't seem like a knight or a warrior."

He rubbed his forearm once more. "I had a close call on a magic job a while back, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some added protection."

"Hmm, now I get it. Well, let me get your measurements, and then we can start talking prices and material."

After getting his measurements, they chatted about the material and cost. Those vambraces cost a pretty penny, to say the least.

The material had to be strong and heat resistant. However, heat resistance wasn't too hard as Natsu just had to channel a considerable amount of his magic to them.

The material, on the other hand, was another story.

The material was an alloy of iron and a mysterious stone called Veridian.

Unfortunately, Malcolm didn't have any on hand, and it would take at least a week to ship it to him on top of the mixing of the two, so needless to say, it would be a while.

"Ok, the price comes out to 10,000,000 jewels" Ultear eye nearly shot out of her eyes immediately, thinking he can't afford it.

"No problem let me give you my account information," he said casually, and Malcolm didn't pay any mind to it at all.

Causing Ultear to gawk at the casual exchange as if that amount of money was nothing to them.

Before they could finalize anything, Ultear swiftly grabbed hold of him and dragged him away outside as she needs to have a few words with him.

Seeing this display caused Malcolm to chuckle at this.

"Natsu, are you insane? Do you have any idea how much 10,000,000 jewel is?"

"Yes, I do, and I can afford it."

"HOW?"

"Remember Bosco"

"Never mention how much you made off that job?" she deadpanned.

"You really want to know?"

"Yes"

"Fine, but this stay between us, ok!"

"Fine"

"I made 100,000,000 million jewels off that job."

"100 whaaaaat?" she exasperated.

"You forget the recent eruption. The alternative, if I didn't, would have cost the country hundreds of millions in economic wealth,"

Natsu smirks after sounding so bright.

It looks like all that time in jail did his brain some good.

Ultear had no idea how or what to say to this.

"Hey, money isn't an issue, so you can get whatever you need that's better than your kimono, which looks like it's seen better days."

A wicked grin formed on her face "do you mean it" she had a glint in her eyes.

"Y-yeah," he said hesitantly, "I hope I don't regret this"

He walks back in, with her not far behind, to finish his deal with Malcolm.

"So, it will take two weeks to get them."

"For the material, yes, you stay here and wait or come back later for the final fitting."

"Do you specialize in armor that acts like clothing, or do you know a Taylor nearby you can do that?

"I can make the armor pieces no problem, but the Taylor is another story."

"Are you saying you don't know one?"

"I know one, but she's, well, a handful is putting it lightly, assuming she is in a good mood."

"Yikes!"

"Let me give you her address" the address in question was three days' travel.

Unfortunately, it was in the opposite direction they were heading.

"Well, Ultear, it looks like we have to do some backtracking," he said with a sigh.

"What about those armor pieces."

"You sure you want this guy taking your measurement," he whispers, seeing a slight grin on Malcolm's face.

"Good point."

"So, do you want plates, chain mail, or a mix between the two?"

"Um, I want to see the Taylor first before I decide if I want metal armor," she said blandly.

"Ok, then I'll see in a couple of weeks, Natsu."

"See ya."

Just as they were about to leave, Malcolm found a lacrima where that makes him a man "that's for staring and the grin," she said in a disgusted tone, glaring daggers at him as they left.

"Worth it," he said mentally before going back to work.

When they were a reasonable distance away, "sorry for putting you through that," he said offhandedly.

"You have nothing to apologize for some men."

"But still.."

"Natsu, just forget about it."

"What about me? Am I part of that group," he said hesitantly, mind going back to the hotel from the guild master meeting.

"For now, no, it seems there was a benefit of fairy tail having a large selection of attractive women."

"I'm not a pervert."

"I never said you were, but it seems you can least give women the respect they deserve and NOT see us as an object."

"I see your point now."

Natsu begrudgingly got on a train. He just got off earlier and thankfully had Ultear's lap.

Ultear couldn't stop the smile from forming. She wouldn't admit it, but he looked quite cute,

She started going red, not knowing how to deal with these emotions.

Two days later

They were a day away from the Taylor, but before that, Natsu wanted to do some training, mainly physical.

And Ultear had a front-row seat to see him in nothing but his short, and she was admiring the muscle he spent years attaining.

It took all her willpower not to tackled him so that she could feel them.

Natsu was hiding a smirk as he knew she was eyeing him during his workout.

After his reps were done, he jumped in a nearby river to get the sweat off "you're more than welcome to join me if you need to wash up," he said

"I'm good," she said in a rush.

"Ok then," he went back to washing the remaining sweat off.

Natsu bolted behind a tree only to see a massive fire for a few seconds and out came Natsu fully clothed.

"Let go were not that far," she followed close behind him.

The next day

They found themselves in the town Malcolm mentioned and found the Taylors address.

"Excuse me, is anyone here?" he said

"I'll be there in a minute," a feminine voice called out.

"Wonder what she's like," he whispered to Ultear.

"Hopefully, she is in the mood," she whispered back.

The lady that walked in was in her later years, evident by a few gray streaks.

"The names marry. What can I help you with today?"

"Yeah, I would like to get a new outfit as my kimono is not really suited well for battle."

"And what battle are you referring to?"

"I'm a guild wizard."

"What guild, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Crime Sorcery" Natsu interjected

"Oh, I've heard of that guild, and many of them not good," she said with a slightly sad tone.

"And what per se did you hear?" he said with slight irritation.

"A bunch of bull about how your guild is a means for dark mages taking advantage of the council and how you should be disbanded and everyone threw in jail for the rest of their days."

"Not again, I thought we cleared that up," Natsu exasperated.

"Calm down, Natsu, we knew this would happen," Ultear said soothing tone succeeding in calming him down.

"Fine"

"Anyway, I'd like to get new clothes that are more resilient in combat."

"Hmm, let head in back to take your measurements, then we will discuss what suits you best."

"I'll stay out here then," Natsu threw in.

"Ok, Natsu," Natsu found a chair and sat down and patiently waited for them to finish their business.

Two hours later

Ultear walked out no longer in her one sleeve kimono, now wearing a black t-shirt, a leather jacket, and jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places.

The leather was black in color and the jean a deep blue she also wore a white headband.

"Whoa" was his response.

"You like it good it has some moderate magic resistance, and there is some extra space for any metal plates if you want them installed.

"Now it's your turn."

"What I thought we were just doing, Ultear?"

"I tried to tell her that, but she was very adamant about it."

"Marry, mind explaining why?"

"Most of my clients are either businessmen or women. I rarely get male mages, and it would give me more experience."

"Beside Natsu, your clothes weren't much better than mine, so think of it as an upgrade."

"Fine, I suppose it couldn't hurt" he got up from his seat followed her in the back.

After an hour and a half, Natsu walked out with a black muscle shirt, black leather sleeveless jacket, cargo pants with black boots, and signature scarf.

He looks at himself in the mirror and couldn't help but be slightly impressed with his new look.

"Yours was, fortunately, easier to make as you can handle the magic resistant on your own"

Ultear wouldn't say it out loud, but this new look made them even more handsome, especially the way the jacket help define his natural build.

And from the look of Marry, she had the same thoughts as well.

"So what's the price tag on our new set of threads?" he deadpanned, knowing it wasn't going to be cheap.

"Both outfit together about 3 million jewels since they were custom made."

Natsu let out a massive sigh before paying her, "thank you will see you around."

"It's no problem and knowing you, Natsu, that's a guarantee," she said with a giggle causing Natsu to let out a snort.

"So, where to now?"

"We still have about a week before those vambraces are done, and we can't forget about Happy, so we might as well track down Aria."

"Indeed"

Five days later

It took them almost a week, but they found the last city Aria was last seen.

"Let's hope he's still here."

"Indeed"

After asking around, they had good luck. Aria was staying in the hut on the far side of town.

When they finally made it, they could feel a sudden change in the air around them.

They didn't hesitate to put their guard up as they slowly approached the door.

"Who goes there" he shouts from inside.

"Aria, it's me, Natsu, formerly of fairy tail. I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

The door slowly opens, almost inviting them in, which to did with caution.

To find him sitting on a chair in the corner facing the door.

"Sit," he says. They oblige using two chairs conveniently nearby.

"Do you know why we are here, Aria?"

"I can only speculate, but tell me anyway."

"After my expulsion from fairy tail and what happened on tenrou islands, I started a new guild for former dark mages. It's also for anyone I think could benefit from it as well."

"Hmm, I heard about your guild and you as guild master. I would be lying if I said I'm not intrigued."

"So, will you join our cause? From what I understand, you haven't joined a guild since phantom lord was disbanded."

"It is true I haven't joined a guild, but what would I gain from joining your guild over the countless others in Fiore."

Natsu had a disgruntled look after being unable to counter.

"For starts, it would be an opportunity to build up a reputation as a stand-up guy, especially after the Fairy tail Phantomlord War" Ultear interjected.

A look of hope formed on Natsu's face at this.

"Hmm, you do have a point as money has been tight for me since then, but from what I heard, your guild reputation isn't doing too well."

"True, but you could help improve our public image if we have a wizard as talented as you, Aria," Natsu added.

"Hmm, give me a couple of days to think about, and there's an inn in town that has fair prices if you wish to wait for my response."

"Sounds like a plan. We'll take our leave then," Natsu and Ultear got up and left him to his thoughts.

And the inn in question did have a reasonable price, and fortunately, they had a two-bedroom room available.

Later that night

Natsu tossed his blanket to Ultear, getting a curious look from her.

"Remember, I don't get cold, and you might need it more than me" he laid down on the bed and went to sleep shortly after.

Ultear laid the two blankets on top of each other before slipping in and her falling asleep.

Two days later

They were back at Aria's place, waiting for his answer to be yes.

"So, what do you want me to do now, Master Natsu."

"Just Natsu will do," he said in a slightly disgusted tone causing Aria to give him a level look.

"He's not fond of formality," Ultear added. Aria nodded at this.

"Where is your guild hall Natsu."

Natsu pulled out a map and showed him the location" I would go with you, but I have another matter to sort out it may be a few days before we return after you."

"Very well, then I'll see you soon" they went their separate ways for the time being.

Two days later

There were back with Macomb, who was putting the finishing touches on Natsu's order.

"So, what can I do for you, young lady?"

"hmm, I'll think I'll do some metal plates. Here are my measurements from the Taylor" she handed him a piece of paper.

"Ok, that should only take me about a day after I'm done with Natsu," went back to work on the vambraces.

The next day

Natsu had his vambraces, and they fit perfectly. However, upon closer inspection, it was a dark red color with what looked to be a dragon imprinted on each one.

"I thought it would be nice if they reflected your fire magic, and here are the plates Ultear had a small stack of lightweight but sturdy plates.

"Thank you! She took them in hand and was surprised by how light they were," how are they so light?"

"I order more Veridian than necessary as I was low on it, to begin with, and it's used in a lot of light but strong armors. The one who goes by Erza can tell you that"

"How do you know, Erza?" Natsu asked

"An acquaintance of mine is her personal armorsmith who is just as or more skilled than me."

"Well, I'll have to tell her that when she got back."

"She Alive!"

"I hope so. From what the council recorded of the battle with Acnologia, the impact of his breath attack didn't look right, and believe me, as a dragon slayer, I know what I'm talking about."

"I believe you just hope she comes back soon."

"I hope so too. Oh, one more thing, do you have a light pair of daggers that can hold an edge? It's for a friend."

"I think I have some lying around. Let me look real quick" it only took five minutes to find them.

"here you go with the addition to Ultear armored plates and daggers that bring the total to 13,000,000 jewel."

"Thanks, ill send you your payment when we get back to the guild."

"Not a problem, just don't forget, or no blacksmith will sell to you," he said with a smirk.

"I didn't know they were all so close."

"You could say the same thing about guild wizards, hehe."

"Touche"

"Well, nice doing business with you, Natsu, and Ultear."

"Same here. Hope we see you again someday."

On the way back, Natsu got many looks from the ladies. Ultear started getting jealous walked right next to them to deter them from approaching.

Three days later

They finally made it back to their new guildhall, and from the look of the interior, they quickly called it home.

"Wondering when you two would be back?" Jellal said from behind one of the pillars.

Natsu didn't get a chance to respond as he was tackled by a blue blur, "NATSU YOUR BACK!" Happy shouts from his chest.

"Good to see you to Happy," he stands back up, dusting himself off "oh, I have something for you," he requiped the dagger he got earlier.

"No way you actually got them for me, thank you, Natsu" he tackles him again this time. He didn't get knocked down.

"No problem, buddy."

"Whoa, I just realized you got new clothes, both of you actually" he tapped the vambraces with his paw.

"I noticed too," Doranbolt said, telegraphing his presence.

Around this time, everyone in the guild, including Aria, crowded about the pair.

"What with the new threads?" Kageyama asked.

"Well, after the guy with the ax a few jobs back, I thought it would be a good idea to invest in some armor," he said, rubbing his forearm again.

This got nods of approval all around, but that still left the question for the new outfits.

"As for the threads, Ultear wanted something more robust than her kimono and dragged me with her."

"Your clothes looked like there were about to fall off. Good thing Marry insisted you get some as well" this got chuckles all around.

"I want new clothes," Meredy whined. And she was joined by others as well.

"They weren't cheap since they were custom made for us," he deadpanned.

"How much?"

"For both of us, you don't want to know."

"Then how did you afford these in the first place?"

"The money I made from the Bosco Job I mentioned before" this got nods of understanding.

"How much did you make off that job? You have yet to mention it?" Jellal asked.

"Not saying, Ultear, don't say a word," he said firmly.

"Sorry, guys, you ain't getting it out of me," she informed.

"But what about me," Meredy said with puppy dog eyes toward Natsu.

Natsu refused to look her in the eyes as that meant defeat.

She didn't let up one bit continuing her pursuit.

He looked straight up and closing his eyes, refusing to lose, an evil glint formed in Happy eyes.

"Natsu"

"Natsu"

"Natsu"

"Won't work, Happy he said fiercely, keeping his eye closed firmly.

"Ultear, I heard there a guy in the nearest town who wants to take out of date."

"HAPPY," he snapped, and unfortunately, he locked eyes with Meredy and lost the battle. "Fine, but just her."

"Yes," she squealed, lifting her fist triumphantly in the air.

Ultear was fighting off a blush from the display as she realized she has feelings for him during their journey back home.

"What about me," Jellal thought to get a flaming fist to the face and send it into the wall.

"Pay for it yourself," he then stomps away, "hey, where my room at?"

"Same here," she thought in.

"Follow me. I'll show you," Jordan said with the two in tow.

Natsu got the master bedroom as the guild master when they were shown their room, and Ultear was right across the hall.

"Why is my room right next to his?" she asked.

"You're his adverser. So we thought it was best to have your room close to each other for meeting purposes," he said, rubbing the massive red mark on his face swelled up quickly.

Natsu entered his room to see it was quite spacious, about 30 feet across both directions.

And he had a window to the outside over his bed, which was queen-sized.

"Happy, I don't see a spot for you? Beside my bed."

"He stays with me," Meredy informed

"Why?" he said, slightly confused.

"He was lonely the first night we were here and asked if he could sleep with me, and he never left.

"Aye, sir."

"So, you're staying with her, then?"

"Yep, she doesn't mind me sharing a bed with her, and her bed and blanket are sooooo soft."

"Your welcome Happy."

"Thank Meredy," he said, hugging her.

"If you say so Happy," Natsu said blankly.

When Ultear saw her room, it was similar to Natsu but not as big, and it had a walk-in closet, causing a smile to form.

And from what she could tell, it was heated, granted that the whole guildhall was very warm.

"So when can we get me a new outfit" Meredy chimed to Natsu

"Not today since we just got back maybe a week from now, at least, and since Dorablot here, we won't have to take a long way."

"Sound like a plan."

Natsu walked over to his bed and collapsed on it. "I don't want to hear a peep out of everyone for the remainder of the day and night as we had a long journey, and I'm exhausted," he said through his pillow.

Ultear did the same as her bed, but Meredy stayed with her as she hasn't seen her in two weeks.

Happy was sitting on her shoulder.

Morning

After a long night of sleep, Natsu woke up and walked to his office in the corner that he just realized he had.

He sat down and went to work, filling out some paperwork the pay for him and Ultear clothes and his vambraces.

After that was done, he went down to the main hall, surprised to see Lahar before him.

"What do you need, Lahar," he said, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"After seeing the result from your guild, the council decided to hand over prisoners they felt was a waste of resources to keep locked up.

"And who would that be," he said sternly.

"Me Salamander," it was then he noticed Richard in the corner.

"Ok, then I accept him, is there anything else?"

"No, that will be all."

"Wait, what about Jellal, Ultear, and Meredy"

"Hmm, the council still holds firm on the deal."

"Ok, then how long will it be before they are fully trusted?"

"It will take a few years before they come close to conceding to give them their freedom."

"As expected well, Richard, where do you want the emblem and what color?" he held out a stamp.

"Left shoulder orange please," Natsu placed the stamp on him" you are now a member of Crime Sorcery."

"Thank you, master Natsu."

"Just Natsu, fine."

"Ok, then."

A few hours later

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Richard, a very skilled earth mage."

"Hello everyone," everyone walked up to him and introduced themselves.

"So you're an earth mage too," Jordan said with a level glare.

"Yes, I take it you are as well?"

"Yes, I use stone-make Magic, you?"

"My magic render earth to act as a fluid."

"Interesting?"

"You want to see a demonstration?"

"If your gonna fight, takes it outside!" Natsu informed sternly

The two walked outside, traveling a moderate distance away from the guildhall.

On one end stood Jordan and the other Richard.