Haloha everyone! Hope you're having a good day! Once again, thank you so much for the reviews! The last one was quite overwhelming. I'm really glad a lot of you enjoyed the first dating chapter a lot. I hope I'll be able to make this fanfic enjoyable for those of you who wish to continue reading it! :3

To address another review by AJ, mhmm… that seems interesting! I haven't really thought about that, actually! I'll take that into consideration. Seems it could help me with writing Natsu.

Anyhow, enjoy reading!

Chapter 13: Spending Time with You, Part 2

The dragon slayers continued on with their date, holding hands together as they walked on their path. Meanwhile, the two people spying on them seem to have forgotten their original goal for a while.

"This crepe tastes so good!" Erza said after taking a bite of her strawberry-filled crepe.

"You just had to buy one, huh… " Carla sighed heavily.

"Come on, you should buy one as well!" Erza's eyes sparkled, shoving the menu in front of her face.

"I'm good." Carla waved a palm. "Besides, we didn't come here to eat, did we?" She turned her head to observe the dragon slayers.

Except they weren't there anymore.

"Huh?" Carla blinked a few times. She scanned the area around, not seeing any signs of any pink, spiky hair or blue, long hair. She stood up, pushing her chair back. They're not here? Where did they go?!

Erza was happily chowing down on her crepe, unaware of Carla's worries.

"Erza!" Carla called her out.

"Mhmm?" Erza hummed with her mouth full.

"They've already left!"

Erza stared at her for a moment, then swallowed. "Who left?"

Carla groaned in frustration. "Natsu and Wendy! They're not here!"

Erza's eyes widened. She turned her head to the direction where Natsu and Wendy were supposed to be sitting. Sure enough, they were absent from the area.

"What?! Where did they go? Why didn't you tell me sooner, Carla?!" Erza slammed her fists on the table, garnering some looks from the servers nearby.

"Hah? I have been telling you we shouldn't get distracted!" Carla facepalmed, taking a deep breath. I knew this was a terrible idea…

"We must make haste! We can't lose them!" Erza dashed towards the cashier and paid for her crepe. Before the cashier could return her change, Erza had already dragged Carla out of the café. "Let's go, Carla!"

"Slow down, Erza!" Carla tried to match Erza's pace. And so, they attempted to track where Natsu and Wendy went for their date.


"Come on, Natsu!" Wendy merrily tugged Natsu's hand forward.

"Okay, okay." Natsu smiled, matching her pace with Wendy. "Do you already have a place in mind?"

"Yeah, there's this place I really want to go with you!" Wendy said.

"Haha, alright." Natsu chuckled. I wonder what place she wants to go to?

As they walked towards their destination, a cluster of sounds passed by Natsu's ears. He could hear kids' cries, laughter, and screams. He could also hear the sounds of bells, machinery, and various other colorful sounds. Must be a crowded place. As they passed through a gate, Natsu immediately felt life leave his body at what he witnessed. Moving rollercoasters, bumper cars, spinning Ferris wheels, arching pirate ships, slides, among many monstrous contraptions.

"Here we are!" Wendy said cheerfully.

"W-Wendy, this is…"

"An amusement park! I've always wanted to go to one of these places."

"I-I see…" Natsu stood frozen in place. This was the last place on Earth they expected to go on their date. Hell, this was the last place he needed to be in! Seeing all these moving machines sent him waves of nausea. It was nothing like the place where they battled against Eclipse Aquarius. Oh, this is terrible…

"Hey, which ride do you want to try out? They all seem fun!" Wendy's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"A-Ahah…" Natsu gave an awkward laugh. Considering Wendy's the Sky Dragon Slayer, the motion sickness is not affecting her much as it is affecting him right now. She had been steadily building resistance towards her motion sickness. Did she forget Natsu has motion sickness? Did the excitement get the best of her? Natsu wasn't sure. What he was sure of was if he got into any of those theme park attractions, his soul would ascend into the Heavens.

"Let's try that one, Natsu!" Wendy pointed to the rollercoaster, which was moving in a very intricate pattern consisting of spiraling paths. Just seeing the way it moves is already giving Natsu a sick feeling in his stomach.

"Mhmm…" What do I do? Natsu pondered his mind. He was feeling very reluctant to listen to Wendy. I did say we would hang out. But was he really going to go this far? He didn't know. His motion sickness would be the death of him.

"Natsu?" Wendy noticed his silence and turned to face him.

"Listen, Wendy… why don't you… ride it yourself? I'll w-watch from here." He asked timidly. Maybe he could compromise on something. For the sake of his life.

Wendy pouted. "But I want to ride it with you!" She held his hand with both of her hands. "Please, Natsu?" She gave him the puppy eyes.

"O-Oh…" He felt torn apart. Wanting to spare his own life. Wanting to see Wendy's wonderful smile. What was he supposed to do? The answer came to him easily. He didn't want to see Wendy sad at all. That expression didn't fit her. With a heavy heart, Natsu took a deep breath. He would regret doing this, but it was going to be worth it. Probably. Hopefully. He strengthened his resolve. Come on, Natsu! This is for Wendy's sake. Be strong!

"S-Sure, Wendy, let's go!" Natsu answered as cheerful as he can, trying to mask the fear in his voice.

"Yay! Come on!" Wendy dragged his hand towards the rollercoaster.

I hope I'll make it out alive. He prayed to whatever God the God Slayers haven't slain yet.

As they approached the attraction employee, Natsu felt his legs slowly give out. I don't think I'll make it. He already wanted to change his mind. "Sorry, Wendy, I-"

"O-Oh, I almost forgot!" Wendy spun to Natsu and spread out her hands toward him. Her palms beginning emitting a calming blue light. Almost instantly, Natsu felt revitalized, as if his motion sickness had disappeared.

"Oh?" Natsu blinked a few times. Oh right, her Troia spell! How could I forget that?

"That way, we can both enjoy the ride together." Wendy said with a smile.

"I'm all fired up!" Now, Natsu was feeling excited, just as she was. Phew, I'll be alive by the end of this. He was curious how riding this rollercoaster would feel. His last few experiences were terrible back in Edolas and when Laxus ordered him to get bread after the Grand Magic Games.

The two bought a onetime ticket for the rollercoaster. They both got on the ride and waited for the attraction employee to start it.

Natsu observed the path of the rollercoaster. He noticed the path reaching quite high. Then it would descend and dive into spiral patterns. This would spell death for his motion sickness, but how would it feel to actually experience it normally? He couldn't wait to find out!

"This is going to be so much fun!" Wendy exclaimed.

"You bet!" Natsu said.

Soon, metal handlebars locked them to their seats, and the rollercoaster started moving slowly, moving up towards the hill of the path.

"Oh, it's moving up!" Natsu held on to his metal handlebar, watching as the ground got farther.

The rollercoaster reached the hill of the path, about to descend.

"Get ready, Wendy!"

"Yeah!"

The rollercoaster accelerated downwards, picking up tremendous speed.

Screams and cries of excitement could be heard from the other people behind them.

"WOOOOHOOOO!" Natsu pumped his fists up and shouted as they moved downwards. He felt like a true dragon, diving to catch its prey. This is awesome!

"Ahahah!" Wendy's heart warmed up at his reaction. She definitely wanted to try out this ride, but what mattered the most to her is that Natsu had fun as well. And he clearly did.

"Look, Wendy! It's gonna go round and round!" Natsu pointed at the upcoming path. He showed excitement, like that of a little child.

The rollercoaster went in circular motions, momentarily having its people upside-down at the peak of the circular paths.

"WEEEEEE!" Natsu felt like he was flying, spreading his arms apart. It was certainly a different experience compared to Happy flying him.

Wendy giggled and spread her arms apart as well. Her lips curved into a smile, seeing Natsu's bright expressions.

The rollercoaster moved on to a straight path, about to head into another hill that was higher than the last one.

"Wow, it's going to go even higher this time! You better prepare yourself, Natsu!" Wendy said in a teasing tone. She glanced at Natsu, and her eyes widened. She saw the color leaving his face, and his body was slumped toward his seat.

"W-Wendy….mmhrrk!" Natsu covered his mouth with his hand. He felt extremely nauseous all of a sudden.

"Natsu, what's wrong?!" Wendy asked worriedly. Wait… did the effect of the Troia spell already wear off? But how? There was a catch to using Wendy's Troia spell. The more it was cast on Natsu, the less effective it would become. Though she may have forgotten the duration of the spell would have decreased as well.

The rollercoaster started going upwards, causing Natsu to fall backwards on his seat. His discomfort increased, getting a bit too much for him to bear.

"H-Hold on, Natsu!" Wendy panicked. She did not expect the Troia spell to wear off so soon. "I'll cast another one!" Wendy channeled her magic power into her hands on to Natsu. Unfortunately, his suffering didn't stop.

"Mhmmrk!" Natsu used whatever strength he had left to prevent his soul from leaving his body. Going up towards the sky, it seemed like he was already on his way to the Heavens. Igneel, Zeref, I'll be meeting you soon…

"It didn't work?!" Wendy's eyes widened in shock. What's going to happen to him?! Wendy looked back, realizing this ride would be far from over.

The rollercoaster reached the peak of the hill, and immediately sped downwards, causing Natsu's motion sickness to be kicked into high gear.

"MHMHMHMHMHM!" Natsu's face turned a deep green. His remaining strength left his body, and he passed out with his soul visibly leaving his mouth. Adios.

"Natsu!" Wendy shouted, but it was too late. His soul was flying to the Heavens. Wendy grabbed his hand, shaking it with her might. No good, he's unconscious!

The rollercoaster continued on its violent path, causing Natsu's lifeless body to flail around in his seat. Wendy could only hope this rollercoaster ride would now end soon, for Natsu's sake.


..

.

The rollercoaster had returned to its initial destination, and the metal handlebars came off.

"Ohhhh…."

"Here, Natsu. Put your arm around me." Wendy helped him off his seat. Natsu was barely conscious after the ride.

The attraction employee noticed Natsu and expressed concern for him. She asked Wendy if they needed healing wizards to help him. Wendy politely turned down her offer, saying he would be fine soon enough.

"I'm so sorry, Natsu…" Wendy apologized. It filled her heart with guilt to see Natsu like this. She noticed a bench and walked slowly with Natsu towards it. "Let's rest here for a bit." Wendy helped Natsu to sit down on the bench. She then sat beside him and gently brought his head to her lap. She wanted to nurse him back to his usual self.

"I'm really sorry, Natsu…" Wendy apologized again as she softly caressed his cheek. She mimicked what Lucy would do in a situation like this, trying to massage Natsu's forehead and cheek. Though, she couldn't tell if Natsu was feeling better or not.

"I'm terribly sorry, Natsu…" She apologized once more. She despised herself. She wanted to have fun with Natsu but ended up causing him trouble to the point the poor guy passed out.

Meanwhile, the two spies had finally caught to them and were hiding in a bush.

"There they are!" Erza exclaimed, popping her head out of the bush.

"Huff… huff… hold on, let me… phew." Carla was panting heavily, trying to catch her breath. Erza had dragged Carla at full speed, exhausting her legs completely.

"Carla, take a look at this!" Erza's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"What is it?" Carla slowly popped her head out and observed the dragon slayer duo. "Oh."

They saw Wendy caressing Natsu's hair on her lap. It was just the two of them having a moment together.

"Isn't that adorable?" Erza said, clasping her hands.

"… Yeah." Carla nodded. She wasn't used to seeing this side of Wendy. Of course, she knew Wendy was a caring person, but something felt different about this. As Erza said, it was indeed… adorable. "I wonder what happened to Natsu, though? He seems… unconscious."

"Do you think they challenged each other to a fight, and Wendy won?" Erza asked.

"What? No, that's ridiculous." The sounds of a nearby rollercoaster moving caused Carla to turn her head to it. Ah, could it be… She took a guess. Did Natsu really ride a rollercoaster? Maybe Wendy asked him, and he couldn't find it in himself to turn it down. If that was the case, I have to say, I'm impressed, Natsu.

"Mhmmhmm… whuh?" Natsu shifted in her lap, regaining consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Natsu? Are you awake?" Wendy asked with concern.

"Wendy…? Where am I?" Natsu weakly asked. He raised his head.

Feeling lonely without his warmth in her lap, she gently pushed his head back on to her lap. "Stay still. You… passed out in the rollercoaster."

Natsu closed his eyes, trying to remember what happened. Soon enough, the images of the rollercoaster came flashing by his mind. Just imagining it was enough to give a sick feeling in his stomach. Ah, right… her Troia spell wore off while I was riding it. "I really thought I was going to die out there." Natsu chuckled, turning upwards to face Wendy.

"I'm really sorry, Natsu." Wendy whispered.

"Hmm? What for?"

"I… really wanted to spend time with you. I wanted us to both have fun. But I was too excited. Because of me, you…" Tears began welling in her eyes. She was unable to finish her sentences. "I'm so sorry…"

Natsu sensed she was about to cry any moment. He was not going to let her lose her smile. As if driven by instinct, his hand was drawn to her face. He stroked her tears away from her soft cheeks with his thumb.

"Hey, it's okay, Wendy." Natsu said warmly. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"But, Natsu… I wanted us both to have fun." Snuggling against the warmth of his hand, Wendy cried softly, some tears travelling down her cheeks which Natsu gently rubbed away again with his thumb.

"What are you talking about, Wendy? I've had tons of fun spending time with you!" Natsu grinned brightly. "I'm glad you asked me out to hang out with you. I really am." Natsu wasn't just trying to comfort her; he really spoke the truth from the bottom of his heart. Wendy could sense how genuine he was.

"Natsu…" She wondered why he was so kind to her. She almost felt she didn't deserve his kindness. She slowly curled her hand around his on her cheek.

"But… maybe we can spend our time in other ways besides… you know." Natsu said awkwardly, averting his gaze. There was no way he would come to one of these places again.

Wendy couldn't help but giggle. "I'll keep that in mind." She gently ran her hand through his spiky hair. Her tears came to a halt. She wanted to be one to comfort Natsu, but she ended up getting comforted by him. She tightened her grip on his hand, enjoying the warmth on her face. Her lips slowly raised into a smile.

Natsu remained silent as he gently rubbed Wendy's cheek in a circular motion. For a moment, he saw such a sweet girl whose cheerful smile contrasted with the shadows looming over her facial features. There was something… breathtaking about it he couldn't take his eyes off. It made his heart skip a beat. Instinctively, Natsu moved his thumb to gently brush against the corner of her lip.

"N-Natsu?" Wendy's eyes widened in surprise. Her cheeks rose in heat as he touched her lip.

"… Huh?" Natsu blinked, realizing what he had done. "O-Oh, sorry." He shifted himself up into a sitting position. "I… need to head to the restroom for a bit."

"O-Oh, okay." Wendy nodded.

Natsu stood up and left Wendy to her thoughts for a while. What was I…? He shrugged it off.

"Did you see that, Carla?" Erza asked with curiosity.

"… I did."

Natsu entered the restroom and approached one of the sinks. He stood in front of the mirror, observing himself. He couldn't take his mind off Wendy's face. Why did I do that? Why do I feel… He didn't understand why he did what he did, or even the unfamiliar feelings in his chest. He shook his head and twisted the tap, letting the water stream flow. He splashed water over his face, trying to refresh his mind. He chalked it up to the after-effects of the motion sickness.

Wendy remained in her seat, twiddling her thumbs. She touched the corner of her lip where Natsu's hand was. It took her by surprise… but she didn't dislike it one bit. Was Natsu beginning to be more aware of her as a woman? No, don't get your hopes up yet, Wendy. She shook her head. But what if he did? She smiled at the thought.

Unknown to her, three figures were walking in her direction. There were no other people nearby.

"Huh…" Erza's eyes narrowed. "Are those men… approaching Wendy?"

Carla's ears twitched in response. She sensed danger from those three people. "Yeah. We got company." Carla was about to stand up but Erza raised a hand to stop her.

"Let's wait and see how this goes." Erza laid still.

"Mhmm…" Carla was reluctant, but she listened to Erza. She was worried if anything were to happen to Wendy.

Soon, the three figures stood around Wendy. "Hey there, little girl."

"Huh...?" Wendy raised her head and noticed the men standing in front of her.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this? Are you alone?" The man, who seemed to be the leader of the trio, asked her.

"No, I'm actually waiting for someone." Wendy said casually.

"Is that so? Why don't you ditch'em and come with us instead? We can show you a good time." The man smirked.

"No, thank you." Wendy smiled.

"Haha, playing hard to get? I like that in a woman." The man grabbed Wendy's arm, but she pulled her arm away.

"Sorry, not interested." Wendy lowered her eyebrows, glaring at the man.

"Tsk. You're no fun. Get her." The other two men grabbed Wendy by her arms from each side, forcing her away from her seat.

"Wendy!" Carla popped out of the bush, ready to charge at them. However, she felt her hand strongly grabbed, preventing her from moving. "Erza? Let me go!"

"Let's wait." Erza said, still assessing the situation.

"She's in trouble!"

"Just watch." Erza pulled Carla back in to the push.

"Maybe this way, you'll know to listen to me, little girl." The man raised Wendy's face by her chin.

"I don't want to have to hurt you." Wendy growled, sending shivers to the man.

"H-Haha. Just be a good girl and come with us." The man motioned to the other two men to drag her.

"… I warned you." Wendy bowed her head down, clenching her fists. Wind pressure began rising around her.

"Heh, you sure talk bi-"

BHAM!

The two men holding her were blasted away by a rapid whirlwind in opposite directions.

"W-What the?!" The man took a few steps back.

Wendy straightened her posture, dusting away her shirt and skirt. She glared at the man. "You were saying?"

Carla's eyes widened at what she just witnessed. She was at a loss for words. It contrasted greatly with her usual and cutesy behavior.

Erza chuckled. "See? Everything will be okay. Have more faith in her."

"Why, you!" The man charged at her directly.

"SKY DRAGON ROAR!" Wendy roared out a violent wave of hurricane towards the man.

"Heh." The man smirked. With a single swipe of his hand, his eyes glowed and destroyed the hurricane, causing it to vanish into nothingness.

"W-Wha…?" Wendy gasped. H-How did he…?!

The man grabbed Wendy by her neck and lifted her up to his level. "We could have done this the easy way. But you just had to knock out my friends and make this difficult."

"Gugh! SKY DRAGON-" Wendy slammed her sky-imbued fist towards the man, but her hand was grabbed and her magic disappeared.

"Still haven't learnt your lesson?" The man tightened her grip around her neck.

"Gagh!" Wendy tried to pry away his hand from her neck, but she couldn't. She struggled, kicking her legs back and forth. She couldn't even activate her own magic powers. It was as if something was preventing her from using it. Why can't I use my magic?!

"He's using some type of Holder Magic that allows him to nullify others' magic." Erza deduced, noticing the man's right eye seemed rather metallic. "Now, this is troublesome…"

"We can't stay here. We have to help her!" Carla exclaimed. She was getting increasingly worried.

"I agree. Let's-!" Erza summoned her iron sword, about to requip out of her disguise.

"You and I are going-" The man felt something grip his shoulder, nearly crushing it. He turned his head around to see a pink-haired man, glaring back at him.

"N-Natsu!" Wendy exclaimed in relief.

"Let her go." Natsu commanded, raising his fist.

"Walk away. This isn't any of your business, chump."

Natsu ignited his fist in flames, about to punch him.

"Flames, huh? Is that all you got?" The man said in a condescending tone. Immediately, Natsu's flames disappeared.

Natsu stared at his fist for a moment, wondering where his flames went.

"You'd best run away if you don't want any trou-OUGH!"

Natsu slammed his fist into the man's face, practically caving his facial structure in and destroying his right eye which may have been the source of his magic. The man released Wendy from his grip and dropped to the floor. Natsu knocked him out in a single punch with just his raw strength. Fire Dragon Fist… without the fire.

"Seems like we didn't have to interfere." Erza said.

Carla sighed in relief. Thank you, Natsu.

Wendy rubbed her neck, trying to erase the discomfort. "Natsu! I'm glad you- Eh?!"

Natsu quickly wrapped his arms around Wendy, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Wendy! Are you okay? Did they do anything to you? They didn't hurt you, did they?!" Natsu said worriedly, shooting her many questions in a row. I shouldn't have left her by herself…

"Natsu, I'm okay!" Wendy giggled, enjoying the warmth of his hug. "You came just in time."

"I see." Natsu sighed in relief, releasing Wendy from his hug. He noticed the two other bodies lying down lifelessly. "Heh, it seems you did a number on them, too." Natsu said, feeling impressed. "Good job, Wendy." He patted her head.

"I-It was nothing. I was just…" Wendy succumbed herself to Natsu's head pats. They were always the best.

Natsu removed his hand from her head, causing her to pout. An idea then flashed through Wendy's mind.

"N-Natsu, actually… they did terrible things to me." Wendy said in an exaggerated fashion, rubbing her arms.

"Really? What did they do?" Natsu asked with concern.

"I didn't like it when they touched me…" Wendy fidgeted with her fingers.

"Ah… let me burn off their hands, so they won't dare do that anymore." Cracking his knuckles, Natsu turned his attention to one of the bodies. How dare they-

"N-No, you don't have to do that!" Wendy waved her hands around. That wasn't the response she was expecting from him… but then again, this is Natsu. "There is… something else you can do." A faint red dyed her cheeks.

"What is it?"

"Please… hug me again." Wendy said timidly.

"… Sure." Natsu didn't bother to question it. He wasn't sure how hugging would make this better, but he wouldn't turn down a request from his date. He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace.

"Like this?"

"Mhmm…" Wendy hummed approvingly in response. She nuzzled her head against his chest. Feeling his warmth envelope her entire body was comforting. "Could I… ask one more thing?"

"Go ahead."

"Could you… pat my head too?" Wendy lifted her chin up and gazed at Natsu's eyes.

"Of course, Wendy." Again, he wasn't sure how this would help her, but he happily obliged. Natsu laid a hand on her head and began gently rubbing it. Waves of pleasure and warmth were sent to Wendy. She closed her eyes, letting herself be taken away by the comfortable sensations.

"She's so… bold." Erza blushed watching them. "I feel like I'm watching something I'm not supposed to."

"She's truly a girl in love, isn't she?" Carla said softly. "It kind of makes me sad."

"Why is that?"

"One day, I'll have to let her go…" Carla hung her head down. "She's… grown so much."

"You must feel proud of her, don't you?" Erza smiled. "Besides, I'm sure the both of you will always be together."

"Yeah…" Carla replied. Natsu, I hope you'll stay by her side… always. There's no one that can make her smile like you do.

"… Let's leave them be. I'm sure our job here is done." Erza turned around and winked at Carla. Seems like I was worried for nothing, Natsu. I know I can count on you.

"Agreed." Carla nodded. She followed after Erza, leaving the dragon slayers to their own company. As they turned around, Carla wondered about how Erza has been supporting Wendy through all this. She's been very… supportive of Wendy's feelings. Not that she minded, she was quite grateful she could give Wendy encouragement in realizing her feelings. But what does she think about Lucy's feelings? Of course, they have yet to confirm whether Lucy has feelings for Natsu, but it seemed quite obvious from the way she acted around him. Perhaps this is something for another time…

And so, they both walked together back to Fairy Hills.

Natsu continued his gentle gesture of patting Wendy in his embrace. "Are you feeling better, Wendy?"

"Much better!" Wendy answered.

"Glad to hear that." Natsu stopped patting her head and pulled away his arms. "So, shall we pick up where we left off?"

Wendy grinned brightly and held his hand. "Yeah!"

"Where would you like to go next?"

"Ah…" Wendy scratched her neck, thinking of the next place to go. After what happened with the rollercoaster, she felt a bit guilty deciding the next place to go to. "Ahm, Natsu… why don't you decide?"

"Me?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… I mean, we've just been going to places I want to go to. I want you to decide."

Natsu didn't really mind listening to Wendy and going to where she wanted. Well, maybe except for the rollercoaster ride…

"Alright. Why don't we take a look around first?" Natsu asked. He didn't really have a place in mind, so he figured he'd find something interesting along the way.

"Sure!" Wendy replied.

Together, they walked around the amusement park for a while. Natsu avoided the rides as best as he could. He wanted to find something that had nothing to do with moving vehicles. Just then, a particular stall caught his interest. A few people seemed to be shooting targets from a distance. Various prizes were stacked on the right side.

"Hey, Wendy, let's check that out!" Natsu pointed to the stall.

"Okay!"

They both walked towards the stall. They were immediately greeted by the stall's owner.

"Hello there! Welcome to the shooting gallery!" She bowed her body down. "Are you interested in testing your marksmanship? Prove yourself and you can win amazing prizes!"

"Now this seems fun!" Natsu looked around the stall. In front of them were various targets scattered around. "Let me have a go at it! You want to try, Wendy?"

"No, it's fine. I'll watch. I'll wait over here." Wendy waved a hand. Natsu nodded and paid some jewels.

The owner handed him a customized rifle. "Please stand a safe distance away from the targets! You have 3 attempts to hit the targets." She pulled down a lever, and the targets began moving.

"Alright…" Natsu lined up his eyesight with the rifle towards the targets. Feeling a little trigger-happy, he unleashed all three bullets in succession, which unfortunately didn't hit any targets. "Oh, come on!"

"Ah, better luck next time! Would you like to try again?"

Wendy's attention was drawn to the prizes. Fluffy dolls, sweets, and accessories were some of the prizes she saw. Her eyes were attracted to a certain hairpin. It had a multi-colored flower attached to it, having the colors of dark blue and pink. It reminded her of her own and Natsu's respective hair colors. That looks pretty…

Natsu noticed her gaze on the hairpin. He turned to the owner. "Let me have another go." He paid another number of jewels.

"Okay! Another three attempts! Good luck!" She pulled the lever again, and the targets began moving.

Natsu took a deep breath, steading his breathing and slowly lined his eyesight with the rifle. He stabilized his grip on the rifle and fired. All three shots landed on the targets, with his last shot nearly being a bull's eye.

"Impressive! You've managed to hit all three shots! Feel free to choose from one of these prizes." She laid out the prizes for Natsu to see. Although none of the top prizes were here, the hairpin was one of them.

Wendy was patiently waiting for Natsu, though she wasn't really paying attention to him. She was quite focused on the hairpin. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

"Wendy." She felt someone tap her shoulder lightly.

"Y-Yeah?" She turned around and saw Natsu, a bit startled by his voice.

"Close your eyes for a moment."

"… Okay?" Wendy closed her eyes as he told. She wasn't sure why, but she listened. She heard rustling noises.

"You can open them now."

Wendy opened her eyes, and saw Natsu holding a hairpin, the very same hair pin she was observing a moment ago.

Wendy's eyes widened. "Natsu, this is…" She stared at it blankly.

"You seemed to really want it, so I got it for you."

"You got this… for me?" Wendy slowly took the hairpin from his hands. How did he… "Can I really have this?"

"Yeah! I want you to have it." Natsu grinned brightly.

"Natsu…" Tears began welling up in her eyes. She couldn't contain the happiness in heart.

"H-Huh?" Natsu noticed her tears. "What's wrong, Wendy? Do you not like it?"

"I love it, Natsu!" Wendy wiped her tears away. "I'm so happy…"

"… I'm glad to hear that." Natsu patted her head. Seeing her smile… it was worth it. It filled him with a sense of indescribable joy.

"Ahm… Natsu." Wendy bowed her head down. She nervously rubbed her arms to her sides.

"Yeah?"

"Could you… put this on me?" Blushing, Wendy nervously extended her hands outwards.

"… Of course." Natsu grabbed the hairpin from her hands and stood directly in front of her. Wendy lifted her head up, gazing into his eyes. Natsu gently caressed her hair and carefully attached the hairpin to the side of her hair. The blue of the hair pin matched perfectly with her hair color, while the pink contrasted, making it stand out.

"H-How does it look?" Wendy asked timidly, lightly brushing her fingers around the hairpin.

"It looks even better on you." Natsu grinned, a faint red evident on his cheeks. He thought the hairpin looked nice by itself, but seeing it on Wendy, there was something quite… charming about it.

"Thank you… I'll treasure this." Wendy beamed brightly. This hairpin would be a commemoration of their first date together, or so she would like to call it.

Natsu smiled. He noticed the setting sun in the sky. It was probably time to bring an end to their date. But there was one more place he wanted to go to…

"Wendy, there's a place I want to take you to."

"Oh sure, where is it?"

"Come with me." Natsu smiled, extending out his hand. Wendy gently took hold of his hand. I wonder where does he want to go to?


They exited the amusement park and went up to a secluded hill. It was quite deserted. The only sounds accompanying them were the winds and the rustling of the nearby trees.

"Watch your step." Natsu tightened his grip on Wendy's hand as they moved up to the peak of the hill. After Wendy managed to reach the peak, she was blessed with an abundant view of Mother Nature. She could see entire valleys, streams of rivers, and gradient colors of the sky. As she looked downwards, she noticed they were actually pretty far up from the ground.

"O-Oh…" Wendy trembled at the sight. She didn't exactly do well with heights. She unconsciously tightened her fingers around Natsu's hand.

"What do you think of the view? It's pretty awesome, isn't it?" Natsu asked.

"Y-Yeah… sure is." Wendy was trying not to look down.

"Want an even more awesome view?"

"Huh? W-Wai-!"

Natsu swiftly lifted Wendy upwards, making her sit on his shoulders. She was even higher from the ground now.

"N-Natsu! Put me back down!" Wendy panicked, flailing her hands around. "I don't like heights!"

"Don't worry, I got you." Natsu placed his hands on her thighs to keep her safe in place.

"Muuu… don't let me go."

"I won't."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Natsu said with a smile. He approached the edge of the cliff, taking in the grand sight. "How's the view up there?"

Wendy had to admit, it felt like she was above the world, above the skies. Sitting on Natsu's shoulders, she's never seen the world this way. She saw the sun setting down over the horizon. This view of Mother Nature… left her speechless. They both remained silent, simply living in the moment. As the Sun set down, their date too was about to come to a close.

"When I was younger, I used to come to views like this. I thought that maybe... I would be able to see Igneel flying through the skies." He said in a wistful tone.

"I'm sure he must be watching you too, from the skies." Wendy said. I wonder if Grandeeney is watching me too...

Natsu hummed in response and remained silent, simply appreciating the view.

This day flew by so fast… Wendy thought. She felt sad, not wanting the date to end just yet, but Carla would probably berate her for it.

"Here, let me help you down." Natsu bent forward, gently pushing her legs behind him. Wendy slid down, now hanging on to his shoulders by her arms. However, she didn't want to get off of him.

"Wendy?"

"Sorry, Natsu… I'm afraid of getting off." Wendy said softly, curling her arms around his neck. Actually, she wasn't that afraid. She just wanted to stay close to him. If their date was going to end soon, she might as well make the most of it.

"I see. Don't worry, I'll hold you closely." He smiled, holding Wendy by her legs. He slowly descended the hill, step by step.

"Hey, Natsu?"

"Hmmm?"

"Natsu, could we..." Wendy's ears dyed red.

"Yeah?"

"Could we… go on more dates like this?" She asked bashfully.

"Of course, Wendy. Let's have even more fun next time." Natsu grinned.

"... Okay!" Hearing that, Wendy happily nuzzled her head against his. His back was quite… warm and comfortable. She found herself almost dozing off.

After a while, Natsu finally reached back on to flat ground. And there we go. He sighed in relief. "Alright, Wendy, it's safe to get off now."

There was no effort from Wendy to move or respond.

"Wendy?" Not hearing a reply, he turned his head and heard faint breathing.

"…" She seemed to have dozed off, sleeping peacefully on his back.

Natsu softly smiled and whispered. "Good grief..." He gently shifted her so she could sleep more comfortably. "Take it easy, Wendy. Must have been a long and fun day."

Natsu walked in a slow pace towards Fairy Hills, silently observing the sun's reflection on the water stream beside him as he carried Wendy. He then turned his gaze to observe her sleeping face. Cute… he gently caressed her head, careful not to wake her up. For some reason, watching her peaceful face felt soothing to his heart. He found this unfamiliar feeling odd… but he strangely enjoyed it.

I wonder what this feeling is.