Aloha, everyone! Hope you're having a good day! Got an announcement to make here!
Chapter 50 will be the final chapter of the story. More on this later when we actually get to that chapter because there are other things I'd like to say.
Anyhow, enjoy reading!
Chapter 48: Insecurity
"Here we are!"
"Wow, this plaza is huge! And it's surprisingly not crowded, huh?"
A day after the kraken incident, the wizards went with Erza's idea to check out the resort plaza. Many shops scattered the various floors of the plaza, selling nearly everything they could think of. With the fireworks festival just around the corner, Erza suggested getting new clothes to dress for the occasion. On top of clothes shopping, they'd also go souvenir hunting to buy gifts for themselves, each other, and their family back at the Fairy Tail guild.
"What a fine day for shopping!" Erza exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with golden stars. "So many shops condensed into a single plaza! I've never seen anything of this scale before."
"Me neither." Gray agreed. "We probably won't have enough time to check all of them."
"I suppose we could come to those that catch our interest." Jellal smiled.
"We'll stick to our plan of splitting up into three groups." Erza said. "You've all prepared your lists, I believe?"
"Yeah!" Everyone exclaimed back, showing off their shopping lists. These lists were actually names of their fellow friends.
"After we're done shopping, we'll gather up in that restaurant over there." Gray pointed to a rather fancy looking restaurant in the corner of the plaza. "That's where we'll meet again."
"Very well!" Erza pumped her fists up. "Let's begin our march! Onward!" She grabbed Jellal's wrist and rushed into the plaza.
"W-Woah, Erza, slow down!"
"And there she goes…" Gray ruffled his hair and sighed as the two wizards vanished in the distance. "She's awfully excited about this."
"Let's not falter behind!" Juvia wrapped her arms around his, holding it close to her chest. "Come on, darling!"
"It seems you're excited." Gray shyly smiled at her. I suppose I am, too. "Let's go!"
Both the ice and water wizards went on their merry way, leaving only the dragon slayers to their company.
"I don't even know where to start!" Natsu scanned his shopping list. The sheer size of the plaza and the lengthy list in his hands were a bit overwhelming.
"We'll cross each name one at a time, Natsu!" Wendy intertwined her fingers with his own. "Don't worry!"
"Haha, maybe you're right!" Natsu grinned. Time for an adventure! Hand in hand, they both walked into the plaza.
"Let's take it from the top." Wendy held her shopping list on the other hand. Though shopping was definitely the agenda of the day, she saw this as another date with Natsu. Spending time with him was always a win for her book. Just the two of us shopping together…
"Let's think about… Happy and Carla!" Natsu said. "Let's get stuff for them first!"
"Don't forget Lily!" she winked. They were starting with the Exceeds, so they kept their eye out for pet shops as there weren't any shops catering to Exceeds.
The two browsed through various shops, looking through the glass displays to see if anything caught their interest. Natsu stopped at a particular bag store.
"See anything interesting, Natsu?" Wendy asked.
"Bags… I think Happy could use a new bag." He replied. "He's always carrying fish around with him."
"He always is, isn't he?" Wendy smiled sweetly. "I think he'd appreciate being able to carry more fish."
"Then, it's settled!" Natsu clenched his free hand into a fist. "I'm getting Happy a new bag!"
Natsu let go of Wendy's hand and rushed into the store. Her hand already felt a loss of warmth. We could have walked in together… Nevertheless, she giggled at his eagerness, finding it rather adorable.
Shortly after, Natsu exited the store with a shopping bag in his hand. "I got it!" He returned to Wendy's side and took her hand in his.
Wendy smiled brightly, feeling his warmth in her hand again. "That was fast."
"Yeah, I got him a pretty cool bag! It can hold more stuff!" Natsu said. "I also made sure it's green!"
Happy always carried around a green backpack. He usually keeps fish and useful items for battle. It's pretty cute he got him the same color. Wendy thought.
"It's your turn now!" Natsu nudged her arm. "Let's get something for Carla!"
"Okay!" Wendy smiled. This time, they went around and found a shop selling accessories. Wendy figured she could get a new hairclip for Carla.
"Natsu, I think those accessories look cute." Wendy pointed at the store. "I think I'll buy one for Carla."
"Sure, go ahead!" Natsu let go of her hand and stood in place.
"… Natsu?" Wendy blinked twice comically, staring at his hand. Once again, loss of warmth crept up her lonely hand.
"What?"
"What are you doing?"
"I'm… waiting here?" he replied dryly.
"No, you're not." Wendy joined their hands together and pulled him with her to the shop. "We're going in together."
"O-Oh?"
"I need your opinion on what looks good." She then leaned into his ear to whisper. "Besides, I'd much prefer staying by your side…"
"… Heh." A faint red appeared on his cheeks as his lips cracked into a bashful smile. Guess it's fine for me to hold her close. Little did Wendy know, Natsu also enjoyed the warmth of her delicate hand. It made him feel relaxed.
Leading Natsu by the hand, Wendy explored around the shop. Many accessories of different shapes and colors were laid out in front of her. What would Carla like…? Two hairclips caught her eyes. This time, she reluctantly let go of Natsu's hand so she could pick up both hairclips.
The first hairclip resembled three sharp claws with a flower at the center, while the second hairclip was the face of a smiling girl with cat ears. Which one would Carla like more?
"Natsu, what do you think?" Wendy presented the two hairclips to him. "Which do you think would look prettier on Carla?"
"Hmmm…" Natsu stroked his chin in deep thought, glancing at the two hairclips. He wasn't knowledgeable in the ways of fashion, mostly because it didn't interest him. But if I had to choose…
"Wendy, could I take your hairpin off for a moment?" Natsu reached out towards her blue hair.
"Oh?" Wendy tilted her head at a curious angle. My hairpin?
Natsu gently unclipped the flower hairpin (the pin Natsu won for her at their first 'date') from her hair and set it aside. He then tried attaching the hairclips she chose for Carla on the side of her hair. He tried it one at a time, observing how she looked with each of them.
"Why… are you putting it on me, Natsu?"
"Just wondering how it looks." Natsu took the hairpin away and reclipped the flower hairpin back to her hair.
"So… what do you think?"
"I think they both look cute on you, Wendy!" Natsu grinned, caressing her blue head. Maybe that's because she is cute!
"Natsu, this isn't about me." Wendy blushed, but she wouldn't complain about receiving his head scritches. "It's about Carla."
"Oh, right, Carla…" Natsu crossed his arms, drawing his chin to the ceilings for a moment. He then glanced at the hairclip resembling a face. "What about this one?"
"I see!" Wendy nodded excitedly. "I was leaning towards this too!" She returned the other hairclip and purchased this one with Natsu's validation.
With that, Happy's and Carla's names were crossed off the shopping list!
"Next up is Lily!" Wendy said. What would he like?
"Yeah, he's a strong fighter!" He grinned. "Maybe we could give him a new transforming sword!"
"I'm not sure they'd sell that kind of stuff here." Wendy scratched the back of her hair. Do they sell weapons? Considering this premium resort has been full of surprises, maybe they could surprise themselves one more time…
The dragon slayers continued exploring the resort plaza. As far as their eyes could see, nothing really screamed weapons to their senses. We might have to think of something else to get for Lily…
"Maybe we should get him a…" her voice trailed off when she noticed Natsu standing in place, his eyes fixated at a jewelry store. Jewelry? Is he interested in that? Or is he planning to buy some for Lily? She highly doubted the latter.
"… Stars." Natsu whispered, which Wendy managed to pick up with her dragon hearing. His eyes did not budge a single inch, focusing on a certain piece of jewelry.
"Hey… Wendy?" He called out reluctantly.
"What is it, Natsu?" She looked up at him.
"Those earrings… I think they look nice."
He was looking at earrings? Wendy followed his line of sight. There were multiple earrings on display, so she couldn't tell which one he was looking at, specifically.
"Wendy, could we check this store out?" He asked, his tone laced with nervousness.
"Sure, Natsu?" Wendy nodded. This is rather unexpected. "I don't see why not."
The dragon slayers walked into the store. Natsu immediately went to one of the displays which had the earring he saw earlier. He held the earrings in his hand, rotating it around in his fingers. Wendy took a closer look and noticed two prominent golden stars hanging downwards. Stars… does that mean he's getting this for–
"Do you think… Lucy would like these earrings?" Natsu asked, ruffling the back of his pink hair. "I bet she'd really like them!"
And her hunch was right. Natsu would be buying this for Lucy. Her name is the next on the list…
"They're really pretty!" Wendy smiled. "Go for it. I'm sure she'll love them!"
"All right!" Natsu went to the cashier to purchase them, leaving Wendy behind for a moment. Although, it's more accurate to say Wendy chose to stay behind. She had certain thoughts to calm down in her mind.
Lucy… of course, they were going to buy a souvenir for her. She wasn't surprised. She is his best friend, they've known each other for a long time…
… longer than he's known me.
Her heart ached painfully at such a thought. She didn't want to admit it but seeing Natsu choose a pretty earring for Lucy left an irritating taste in her mouth. A taste she so despised.
Snap out of it, Wendy! She clenched the fabric of chest, trying to still her painfully beating heart. You're being irrational! You're together with Natsu… I love him. He loves me, I'm sure of it. And yet, nothing could calm her jealousy of him and Lucy. They're just best friends! He's doing it because she's important to him…
… more important than me?
Wendy had to physically rub her temples to soothe her mind. What am I thinking…?! She's never felt this agitated about her feelings. The draconic side of her flared up, acting extremely possessive of him, influencing her thoughts.
Jealousy was a hard battle to win against.
"Wendy?"
"A-Ah, Natsu." Wendy frantically turned to him. "Did you already buy it?"
"Yep!" Natsu raised a small shopping bag. "Got it right here!"
"That's… good." Wendy glanced at his shopping bag. So he bought it… "Let's move on to the next name."
They exited the store shortly. This time, Wendy didn't take his hand in her own. She was lost in her own thoughts. Clashing emotions. Mixed feelings. To the point she didn't realize she was slowly falling behind Natsu.
"Wendy…?" Natsu walked back to her side and gently cradled her hand. "Are you… okay?"
"H-Huh?" Feeling his touch snapped her out of her thoughts. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"
"I don't know." His gaze softened, worries settling on his lower lip. "You just look… kinda sad."
"Oh…" Wendy bowed her head. I'm even making Natsu worried about me… she believed there was truly nothing wrong. It didn't make sense to bring what she thought was a silly matter–
"Are you… jealous because I bought this for Lucy?" he asked innocently.
"Ah." Her eyes widened. It's always like him to be so straightforward…
"… I thought I could hide that from you." She sighed deeply. "Yeah… I am jealous."
"Oh…" Natsu rubbed the side of his neck, feelings of guilt spreading in his chest. "I'm… really so–"
"Please don't apologize." Wendy shook her head, giving him a gentle smile. "You did nothing wrong."
"But…"
"It may not look like it, but I'm happy you bought it for Lucy." She stood in front of him and held both his hands. "She'll be overjoyed to get it from you… I'm sure of it."
Natsu remained silent, listening intently to her every word. Is she really happy…?
"But… I can't stop feeling this way." She buried her head into his chest, desiring his warmth. "I hate myself sometimes…"
"Wendy…" Natsu wrapped an arm around her head, stroking the back of her blue hair. "Jealousy really sucks, huh?"
"… You got that right." She hummed, enjoying the gentleness of his touch on her back.
"Thank you for telling me your worries." He cupped her cheek, tenderly stroking it with his thumb. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"
"This is… a bit selfish of me, but…" Wendy looked into his gentle gaze with upturned eyes. "I… need you to reassure me. To tell me you love me. That I will, and always will, be the only girl in your heart."
"… Of course, Wendy." Natsu planted a loving kiss on her forehead. I don't know much about romantic words but… "Please don't hate yourself for feeling that way. In fact, I want you to come and let me know all your worries."
"Mhmm…" his kiss was comforting to her senses. She snuggled her head closer to his chest.
"I love only you, Wendy." He whispered, tucking her head under his chin. "There's no one else that makes me feel this way. No one else but you."
Having his reassurance calmed down her possessive instincts. Her heart felt a lot lighter, with many of her worries melting away. His words meant so much to her.
"Thank you, Natsu…" she smiled softly and sighed in relief. "I… really needed to hear that."
"Anytime, Wendy." He grinned brightly, glad to see her smiling again. A smiling Wendy is a cuter Wendy!
"Come on!" Wendy grabbed her hand and pulled him. "Let's continue with our date!"
"Date?" Natsu chuckled, letting her drag him.
"Oh, oops, did I say that?" she giggled sweetly. "Let's continue with our shopping!"
"Yeah!"
…
..
.
"Gray darling, look at all these cute clothes!"
"Don't get distracted, Juvia." Gray sighed. "We aren't here to buy clothes for ourselves."
The ice and water duo were currently browsing a clothing store. A lot of clothes caught Juvia's attention and Gray had to physically pry her away.
"But can we buy them later?" Juvia asked, clasping her hands together. "I would love to see you wear them!"
"Sure, maybe…" he ruffled his hair. She wants to buy them for me? "If we got time after we're done with the shopping list."
"Okay!" Juvia took out her shopping list. "Let's see here… who are you thinking of, Gray?"
"Hmmm…" his eyes fell on a particular name. A wizard who happened to be an ice-make wizard. This guy… what would he like?
"You've known Lyon since you were kids, right?"
"Yeah…" he nodded, reminiscing on fond memories. "We were raised by Master Urd together."
"He's like your elder brother, I'd say!" she winked playfully.
"Elder brother…" he scoffed at such an idea. "He takes pride in calling himself the elder apprentice, that's for sure."
"But deep down, you value him like your own, isn't he?"
"Mhmm…" he cast his eyes away. He's done a lot for Fairy Tail. Perhaps it's a fact he didn't want to admit openly.
"I don't understand why he kept fighting for my love…" Juvia sighed in a dramatic manner, then spun around on her heel and pointed at Gray. "When the one who already has my heart is you!"
That sure rings a bell. Back at the Grand Magic Games, Lyon wanted to take Juvia to his side, make her join the Lamia Scale. Of course, Gray immediately rejected that idea. Fairy Tail is where Juvia belonged, it's by his side where she belonged.
And he wouldn't have it any other way.
"You know, Juvia…" Gray wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "There's one thing I'm… probably grateful to Lyon for."
"What's that, darling?" she asked. He put his around me… it made her heart feel giddy.
"I might have… unconsciously realized my feelings for you back then."
"… Huh?" Juvia blinked.
"I don't know… whenever Lyon tried to win you over, I… might have gotten jealous without realizing."
"You… jealous?" Juvia found that rather endearing.
"It's just a… thought." He chuckled. "I didn't want him to take you away from Fairy Tail… and I know now I wouldn't let him take you away from me."
"I can see that." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "After all, you put on quite a show during our Fairy Night."
"… Right." He gave a nervous laugh. Wasn't one of my better decisions to fight him during an important event.
"But… I'm glad to hear you talk about it." She hummed. "It makes me feel happy… to know you want me. I mean, of course I know you love me! But it's nice… to hear you say it."
"Huh, really?" Gray smiled softly. He wasn't the type to openly express his feelings. Maybe I should be more open with her…
"If I can be… a little more honest with you, Gray…" she rubbed her fingers together.
"Yeah?"
"Ever since you confessed to me, I feel like the happiest person in the world." She bowed her head. "But…"
There's a but… he caressed her bangs from her face.
"I sometimes feel it's… not enough?" she frantically shook her head. "N-No, that came out wrong. What I'm trying to say is–"
"I love you." He whispered.
"Huh?"
"… So, let's get back to shopping, shall we?" Holding her hand, he pulled her along. Though his heart was anything but calm. Oh god, I just said I love her…!
"Wait, wait!" Juvia's heart wanted to leap with joy, hearing him say her favorite words. "Can you repeat that?"
"No, I won't!"
"Please, Gray darling?!"
"Let's just get back to shopping! We're running out of time!"
Gray quickly learnt that from time to time, he should reaffirm his feelings for her. But whenever he did, Juvia would get clingy with his affection.
But her happiness means the most to me.
A while later…
…
..
.
"It seems we're the first ones here."
"Let's find a place to sit and wait for the others, Erza."
The first pair to finish their shopping list were Erza and Jellal. They didn't encounter as many distractions as the other two pairs. As they agreed in the beginning, they waited in a fancy-looking restaurant.
"I think this is a good spot."
"Very well." Erza placed her shopping bags on the table. "I didn't expect our shopping spree to end this… efficiently, if I may say."
"Haha, I would say the others are seeing this as a date." He took a seat. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"A date…" Erza stroked her chin. "You might be right. They must be enjoying themselves…"
Wendy and Juvia are having the time of their lives. Erza sat on the opposite seat, facing Jellal. I must say I'm quite envious of their relationships…
Whether she liked it or not, Erza had to confront the fact that the dragon slayers and the ice-water duo were together. Wendy confessed to Natsu, and he returned her feelings, as dense as he was. Juvia's affection for Gray was already obvious from the moment they met, and he finally returned her feelings as well.
Then there's me… she was the odd one out of this group. I stick like a sore, lonely thumb…
"Erza?" Jellal called out with a concerned look. "Is something the matter?"
"O-Oh, it's nothing." She waved off his concern, then rested her arms on the table. "Just thinking about the others. I'm happy for their relationships…"
"I see." Jellal observed her expression, which suggested otherwise. Does she feel left out?
Erza slid the menu on the table, putting it in front of her. She spread it open to see the items out of curiosity. Her gaze naturally drifted to Jellal, who was looking out the window. He's probably watching for the others to show up.
What… am I to him? Erza began pondering their relationship. Am I… just a friend? More than a friend? Nothing between them is what Wendy and Juvia shared with their lovers. She felt stuck in such an odd position where all she had to do was reach out… but would he react the way she wanted him to?
"Jellal." Erza placed the menu down flat on the table, gazing straight into his eyes.
"Yes?" Jellal gave a gentle smile. A smile tugging away at her heart, making her reluctant to push forward.
"I…!" She slammed her palms on the table, pushing herself up to her feet. "I love…!"
"Mhmm…?" he cocked his head at a curious angle.
"I… love strawberry cake!" she fumbled with her hands and spread open the menu, turning to the dessert section. "I'm craving some right now!"
"I think you could order some to pass time." He chuckled. "I have a feeling the others will take a while to arrive."
"Right, of course!" she laughed nervously, mentally facepalming herself. Erza, you coward! I've been labeled Titania and yet, I can't face my feelings head on! She tapped her fingers on the table awkwardly. I just can't…
"You know, Erza…" Jellal gently cradled her hand, causing her cheeks to heat up.
"J-Jellal?" her eyes widened in surprise.
"There's no need to rush things."
"Huh…?"
"If it's meant to be, it will happen." He said softly. "Let time run its natural course."
"… Haha." Erza sighed at herself. "I suppose you're right."
His touch was relaxing to her senses. Right, there's no need for me to feel pressured. She tightened her hold on his hand. She didn't have to 'keep up' with the others. Why am I stressing myself over the silliest matters?
There will be a time and place for it… and it's not today. Not now.
"Have you ever eaten strawberry cake?" Erza asked.
"Will you be surprised if I say no?"
"Now, that's the worst sin you've ever committed!" Her eyes sparkled with excitement, like that of an innocent child. "Come, allow me to introduce you to the greatest heavenly delicacy you'll ever taste!"
"You've piqued my interest!"
They shared a warm moment over strawberry cake.
Nothing like bringing two people together over desserts.
Some time later…
…
..
.
"Natsu! Wendy!" Gray waved at them. "Over here!"
"Hey!" The dragon slayers ran to Gray and Juvia. "Are you two done shopping?" asked Wendy.
"We just got done." Gray replied, showing his shopping bags.
"Neat." Natsu grinned. "Erza and Jellal must be done already! Let's catch up with them."
The two couples joined together and made their way to the restaurant they agreed to meet up in.
"… Hmmm?" Natsu stopped walking as a store caught his attention. What's this place…? Before his eyes was a rather sparkly store. He stared in awe for a moment, separating from the others as they walked away.
He walked into the store and was immediately met with a variety of gemstones. Wow, I think these are rare rewards from quests. Natsu often took quests where he could beat up enemies, so he mostly received jewels for his efforts. But gemstones… are they really that great?
Natsu took a closer look at the items. A few gemstones caught his interest, so he inspected the prices. Huh, not as expensive as I thought they'd be.
"Anythin' interest ya, good sir?" the shopkeeper greeted him. "The gemstones are cheap because they be artificially made, but I promise they look as good as the real thing."
"Huh…" Natsu nodded, pretending to understand what she was saying.
"And since they're artificially made, I can enchant 'em with magical traits and craft them into jewelry, right in front of your eyes."
Even though he lacked understanding of this matter, Natsu thought that sounded cool.
"For example, I could take this gemstone, enchant it with healing properties. You look like a powerful fighter, so you'd benefit from this." She grabbed a random gemstone and magically transformed it into a bracelet. "And you could wear it on your wrist!"
"A bracelet…?" Natsu gazed at the gemstone bracelet in her hands. She can make the gemstone into other things… is what he only understood.
"So, what d'ya think?" she asked, leaning on the counter. "What can I get ya?"
Natsu quickly grabbed a red gemstone and a blue gemstone. These two seem nice…
"Fine choices, good sir!" she laughed heartily. "Ruby and Aquamarine. One that often represents passion and love, while the other represents hope and peace. The ones you chose are often enchanted with strengthening and healing traits."
Natsu didn't really think far. He only chose them for their colors. And he chose these colors because…
"Can you make this into other stuff besides bracelets?"
"Of course."
Afterwards…
…
..
.
Natsu exited the store with a grin on his face, quite happy with his purchase. Better keep this safe and hidden before…
"Natsu?" Wendy called out. "Where were you?"
"Oh, Wendy." Natsu quickly shoved the new items into his pocket. "Sorry, I stopped by this store real quick."
"We thought you ran off or something." Gray said. "Come on, let's meet up with Erza."
Natsu quickly rejoined the group, walking by Wendy's side.
"What did you buy, Natsu?" Wendy asked.
"Oh, just a little something."
"A little something?"
"… It's a secret." Natsu winked.
"Hey…" Wendy hugged his arm. "Now you've got me all curious."
"We can talk about this later." He chuckled. "Let's get something to eat!"
"Fine, fine." She reluctantly dropped the matter.
Natsu slipped his hands into his pocket, making sure the items were there. It held so much value to him.
And he hoped she would value it as much as he did.
