Fiore Academy
Chapter Thirteen – A Date at Work
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail in any shape or form. I am a mere FF writer paying tribute to the world of Hiro Mashima, the rightful owner of Fairy Tail.
Authors' Note – Well, I wonder how many of you will be able to discern the plotline of this chapter from its title alone… I do wonder. Obviously, it's a Date… but who with? Enjoy!
Natsu woke to god rays streaming through his curtains the following morning. His eyes fluttering awake, he used his hands to push the covers off of him in order to sidle over and sit on the edge of his bed, unmoving as his brains' gears began to churn from recently waking up.
Rubbing his eyes of sleep and putting in a large yawn for good measure, the first sound to reach him was the creaking of the hinges on his door.
Turning toward the sound, he saw the dark silhouette of one who could only be his older brother Zeref.
"Good morning… sleep well?" his brother greeted and asked as he walked toward Natsu, closing the door behind him.
Scoffing, Natsu rolls his eyes, "Barely feel as though I've been asleep; my body feels like a train hit it".
With a short chuckle, Zeref replied, "That's not good… perhaps you should go back to sleep?"
Shaking his head like Zeref knew he would, Natsu says, "No… I'm awake, and I need to see the girls… I have to come up with something to tell them about what happened yesterday".
"No brother" Zeref says, spiking Natsu's attention, "I've told them… everything".
His eyes widen in shock and anger, and Natsu moved so quickly to grab the scruff of his brother's collar, Zeref had no time to react.
"You told them!? What did you tell them!?" Natsu interrogates him in barely controlled rage.
Using one hand, Zeref swipes his brothers' hands off of him, "Like I said; I told them everything… and all of it the truth… although, I did leave out the prophecy".
Forcing himself to calm down, Natsu sits down on his bed, looking down in despair, "I see… no point fretting over spilt milk… now I suppose I am a monster in their eyes".
Zeref laughs, earning himself a glare from Natsu.
Putting up his hands placatingly, Zeref explains, "I find it funny that you would think that; on the contrary, those girls of yours are worried about you, and definitely do not see you as some kind of monster".
Blinking in astonishment, Natsu sighs, "I see… it was foolish of me to overreact like that… I should have known they would be more forgiving".
Zeref nods, and at that moment, the sound of the front door opening and closing caught their attention.
The door to Natsu's room began to open with a creak, and through its arch, walked the three girls themselves; Mirajane, Erza and Hisui.
"Natsu!" Hisui cried out, charging at him with a hug, with Mirajane not far behind. Erza simply walked closer with a relieved smile on her face.
"Hey guys, sorry to make you worry" Natsu greeted them cheerfully.
Watching the scene before him, Zeref could not help but feel amazed; a moment ago, his brother appeared to have been sinking in a pit of despair, yet one word from these girls, a single action, and he was pulled right out of it into a pool of sunshine.
"I must confess Natsu" Zeref began to say, "When I found out not one but all three of these lovely ladies were your partners, I was a little shocked".
"Speaking of which" Erza began, "I'm sure you and your brother have corresponded within at least a month or so; why have you never mentioned us before?"
Natsu laughed as Zeref answered, "Natsu and I are close, it's true… however, my duties in the Knights often keep me from staying in one place for longer than three days, so it would be impossible for Natsu or our family to send any kind of word to me… I assume our parents know?" He directed the last to Natsu.
Natsu nods, "Father knows… I do not know about Katherine".
Mirajane blinks, "Natsu… do you and your mother not get along? You called her by name".
Zeref laughs and Mirajane and Erza turn toward him, frowning.
"Allow me to explain" Hisui says, surprising the girls.
"Katherine" Hisui begins, "Is the name of Zeref-chan's and Natsu's stepmother, who married into the family six years ago".
"And she prefers us to call her Katherine, not mother" Zeref finishes.
"Did your parents' divorce?" Erza asks Natsu, who looked down sadly.
"No" Natsu answers, "She passed away when I was little".
Everyone was silent at that, until Zeref broke it.
"It was harder on Natsu than anyone else; I was busy with training most of the time, and father was busy with maintaining the clan… mother was Natsu's only form of company most days… if it weren't for Hisui meeting Natsu one day, I don't believe Natsu would be the same person as he is today".
Hisui smiled sadly; she remembered that day, the day her and Natsu met in the garden.
The girls all just hugged Natsu as the conversation led him to remember the lustrous pink hair and the smile and shining eyes of his mother.
Zeref claps his hands together loudly, "Now then, enough with all the doom and gloom, what do you say we all go out for lunch? I presume you four know where the best place in school is?"
Everyone nods in agreement and Mirajane smiles as she says, "Sure".
…..
"I see you eat as much as ever Natsu" Zeref groans, "Father was wondering where all your credits go".
The girls stifle their laughter as they watch the familiar sight of Natsu scoffing down plate after plate of food.
They were all sitting in their usual place at the café with plates of food in front of them.
Zeref looked around with a smile on his face, "Weird… when I went to school here, this place was a stationary store, now it's a maid café?"
At that moment, Virgo came over with everyone's coffee and said, "It was actually turned into a textbook store not long after you left senpai".
Everyone looks up at that.
"You know Zeref, Virgo?" Natsu asks.
Virgo nods, "When I came to the Academy for my first year, Zeref-senpai was a third year and Student Council President".
Zeref frowns, "I do recall a small pink haired girl interviewing me one time; a first year in the Journalism Club. Was that you?"
Virgo nods, "It was Zeref-senpai".
Zeref chuckles, "I see… you've grown a lot since then, so I did not recognise you. How have you been?" Zeref pulls off a charming smile that he usually used when flirting with beautiful women.
Virgo smiles, "I've been well… and just so you know, I've already got my eyes on someone else, so can you please not flirt with me? It might make it awkward for both me and you in the future".
Zeref blinks at that, "Someone else? Awkward in the future?" Zeref turns toward Natsu and then looks at the girls, "Am I right in what I'm suspecting?"
Erza takes a sip of coffee before answering, "She does not have one, but she may yet have one in the future".
Zeref and the other girls nod as though what Erza said made complete sense. Natsu meanwhile, paid no attention as he was finishing off his last plate.
Just then, before any humorous remarks could be made of the situation, the bell of the café door rung as a messenger came in and stopped at the groups' table.
"My apologies for disrupting your meal, but the Headmaster sent me" the messenger said a little breathlessly.
Erza raises an eyebrow, "For me I presume?"
The messenger shakes his head, "Not just you; all members of the Student Council Leaders Table, as well as Lord Zeref Dragneel here, have been summoned".
Zeref nods, "I see… I guess this is about the upcoming ball".
Setting down his coffee, Zeref turns to Virgo, "I thank you for the meal Virgo, and I wish you luck with what we were discussing before".
With that, Zeref left the café, and Natsu could hear him mumbling something about 'four' and 'unbelievable'.
"We must be going too" Erza says, signalling the girls.
After saying their goodbyes, the girls left, and Natsu was left alone with Virgo.
"This was unexpected" Natsu says, "What am I going to do now?"
Virgo raises an eyebrow, "You could order another coffee?"
Natsu laughs and hands his mug over to Virgo, "Sure thing".
…..
Virgo said goodbye to the last of her employees as they left the café to head home for the day.
Grabbing a cloth and spray to clean the tables before she herself closed up for the day, she was surprised to see someone sleeping in one of the booths… and she had a feeling who it was.
"The others told me he was likely still exhausted… but you'd think he'd stay awake long enough to get to his dorm" Virgo murmurs to herself as she approached Natsu's sleeping form as he used the table as a pillow.
She had noticed after about his third cup of coffee that day, that Natsu seemed tired… or rather, exhausted to be more accurate. But she didn't think he would actually fall asleep.
Placing a hand on his shoulder, Virgo begins to shake him lightly while saying, "Natsu… wake up… Natsu".
His eyes fluttered open, and they locked onto Virgo's.
"Hey Virgo… what are you doing in my room?" Natsu asks her.
Virgo laughs, "Your room? I think you mean my café".
Natsu starts at that and sits up, looking around.
"I… fell asleep?" Natsu asked.
Virgo nods, "I only noticed just now".
Natsu looks at her like she was strange, "You're the owner and manager… how did you go even ten minutes without noticing one of your customers was sleeping?"
Virgo starts at that; how didn't she notice him before? He had a point.
Natsu shrugs his shoulders, "Oh well, I suppose it must be the end of lunch-peak if I'm the only one here".
"Actually, it's after dinner… I was about to close up for the day" Virgo says.
A board could not be stiffer than Natsu was just then.
"You're telling me… I slept through dinner?" Natsu asks her, with a stomach growl following, making Virgo smile.
"I am… and it seems your stomach is telling you as well".
Natsu giggles in embarrassment, "Yeah… that's embarrassing… oh well, guess I'd better head back to my dorm… I think I still have some instant ramen left".
Natsu gets up to leave, but Virgo places a hand on his chest, stopping him.
"If you're hungry, I can cook you something… on the house, of course" she proposes with a smile.
"Your cooking versus Instant Ramen?" Natsu asks her and she nods.
Scoffing, Natsu replies, "No competition… what you serving?"
Half an hour later, Virgo places a few dishes in front of Natsu whilst she placed one in front of the seat opposite to Natsu.
"I haven't eaten yet, so is it okay If I eat with you?" Virgo asks him.
Natsu smiles as he picks up a fork, "Be rude of me to decline, go ahead".
For ten minutes, the pair ate in silence, and in the time it took Virgo to eat a single plate, Natsu managed to eat all six of his.
Finishing with a sigh, Natsu says appreciatively, "Thanks for the meal Virgo, it was great… why isn't it on the menu?"
Virgo shrugs, "It's a family recipe… I promised my mother to cook it for only one person".
"One person?" Natsu asks, and a blush appears on Virgo's cheeks.
"Yes, well… I figured I would make you… that one person…" she replied shyly.
Natsu nods, "Okay… but why? In the manga I've read, the one person you refer to is usually the guy you would want to marry, so why cook it… for… me?" the last bit he said slowly as realisation began to hit him and he saw each of his words turn the shade of Virgo's cheeks an even deeper red than before.
Virgo smiles a little embarrassed, "Oh… I see… the game is up?"
Natsu stared at her with his mouth slightly agape; Did… did Virgo like him?
"Am… I wrong?" Natsu asked her.
Virgo stares into his eyes and sighs, "Ask me properly Natsu… I won't answer unless you do".
Natsu's heart was beginning to race; what if he was wrong? What if he was reading everything wrong? If he was wrong… would Virgo laugh at him? Would she find him disgusting? What… what would she think If he were wrong?
"I… I don't know Virgo" Natsu says, "I don't know If I should ask".
Virgo rolls her eyes, "Natsu, I promise I won't think of you any differently or laugh at you when you ask me… just ask me".
Natsu gulps; she said she promised… not to laugh… or to think of him differently. Was he right or wrong? He deduced that there was only one way to truly find out.
"Virgo" Natsu started, "Do you have feelings for me?"
Virgo smiles herself into silence, making Natsu feel stressed; what was her answer going to be? Had she already given it, but he didn't hear? What was going on right now? This started off as a meal between friends… but now the question was… did Virgo think of him as just a friend… or something more?
"Yes" Virgo says with a smile.
Natsu blinks, "Yes what?"
Virgo laughs and reaches over to grab Natsu's shirt, pulling him close to her. With a whispered 'Yes' with her eyes staring at his own merely an inch away, she pulled his shirt a little more, and her lips rested firmly on his own.
Immediately, Virgo began to kiss him fervently, whilst Natsu remained in shock for seconds more, until his base human nature took over, and he began to kiss her back, even more fervently than she.
Time was no consequence, it did not exist within the space of the linked pair. You could say it passed by for an eternity, or mere seconds, however, their brains which were fuzzed with the misty illusions of held-back lust and carnation, could not discern anything beyond the scent, heat and feel of their partner.
Eventually however, instincts of survival overtook their instincts for lust, as the two separated for need of air.
"That was… better than I thought… It was going to be" Virgo stuttered in gasps of air.
Natsu chuckled, "I couldn't think of anything… except how good your lips felt against mine" with those words, he darted in for another, if much shorter kiss.
When the two separated again, they pressed their foreheads together as they took in great gulps of much needed air.
"What am I going to tell the girls? They'll hate me for this" Natsu says worriedly.
Virgo giggles, "Don't worry about them… I think they'll approve, judging from Erza's comment at lunch time".
Natsu frowns, "You mean that stuff where she said something about you not having one but in the future, you might?"
Virgo nods, "Yes… I think she was talking about those necklaces they wear… I assume it's a symbol that they're your partners".
Natsu nods, "I suppose it does in a way".
Natsu leans back to sit back in his seat.
"I suppose we'll tell them tomorrow, after school. How does that sound?" Natsu asks her.
Virgo nods, "It's okay by me".
Natsu stands up, "I'd better be going… it's late, and there's school tomorrow… wish I could stay longer".
Virgo nods, "I understand… but before you go… once more?" she asks him.
Chuckling, Natsu moves in toward her face and holds her by the cheek as he leans in to once again press his lips against her own.
…..
The next day, Natsu's thoughts were unfocused as he sat at his desk in the classroom. Ur Sensei was teaching them the History of Magic, so he wasn't the only person to be found gazing at some fixed point outside the windows of the classroom.
What's wrong with me? Two girls would be bad enough, but I didn't think about it at all when Hisui came into the picture, Natsu thought to himself. Now I've got four girlfriends… I must be some kind of pervert… and what am I? Some kind of overpowered protagonist in a Harem anime? The kind that chumps would write fanfiction about? I must be an idiot seducing not one but four girls!
"Would those who think it's okay to lose focus in class please pay close attention for at least the next five minutes? This next part has some relevance to current events" Ur Sensei's voice penetrated Natsu's thoughts.
Natsu turned face to front and noticed the headline on the board; this next part had to do with the school ball.
"Now that I have everyone's attention" Ur sighed, "As you all know, this academy was founded over a hundred years ago by the Fiore Royal Clan, and to celebrate its founding, a tradition was set to host a ball here around this time every year. Here, officials and dignitaries from around the world could gather and socialise… not only is it a celebration of the Academy's founding, but it is also an event to promote cooperation between governments and clans alike".
Natsu raised his hand, and Ur nodded to tell him he was free to speak.
"Under those words, would that not mean that the entire Academy Island is neutral? And not a part of Japan?" Natsu asked.
Ur smiled, "Indeed Master Dragneel… I'm surprised someone had the insight to see that".
Lucy Heartfilia who sat next to Natsu, raised her hand, "Excuse me… but I'm confused as to how Natsu came to that conclusion".
Ur Sensei smiled, "Well Natsu? How did you come to that conclusion?"
Natsu sighed, "It's obvious isn't it? In order to ensure that everyone within the ball was able to cooperate, they would all be needed to be thought of as equals, otherwise the country who owned Academy Island would have an advantage over all the other countries… home ground advantage as it were".
Some of the students still looked confused, but Ur was nodding in show of how impressed she was, "I suppose it's only natural you'd come up with that Natsu… I suppose you've been taught diplomacy, being from one of the Royal Clans?"
Natsu shrugs his shoulders, "Maybe… I just thought it was obvious is all".
After all of that was over, Ur continued, "Now then… as such, all of you must understand; it is vital that all of you are on your best behaviour at the ball, and do try not to embarrass the Academy".
With that warning aside, Ur continued the History lesson, and Natsu continued to mellow in his thoughts.
…..
Mirajane looked out the window from the Café booth she currently shared with Erza, Hisui and Zeref. They had all been waiting for Natsu to have a meal at the café after school, and her eyes lit up when she spotted him.
However, she frowned when she saw him stopped by an Academy Post-man, who handed him a package. After appearing to thank the man, Natsu walked into the café with a large grin on his face.
"Hey guys, how was school?" Natsu asked them, "I see you got my text".
"Indeed… although I fail to see why we always have to eat here" Erza states simply.
Natsu sits down next to his brother, and despite each of the lounge seats being more than big enough for three people, Natsu sat right next to his brother, leaving room for another person to sit down if needed.
"Are we expecting someone else?" Mirajane asked.
Natsu smiled, "You could say that".
The girls all roll their eyes at his evasive answer.
"Anyway" Erza begins to say, "We know when the balls' date will be… so soon as well".
Natsu blinks, "That's what the meeting yesterday was for?" He asks and the girls nod.
"It's been decided it will be held on Friday night… I'm not sure I will have enough time to prepare everything" Erza comments.
"I'm not worried about that, I haven't even picked out a dress yet!" Mirajane complains.
Natsu smiles, "Dress in rags, you'll still look beautiful Mirajane".
Mirajane suddenly began to grow a large blush on her cheeks.
"I'm beginning to see why they fell for you Natsu" Zeref comments slyly, "I may need to gather some lines from my younger brother it seems".
Natsu began to laugh a little embarrassedly as he rubbed the back of his head.
Meanwhile, Virgo arrived with everyone's food… plus another plate, which she placed in front of the empty seat, and took the seat herself.
"I can take a fifteen-minute break or so" Virgo says in a monotone, picking up a fork.
The other girls just stare at her, while Zeref had to stuff his mouth quickly with food in order to stop himself from laughing; he now knew what this was all about.
"I don't recall you ever sitting down with us before… and what's Natsu eating? I don't think it's on the menu" Hisui questions Virgo who just looks up with a plain face.
"I don't think I need your permission Hisui, to sit down in my own establishment, and it's not on the menu because it's only for Natsu" Virgo answers.
The three other girls went slack-jawed.
Natsu smiles, "It's okay guys, she's the reason I got you all here".
Zeref couldn't help it anymore as he swallowed his food and began slamming his hand repeatedly against the table as he exploded in uncontrollable laughter, surprising everyone.
"I'm… I'm sorry… it's just th-… it's just that I can't help it! I really can't!" Zeref continued to laugh.
"What can't you help Zeref-san?" Erza asks him.
Shaking his head, he says, "You all noticed Natsu receiving a package outside right?"
They all nod and he continues, "I'm willing to wager each of you has seen a similar package before, right?"
Hisui ponders a moment, "Let me see… from memory it was wrapped in violet cloth, right?"
Erza's head slams into the table, surprising everyone.
"I see Erza's realised" Zeref says neutrally.
"Erza, what is it?" Mirajane asks her friend.
"It's… it's… a necklace… a dragon necklace" Erza answers.
Mirajane's and Hisui's eyes bulge as they realise Erza was right, and stare at Virgo and Natsu, who had both taken advantage of the confusion in order to begin placing the necklace around Virgo's neck.
With a click, Natsu turned with a smile, "That's right… I hope you guys are okay with it".
No words could be found for the three girls sitting opposite to him that would tell them how they felt when they saw a fourth girl wear the Dragon necklace.
Authors' Note – Well, I kind of feel that was rushed, but I doubt It will turn out much better than that if I re-type it so I won't. One thing I would like to point out; you will notice that I never described what Virgo's Special Meal for Natsu was, and there's a reason for that. I want you guys to think of your favourite cooked meal, and think of it cooked to your idea of perfection… that is Virgo's Special Meal. I decided to do it to make you guys feel like there's a personal piece of yourself in this story. Now there's a fourth Dragon Necklace… a third of the way done with the girls… who will the others be? Be sure to comment your opinions of this chapter below, I'd love to hear what you guys think (unless you're a Flamer, otherwise If words were food, I wouldn't use them to feed starving kids in Africa, because even they haven't had food as contaminated as that)