Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 37: Dirty Work

Two short chapters compared to the usual bulk because I literally couldn't think of any other way to lead up into the next part.

########Hunter########

"Here's your beer Naruto. Nice and cold." Mira placed the beverage on the countertop and held up a finger with a pleasant smile, "That's one."

"Yeah, I get it. I can't have too much to drink anymore." Naruto bemoaned as he picked up the beer and grumbled, "You guys are so touchy."

"I don't think it's that we're touchy." Mira replied before she looked around and pointed to the numerous planks and 2x4s surrounding the empty space, "It's just we really don't wanna risk you getting drunk and wrecking everything again. Everyone was really, really mad it happened after they just started making progress."

"Well that's their fault." Naruto grumbled while picking up his mug, "How hard is it to stop a drunk from causing trouble? This whole guild has experience dealing with that! Hell, we have Cana as the weekly practice dummy!"

The girl in question was sitting right next to him and lowered her fifth mug that day to let out a guttural belch and wipe her mouth. She smirked, "Well, there's a very important and crucial difference between you and me when it comes to drinking. Do you know what it is?" Naruto silently responded with a flat glare as she whispered, "I'm not a bitch when it comes to drinking~."

"Bitch?!" Naruto did not take that jab lightly and stood out of his chair, "If you wanna get put under the table, I'll-"

"Naruto." The whiskered blond stopped issuing his challenge when he saw Mira giving that certain look/pout that said he should listen to what she said. The blond felt all of the building intensity die out and just sat in his chair like a grumpy child. Mirajane noticed this and asked, "What's wrong? You seem grouchy. Did something happen?"

"I'm...I'm just..." Naruto slammed his face into the counter and tiredly mumbled into the varnished wood, "I think I need a break from the team. Just a day or something away from them. I think I'm starting to remember why I just made a team with Erza in the first place." He moved his head so he was resting on his chin with lidded eyes, "I forgot how unbearable it is to stay in the same room as Natsu and Gray when they're fighting. I keep wanting to beat them up but Erza tells me I shouldn't, and then she beats them up! I have no release for all this pent up beating!"

Cana chuckled into her drinking before whispering softly, "Bet that's not the only thing pent up."

Naruto promptly kicked out her chair and she tumbled down to the dirt. Cana glared up at the blond and responded by kicking his chair out as well, but was denied her revenge when Naruto stayed hanging up because he was supporting himself with his elbows on the counter. Naruto chuckled victoriously as Cana growled, "That's cheating, prick."

"Well tumbling down on your ass is just part of the job for a drunkard."

"Onii-chan."

Naruto pulled his stool back to sit on and looked down to see Koyuki walking up to him with a picture book. He got out of his seat and kneeled down to face her better, "What's wrong sweetie?" She held up her book and crayon pouch as he smiled and rubbed her hair, "Wanna draw stuff with me?"

She eagerly nodded, "Mmm-hmm."

Naruto picked her up under the armpits and sat her on the counter with a big smile, "Then you can come up here and play with us too."

Koyuki cheered happily, "Yayyy!" She opened up the book and handed Naruto a green crayon so they could continue drawing a picture of a train running through a forest.

Mira walked over and took a peek at the picture to see the forest was blue and purple, the train was green, and the monkeys were being colored orange by the little girl. She giggled, "I guess you two wanna color things in your own way, huh?"

"Yep!" Koyuki happily answered up to the pretty barmaid, "Orange monkeys look the best!"

"And I couldn't really argue with her on that one. Those guys don't look so weird and...poop throw-y when they're orange." Naruto said as he continued taking some joy from coloring the picture in with his little sister. He then looked over at his two friends, "Which actually got me thinking...maybe I should change up my clothes a little?"

Cana seemed confused while Mira was actually eager and intrigued by the idea. The ivory beauty pushed forward with the topic, "Really? What were you thinking?"

"I don't know." Naruto looked down and pulled on the short-sleeved grey shirt he was wearing, "I always wore black on missions because I thought that was best for hidin' out. Plus they kept the glare off my old arm." He raised his left arm and gripped his fist, "But now that I got this baby back, I feel like I need a wardrobe change. Something less dreary and bleak. Any suggestions?"

"Oh yes!" Mira happily bounced on her feet at the prospect of helping her friend get some new digs. She suggested, "We need color! Something cool and bright! Maybe a red shirt with burgundy pants?"

"Oh! Oh!" Koyuki wanted to see her big brother dress in pretty colors too, "Green and pink! Green and pink!"

"Yeah! This is good!" Naruto was nodding at the enthusiasm they had at the idea, "I was thinking blue and orange! Orange is an awesome color! It needs to be shown!"

Before this conversation could go on any further, Cana turned Naruto around in his seat and faced him down with a stern stare. She spoke, "Listen to me because I'm drunk and I can be honest with you...stick with black. You need to stick with black."

Naruto blinked and looked down at his clothes before feeling compelled to ask, "Okay...why?"

"Because you used to have an image of a terrifying blond demon in black with a silver arm that reaped whatever it touched. It pretty much struck fear through the hearts of criminals and thugs in the underworld." She pointed down at his fixed arm, "But now that you're back to the pink and fleshy model, half that image is gone. You need to at least keep the black...for the purpose of striking fear into your enemies."

"Oh. Okay..." Naruto looked himself over before gripping his fists and audibly cracking his knuckles in the process, "I thought me beating the ever-living-hell out of them and sending them flying would strike fear into the hearts of my enemies?"

"It used to!" Cana retorted before referring to his whole image, "But now you'd be dressing like a big orange popsicle with shiny blond hair and whiskers." The bikini-wearing girl pointed at his face, "You know what people think when they see whiskers? Kittens. Kittens don't strike fear into Dark Mages' hearts." She turned back in her seat and drank from her mug, "Keep the black."

Naruto blinked in surprise before looking at the other girls on the supposed project. Mira was actually in deep thought before nodding with a small smile, "Cana's right. You look like a big kitty."

Koyuki happily nodded, "Kitty! Kitty!"

Naruto grumbled and crossed his arms, "Bet if I was Neko-Man I'd scare people shitless."

Cana coughed on her drink, "Neko-Man?"

"Long story."

########Hunter########

Mahiro looked back and saw Koyuki happily giggle and draw away as the three older Mages talked between each other. She enjoyed the sight of her little girl playing with her big brother as he started pouting and crossed his arms. She laughed at the sight, "Geez, I should be taking pictures of that. A scene like that could probably keep me laughing even through the busy days at work. Erza, think we should snap a few photos before Naruto starts pushing us away?" She didn't receive an answer from the redhead and turned back around, "Erza?"

The S-Class Armor Mage in question was looking down at a pamphlet Mahiro had passed to her with eyes full of wonder and sparkles. Erza was in a dreamy trance, "C-Cherry Jam Doughnuts. Chocolate Eclairs with Cream filling. Limited Sale Strawberry Cake! Ohhhhhhhhh~."

Awwww, even at 19 and dressed in armor, she could still be ridiculously cute when she didn't know it.

"Erza? Erza~? Yoohoo~." Mahiro waved her hand in front of the younger woman's face, "C'mon honey come back to Earthland."

"Huh?" Clarity returned to Erza's mismatched eyes and she looked up at the older Senju. She hesitantly put the pamphlet back down and coughed into her fist to compose herself again, "Sorry Mahiro. I was just a bit...lost...in the sweets and pastries this place provides."

"Yep." Mahiro turned the pamphlet back towards her and looked down at the little children's park she had booked to visit for the next few days. Filled with littles rides, childish experiences, and a festival at the end of the four day trip she had booked. She smiled and scratched her cheek nervously, "I thought this might be a good chance to catch up and play with Koyuki. I wanna hear about everything she's done with you guys over the last few months."

Mahiro didn't usually show it because when working for the Magic Council she had to be focused, but she was always worried about how her daughter was doing. Whenever she came back home, she played with Koyuki. She stayed with Koyuki. She wanted to do everything she could possibly imagine to make sure she made up for that time she had missed with her daughter while she was away.

Even if she wasn't there all the time, she was going to try and make up for it by filling their time together with good memories.

Erza smiled and nodded at Mahiro's efforts, "I know you'll both love it."

"Yeah." Mahiro then looked at the redhead with a little smirk on her face, "And you're sure you and Naruto don't wanna come along?"

"Yes." Erza crossed her arms sternly, sounding like she was trying to convince herself more than she was Mahiro. The redhead's voice slightly waned, "That play we did. Catching some thieves. It's all been easy stuff so far. Naruto and I can not afford to keep playing around. We need to get some actual jobs in." Erza fixed her hair a little, "So you can go on ahead...have fun...just..."

Mahiro nodded, "I'll bring you back one of everything from the sweets menu they have." Erza face seems to brighten up but still had a twinge of something repressed under her mask, "And a souvenir."

Erza relaxed in her seat and nodded, "Thank you." She looked up at the sun and noticed that it was getting close to noon. One downside to losing the guild, no clocks anywhere. However, there was now a skylight everywhere to tell time. Erza nodded, "I think it's about time we head out."

Mahiro asked, "Where are you going?"

"Naruto seemed a little antsy lately so I've picked out a request for us to go on. A simple job. Natsu and Gray already ran off arguing with each other and Lucy is apparently looking for Loke so it will be just us." She stood out of her seat, "A little time together will be nice."

"Right." Mahiro coughed into her fist awkwardly before sitting up in her seat, "That's actually something I want to talk with you about."

"Hmm?"

"Well, while you and the others were off doing that play, I went back to the house to pick a few things up." Mahiro became stone-faced to try and hide how uncomfortable she felt at the moment, "When I did the room was a little cluttered and...smelly."

"..."

"..."

"I'm very, very sorry."

"No problem. Just please be careful. It's hard enough trying to convince Koyuki there are ghosts in the house."

########Hunter########

Naruto and Erza departed from the train as they arrived at Poppy, the town that had issued the request they had taken. This place was surprisingly bustling and thriving for a small town. Apparently this place has one of the most successful production factories for Lacrima in Fiore.

Naruto stretched his arms out before folding them behind his head and enjoying the warm day. This was just what he needed right now. No two idiots arguing and fighting when Erza wasn't looking. No blue cat to annoy them. Just him and Erza handling a little job by themselves. He looked over at his girlfriend, "So some people went missing, right?"

Erza was pulling her massive cart of luggage along as she looked back at him, "That's correct. Over the last few weeks, several people have gone missing from their homes, not just from here but from neighboring towns as well. Their family and friends don't have any records and haven't made any statements. And there haven't been any sightings of monsters around these parts lately."

Naruto looked around at the town they were visiting and surveyed the surroundings. People were going about their usual duties. Shopping. Commuting to work. Everything seemed fine. It was sorta like Magnolia or Hargeon. It was just normal. The blond stepped up beside his partner and whispered as they walked through the street, "Have you noticed what's going on?"

Erza nodded, "Yes. There aren't any damages or prints from monsters that could attack this town. That means there's a possibility that these people are being abducted by something that doesn't leave any evidence. Or someone cleaned things up. And also...I can feel-"

"A tension. I can feel it in the air." The blond noted as he looked around and felt the palpable aura surrounding the town. They were on edge. It felt like the people were walking around glass, or stepping on plastic wrap. Every person they passed was doing everything they could not to draw attention to themselves.

Erza's eyes sharply scoured the town, "We need to stay on alert."

"Yeah. Keep our eyes open for anything strange."

"That's right. And speaking of which..." Erza stopped and eyed her boyfriend critically, "What are you wearing?"

Naruto stopped and looked down at his bright orange shirt and blue pants, "What?" He grabbed a corner of his shirt before shrugging, "It's hot out and I wanted to try something cooler." He then returned the same critical look at the redhead Mage, "Don't you wanna wear something a little lighter than the armor?"

Erza stopped and looked down at herself. She was wearing her usual armor but he was right...it was pretty humid outside today. She gave a contemplative hum before nodding and making her whole body glow with a bright light. Her armor disappeared for a moment, leaving her naked for the blink of an eye before a new set of clothes appeared instead.

Erza was now wearing a light beige tank top with a long white skirt and a straw hat on her head. She proudly turned the edge of her hat around before looking up at the blond expectantly, "How's this?"

He nodded proudly, "Now that looks good."

"Thank you."

They kept walking forward before he realized something, "Wait, are you gonna be able to fight in-"

"Look out!"

The two Mages stopped and had to jump back as a four-wheeler came speeding down the street at high speeds and towards the center of the town. The citizens stepped and fell over as they avoided getting rammed by the vehicle that was making its way towards a group of people beside a large bronze statue.

Naruto grabbed the rope and hat that was tossed into his peripheral, "Hold these."

Erza dashed down the street and started catching up with the runaway vehicle as it headed towards a group of well-dressed men passing in front of the statue. They noticed the four-wheeler approaching them at blistering speeds and panicked as they prepared to jump aside or brace for the violent impact.

But Erza leapt over the car just a few yards away before it impacted against the group. She used Requip to summon a blade into her hand as she landed in a defensive position in front of the group of people. She held the sword tightly and narrowed her eyes at the approaching vehicle. Her eyes widened in confusion before she swung her blade down.

*Schwip*

Metal scrapped against metal for an instant before the four-wheeler separated into two even pieces and veered off to either side of the possible targets. The runaway vehicle fell against the concrete of the street and left a wave of sparks behind it before finally coming to a halt. The redhead stood up and looked back at the bifurcated vehicle to see it really was unmanned, just like she thought.

She looked back up the street she had run down to see some townspeople were looking over to see what the commotion was about. She sent her sword back into her Requip space and was planning to go examine the vehicle-

"Excuse me, young lady."

Erza turned away from the ruined wheeler and looked at the man in the center of the large group. He was a short man, just under five feet tall with a messy mop of brown hair that didn't seem to match his eyebrow and beard color. He seemed especially small in comparison to the tall men that surrounded him almost completely. He gave a small nod of thanks to the beautiful woman, "Thank you for saving us from such a terrible incident. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't swoop in to save us like that."

The Fairy Mage gave a humble nod in return for his thanks, "It's no trouble. I'm just glad that I was able to intervene before anything happened."

"Absolutely! I owe you so much!" He gratefully bowed before shaking one of her hands very quickly. He continued to thank the red-haired beauty, "My name is Zoback Calmen. I-I am the elected representative of Poppy Town and I welcome you to our humble little town." He looked her over once more, "Now I know every face in our little town and I'm sure you are new to it. So what might you be doing here?"

"Oh, I came here on business." Erza honestly answered to the shorter man, "I'm answering a request sent out to my guild."

"!"

Several of the people surrounding Zoback seemed alarmed by what she said while the short man seemed startled. This didn't go unnoticed by the redhead. Erza's eyes quickly panned over and saw a few citizens seemed surprised by her declaration and start talking between each other.

She continued, "Someone noted that there have been a string of disappearances over the last few weeks and they needed some help to get to the bottom of this. So my partner and I have come to assist with finding those people."

Zoback blinked in confusion before looking back and sharing a look with his companions. He looked back to her and politely asked, "I'm sorry but I don't think I caught your name. Do you mind telling us-"

"Erza!" They turned back to see a blond dressed in an orange and blue combination come following after them while pulling a massive cart of luggage and bags behind him. He finally arrived by the group and addressed his partner with a sigh, "And here I was worried that you wouldn't be able to move properly in something comfy like that. What an idiot I was."

Erza puffed her chest with pride, "You should have more faith in me. How did I look chasing after the car from behind?"

"Wasn't paying all that much attention actually. I think I was a little too focused on the behind of the scene."

"Was their something interesting on the back of the car?"

"Not talking about the car's behind."

"D-did he just call you Erza?" One of the staff said in awe before something clicked in her head, "Erza Scarlet? The one known as Titania of Fairy Tail?"

Erza gave a small nod, "Yes, some people refer to me as that."

Naruto's eyes turned skeptical as he deadpanned, "Everyone calls you that."

Zoback seemed to lose a little color in his face at the revelation that the woman in front of him was the famous Mage from all the stories and rumors. Several of the people on his side gave looks towards each other before the stocky man questioned their being here, "I-I'm sorry my dear, but who was it that sent that request you answered for, exactly?"

Erza gave the answer off the top of her head, "Someone named Dala Shi."

"Oh." He rubbed his forehead in relief before he attempted to give a pleasant smile to the two new people, "Well I'm sorry to inform you Scarlet-San, but Shi-San moved away not to long ago." The group of people sticking close to the short man nodded in agreement as he continued to reassure the Fairies, "In fact that's actually the explanation for all these so-called 'disappearances' as of late. Some citizens in our town have gone to pursue other business ventures and opportunities. Shi-San was actually a very skilled engineer and mechanic. We wish she would have stayed with us but they gave her a deal that she couldn't refuse."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "So all of these people are just being transferred or taking new jobs?"

"That's correct." One of the other people in suits, a stern woman with short blonde hair, possibly a secretary, stated with a nod, "This town has a very lucrative business in producing and revolutionizing Lacrima technology. It's not surprising that some of our members would catch the eyes of other scouters and opportunities."

"If that was true than why did we receive a request in the first place?"

Zoback nodded with an uneasy smile, "Yes well Shi-San was a bit of a prankster while she worked here. I'm sorry that you may have wasted your time coming here on nothing but a ploy."

Erza gave a nod in agreement, "That makes sense. I suppose it really was just a misunderstanding." She then looked back at the remains of the four-wheeler she had cut earlier, "But even if the disappearances were just a joke, there is still the matter of this vehicle coming down the street and almost hitting you and your associates. If you don't mind we would like to investigate-"

"A-actually there is no need." The short man said as several of the larger men got in between the two Mages and the remains of the four-wheeler. They started examining the magical vehicle and taking it apart while keeping it away from the prying eye of the two foreign Mages. The last thing the Fairies saw before their vision was blocked by the larger guards was a portable storage Lacrima being removed from the SE Plug. He answered with a nervous hitch in his voice, "This is actually one of our new innovations in transportation. We like to test them around the town for some in-field experience."

The two Mages looked between each other before looking back at the car, "You guys made that thing?"

"Well it would be more accurate to say we designed the concept." Zoback corrected, "With the use of a proper Lacrima that has been altered to release a steady stream of magic, we can create a four-wheeler that can drive without the need for people to use their own magic. An Auto Drive."

That was actually a really brilliant idea. They could both attest to how using a four-wheeler drained their magic very quickly when they needed it to spare.

"I'm very sorry that you had to waste your time coming here on a prank. I truly am." He then smiled up at the redhead, "But as thanks for rescuing us from our experiment gone wrong, I would like to invite you to dinner at my house tonight. I would be honored if a woman as renowned as yourself would grace me with your presence while we ate, Scarlet-San."

Erza graciously nodded, "I would be honored to eat at your house, Calmen-San."

"Fantastic. Do you want me to send an escort to pick you up from where you re staying?"

"No, that's quite all right." Erza politely denied, "We haven't quite found a place to sleep tonight and we need to go find a place to stay. I'm sure I can just ask around and find my way if you don't mind."

"Very well, if you insist." Zoback agreed while the group of men and women surrounding him started taking apart the vehicle and carrying it away. The short man waved them goodbye before he and his secretary followed after his employees, "I can't wait to see you tonight."

Erza waved the man and his assistants goodbye as Naruto just stood beside her silently. She lowered her hand again as the two stood in silence beside the large bronze statue. Naruto handed her the straw hat she tossed to him as he asked, "You don't actually believe what he said, do you?"

"He's suspicious." Erza took back her hat, "The way he and the others reacted when I said I was a Mage makes it clear that they aren't used to Mages in this town. And they didn't want us to look at that four-wheeler."

Naruto walked by the scraps and skid marks that vehicle left behind on the ground. He folded his arms and shook his head, "And even if that car was experimental...it can't be a coincidence that it tried to hit this guy while he was walking around with his group of guards and employees in the middle of town. That's just too perfect."

Naruto and Erza looked around at the numerous streets that intersected around this statue and noticed there wasn't a soul in sight.

There was something going on in this town.

########Hunter########

The hotel attendant dabbed some sweat from his brow as he felt very nervous dealing with this intense customer, "I-I'm sorry ma'am but there is just no way we can fit all that luggage in just one room."

"Nonsense!" Erza argued as she slammed her fist down on the front desk, "I keep more than this is my room back in my dorm! It is entirely doable!"

Naruto felt like he should remind Erza that she extended her room to include three conjoint rooms along the hall...but she was way too into it to interrupt.

The spindly man bowed apologetically, "I-I really am sorry ma'am, but there's nothing we can do!"

Erza grumbled before Naruto walked up to the desk beside her and tried to diffuse the situation, "Hey, listen man. Do you have anywhere you guys keep stuff in storage? Like food or four-wheelers?"

The thin man gave a small nod, "W-well yes but we don't usually offer that to customers-"

"Please. It'll probably just be for one night. I swear." Naruto clapped his hands together in a begging manner, "Please~."

The lanky man seemed uncomfortable for a moment before shrugging, "I-I suppose we could-"

"Thanks buddy!" Naruto placed a hand full of jewels to pay for the room and tip on the desk before he pulled Erza off to their room, "We owe you!"

"S-sir!

Naruto and Erza were making their way down the hall to their room while the blond did his best to ignore the efforts of the staff trying to move the massive amount of luggage. Erza finally started walking without the need to be pulled as she looked back at her lover with a miffed glower, "I could have handled it myself."

"And you probably would have sent him into a wall if I waited any longer." Naruto retorted as he breathed in relief and started walking beside her instead. He shook his head, "You have a hard time staying patient with people when you're raring to do something."

"I do not! These people just need better response time and answers!" Erza immediately refuted as she cross her arms in a grumpy fashion as they finally approached their room. They unlocked the door and opened it to see a comfy and pleasant room with a large bed against the center of the wall.

"Bed! Yay!" Naruto announced as he charged into the room and leapt onto the comforter and mattress before bouncing in the air a little. He finally started to settle and laid back in the bed comfortably with a dreamy smile, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~, that's good."

Erza walked in and examined the room thoroughly, making sure nothing was suspicious or hidden from their sight. After she had determined that there was nothing of concern in the room beside some moss under the sink, she sat at the end of the bed as Naruto started molding into the pillows. She crossed her legs and gave some thought of what they needed to do next, "This town is very strange."

"Mmm-hmmm."

"While we walked around, no one would meet our eyes or even look in our direction. They seemed anxious or worried."

"Mmm."

"And there are no magic shops in this town. Everything seems to be handled and worked with Lacrima." Erza closed her eyes, "Which makes sense considering this town handles the distribution of Lacrima as its main source of income. But there are no guilds or Mages anywhere close to this town."

"Mmm."

Erza looked back and glared lightly at the blond, "Are you going to help me or are you just going to fall asleep?"

Naruto smiled and patted the space on the bed beside him, "How about you relax a little and we can think through the next step down here?"

...

Erza seemed intrigued by the idea as she scooted back on the bed and laid down beside him, the two Mages facing each other on the bed. The redhead moaned in delight, "Oh~, that's a fluffy bed."

"Yep." As his girlfriend started relaxing into the cloudy sensation of the bed, he continued her train of thought, "So we're in a town without Mages or magic. No one wants to look at us. And Lacrima is a big deal here. While people that have been going missing around these parts are just being 'promoted'." He nodded while looking up at the ceiling, "There's definitely something weird going on here."

Erza shuffled around to lay on her side and look at him, "We need to keep looking around for more clues. Maybe there's a clue at Calmen-San's house tonight."

Naruto turned in the bed and faced her as well, "How do you wanna play it?"

"Well I'm going to be as nice of a house guest as I can possibly be while eating there." She gave a sly grin, "You however will be too busy to come to dinner tonight, unfortunately."

"Damn. Oh well." Naruto returned the smile, "Guess I'll just go take a walk around town for some fresh air."

"Good idea." The two Mages nodded in agreement before the redhead pulled herself out of bed, "So, shall I show you a few dresses I thought I'd wear tonight?"

Naruto looked indifferent at the prospect as he shook his head, "You know I suck at picking dresses with you. I can't help at all."

"C'mon, it will be worth it. I promise."

Naruto sat up and gave her a doubtful look, "How is it worth it?"

Erza responded by reaching down and pulling the tank top over her head and leaving her shirtless. His attention was immediately garnered as she placed her hands on her hips, "We still have a few hours before I need to go for dinner. So if we pick out a dress, you and I will just have free time to do whatever we want."

...

Naruto looked off to the side and grumbled. She won again.

########Hunter########

Erza stood outside the large mansion after finally getting directions from the concierge. She looked down the path to see a large factory connected to the farthest side of the building. The doors slowly swung open to reveal several butlers and maids greeting the Fairy Mage into the household. At the end of the line of servants was the short man that greeted her, "Welcome, Scarlet -San, to my home. I hope you like it."

"Thank you for inviting me. It's a beautiful home." Erza noted as she walked in and looked around at the massive interior of the mansion. A huge chandelier hanging over their heads. Dozens of beautifully sculpted and detailed statues. And art that was pinned to the walls as far as the eye can see, "Lacrima production seems like a much more fruitful business than I expected."

"Indeed. Everyone always seems to be in need of a crystal for some everyday use." He started leading the red-haired beauty down the hall to the dining room as he continued talking, "In fact we're making some surprising revolutions in the field of communication design. Soon enough we won't even need to use the bulky crystals anymore. We'll create more compact devices that will help us do more than just communicate between each other."

"That's sounds exciting."

"Indeed." Zoback then noticed that he only had one guest tonight and inquired, "What happened to your associate? Was he too preoccupied to join us tonight for dinner?"

"I'm sorry." Erza gave a small bow to convey her condolences, "My partner hasn't been feeling like himself lately. He's been fighting a cold for the last few days and today just seemed like the breaking point of what he could handle. He's resting back where we are staying."

"That's a shame." The short man stated as they arrived in the luxurious dining room, with a long dining table that was coated in a fine linen. He motioned to a nearby seat, "Here you go."

Erza nodded and sat down in the offered seat as her host walked around the table and plopped down in it as well, the chair just being a little too tall for him to firmly plant his feet on the ground. Erza looked around at the assortment of delicious food and delicacies that cluttered the countertop as a plate of sliced meat and vegetables was placed in front of her.

"Help yourself."

Erza took the utensils and started cutting into her dish in the proper way she had taught herself over the years. She savored the wonderful taste of the meal as she struck a conversation with the wealthy man, "Tell me, Calmen-San, how did you start this business?"

"It was actually family owned." The shorter man answered as he ate his meal too, "My grandfather offered up his service to enrich Lacrima crystals the public offered with magic. After the business started to grow, he felt like he should offer up chances to the people that helped him."

"And so the people of the town have been offered jobs ever since, correct?"

"That's right."

"Then how often do people take up other offers to work in others places?"

Zoback stopped eating and looked up at the Requip Mage in silence as they didn't look away from each other. The short man tried to keep a stern gaze in return to Erza's dual-colored eyes but couldn't match the redhead's unshakeable stare. He blinked and had to look away as he felt very anxious at the moment and tried to calm himself. He asked in return, "Tell me Scarlet-San, if your partner is feeling so sick...why isn't he resting in your room right now?"

Erza didn't show any shock at what he said. She had felt like they were being watched since they had separated from the rich man and his group earlier today. She furrowed her eyes, "So you've been keeping an eye on us this whole time?"

"That's right."

Erza kept her composure as servants and people in suits started appearing from around the corner and entryways. The Mage found herself nearly covered on all sides as the short man gave a sleazy grin and held a wine glass up to her in a mocking toast.

"This is my town. I have eyes everywhere."

########Hunter########

Naruto walked around the large bronze statue at the center of town as he examined the ground. He reached the spot where the four-wheeler had been bisected by Erza to save the rich businessman and his associates before they became a stain on the ground. The blond looked down and saw a series of uneven and random tire marks along the street. He carefully followed the marks up the road, passing the point he and Erza had noticed it earlier today while looking for the origin of the incident.

He kept searching further into town before he noticed the tracks only started after coming out of a corner. He followed the turn and spotted an Auto Shop to repair magical four-wheelers.

Shi Auto

Well that name was familiar.

He approached the empty shop and noticed spare parts and pieces everywhere he looked. The entire place was blacked out and there was no light to assist him...

Except for a very faint glow and a shadow moving along the glass from inside the main office. He saw the blurry shadow move and he guessed that it was a person moving around some files. Naruto slowly took a step forward and asked the shadowy figure, "Hey, who's in there?"

The light immediately turned off and the person inside the office shuffled some things around. A side door opened as a figure draped in black ran out as quickly as possibly and away from him. The blond Mage quickly noticed the similar pattern of guilty people running away from him and decided to chase after them before they got too far.

The hooded figure quickly sprinted down the streets and any back alleys she could find to escape her pursuer. She spared a look back to see if she had outrun him and couldn't spot anyone coming into her line of sight.

Once she knew she wasn't being followed she ducked around a dark corner of a building and hid there for a moment. She waited...her breath slightly haggard after the sudden sprinting she had to do as her pursuer was nowhere in-

"I'm not coming around that corner if that's what you're waiting for."

"EEP!" The young lady let out a shrill scream as she tumbled forward and looked back to see the orange-clad man standing behind her. She tried to catch her breath before yelling at him angrily, "Where did you come from?!"

Naruto just silently pointed up at the roof he had dropped down from after chasing her for two blocks. He crossed his arms, "So who might you be? And why were you running?"

The girl grit her teeth underneath the shadow of her hood as she sent a punch at his face and the blond casually blocked it with his palm. Her bandaged hand flinched and started to spasm in pain as she pulled back and held it gingerly, "Ow! D-dammit! Dammit! Dammit!"

Naruto looked down at his palm strangely and inquired, "What? My hand's rough and all but I didn't even try that hard."

"It's not you!" She responded with a grumpy tone as she held her hand and tried to stop the pain running through it, "My hands just aren't that good right now."

"Why's that?"

"Why do you care?" The young girl finally realized who she was facing and stood up with a frown on her face. She pulled off her hood, revealing a fifteen-year old teen a little over five feet with light brown hair underneath as she glared the whiskered man down, "In fact what are you even doing following me?!"

"Well I was following the tracks left by that four-wheeler earlier today that nearly squashed that rich guy and his groupies. Y'know, the thing that nearly killed a bunch of people." Naruto retorted as he pointed at the shorter girl, "And when I followed them I found that Auto Shop as the closest thing around it could come from. I made a hunch and looked inside, found you sneaking around, and then you started running." He then accused her, "And why were you looking around that abandoned shop anyway?"

"It's not abandoned! Just shut down for a little while!" The girl quickly answered before stomping her foot, "And I'm not answering any questions from one of that little asshole's hired cronies!"

"What?" Naruto asked in confusion before shaking his head, "Woah woah woah! First off, no one hired us for anything! We came here answering a request. And why would we be his cronies exactly?"

"For rescuing him!" She vehemently answered with some disdain in her voice, "What kind of person would willingly help a guy like that?!"

"Anyone that can save someone before they're killed, that's who!" Naruto defended what Erza had done earlier as he stepped up and grabbed the girl's arm, "You tried to kill him earlier, didn't you? That runaway four-wheeler was your doing, wasn't it!"

The girl thrashed around and slapped the hand grabbing her, "Let go of me you creep! I'll scream!"

"Why were you trying to kill that guy, huh?" Naruto pressed, "Tell me!"

"I'm not telling you anything!"

"You were ready to kill someone! You don't just decide to do that without something affecting you! I'll take you into the Rune Knights and have you arrested for attempted murder!" Naruto threatened, "Now why we you trying to kill them?"

"Someone has to!" The girl yelled out and tried to pry his hand off her arm, causing more pain to spread through her injured hands as she yelled, "I'm the only one in this town that's willing to do it!"

...

The girl kept trying to free herself before Naruto released his hold and let her step back. She looked back and saw a serious expression on the blond's face as he faced her sternly. Naruto raised a hand up to signify he wasn't going to do anything, "I'm not working for him. I don't know what you're doing but you tried to kill him...and you seem to think he deserves it so I need you to tell me what's happening." The girl gave him a uncertain look as he shook his head, "Me and my partner, the lady with the red hair, noticed something's going on in this town. And we want to help. But we can only do that if we know what's going on so we need you to tell us, okay?"

The silence between the blond and brunette was heavy as he lowered his hand and nodded, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. From Fairy Tail."

The girl gripped the sides of her robe and hesitated before quietly replying, "I'm Alica Shi."

"Shi?" Naruto asked, "Like Dala Shi? The lady that sent us the request?"

"Y-yeah." The girl gave a small nod with a worried look on her face, "She's my older sister. And I need to help her before she gets hurt."

"Okay. Then we can help." Naruto offered, "I need you to tell me-"

"Look out!"

Naruto was immediately punched in the side of the head and sent flying into a wall by a huge man in a suit. Before he could even react, he was grabbed by his collar and slammed into the ground several times until the cement cracked from the impact. The man that had ambushed him smiled as he gripped the Lacrima knuckles on his hand and landed a punch on the Mage's back that shatter the pavement beneath his body.

The large man with rippling muscles that threatened to tear his suit stood up after knocking out his target. He laughed through crooked teeth before grabbing Naruto and tossing him aside like a rag doll, "Sorry kiddo, but we needed to send Titania a message that she's not welcomed here anymore! Nothing personal!"

Alica panicked at the sight of the large goon that worked for Zoback as his hired muscle. She looked over to the side to see Naruto lying on his back and unmoving. She yelled desperately, "Hey! Wake up! C'mon you have to wake up!"

She didn't get a response as the blond was still lying on his back as a small trail of blood leaked down the side of his mouth. She expected the worse and turned around to sprint away from the hired muscle that threatened to grab her-

*Bang*

A fire shot impacted the ground by her feet and made her fall back as it left a small scorch mark. She turned around to see a tall, lanky man with a pair of tiny glasses resting on his nose that couldn't possibly fit his eyes. He placed the Lacrima gun back in its holster before he gave a small tilt of his head, "I'm terribly sorry for that Shi-San, but Zoback-sama was not amused by your efforts today to grievously injure him. He ordered you to fix the problems with the Auto Drive four-wheeler, not test it by trying to run him over."

"Yep! The boss didn't quite enjoy your little stunt today, missy!" The larger man noted as he walked over and grabbed the young teen by her collar, eliciting a small yelp from the girl as he easily lifted her off her feet. He grinned, "And to make it worse, your dear sister just had to go and send out a request to call Mages to our town! And Titania of all people too!"

Alica struggled to keep a strong appearance as she felt helpless in this guy's grasp. She yelled, "I don't care what happens! Someone needs to stop you guys!"

"Well to bad it won't be them." The bulkier suit replied as he jerked his head towards the unmoving blond behind them , "Lord knows if he's gonna be able to stand on his feet again after what I did to him! And the boss is convincing Titania to leave right now!"

The brunette grit her teeth as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, "No."

"Yes." The thin man replied as he fixed his tiny glasses up his nose, "Now Zoback-sama is going to have to reeducate your sister on how to properly act while working in this town. While he has instructed us to do whatever we must to teach you obedience again."

The girl narrowed her eyes and gripped the large hand that held her off the ground in a futile effort to free herself. Her hands were in too much pain and these guys were too strong. She couldn't-

"Lacrima to help you guys fight, huh? That's pretty cool I guess."

Their eyes widened in shock as they looked back and saw the whiskered blond standing up like nothing happened and rubbing his neck. He tried to get the crick out of it before wiping the blood off his chin, "Though magic or Lacrima, an ambush like that was just a dick move."

The two hired fighters looked between each other before the muscular man dropped the girl and let her fall on her butt. They turned around to face the Fairy before the lanky man spoke first, "I must admit...we didn't think you would be getting up from that."

"Well I really don't know what you were expecting to put down with those hits." Naruto blandly replied and he put his hands on his hips, "So the short guy really does do underhanded stuff like this. That's...not really that surprising. I thought he kinda looked like a rodent when I first saw him. By the way, he's not gonna be able to convince Erza of anything."

"He can be quite persuasive when he wants to be."

"Trust me. He'll never be that persuasive."

"Don't matter!" The muscular man started as he slammed his Lacrima knuckles together and created a loud bang from the impact, "We'll just pop by and teach that bitch a lesson about which deals and jobs she should take!" He gave a malicious grin and pointed at the Fairy across from him, "I'm sure she'll be a little more understanding when she hears what we've done to her little partner!"

...

"Partner? That's it?" Naruto inquired before he pulled his hands off side and sighed. He moaned in a defeated fashion, "God dammit, I really, really, really, really didn't want to admit it...but Cana was right." He groaned before rubbing his eyes, "I guess I'll just have to screw the whole theme change I was going for."

The two guards looked between each other in confusion before Naruto just held out his hand. His palm seemed to glow before a puff of smoke appeared and a black cloak appeared in his hand. He casually slid his neck through the slot and let the black fabric cover his body in the fashion he had become so accustomed to.

"Guess this is just the best chance I got to vent all my needs to beat up Gray and Natsu."

His arms raised up from under the dark cover and he cracked his knuckles for extra effect. He smirked at his foes, "Why don't you two bitches come over here real quick. I'll make sure to give you two both a lesson you won't ever forget."

########Hunter########

Done

Yeah, I know this is a short chapter and a different story but I literally had no idea how I should handle the Loke Arc beside just including Naruto in events and rewriting them. So I just opted for this instead.

Another short chapter after this, and then the real goods can start.

Hope you guys will enjoy.

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