The two toddlers in front of the cottage was Craig and Cana. Once again, it was another game of hide-and-seek. The two didn't have many places to hide, but they made do with the setting sun. Currently, it was Craig's turn to find Cana.

"Ready or not, here I come!" He shouted. The 3-year-old turned away from the cottage, looking at the one tree in the short distance from the house. The boy quietly snuck on over towards the tree, peeking from behind the bark.

"Boo!" He prodded from the side, only to find that behind the tree was vacancy. "Oh." He pouted.

From the side of the house, there was Cana, who was hiding behind some shrubs. The brunette snickered at her friend's folly.

Craig looked around, huffing in worry as he may not be able to find her. But just because he failed once didn't mean he had to stop. He looked back towards the house, trying to find reasonable places where Cana could be hiding. He looked underneath the porch, but once again, he didn't find anything that looked like her. Again, he got irritated. The boy's patience was wearing thin…especially since this was nearly 2 hours straight of hide-and-seek, so his brain was a little exhausted.

Suddenly from underneath the porch, he spotted something that was resembling feet on the left side, right behind a shrub and some planted mulch. His suspicions carrying him far, he snuck away from the porch towards the odd figure behind the shrubs, and he prodded from the side again. "Found you!" He cried out.

Cana uncovered, looking to see that she was caught. "Aw~." She pouted.

The door opened in front, the kids turning their attention towards the porch, where they saw Cana's mother walking out from the door towards them. "Hey, kids." She chimed.

"Hi, Mom!" Cana called back. Craig looked as well.

"Time to come inside." The mother insisted. "It's getting dark out now."

Again, Cana felt her luck run short. "Aw~! But it was gonna be my turn!" She whined.

Cornelia raised a brow. "Come on, sweetie. You know you're both not allowed out after sunset. There's been a couple reports of wolf spotting in the area."

"Wolves?" Little Craig blinked at the name of the animal. Before he was taken in by Cornelia and Cana's insistence, he's been a little nomad, and even by the time he's learned to speak, he knew what a wolf was. He's even seen one up close…and nearly broke one of its legs with a single piranha-like chomp. He was hungry, and even a large wolf looked like a feast to the likes of him, but he knew better than to face one head on at his age.

"Don't worry, there's a guild that's taking care of the problem. Shouldn't be too long now. Inside, come on." Cornelia urged the two inside, and Craig and Cana followed inside. The two children made it inside just as the sun had set, and they made way into the living room.

Crawling up onto the couch, Cana gave a small pout. She did not seem too pleased, as even though her counting was limited, she knew their score of hide-and-seek was 20 to 18. Apparently Craig's gotten good at stealth.

Cornelia saw her daughter pouting with crossed arms. She looked towards her with full attention. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"I wanted the game to go longer." She answered.

Cornelia leaned down to her daughter. She wrapped her arms around the girl and began to rub her back with a nice, sincere smile. "I know, sweetie, I know. But you'll get tomorrow to play, okay? And this time, I'll make sure Craig's in your sights." Cornelia winked.

The daughter's violet eyes widened. "Really?"

"Of course. That Craig is a slippery one after all. I can barely keep up with him myself." The mother looked around the living room. "Speaking of…" She fully realized that Craig wasn't in the living room, making her inquire as to where he ran off to now. "Where is Craig?"

Cana looked around. "I don't know."

Suddenly, they heard a noise in the kitchen. Their heads turned towards the direction of the location.

"Don't tell me…" Cornelia trailed off, her fears of the ravenous Craig coming to fruition. "That little sneaker already had dinner, now he's having desert?" She began to march on in towards the kitchen, Cana hoping off the couch and in tow. "I thought I told him we're having no snacking unless I say so."

"Craig~, you're in trouble!" Cana chimed.

In the kitchen they went, finding the fridge fully shut, and yet there was no sign of the elusive Craig. Everything else seemed to be completely untouched by Craig. No scratch nor bite marks, and still nothing that tell them that Craig was the culprit.

Cornelia, getting a little anxious, went closer towards the fridge. "Craig? Sweetie? Where are you?" She questioned. "Come on~. Hide-and-seek is over for the day. Craig~?"

"Yes?"

Cornelia nearly jumped off her heels at the sound of Craig's voice. She turned around, seeing Craig looking at her with a blunt stare, having snuck up from behind. The mother looked with shock. "Craig!" She shrieked.

"Surprise!" He smiled.

Despite his surprise attack on the mother, Cornelia looked down towards him with a despondent look. There was a small cup of chocolate ice cream in his hands; not big, but just small enough to be held in a small cup."Craig, what have I told you? No snacks for the night." She told him.

Craig looked surprised, but also slightly crestfallen. "But it's not for me."

Cornelia blinked, having been surprisingly shocked. "…i-it isn't?"

Craig shook his head, confirming her inquiry.

"Then, who's it for?"

Craig turned away from the mother with the ice cream in hand. He turned towards Cana, walking towards her with the ice cream and small plastic spoon in hand. As he approached her, the mother and daughter's eyes widened in surprise. Craig held out the ice cream to her, half-grinning.

"Sorry for being pushy in hide-and seek." He apologized.

Cornelia stared at the scene before her. She always knew Craig was a shrouded mystery, especially his…unstable personality. Some days he'd be snacking, and there are some days he'd be showing gratitude by getting her or Cana some flowers he plucked. This was an occasion most shocking, as since Cana lost the game, Craig gave pity and attention by ice cream. The frown on Cornelia's face slowly turned to a bright smile.

Cana was handed the ice cream by Craig, her shock slowly becoming a big smile. "Really?!" She shrieked.

Craig looked away with a small pout. "I…just felt like it." He pouted.

Cana's smile widened. "Mama?"

The mom nodded in approval. "Sure, sweetie, just for you."

"Yay!" Cana held the cup in one hand and she leaned over towards Craig, hugging his neck tightly with a cheery squeeze behind it. "You're the bestest buddy ever!" She squealed, although Craig continued to pout, a small tint of pink in his cheeks. Cana let go and went off towards the living room to enjoy her ice cream.

Cornelia walked over and knelt down towards Craig. The mother smiled warmly as she put a hand on Craig's head as he did something generous once more. The mother's eyes showed thanks. "You really are a sweet boy, you know that?"

Craig crossed his arms, looking away with red in the face. "I am not."

Cornelia giggled at the child. "Of course you are."

The sun beamed through the window's blinds, illuminating the bedroom that belonged to Craig. With a low groan, the time of day began to arouse him. He weakly opened his eyes, finding himself awake and on his side, facing away from the demon sun.

He didn't move for what seemed to be awhile, as his mind was bubbling over his recent memory. 'Another one…' He thought of the contents, as he had always done with these lost memories. 'I can't believe how much of a kiss up I've become. Damnit.' In honest retrospect, even in the 4 years of adventures he's dealt with, he's always had such a bleeding heart. If he truly hurt someone he cared about, an apology goes a long way, making sure that he meant it was a bigger stretch to uphold.

His eyelids barely half open, he sat up in a lethargic manner and looked down towards his side. There, Cana was breathing in and out, a way Craig could tell that she was asleep. As he stared down at her, seeing her back facing him, he began to think, albeit in a more discrete way. He looked down at his sheets, silently sighing with a big huffing breath.

Craig sat at one of the tables on the second floor, all alone and looking tired. He was fiddling around with the fork and prodding the scrambled eggs left on his plate. Even after a hot shower and a change in clothes, he still felt something heavy on him, and it wasn't the leg weights on his ankles.

This morning, it was the same as ever, but nonetheless Cana could always get beneath his skin. She eventually got up not long after him and she decided to head to Fairy Hills for a little food. She and Craig were on the verge of another bickering blastoff, but like before the dinosaur incident, Craig went out. "Pissass." He mumbled.

Down below, Natsu was sitting with his team, the Dragon Slayer stretching his arms overhead. "Man, I slept like a log! I've got fuel to burn today!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed.

Gray covered his right ear. "Alright, we get it. You didn't have to shout it in our ears."

"So what do you have in mind today, guys?" Lucy asked.

Natsu shrugged. "Beats me. I just wanna get a job that stuffs food into my belly all day."

"Of course you do." Lucy sweat dropped. She watched as Natsu got up from his seat. "Wait, where are you going now?"

Natsu turned towards the board in the distance. "Gonna get us some work, duh."

"Just don't make it too easy, okay? We don't wanna any complaining." Gray said.

"Yeah, yeah." Natsu went on over towards the Request Board, eventually finding himself stumped as there was a small shortage of jobs. The board was nearly empty. "Aw man, who got the good ones?" He whined. "These jobs don't even pay that much!"

True to form, the jobs were barely over 50,000 Jewels. Some were 90,000, some even 100,000, but the effort was all too easy, and not much action apparently. Not Natsu's cup of tea apparently.

"Natsu?" An unprecedented voice popped into the area, and it made the Dragon Slayer stiffen up a little. He whipped around, finding Erza standing there with crossed arms.

"Huh? Hey Erza." Natsu said.

"Are you trying to find us an appropriate job I presume?"

Natsu turned back towards the board. "Yeah, but it looks cheap today."

"Just because something may look 'cheap', doesn't mean you can't ignore it when it's still a job. Do try and take your actions more seriously." Erza scolded.

Natsu shrunk back a little. "U-uh…right."

Erza cleared her throat, beginning another part of what she had to say. "At any rate, Natsu I…" Her cheeks began to blush a bright red. "I-I…"

"Hm? You okay Erza?" Natsu raised a brow.

Erza nodded. "Yes, I-I'm fine. Let me finish." She told him, albeit hastily. Natsu quieted down and Erza continued to speak. "Listen…" The blush on her cheeks deepened. "I was hoping that we could…could…get some dinner…tonight."

"Dinner?" Natsu's eyes widened. That seemed to have gotten his attention as his smile widened. "Sure! I'm always down for some grub!"

"Thank you." Erza was pleased that he said yes, but chose to keep it reserved for herself. "Make sure that you wear something half-decent, alright?"

"Uh…okay?"

"Very well. Pick a job and let's be on our way. We should be home by dinner then." Erza hurriedly pivoted and turned away back towards the rest of the team was. She tried to make sure to remain as composed as possible without overwhelming herself with what she proposed to Natsu.

Natsu stared at Erza as she walked away. He tried to think of what she meant, but it didn't come to him immediately. "Something half-decent…?"

"She's asked you out on another date."

Another voice caught Natsu's attention, revealing the culprit to be Happy as he flew from a pillar not far away.

"Happy?!" Natsu exclaimed. "When did you-?!"

"I came over to see what kind of job you'd be picking, but then I saw you and Erza talking, and now you both are going on another date. Oh~ lala!" He snickered.

Natsu turned away in embarrassment. "Shut up, Happy." He pouted.

Happy raised a paw. "But just make sure that you find something, alright? Otherwise Erza will be all over you for a week."

"Yeah, I know." The Dragon Slayer was starting to pale at the possible negative prospects to come. "I guess I better pool my share of the reward to find something else that wouldn't offend her."

"And a shower." Happy added.

Meanwhile, Cana finally rolled into the guild hall, a bottle of booze in her hand and she nonchalantly traveled up the stairs over to where Craig was. As the brunette casually strolled along, the look on Craig's face twisted into an annoyed grunt.

"Well look who decided to show up." Craig huffed.

"Oh zip it already." Cana huffed. She slumped down into the seat across from Craig, looking away with hefty exasperation with small sips from the corner of her lip.

Craig put an elbow on the table, looking in the same direction, but looking at Cana. "Something bit your ass? It wasn't me." He said.

Cana put the bottle away from her lip. "Nah, you're always a bite in my butt."

Craig raised a brow. "Well that's reassuring." He sarcastically said. He didn't bother asking her about her issues, mainly because they would just yell it off or something. But even if he didn't ask, he knew Cana would bark up his tree eventually. That much he knew about her.

"My landlady is pissed."

Craig squinted one of his eyes, his attention raptured within Cana's four words. "…that so?" He huffed.

"I haven't forked up my rent this month, and I haven't been there much at all. She's complaining how I'm being 'neglecting' of my own duties around that place." She bent her index and middle fingers to give her point on neglecting, as per quote. "Honestly, she's becoming annoying."

Craig really didn't say anything to help her with her cause, but he also didn't provide anything against her. Any sense of snark or bolstering was simmered down by his own heart. Given Cana's predicament, he can't help but blame himself for Cana's misfortune. She's always by his side, so he never got much of his own space or given her the space she needed.

He leaned back in his chair, looking down at the wooden table with a small frown. "Guess this is all my fault."

Cana raised a brow. This time, it was her turn to be surprised.

"You know, Brownie, you don't have to be around me at night. Last I checked, I can take care of myself. I ain't no lost puppy."

Cana looked at Craig with a mild expression, nothing too grim nor amusing. "Well ain't that a generous thing to propose. While I am inclined by what you point out, I'm afraid I got no choice but to hang around you like a watcher." She smirked. "Besides, knowing you, who's gonna watch ya if you're gonna go on a mayhem spree. Someone's gotta keep an eye on the animal, right?"

"Coming from someone who can't even watch her own liquor." Craig retorted.

"Touché."

Craig whipped his head away, showing his teeth. "Whatever. If you wanna end up sleeping in my shabby abode, I ain't stopping ya, but don't expect me to help you with your own housekeeping problems."

"I'll keep that under lock and key."

There was an odd silence in between the two. Everything around them passed by so diligently that they didn't seem to care whether or not it was Natsu and Gray on the verge of a brawl or Elfman shouting something along the lines of manly. This was perhaps the most awkward situation the two may be in, considering they're not yelling the each other to oblivion. With Cana having her housing issues, Craig was having his own debate, and it involved the dream – or memory – as of last night. When he beat a less than happy Cana, he was feeling guilty over having her pout in frustration and made it up to her with ice cream. Even now, she was looking frustrated with her own issues, and it was all because if him.

The guilt trip got to him, and he pressed his forehead against his own palm. "Alright, I had it." He said.

"Huh?" Cana looked surprised. "Where's this coming from?"

Craig gave a very leery look. "Look Brownie, I know you got your own business, and I got my own to deal with, but since you're in a little pickle and been leeching off me, I may as well take some pity for once…and try to act like a decent host."

Cana returned her own leery look. "Leeching? Host?" It didn't take long until it clicked in her mind. She smirked. "Oh I get it now. You're feeling pity for me and you wanna pay me back somehow, that right?"

Craig rolled his eyes away. "Don't get ahead of yourself. Look, it's not much, but I'm a little unappetizing for the day. I think I'll just head somewhere in town to eat. If you wanna tag along, that's fine by me. I'll pay for everything, deal?"

To say Cana was pleased was an understatement. By all means, she never expected Craig to feel sorry for her, nor did she want him to, but to have him go out of his own way to make her feel a little better with some dinner may have been the best offer she's gotten from him since they've met.

She smirked again, resting her chin on her elbow. "Alright, if it means getting free booze and drinks, I'm all for it. You got yourself a deal there." She answered.

Craig snickered. "It's all about the drinks, isn't it?"

"Do you expect anything else?" Cana chimed.

"Yeah, a little thank you would be nice."

"You're welcome." Cana teased.

Craig frowned. "Yeah, you're welcome."

"I'm welcomed."

"Well then I'm more welcomed!"

"No, I'm more welcome!"

"You're less welcomed than a lobster is to a seafood joint!"

"Look who's talking! Someone who snips his claws with a pissed attitude!"

"How about I snip at you!"

"You already are, you smartass!"

"Well thank~ you for such a splendid compliment!"

"I think your butt needs a sit-down!"

"And yours is just big!"

"Your oversized teeth are what's big here!"

And off they went, another snarking spree that caught the while guild in another nervous expression. Everyone there felt unnerved as they went to a full-scale bellowing. The stuff they screamed at each other was borderline pointless and meaningless, yet they treated it as a big deal to get over the other's head. Evergreen and Elfman both looked with wide eyes as they were two animals that got up from their now-fallen seats and were growling and barking pointless back to back snarking in their faces.

It was a long hour for Fairy Tail, and because of that, the guild's members went for jobs to get away from the beasts.

A substantial time had passed since that morning, and it wasn't until Craig found himself alone in the outskirts of the woods once more. The birds chirped and the worms wiggled; fish spawned and deer grazed. Nothing that Craig wasn't aware of. As he took a stroll through the woods, he remained frowning, remaining quelled and quiet. The sounds of gentle breezes and chirping birds was fairly mild for his liking. He found himself appeased with the scenery, and the sound of grass turning every which way in his footsteps was relaxing.

He took in a fresh breath of air, letting out a cooled sigh from his mouth. He walked towards the stream, hoping to get the sound of river water to keep him quelled. "Tch, dumb Brownie." He muttered. He needed anything to get Cana off his mind, the bane of his existence always in his face. He was just glad that she went on a job to pay her rent to Fairy Hills. That left him time to think. While hating to be alone, he knew his reservations for silence wouldn't last long; if he was honest, he was glad it wasn't. Silence and loneliness, traits that he was threatened with all this time, and no one would be there to pull him out nor shove him in.

Shaking the disturbance away, he made haste towards the river, slumping down in a slouch. He again let out a sigh, but this time, it was more of a growl than anything else.

A splash came from the distance, catching his attention. "Hm?"

"Ah, man! Gah~!"

Craig sat up, looking somewhat surprised. "Wait, that grumbling…" He got up, reluctantly, and began to slowly prowl towards the direction of the groaning. He closed in behind some shrubs, overlooking the distance to find Natsu and Happy on the riverbank, fishing.

Natsu watched the fish swim away. "This sucks." He grumbled.

"Uh, Natsu? Wouldn't you think you should be trying to find something to wear?" Happy advised, sitting with a fishing rod of his own.

"What do you think I'm doing? I am thinking!" Natsu retorted.

"By fishing?"

"Don't judge me! It's not my fault that I'm stressed!"

"Yeah, but it'll be your fault when you don't show up in time for dinner with Erza."

Craig narrowed his eyes from the distance. He's heard enough already, and he knew what to do. "Tch, moron." He tisked and walked out of the bushes, looking nonchalant and loomed over Natsu and Happy's head. "Hey, you two."

Natsu and Happy's ears twitched. The sound of that grating voice was all too familiar, and frankly, it made them both pale. They stiffened up, slowly turning with shock and slight terror to find Craig.

"Gah!" Happy screamed.

"Where did you come from?!" Natsu shrieked.

Happy bowed to him repeatedly. "Please don't skin me alive! I just wanted to fish!" He pleaded.

Craig rolled his eyes. "Oh brother." He groaned. "Relax you nutcases, I ain't here to hunt nor roar at you for any reason."

At this notion, they both settled down…somewhat. "But…you roar and sneer anyway." Happy said.

"Watch it." Craig threatened.

"Sorry!"

Craig ignored Happy and turned his attention over towards Natsu. "You." He watched Natsu raised a brow. He turned around to find no one there and turned back towards Craig. He pointed to himself and Craig nodded. "Yeah, I'm talking to you. What's all this talk about a date with that redhead I keep hearing about?"

Natsu's cheeks flushed red and turned back towards the river to fish. "Gngh-mind your own business, alright?! I'm just trying to think!"

"Think?" Craig parroted. "Last I checked, you aren't exactly the heaviest thinker there is."

"That's what I keep telling him." Happy pointed out.

Craig again ignored Happy's comment and remained focus on Natsu, crossing his arms. "Look pal, I give no crap to how you dress or what you intend to do…but I can tell that you obviously need some help."

Natsu huffed and turned away. "Well I didn't ask for it."

Craig raised a brow, the irony all too great. In a way, that's basically him, He doesn't ask for help, he doesn't need help, and he denies help whenever he wants. He just shrugged. "Label me a hypocrite, see if I care, but would you rather be socked in the back of the head by her?"

The little notion Craig gave Natsu was what sparked the Dragon Slayer's worry. He didn't ask for help, yet, but he also worried that if he doesn't consult some form of advice then Erza will destroy him. He turned back towards Craig, a nervous sweat mark on his face. "A-alright…but why are you helping me?"

"Yeah! You always shrug off our help and just do your own thing!" Happy pointed out.

Craig sat down, crossing his arms, again he shrugged. "Like I said, label me a hypocrite, I just do whatever the hell I want. Listen to me or not listen, I'm just trying to save your skin, because that redhead is not easy to joke with."

"Yeah no kidding. She can barely take a joke." He sighed. "But wait…you mean to tell me you have some form of dating advice?"

"Guess so."

"You? Craig? A date expert?" Natsu and Happy looked at each other, looking back at Craig before they suddenly got into a laughing fit. Both nearly fell back from their own laughter, yet Craig's straight face only served to make their laughing stop.

Happy frowned. "…oh, you're serious."

Craig nodded slowly.

"You mean you actually went on dates before?" Natsu asked.

Craig closed his eyes and slowly lowered his head. He nodded weakly. "Yeah, but those are long stories."

Natsu and Happy looked at each other again, this time with some sense of worry. Normally when Craig is like this, they can only imagine it was from one of his usual lamenting of his past. They knew he's seen the underworld and the darkest of the planet's secrets, and everyone he's met was pretty much dead…that could also mean the lady friends he's made.

Happy looked back at him. "Craig?"

Craig opened his eyes.

"Are all these ladies that you had dates with…?"

Craig's eyelids were half-open. He frowned and looked down at the ground. Slowly, he nodded once again. "Yeah…they're gone." He glanced at them again. "But those are stories I don't wanna go into detail with. Bottom line is that they gave me knowledge that I have that you could use. Now do you wanna save your own hide or what?"

Natsu grew nervous, but he had to admit he was intrigued by what Craig had to offer. "Uh…"

"Or if you'd like, you could just write her a cheesy poem, labeled '100 reasons…of why you suck.'." Craig shrugged.

"I'm looking for ways to please Erza! Not 100 reasons for her to bury me alive!" Natsu shouted.

"And isn't that something you would write to Cana?" Happy asked.

"Can it, nuisance. That other nuisance has 1,000 reasons why she sucks at the very least."

Natsu grew restless. "Whatever! Look, just do me a solid and help me!"

Craig looked back, a sharp-toothed grin on his face forming. "Alright, unlike that purple-haired drinker and that smoker, I have actual tips…"

Cana walked through Magnolia without a skip in her beat. She looked more troubled than enthused with this little "let's be even" event Craig proposed. She looked through the various windows and newly established restaurants that were rebuilt after that dragons and dinosaur incident, and that left new directions for Cana to navigate around. Unfortunately for her, Craig wasn't all that specific to a food joint. As she recalled, she just said: "Wear whatever you want, just meet me at this place I found" and just gave her a simple piece of paper with directions. To Cana's surprise, his handwriting wasn't at all crude, unlike Natsu and Erza.

Eventually though, she managed to find the food joint in Magnolia. It wasn't anything fancy, but it wasn't looking cheap either like some casual diner would be. Hands to her hip, she scrutinized the place. "Looks like this is the place. Doesn't look too shabby…"

Taking a gander, she went inside and the first thing she took notice of was how moderate it looked. It was barely fancy, with a small fish tank behind the waiting desk. The staff were dressed in standard uniform, and everyone around was looking to be dressed from casual to dress shirts.

"Really?" She looked down at her attire. All she had to spare was a white dress shirt over her black and white bra, which as usual made her huge chest stand out. "Damnit Craig, are you trying to make a fool out of me?" She muttered beneath her breath.

A hand waved from a few seats down. "Hey."

Cana looked over, seeing Craig gesturing towards the cushioned seat across from him. Taking a look around, Cana saw she was permitted and walked over towards Craig. She sat across from him, huffing as her rump sat on the soft cushions.

"Look who decided to make a stretch." Cana joked. "Didn't expect you to treat a lady out like this."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard all this before so don't go making it sound so cheesy." Craig sneered. He looked down at the menu sitting in front of his face. "Anyways, since you're having home trouble, here's me being a host and giving my little leech her share of hospitality. So go ahead and order whatever you want; food, drinks…a life perhaps?"

Cana crossed her arms and smirked. "Now we're talking."

Craig rolled his eyes again. "Shut up, Brownie."

On the other side of the restaurant, there was a bunch of tables scattered in a neat manner, and amongst the customers was Natsu and Erza, unbeknownst to Craig and Cana's knowledge or line of sight. The two were looking placidly at the other, while taking in their features.

"Uh…" Natsu was uncomfortable trying to find the words to describe Erza. She didn't wear anything fancy, but her Requip made her wear a plain black dress that had laces over her shoulders, exposing much of her chest. To say words such as beautiful wouldn't begin to exemplify her and her red hair that ran down her back. He tried to think of words to compliment her, but he could only swallow lumps; one time nearly choking.

Erza took notice from his discomfort and looked up from the menu in her hand. "Hm? Natsu, is there something wrong?" Her inquiry was met with slight level of concern, seeing Natsu's nervous state and all.

Natsu's eyes widened. "H-huh?! Oh, nothing. Heh heh…" He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I just spaced out there for a minute." He looked at Erza again, but this time, he began to feel the heat in his cheeks come back. "Uh…y-you look…" Trying to find appropriate words was never his strong point, but he tried to make do with reasonable words. "N-nice-I mean beautiful! Yeah!"

Erza's eye widened a little in surprise. To Natsu's own surprise, she too began to blush. "Oh, t-thank you." She mentally cursed herself for stammering over her sentences. Her composure was backfiring over her small dinner "date" with the Dragon Slayer.

"So, uh…that job earlier, it wasn't so bad, right?" Natsu was trying to derive the subject to something more suitable. Fortunately for him, Erza was willing to follow along.

"I suppose so." Erza crossed her arms, showing a slightly more serious tone. "The job choice wasn't sublime, but it did paid generously."

In short, Natsu managed to pluck out a job, this one fortunately being 100,000 Jewel. It was barely a lot to split up between the group, but Natsu used his share of the reward to pay for this little date, according to what Craig told him.

"Alright, dating 101. Aside from the usual holding the door for the lady, you need to pay for everything. If you wanna please her and show her you can handle her, you better show that you got the Jewel to back it up, otherwise the secondary sensible thing to do is split the bill."

Natsu was mentally crying at the fact the dating advice he gave was basically his entire share of Jewel, plus some he's saved from past jobs. It wasn't that expensive, but that meant less food funds for him and Happy. He was still thankful he had complimented Erza though.

"If it's a serious date, you better throw in a compliment or two…that is if you care. And an important thing to have is common-ground. You need to find a level of communication that fits you both to a similar level."

"All that stuff sounds the opposite of you." Happy pointed out.

Craig gritted his teeth. "So I always split the bill in the past. That just means I treated them as equals."

"And if they didn't feel like it…?"

"Then it's my luck I suppose."

Erza looked at Natsu, a small smile on her lip. "You really didn't have to use your whole share of the reward to afford all this, Natsu. But I am thankful of you for doing so. It's nice." She complimented.

Natsu sheepishly smile. "Nah, don't mention it." But the smile on Erza's face was all Natsu needed. 'Guess I really do owe Craig for this one.'

The waiter came around just before the two could pick up their conversation. He smiled as he sat the plates of fresh hot meals down. "And here we are." He presented Natsu and Erza with their orders, with Erza having a house salad and pasta dish, while Natsu had a hardy steak and fries. He also got another side of fried rice, but he also had to get Erza strawberry cheesecake as a bonus for desert.

The waiter grew unnerved at Natsu's steak, as it was nearly over an ounce, add in the rice, which was surrounding the steak like a small hill. The waiter held reservations to Natsu's appetite, but he was mentally recovering from the last order he had to bring to a certain duo on the other side of the restaurant. He was glad this one was lighter than before. "I…hope you both enjoy your meals." He said with some hesitation.

"Thank you, we shall." Erza commented. She watched the waiter rush away with an unnerved expression. She could only assume it was by the size of Natsu's order, which she can understand. A normal human being wouldn't be able to stomach such a thing, but Natsu could eat an entire buffet if he wanted to. She was honestly surprised he went light on his appetite this time.

"Stuff your face for all she cares, but the important part of a date is to be yourself. If you wanna be nice, just get something small, but don't hold back, because if no woman nor anyone can accept you or the way you eat or do your thing…" Craig's eyes narrowed. "Then don't bother acknowledging them."

Natsu was stuffing his face with the steak, just as the waiter had brought some chicken as Natsu decided to add at the last second. By the time the waiter had come back, he was paling at the sight of half the steak already gone.

Erza watched Natsu eat with a smile on her face. She didn't mind seeing him eat as such, his mannerism could use some buffering tweaks, but otherwise he was fine the way he was. Her smile grew warm as the silence around them became comfortable and she took a bite of pasta.

Back on the other side of the restaurant, everyone around the area was exceptionally nervous to where they could almost throw up. The waiter that served Natsu and Erza was nervous about these large orders or a reason, and the answer was Craig. In front of him was a variety of food, from the fried fish and steak, to the wine and champagne bottles spread all around Cana's side of the booth. Apparently "going all out" and "my treat" wasn't remotely close to describing the situation.

Cana drank up a storm, downing her fifth booze bottle in a row. Once it was down her throat, she let out a hardy sigh and looked back at Craig. Craig's mouth was crunching and snapping the bone on his steak. To him, it was like biting into hard candy that snapped easily behind his jaws. Food was all around his mouth, and he nearly ate everything whole, if not ripped it into shreds like a wild animal would.

"You really are a slob, do you know that?" Cana said. "Wipe your mouth."

Craig swallowed another lump of steak, looking at Cana with an annoyed gaze. With a grunt, he used his wrist to wipe the crumbs and residue away and wiped his arm with a nearby napkin. "Yeah, so? Takes one to know one."

"What are you talking about?" Cana didn't realize it, but all around her were the many of empty bottles that once had booze and other various champagne in them. She was so lost in her own downpour that she didn't realize her habit and Craig's habit together was attracting so much disgust and attention.

"Well, whatever. So you got your job done like that huh?" He asked.

Cana lifted her next bottle of booze. "Yeah, simple as that."

Swallowing his next piece of meat down, he let out an exerted sigh. His appetite was looking to slow down some. "Very taxing."

"At least you know the life of a guild mage." Cana huffed as she tilted the bottle up and the contents went down her throat. With every gulp, the bottle kept losing hefty quantities.

Craig leaned back in his seat, taking a break from his meal. "Yeah, that's a pitiful understatement. What else is pity is that you're killing yourself with that stuff."

Cana again tilted her head down, again finishing another bottle with the collection she had going on. She nonchalantly smirked in a cheesy manner. "Aw lighten up Cranky, why not have some? There's more than enough to go around ya know." She wiggled the bottle in her hand, urging Craig to take a sip.

Craig just stared at the bottle. He didn't move, nor did he speak. All he did was just stare darkly at the bottle. The look on his face was something Cana expected as foul or unappeased, but alas, this was a completely different scenario. When Cana looked at him, her smirk turned to a frown, seeing Craig silent, his head lowered to look at the table.

The mood simmered to darkness through the booth. Cana's drinking stopped, as the look on Craig's face spelled another memento mori.

"Craig?"

Craig looked back at Cana, his gaze very serious. "Sorry Brownie, but I don't drink…wait, let me rephrase that, I can't drink." He said.

"Why's that?" She asked, raising a brow. "Not of age? DNA?"

"You're not wrong, I'm afraid." He admitted. "My multiple DNA transfusions in the past has given me many unique qualities, you know like sharper teeth and jaws, I have enzymes that allow me to eat anything raw and digest about anything, and there's my monstrously high metabolism…but aside from that, there's another reason why I don't drink."

Cana grew intrigued. "Eh?"

"I had a friend who drank. I've met him for a day, but we were able to get along. He had the most powerful alcohol tolerance I have ever seen. He was the undefeated king at one of the noble bars in the Pergrande Kingdom, and their booze is so strong that it could kill someone, even you."

Cana felt challenged by this story. "Booze so strong that it can kill ya? Sounds rigged."

Craig's eyes narrowed. "Believe what you want, but Slob went down the way he wanted. He drank himself to the bitter core…" He could recall meeting a large man at a pub in Pergrande Kingdom. In that one bar, he was Gregerson, but he was dubbed Slob; certainly smelling like one as well, putting skunks to shame. "That guy dominated that bar for 30 years, and not one man nor living being could take him on and his alcohol. To this day I still see him as someone who had the guts. Every drinking contest was a bittersweet battle he could not afford to lose." He thought back to when he was uncomfortable around the smelly Slob, but the longer he stayed around the pub, the more the alcoholic man influenced Craig, and vice versa. "When I had one sip of an offering by him…that's when I nearly destroyed everything."

Cana's eyes widened in surprise.

Craig could remember it all; the carnage, the blood, the chaos, and how many men he nearly sent to a hospital. He was pouncing on people and sinking fangs into them. "I don't remember any of it, but Slob was there. Just one sip of alcohol made my primal DNA kick in. My carnivorous blood spiked, and I nearly tore off arms that day." He was mentally glad that he never lasted ten minutes in such a state, as he was unconscious and woke up fifteen minutes later with a hideous hangover. "Slob sure called me out on that one, but we just ended up laughing it off and we became friends, though I didn't drink." Craig smiled. "For an alcoholic, he had hefty will and wisdom."

Cana let her own smirk run across her face. "Gee, sounds like a tough guy."

"He was." He slowly lost his frown, beginning to recount the few words of wisdom that he said. "I still remember what Slob told me…

"Little buddy, whether it's at a bar or in an arena, there's always a battle you just gotta take on with no regrets." Slob looked at Craig, lethargically putting a hand on top of his head and smirked. "Little buddy…" He slowly shook his head. "I *hic* think you got some logic to learn. I may be a king of drunken stupor…but I sure as hell know how to hold my own. You gotta fight your own battles…but don't be like me. You won't even last till 50 with what I can handle!" He laughed.

Cana looked on with great surprise. "Well the big guy sure has it right." She teased. "Drinking's always been my way."

Craig snickered. "Yeah. Baking, running, no matter what, even sleeping; it's all just a big battle for even one individual to overcome. Booze takes training, something even you can do…" Craig began to grow mournful. "I'm sure Slob would drink you under five times over…"

1 1/6 Years Ago

"Slob, come on buddy! You can do it!" Craig urged. "Keep going!" He tried to lift Slob up from off the ground back towards the stool, but the man was surprisingly hefty like a whale.

"Heh! Well kid *hic* looks like the champ isn't so cracked up *hic* now!" From the other side of the bar table was a hulking man with a black jacket with cut sleeves. He was unkempt, and was exceedingly pale. His stubble was drenched in booze, like he bathed in it. He was shivering, and he was hiccupping.

It was the effects of the most powerful booze the Pergrande Kingdom had ever made. It was called Demon's Curse. This was the same liquor that would be so powerful in one sip that even a regular drunkard could pass out. A whole bottle would make them throb to where they had brain damage. Slob was defending his title against the one called Brute, conqueror of all the bars in the entire Pergrande Kingdom. Has been for 30 years, and now on his quest to conquer, he's met his rival in a death match, a drinking contest to the death, considering Demon's Curse had such a power.

Craig kept urging, but Slob's body was so cold. He was like a dead corpse. "Slob?! Slob!"

"HAHAHA! Another one down!" Brute arose from his seat, raising his arms overhead weakly. "I…" He gagged. "Win-!"

"N-no…" Slob announced.

"Eh?"

Slob was so numb. He couldn't even feel his limbs, but he tried.

"Slob! What did you tell me?!" The sickening, oversized man you weakly hear Craig's voice. "Don't you dare quit! This is your bar? Your home, right? Are you gonna go down like this?! Are you gonna give up your home and let him take it over?!" Craig kept pushing him with all his animal strength, eventually helping the barely-alive man to his feet, as surprising and cheesy as it was, Craig was weakly misting in the eyes. "I won't stop you from choosing your battle…but at least let me be there to push you up to the end…just like everyone before me has…c'mon, fight!"

Slob gathered up what strength he managed in his body. He let out a hardy grunt and everyone in the huge bar roared with cheers. They all clapped and cheered him on, and at last, his shivering body made it back onto the stool. He was pushed beyond any boundaries, but he kept on going, all thanks to Craig managing to keep himself up.

"Thanks *cough* buddy." The older man coughed, eyes and skin pale.

Craig smirked. "Just win already and stop this freak, would ya?"

Brute sneered again, making Slob look at him with disgust. "Well look *hic/8 who decided to stay alive. You sure-" He held back another lurch. "Don't know when to quit."

"I could *burp* say the same…time to finish this."

The bartender came over, presenting the pair with Demon's Curse's last two bottles. The atmosphere was cold, and the liquid inside was like dry ice. Craig watched with a swallow as his friend and Brute grabbed the two bottles and leered.

"Let's go!" Craig announced.

"Bottom's up!" Slob and Brute mustered all of their strength and down poured themselves the contents. It was like dry ice, yet lava at the same time. As the last bit passed, their throats nearly froze over.

After a long silence, Craig stared with wide yes, everyone as silent as death itself. The whole bar went quiet as the cold atmosphere began to chill to a greater degree. They watched Brute and Slob narrow their eyes, their pale bodies stopped shuddering.

"You…you…" Brute began to fall over, his body finally giving in. "Damn…you…" He fell over, the stool toppling over with his icy cold body, his body limp.

Everyone in the bar cheered loudly as Slob won, their champion undefeated at last. After nearly 20 rounds of Demon's Curse, he managed to defeat Brute. The lethargic man had a hollow smile on his face, his willpower stable.

Craig smiled as he pat his pal's cold back. "Wait a go buddy, you did it."

"I…no…" Slob craned his head awkwardly, grinning at Craig. "We did it. Thanks to you, you lightheaded numbskull…I saved my home…I did…" Slob's vision began to fall back, his body landing with a huge thud that shattered the stool beneath him. Everyone in the bar gasped and Craig knelt down with shock and horror.

"Slob!" Craig shouted. He knelt closer. "Slob can you hear me?! Slob~!"

Slob smiled up towards the ceiling, his small grin full of happiness. "I…had a good run, didn't I?" He remembered when he began to drink in his early days. Ever since his parents abandoned him in the town, he's always found a home in the pub; food, water, and eventually booze. It was like a family, and in a way, his form of battle saved the pub, as well as his family. He could feel his system shut down almost. With what hazy vision and weakening strength he had, he looked up at Craig. "Hey, buddy…"

The pub folk gathered around, worrying for their champion. Craig looked down at Slob, his body paralyzed as the drunken man hand was cold and was clutching him pretty hard. "Slob…"

Slob snickered weakly. "What do you know…I didn't think I'd make it this far. My brain and liver lasted this long…how shocking…" He began to think back to Craig's arrival, which was just for food and water. "Little buddy…"

"Yes?"

Slob's grip tightened a little. "You sure showed me the anguish in your drunken state, huh? Guess you had a lot of pals that kept you up…just like you did for me…thank you for pushing me back up in the end…you're a really true friend, you know that?"

"Slob…" Craig's eyes misted.

"Booze was my battle to handle. Everyone has their own battles to win, and no matter what, support or not…they gotta finish what they started…don't be like me, kid. You got a hard life already…I drink just to forget pain…you'll only forget everything that's got you here…" His strength was fading nearly to black. "Live your life sober…will you do that?"

Craig could feel the desperate plea. After his incident, he learned he couldn't tolerate alcohol. Booze only snatched freedom and relieved pain, but people do stupid stuff when drunk. Slob was doing just that, saving Craig, in a way like his late friends. Craig began to tear up again.

Craig nodded slowly. "I will…"

Slob's eyes slowly went shut. "Be free the dry way…my pub brethren…Craig…go as far as you can…I'll be…drinking over your heads…" His voice trailed off, his liver and brain cells finally succumbing to the bitter cold effects of the Demon's Curse. He gave his final breath, his last numb moments with a smile of no regrets of the liquor he drank in his life.

Craig and the pub folk went wide-eyed, many staring with horror and sadness as the strongest drinker in the world finally passed on. Craig's teeth gritted, tears running down his face.

He screamed out loud, the pub rattling from his screams of anguish and grief.

Craig looked down at the table with a sad look on his face. "He drank himself to death defending his home. He went out the way he wanted to." He mournfully said, trying really hard to keep himself contained. "Whatever you call him, stupid or not, he was still some form of hero…and a good friend. I don't give a damn what you say about him, but if you dare talk smack about how he lived his life…I swear, I'm gonna slice you." His glare darkened. "And you know I never bluff."

Cana stared at Craig with equal astonishment compared to the time Craig nearly drove a sword into her head. She was flabbergasted. A part of her wanted to say how silly it was for someone to die such a way, but as much ridicule would make the scenario a lot more lively, she knew Craig took it seriously. The more she thought about it within that short span of time, the more she realized the excessive reasons why Craig doesn't – can't – drink.

"It was his battle, and I could've stopped him, but then what? Would that have solved anything? Would that have prolonged his life a little longer? I came up with an answer…no, it wouldn't make anything better." Craig lowered his head again, disgust coming across his face. "I'm living my life the way I try to, and even then I end up influenced by the most bizarre things people can do. I wouldn't nor couldn't become a drunkard hero like Slob was, but I made a promise, and I am a man of my word. Still…he was still a good guy. You have your own battle with booze just like he had, and I won't stop you from living out your days with such a battle."

After some time had passed, Cana broke into a sly smirk. "Sure wish the guy that still alive."

Craig raised a brow. "So you can drink him under the table?"

"You guessed it." She winked.

Craig rolled his eyes away. "Not on your life. He drank over 100 guys in one go. And that was just less than an hour."

"So that's why you don't let me drink in your place. What a big-hearted softie you're turning out to be." She teased. "Treating me out of guilt and telling me to drink to my heart's content? I don't know whether or not you're the same person I keep yelling at or some imposter."

Craig crossed his arms. "Can it. As much as I wanna warn ya of your brain and liver, you wouldn't cut back much anyway. So why bother?"

Cana merely shrugged at the notion. "Meh. True, yet I don't think I've heard weirder tales than yours."

"Like when I took advice and made suggestions by a pineapple?" Craig recollected when 4 years ago, he ws confused, borderline delusional and he had a pineapple make up decisions; which shockingly helped him through a chaotic voyage through a jungle.

If Cana had booze in her mouth, it would've spit back out. "A pineapple? You really are hopeless, aren't you?"

"Like you're one to talk. You leech off of me out of pity for my sanity."

"You prod swords at others throats just because they annoy you."

"Well you just order away until you get a hangover."

"And you just eat until you throw up."

At this point, their voices were raising, the whole side of the restaurant looking uneased by their soon-to-be bickering moment. Tension spilled in the atmosphere, luckily for Natsu and Erza, they exited the restaurant just in time to miss the full out yelling.

Natsu let out a small sigh of relish. "Ah~, now that was a hardy meal."

Erza looked at him with a smirk. "I think you mean a hardy snack." She corrected.

Natsu gave a small pout, looking more than a little embarrassed. "I mean…er…whatever."

Erza giggled at his demeanor. It was always cute to see him so flustered, with him trying so hard to maintain innocence. Despite his rash and slight arrogance, she knew Natsu did his best to make her feel welcomed by her own "suggestion". She was honestly surprised with how well Natsu was able to take their date. How he was able to behave to a human-like degree was beyond her.

The redhead suddenly began to grow nervous as she and Natsu began to walk down the streets of Magnolia. A small tint of red came across her cheeks. "Natsu…" She managed to say, barely keeping in a slight nervousness.

"Hm? Yeah? What is it Er-!" The Dragon Slayer turned his head to look at Erza, but then he felt something warm and slightly ticklish press against his cheek. His eyes widened and he nearly tripped as Erza's lips eventually parted from his cheek. He pressed his hand where Erza kissed him, almost blacking out.

"W-what was…Erza?" Natsu's face was nearly red, but his companion was warmly smiling, the blush on her face simmering a little.

"I wanted to thank you…for treating me for the day. I enjoyed it, honestly." She said in kindness.

The shock on Natsu's face subsided, a sheepish grin coming across his face. "Yeah, don't mention it."

Back at the restaurant, it was a full-scale shout off. The customers were anxious as Craig and Cana were glaring at one another, their teeth bared and the words and tones coming out of their mouths offending men and women alike.

"You can make a symphony with those bottles that even a 5-year-old can play!"

"You have the intension span of a toddler!"

"Funny coming from someone who has the brain size of a pea!"

"At least I don't mind peas!"

"I eat vegetables just as much as anyone else! When I feel like it!"

"How's about feeling for a nap, because you could really use one right now!"

A waiter with an empty serving plate in his hand approached the two, getting uneasy with every step towards the disturbance in the restaurant. "E-excuse me…m-miss, sir…" He squealed. "You have to-!"

"WE'RE BUSY!"

Their unison screech made the waiter nearly toss the plate out of hand and he shrunk back in fear.

Their rapturing bellow of back and forth spite continued to press against the other, and it echoed all throughout the restaurant to hear.

And here is the newest chapter established by your beloved Insane Dominator! So this time, I decided to do something different, rather than some form of action sort of speak, I took this chapter to get Craig and Cana closer, as well as pour hefty Natza into the mix. Hope this chapter was to your liking! This next arc is going to be called 'Return of Gildarts Arc'. A little on the nose, but it's something. It's a complicated matter, but several chapters will define Craig and how he handles Cana and Gildarts – when he comes around of course.

Fun fact: I like organic chocolate soymilk. You are now astounded.

As always, comment and review. Thanks for reading!