Chapter 6 – Dine and Smash

Magnolia, Summer Time,

Year X792

Sting Eucliffe

It has been twelve days since the arrival of the Zollzero family to Fairy Tail, along with the announcement of their debt, and despite the past week of frenzied work around the wizard guild, all was (relatively) quiet.

"Hi Natsu" I said cheerfully upon entering the increasingly familiar building of the wizard's guild, "You're here early".

Natsu smirked at me. "Yeah, for once" he agreed, before moving over to allow me to sit next to him, and opposite to Lucy and Gray.

"You two sure are getting along well" the blonde noted as I took the offered seat, "You sure Natsu isn't bothering you?"

Natsu scowled at the comment. "Hey, I get on with people just fine!" he barked, his tone instantly defensive.

I looked to the pinkette and laughed. "It's fine, to be honest hanging out with you guys like this is actually kinda like a childhood dream come true, since I used to idolise you and stuff" I admitted with a very faint blush.

Gray smirked. "Is that right?" he stated with a little smile, that made me instantly guarded.

I glanced at the Ice Mage opposite me for a moment, before looking back to Natsu. "Anyways, ignoring that… is there still no jobs available for us?" I asked the fiery pinkette. Natsu sighed and shook his head at the inquiry.

"Yeah, still nothin'…" he stated defeatedly. Although the guild's supply of jobs had been plentiful for the first couple of days after the debt announcement, after about a week the increased number of Mages on jobs meant that work dried up fast, and currently there were very few places looking for help. As Master I understood how the number of jobs could fluctuate, however in my time at Sabertooth I had never seen such a sudden decline. Whilst I momentarily pondered the loss of work, I heard Lucy sigh loudly.

"At this rate, I'm never gonna get my rent paid" she complained, "I mean… it's bad enough that we lose ten percent of our reward money, but even losing ten percent is better than not getting any jobs whatsoever" she whined annoyedly. Hearing her complaint, I found myself agreeing with the Celestial Mage's argument, and simultaneously sympathising with her plight; after all, I'd heard Rogue complain often enough about our own rent to understand what Lucy was feeling. "It's all right, I'm sure some work'll show up soon" I said in an attempt to cheer up the blonde.

After a few moments, another voice joined in on our conversation, or rather three did. "I think you're right, Sting" Makarov stated, as the tiny wizard saint made an appearance beside our table, the forms of Haruki and Kenji following close behind.

"It is a shame that this has happened" Kenji chimed in, "However… things will turn for the better" he added in a stony, unemotional tone.

Haruki shrugged. "Maybe…" the teen stated, "Or perhaps those rumours that have spread about this guild being in debt have frightened off everyone" he added, his face breaking into a cocky grin that earned the disdainful glares of both me, Makarov, the other Fairy Tail Mages, and even Kenji.

"Be quiet, Haruki" the older Zollzero representative stated, before knocking his grandson with sheathed blade at his hip.

"Ow…" the fake-blond grumbled, "I was only kidding"

"Hmph… regardless, Sting, I'd like to speak with you. There's something I feel we should discuss" Makarov stated in a slightly more serious tone. I looked to the old man with intrigue.

"What is it?" I asked.

Makarov frowned. "If you would come with me to my office, I'll explain" he stated, moving to gesture for me to follow him. Still confused I got up from my seat and nodded to the others, before following the tiny mage away. I noticed that Kenji followed us also, although Haruki seemed to stay behind, obviously content to be causing trouble for the others away from his grandfather.

Once we were in Makarov's office, I stood in front of the old man's desk. "So what is it you needed to talk about?" I asked. The tiny man frowned at me from his desk. Whilst this gesture was somewhat adversarial, it was not unfriendly.

"I just need to ask if you are intending on stay here until we have finished our end of the debt, or whether you will be leaving at some point. This morning I received a letter from Rogue, asking for you to write to him and confirm what is currently going on. I understand that it has almost been two weeks since you arrived, and whilst I am not ungrateful for your assistance, as a fellow Master, I also understand what it's like to be away from the guild for extended periods of time" Makarov explained. I listened to what he said for a moment, before shrugging.

"I guess I'll have to return at some point… however I would like to remain for a little while longer. Working with Natsu has been quite a learning experience for me, and I have enjoyed seeing how this guild is run. It gives me some ideas which I could try back at Sabertooth" I replied. Plus, I don't wanna leave until I do what I need to I added mentally.

Makarov smiled at my response. "That is fine. Just please notify Rogue of your intentions, I am sure that they are worried about you. You also may continue working with Natsu… that is if work does show up" the old man stated, his smile quickly becoming a frown as he was reminded of the issue they had just been discussing back at the table in the hall.

Kenji, who had been listening to our conversation from near the door, spoke up at the mention of this work-related issue. "With regards to that…" the old sword-wielder began, earning the attention of both me and Makarov, "I have put in a call. Even though this guild is indebted to the Zollzero family, the family itself cannot leave a debt to remain unpaid without good reason. When issues such as this arise… we members of the Zero Star guild, that is the Zollzero family's personal wizard's guild, are able to take some action to assist in the paying of the debt" Kenji explained. At this announcement, I looked to Makarov with intrigue.

"So… what exactly are you saying?" I asked the Zero Star Mage. Kenji smirked knowingly.

"It seems your friends have already found out… based on how quiet it has gotten down there…" he smiled. I frowned in confusion, however Makarov looked slightly worried. What is it? I thought. Makarov and I both left the office a few moments later, with Kenji patiently following in tow, the sword-wielding man closing the door quietly behind himself. I don't like this quiet…

/

When Makarov and I both arrived at the main section of the guild hall, we were met with a scene of apprehension. Natsu was still sitting with Lucy and Gray, Happy on the table before him. Haruki seemed to be nearby, still grinning, although unlike earlier he was quiet and seemingly polite. What the hell's going on? I thought; the entire scene seemed unnatural.

"Well hello there, Masters two!" a voice called out from the bar. Makarov and me both looked to the area where the voice came from, our eyes uniformly widened in surprise. "How're you doing?" Edric asked, his arms folded over his chest, a sarcastic grin ready and primed on his lips.

"You're here?!" I gaped in surprise. The fake-blonde teen laughed, before getting up and walking over to where me and Makarov stood.

"Well… obviously I am. And to answer the question you're next going to ask; me and Thomas," Edric jabbed a thumb over his shoulder to the image of his twin brother lying lazily with his back against the wall near to the bar, "are here because Kenji sent word to Artie about your… work… issue" the boy finished.

As Edric explained his sudden appearance, Kenji came out from the same corridor the Makarov and I had just arrived from. "Ah, young master Edric" the old man greeted in a formal tone, coming up to the place beside me and giving a polite bow to the Zollzero child.

Edric grinned at Kenji. "Hiya, Master Himura" he replied, "Don't worry about formalities, Me and Thomas are the only ones here so no need to stand on ceremony. Oh... and Haru was nice enough to explain everything to us already too, so no need to go to the trouble" Edric added, with a friendly smile. Kenji nodded in understanding.

I listened to the two Mages interaction, before my mind fixated on one word. "Master?" I voiced my confusion aloud accidentally, earning slight glances from both Haruki and Kenji, along with Edric himself. Edric smiled.

"Yes, Master… that's what I said. Did Kenji not inform you all?" he stated with a mildly amused look on his youthful face. Kenji, who was standing beside him, looked a little more embarrassed.

"I… did not inform them of my position, sir" he stated. I frowned.

"So you are a Guild Master then?" I asked, seeking confirmation from the older man. Kenji looked at me directly, his grey, slate-coloured eyes piercing into my very mind and soul.

Yes, I am the highest-ranking wizard of the Zollzero families personal guild, the Zero Star guild" he stated, before pulling out a chain, on which there was a symbol of a five-point star with an eye in the centre, half black and half white. "This is our guilds emblem" he said proudly.

Edric chuckled. "Well, it's partly the guilds emblem. You see… that eye is part of a larger symbol that is our families personal crest. The presence of the eye on their guild emblem shows our family's influence over the guild members, as well as our role as proxy leaders" the teen smirked. I frowned.

"Proxy?" I questioned. Edric nodded.

"Yes, proxy… is there an echo in here?" he laughed, "Regardless, despite being the original founders and owners of the guild, no single Zollzero family member is actually part of it as a member. Instead we control from the back ground, with the highest-ranking member, that is to say the most powerful member, as Guild Master. It's just a precaution so that we aren't limited by all the rules regular guild wizards like yourselves have to follow" Edric explained, before gesturing to a pin on his shirt collar; like the guild emblem that Kenji had just produced, this had a black-and-white eye on top of what looked like a book. "This is our family crest, the eye represents searching and the tome knowledge. Before we are what we are now, we were once a family of magical researchers" Edric stated, "However… times change, and so with that in mind, let's get down to business" he chuckled, before rubbing his hands together. I nodded at this, however I moved to leave and go over to where Natsu was.

"I'll leave this to you, Master Makarov, I don't think I should be the one making decisions that affect Fairy Tail" I stated as I left. From the corner of my eye I saw Makarov nod in acceptance of my statement. Whilst this statement was true, I was also still trying to process what the two mafia-esque wizards had just divulged, and I felt like any other information would just wash over me should it be offered. Plus, I had a few things I felt I needed to discuss with Natsu.

As I arrived at the table where Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Happy were seated I was met with intrigued looks. "So… what was all that about?" Lucy asked me. I glanced at her, however I was unsure of exactly what I should say.

"Yeah, what's he doing here?" Gray piled on, his face visibly upturning at the thought of the Zollzero children.

I shrugged at both of their questions. "It's just about the little… job slump. He says that he's here to fix it or something, or at least help out. I guess since their family does benefit from us paying off the debt it kinda makes sense, but since this is not my guild and all I decided to leave the details up to Makarov" I stated truthfully. "Anyways, what are you guys talking about?" I added after a moment, hoping to change the flow of the conversation to topics less testy.

"We were just talking about… erm…" Natsu floundered, his face instantly showing confusion.

Lucy sighed, "We were talking with Haruki about different types of magic, when Edric and Thomas showed up" the blonde Celestial wizard stated, "It was only a few seconds ago Natsu, surely you can remember for at least that long…" she added with a tired voice.

I smirked for a moment at Natsu's show of forgetfulness. I know that should be annoying, but it's just too cute I thought to myself in an admittedly cooing tone. "Oh…" I stated, trying to think about a way to get the conversation to a topic I wanted, and at the same time pushing away those same thoughts about Natsu's 'cuteness'. "Actually, talking about magic" I chirped up after a momentary pause, "Natsu, I was wondering if there were any particular jobs that you wouldn't be able to do. I mean, I know that we're both Dragon Slayers, so anything with vehicles is definitely out of the question, but is there anything else you can't, or wouldn't like to do?" I asked the pinkette beside me. Natsu pouted in thought after my question.

"Well… I don't think there's stuff we couldn't do, but I don't really wanna do jobs that involve all that boring stuff like puzzles or stuff like that…" Natsu said with a mildly helpful tone of voice. I absorbed this information like a sponge, before nodding, my face breaking into a wide grin.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that" I replied with a chuckle that made Natsu smile.

"Okay, just so we're on the same page" the Fire Dragon stated, giving me a thumbs-up. "So, are you gonna go get us a job then, since you're asking about them?" he added.

As I was about to respond, another voice butted in to our conversation. "Sting, Edric and I are going to my office to finalise a few job requests. Do you want to come and select one for yourself, like you've done before?" Makarov called over to me. I looked over to the old man for a moment, before looking back to Natsu, my face primed with the next question I wanted to ask. Natsu smirked brightly at me.

"Go pick us a good one" he said with a smile. I nodded.

"Okay!" I replied, before getting up to go with Makarov and the grinning Edric Zollzero. As I began to get up a thought briefly crossed my mind; Damn I've gotta stop getting so hyped up and excited when Natsu praises me for literally ANYTHING!...

Even if his smile is super cute…

/

Magnolia, Summer Time,

Year X792, an hour later,

Natsu Dragneel

It was an hour or so later when Sting finally reappeared from his meeting with Gramps and the cocky Dice Magic kid. When the blond Dragon Slayer approached the place where I was sitting, I noticed that he was grinning even more brightly than what he had been when he left. Did he pick a really good job or something? I thought to myself, before a grin spread over my features. Maybe he picked one where we get to fight a ton of people… the promise of violence was always something to put me in a good mood.

"Hi Natsu, sorry that took so long" Sting stated with an apologetic tone to his voice. I shrugged, as he took the place opposite me in the booth. Gray and Lucy had already left, each of them deciding to go to their respective homes and wait until tomorrow to pick a job, whilst I waited for Sting. Happy had decided he got bored with waiting a little while after that and went off with Wendy and Carla to help them buy supplies for the guild with Mirajane. "It's no problem, I figured it'd be something important so you couldn't leave. Did you get a job?" I asked the smiling White Dragon.

Sting nodded energetically. "Yeah, and I think you'll like it" he replied, before producing a page of paper and handing it to me. I briefly scanned over the contents before handing it back.

"So, we're just gonna be dealing with some thugs near a restaurant?" I asked, looking for confirmation from the blond. The White Dragon Slayer nodded.

"Yeah. It seems that the jobs Edric brought with him were all designed to help his family's various properties. The restaurant we're helping is also owned by the Zollzero family, so we can't go destroying it, otherwise the debt will be increased… to double what is currently still owed" Sting explained, with a strong emphasis in both his tone and his facial features as he mentioned this last part. I frowned in receipt of this information.

"So… we're gonna have to be super careful?" I stated unsurely. Sting nodded.

"Yup. But don't worry, if we complete this not only are we getting paid by a lot, but also we get a free meal in the restaurant's private VIP suite" the blond grinned. My eyes went wide, as I thought about the food that would be served in such a place. So that's why he was happy? We get free expensive food? I thought for a moment.

"Okay, that sounds cool!" I grinned, "Good choice of job Sting".

The blond seemed to freeze at my praise for a moment, before smiling brightly, even though it seemed impossible that he could smile any wider. "Thanks, Natsu" he beamed at me.

Sting then went on to explain a few of the other details about our job. I smiled politely and half-listened to this information. All the way through his explanation, despite Sting's cheery appearance, something felt off about him; his scent, in particular, gave off this… confused… feeling. Is there something he's not telling me about this job? Or is it something else? I thought for a moment, before I mentally shrugged this off. Maybe it's just a Guild Master thing… I reasoned.

/

After further explaining the job, and agreeing for a meeting time the following day, Sting set off out of the guild, saying he needed to send word to Rogue about his goings-on. I smiled politely and waved him off, promising not to be late tomorrow, however once the White Dragon Slayer was gone I allowed myself to frown. "What was up with Sting's scent, it was really… weird?" I voice my thoughts aloud to no one in particular.

"Is something the matter, Natsu?" Mirajane asked as she passed my table. I shrugged and looked to the Take-Over Mage with a slightly confused expression.

"I'm… not sure" I replied honestly, earning a questioning look from the woman that prompted me to elaborate. "It's just… well, I like working with Sting, but when he's been around today… he smelled like he was confused about something, or worried. You see… sometimes people's emotions can be smelled, and to be honest I have smelled this same thing coming off of him before… but I just don't get why" I stated, my gaze looking at Mira for answers. The waitress-wizard seemed to take a moment in processing what I had told her, before she smiled calmly.

"Natsu, Sting's a Guild Master. It's probably just that he has something on his mind, or is worrying about his own guild" she stated in reply. I nodded at her.

"That's what I thought…" I said, before shrugging, "I guess I shouldn't be looking too much into this" I added, earning a nod from Mira, who then made a move towards another table where another patron was seated.

"That's true, Natsu, however if you are worried about Sting, you could always ask him what's wrong" she stated in a friendly manner, before turning to deal with the other patron. As she turned she gave me one last glance. Although it was probably my imagination, I could have sworn that there was a shimmer of amusement in the look; like the waitress-Mage knew something that I didn't. What was that? I questioned mentally; Did I just imagine it?

I almost thought I had imagined the look, however after a moment of thought I decided that it really did happen. This lead me to yet another question; What is it she knows?

I thought this to myself for a little while, before I decided to leave the guildhall and begin to make the journey back to my little house on the outskirts of Magnolia. On the way back, I thought of a few different things that Sting's weird scent could mean, however none of them seemed to fit right, and by the time I had dragged myself to the front door of my home, I had many things running around in my head.

Chief amongst these was the quite distracting thought my mind had spewed forth somewhere around the middle of my journey without any reason. It was perhaps the oddest thought in my mind, yet it was the one that I kept coming back to with increasing frequency;

Does Sting have a crush on someone?

/

Zollzero Restaurant 'Paradise Star', Summer Time,

Year X792, the following day,

Sting Eucliffe

Natsu and I stood before the manager of the establishment that we were supposed to assist. He was not an unpleasant man, but he definitely held the same air of superiority that both the Zollzero children and Haruki Himura had, although unlike any of these he seemed to brandish it more as a weapon than as a statement of power. "So you two are the ones Young Master Edric sent to me?" the short, slightly rotund man stated, "Hmph, you don't look very capable, although I suppose you do seem familiar… perhaps from the Grand Magic Games, hmmm?"

I tried my best not to strike at the man, although it was not easy. Natsu was visibly struggling with not hitting him. "Yes, we are the ones who accepted the job. Edric said you were having issues with some local thugs, correct?" I asked.

The manager nodded. "Straight to the point, a like a practical mind. Yes, you are correct, there are indeed some ruffians who are causing a few… issues. Although it is nothing particularly major to the restaurant itself, I mean who would ever think to do anything against an establishment of the illustrious Zollzero family, however they have been repeatedly harassing our valuable customers, as well as vandalising our property with profane graffiti" the manager explained, before leading us to the outside of the building and gesturing to where an apparent clean-up was in place. "Both myself and a few of the staff have tried to deal with them, however we are not wizards, and these people… are… so it's simply impossible for us alone to deal with them" the manager added, before looking to us.

I nodded and smiled reassuringly at the man. "It's fine, just leave everything to us and we can guarantee they won't be bothering you again by the end of today" I stated confidently. The manager just shook his head dismissively at my statement however.

"I'm afraid it will not be so simple. You see… it's not like we haven't tried to… erm… corner them before, with some assistance of course, but the issue is that the last few times we have tried they just don't show up, or they avoid our little tricks. That's why I think we're going to have to deal with this a little more subtly" the manager stated, his smile becoming a little wicked.

"By that… you mean…" I left it up to him to elaborate. The manager laughed and gestured for us to lean in.

"We need you two to pose as customers, and then when they do harass you… you can harass them back…" the man stated. My eyes went wide with this new information, and I looked back to the restaurant for a moment. But this place is for…

"Erm… but won't it look a little suspicious if two new people just suddenly start coming here" Natsu chirped up from beside me.

I looked to the pinkette. Yes, that's an excellent excuse I thought for a moment, before the manager just shook his head. "Of course it isn't, we get plenty of people from all over visiting this place. All you need to do is come in, sit down, enjoy a meal, and then leave and… well… the rest should go as planned" he grinned, "Besides, I believe that a free meal was stipulated in the job request, yes?" he added. I looked down at the man, to the restaurant and then to Natsu all in a single motion. Crap! He's got us there, it said a free meal, but… really… Natsu and I are gonna have to go in there… a couple's restaurant?! I cursed myself internally.

Natsu seemed to look at me with confusion, however I found that I had no words to argue with the man, so I just did what I always did; I smiled. "Okay, I guess we'll just go back to hotel and get ready then. When you see us later, just approach calmly like you would any normal person, and then you can give us any extra details" I stated, before looking to the Fire Dragon Slayer. "You okay with this Natsu?" I asked.

Natsu seemed to still be confused, however he nodded at me all the same. The manager smiled cunningly, seemingly happy to be getting our assistance, before we agreed on a time to make a reappearance at the restaurant. As Natsu and I left all I could think was curses at myself that, after all my hard work getting closer to Natsu over these past two weeks, I could end up getting exposed, or worse letting it slip, when we were put into a more romantic, couple-ish setting. Man, talk about changing the game around. I hoped I'd get to spend some time with Natsu in private… just not like this…

Meanwhile, I noticed that Natsu did not seem to raise any complaints, and I even noticed that he seemed to be thinking really hard about something. This made me both a little hopeful, and a lot worried. What could he be thinking about so hard? Maybe he's just trying to figure out how to lure those thugs?

The job really hadn't been going the way I had hoped so far.

/

A few hours later, at the agreed hour, Natsu and I slunk up to the restaurant. After the initial shock of what was being asked of us had worn off, I had begun to find this opportunity almost… pleasant, especially since I figured out that this would give me an ample excuse to be in such a romantic scene with my crush. So long as I don't blow it and let it slip out before I can get more info on Natsu's… preferences I reminded myself as I entered the establishment with a wide smile on my face.

As we entered, a pair of well-dressed waiters came over to meet us. They each wore the classic service-industry smiles; however, their eyes and scents gave away their intention, and after a few moments Natsu and I were hurriedly directed into a quiet, relatively empty, corner of the restaurant. "We will return shortly to take your orders. As all food is on the house, please select whatever you like, however… the boss would like us to remind you that you are here to work for us and not to stuff your faces" one of the waiters stated, his tone completely contradicting the polite smile on his youthful face, "Other than that enjoy your meal" he added on the end, before bowing out to go and deal with some very real customers.

Once the pair of waiters were gone, the pinkette and I were left alone. "Well… this is going to be interesting" I stated with a slight smile. Natsu mirrored my mood.

"Yeah. They were all polite up front, but then… well… I guess they don't really see us as real customers do they?" he chuckled, before his eyes looked down at the menu in front of him.

I took this moment of distraction to better observe the pinkette from over the top of my own menu. Unlike all the rest of the time I had seen him, Natsu was no longer wearing his usual attire. Neither the waistcoat, sandals or baggy white trousers could be seen, in their place he wore a white shirt and black waistcoat, along with black trousers and shoes. His typical white-scale scarf was still present, though, as both he and I felt that it wouldn't be too odd for him to be wearing it out, and besides I knew from what I had seen that he literally never removed the thing anyways. He looks good in that… kinda smart and formal… but also kinda relaxed I thought to myself, before turning my attention to my own clothes.

I was also wearing more formal attire than usual, with a deep blue shirt, black trousers, and black shoes to match, instead of my own usual attire. Our costume changes were because, as Edric had quite rightly warned us, it was likely we were going to have to be seen around the restaurant, which was quite a bit posher than the setup of either of our guildhalls. The joint decision that our usual clothes might give us away as none-standard guests, which could have scared away the people we were being hired to deal with, led Natsu and I to pack an additional set of clothes to blend in better with the crowd. It was lucky I brought these clothes with me though, since I didn't really have a reason too… other than for a potential date with him… I thought thankfully. Now… what should I have to eat?

After a few moments of looking, I glanced up to notice Natsu eyeing me with a bright smile. "Have you decided?" he asked me cheerily. I smirked back, but shook my head.

"Nah, this is all too… fancy… for me. I can't really decide" I stated, with a jovial tone. This made the pinkette laugh.

"Yeah, me neither" he chuckled in agreement, before glancing around at the restaurant and other patrons. Initially, it seemed like the Fire Dragon Slayer was just looking at the surroundings, however he soon became a little distracted. Is Natsu… nervous? I thought after the other male began to grow quiet, not making any other noise after his laughter had died down. Or is it that he's uncomfortable in these kinds of places? I debated after a moment's thought.

"So… have you been to many places like this, Natsu?" I asked the pinkette, trying to draw his attention. This could be my opportunity to probe a little I thought to myself, with a little bit of slyness to my inner voice.

Natsu looked to me, and I noticed a glimmer of something in his dark eyes, although I couldn't tell if this was because of nervousness, fear, or something else. "Er… no, I haven't been to a restaurant of this kind of… class… before. Although I have been to a few, er… high class events before, like a dance, or that thing at the royal palace, after the Games" the pinkette stated with a slightly unsure tone. I nodded, and smirked a little at the memory of the royal banquet after that particular games; it was especially amusing to think of how Natsu had acted back then too. Did I like him back then too? A thought popped into my head, or was it after that… that I began to have these… feelings…

"That banquet was a fun night" I grinned at Natsu, trying to ignore the sudden train of thought that my mind seemed to be trying to board.

Natsu smiled. "Yeah, it was. So, have you been to many places like this Sting?" he asked in conversation. I shrugged.

"Not really. The previous Master of Sabertooth, he didn't like for us to 'waste our time' in these kinds of places" I said with a moderate tone; although it was common knowledge that Jiemma had been a tough Master, I didn't like to go into details about Sabertooth at that dark time. "Although, after one particular job for a rich lady… I remember she did treat me out to a place like this" I recalled in a slightly more pleasant tone, to avoid going down another darker and unwanted conversation.

"Really?" Natsu asked me with intrigue. I nodded.

"Yeah, she said she was just doing it to be grateful… however I think she kinda had a thing for me, or something. I couldn't say I liked her that way though" I stated with a smile. Mainly because she was older, but also because she was… well… a she… I added mentally, with a slight smirk to myself. Natsu just looked at me with interest written all over his face. Fuck he's so cute.

"So, was she just not your type, or do you try to avoid getting into relationships with clients?" the pinkette asked after a couple of minutes. I couldn't help the surprise jump up onto my face at his line of questioning, although I tried to hide it with another smile. Where's he going with this? I thought after the initial shock had subsided.

"Well… I guess you could say she wasn't my type… she was older than me" I replied in answer to Natsu's question, hoping that he wouldn't ask another like it.

Natsu nodded understandingly. "Well that makes sense" he smiled, before looking to a spot beside us, at the arriving waiter.

"Have you two decided what you'll be having?" the youthful male asked.

Natsu shrugged and looked to me. "You decided, Sting?" he asked me. I smiled, and scanned over the menu once more; in the few moments before Natsu had jumped me with his question, I had finally made a decision.

"Yes. I'll have…" I scanned the menu for the name.

/

A little while later, after maintaining our ruse for about one and a half hours, the manager arrived and alerted us to the presence of the troublemakers outside of the restaurant. Thanking him, Natsu and I finished our deserts, and then left, under the pretence of already having pre-paid for our meal earlier in the day. Once we were outside, we began slowly strolling through the streets outside the restaurant, hoping that we looked inconspicuous enough, and rich enough, to be tantalising targets for our own targets.

After a few minutes our efforts were rewarded, when, no more than five minutes away from the very establishment that had hired us, a gang of thug-looking individuals, all with their faces covered, surrounded us on the street. "You jus' been to that big, expensive restaurant ov'r th're?" one of the meaner looking people asked us, in as menacing a tone as they could muster. I glanced to Natsu, before eyeing the ruffian directly.

"Yes, what of it?" I replied, a slight smile playing at the sides of my mouth as I tried to put on the most hob-nob of an accent as I could manage.

The mean-looking one, who I presumed was the leader, noticed my slight smile. "You makin' fun of us?" he growled, "We was askin' b'cause we been hired to beat up anyone who we see leaving dat place" he stated in a gruff voice, before raising a hand and pointing to me, "So if you were there, den we're gonna have to beat ya both up". I looked around at the gang, there was only about a dozen of them in all; each clearly male, with most likely concealed weapons, or even magical tools. Plus at least four of them were wizards, according to what the manager told us I recalled. After analysing our opponents, I visibly grinned.

"Oh, so you want to fight us, then?" I stated, holding up a fist as a show of defiance against the group. The gang all laughed at this, although I didn't care.

"You sure you wanna be doin' that?" the leader chuckled, "I said we gotta beat you up, like we were hired to. Even if you think yer strong, you two ain't gonna be strong enough to beat me and my boys!" the leader declared.

Natsu smiled viciously at the unintelligent threats of the gang leader. "You sure about that?" he asked them in a cocky tone of voice, which earned an equally vicious glare back from the man.

"Boys, these guys are tryin' to make fun of us. Let's show 'em why they shoulda been scared" he bellowed, "Get 'em!"

At the sound of the man's gruff command, all the gang members leaped forward, some with flames in their hands, other with other forms of magic, and many with knives or guns. I looked to Natsu and nodded. "Let's show 'em!" I stated to the pinkette, before infusing light into my fists, just as Natsu infused flames into his own.

The thugs all seemed to go wide eyed at the show of magic from both me and Natsu, however they were too late to stop their attack, and so after a few well aimed, and powerfully driven punches and kicks, Natsu and I had floored each and every thug, except for the leader, who stood with his back against a building wall with a fearful gaze. From what I had just seen, he was the only one without any magic, and he didn't appear to have any weapons on him either. "So, you're the only one left?" I grinned, before cracking my knuckles threateningly.

The man seemed to sweat under my glare. "You never s-said you were wizards…" he stammered. I smirked.

"Does it matter if we were? Just because people aren't wizards, doesn't mean you can go around threatening them" I replied, before conjuring up magic into my hand, a hot ball of white light that I directed at the man. "Now… you said you were hired… by who?" I asked. The manager did say to find out who sent them, if we wanted an extra reward I thought smugly.

The man tried edging away from my light as I pointed it to him. "I d-don't know… o-our guild was just approached by these people… two of them. They told us to m-mess with… that place" he stated. I frowned.

"Who were these people?" I asked in an intimidating tone.

The man whimpered. "I don't… know…" he stammered. I sighed; it's useless trying to get any more info out of him I thought, before looking to Natsu and nodding. The pinkette spared no time in delivering a swift punch to the guys gut that sent him falling to the ground like a ragdoll, unconscious. "Hmph, these we no problem dealing with" the Fire Dragon Slayer stated in a complaining tone. I nodded.

"Yeah, but anyway… nice fighting skills. Now, we gotta get these guys captured, and then tell the guys in the restaurant who'll deal with the rest" I stated. Natsu nodded. "I'll use my White Dragon Claw to keep 'em from escaping, you go back to tell the manager the good news" I added with a smile. Natsu nodded again, before quickly setting off towards the restaurant. Once he was gone, I let myself sigh. "Well, this was an interesting job… I just hope that Natsu didn't realise my little secret whilst we were eating" I said aloud.

Otherwise, it could get really awkward when I'm around him I added mentally.

End of Chapter 6

Chapter Hint; Rollercoaster of Emotions