Chapter 15 – Fishing for Trouble

Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Summer Time,

Year X792,

Natsu Dragneel

I strode into the warm light of the Fairy Tail guild at around 6:10 PM, a bright smile forming on my face from cheek to cheek. It took no less than ten seconds for me to locate the person I was looking for, as Sting practically glowed, sitting with an equally as bright smile at the bar. I walked over to him with as much nonchalance as I could, trying to hide my excitement from all my friends and guildmates; I didn't want them to begin asking annoying questions, not when I had plans with Sting. "Hiya Sting!" I greeted the blond as I sat down at the bar stool beside him. Sting smirked back at me; clearly, he was also as excited as I was, however I thought he was doing a far better job of hiding it.

"Hi Natsu" he replied, before he looked around with a slight frown, "Happy's not with you?" he commented in surprise. I nodded, my smile breaking across my features as Sting noted the absence of flying feline.

"No, he's not here. We will be seeing him later though" I said, giving a slight nudge to Sting, in order to peak his interest as much as I could before I revealed my plans. This prompted the blond to lean in with a questioning gaze.

"Have you said anything?" he asked me. I just smirked as a response.

"Maaaaybe… maybe not" I chuckled, before I checked the time. "Although, we should be going soon if we're to make it before it gets dark" I added, trying to change the topic. Sting nodded, before finishing the drink he had been nursing. I watched his actions with great amusement. He's either worried, or really excited about this… since he's acting quick like that I thought to myself. After the White Dragon Slayer placed his empty glass back down on the counter top, he looked to me. I knew what he was going to ask me, so I just gave a reply pre-emptively. "Let's go" I said, before getting up and motioning for the blond to follow me. Sting moved to do so, falling into step to my right. As we left Lucy looked over to us, smiling and asking us where we were going. I stopped and gave her the lie I had prepared earlier; that Sting and I were going to do some Dragon Slayer training together. She seemed surprised by this, but didn't push me for any more details, and so both Sting and I took the opportunity to leave. After that brief encounter, it wasn't long before we were out in the open air.

Just before we left, however, a voice piped up from the wall of the guild's exit. "We're you two lovebirds off to at this time?" Edric quipped as the Card Mage moved to step out of the shadows of the outer wall of the guildhall and into our field of vision.

"Lovebirds?" I questioned him. A flicker of a smirk passed over the blond boy's lips.

"So that's how you're playing this" he mused, before he flicked his eyes to scan the interior of the guild. "Regardless… I was just hanging around waiting for Medea to show up, she's not in the guild, is she?" Edric asked in a more casual tone. I pouted and shrugged.

"I've just got here, but I can't smell her. It's pretty easy too, what with all that damned expensive perfume or stuff she puts on" I commented. Edric chuckled.

"You haven't seen her, or rather smelled her, either I take it, Master Eucliffe?" he asked, directing his gaze at the blond beside me. Sting shook his head.

"No, but I haven't been here long either" Sting replied, before a slight upturning of the mouth signalled he wanted to make another comment "Natsu's right though, if she had been here we would've definitely smelled her" Sting chuckled. Edric raised an eyebrow.

"You're sure you wanna say that to the people you're indebted to?" he questioned us. Both Sting and I stopped ourselves laughing midbreath as Edric's words suddenly put a heavy weight on us. After a moment observing our joint reaction, Edric fell about laughing, a wide smile on his features. "Wow, that actually made you worried for a second there" he chuckled, "I mean… okay, I guess that was a bit mean of me, but I didn't expect you to take that seriously" he said, right before some movement caught our attention.

"Edric, perfect timing" a voice said as another person approached the guild from the street. Medea, flanked by Haruki Himura, strode up to us. "Ah… and why if it isn't the two darling Dragon Slayers" the female Zollzero family member added upon noticing Sting and my presences. We both nodded to her; unlike her brother, who seemed to be a bit more childish and jovial, Medea carried a weight about her, with her words each being expressed in such a way that you just knew she was trouble. Sting seemed to momentarily tense beside me; Probably remembering their fight I thought for a fleeting moment, before my eyes fixed onto Haruki.

The teenage Bullet Mage smirked at me from his position slightly behind Medea. "Hello again Sting and Natsu" he commented.

Edric looked between us all for a moment. "I take it you wanna speak to me, sister?" he asked Medea, who nodded.

"Yes, it seems Thomas has been in contact, and Arthur has some words to share with you" she informed Edric. The teen nodded, before moving over to Haruki and giving him a slight nudge.

"Come on then, let's go" he said, before turning to both me and Sting, "See you later, lovebirds" he added. Sting and I both scowled at Edric for a moment, before we also replied with a quick 'goodbye'. As the trio of Zollzero Mages entered the guild, Medea looked over her shoulder at us.

"Oh… and just so you two uncultured lizards know, I only wear the best, most expensive perfumes" she said, before walking off. Sting and I both had a momentary shiver of fear as the slightly venomous tone that Medea used sank into our very bones.

As we set off once more into the now dimly lit streets of Magnolia, Sting and I both wondered exactly the same thing; were we so bad at not making things obvious that it only took even people like Edric and Medea, who've only known us for a short time, a few seconds to realise what was going between us?

It seemed unlikely, however it was a fear that stuck to each of us for the remainder of the night.

/

We arrived at our intended location when darkness had taken hold of the land. "This is the place?" Sting asked me, as he looked upon Happy and my makeshift campsite with slight confusion.

"Oh… you're here!" Happy said, as the exceed left the comfort of the quite large tent that had been set up to greet both me and Sting.

I smiled at him. "Hey buddy, sorry it took so long to get back" I greeted the flying feline.

Happy shook his head. "It's fine. It gave me time to tidy up a little, since you're so messy Natsu" Happy smirked. I looked to Sting and gave a slight pout.

"I'm not that messy" I stated. Happy shrugged and sighed, before looking to Sting.

"I'm glad you could come, at least it means I don't have to put up with Natsu all by myself for a day" Happy stated, earning a glare from me. Sting on the other hand just smiled.

"I can see where you're coming from" he mused, "I mean… I'm stuck with Natsu on all our jobs at the minute… oh, and you're definitely messy Natsu. Just remember how all your clothes were strewn about on our last job" Sting added, before sending me a veiled smirk.

Happy laughed alongside Sting, whilst I gave an annoyed pout. "So, it's not just me that thinks so!" Happy cheered in victory. I folded my arms.

"Why are you both picking on my all of a sudden?" I questioned in a mock-upset tone of voice. Sting patted me on the shoulder.

"We're not picking on you Natsu, just… making fun of you" the White Dragon Slayer said.

"THAT'S THE SAME THING!" I growled annoyedly. Sting sighed.

"Okay Natsu…" he said, before looking to Happy. "So, what are we doing now then, Happy? Do you need me to help with anything?" he asked my partner. Happy shook his head.

"You and Natsu can just sit back, I've brought the fish for dinner tonight, and then Natsu can cook 'em with his fire" Happy instructed me. I nodded in understanding, whilst the White Dragon Slayer smiled.

"Okay" Sting agreed, before looking to me, "Come on then grumpy, let's sit down" he laughed.

I scowled at him. "I'm suddenly regretting askin' you to come" I mumbled, before I took a seat beside the fire with Sting. Everything in camp had been prepared by me and Happy earlier that day, including the fishing of the fish that Happy was now getting from the tent. I just hope this goes okay… I thought to myself for a moment, before I noticed Sting giving me a funny look. I furrowed my brows at him.

"What's up?" I whispered, being careful so as not to alert Happy to our conversation. Sting shrugged and leaned in a little.

"I was just wondering… is this what you brought me here for, a camping trip with Happy?" Sting asked, "I mean… I get how it could make Happy feel closer to me, and then he may be more accepting of us, but…" the blond trailed off. I just smiled at him, before shaking my head slightly.

"Me and Happy always go camping and fishing together from time to time. I did it the last time I was back at the guild too. When I suggested you come with us, I had to make up an excuse to Happy so he would allow you to come without complaining, since it is sort of our thing to do" I explained. Sting raised an eyebrow.

"So… what'd you tell him?" he asked me with an intrigued tone of voice.

I smiled. "I said that when I talked to you about fishing you said you'd never been fishing before, and got excited. Then I said that you'd be pretty down if I told you that you couldn't come with us" I grinned. Sting smirked at me.

"Natsu that's pretty devious of you" he commented.

I bowed my head a little. "Thank you" I replied, making Sting chuckle a little. "What's so funny?" I questioned him, as Happy reappeared with the fish and began to set them on sticks to cook, setting a few aside for himself to eat raw.

"Natsu I have never went fishing before" Sting said, with a slight smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Well then… it looks like I'm gonna have to teach you properly then" I stated, before I turned my attention towards Happy.

"You done there, buddy?"

"Aye, Sir!" Happy called, before he produced four fish on sticks for me to take. I accepted them, before setting them into the ground against the fire to cook, giving Sting a slight smile as I did so. It was weird, but it felt oddly nice to cook for Sting, especially given our new relationship.

Sting smiled back at me, before his attention was drawn to the flames, that had dwindled somewhat since I had lit the fire only a little while ago. With a big grin, I held my hand close to the fire, before using a little of my magic. The flames flared intensely, enough that the fish would be cook almost instantly.

Sting gave a little laugh. "Show off" he commented. I just laughed as I took the first two fish and handed one to him.

"Just eat" I stated. Sting did, and he seemed to enjoy it too, which made me happy to see.

/

Fairy Tail Guild, Summer Time,

Year X792,

General Perspective

"Ah, so what's this all about, sis?" Edric Zollzero asked, as he, Medea, and Haruki all gathered in a room in an isolated part of the guildhall.

Medea ignored Edric's whining tone as she took a number of cards and arranged them into a circle. Whilst she busied herself preparing to establish the connection with Thomas' Archive Magic, Haruki leaned next to Edric. The blond teen was seated at a chair on one side of a table, whilst Medea was on the opposite end facing Edric. Haruki couldn't help his eyes wandering over Edric a little, however as Medea's head raised from her work, he gave a more serious expression. Equally Edric, who could feel Haruki's gaze upon him, made his face shift from intrigued, to amused, and then finally to a more serious expression as his sister finished her preparations.

"Alright, I'm going to establish the connection now" Medea said to Edric. The boy nodded.

"Okay, it's not like this is the first time you know. We can both do this little card trick" Edric replied. Medea scowled.

"Just listen to your brother please" she stated, before she activated her magic. The cards arranged on the table began to glow, each displaying an ancient rune of a long-dead language that only Thomas could truly understand. After a few moments, the light of the cards merged and rose up from the table to form a miniature sphere of light through which one could faintly observe moving silhouettes. A voice sounded from the sphere, Thomas' voice.

"Connection established, can you see me Edric?" Thomas said from his end of the spell, back in their family's home estate. Edric nodded, as the silhouettes became clearer, the image of Thomas and Arthur clear within the glowing light. "Good. We have established connection completely" Thomas stated, before looking to Arthur. The older male cleared his throat for a moment, before his eyes met with Edric's across the Archive Spheres.

"Hello Edric, behaving I hope?" Arthur began, with an almost fond tone. Edric nodded. "Good. Now, I have recalled Thomas back to our home in order to use his… talents… to extract some information from a particular guest. I believe that you were made aware of what occurred on Natsu Dragneel and Sting Eucliffe's last job, correct?" Once again Edric nodded.

"When they returned from the job, Medea and I ran into them. Sting gave a brief overview of what happened. It seems like they might have been involved again, probably to spite us" Edric stated. Arthur nodded.

"Yes, that does seem to be the case. Regardless, there were two others involved in this incident. One was a woman who worked for the hotel that had hired those Mages, whilst the other was an old acquaintance of ours" Arthur continued. Medea and Edric both gave looks of intrigue.

"Who in particular?" Edric questioned, since his sister couldn't on account of her having to focus to maintain the link. Arthur smiled.

"The good Captain" he replied, earning amused looks from both Edric and Medea. "He came to us for sanctuary, fearing what they… or we… would do to him should they find him again, or should we have learned about what he did" Arthur added, before he looked to Thomas.

Edric's twin, nodded before beginning to speak. "It seems that at least one of the Troupe were involved here, so I have sent Kenji to do some investigations, whilst I continue to extract as much information from our visitor as I can before re-joining you at the guild. Personally, whilst it is unlikely this event is directly connected to some of the other events, I suspect that there is an underlying reason that so many things have been happening recently either on or against Zollzero property".

Edric nodded. "I thought it was suspicious…" he mumbled.

Thomas nodded also. "Yes. Additionally, there is some evidence in the Captain's memories that suggest they may even attempt to attack you, Medea, or either of the guilds. I will explore this matter further and then when I return we can decide what to do" Thomas finished. Edric smirked in understanding.

"Going after me or Medea? That'd be a bold move, and a stupid one" the blond boy mused. Arthur narrowed his eyes at Edric through the screen.

"Don't do anything rash Ed, there may still be some unknown enemy at work here, someone even the Zollzero name does strike fear in to. If we don't know what we are dealing with, we don't act. Got it?" Arthur used the sternest tone he could muster when giving Edric orders.

Edric nodded. "Yeah yeah, I got it" he replied, before giving Arthur a slight smirk.

Arthur sighed, before running a hand through his hair. "Sadly, I don't think you do" he stated, before shifting his gaze to Haruki, who he could see behind Edric through Thomas' sphere. "Haruki. As a member of the Zollzero family to a Zero Star guild member, I order you to prevent Edric from doing anything rash, got that?" Haruki nodded.

"Y'sir" he said in a semi-formal tone that, had Kenji been there, would have most definitely earned him a beating from the older sword master. For Arthur, however, it was enough.

"Alright. If that's the case then just be careful, and keep watch over things there for now. I'm sure Kenji will be back soon, then you and Medea can return Edric, whilst Haruki and Kenji keep doing what they do" Arthur stated, before seemingly looking at something outside of the field of view granted to them through the sphere. Nodding to some other figure, Arthur look back towards Edric and the others. "Seems our good father needs me" he stated. Edric nodded in understanding.

"Go. Best not to keep the old man waiting" the younger Zollzero child stated. Arthur nodded with a smile, before disappearing out of view. Once he was gone, Thomas nodded towards Edric.

"I will go to. My investigation is due to continue. I will be in contact again soon, brother, so keep your com-cards ready" Thomas stated. Once again Edric nodded, before the sphere stopped glowing and began to fade, Thomas vanishing from view instantly as the Archive Mage cut off their communication from his end.

With the communication session ended, Medea collected up her cards again. "I have some things to discuss with a few of the other wizards here at the guild, I trust you can find something to entertain yourself with?" she stated. Edric rolled his eyes, before looking over to Haruki, a smirk passing over his face.

"Yes, I suppose there is something I can do" he stated. Medea sighed, before moving to go, giving Haruki one last look.

"Make sure you keep an eye on my dear brother" she said to the teen. Haruki nodded, before giving a slight salute.

"Don't worry, he won't be doing anything stupid or embarrassing to the Zollzero name. You can count on me" Haruki stated. Medea smiled slightly at him.

Then she left and they were alone. "So… wanna make out?" Edric asked Haruki. The Bullet Mage rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have some work or something to do?" he asked. Edric shrugged.

"My work is usually investigative, however since Arty gave me that little instruction… looks like I won't be able to do anything for a little while" Edric stated, before he stood up and drew Haruki closer to him. "Besides, I don't think there is much that I'd rather do than you" he added with a wink. Haruki sighed and allowed Edric to kiss him; although Medea, Arthur and Thomas knew about his and Edric's little relationship, the rest of Zero Star and the Zollzero family, and even more especially his grandfather, had to be kept in the dark.

At least here in the guild they could spend some time together, however fleeting.

/

Magnolia Outskirts Forest, Summer Time,

Year X792, Night Time,

Sting Eucliffe

"So, what are we doing by the river in the dark?" I asked, as Natsu and Happy trudge along the river bank with me, a fishing rod slug over each of their shoulders. Natsu grinned at me.

"Night fishing" he stated in a very plain tone. Happy smiled.

"It's pretty fun, although we can't eat all the kinds of fish we get at night… and it is a little more dangerous" the exceed chirped up. I gave an intrigued expression.

"Night fishing… so you're gonna fish in the dark? Isn't it hard to see the fish or the line then?" I asked. Natsu shrugged.

"Once your eyes get used to it, it's not so bad. You're a Dragon Slayer like me, so your eyes should be as good as mine at night, right?" I nodded.

"I suppose that's true…" I stated a little unsurely, before I looked out to the river beside me, with its little ripples and splashes signalling the lives of many night-time inhabitants were sharing this water at that moment. "Alright, here should be fine Sting" Natsu said after a few more minutes of walking. I nodded and watched as the pair set up their rods and lines for the entertainment that was 'fishing'. "Come sit with me Sting" Natsu called to me, playfully patting at a spot of grass beside his seated form. I smiled a little and did as I was asked.

"Alright" I agreed, taking a seat, my eyes flickering to Happy for a moment. Natsu show of playfulness seemed to have gone unnoticed by the exceed, or at least… it had not registered that anything was amiss. "So… what are we going to do then?" I asked him as we sat by the river.

"We're gonna fish, obviously" Natsu smiled at me. I sighed, rolling my eyes at his childishness.

"I mean… what are we going to do about Happy?" I said, sliding a little closer to Natsu and lowering my voice. Natsu gave a slight pout, before shrugging. Typical… he hasn't even thought about this one bit… I thought to myself, with a little bit of fatigue towards Natsu lack of forethought.

"I mean… we could just tell him now" Natsu reasoned aloud, but in a tone just quiet enough that Happy would not hear. I pouted for a moment.

"We could… do you really think he'll accept this though, me and you?" I asked. Natsu looked to me with a gaze of complete bewilderment.

"He's my best bud… if he doesn't understand then… I guess no one would" Natsu stated, his voice wavering somewhere between confidence and worry. I subtly rested my hand on his arm, hoping that in this darkness, Happy would not see. Natsu looked down at the contact for a moment, before smiling a little. "How about we catch some fish first, then we tell him back at camp?" he looked to me expectantly. I nodded in agreement with this plan.

"That seems reasonable" I said, earning a nod from Natsu.

Just as our agreement was reached, Happy called out. "Hey Natsu, Sting! Look what I caaaaught!" Happy cheered as he produced a large fish from the end of his line. Despite the darkness the creature was clear enough to my eyes, with bright yellow skin that held two stripes of a lighter white.

"Oh… cool!" I exclaimed as I saw the fish up close. It attempted to flop around a bit in Happy's arms, before it settled down.

"Don't forget to put it back in the water soon Happy" Natsu chimed in, as he seemed more interested in his own pole, rather than Happy's amazing catch.

"Natsu, are you not seeing how big this is?" I questioned the pink-haired Dragon Slayer confusedly. Natsu just grinned at me.

"You wanna see big? Then just wait and see what I'll catch" he smirked cockily. Happy rolled his eyes at his partner, before he released the fish back into the water.

"So why don't you eat them Happy?" I asked, as I watched the feline release his catch. The exceed just shrugged.

"Some of the fish we find at night are edible… but because of all the magic that's in this forest most of them aren't. Some of them do glow though, which is pretty cool to see" Happy commented, as he resumed his fishing position by the river.

"Cool, I want to see a big glowing fish" I mused. Natsu chuckled from beside me.

"Just you wait… I'll catch that for you" he stated. I nodded.

"I can't wait" I replied.

As it turns out, I would have to… all night in fact.

/

"Natsu, are you gonna sulk like that all night?" I complained, as Natsu, Happy and I all made our way back to the little camp-site we had set up. After fishing for several hours, Natsu had failed to catch anything larger than a few small, hand-sized fish, which left the Fire Dragon Slayer in a poor mood.

"Hmph… I'm not sulking" Natsu grumbled in a low voice. Happy just chuckled.

"Just ignore him Sting, he's just upset that on the one time he brings someone else along, he fails to catch even one big fish" the exceed teased. Natsu glared at his partner momentarily, before looking away, an ever-so-faint blush touching his cheeks that, to anyone else but me, would have probably gone unnoticed.

"Shut up…" he complained. Happy continued sniggering.

As we arrived back at camp, Happy took the fishing pole away from Natsu and stored them away in a bag near the tent, whilst Natsu and I sat near the fire together, Natsu increasing the dwindling flames heat with his magic. Whilst the exceed's back was turned I looked to Natsu knowingly. "We gotta tell him now" I whispered. Natsu nodded.

"Just wait until he's sat down… then we can tell him" the pinkette replied. I nodded in understanding, my form growing a little tenser as I waited for Happy to be seated. As Happy did sit down, the exceed produced three sticks, each of which held a number of marshmallows. "Here, have one. I got 'em ready whilst Natsu picked you up" Happy smiled, as he handed Natsu and me each one of the sticks, before taking his own and holding it out to the flames.

"Thank you Happy" I said, before copying the blue feline and using the flames to heat the sweet treats. As we each sat, staring into the fire, a silence fell over our group. I was unsure if it was an uncomfortable silence, or just the silence of companionship, however it did not last long, as Happy spoke up. "So, what have you and Natsu been whispering about all night?" Happy asked us, looking at Natsu and me from the other edge of the flames. I gulped subconsciously as I prepared to answer his question.

"We… er…" I floundered. Luckily, Natsu was beside me, and he was a little more confident.

"Well Happy" he began, "I actually had a reason to bring Sting here with us tonight" Natsu stated. Happy nodded.

"Yeah, you said he'd never fished before" Happy replied. Natsu nodded.

"Yeah… but that was a lie" the Fire Dragon Slayer stated. Happy gave a confused expression.

"A lie? Why'd you lie like that Natsu?" the exceed used a tone of genuine confusion. Natsu chuckled a little, somewhat nervously. I decided to step in.

"He actually didn't lie. I have never fished before… however he didn't know that at the time and used that excused to get you to allow me to come with you" I explained hurriedly to the exceed. Happy seemed to understand what I said, as he gave a little nod.

"Okay… so why did Natsu want you to come with us?" Happy questioned us, trying to process this and come to some sort of a conclusion.

"Well…" Natsu stalled for a moment, before looking to me one last time. I hardened my gaze as our eyes met and we both nodded.

"You see Happy…" I began.

"We're together… like… in a relationship, as boyfriend's" Natsu finished.

/

The words hung heavy in the air for a moment. Happy seemed to take an eternity to give any kind of response. Natsu and I both subconsciously held our breath, each ready for whatever Happy did or said next.

After a few seconds (or years, I couldn't really tell for sure) Happy finally smiled. "So that's what this was all about?" he asked with a big grin. Natsu and I both looked to each other, before looking back to Happy.

"Yeah" Natsu said, "Sting's my boyfriend" he added. Happy began giggling.

"Aww… so you finally found someone who's willing to put up with you Natsu" Happy cheered, in a surprisingly upbeat tone of voice. I couldn't help but smile back at his antics. Natsu on the other hand frowned.

"Hey, what'd you mean 'put up with'!" he growled. Happy continued grinning, as he pulled his marshmallows away from the fire and began eating them.

"I mean that I never thought anyone would be able to cope being around you long enough to actually get into a relationship with you. Honestly, I'm relieved" Happy laughed, in between chomps of half-melted marshmallow.

Natsu seemed taken aback by his partners frank tone of voice and words, so I decided to intercede on his behalf. "So… you're okay with this?" I asked Happy. The exceed nodded, his face beaming.

"Of course. Natsu is my friend after all, I will always support him on stuff like this" Happy stated. I smiled. "Of course, I want to make sure you're not gonna make Natsu sad too" Happy added after a moment.

"I won't. Ever." I said in a confident, sure tone of voice.

Happy nodded. "Then that is okay" he reasoned, before looking to Natsu.

The pinkette seemed to have put Happy's teasing behind him, as he now sat with a big grin, his hand sliding over to grasp mine, our fingers quickly intertwining. "I'm happy" he said loudly. Happy laughed.

"So… when did you two actually get together?" he asked us. I pouted for a moment, before looking to Natsu.

"Well… on the last job…" I stated, unsure of whether to tell Happy the details about Natsu and my ordeal, the confrontation with Lynn, and my long-standing crush on the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Natsu on the other hand just continued smiling. "You see…" then he began to explain everything. Once he started, I found myself relax, adding in details every now and then as he recounted the events of the last job, including his own capture and my valiant rescue attempt. Happy for the most part just listened, commenting every now and then, and once or twice poking fun at Natsu, however once Natsu finished he gave a contented smile. "So, then we went to the house after that little date" Natsu concluded, deftly avoiding the subject of what occurred when we got back to the beach house.

"Aww… that was actually pretty nice of you Sting. And Natsu… you're an idiot" Happy stated, earning a yelp of annoyance from Natsu.

"Why am I an idiot?!" the pinkette barked. Happy snorted derisively.

"Because you never noticed how Sting felt until he told you. From what it sounds like, it was pretty obvious. And I bet Sting's been feeling like this for a little while too…" Happy scolded Natsu, before looking to me. I raised an eyebrow in surprise. I hadn't expected Happy to have been so accepting of this… or to have noticed stuff like that I thought to myself.

"Oh… er… maybe…" I mumbled in response to Happy's questioning gaze. Happy just shrugged.

"Anyways, if that's everything then I guess we should probably get some sleep" Happy said, giving a small yawn, "It's late… but, oh… do you two want the tent for yourselves whilst I stay outside. I don't mind" Happy said, his voice giving away the 'naughty' thoughts he was having.

"Happy!" Natsu barked in surprise, "We wouldn't ever do stuff like that whilst you were nearby!" he added, "Right Sting?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it'd be the same as doing it when Lector was in the same room" I said with a slightly disturbed tone. Happy just giggled.

"Okay, if that's the case then I'm going to sleep. Goodnight you two" he said, before flying off into the tent.

Once he was gone, Natsu looked to me. "I know I just said that, but I really want to kiss you Sting" he stated with an upbeat tone of voice. I smiled.

"Well… do it then, just one kiss won't hurt anyone" I said, before leaning in to Natsu. Natsu smiled as our lips connected into a short, sweet kiss. As we broke away I couldn't help but look into Natsu's deep, dark eyes, with their little flickering flames deep within. "So…" I couldn't find any words to say. Natsu chuckled to himself.

"Let's get to sleep. At least Happy won't wind if we sleep next to each other. Then tomorrow… why don't we go have some fun around town together?" he said with a smile. I nodded.

"Okay. That sounds… nice" I replied. Natsu laughed a little, before leaning in to kiss me once more.

"Come on, let's get to sleep" he said, before getting up and offering me his hand I accepted it, before getting pulled along towards the tent.

Then we went to sleep, me and Natsu embraced in each other's bodies, contented dreams filling our heads as we thought of what we could do together the next day.

"Goodnight Natsu…" I mumbled, as I drifted off to unconsciousness.

I'm so glad Happy accepted this… because I don't think I could ever let Natsu go now…

/

Zollzero Mansion, Summer Time,

Year X792, that same night,

General Perspective

Thomas stood up from the chair set opposite the now unconscious form of the so-called killer Captain Chumgore. The various Archive screens that floated about the place between him and his target all blinked out of existence, their information all safely stored inside the blond-haired boy's brain. "So, it seems that they are definitely involved. Perhaps they intend to try to strike back at the family again?" Thomas said to the empty room, before he sighed. "Hmph… it seems that things are going to be getting annoyingly busy again" he added, before he left the room.

"So, did you find out anything else interesting?" Arthur asked Thomas as he entered Arthur's private study. Thomas shook his head.

"It seems like our dearest rivals are attempting something, however they did not take the time to tell the good Captain" Thomas relayed, before he had a new screen appear before Arthur, a few select memories that Thomas had taken from Captain Chumgore visible on its surface. "It also seems like their next target will likely be Fairy Tail since they've already began to sow the seeds there with Natsu" Thomas added in a frank tone of voice. Arthur nodded in understanding, his eyes flickering over the images before him.

"Right. If that's the case then we should probably try to catch them out before they achieve whatever it is they seek" he said, before looking up to Thomas with a smile. "I think Edric should be able to whip something up to that effect, if you just go and make sure things don't get too… crazy" he stated. Thomas nodded in understanding.

"I will set off tonight, and relay this information to Edric and Medea. Then we can plan our counter strike" he stated in a flat voice. Arthur chuckle.

"It'll have been a while since we'll have had the opportunity to talk to our dearest rivals. Oh… but we should perhaps keep this from our father for now. No telling what he'll do should he find out that they are behind all this" Arthur stated.

Thomas gave a faintly worried expression. "A-are you sure that is wise? Won't father then get angry" he said fearfully. Arthur nodded.

"If the worst comes, I'll take responsibility. I can't imagine he'd want to remove his most oh-so-precious heir" Arthur stated. Thomas nodded, before dispelling his screen.

"Alright then. I will set off. I take it you're going to tell our father that the Captain attempted to betray us?" he stated. Arthur nodded.

"It is unfortunate, however that would seem to be the only way to avoid our father suspecting. What happens then is just… business" he stated. Thomas nodded.

As the Archive Mage left, he muttered one last thing. "This wasn't supposed to be our business though" he stated.

Arthur nodded in agreement; it was sad but true. For a researcher clan, they had done some pretty unsavory things.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like their actions were likely to change all that soon, not unless the Zollzero Patriarch was taken out.

End of Chapter 15

Chapter Hint; Bar Brawls