Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and Fairy Tail. They belong to their respective owner.

A/N: Thank you to fellow readers, old and new especially dariyuphie, fictionlover1993, ScarletFiona, king, sasuza shipper, RinneSasuke, nikkitheprincess, fizirazak, naruto x fairy tail, annarochev, Guest, and Banjo the Fox for reviewing the previous chapter and also to those who favorite/follow this story. I really appreciate it.

And sorry in advance for any mistake. I'm not perfect and English is not my first language.

Chapter 16

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Erza hastily get out of the bathroom heading for the student council room. She ignored the not so subtle stare she got from the other student. She noticed that the students parted to make way for her as she strode determinedly to her destination. They must have noticed the dangerous aura she emitted because of the trouble she found herself in.

A little while later, she found herself in the safety of the student council room and she took out her phone to send Sasuke a message. They really needed to talk about what was written in that piece of garbage she called a magazine.

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To: Sasuke

Sasuke, we need to talk. Come and see me at the student council room NOW!

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As soon as she pushed the sent button, Erza paced back and forth in the room waiting for him. She was a nervous wreck right now. How did someone took their photos without her knowing?

Damn! She silently cursed inside her head.

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Sasuke locked his car and proceeded to walk towards the school building when his phone beeped. He languidly took it out and was surprised when he saw a message from Erza.

Why did she want to meet me so early in the morning? He couldn't help but thought. She sounded urgent, if the exclamation mark was any indication. Thinking nothing of it, he deviated from his original track to his classroom and went to see Erza instead. But, as soon as he walked inside the school building, he was a little uncomfortable by the reaction his presence elicited from the students he encountered on his way.

Some girls burst in tears as soon as they saw him and some boys sniggered in his direction although he could also see some jealous look thrown his way from some of them.

Okay. What the hell did I do now? He thought in panic. Suddenly, the idea of Erza wanting to meet him made him feel alarmed at the whole situation. He hoped he was not going to get any lecture or bodily harm from the red head.

The rang from his phone startled him out of his thought and he picked up the call after a quick glance at the caller id.

"Yo Naruto," he said as he stared ahead at the student council room in front of him.

"Sasuke, where are you?" There was urgency in Naruto's voice for reason unknown to him.

"I'm already at the school," he answered.

"We need to talk," Naruto said from the other side of the line.

"I can't right now. Erza wants to see me and I'm heading to the council room to see her," he informed Naruto as he stood in front of the room.

"Oi Sasuke!" Naruto started to protest but he cut him off.

"I gotta go Naruto. I'll see you after this," he said shortly before he disconnected the line.

"What is it with people today?" He mumbled as he opened the door. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him as he saw Erza sitting at the table with a scowl on her pretty face.

"I noticed people at school are acting strange today," Sasuke said as he neared her. "But you too?" He added in an incredulous tone.

"Do you even have the slightest idea on what could cause such reaction from everybody?" Erza told him in desperation. This made him worry. He glanced around and saw no books near her vicinity. Good, so he was not going to get any books thrown at him.

His caution had a good base, for the other two times he stepped foot inside the student council, his face suffered from the impact of the hard thick book. "No," he answered cautiously, looking at the chair beside her warily.

Then, Erza slammed pieces of what look like a magazine torn in two on the table, making him curious on what it was going to entail. He took the content in front of him and was genuinely surprised to see images of him and Erza on various occasions. He saw the headline and his mind went blank.

"What the hell?!" He spurted after a few seconds of silence. He glanced at Erza. "What the hell?!" He blurted to her as if she knew the answer.

"That's exactly how I reacted the first time I saw that piece of garbage!" Erza told him. He could see the barely controlled anger in her eyes. She looked ready to kill someone. This was not looking good.

Sasuke let out an exasperated sigh as he slammed the magazine back on the table. "Okay, we both need to calm down," he said.

"You calm down," Erza muttered. "I am ready to find and kill the bastard that dares publish this story myself," she said angrily.

Sasuke sighed. "Erza, you need to calm down. Just ignore this," he motioned towards the magazine. "The story will die down after a while if we just keep quiet," he advised her.

"How can you keep quiet when they're writing rubbish about us?" Erza countered looking dissatisfied at him.

"Trust me on this. It is better if we just ignore this story. If we say something, they are just going to twist our words and produce another story to make money. Believe me, I speak from experience. This is not the first time people wrote something untrue about me. And I'm sorry that you're caught in the middle of this," he said apologetically. He really was sorry that she was dragged into the mess that his fame brought into his life.

He saw Erza sighed with a defeated look and she took a deep breath before she exhaled loudly in an act to calm herself.

"So I just act like nothing happen?" She asked him.

Sasuke nodded at her question. "They will stop publishing the story when the next big thing comes and they will stop sooner when this elicit no reaction whatsoever from us. They will have nothing to write about if there is no other input to continue," he explained to her.

Erza stared at him, looking unconvinced with his explanation but she finally relented. "Alright, I'll trust you on this one," she caved in.

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"What's up with the story about you and Erza?" Naruto threw the question at him, as soon as they stepped foot on the rooftop during lunch hour. The others had not yet come up. It made Sasuke wondered if Naruto told them to come here later than usual.

He watched the frown on Naruto's face. Somehow, he understood Naruto's feeling regarding this.

Naruto liked Erza.

That was why he never told him about his visit to Erza's house or the little date they went. Granted he was going to tell Naruto about the dinner but he was not so sure about other things that had transpired between him and Erza. He knew Naruto would get jealous over it and for a good reason.

These past few days, Sasuke was not sure of his feeling towards the red head. But even if he tried to deny it, he knew that deep in his heart he liked Erza. He liked her a lot. That was another reason why he couldn't bring himself to tell Naruto about it. He was afraid that Naruto would feel betrayed by his action. And Sasuke did feel like he betraying Naruto for having feelings towards her.

"You should know better than to totally believe what was being written in some tabloid magazine Naruto," he said casually. "Erza went to my house during the dinner with Itachi."

He saw Naruto raised an eyebrow with confusion.

"Erza's cousin Faith, is Itachi's fiancée so she came along for the dinner and I took her home after that," he explained.

"That's one thing, but it doesn't explain all the times that you've been to her house," Naruto countered. If it was possible, his frown went higher on his face.

Sasuke sighed. There was no way he could avoid telling Naruto now. He remembered their other conversation the other day at the rooftop where Naruto told him about his feeling for Erza before and other distant conversation they had.

"And you better watch what you're saying. The next thing you know, you'll be eating your own words."

That was what Naruto said to him once. Sasuke knew Naruto would be furious with him either way, so he might as well come clean about his own feeling.

"You're right Naruto," he stared dead ahead at his blonde haired friend in front of him. He saw the confusion on Naruto's face. "I'll be eating my own words," he finished with a sad smile on his face.

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Naruto's eyes widened as he remembered exactly when he told Sasuke that.

"Sasuke you-"

"You're right," Sasuke cut him off. "I don't know when it happen Naruto," he said with a heavy sigh as he leaned against the door leading to the rooftop. "It just happens. I try so hard to ignore it because I remember you like her and I don't want you to be angry with me but I can't keep denying this feeling I have for Erza. I can't lie to myself anymore, to you."

Naruto was silent as he took it all in. Now everything made sense with Sasuke. Now he understood Sasuke's concern for Erza. It was because he had feelings for her and Naruto noticed this even before he told Sasuke that he confessed to Erza once. Knowing the stubborn idiot, he must be clueless about his own feeling.

"But you don't have to worry about it. I never tell Erza how I feel and I'm sure that she doesn't like me more than a friend. I never plan to tell her anyway," he finished quietly.

Naruto shook his head at the situation they found themselves in. "This is ridiculous," he muttered. "What are the odds that we're going to fall for the same girl?"

"That's what I think," Sasuke chuckled sadly at that. "You should tell her how you feel Naruto, before it is too late," Sasuke uttered after a long pause, as he looked at him with a serious gaze.

"Erza never consider me more than a friend you know," Naruto said. "I tried to confess to her the other day but the time was not appropriate. Now that I think about it, I'm glad that I decide not to confess to her, because I know that she doesn't have the same feeling as I do for her."

"You don't know that Naruto," Sasuke countered.

"But I do. I always know that. I was just too stubborn to admit it and I was hanging to the false hope that she might learn to like me back someday," Naruto moved to lean against the wall next to Sasuke. "But it was too late for that, someone else has make a root in her heart."

Sasuke gave him a puzzled look and Naruto rolled his eyes thinking how dense could Sasuke be for someone so smart.

"You. You idiot," Naruto told him scathingly.

"Me?" Sasuke said incredulously. "What makes you think that?"

"I have eyes Sasuke. I see the way she acted around you," Naruto replied. "Somehow in a short period of time, you become someone she cared about, her friend."

"That doesn't mean anything Naruto," Sasuke said. "We're friends, that's true but that's just what we are. Nothing more."

"But you're hoping for more," he countered heatedly and Sasuke was startled at that.

"I told you I'm not going to act on it," Sasuke protested, being defensive now.

"Don't be stupid Sasuke! Erza is not mine and I can't stop anyone from trying to pursue her," Naruto yelled. "I can't tell you what to do with your feeling. It is not fair to you or her."

"Naruto-"

"She's been through a lot in her life and she deserves someone that can make her happy. Anyone aside from that Fernandes bastard," he muttered darkly. "And from the way I see it, that man is you Sasuke. I don't deserve her. Not after I abandon her before."

"It's not your fault."

"No but I couldn't help but feel guilty knowing that I unintentionally pushed her away," he said with a shrug. He felt a lot better now that he told Sasuke what was accumulating in his heart. "It's strange that I feel relief telling you this. It feels like I'm giving away Erza to a good hand," he said in a lighter mood. "Now I feel like I can move on knowing that she has someone other than me worrying about her, someone who will take care of her."

He heard Sasuke chuckled beside him.

"You think she's your daughter or something?" The youngest Uchiha teased him.

"No, but I was under the impression that she's going to be with me in the end. I even beat some guys who tried to make a move on her," he admitted with a nervous laugh. "I think that's the problem with me. I thought she was mine."

Naruto tilted his head and looked up at the blue sky. Back when he saw the magazine about Erza and Sasuke this morning, his heart was filled with rage and betrayal. But now, he felt refreshed. Like a burden was lifted off from his shoulder.

It was an obsession what he felt towards Erza before. He truly liked her but after the rejection from her a year ago, he developed an unhealthy feeling towards her. He was always one who didn't take rejection well so a rejection from the red head was a blow to his ego. He was in denial. He was bent on his determination to make her his and he was so sure that they were going to end up together.

He thought of her as his.

Hearing any other male talking about her made him green with jealousy and anger. He even 'knocked' some sense into their skull that Erza was off limit, keeping her away from any potential suitors because she was his and his alone. Unintentionally, his action made her even more distant with other student.

That pictures he saw this morning really opened his eyes to the cold truth of reality.

Erza was smiling in those pictures. She was happy and that was like a slap to his face to wake him up from his delusional notion that she was going to be happy with him. He was glad that he could see the wrong in his way of thinking now. And he was grateful that he didn't do anything stupid or dangerous before.

"So what are you going to do now Sasuke?" He inquired his best friend. It was going to be difficult watching Sasuke with Erza as his feeling won't go away in just a day, but he had made his decision. He needed to stop his unhealthy obsession with her and support her like a true friend.

"I don't know," he heard Sasuke answered with helplessness, sounding so lost about what to do.

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The day went by quickly much to Erza's relief. There was no other incident occurred that day after the bathroom incident. She was thankful that no one dared to bring up the issues about her and Sasuke because the student was too scared to ask her about it even if they were dying for a confirmation. Even the student council members didn't ask her anything during the meeting after class ended.

There was so much to do than for her to entertain them about the gossip. The school's 100th year anniversary was going to be held next week and she needed to make sure that everything was perfect.

She was ready to go home as she opened the door to the council room when she noticed Sasuke leaning against the wall in the opposite direction.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" She asked surprised to see the raven haired man waiting for her.

"I'm taking you home," he replied, walking towards her.

"I don't think it's a good idea with all the gossip about us. I'd rather go home by myself," she answered him pointedly.

"You won't make it home sooner with the current situation," he countered.

Erza raised an elegant eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?" She asked him with confusion.

Sasuke only sighed in answer before he grabbed her hand and dragged her away from there.

"Wait a minute," she protested. "Sasuke," she whined in annoyance.

A few minutes later, in the safety of his car, she understood why he insisted that he took her home. Just as his car exited the school, Erza saw a few suspicious looking people waiting outside of the gate and a few minivan parked not too far from it. She had a good guess on who these people were and she was thankful that Sasuke had enough sense to wait for her after school.

"Is this going to continue for the whole week?" She asked turning towards the driver beside her.

"Hopefully no," Sasuke answered with a quick glance towards her before he paid attention to the road in front of him. "Like I said before, they will give up when they have nothing new to continue the story."

Erza nodded silently and turned her gaze to watch ahead of her.

"I'm really sorry about this you know," Sasuke said suddenly after a moment of silence.

Erza turned to look at him for the second time and she noticed that his hand was gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. She could see the anger in his eyes and the way he was clenching his prominent jaw tightly. He really was beating himself over this matter. "It's not your fault Sasuke," she softly uttered. "I don't blame you for all of this."

She saw the anger subsided from his face and he let a small smile grazed his lips. "You know, you're taking this pretty calm than what I expected. I thought you're going to kill me for sure for turning you into a gossip material."

Erza chuckled at that. "Well, the only person I did plan to kill was the one who publish the story about us. I even plotted 10 different ways on how to murder him," she said with a laugh. Now that she spoke out loud about it, she felt how ludicrous that sounded and how crazy she could get when she was really mad.

Sasuke shared the humor as he laughed out loud at her exclamation. "You really are something, Erza Scarlet," he said in between his laughter.

Erza smiled hearing him laugh. She didn't like it to see him sad earlier. She wanted to see him always with a smile on his face. It made her heart warm seeing him smile.

Erza knew she was in trouble when she started to feel like that.

"Well, we're here," Sasuke suddenly announced.

Indeed they were. The ride home felt so fast in Erza's opinion she didn't notice that they were already at her apartment building.

"Thanks Sasuke, I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she unbuckled her seat belt.

"What time do you usually go to school?" He asked.

"Why?"

"I'm picking you up tomorrow."

Erza stared at him incredulously.

"Did you not notice those suspicious guys loitering around outside of the gate?" He asked pointing backward in the direction.

Erza grumbled in frustration but didn't bother to look back. She was sure there was someone waiting for her there. "Okay," she caved in. "7.30."

Sasuke nodded and Erza took that as her cue to get out of the car. She gave him a small wave and waited for him to drive away before she walked towards her apartment, fully aware of how her heart was beating furiously in her chest.

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Another week had passed by uneventfully. All students were busy helping in the preparation for the celebration that they were waiting for. Everyone was excited at the prospect of it.

Erza was glad that the gossip between Sasuke and her seemed to die down like he said. There were the occasional rumors going around the school about Sasuke driving her to and from school but after a week, they treated it like nothing unusual. There was another article about that too but it stopped after that. Sasuke was right after all. They would stop if they didn't have anything new to continue the story.

That was all in the back of her head right now because she had other things that she was worried about.

She fixed her blazer around her form for the nth time as she stood with her fellow student council members for the arrival of the students from Magnolia High. She really didn't want to do this but duty calls and she had to be responsible for it.

In the distant she saw a group of students in different uniforms approaching the school building. Erza smiled when they stopped in front of her. "Welcome to Fairy Tail High," she welcomed the delegacy warmly. She noticed the blue haired of her ex-boyfriend among the group, staring at her with an unreadable face. And she was not surprised to see the death glare sent her way by none other than Ultear herself who was standing beside Jellal.

A representative from Magnolia High stepped forward with a bright smile on her face. "It's nice to see you again, Erza," she said airily as she offered her hand. "Thank you for having us here."

Erza looked at the girl standing in front of her with a small smile. Now, this was the person that she missed the most when she left Magnolia High. "It's nice to see you too Mira," she replied as she shook Mira's hand.

At least something good came out of this arrangement.

To be continued

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A/N: I hope you readers enjoy. Thank you for reading and reviewing.