I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does!

Sorry for being away for as long as I have been, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.
Expect more chapters faster; I've gotten a bit of inspiration lately, so by the time this is posted I should be started on the next chapter already.

Chapter 9: Preparing For The Trip

Mirajane wrapped her arms tightly around Natsu's neck and rested her head against his back contently as he carried her through the streets towards their hotel. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes to enjoy his warmth. Natsu, for his part, gently held his wife's legs and kept up a slow but steady pace down the ever busy street. Mirajane moved against his back, squirming until she found the spot that she wanted. "Natsu I'm hungry." She complained, knowing it wouldn't take much to convince her husband to make a detour to ease his ever present hunger.

Natsu squeezed her legs briefly before grunting an agreement, his eyes searching for their new destination. Everything he found was packed but eventually he settled for a random restaurant. Luckily Mirajane was recognized almost immediately by the staff and they were placed in a booth off in the corner of the restaurant. "Maybe your fame isn't so bad sometimes." Natsu offered, letting his wife off his back before sitting next to her in the booth, clearly wanting to be close.

"What can I get for you?" The waiter asked as soon as he stepped up to the table. Natsu didn't even bother to pick up the menu, his hunger gnawing at him audibly. "One of everything." He said quickly before looking over to Mirajane.

"I'll have a salad and… two bowls of the stew." She said with a smile before handing the menus to the waiter. "So…" She said returning her attention to the man sitting next to her. "Where exactly are we going?"

Natsu leaned against the table and dropped his chin into his hand, taking notice that she had ordered more than she usually did. 'Maybe she is just really hungry from the photo shoot.' He thought to himself. "A forest off to the east of Magnolia. Maybe three a day walk." He explained. "Tonight might be one of the last nights we spend indoors; we should pick up our stuff back in Magnolia before we head out."

Mirajane nodded and scooted closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder while resting her hand on his knee. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed his warmth, feeling her heart jump into her throat when his hand covered hers and gave her a gentle squeeze. Feeling him move she tilted her head back and started to open her eyes just as his lips pressed to hers ever so gently. She could only smile against the kiss when he deepened it after finding no resistance despite being in a public setting.

A cough from beside the table made her pull away, if begrudgingly. She tried to hide the blush that crept across her cheeks by dropping her gaze to the table in front of her, staring intently at the grain of the wood. The waiter gave them a small smile before sliding a couple of plates in front of them. "Thank you." Mirajane said cheerfully after she had regained her composure.

Natsu cheered and thrust his fist into the air before digging into his meal, grabbing with his hands rather than using the utensils provided. He peeked out of the corner of his eye during the meal and watched as Mirajane ate slowly, spooning the stew from her bowl to her lips in an extreme contrast to how he ate. She gave him a small smile when she caught his eyes on her. "Want some?" She offered, holding out a spoonful towards him. Natsu grinned widely and took the food from the spoon. "Mmmm, it's pretty good." He admitted.

The rest of their meal went by relatively quickly with Natsu inhaling his food, creating a small mess around him. With a content sigh he pushed back from the table and lounged against the stiff booth. "Anything else I can get for you two?" The waiter asked while stacking their plates to take them away.

Mirajane slid her hand up Natsu's leg while shaking her head at the waiter. "I think we have everything we need here." She said cheerfully, squeezing the inside of Natsu's leg secretively, her hand moving further towards the destination that Natsu so badly wanted her to touch.

Said Dragon Slayer pulled money from an inside pocket of his jacket and placed it on the table, not caring enough to get his change before pulling his wife from the booth, firmly taking her hand while they made their way out of the building. Mirajane pulled his arm between her breasts while they walked and smiled seductively up at him. "Got something on your mind?" She asked teasingly, earning her a growl from the husband. Mirajane's smile turned dangerous and she pushed him against one of the buildings they were passing. She ignored the looks they were getting and pressed herself up against him, intertwining her fingers into the hair at his neck. "Stay out with me for a little while longer and I'll make sure you don't regret it." She said seductively.

Natsu leaned down and licked the length of her neck, nipping at the sensitive skin. "You already said that back at the studio, why should I let you off so easily?" He whispered against her skin, letting his hands wander down her sides, teasing her skin with gentle touches.

Mirajane pressed her mouth to his shoulder, biting down on the cloth to keep herself from moaning aloud from his ministrations. "Because I know you will really enjoy what I want to get." She said quietly, not trusting her voice much further than that. She knew that he affected her this way, but it only seemed to be getting worse the more time she spent around him. Steeling herself she pulled back from his shoulder and bit her lip up at him, pleading silently.

Natsu looked down into her eyes and furrowed his brow, and let out a small sigh. "You're lucky you are so beautiful. Just make it fast or I may not be able to stop myself." He said finally, nodding his head in submission to her request.

Mirajane smiled brightly and stepped back from him and pulled him with her while they headed down the street towards the store that she had in mind. She heard a groan come from behind her when he realized they were headed into a clothing store, but she ignored it and quickly went back towards the rear of the store. She took her hand back when she started going through the racks of clothing. Once she had a few items she gestured over to the chair by the changing rooms for him to wait for her and quickly went into one of the curtained off rooms.

Natsu dropped himself into the chair and folded his arms across his chest while he waited; firmly believing that he had been duped into something he didn't want to do. "Miiiiiiraaaa." He whined. "What's taking so long, I'm bored." He heard rustling behind the curtain and sighed in defeat, bringing flames to his hands and tumbling them over his knuckles to entertain himself while he waited.

After what seemed like an eternity the curtain pulled to the side and Mirajane stood in a tight form fitting black dress with a low neckline that looked almost too small to contain her large chest, making Natsu's eyes wander down her body, drinking in her curves. "Well?" She asked, giving him a small spin and posing. Natsu hummed in response, unable to form words. She giggled to him and gave him a small wink before entering the changing room again, closing the curtain behind her.

Natsu couldn't help but stare at the curtain after her, his jaw slack as he tried to form a thought about the dress she had been wearing. If she was meaning to tease him, then she was doing a good job so far. "Natsu? Can you come in here for a moment? I need you to unzip the back of my dress." She called from inside the curtain, sticking her hand out to gesture for him to join her.

Taking a deep breath he shook his head and joined her inside the curtain, making sure it was shut behind him before turning to his wife. She stood smiling at him and grabbed his vest and changed places with him, pushing him against the back wall before throwing herself against him, crushing her lips to his. He moaned into the kiss and wrapped his arms around the small of her back.

"You have to be quiet, don't want to get us caught now do you?" She whispered to him, her hands traveling over his chest and unbuttoning his shirt. Mirajane smiled seductively up at him and slowly kissed down his neck and down his chest while dropping to her knees in front of him.

"What are you doing, we could get caught in here like this." Natsu said in a rushed whisper. Mirajane giggled and occupied herself by licking over his nipple, breathing on the skin to stiffen the nub of skin. Natsu sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, closing his eyes.

"That's the point, love." She whispered up at him. "The thrill of getting caught… almost like what you did to me back at the guild when we first got together, except we can't make hardly any sounds before we get caught." Mirajane let his nipple go and moved to his other one, giving it the same treatment as his other while he hands smoothly unbuttoned his pants to let them fall around his ankles.

"So this is payback?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her. Mirajane only smiled at him, biting her lower lip when she dropped her eyes to the growing erection hiding behind his boxers. Devoting herself to the task, Mirajane ran her fingers along his length through the thin material, enjoying the small hiss of pleasure that escaped him as she slowly stroked him.

Deciding he had been teased enough, Mirajane pulled his boxers off and let them fall. Natsu stepped out of them as she moved her dress down to reveal her breasts to him, earning a low growl. Once again she wrapped her fingers around his length, sliding them up and down. A seductive smile spread across her lips as soon as her eyes met his, seeing his hunger for her. Desire pooled within her that sent a wave of pleasure through her, spurring her further. Holding his gaze, she pushed forward and took the tip of him inside her mouth, running her tongue around it. She released a throaty groan at his taste, her eyes rolling back in her head and taking more of him, moving agonizingly slow. She kept the slow pace up, bobbing her head back and forth while her right hand stroked the remaining length that she couldn't quite fit.

"Mira…" He groaned out in a whisper, his muscles tightening as he tried to prevent his climax from rising any further. "Mira stop." He called out again, getting no response. "Mira for all that is good, you need to stop!" He whisper shouted at her, grabbing her wrists to finally get her attention.

Mirajane sighed and looked up at him while releasing him from her mouth. "Why should I? You know I'm doing this for you." She said furrowing her brows.

Natsu smiled down at her while he bent down, pulling her up to her feet and pushing her back to the wall. "That's exactly why I want to do this." He said dropping to his own knees in front of her.

"We don't have time for this Natsu; let's just finish this back at the inn." She offered weakly. Her body betrayed her, letting him move her to his will despite her protests. He didn't offer an answer, simply ripping her panties without giving her a chance to take them off. He held her eyes just for a moment before leaning in and pressing his lips to the inside of her let and lifting her leg to spread her legs for him, letting her rest it on his shoulder as he trailed kisses closer to her sex.

Mirajane's back arched and she pushed herself closer towards the Dragon Slayer, digging her fingers into his hair. Natsu smiled against her, his tongue traveling along her folds. Mirajane's mouth opened in a slow moan, her eyes widening before she covered her mouth, fearful that she would make too much noise and give them away. Natsu used moment that to slide his tongue inside of her, digging as deep as he could to bring her closer to her climax.

Mirajane bit into her hand in an attempt to keep her voice down, grinding her hips against his lips. Closing her eyes she tried to focus on keeping silent, but still unable to control her heavy breathing. "Natsu, please…" She whispered out, pulling his hair from below her.

Natsu followed her silent request and pulled back from her and standing up, hooking her knee with his elbow as he lifted himself to his feet. Their lips met in a rushed kiss, forcing their bodies together as they let their desire take over, Mirajane's hand reaching down between them to lead his length to her sex. She couldn't prevent the moan that escaped her when he thrust deep inside of her, thankful for his lips to muffle her sounds of pleasure.

"You're so tight Mira. Don't tell me that it excites you that we could get caught." Natsu teased breaking the kiss.

"No I'm not." Mirajane whined. "You are imagining things."

Natsu grinned, kissing along her chin to draw her earlobe in between his teeth. "Want me to stop then?" He asked, slowly drawing back from her.

Mirajane whimpered, digging her nails into his back to pull him back into her. "I need you Natsu. I want it harder; I need it deeper inside me." She whispered in his ear.

Natsu lifted her leg higher and thrust roughly inside of her, burying himself fully within her. Mirajane had to bite down on his shoulder again to keep from crying out in pleasure. She rolled her hips in time with his quick thrusts, moaning into him with every meaty slap of skin on skin contact. "Just like that… I'm so close Natsu…."

Natsu kissed her neck, nipping slightly. "I love you Mira, let's come together." Mirajane released his shoulder and crushed their lips together as her body tightened, electricity coursing through her veins. She moaned against his lips, her whole body locking up around his as her climax ripped through her.

Natsu responded immediately, pumping his hips into hers a couple more times until he couldn't hold it back any longer and released his seed within her. The two stayed locked together while their mutual climaxes brought them closer together

Natsu smiled and gently sat his wife on the ground, both of them leaning against one another while trying to regain their breath. He let out a small breath of air and watched as it froze, telling him how much colder it was compared to how hot he usually ran. Grabbing Mirajane's chin between his thumb and forefinger he brought her head around to kiss her, their lips molding together in a gentle, yet fierce, kiss. In that silent kiss Natsu failed to hear someone walk up to the curtain that blocked the couple from sight.

"Ma'am is everything alright? You have been in there for a long time." Mirajane's eyes widened and pulled back from the kiss, quickly placing her hand over Natsu's mouth to silence him. It didn't stop him from grinning wildly.

"Sorry." Mirajane said in a quiet voice, trying to control her voice. "I didn't realize I had been in here so long. Give me a moment and I-I will finish up and meet you at the register." Her voice finally betrayed her, her words coming out in barely more than a squeak.

"Do you need any help?"

"No! I mean… no I can manage." She corrected, sweat dotting her forehead.

"She means we can manage." Natsu called through the curtain. By the time Mirajane spun around to hit him, he was already dressed and pushing her aside to poke his head out. "It's my fault, I was supposed to help her, but we got a little distracted." He said scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

The woman blushed; clearly surprised that Natsu was there. "Well if you say so, just don't be long." She said cautiously.

Natsu grinned from ear to ear and gave the woman a wink. "I'll make sure to take care of her."

"Natsu!" Mirajane screamed, throwing her hands into the air. "Quit being a pervert!" She grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into the changing room roughly. "I'm so sorry; I'll be out in just a moment." She said apologetically to the woman just outside.

Leaving the woman, Mirajane moved as fast as she could to get her clothes back on. Natsu stepped up beside her and handed her the missing skirt and tube top. She snatched them from his hands, casting him a cool glare that he smiled at, knowing she couldn't stay mad for long. Picking up the dress from the ground, Natsu folded it over his arm and smoothed it out in an attempt to get rid of some of the wrinkles.

As soon as she was dressed, Mirajane pushed her way out of the room in a huff, returning to the undergarments section of the store. "You're paying for these." She grumbled over her shoulder. It wasn't that she was angry at him; after all it had been her idea to start it in the first place. No, she was embarrassed, not having intended for it to let things escalate that far. Originally she had only planned to please him, but that deep look of lust in his eyes had turned her brain to mush, wanting nothing more than to give him what he wanted. It was one of the things that she loved and hated most about him, that he was able to look at her the right way and mold her to his will without even trying.

Natsu furrowed his brows and pulled the panties from her, "What do you mean 'I'm paying for them'?" He asked, holding up the thin material high to get a good look at them. "Are you even sure these are big enough to cover you at all?"

Mirajane blushed and snatched them back from his outstretched hands. "I didn't hear you complaining about their size earlier when you tore them off. And of course you are paying for them! You ruined my last pair!" The white-haired beauty had to take a calming breath to ensure she wouldn't yell anymore and cause more of a scene than they had already.

"Whatever you say Mira." He commented with a smirk. "So long as you understand that I'm still taking what I want back in the room." He bent close and licked the side of her neck, causing her to squeak in surprise and almost dropped all of the clothes she had picked out. Natsu hummed to himself. "I love it when you make that sound."

Mirajane pushed him away and gave him a small glare, but it soon evolved into an excited smile. She couldn't stay mad at him for something like this. "As much as you like to tease me, save it for when we are alone. I already have enough people staring at me, I don't need others staring just because you couldn't keep your comments to yourself." She said with a sigh.

"Don't worry about them." Natsu said raising a fist and clenching it until his knuckles turned white. "Anyone so much as touches you and I'll make sure they never have the chance to do it again."

Mirajane sighed and shook her head. "I can do that on my own you know. I'm not some porcelain doll to be put up on some shelf and protected. I'm the S-class mage here, not you."

"S-class mage or not… you belong to me." He said happily, smiling and nodding his head.

Mirajane's eyes narrowed and she folded her arms over her chest. "I do not belong to anyone-"

"Except me." Natsu said interrupting her. "Maybe not in the traditional 'you will do what I say, when I say it, and how I want it done' way, but you are still mine. You will understand better when I take you back home, where I used to live with Igneel.

"No, I think you should explain it now. I'm your wife, but I am not your property." Mirajane said sternly, knowing how far Natsu's passions ran, and in response knew she had to be straightforward with him if she expected any answers from him.

"Mira." Natsu said in a quiet, but steady voice. "I just need you to trust me about this. I'm not saying I need you to do anything different, or even tell anyone I said it. It has something to do with my magic, that much I can tell you. You won't understand anything else, but I promise you I will explain everything after we get there."

Mirajane sighed and shook her head. "You shouldn't keep secrets from me Natsu. As much as I don't like it, if it is this important to you, I will just have to trust you. Just don't make it a habit of keeping things from me. I may not always understand what you mean, but that is why we are a team, we work together to figure everything out."

Natsu's smile returned brighter than before. "Tell you what. Fight me and show me that you can still fight as well as you once could and I will tell you everything. Like I said, you won't understand it all, but I'll still tell you." He said taking up her hand and pulling her to the counter to pay for the items, thanking the attendant with a genuine smile.

Mirajane tried to make sense of her husband. "I don't want to hurt you Natsu. I may have been out of battle for a few years, but I am still one of the strongest mages in the guild."

"You have fought a handful of times since Lisanna disappeared. You fought when Laxus went crazy and back when we were hit on Tenroujima, then again at the games, but barely more than that. Lisanna is back now, you don't have to stay back at the guild and work the counter all day. I love you and want to fight with you. So maybe a friendly spar is just what you need to get back into fighting with us again, I'm sure everyone would be happy to see you going to your full potential once more." Natsu said, eager to see if she would take up his offer.

Mirajane walked next to Natsu, calmly holding his hand while she thought about the offer. On one hand she could get the information she wanted out of him, but in the process could possibly hurt him. On the other hand she knew she should trust him and this was something he was passionate about. She let her mind wander as she worked between the pros and cons of accepting the offer, so much so that she wasn't paying any attention to where they were walking until Natsu stopped them at the fountain they had been at just a few hours ago. "What are we doing here? I thought we were going back to the inn." She asked letting go of his hand to dip her fingers into the icy water.

Natsu set their bag down and smiled over at Mirajane, wanting nothing more than to simply tell her what his heart saw in her, tell her what it really meant for him to love her the way he did. "I just thought we could walk around together for a little while before we were to head back. As much as I enjoy spending alone time with you, trying to start our family… I want to show you off a little." He said sheepishly.

Mirajane smiled at him and blushed. It was hard for her to react to this side of her Dragon Slayer. "Why haven't we ever seen this side of you before? Where has this sweet and romantic Natsu been?" She asked happily, her eyes glowing in appreciation of his comment. "Why are you always breaking everything and teasing Lucy about her boyfriends if you have this side to you?"

Natsu sat down on the edge of the fountain and stuck his hand into the water, letting the icy feeling pierce into his bones. "I've tried before. When we were kids with Lisanna, but I never understood what it was back then, and when she came back I didn't have those same feelings for her. As for Lucy? She has always made it perfectly clear on several occasions that we are partners and guild mates only. It eventually just felt natural to tune it out and feign ignorance."

"What changed?" She asked, hesitant to hear what she had to say, hoping he had decided to change because he couldn't hold back any longer and not that he had simply let it happen.

Natsu shrugged and dropped his eyes, staring at their reflections through the ripples of the water. "Yopu kind of caught me at a low point." He admitted sadly. "Lucy didn't want me around because I might interfere with her date, ice princess was too busy hiding from Juvia to even show up at the guild, and Erza… well Erza was off being herself, refusing to let me join her on her S-class missions. Even Happy ws too busy to hang out, so I thought I would just wait it out until they got some free time for all of us to go on a mission together."

Mirajane frowned at him. "Why didn't you say anything to anyone? I'm sure others would have gone on a mission with you. What about Wendy or Romeo or any of the others? We are all a family, all you would have to do is tell someone you wanted to go on a mission with them. Even Lisanna would have gone, probably wouldn't have asked what you needed before she agreed to it."

Natsu shrugged again. "I don't know why I didn't say anything, but it doesn't matter that I didn't invite others. After that first night we stayed together I thought 'why not'? Everyone else was growing up and moving on and there you were, always being there for me when I needed you. Sure you were mean when we were kids, beating me up whenever Erza wasn't, hitting me for talking to any other girls, especially whenever I was around your sister… But whenever I really needed you, you were there to take my mind off of it. Sure it usually ended up with you hitting me, but it ended up the same."

Mirajane didn't try prying any more out of him, even though she still didn't quite understand anything except that she had filled the void of loneliness enough to make him feel as if he needed her to survive. "You don't regret any of what we have done do you?"

Natsu smiled to himself, hearing the pain in her voice as if she expected him to tell her it was all a mistake. "Maybe just that it took so long for me to realize what I could have had years ago if I hadn't been so blind. I never knew how strongly you felt for me, I just thought you were always trying to be a good friend. I still don't understand why, but I know I can make it up to you, make up for my ignorance all this time."

Mirajane lunged across the small distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck, the two teetering on the edge, about to fall into the fountain. "You really are an idiot."

"Hey!"

"You already gave me more than I ever thought I would get from you. You included me in your future, which is enough for me." She whispered with tears in her eyes.

Natsu smiled and buried his face into her hair, breathing in deeply, sensing something had changed about her. Her scent was stronger than ever. "That's nothing compared to what I have planned for us." He said quietly. "Like I said before, you are more than just a wife to me, more than words have a meaning for. You are my everything now."

Getting a spurt of energy through her, Mirajane pushed herself back a little. "I accept."

"You accept what?" He asked curiously, cocking his head to the side to determine what she meant.

Mirajane let a devilish smile cross her lips before leaning in and kissing him, drawing his breath into her, much to his confusion. When they pulled back to draw a breath, she didn't let him. Instead, she tackled him into the fountain and straddled him, dunking his head underwater and holding him there despite his flailing arms and legs.

It wouldn't be enough to really harm him, but it was enough to disorient him for a few seconds, enough for her to devise a plan. "Take Over: Satan Soul!" She cried out, scaring multiple onlookers around them.

Natsu seemed to finally understand everything in that action, flames jumping out along his limbs before fizzling out in the water.

Mirajane refused to budge; using her enhances strength in this form to hold him under. The water around them spiked in temperature and started to bubble away from the Dragon Slayer. It didn't take long until Mirajane had to jump back to keep from being burnt. Natsu jumped out of the water a millisecond after her, coughing water from his lungs while dropping into a fighting stance.

The two watched one another for a few moments, waiting for the other to initiate the attack. Emitting a challenging cry, Natsu launched himself forward, flames bursting out from his fists. They both knew better than to attack at full power seeing as they were in the middle of town and resorted to exchanging blows one after the other. They fell into a rhythm; attacking, blocking, and countering every strike that was aimed at them. Natsu couldn't help but smile, knowing full well that she was faster and stronger than he was, but she had been out of it for too long and her occasional battles had not given her enough practice. She relied on her natural abilities while Natsu could rely on his experience and knowledge of battle.

Slowly, Natsu gained the upper hand, his endurance winning out in the end. A sly smile spread across his lips and he feigned tripping back after deflecting one of her clawed fists, falling backwards with his arms wind milling as if to regain his balance. Mirajane jumped at the chance, swinging her fist with all of her remaining strength at the falling Dragon Slayer.

Natsu shot his left hand out to the side and ignited his fist in a fiery explosion to propel himself out of the attack, weaving around her flying fist. Catching her around the waist, he slipped around behind her and pinned her arms to her sides before letting his flames die out, head pressed tight into the corner of her neck where it met her shoulder, breathing in heavily. Something didn't smell quite the same and his eyes widened in sudden realization, his arms slackening in surprise, giving her enough time to spin out of his grasp. "Mira wait!" He called out, raising his hands in front of him.

She wasn't listening, her body moving out of instinct as she stepped around his hands, her fist rising towards his chin. Natsu knew he could have gotten out of the way in time but instead let his hands drop, his smile ever present. As much as he wanted to win, he had something better on his mind.

Natsu's head snapped back from the force of the blow, taking him from his feet and launching him back several feet until he landed on his back roughly. Mirajane ran over to him, ready to end the fight in an instant, bringing her arm down until she saw tears in his eyes, freezing her arm mid swing. A bright light surrounded them as she resumed her usual appearance, falling to her knees beside him. "What's wrong Natsu?" She asked worriedly.

Natsu choked out a laugh and grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her down to him so he could wrap his arms around her, bringing his lips next to her ear, whispering to her quietly. The white haired woman pushed away from him quickly and stared down at him, tears forming in her eyes. "Are you… are you sure?" Natsu smiled and raised his hand back up to her cheek and cupped it gently, his eyes never leaving hers. It was all she needed before she fell against his chest with a wail.

As always, R & R please!

Sorry didn't mean to leave it ending like that, but I had to stop it somewhere or this chapter would have been far too long. Tune in next time for further explinations!