Here you go guys :) the next chapter! hope you enjoy~

Also, I'd like to thank MiyuTanemura for beta-ing this chapter m(_ _)m


After leaving Cobra behind to deal with locking the house alone, Natsu kept dragging Wendy to where he usually meets with his group of friends. The walk was very slow and uneventful causing both teenagers to stare into space. Natsu places his hands behind his head while his bag's hanging from one shoulder. As for Wendy, she is quietly admiring her surroundings. The road they usually take to head to school starts from their, or more like Laxus', mansion's gate and continues across a forest. It separates into three different routes by the exit of the vast field of greenery. It's in that exact spot that they usually wait for the others to join them…Although, in regular days, Natsu leaves the mansion before Wendy who follows him after making sure that enough time has gone by, ensuring the fact that a fair distance was put between them in the road.

When they arrive to destination, the meeting spot was empty. After all, they did wake-up earlier than usual this morning…which kind of caused for the both of them to arrive here first for a change…

Remembering the events that occurred about an hour ago with his brothers, Natsu lets out an aggravated sigh. Proving that the irritation he felt towards his siblings has still not diminished. To avoid thinking more about this morning, he tries to occupy his mind by engaging himself in a conversation with Wendy.

A question pops in his head as Cobras' discussion floods his mind.

"Say Wendy, have you ever thought about where you would be in the future?"

Taken by surprise from such a question, the blue haired girl stands dumbfounded for a few seconds before regaining her composure.

"Not really...Why? Does the future bother you?"

"I wouldn't say it bothers me…it's more like it makes me curious on where I'll be standing in a couple of years," he started staring off while his voice got a bit tighter which didn't go unnoticed by the girl standing in front of him, "and would the life I will be leading make me happy or would it be miserable?"

Wendy gives her brother a knowing look before answering.

"Well…I wouldn't say that I think of it, per se, but if I try to imagine what my life would look like in the years to come then I would say that it will always be next to you and everyone else! I can't, and don't want to, imagine a life where my family is absent!" Brown eyes, holding so much determination, were looking straight into a set of gentle olive ones. A soft smile traced itself on the surprisingly soft pink lips of the tan skinned boy and Wendy could hardly help herself from smiling back. Their thoughts were abruptly stopped when they heard a familiar voice calling them.

"Natsu!" followed by a "Wendy's here too! You guys are here so early!"

With a bright grin Natsu replied "Hey Luce!"

"Good morning Lucy-san!"

"What're you guys doing here so early? Usually you're the last ones to arrive!"

Wendy started stuttering an answer, trying hard to find something to come-up with as an excuse but it was to no avail. Fortunately for her, Natsu was there to save the day.

"I slept way too early yesterday so, ya know, ended-up waking as early as a rooster! By the time the clock hit seven I was ready, so instead of loafing aroun-" Lucy stared at him as if he was crazy, "don't look at me like that I have my serious moments too! Anyways, as I was saying," he cleared his throat, "instead of loafing around in the house, I thought of taking a walk and well…" He started scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "here I am…" Natsu looked at the blond girl hoping she won't catch him on his lie. His doubts were instantly cleared when he heard a soft chuckle coming from her way.

"Wow! Sounds just like something you would do! Even if the loafing around part sounds somewhat suspicious…" she stuck her tong out when she earned a half-hearted glare from the pink head. "So? How come Wendy's with you?"

"Yeaaahhh…" He averts his eyes from her. "About that…we live in the same area, right?" A light nod from Lucy signals for him to continue. "I kind of, let's say, took a detour towards her house and…you know…" Natsu scratches his cheek. "Woke her up and made her accompany me." He ends with a small laugh earning a blank look from Lucy and swiftly directs his gaze somewhere else.

Lucy sighs. "Natsu, Natsu, Natsu! What're we gonna do with you? It's not very nice to go bother others just because you felt like it! And-"

"It's okay Lucy-san! I'm sure Natsu-san didn't mean to bother me." She gives said boy a thankful look. "Besides, it was nice having the company on my way here!" Wendy has a bright smile etched on her features. This causes Lucy to jump on her and hug her tightly while squealing.

"Oh! You're so cute Wendy! I just feel like kidnapping you right now! Why can't you be my sister? Or better yet! My daughter!" Natsu laughs at that but Lucy doesn't bother to even glance his way, she's too busy hugging Wendy to death. The blue headed girl takes hold of Lucy's forearms and tries to remove herself from between the older woman's arms but it's pointless.

"Lucy-san! Please let go of me." She squeezes her eyes shut. "You're strangling me!" The said girl lets go of her captive and starts flailing around.

"I'm so sorry Wendy! But you were so cute! I just couldn't help myself!" Natsu can't control his laughter anymore and it just gets louder until a certain someone's voice made him choke on it…

"Why are you guys being so noisy this early in the morning?"

"Ah! Erza-san! Good morning!" Wendy then turns her head towards the boy standing next to her previous interlocutor. "Good morning to you as well, Gray-san!"

Erza nodded while Gray gave her a slight wave of his hand.

"Yo, Erza! Stripper!" Natsu greets while shifting the bag on his shoulder.

"Yo, flame-brain! Noisy as ever aren't we? Have you finally gone cuckoo?" He places his hand next to his temple, making a circular motion to emphasize his point.

Irritated, Natsu smashes his forehead with Gray's.

"Hah?! Ya got a problem with that, pants-shogun?"

"You bet I do! Watcha gonna do about it, ash for brain?"

"Stupid stripper!"

"Flame-brain!"

"Ice princess!"

"Crazy flame spewer!"

With every insult pronounced their voices got louder and their irritation gets the best of them.

"Popsicle idiot!"

"Tabasco bastard!"

"Perv-" Natsu isn't able to finish his words when an iron fist landed on top of his head.

"You fools! How many times must I repeat myself? NO FIGHTING! Friends aren't supposed to be punching each other! They're supposed to care for each other and express their dying love to each other!" A dark aura is flowing around Erza, causing her hair to float a bit. Her eyes are gleaming red while her muscles are tensing as if she's ready to punch someone. Well, to be more precise, she's ready to beat the two boys shivering in front of her to a pulp!

But thank god Lucy and Wendy felt pity for them.

"Erza-san, if we don't leave soon we'll be late!"

"Yeah Erza! Forget about these idiots and let's go!" Lucy places her index finger on her cheek and winks with a smile. "We can't have our student council president arriving late to school now would we? Think of how that would affect the councils' reputation!"

Lucy's words act like a spell, as soon as Erza manages to catch what's being told to her, she ignores the boys sitting on the floor and starts down the road leading to Fairy Tail high.

When she gets out of their vision, Natsu and Gray get up and start heading to where the girls were.

"Man, she's scary! It should be illegal to have such a demonic aura!"

"Hate to agree with you but, tell me about it!" Natsu points behind him. "Still, it beats your stripping habits".

"WHAT?! WHEN?!" Gray's only attire at the present is his pants, a kind of silver necklace that resembles a sword with a stone in it and a metal bracelet. His shirt is proudly lying on the floor a few meters behind them.

Gray goes to pick his shirt and put it back on his toned and muscular body. After a task well done, he catches-up with Natsu and starts muttering about how he still can't understand why his clothes always disappear all of a sudden.

Meanwhile, Natsu's thinking of a way to run away from doing his chemistry lab report, which is due in a few hours, without getting into trouble. Maybe he should pretend that some sort of hideous creature from outer-space came and threatened him so he was too busy running away from it and couldn't find the time to complete his lab report…Nah! The movie presenting this plot is too popular; it would be an obvious lie. Natsu sighs.

"Oi squinty eyes!" A tick mark formed on the pink haired teenager.

"Hah?! What did you just call me, you droopy-eyes?"

"You heard me you pyro-maniac. Oh! Wait! Or was it too hard for you to understand?"

That's it! He couldn't take it anymore! Natsu lifts his fist showing that he's ready for a fight.

"Are you looking for a fight you bastard?"

Gray gives him a cool and stoic look which pisses the dragon-slayer mage even more causing him to clench his teeth tighter.

"As much as I'd like to see you bow down to me after your defeat, I'm not really fond of the idea of having a scarlet devil unleashed on me."

Natsu gave an aggravated sigh. The mention of Erza alone serves to cool down Natsu's nerves. "Yeah…I guess you're right you damn ice prick."

"I'm always right you retard! But that's not my point…" he clears his throat "so? Did you finish your chem report?"

Natsu stares at him blankly for a few seconds before replying. "You just had to remind me didn't you?"

"I'll take that as no then."

"No, seriously! I was trying very hard to eradicate this report from my memories, thinking that maybe a memory loss would help my cause, and I was doing a great job at it too! But you just had to go and mention it to me!"

Gray acts as if he was stunned by such news. "Oh wow! I've heard of idiots before but this is just incredible! Can you get any more stupid? Because if you can, with such a brain, then I'm pretty sure that the world is doomed! You'll be the end of it!"

"I don't see how this is related…besides, I don't see you holding a completed lab report you popsicle breath!"

"Just shut-up and keep walking"

"…" Olive eyes stare at the raven head incredulously wondering why he has to deal with such an annoying person…Oh yeah! Erza! Yup! That surely is why!

"…"

"…"

"Are you sure you haven't completed the lab report?" A glare is enough for Gray to understand that no, indeed, Natsu hasn't even bothered to touch his lab report. Gray's thoughts have gone out of control. Oh great. Miss Evergreen will never spare them the lecture…not to mention the horrible grade…maybe today will be a happy day to her and spare them a bit! Yeah! That's right! They shouldn't give-up hope yet! They still have a chance to come-out safe from it! Never give-up hope!