Author's Note: Here we are at chapter 12, and it seems like just yesterday I was sitting in History class as I planned out this story instead of doing my classwork X3 It's not overly exciting, and is mainly a chapter that I used to address a few things that I realized were unnecessarily vague, and I apologize for that :) So it's mainly just a transition chapter, but I hope you guys in enjoy it :3 It underwent many rewrites due to writers block until I finally settled on this as the way to approach it X3 Of course, it may have a few mistakes, so just let me know if you see any that you wish for me to change :D

P.S. I was alerted to the fact that I forgot to mention Kakashi's mask during last chapters kissing scene, and I wish to apologize for that X3 He did remove the mask, my brain just forgot to tell my fingers to type that little bit of information XD

Oh, and I realized how I've only shown a select few of the Fairy Tail crew, so I added a few more of my favorites just to make things a little more interesting X3 Though, it's very difficult to write about that many characters O.o Oh well, it's good experience :3

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Thank you all so much for the lovely responses, they always bring a huge smile to my face when I go though and read them! :3 Hope you all enjoy this next chapter, and I'll have the next one out as soon as possible X3

If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask! :) I always answer any concerns and questions I receive, as many can attest to :3 Thank you again!

Twelve hours had passed since they're kiss, and Kakashi wished he could say things were going well. Unfortunately, they were going the exact opposite for him.

Kakashi was completely lost in the kiss when he felt the pressure of her hands on his chest, pushing him away gently, but with an underlying air of firmness. Reluctantly he pulled himself away, putting his mask back in place as soon as he did so. Despite just having kissed her, he really didn't see the point in revealing his face just yet.

Erza had her lips pursed as she looked at the ground, a conflicted look deep in her brown eyes, "I'm sorry… I just don't think I'm ready for something like this… Especially not now, when my friends could be in danger… I need to focus on keeping them safe right now; everything else needs to take a backseat." She explained quietly, crossing her arms as she refused to look him in the eye. "Not to mention you're going to be going home soon… It wouldn't make sense to get attached to someone who doesn't even share your world."

He hated that she was right, and began to wish that they did share the same world. He didn't want to admit it, but he was beginning to miss his old life. The three Genin who had become his students against all odds were what he missed most, and it was painfully obvious as he watched Erza's own teammates bring them to mind every time they interacted with one another.

Kakashi didn't belong here, he realized that. Just as Erza hadn't felt entirely at home in his world, he didn't feel at home here. He watched silently as the red-headed mage ordered around the other members of the guild, speaking casually of things he'd never even heard of before. He didn't dwell on it too much, and moved his gaze around the hall as if to study each of the other members.

The copy ninja was trying to read each members strengths and weaknesses, but it was difficult when he didn't know how any of their powers worked. Sure, he realized that they seemed to need a circle of some kind to use the power, but it's not like they needed to do anything other than to will it into existence. Erza's powers seemed normal compared to the rest of the wizards, and yet he had noticed that they all seemed to treat her with a kind of respect that not many people earned. He knew she was strong, but she was obviously caring to each one of them as well.

Erza could never be considered 'scum', and he knew she would do anything to rescue those she cared for. Even if it meant giving her own life. She probably learned that lesson way before he could, and sensed that she had gone through her own kind of trauma to get to where she is. It wasn't right of him to step onto the scene and expect anything from her, she probably already had someone that she cared about.

Shaking his head to rid it of such depressing thoughts, he began to consider everything else he'd seen and heard in this world. There were things like trains that took you to faraway places without any effort on your part, and magic fueled 'cars' that drove off of your own energy. They all wore strange clothes, if Erza's weren't odd enough, and now he was forced to adapt to this crazy system. It seemed easier than his own world, but also very selective to those who had these strange 'magic abilities'. What about the non-magic users? They had to exist...

He was jerked from his thoughts, looking up in surprise to see Erza standing over him, "Kakashi, come with me. The master is preparing a team that will be sent to look for the old man, and we think your abilities could come in handy." She explained in her 'business' tone, face serious as she gestured to wear the guild master was sitting atop the counter, staff in hand as Natsu and Gray stood before him. Kakashi nodded, standing up and following her to the old man.

Lucy, Gajeel, and Wendy came up a moment later, Happy and Carle following behind as they walked, an odd occurrence for the two of them, "Now that you're all here, I'm going to explain your objective." Makarov began, looking between each of them. "You are to locate the dark guild and rescue this man without losing our own members. If you cannot complete this mission without getting everybody back safely, I want you to return to the guild immediately. I don't want to lose any of our wizards, and there's nothing that says we can't try again." He ordered, making sure his tone was stern enough to convey the seriousness of his words.

Kakashi was relatively shocked, to say the least, at the difference between the missions in this world and the ones back home. In the ninja world, the mission was your top priority. Here, however, it seemed as though safety was their main objective. Not like he every truly followed that rule, of course, but it was nice to know that this was how these guys worked.

"While you are on this mission, Erza will be in charge. Do as she says, and make sure you all stay safe. Fairy Tail is counting on you, and I'm sure Kakashi is as well." The master added, nodding to the ninja who returned it after a moment's surprise.

Erza straightened, glancing at each of them, "Alright then, let's get going. The longer we stand here, the closer it gets to the deadline." She ordered, "You have five minutes to prepare, and I expect you all to be waiting outside of the guild hall when the time is up or we're leaving without you." She added, everyone rushing off to prepare anything they might need on the trip.

Erza was the first one ready, a large trolley of belongs beside her as Kakashi's eyes widened at it. "Um… You take all of that with you?" He asked, his voice sounding sheepish as he rubbed the back of the neck.

The wizard nodded without any trace of humor, "Of course, you never know what you might need." She explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

When the others arrived, they made their way back to the building where they had first seen the dark guild, the red-headed leader searching for something once they were inside. "Kakashi." She began, looking through a trunk of clothes, "You wouldn't happen to have a tracking skill of some kind, would you? Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy all have good noses, but they can't track over long distances when the people disappeared using magic."

Carle nodded her agreement, "That's right, but I don't see how this man could possibly have greater skills than our dragon slayers. They are, after all, imbued with the hunting senses of a dragon." She stated matter-of-factly.

"She's so smart!" Happy gushed, earning only an annoyed huff from the white cat.

Kakashi smiled, "Find something that will have any of the members scent on it." He ordered, gesturing to the door before heading outside. Everyone joined him, Erza holding a flower petal from the girl's disappearance. Biting his thumb to draw blood, the ninja performed a series of hand signs that left the mages impressed, pressing his palm to the ground as an intricate circle appeared. A small dog came into view after the cloud of smoke dissipated, earning curious looks from the others.

"Is it spirit, like with Lucy's keys?" Wendy asked, eyes wide as she looked over the small dog.

Lucy's eyes were sparkling as she looked at the dog, "Oh, he's so cute! What kind of spirit is that? How did you summon him without a key?" She asked excitedly, gushing over the dog as she moved to cuddle it.

The dog looked at her with a confused expression, moving away from her hand as he spoke in a gruff voice, "I'm Pakkun… Though I'm curious as to who you are, and where we are." He said pointedly, looking at Kakashi with a questioning expression.

The ninja sighed, "Look, I'll explain later. Right now we're on a bit of a timed schedule. Can you find this person?" he asked, gesturing for Erza to hold out the petal.

The ninken sniffed at the petal, ignoring Happy's remarks about how remarkable it was to see a talking animal, and took only a few moments to locate the scent. "Follow me." He ordered, leaping into the trees with speed as Kakashi quickly followed, the thought crossing his mind a second later that the others didn't normally travel like this.

"Hey, wait up!" Lucy called, the group running on the ground after the two ninja.

They stopped, Pakkun looking exasperated as he examined the group. "Geez Kakashi, where'd you find this lot?" He asked quietly, earning a growl from Gajeel.

"It's not our fault we don't leap through trees like a punch of apes. Stupid talking animals." He added in a mutter, silently cursing the fact that even Kakashi had a talking animal while he was forced to live without one. It didn't seem fair.

The dog snorted, ignoring the comment as Kakashi spoke up, "I'm sorry Pakkun, but they aren't used to travelling like us… We'll just have to move a little slower than normal." He apologized sheepishly, earning a sigh from the ninken.

"Alright, fine. This trip is going to take quite a bit long though, you know that right? Aren't you guys on a timed mission of some type?" Pakkun questioned, raising an eyebrow as he began to head off again, running along the ground at a slower pace this time.

The ninja didn't answer, already worried about their time constraints as he began to do the math in his head. From the looks of things, they would probably have to take a break soon. That would seriously chop off some time. Not to mention they only had 12 hours left to go, give or take.

They ran for as long as they could, but eventually Lucy, Wendy, and the exceeds began to tire, falling behind the rest of the group. Even Erza had begun to slow in dragging along her cart of things that were highly unnecessary. How she had lived this long, he would never know. Reluctantly, Kakashi stopped them in a clearing, "Right, we'll rest here." He ordered, everyone in the group collapsing at once.

Erza pulled out some snacks and water from her assortment of belongings and quickly handed them out, coming over to sit at the edge of the group with Kakashi, handing him his share. He blinked in surprise, but accepted it with a warm smile, "Thanks." He nodded, not moving to eat just yet. He didn't need it, so he may just save it for later.

The wizard chewed quietly on her crackers for a moment, seeming to be displeased by them, before she spoke up, "Kakashi… I have a question."

He glanced over, raising an eyebrow as he tried to guess what she would ask, "Yes?"

"How do you like it here? In Fiore, I mean." She finished, not looking at him as she examined her teammates, smiling as she watched Lucy fight with Natsu over something he had said.

The ninja considered her question, "It's nice… However, I do miss home… A lot, actually. It's how you were, while in the Leaf. I could tell you enjoyed yourself, but it was more like a nice vacation. You could never truly be happy there, no matter how much you may like it at the beginning." He explained, looking at the sky as he spoke. "I don't want to leave you, but I feel like I won't be truly happy until I'm where I belong… My hearts in Konoha, as I'm sure you can understand. I know you miss everyone there, but this guild is where your heart is… I can see it."

Erza listened quietly, feeling her heart ache as she did. He spoke the very truth she'd been telling herself for a little while now, the nagging reality not allowing her to enjoy being with the person she had come to truly care for. "I do understand, and I will admit that it saddens me greatly to hear it." She replied, voice quiet as she followed his gaze to the sky. "I promise, I will get you home… You helped me, so now it's my turn to return the favor." She smiled, finally turning to face him.

Returning the smile, he met her gaze, "Thank you, Erza…" He began, gently placing his hand on her arm, "But this isn't goodbye just yet. Let's focus on the mission instead; depressing thoughts will only hurt our performance." He assured her, standing as he offered her his hand.

Erza nodded and accepted the offer, "You're right… Let's get moving."