Hello everyone! Miss me? xD Just screwing around~

So many couples! And I have one more for you :3 I thought about putting it in the last chapter, but I wanted to keep it a Dragon Slayer thing so... Okay, if you really want me to be honest, I kinda/sorta forgot xD I'm sorry! But they're here now, and that's what matters.

I'm getting more follows by the chapter! =w= Thank you all so much! And thank you very very much for your reviews (especially to those people who review like, every single chapter. Love ya!) c: At the rate I update, how do any of you have time for me? xD And~ I decided that for every 25 reviews (at least up till 75, but that seems pretty far from now) I'll write a bonus chapter for you all :) I have a few ideas~ And of course, I'll be sure not to let them get in the way of the real story.

I'm also going to focus on putting more details in my chapters, give you more of an image of what's happening c: I absolutely love when authors do that to me, it makes the story seem much more realistic.

And just a quick note- my FMA/Fairy Tail crossover is officially completed c: (And it will have been for a couple days by the time this chapter gets published) Please feel free to take a look :D

And with that note, enjoy the chapter 6!

Erza hummed as she strolled through the streets, dragging along her 'horse' (the pet shop owner had classified it as such) in one hand and the necessary provisions she had recently bought for it in the other.

The scarlet haired woman was having a terrific day. Not only did the Fairy Hills owner allow her to keep her pet, she also got a date to the festival! She blushed slightly, remembering her conversation with her old friend a few hours ago...

'Now, let's see...' The Requip Mage scanned the stores nearby, wondering which would provide the highest quality items for her pet. Sadly though, she saw none, and was about to move on when a figure nearby caught her attention.

Erza squinted into the crowd, wanting to make sure if it was who she thought it was. No... It couldn't be...

"...Jellal?" The figure whipped around, startled to see her. Erza was even more surprised, however. It was not like him to be wandering around in broad daylight when he was still considered a wanted criminal. "Oh, forgive me. Did I surprise you?"

"Ah, well- yes. No! I mean, it's fine, I don't mind." Jellal sheepishly scratched the back of his head, and asked "So... What's up?"

Erza smiled. 'Clumsy as ever' she thought. "Everything is just fine." She gestured to the creature next to her. "I was only shopping for some things for my companion."

Jellal gawked. Erza looked at him quizzically. Was he expecting something else?

'I never thought Erza liked such things.' Jellal thought to himself. 'I figured she'd get a much more... majestic creature, if any.' He smiled unconsciously, thinking that her new friend would have quite the life from now on.

Seeing Jellal smile, she smiled back. "Are you here for Fantasia?"

"Fantasia?" He looked utterly confused.

Erza couldn't help but laugh. "Fantasia is only the world's best parade hosted by the world's best guild." She said teasingly.

"Ah, of course. Silly me." Jellal said, sounding amused.

Erza leaned in closer. "And preceding the parade is a festival." Her face only inches from his, she said "And this year, none shall be seen without a date." Her eyes glinted.

"That so?" His amused expression suddenly turned to horror as he realized what the scarlet haired woman was getting at. "Wait, you can't be-"

She turned around quickly, and said "Then it's settled. I will be waiting for you two nights from now, 6 o'clock, at Fairy Hills."

Jellal stood there shocked, not only by how close her face had been to his, but also because he could have sworn Erza's face was slightly red before she showed her back. 'That does sound fun...' He thought. 'No, wait! I'm a wanted criminal!" His mouth twisted, as he tried to speak. There were so many risks, he didn't even know where to start! Finally, he sputtered "I'm a wanted man! If anyone sees me with you, it would cause problems for Fairy Tail!"

She began to walk away, waving a hand over her shoulder dismissively. "We'll manage." The Requip Mage then stopped and turned around, her face glowing from the sun, and shining with pride. "We are Fairy tail, after all."

And indeed they are. Jellal knew from his time on the council that no matter how sticky the situation, Fairy Tail always pulled through. But still...

"Alright." He said without thinking. 'Oh, no.' He thought, panic rising up in his chest. 'I did not just say I would take Erza out on a date.'

"Good." Erza walked away, her scarlet hair swaying behind her.

'I think I just did." Jellal inwardly groaned. 'Oh dear god, I'm screwed.'

All her excitement turned to horror, then anger as she realized what she just done. Erza punched the nearest pole, her armored fist sinking nicely into the metal. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her horse jump about 5 feet into the air.

"I'm so stupid..." She muttered through her gritted teeth, resting her forehead on the disfigured structure. She was supposed to be Titania, Fairy Tail's strongest woman, beautiful, strong, fearsome, a role model for her guild.

Yet, she let a man cloud her judgement.

Being seen with Jellal would most definitely be troublesome. The Fairy Tail Mage had no doubt that if the council forced themselves upon them, her guild would somehow squeeze through. But there could still be consequences.

She knew she had to go talk to him, but the thought of it nearly broke her heart. She so, very badly wanted to go to the festival with Jellal, talk with him, laugh with him. He was truly himself again, and out of prison... Even if he broke out. Besides, the chances that the mage was still there after 4 hours was extremely slim.

But... As a Fairy Tail mage, it is my duty to try.

Practically dragging for own two feet, she forced herself to go back to where she had spoken with Jellal. This must be done. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she quickly swiped it away, slicing her skin on her armor in the process, her expression remaining fierce. For my friends.

For my guild.

Natsu stayed outside, watching the sun slowly sink over the horizon. His mind was a total mess. He didn't know what to do.

Did he like Lucy? All he knew was, Lucy was the first person to screw him up so badly. Natsu was positive that this was the first time he was so utterly confused.

...I want to protect Lucy. He thought. Yes, he was sure of this as well. But he knew that he wanted to protect everyone. Gramps, Mira, Erza, Happy... Even that bastard stripper Gray. Everyone who is part of his guild, his family, he would fight for.

I want Lucy to be happy. Natsu absolutely hated seeing her sad, and seeing her crying was even worse. When he saw her cry, his own heart had felt as if it were twisting, breaking.

It was getting dark, and the sun was almost gone. The moon had come up long ago, shining, and extremely close to a full moon.

It will be full for Fantasia.

Natsu's eyes drooped, sleep on the brink of overtaking him. He groggily crawled over to the nearest bench, and felt one last thought slip into his mind before he succumbed to his drowsiness.

I want Lucy to stay with me.

The next morning~

The town was full of excitement, chattering about the parade that was taking place tomorrow night. Fairy Tail hadn't done Fantasia for the last 4 years, due to the lack of members.

But this year, their favorites were back.

And of course, they were looking forward to the festival as well. The food was always delicious, the games fun, and the laughter boundless.

Numerous girls talked about going to Levy's dorm, much to the poor girl's dismay. Some even approached her, their eyes glittering with excitement. All Levy could do in response was smile and nod. The Script Mage was much too kind, and couldn't turn down their offers.

The Fairy Tail mages bustled around town, getting as much ready as they can for tomorrow night. Of course, they couldn't do a full on set-up, as that would impede with the citizens' every day tasks. Mirajane had went shopping for the ingredients for the food, most likely buying out stores. Erza was hanging up various decorations around town, for she had an eye for such things. The Master had even told her to buy whatever she thought was needed, and boasted throughout town that this will be the best Fantasia they had yet. Lisanna was preparing the kitchen, wiping down counters, clearing out refrigerators, and looking up various recipes, searching for the best food that would be easy to prepare, yet still taste good. Jet ran back and forth, carrying out simple errands and delivering messages to his other guildmates. Gajeel, Elfman, and some other members helped with the heavy lifting. Reedus was busy painting some pictures to sell at the festival that would mostly go towards the guild's funds, and got extra supplies for any last-minute requests. Gray and Juvia discussed their act, and made plans for Gray's solo just in case it would rain and Juvia couldn't participate, being busy keeping it in check. Romeo did some more of the simple tasks, carrying boxes between guild members, and Wendy helped everyone out as much as she could with her magic, using her stat-increasing Vernier and Arms, and healing any minor injuries.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Happy were searching for Natsu. The Fire mage hadn't shown up at Lucy's house nor his own the night before, and the two were extremely worried.

"Natsu! Natsu!" Lucy shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

"Natsuuuuuu!" Happy cried, flying through the sky.

"Geez, where is that idiot?" It was nearly noon, and Natsu always came to see her before then, regardless of what she was doing.

Lucy wanted to help prepare for Fantasia, but Mirajane had insisted she go look for him, saying that Natsu had always been a huge help.

"You and Happy are more likely to find him than any of us."

What's that supposed to mean anyway? Lucy scowled. Mirajane was smiling when she said it, and she didn't like that.

By now, the Celestial Spirit Mage was more annoyed than angry.

Suddenly, Happy cried out "Natsu!" and zoomed ahead. The Exceed sounded relieved.

Lucy sighed, relieved as well, and ran after the cat as fast as her legs could take her.

Natsu groggily rose, instantly turning away from the sun shining straight into his eyes. His eyesight was blurred by colored spots, and he tried to rub it away.

He was positive his vision was cleared a few moments later, but all he could see was white. He again attempted to wipe away they disturbance, but instead of feeling skin, beneath his fingers he felt fur. ''Natsuuuu...'' The thing moaned into his face.

"...Happy?" He carefully pulled his friend away from his face. "What are you doing here?" The Dragon Slayer looked at Lucy, who was tapping her foot angrily. "Hey Lucy! Good mor-"

He was abruptly halted by a fist in his face, but still managed to croak out "-ning."

"IDIOT! We were worried about you!" Lucy scowled, and removed her hand, repositioning it in her hip.

"What? Why?" He looked at her quizzically. Oh, the life of a fool.

The blondie threw up her hands in exasperation. "Because you always come to my house and you didn't come to my house last night nor did you come today and Happy said you weren't at your house and- oh never mind." She stopped, seeing that Natsu was pretty much lost. She then proceeded to dragging him, saying "Come on, Mirajane was looking for you."

Natsu started to protest, but soon remembered that his teammate was as stubborn as he was, and let her take him away.

I cannot believe this. Lucy thought, gritting her teeth. Here I was worrying myself to death about him and the shit bastard was sleeping on a bench.

She noticed her luggage was being strangely cooperative. Not stopping, she glanced at him, surprised even more to see how deep in his thoughts he looked. Natsu noticed her, and gave a lopsided grin in response.

Blushing, Lucy forced herself to scowl. After turning away, she muttered "If you're going to smile, could you do it without being so damn cute?"

"Huh?" Did he hear that right?

"N-nothing." She replied, her voice shaky. The Celestial Spirit Mage suddenly dropped him, and the sound of his skull hitting stones filled the street. "Get up and walk. You're too heavy." She resumed walking.

Natsu remained curled up in pain for an extra moment, his hands on the back of his head. He then shot up to his feet, and followed her.

Natsu scratched his head, confused yet again. Lucy thought he was cute?

That's just too weird.

"Found him." Lucy shoved Natsu toward Mirajane. "Now what?"

"Oh, thank you Lucy!" Mirajane said brightly. "You should go help out Erza. I think she needs it."

"Ah, thanks. I'll go do that."

As soon Lucy waved goodbye and walked out of the guild, Mirajane looked deviously at Natsu, putting her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hands. "So? How long?"

"Hm? How long what?"

She playfully poked Natsu in the arm, and said "Oh, you know, you liking Lucy." The white-haired adult looked as cheery as ever, but Natsu could a hear a little 'If-you-don't-tell-me-I'm-going-to-kill-you' in her voice.

Natsu sighed. The woman always threatened to show her inner demon when it was about Lucy. "I don't know."

"...What exactly don't you know?" Oh god, she was about to lose it.

"Everything! I don't know when I started liking her, if I even like her, or even what 'like' is supposed to be!" He slammed his head onto the bar, and mumbled into the wood "Or even if she likes me..."

Mirajane sighed, but it came out more like a growl. Brick walls were as dense as cheese compared to Natsu. And Lucy wasn't all that much better. Couldn't the two see that they obviously like each other?

Natsu, hearing the frustration in the mage, was terrified. In all his attempts to keep her from unleashing her wrath, had he still somehow managed to make her angry?

She sighed again, and looked him directly in the eyes. "Natsu, I will ask you questions concerning Lucy, and you will answer them truthfully in completely." Her hair started rising up around her. "Understand?"

"Y-yes Mira!" Oh god, the last time he said that was when he was a kid.

"Do you want to protect Lucy?"

"Yes." He had confirmed himself last night.

"Do you want Lucy to be happy?"

"Yeah." That too.

"Do you think she's pretty?"

At first the Dragon Slayer thought she was joking, but her piercing gaze told him not. "U-um..."

"Answer!" She growled.

"Yes!" Natsu definitely did not think she was ugly, therefore, she must pretty. (Just his logic) Besides, appearances didn't matter all that much to him.

"How would you feel if she left the guild? Like right now?"

Natsu's face soured. "I'd hate it." Mirajane scowled, and he quickly tried to elaborate. "It-it'd be like..." He scoured his mind for words. "Like the world broke apart or something." He furrowed his brow, immediately taking back his previous words. "Nu-uh, something more than that."

Suddenly he flung his hands up in the air, extremely frustrated. "I don't know! I'm too stupid for this!"

Mirajane's mouth twitched. She was trying so hard not to smile! Natsu could be absolutely adorable sometimes.

But she wasn't done yet. "Do you like Lucy?" She quickly added "More than other girls?"

Natsu nodded his head, slowly. "Yeah... Lots more." And it was true. For many reasons.

Mira allowed herself one quick smile. "Do you love Lucy?" She leaned in. "You want to protect Lucy. You want Lucy to be happy. You like her more than anyone else." Her voice turned soft. "What else do you need?"

Natsu hesitated, his mind reeling. Did he love Lucy? Squeezing his eyes shut, he thought as hard as he could.

"...I care about her a lot." He finally said. "But I still don't know yet if I 'love' her."

Mira sighed yet again, but she didn't seem angry. "You'll know one day, Natsu." She turned around, and started doing the dishes. "You should go help the others. They might need a hand or two." She was oddly quiet. Not her usual, bubbly self, but not a demon either.

That was all? "Alright."

Natsu was at the door when Mrajane called to him. "Oh, and Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"This stays between us, okay?" Of course, this would have been the perfect time to use her menace, but strangely, she didn't.

"Um... Okay..." And with that note, Natsu left the guild.

Mirajane smiled to herself. The great Natsu, known as Salamander, was stressing over Lucy Heartfilia.

But the amount of confusion in his eyes was extremely disturbing. Mirajane didn't know what to make of it. Was this really all that new to him? Exactly how much had he been stressing? She could tell he had been thinking about it before. Natsu had answered the first two questions so confidently, and without the usual enthusiasm.

Too much stress was never good. In the long run, which was quite possible considering those two, it could cause serious problems. The few hours of sleep would add up, his appetite might be affected, his fighting less skillful... At least that's what would happen to normal people.

But she remembered that Natsu was far from normal.

Ah, what am I thinking? Natsu? Lose sleep over a girl? Unlikely. Lose his appetite? Extremely unlikely. And affecting his fighting?

Impossible.

She decided to keep a close eye on Natsu. What he would do next was unpredictable. After all, he was the son of a dragon.

Erza hummed yet again as she strung the decorations around town. She could go to the festival with Jellal! She inwardly squealed.

Oh, dear. I'm growing soft. And indeed she was. Her squealing, even when no one can hear her, was very unlike her. But everything was so perfect! Erza could hardly believe she was crying a couple hours ago.

When she hadn't seen Jellal at the place where she had met him, Erza quickly put her pet in her dorm, along with everything she had bought for it, and went to talk to the Master. She couldn't just give up, after all.

"Master, I'm afraid I... made a mistake." She kept her eyes low.

Makarov raised an eyebrow. It wasn't the fact that she had made a mistake that surprised him, but the fact that she was ashamed by it. Usually the Requip Mage did what she could to atone for it, always keeping her head held high.

But she seemed extremely upset. "What mistake did you make, my child?"

"I-I met Jellal today in town, and... we talked." She fidgeted.

"You saw Jellal? What was he doing wandering around town?"

"I don't know." She admitted.

"Hm..." Makarov rubbed his chin. "Is that all?"

"No! You see, I um..."

"What child?" He was getting just a bit impatient.

"I... asked Jellal to take me to the festival tomorrow night."

Makarov said nothing, and merely closed his eyes. Erza played with her fingers, awaiting his response.

"And?"

"And? He- he's a criminal! If someone saw him, we could get in trouble with the council!"

"Bah, screw the council!" He opened an eye and looked at her. "Enjoy the night with him. Do not worry about the council. We can deal with them if the time comes."

Erza looked at her master. Her face showed disbelief, but her eyes shone with hope. "R-really?!"

"Of course." The small man grinned.

"T-thank you so much, Master!" She crushed him in a hug, which would have been delightful had she had not been wearing her armor, and ran out of the room.

"Just don't get to rowdy child!"

He heard Erza snort. "Just who do you think I am? I'll do nothing of the sort!"

"Erza!" A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Ah, good morning Lucy." She strung some flags onto the wire. "Do you need help with something?"

"Actually, that's just what I was gonna ask you."

Erza pondered that thought for a moment. "I believe I'm all set with the decorations, but I could use something to drink."

"Strawberry shake?" The Celestial Spirit Mage asked with a smile.

Erza smiled back. The girl knew her so well. "Sounds perfect."

"Alright." She skipped away, her boots tapping on the cement. "I'll be right back!"

Hours later~

Erza sighed in contentment as she hung up the last of the directions. She believed this year was her best work yet. Of course, the Requip Mage had every intention on putting a performance to match.

She got off the ladder, and discarded her empty cup.

The strawberry shake was divine! Erza mused. She had even gotten it from my favorite store. She would have to pay her thoughtful friend back somehow.

The scarlet-haired woman went back to the guild, clutching the towering empty boxes in her hands, and kicked opened the door to hear a deafening noise. Exhaustion showed through each and every eye, but so did excitement.

Everything was ready for tomorrow. Setting up on the actual night would only take a few hours, thanks to the immense work they did today. Stalls, costumes, floats, everything had already been made. (And, according to Makarov, took a rather large dent out of their funds.) The mages had their performances thought out, and the order arranged.

All that's left is to wait.

Oh, gosh... This chapter was pretty long huh? xD But I really didn't want to drag out the Fantasia any longer. Next chapter will be the Fantasia (expect a long one!) and that will be the last you'll hear of it. The parade was really meant to establish couples. xD But I can't help but feel that I've thrown in some unnecessary information in this chapter...

As always, reviews are welcome! :)

Please look forward to the next chapter! *Waves* Good bye for now! ^.^