Bonding

"How's it feel to be a woman now?"

Natsu stared a little dumbfounded at Cobra's question. They had gone looking at clothing after getting all the missing ingredients to Cobra's mystery dish. They were in a clothing store that was inside this normal looking shop next to a bakery and an empty building up for sale. The pinkette was looking through a rack of girly clothes, trying to force herself to find something she even remotely likes... Sadly she still had her male fashion sense and didn't like anything pink, green or any color to "peppy."

Cobra had come up on the other side looking bored and leaned over the rack to peek at her and what she was going through. "Blue is not your color by the way."

Natsu thrust the blouse back into the rack feeling embarrassed to be caught by him. She could feel her face getting warm. "What do you know about fashion...?"

Cobra scratched at the edge of the bandage that hid his missing eye. "A little bit. I know blue, any shade, would just wash your face out and it clashes with your hair so if it gets longer it would look awkward against the blue."

Natsu took a step back holding her chest. "Whoah... Cobra..." She looked horrified.

The maroon haired male got nervous feeling he offended her. "W-what?"

"You sounded gay for a moment there..."

Cobra reached over the rack and went to smack her upside the head but the girl ducked and scurried away out of sight. She found herself in an area with dresses and mirrors. A few other women were looking at themselves as they held clothing to their body.

Natsu, for the hell of it, looked back and forth between racks of dresses. All kinds were here from long sleeved, to those open ones that have no sleeves at all. She didn't know the name. Lucy would...

Her own reflection caught her eye in one of those tri mirrors. She stood in front of it looking at her arms and legs. They were still riddled with small healing scrapes and bruises. Bandages were visible in places and she was still pale. Repulsed by her own body her eyes flicked up to her face. Same: scared and white. Her bright hair and eyes popped against it though. A hand came up to brush her short hair. It had grown out a little during the dragon slayers imprisonment so it was longer than before. Not quite shoulder length though.

She couldn't help but wonder if she should grow it out. She glanced around and saw most girls in the shop had long hair. Only one out of the five had shoulder length. Even Elipton with her pretty orange hair had it really long, all the way down to her butt.

The fire Mage noticed Cobra across the way. A girl seemed to be flirting with him as he had been looking through pants. She had long brown hair.

Natsu looked back to the mirror staring intently at her short pink locks. "Maybe I should grow it out..."

"Excuse me." A woman said suddenly and Natsu jumped. She looked like the store clerk, dressed in a black uniform a tape measure around her neck and her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. "Do you need help with something?"

Natsu was about to say "no thank you" but stopped herself. "Uh yes..." She swallowed her nervousness and forced herself to speak. "I'm new to this whole... Fashion thing... I'm not sure what looks good on me..."

The blonde girl smiled. "I can help with that. What are you looking for?"

"Anything."

"Then let's try something simple." The clerk girl walked away and Natsu followed with small steps. She weaved through racks of clothes seeming to look for something. She paused and Natsu stopped behind her. She started looking through the shirts.

"What's your size?"

Natsu started feeling nervous. "Uh..." She glanced down at her body quickly. "Medium?"

The clerk pulled out a deep green shirt that flowed near the bottom. "How's this?"

At least it wasn't neon green like some of the other stuff. Natsu took it smiling thankfully. "You could also ware purple and white. Black too. Most people can't because it takes the color from their face and stuff. But it might work with you."

"Thank you." The pinkette said kindly. The woman nodded her head and turned to help other people.

Natsu looked down at the shirt and looked back towards the mirrors. She remembered changing rooms being over there too.

She quickly found one and slipped inside. Half of her hoping no one saw, even though no one would care. She put the shirt on the little bench inside and started taking her shirt off. Her body froze though as she was about to bring the edge of her current shirt over her chest. She stared intently at herself in the mirror, her face blushing lightly. If he remembered correctly, she still wasn't wearing a bra. All of Elipton's had been much too large for her likely B or C sized breasts.

"Come on..." She coaxed. "This is ridiculous... It's my... New, body. I need to get used to seeing it and... Stuff..." She still remained frozen. Her mind was reeling to all the other things she had to do as a female now and things that came with being a girl.

Showers... Going to the bathroom... Looking pretty... Men hitting on her... That awful time of the month that turn Lucy and Erza into monsters...

She shuttered. "Maybe it was a mistake to stay a girl..."

"Natsu you in here?" Cobra's voice called in.

"Ah, yes!" She shouted back. She yanked her shirt back down. "Do you need something?"

"I'm wondering if your done and got stuff to buy? We need to hurry and head home."

Natsu snatched up the green shirt and opened her door. She thrust the shirt at his chest and he took it by surprise. He was holding his own set of clothes.

"You tried it on?" He said holding it out. "Oh, green. I like green."

"Good for you..." She mumbled slightly. "And... Yes I did."

As soon as he answered purple eyes flicked to her. "You're lying, you did not."

"I did too!" Natsu snapped at him.

Cobra smirked. "You didn't. You got too scared to see your own naked body."

Natsu blushed madly. "How..?!"

He brought a tanned hand up and tapped at his ear. Oh right... She forgot about his magical ears.

"It's rude to go through my brain..." She said bitterly crossing her arms and turning away from him.

A sweat drop fell down his cheek. "H-hey... I didn't mean too it just happens sometimes... I hear random things all the time..."

"Yeah right liar! Like you can't control your own hearing." Natsu said closing her eyes and keeping her body turned from him.

Cobra slumped his shoulders feeling he did something horribly wrong. "I said I was sorry..."

"Apology not accepted."

"Natsu..." He held a hand out slightly. "Stop being a brat..."

She suddenly snatched up his whole arm and yanked him backwards towards the changing room.

"Make it up to me! Help me out!"

"Natsu- no- I won't-!" Too late. She yanked him all the way into the small room and slammed the door closed, locking it with a 'click.'

Cobra felt so awkward as he shoves himself in a corner as Natsu took the green shirt from him. "Help me try it on!"

"W-why? You don't NEED to just hold it up to your body-"

Natsu glared at him. "You're not getting out of this! You were the one teasing me about how I didn't try it on!"

"And now I completely regret it." The man said looking gloomy.

"Your damn right you should. Now help!" Natsu held her arms up.

Her friend stared at him. "You're kidding right?"

"Nope."

Cobra groaned, not liking this one bit. He put his own clothes down and stepped up to her. He grabbed the bottom of her shirt and slowly started to pull it and shimmy it up.

Natsu instantly regretted asking him to do this. She wanted to make him uncomfortable for teasing her but now she was the uncomfortable. She felt goosebumps on her arms and legs and a shiver run up her spin. The feeling of Cobra's fingers and hands caressing her skin gently made her feel hot and flushed. She was the fire dragon slayer no heat was uncomfortable or unknown to her. Yet this heat that spread through her chest and stomach was strange, very strange indeed. And half of her didn't like it.

Her arms jerked down and she jumped back suddenly when she felt one of Cobra's hands press against the bottom of one of her breasts. The male looked confused and surprised, even a little irritated.

"Do you want me to do this or not?"

Crazy images of all kinds were blowing through Natsu's head, at first they were just of her and Cobra... Then they switched back to the prison and her rape sessions. Natsu instantly looked sickly and her legs gave out falling to the floor.

Cobra noticed and leaned down to catch her as she fell but she suddenly shoved him away. Her eyes wide and fearful, tears brimming in them.

Cobra held his hands up quickly catching on to what was wrong. His voice became soothing and slow. "Natsu... It's okay..."

She twitched lightly, her fight or flight response going mad. She started thinking of ways to get out of the small space if she had too. She didn't see the white walls and Mirrors of the changing room instead she saw dirty stone, prison bars, and wet floors covered in dried blood and god knows what else. She gasped finding it difficult to breathe, her body giving a big heave.

"Natsu, I'm right here."

Natsu looked down at her hands; bloody metal cuffs were around her skinny, dirty arms. Bleeding cuts and new bruises were blossoming as she watched, blood from growing cuts dripped onto the floor before turning into pools at her feet. She felt her body wretch a she felt bile rise in her throat, soon to be followed by vomit.

Big hands suddenly grasped her own smaller ones. She recognized the scars and burns where hand cuffs used to sit. The hands took hers and held them gently, the owner of them was talking to her, his voice blocked and far away.

"Right here... It's...Kay... You ca... Relax...m... Right here Natsu... I'm Right here."

Her onyx eyes slowly followed scared arms up to a torso, she then looked to his face. Concern and fear was etched into his handsome features. Natsu stared at him, concentrating on his face to calm down.

Beautiful purple eyes, soft caramel skin, unique maroon hair, all this with a handsome face. A handsome face that looked worried for her. His mouth moved but she heard no words. She watched his lips move... He had nice lips too... She felt her arms lightly get pulled and felt another arm wrap around her shoulders. Hugging her closely and safely to a broad chest.

"I'm right here, it's okay. You're safe."

Natsu gripped the front of Cobra's shirt and felt herself cry. She pressed her face into his chest to muffle the sounds so other people wouldn't hear. The poison dragon slayer didn't move, just held the fragile girl against him and waited patiently for her to calm down.

She pulled away eventually and rubbed at her red eyes. She had a head ache now and felt tired.

"Can we go home now...?" She croaked out.

"Of course..." Cobra took her hand and led her out of the room, forgetting about their clothes for now. They'll get new ones some other time.

Natsu's hand tightly gripped Cobra's as they walked back home. She was to scared of letting him go for fear if she did he would disappear like he wasn't even real.

'I'm right here.' A voice in her head said and Cobra's hand squeezed hers. 'I always will be. I won't leave you.'

"Promise?"

"I promise."

The pinkette took a long much wanted nap after that. Her dream was of her sitting in her prison cell, chained to the wall like always, but a pair of strong arms was around her shoulders and two legs that weren't her own came from behind her indicating she was laying against someone's chest. A chin rested on her head, the persons breathing disturbed her hair. It relaxed her a little. It was the scent of spicy food though that woke her from the dream.

"That smells heavenly!" She said sitting up quickly, her dream forgotten. She was sprawled out on the couch a blanket half way over her body. She looked over the back of the couch and saw through the window into the kitchen, where Cobra was stirring a pot of something boiling.

He looked over when she called to him. "Finally awake. It's practically dinner time."

Natsu ignored him and leapt over the couch. She almost knocked over Elipton in the proses.

"Well hello there." The carrot top said, surprised.

"Sorry!"

Elipton smiled and told her it was fine and the two walked into the kitchen together.

"That smells good." The girl said looking into the pot Cobra was stirring. Natsu was on the other side sniffing at it.

"Smells spicy..." She said drooling. "What is it?"

Cobra pushes his elbows out a he answered. "Curry on rice... And it would be great if you gave me room."

"Sorry." The two girls said simultaneously. They moved back as Cobra through spices into the pot.

"Elipton, where's your table ware?"

She looked to him. "Oh I'll get it."

She moved across the kitchen and grabbed plates and forks. She handed each to Cobra and he placed food on them. Natsu snatched up her plate and didn't bother waiting for it to cool down before taking a fork full and shoving it in her mouth.

Her eyes went wide and she froze.

Cobra and Elipton blinked at her. "You okay?"

Natsu didn't respond. Cobra waves a hand in her face while the orange haired girl looked at the food suspiciously. She took a forkful, blew on it and took a bite. She too froze in place.

"Guys..." Cobra said glancing between them. "What's wrong did I cook it wrong?" He took a bite himself and shrugged. "Tastes fine to me."

Cobra was sudd sky grabbed by his shoulders and Natsu was up in his face. "COBRA! YOU'RE A FREAKING AMAZING COOK!"

He blinked. "Uh... Thanks...?" He wasn't sure what to think. He grew up on the recipe so it didn't taste special to him. Guess he was wrong.

Elipton was shoveling the rest of her plate into her mouth. When she finished she looked at Cobra with wide eyes.

"Where did you learn to cook!?"

"Uh... My mom-"

"So it's like some old fashion family recipe?" Natsu asked grabbing the pot.

"S-sure?"

"I've never taste anything like this before!" Elipton was swooning. "We don't have anything this good in our village." She looked like she suddenly had an epiphany. "Cobra you should totally cook for us!"

"What?" He looked confused as he tried to pry Natsu away from drinking the curry from the pot.

"I can totally see you in your own restaurant! Cooking and Natsu can serve!"

The two stared at her surprised.

Natsu glanced to Cobra. "Live like a normal person with normal problems like bills? Keeping customers happy and have a cliché dream of opening out own restaurant?"

There was a moment of silence before cobra smirked. "That sound so boring and normal that it's perfect."

Elipton raised an eyebrow. "Boring and normal?"

"That's exactly what we're looking for!" Natsu said smiling widely. "Our lives before were kind of... Adventurous..." She almost didn't use that word.

"So were settling down." Cobra said putting his own finished plate down. Natsu was curious as to when he actually finished it.

"How cute!" Elipton cheered. "So you're settling down together? Are you guys married?"

Natsu look dumbfounded and Cobra smashed his face into the pot of curry.

Elipton blinked innocently, not expecting this reaction. "So... That's a no?"

Natsu nodded slowly.

"Shame... You guys are really cute together."

The pinkette felt her face way up and she brought a hand up to it.

"N-Natsu you're on fire!" The carrot top shouted.

Natsu looked at her hand. She was blushing so badly and was so nervous she ignited her hand on accident. "I-I'm sorry!"

She closed her fist quickly and the fire sniffed itself out. Elipton stared at her.

"You're... A Mage!"

Natsu looked down not liking the attention she was getting as Elipton came closer looking excited. "I was... I told you we want a boring life now... We're done with magic..."

The other girl glanced to Cobra, who still had his face buried in his cooking. "Is he one too..?"

Natsu nodded and Elipton jumped and looked like she wanted to fangirl all over herself. "We don't get many visitors in our village so it's so cool to meet wizards!"

Natsu smiled lightly, "we would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself for now..."

"Yeah of course I'm not rude!" Elipton said still excited. "Oh guys, you can stay here in my home as long as you need! The empty beds are yours an anything here is yours! My home is your home!"

Natsu nodded gratefully. "Thanks."

"Of course." The girl nodded in return then scurried out of the kitchen, she paused at the exit and glanced back. "The bathroom upstairs is yours. My room is down stairs so if you need anything come find me."

"Okay, thanks."

After she left Natsu glanced, amused, to Cobra. "You can stop being and ostrich now."

Cobra slowly brought his head up out of the pot. His face was covered I. Curry. It looked like a red mask and instead of cucumber slices on his face it was bit of union and spices.

Natsu chuckled to herself and dragged a finer down his cheek, then stuck it in her mouth. "You really are delicious."

Cobra looked to her while bringing his hands up to wipe curry from his eyes before it burned them.

"I think you over reacted." Natsu said still eating it from his face. Cobra rolled his eyes, obvious embarrassed.

"I didn't think I'd ever be asked a question like that before." He grabbed a towel and wiped the rest of his face clean.

"What if we were married?"

Cobra gave Natsu a nervous glance and she just looked all innocent. She didn't understand his conflicted facial expression. "What..?"

"Nothing... I just... Never thought I'd ever get married so I don't know." He tossed the towel in the sink, to dirty now to be used on anything else. He leaned on the counter and looked into his cooling curry mixture.

Natsu shimmied next to him and leaned her back against the counter while looking at him. "Not once?"

"All I cared about before all... This..." He pointed to his eye and Natsu looked down. "Was hearing Cubelious's... Voice."

His own deep voice got tense and cracky at the mention of his only and now lost friend. Natsu's own mind moved to Happy and her guild... If all went the way they truly wanted it... Then she'd never see any of them again. Her family, which she practically grew up with, never to be seen again... They probably think she's dead...

She felt her eyes get red and itchy and she rubbed them.

"Are you crying?" Cobra asked, chuckling. His own voice sounded strained. She opened her red eyes and looked at him... His own visible eye was turning red with unshed tears.

"No..." She said hiding her eyes again and gasping. "But I think you are."

The poison dragon gave a deep chuckle that sounded almost like a shuttered gasp. "Last time I cried Brain had shot my through the shoulder..."

"I remember that..." Natsu sighed.

"Yeah... Thanks for kicking his ass by the way." Cobra said bumping her with his shoulder and smiling at her. "He was a big ass hole."

"I bet. Betraying your friends like that."

"Eeehhhhh." Cobra sneered. "I wouldn't call him my friend... More like that stupid uncle who's always ordering you around."

"Sounds like Laxus." The pinkette laughed to herself.

"Who's Laxus?"

"Just another dragon slayer that's all."

Cobra blinked. He might have met this "Laxus" if he had been in the prison with them.

"Thanks for cooking dinner." Natsu said, giving him a warm smile. "It was delicious."

Cobra smirked back, showing of his long canines. "Anytime. I like cooking." He sat up from leaning in the counter and stretched. "Ohhh. I'm tired now... Help me clean up?"

"Sure!" Natsu grabbed random spices and started shoving them where she thought they belonged. Cobra laughed to himself and put the kid on his curry before moving it into the fridge. He'd tell her tomorrow that the spices went in the other cabinet. Natsu put the dishes in the sink and Cobra cleaned up the counters. Once everything was spick and span they made their way up the stairs and into their room. On the way up though Natsu suddenly spoke up.

"You asked what it's like to be a woman now."

Cobra stopped and looked at her, mildly surprised she even remembered he asked her that question.

"It's... Different. Definitely something I need to adjust to... And it might take a while."

Cobra almost smiled. "I see."

"I will grow my hair out though." She tugged on the short locks she had and pouted. "I've never had it long before..."

Cobra was making his way up the stairs again. "I like women with long hair."

Natsu's eyes widened and she stared at his back. He cast her a smirk as he reached the last step and turned into their shared bedroom.