Author's Note: Truth be told, I was going to make this story one big chapter, but I decided that I kind of wanted to publish what I had and simply broke into chapters. Mostly to see if people will even like what I write.
Reference:
Talking - "Quotations"
Thinking - 'Contractions'
Flashback - Italics
Spells, Important people or objects - Bold
A Return Worth Waiting For
Chapter 2:
The streets of Magnolia were quite empty despite it being rather late in the morning, around 10 am last she checked. Despite so, Erza quietly giggled to herself as to how her guild mates will react to the contrast of her personality of before and after she left.
Quickly drawn from her thoughts, Erza swore she heard a voice that she remembered, yet seemed deeper than she remembered.
"HAPPY! Give me back that fish! I caught it fair and square!" Erza quickly covered her face with the cloak she wore, now remembering who the voice belonged to. It was Natsu chasing his best friend which was a blue furred flying cat.
"But I didn't catch one and you woul-*splat*" Happy made the fatal mistake of looking back at the wrong moment, smashing right into Erza despite her attempts to remain out of the way and inconspicuous under her cloak.
'There goes my surprising him.' Erza sullenly thought as she knelt down. "You ok?"
"A-aye sir!" The cat with stars in his head slowly replied.
"Damn it Happy! Give me that fish back!" Natsu yelled before he saw his blue haired friend on the ground with a cloaked figure kneeling next to him with the fish in the person's hand.
"Get away from Happy and give me that fish back!" Natsu angrily yelled charging the cloaked person igniting his magic. "FIRE DRAGONS…."
Erza, despite her change, still retained much of her old qualities, and instantly reacted with an elbow to Natsu's face, effectively stopping him and his attack in mid air. "You never change do you?" Erza said with a small smile on her face.
Natsu could have sworn he knew the owner of this voice but his mind was clouded by his annoyance of easily being brought to the ground by this unknown person. He jumped up and tried again to attack the person. Erza expertly dodged the attack, but the damage was already done. Her hair was spilling out of the hood she wore to hide her appearance from her teammates.
Natsu's eyes widened when he saw the hair, and slowly pieced everything together. The voice, the armor on the arm used to elbow him, the scarlet red hair. "Are you….E-E-Erza?!" Natsu stuttered.
Seeing her cover was blown, she slowly grabbed the hood and pulled it down, revealing her face to her teammate. "Yes. " She replied smiling.
Before Natsu could fully process this information, he was tackled into a hug by the scarlet haired woman. "I'm so glad to be back;" Erza said, enjoying that she was reunited with one of her childhood friends, "and this time, I'm not leaving again."
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"Natsu, can you do something for me?" Erza said as she and Natsu (Happy was left forgotten on the ground) were walking down the street; Erza, once again wearing the hood to cover her face.
"Sure thing Erza!" Natsu exclaimed happily, prepared to do almost anything for his family.
"Shhh! Keep it down! I want to keep the fact that I'm back a surprise until I get to the guild. I want to see everyone's reactions. As well as punish them if I catch them doing anything bad." Erza muttered the last part so Natsu wouldn't hear, "So anyways, go to the guild first and try to act like you have since I left and I'll be there shortly afterwards."
"I was just going to recommend just barging in there with you, but okay." Natsu shrugged. He may not be the smartest person, but he knew not to make Erza mad. Oh how he didn't know some of the changes she went through.
"Thanks you so much!" Erza excitedly cheered and went off in a different direction to wait for Natsu to enter the guild then go in shortly after him.
'Odd, she seems more…girly than I last remember. Ah well.' Natsu thought as he started to venture towards the guild until he realized he forgot Happy.
"Gah! HAPPY! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Natsu rushed off to find his friend while Erza, not so far away giggled at his antics.
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It was around noon in the guild hall. It was as typical as a normal day would get despite one thing. Natsu and Gray weren't fighting. Natsu knew that soon, Erza would come in and didn't want to get pummeled into mush despite his high temptation to start a round of violence with Gray.
The guilds waitress and bartender, a young white haired beauty, was idly cleaning glasses while serving drinks and food to her customers until she called out to a certain rose haired mage.
"Natsu! Your food's done!" the bartender called out to him, setting down a plate of meat engulfed in fire.
Natsu drooled before rushing to gulp it all down. "Thank Mira!" He said, happily chomping down the food at an inhuman rate. At around the same time, the guild doors opened up revealing Erza clad in a cloak, covering her face. Everyone looked up and stared but Natsu, as he expected this, and even if he did not, he recognized the smell.
Gray, still annoyed at Natsu's attempts to dissuade a fight with him promptly greeted "Who the hell are you!?" without thinking much of who was behind the disguise.
Erza just stood there and laughed to herself, which Gray took as an insult and immediately rushed her.
'Why does this seem familiar?' Erza thought idly as she dodged Grays punch. 'Ah yes, Natsu. Let's try to keep the hood this time' she continued her thoughts as she jumped over a sweeping kick.
Gray now infuriated at how his 'opponent' was toying with him activated his magic. "Ice make: Hammer!" He yelled and brought down the hammer onto Erza, with the area erupting in smoke.
As the smoke cleared, the guild watched as it revealed Gray out cold with a few minor cuts and major bruises and the remnants of a sliced up ice hammer lying around with a still cloaked Erza standing over him holding her sword.
"You know. In my travels, I found it more troublesome to announce the attack and magic you're using against an enemy; especially if said enemy has the capabilities to both comprehend and react to what you say before you can land the attack." She harshly said as she sent her sword back into its pocket dimension. Some of the smoke still blowing away with the cloak moving enough to reveal some of the armor she wore.
The entire guild stared at disbelief as this now identified cloaked female single handedly took down Gray, one of their stronger mages, with ease.
"Oh my!" Mira covered her mouth at the destruction that happened so fast, and the fact that Gray was already down.
Natsu, long done with his food, looked over; growing tired of Erza's games and hollered, "Okay Erza! We get it, you're back!"
Erza just frowned and pouted "Natsu! You're no fun!" She said while crossing her arms over her chest.
"EHH!?" The whole guild went wide eye and froze at not only Erza being back, but the fact that Natsu knew who she was already.
Erza deciding the cloak was no longer necessary discarded it, letting the whole guild look upon her. Natsu simply got up and waved his hand in front of numerous guild members, not getting a single reaction out of any of them.
"It looks like they are either very shocked or very scared." Natsu took note.
"I'm willing to say a bit of both." Erza added. "As it seems they won't be responding anytime soon, want to go get something to eat and catch up?" She offered with a hint of excitement.
"Alright! You pay! I'm ALL FIRED UP!" Natsu declared and ran full blast out of the guildhall despite not knowing where to go eat at.
Erza not noticing Natsu's vigor failed to see him leaving already "Eh!? Natsu wait up!" and chased after him. Unknown to them, a lone two people watched this play out.
"It would seem those two are particularly different around each other." Mira said to the small person sitting on the bar counter
"No. Natsu is the same. It's Erza who's acting different. That year away must have done something to her. She seems more open and carefree." The small old man stated
"Isn't that good master? She was always so confined by what other people thought of her and so strictly set to the rules. It's good to see her opening up to other people." Mira replied
"I guess so. Either way, it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Now, may I have another drink?" 'Master' asked.
And there we go. Feel free to leave a comment if you wish. I am open to suggestions, but no guarantees on whether or not I use them.