His arm was wrapped around the girl's shoulder. She was the one carrying them through the dense mist of the forest. He looked up into the trees. Unlike last time he ventured through, he could see the heavens. Such as the huge cloud that floated overhead and a large mountain where the tip was hidden by the clouds. Igneel's lair.

The memory of falling down the mountain side and into the beach shores resurfaced in his mind. He glanced down at the girl beside of him.

"You didn't have to follow, pipsqueak."

Natsha looked at him, puzzled, and ask, "What do you mean? Weren't you the one tracking me down?"

His head blobbed to the mountain, and her look of confusion turned into one of understanding. "Oh yeah. That." The pink haired girl paused a few seconds, "I guess instinct?" She couldn't really describe what drove her to jump in afterwards, but instinct came to mind. "You were jumping to your death, so I was, you know, trying to stop it." That was the only reason she could give, even though she mostly wanted to save her friends.

Friends.

Natsha's eyes narrowed as she thought.

Was she counting Laxus as a friend?

She didn't know why, but it felt misplaced. Maybe she thought of him as a rival, like Gray and Gajeel, or even someone to pass, such as Gildarts. But even thought felt wrong in her mind.

His voice startled her from her thoughts. Her head jerked up, "What?"

With a raised eyebrow, he repeated, "By jumping in after?"

She started to nod, "Yea-Hey!"

Laxus only blinked.

"Why are you asking weird questions?" She halted in her path and looked into his orange eyes. "And, that reminds me. Why were you tracking me down?"

His head turned away from her, and said, "You disappeared without a trace. The whole guild was searching you. And the old man sent me out." Most of it was the truth except the last part. He was the one who left them without a word to find her.

Laxus licked his lips. Freed was right in his guess work. Too bad Freed waited until now to think of visiting other countries, or else Natsha would have found her father years ago. Then again, it would have meant the Pinky would be gone from their – his - life.

Natsha didn't have any doubts about his answer. "Where…are we anyways?"

The name escaped his mind. "Somewhere south. We have to go through Minstrel to get back."

"We are that far away?!"

He nodded.

"That going to take forever then."

A smirk crept onto his face as he uttered these next words. "Get ready for trains and boats." He knew both of them would be edgy over that fact. Luckily, only Mirajane and the Thunder God Tribe knew of his motion sickness, but now Natsha will know.

Natsha groaned in distaste at the mention of transportation. This was the moment she wished Happy would pop his head from behind the tree and say, "For a fish, I will!"

And seeing as it was only Laxus who found her, she didn't question where Happy was. She only assumed her Furball was with Team Natsha, looking for her, or at the guild moping with a fish in his mouth.

At the moment, Happy's location was left unanswered. For better or for worst.

The more they walked through the endless mist, the more the skies began to darken above them. When they reached their resting point, the pink haired girl lowered him onto the ground, with his injured back touching the bark. He didn't allow the pain to show on his face, and withstood it.

Natsha felt around the area for any dangers, but they were only surrounded by trees. And started collecting firewood as if Erza commanded her to do so. The wood was piled against each other and she split out a fireball onto it. Within seconds, the small pile of wood began burning, and the smoke ascended into the fog. She grumbled under her breath, wishing this wasn't her fire so she could consume some of it.

"We don't have any food," the Lighting Dragon Slayer uttered.

"Don't remind me," she stuck out her tongue, sulking.

And then silence until Laxus spoke up once more. "I have a bedroll."

She looked up from the orange flames, and into his amber eyes. "Where?"

"I had two, but I lost my bag." He gave a small shrug, "We used Bisca's magic and stored some supplies."

Her eyes narrowed in puzzlement. "We?"

"Thunder God Tribe." And before she could ask, he answered, "They are near the border." Or at least he hoped so. Natsha nodded to his answer and lay back against her own tree. And, in seconds, Laxus pulled out a bedroll and tossed it to her.

She rolled it back. "I don't need it. Remember, I can create heat."

"Doesn't matter," he stated firmly, "We are in the middle of the forest without protection. I'm going to keep guard while you rest."

"No, you're the one injured. What are you going to do if a beast appeared? Toss a pillow at him?"

"Just a few burns won't keep me down, Pipsqueak. Go to sleep already."

His eyes glared into the flames. He already set his mind on this matter.

But Natsha is as stubborn as a llama.

She crossed her legs and leaned back, with her arms behind her head. She chose a tree that was only two feet away from the blonde's. The bedroll was rolled between the two of them, as if she was making a statement. The man only lay against the tree and stared at her. He was ready to argue with her, but his lips stayed shut. If this was how she wanted to be, let her.

Through the night, their eyes narrowed as drowsiness took hold of them. The flames slowly burnt out and the two snored.

Neither knew how, but somehow the bedroll was behind them, with her head laying on his harden chest. And neither questioned it.

…

The duo stepped out of the forest and into the waves of people. Everyone rushed pass them, without a second thought. Their shoulders were bumped against, and people in front of them randomly stopped in their tracks.

The shopkeepers yelled out their products into the waves of people, yet neither one of them dared to purchase. Until the girl spotted a slice of steak sizzling on an oven top. The smell stuffed their noses and she drooled.

"I'm gonna have to pay, aren't I?"

Natsha already ran off to the stall and he trailed behind with a limp. As soon as they gotten to the wooden stand, he leaned against it. She pointed to several different items, and then he ordered and paid.

As the two walked away, he started unwrap it. "Now you are in debt," Laxus said as he took the first bite out of his.

"Eh?"

"Five lapdances," he marched forward.

"EH?!"

"The boat isn't going to wait forever. If we have to get the next one…"

She caught up to him, "What do y-"

"Nine lap dances."

"LAXUS!"

TBC

Alright, sorry for the short chapter. There's just not much left to write, so next chapter…may be the last chapter.

rinpup14: Heh, that's right

Danizinhachan: It's alright. I'm in 11th, so I'm only a year behind ya. I've finally talked to my counselor and I'm getting things straighten out. And I bet you loved this chapter, since it was mostly fluff. And...you lost me right there. I can tell ya loved this chapter.

darkhuntressxir: I was about to have it where the mermaids saved them, or the village that vanished (a story told in the eariler chapters) found them, but I thought this would much better way. Well, they both saved each other (Laxus took the impact and turned her back, but Natsha made the way down safer (so they wouldn't have died))

XFireDevil23: He hasn't even admit it when Evergreen was annoying him, so I don't think confessing to Natsha is on his list.

THANKS FOR REVIEWING AND READING EVERYONE! THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR GUYS SUPPORT SO FAR!