Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome back to more ABCs! Today's letter is S for Strong!

I was going to post this the day after Resolve, but... I got sick Wednesday and, basically, felt like shit, so I was kind of distracted from uploading the rest of the week. Just yesterday, I had a cheeseburger, but it wasn't really that great, and I'm still very wary of meat, considering the last thing I ate beforehand was a hot dog.

But I'm not here to bum you out with my health problems, I'm here to entertain you with some sweet Natza sugar. ONWARD!

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters. Hiro Mashima does.

Night had fallen, and Erza was sitting under the stars with puffy red eyes. She and her team, along with delegates from three other guilds, had just defeated Oracion Seis, a member of the Balam Alliance, with the aid of Erza's childhood friend Jellal. But tragically, Jellal was arrested for his past crimes against the Magic Council, and so she had sought the solitude necessary to cry out her sorrows.

Her head was swimming with thoughts of the day's events, of Jellal, of Nirvana, of Oracion Seis, and to her surprise, of Natsu. Lately, the pink-haired Dragon Slayer had been invading her thoughts. She would never admit it, not even to Master Makarov, but ever since Team Natsu's vacation-turned-rescue mission, she couldn't help but look at Natsu in a more romantic light.

Looking back, she realized she'd had feelings for the Salamander from the day he joined Fairy Tail. His cheerful smile, his unmatchable stubborn streak, and his love for his guild had reminded her of her first love, Jellal, before he had changed into that unspeakable monster.

That worried her. She blamed her love for Jellal for causing her to hesitate, to not use her newfound magic to take his life before he could cause any harm. That last day on the island had all but convinced her that love was for the weak, and from the day Natsu had joined, she had vowed to befriend the Dragon Slayer, but to never love him, or for that matter, any other man.

Eventually, Natsu opened up to the guild about Igneel. From what Erza understood, he was a stern, but loving parent. Erza wanted to tell Natsu that Igneel still loved him, that the dragon would never have abandoned him unless he absolutely had to, but her own experiences with abandonment had tainted those words with the dreaded shadow of doubt. In the end, she never said them.

Despite everything, Natsu still remained the bright flame of hope that inspired their peers to never give up, never surrender. With Natsu, Erza smiled in a way that Gray, or even Makarov could. She was even the one who comforted him after Lisanna's passing, the one who convinced him that life was still worth it, that Lisanna would only want Natsu to be happy. Not long after that, Natsu was back to his usual boisterous self.

Then, the Tower happened. Erza had had Jellal at her mercy, and he had played upon her feelings for him, feelings that she thought she banished long ago, replaced with hatred. But the hatred was there as she was made into a sacrifice for Zeref. She hated Jellal for deceiving her. She hated Zeref for corrupting her first love. But most of all, she hated herself for giving in to the weakness that is love.

However, just as all seemed lost, Natsu appeared to save her. They exchanged a few words, and he knocked her out for a few minutes. When she came to, she saw Natsu fighting Jellal. In the ensuing battle, Erza noticed something. Though it was Etherion that gave Natsu the power to defeat Jellal, it was something else entirely that gave him the will to consume it. It was only when Natsu pulled Erza from the collapsing Tower, stopping her from sacrificing herself, and waking up in his surprisingly strong arms, that she realized just what drove Natsu to do what he did.

It was also the first time she admitted to herself that she had fallen in love with Natsu Dragneel.

Instinctively, she sensed the Dragon Slayer's presence. "Hey, Natsu," she said in a dull monotone.

"Okay, so you're not kicking me halfway across Fiore. That's a good sign at least," he joked.

"Why would I settle for halfway?" said Erza with a smile. Natsu always did manage to bring out the best in her.

"Why did you do that?" asked Erza suddenly.

"Do what?" said Natsu.

"Why did you fight the Rune Knights?" she clarified.

Natsu's expression turned grim. "I couldn't let them take Jellal," he said with a grunt.

"Why not? What exactly is he to you?" Erza questioned.

"He's a comrade," said Natsu. "He proved that today. But more importantly," the Dragon Slayer sighed. "He's the man that makes you happy."

Erza gave Natsu a blank stare. "That's why you risked getting yourself arrested?" she asked.

"Uhhhhh..." Natsu was not expecting this kind of reaction from Erza. "Yes?" This was met by a slap to his forehead.

"You idiot," said Erza. "Strawberry cake makes me happy, and at least that's never betrayed me." The pair shared a laugh, after which, Erza continued on a more serious note.

"Natsu... I cried today. Not because Jellal was arrested, but because I realized the Jellal I knew was truly dead. If, by some miracle, the Council does decide to free Jellal, he would never be that same boy full of hope again, replaced by a man haunted by the specters of his past atrocities. That is what breaks my heart. I can only have faith that someday, we will meet again. However, as I said, he will be a whole different person."

Natsu nodded at Erza's words. "That's the spirit, Erza," he said. "Think positive. Look towards the future. I can't speak for Jellal, but if I could, I would say that's what he wants out of you.

"As for what I want out of you, I just want you to stay that same strong and scary Erza I've known since I was a kid. And if ever you grow weak, let me be your strength. Let me fight for you when you can't fight your own battles. That's what being in Fairy Tail is all about, right?"

Erza gave a timid smile. She decided that now was the time to let her feelings show. "Natsu... have you ever thought that... maybe... we share a bond that transcends Fairy Tail?" she asked.

Natsu looked confused. "What kind of bond?" he replied.

"Well... something like... each of us being the half that makes the other whole?"

Natsu smiled. "I thought I felt that way about... Lisanna... once," he said, not noticing Erza frown at the deceased girl's name. "But in those days, I was too afraid of love, if that's what we're talking about." He laughed. "You're gonna think this is really stupid, but..."

"But?" Erza prompted.

"But I was too afraid to open my heart to love, because I didn't want to feel like I did when Igneel left," said Natsu. "That was the only thing keeping me going when she died." He laughed again, only this time without a trace of humor. "I dunno what I would've done if I admitted it."

The frown from earlier remained on Erza's face. "That doesn't really answer my question, though," she said.

"Let's just say I fought Jellal for reasons other than us being nakama," said Natsu with a grin.

Erza, however, was not satisfied. "What reasons were those?" she asked.

"Well, when Simon told me Jellal was using your feelings for him to defeat you... something clicked in my brain," said Natsu. "I realized that I didn't want to ever see you crying, for any reason. I realized I would do anything to keep you strong, scary, and most of all... happy.

"So I guess I do feel that way about you. The same I felt for Lisanna, I mean."

Erza smiled, satisfied for the first time that night. "Natsu," she said. "I want to do something with you. Something that will change our relationship forever. However, I'll only do this if you're willing."

Suddenly, Natsu became all flustered for some reason. "I... I dunno, Erza," he said. "I mean, don't you think it's too early for that? I mean... sure, we've known each other since we were kids, but shouldn't we at least... date a while before that?"

It took Erza a moment to realize what Natsu was referring to, and she punched his cheek because of it. "I didn't mean that, dumbass!" she said harshly.

"Owww... so what did you mean?" asked Natsu as he rubbed his cheek. Erza responded by cupping the Salamander's face in her hands and gazing straight into his eyes, before finally placing her lips upon his.

The kiss was unexpected, but not unpleasant. Natsu had joked about kissing Erza with Gray before, but now that she was kissing him, it felt surreal. And he found he wanted more with each passing second. He could taste Erza's strawberry lip gloss on his tongue. "Her favorite flavor," he thought. Erza's mouth opened, and he explored the inside, hungry for more.

Erza pulled away, still a little out of breath from crying earlier. "Oh. That," said Natsu. "Yeah, that makes tons more sense."

"I still can't believe you expected us to have sex!" said Erza.

Natsu flinched. "Geez, do you have to say it like that?" he said.

"You are such a virgin," huffed Erza.

"Shut up and kiss me," demanded Natsu. Erza's lips were about an inch away from his when something occurred to him. He held up a hand to stop Erza and turned around.

"Hey Jellal!" yelled Natsu. "I know you can't hear me, but I just wanna tell you I'm going to protect Erza! I'm going to keep her happy and strong, just like you used to do! More importantly, I'm going give her all the love I can, and even the love you wanted to give her! And also- ow!" Erza had thumped him before he could continue. "The hell was that for?"

"I think Jellal gets the idea," giggled Erza. She gave Natsu another kiss and said, "You should go back. I... I'm not ready for the others to know about us."

Natsu frowned at Erza's words. He wanted nothing more than to tell everyone (especially Gray) that Erza was his to love and protect. But he knew she still needed to sort out the whole Jellal thing, so he just stalked off back to camp.

Now that Erza was alone, she had time to think about her new relationship. It felt so good to give into her feelings for Natsu. And the best part was, now that she had, she felt stronger than ever.

Sometimes, it felt good to be wrong.

And here we go!

Now, I know I said I was going to work on T and U so I could get V up in time for Valentine's Day, but I haven't really been in a writing mood since getting sick, so I feel like three chapters in a month or so is a little much to ask until I get my groove back. Worst-case scenario, I have to come up with a different prompt for V so I don't look like a stoop for posting a late Valentine's Day fic. I do have a backup plan, but that all depends on how receptive my audience is to the idea of a Natsu/Erza/Lucy three-way relationship. Oh well, I may still post it as an experiment.

But for the near future, I've got chuggaaconroy's new Pokemon Emerald LP to keep my spirits up. So on that comforting note, I leave you all peace and love from Nightlingbolt.