Guys... we seriously need to talk. Regarding last chapter, there was no way Arashi could have been THE Igneel. While I'm not 100% sure dragons can take a human form, there was no way Igneel would do that. He's been portrayed as adamant in the belief that dragons are not to interfere in human affairs, which regrettably includes his son and his girlfriend/wife/fiance. Also, if Arashi was Natsu's biological father, why would Natsu say he smelled Igneel? Only one person (Moonless Eclipse) got it right. Arashi is, in fact, my version of Edo-Igneel. I say my version, because I don't know if he will be introduced in the actual manga.

But anyway, today's letter is U for Umbrella. Let's get right to it, since I wasted all my talking time explaining Arashi.

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

It was a rainy day at the Fairy Tail Guild. Rain meant different things to the different members, but one thing it meant to everyone was staying indoors, and subsequently, boredom.

Erza was used to the rain. Even in the worst weather, the Tower of Heaven slaves were worked mercilessly. If you couldn't work, you were killed and replaced with someone who could, no questions asked. She had worked through the rain, the cold, and any impending sicknesses they brought. So as you can imagine, she had one hell of an immune system.

Still, if she were to go out in this weather, Master would worry about her. It was the same with the other guild members, so she took it upon herself to make sure everyone was present and accounted for during rain.

"Gray!" she called out.

"Here!" said the ice mage.

"Cana!"

"Here..." said the eternally depressed card mage.

"Elfman, Mira, and Lisanna!"

"We're all here, Erza!" said Mira impatiently "Geez, don't have a heart attack! Or rather, do, because with you gone, I'm the strongest girl in Fairy Tail!" The Demon laughed like a crazy person at that.

"You-!" Erza made to attack her rival, but was held back by Laxus's strong hand.

"Take a pill, Erza. She's obviously trying to get you going," said the disinterested lightning mage.

"The boy's right, Erza!" said the voice of Master Makarov. "Mira-chan doesn't mean anything by it, does she?" He cast a glance at the eldest Strauss sibling, who trembled where she stood.

"N-no, Master," she said weakly.

Makarov laughed. "See? All in good fun!" he said. "Now then, is everyone here?" He activated his Titan magic, growing himself taller as to obtain a better view of the guild hall. "Everyone seems to be here, except..." he frowned and restored his size.

"Where is Natsu?"

Suddenly, the guild was abuzz. Sure, there were people who didn't like the young Dragon Slayer, but no one wanted him hurt in any way.

Finally, Gray spoke up. "Natsu said something about going out to train," he said. "Dunno why, he had to know it was gonna rain today."

"And you didn't stop him?" yelled a worried Erza, causing Gray to flinch.

"I don't see what the big deal is," said Laxus. "So the idiot trains in the rain. Worst he's gonna get is a bad cold, maybe throw up a little-"

"He could get pneumonia, Laxus!" yelled a panicked Erza. "He could die!"

"Will you just relax already?" yelled Laxus right back. "He's a Dragon Slayer! He was raised by a dragon! A thousand jewels says he knows what to do if he gets caught in the rain!"

Erza was not placated. "Master, I'm going to find him!" she said to Makarov. Without another word, she Requipped into basic rain gear – a hat, a raincoat, galoshes, and an umbrella – and headed out to find her pink-haired friend.

"Is it me, or does she panic more than usual when it comes to Natsu?" said Makarov, mostly to himself.

About an hour later, Erza had gotten a dependable lead on Natsu's location. Porlyusica had been in town to obtain some apples from the local stand. She had mentioned something about Natsu training in his forest. However, the young girl dashed off towards the Eastern Forest before the healer could say much more.

Sure enough, in a clearing, there was Natsu, sitting cross-legged with the rain cascading over him, doing his best to maintain a small flame between his hands. Erza watched for a few moments, in awe at the pink-haired boy's mastery of fire.

However, the rain eventually won out, and the flame disappeared. "Damn it!" yelled Natsu. "And that was the longest I've had it going, too!" It was then he noticed Erza. Thinking he was in trouble, he instantly went into grovel mode. "Erza, whatever it was I did, I'm sorry and I promise not to do it again!" he said hastily.

Erza only blinked at him. "What are you talking about, Natsu?" she asked. "I was only looking for you because it was raining."

"Aye!" said Natsu, his demeanor much more relaxed. "And you can't spell 'training' without 'raining,' right?"

"I don't follow," said Erza.

"The mark of the Fire Dragon is flames that can endure all conditions, be it rain, snow, sandstorm, whatever," said Natsu. "The longer my flame burns, the harsher the conditions, the stronger I become. Or at least that's how Igneel put it."

"I see," said Erza. "So this is endurance training for fire mages."

"Pretty much, yeah," said Natsu. He then sneezed several times in succession.

"This is exactly what I was afraid of!" scolded Erza. "You go out training in the rain, and you start to sneeze because you're all cold and wet!"

"What, this? This is nothing!" gloated Natsu. He then sneezed on Erza's jacket, and to no one's surprise, the young girl freaked out.

"EWWWWW, GROSS!" she shrieked. "Now I'm gonna get sick from your germs, you stupid jerk!" As she said this, she kept hitting Natsu in the head with her umbrella.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Erza, stop! I'm sorry!" moaned Natsu with each repeated blow. Suddenly, Erza started sneezing as well.

"See, it's already starting! Thanks a lot, Natsu!" she huffed.

"You idiot! You're sneezing because you were out in the cold all this time looking for me!" said Natsu. He stepped close to Erza, not enough to touch, but enough that she felt uncomfortable.

"Wha-what are you doing?" said Erza nervously.

"Sharing your umbrella, of course!" said Natsu as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, do you want me to walk back to the guild without something to cover me?"

Erza hesitated. "You should've brought one for yourself, then!" she said indignantly.

"Whatever," said Natsu. "Let's go back and get Macao to make us that chicken soup we like so much!"

Whether the Dragon Slayer realized it or not, his hand gripped Erza's umbrella – and the hand holding it. And oddly enough, she didn't mind it.

She just hoped he'd think her cheeks were red from the cold.

Well... this is cute. Not my best work, but cute nonetheless.

Either way, I'm up to V, with seventeen days left before Valentine's Day! If I can't write a Valentine's themed chapter before then, I should just give up writing altogether. It will be up Valentine's Day, don't you worry about that, and from there, four letters to go! We're on the homestretch, people!

So until that wonderful day of romance where people like me hate their sad, pathetic, empty excuses for lives, peace and love from Nightlingbolt, especially love. Bye-bye, and have a wonderful seventeen days.