Hey Minna! Next Chapter! And hopefully I can get another one in before I leave for vacation next weekend! I'll be gone for a week and I can't bring my laptop, so I'll try to get in all the updates I need to :D

Anyway, DISCLAIMER! I don't own Fairy Tail! All those rights go to Hiro Mashima! I only own the plot and the few characters I have made up! Enjoy!

Chapter 16

A knock came on the door.

"Young Master," a timid voice called from the other side. "Your father has summoned you and Gray. He has important matters to discuss."

Natsu looked to the door from my chest. "Alright thank you," he called back, placing my shirt back in place. Just when we were about to get to the good part, it had to be ruined. Every time we did try to go further, someone would always interrupt, namely Happy. Now that I thought about it, I haven't really been seeing him too much. Where is he…?

"He probably just wants to tell us about the press conference with Lucy," Natsu said, breaking my train of thought. I focused back on Natsu and nodded.

"What exactly is a press conference?" I asked, pushing myself off the bed once he was off of me. He gave me an odd look.

"You don't know?" he asked.

"Well, kinda, though I'm not entirely sure," I told him. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Why exactly did you agree to something you didn't know?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It sounded important, so I'd thought I'd go," I told him, shrugging my shoulders. He sighed again, looking annoyed. I smirked.

"Basically a bunch of people from magazines and newspapers and other media sources are going to be there to asked questions about a certain topic, and in this case, the relationships with slaves," he explained, pulling on a more formal shirt, along with his scarf. I nodded my head slowly, letting this sink in. I was then overcome with anxiety. Apparently it must've shown on my face as Natsu's carefree expression changed to concern.

"What's with the face," he asked me, taking my shoulders. I shook my head and gave him a smile, placing my hands on top of his.

"Nothing. We should probably go, or else your father will be angry with you." I pulled his hands off of my and led him to the door. He smiled and took the lead instead.

Igneel's POV

I sat in my desk looking at the 'Sorcerer's Weekly' when a knock came on my door and Natsu's voice sounded from the other side. I set the paper down called for him to come in. Natsu entered, all bright and smiles, while the young boy, Gray, bitterly known as my son's lover, came in cautiously, seemingly not trusting his new environment.

"Before Miss Lucy left," I began before he could ask me why he was here, "she informed me that you will be attending the evening press conference with her and her slave. Has she told you?" He nodded a ghost of a smile lingering on his features, anticipation prominent in his deep eyes. His mother's eyes. The thought brought an ache to my heart, one that I pushed away quickly.

"Good. Well, I have received the information that it will be held in Crocus in the courtyard at eight tonight. It's three now, so until then, I will give you the rest of the day off to do whatever it is you wish to do." Both their faces brightened, no restraint in Gray's expression.

"Thank you otou-san! What time should we leave?" he asked, backing away to the door.

"Be sure to be nice and ready by the front door at seven thirty. You'll be taking a carriage." He groaned to that, but I ignored him. I picked up the paper and returned to my reading. I waved my hand to shoo him off. He sighed and headed to the door.

"Oh, and Natsu." He stopped. "Wear your Richard Jewels suit." I heard a crash, but I didn't look up.

"Natsu. Natsu," the young slave said. That boy. It's just a suit.

"Oh, and have Gray wear one of your suits until we can get him fitted for his own," I added, flipping the page.

"H-hai," Natsu said weakly. I rolled my eyes.

"Just carry him out of here Gray. No point in getting him to do it himself," I ordered.

"Yes sir," I heard him say, hearing a grunt afterward. I chuckled a little.

That boy, I thought to myself. What am I going to do with him? I flipped the page again and saw an article that caught my attention. Some radical resistance attempts…..

Gray's POV

"Natsu, are you alright?" I asked for the umpteenth time when I got him to his room. He was just hanging limply, as if there was no point to walking at all. Although he was heavy, it was kinda cute.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine. It's ok, I can walk now," he mumbled, steadying himself. I released him and he walked into his room. I followed after him, worried for his well being. I have never seen Natsu just…fall down like that.

"Anyway," he suddenly said, turning into his normal enthusiastic self. "Now that we have about four hours of free time, maybe we can do something a little special." I looked up to him, surprised to see a slight shade of pink dusting his cheeks. I smiled, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I went over to him and took his hands in mine, kissing his knuckles. His blush deepened as he pulled away, turning around.

"Sooooooo, town's not too far from here, so you wanna walk there and….go on a date or something?" he asked, his voice fading towards the end of his sentence. I smiled. He had a very loud personality, but when it came down to it, he can actually be really sweet and shy.

I hugged him behind and nodded. "That'd be really awesome," I said, excitement filling me. I've only been outside the plantation once, and that was to visit mistress Heartfilia. Well, if you don't count the first few years of my childhood, but that was a long time ago…..

"Great, let's go now!" he exclaimed, turning around and taking me out of the room. We ran the entire way to the door, him practically leaping for joy while I struggled to keep up. But it was fun to see his excited expression, so I didn't really mind too much.

"Shall I call the carriage for you, Nats-"a butler hurriedly began as we pushed through front doors.

"No way in hell! We're walking!" he yelled back, running even faster now. Well, we're not really walking anymore, I thought to myself as I gave up in trying to keep up with his ridiculously fast pace and just let myself fly behind him. While it was hot out, from summer's humidity, I barely felt the heat as he began to quicken his pace, the wind whistling in my hears, making it difficult to even hear myself breathe. I watched the Big House grow smaller and smaller until there was nothing left but the dirt road. Natsu still hasn't let up his pace, and my arm was starting to hurt. I tried to yell at him, but dust got in my mouth, making me cough and gag. A few seconds later, Natsu finally noticed the predicament I was in. He halted to a sudden stop and set me down gently. Then he walked over to the side of the road and sat down and sulked, a gloomy aura settling around him.

"Gomen," I heard him mutter. "I still can't go anything right." He sunk lower to the ground.

"A-actually, I was rather enjoying myself and your gung ho attitude. It's quite entertaining," I reassured him. He glanced over his shoulder, giving a distrusting, nervous look. I opened my arms and gave him a large smile. After a few moments, he relaxed and stood up. He gave a reluctant smile and came over to me.

I gave him a peck on the lips. "Lead the way," I said, motioning to the road. He nodded and took my hand.

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It took about ten minutes to get to the small village. It was lively, as people bustled about. It looked as though they were preparing for something important. I pointed this out to Natsu.

"Yea, the Fantasia festival is coming up soon," he told me with his trademark smile. "The townspeople are getting prepared for this circus that's coming to town. They're going to lead a parade then they're going to set up. Hey! Maybe we can go see it sometime soon," he exclaimed, grabbing my hand. A few passersby looked over to us and I blushed, but it seemed Natsu didn't mind. But that didn't help me relax. I tugged my hand away, earning a hurt look from him. I gave him a reassuring smile.

"That'd be fun! I've never been to a circus before," I said.

"What's wrong? Why don't you want to hold my hand?" he asked, looking away.

I guess pulling away from him hurt him more than I thought. I smiled and took his hand once more. He gave me a look off shock and suspicion, but held on nonetheless. I guess I'll just have to get used to it, I told myself.

He led me to different vendors that had already set up for the Fantasia parade. We never stayed at one stand too long unless it had something to do with food, though I wasn't too bothered by that. I was amazed by everything. Everyone looked so relaxed and happy. I wondered how they did it with the rebellion going on. I also wondered if any of them had slaves of their own. Then I shook the thought away, knowing only big Plantation owners, like the Master, had slaves. I decided to not be too bothered by the differences and enjoy my time with Natsu. I would worry about it later.

Before I knew it, time had passed quickly. Natsu informed me that it was almost seven. Sweat was trickling down my face, but I barely even noticed. I asked him how he knew that and pointed to the large clock on top of a chapel. I didn't even know how to read a clock. The thought beat me down. I know I was just beginning to read, but it was still very frustrating. Seeming to sense my tension, Natsu pulled me into a very cold ice cream parlor. He sat me at an empty table and went to order for both of us. Despite the temperature outside and inside, there was barely anyone here. It seemed everyone was immersed with the festival preparations to even mind the heat.

Meanwhile, I noticed a young woman in the corner, giving me an odd look. One I couldn't place. She settled her chin in her hand and studied me closer. I tried not to look her in the eye, to avoid causing a scene. She was quite pretty: messy long brown hair, pale features and her eyes…..holy shit! Her eyes were a vibrant purple! I looked away once again, scolding myself for looking her in the eye. Sweat was beginning to form around the back of my neck from the scrutiny and my heart picked up its pace. I could still feel her eyes burning holes into my shoulder. I silently prayed Natsu would hurry up. I looked over to him and saw the woman behind the counter batting her eyes at him, making me very angry. My heart beat faster as I saw the woman from my peripheral stand up and walk in my direction. I looked down at the table, willing her to keep on walking and not talk to me. I felt her near me and I looked over to Natsu as he happily and patiently waited for our dessert. I looked back at the table just as the woman passed by me. I closed my eyes, my heart beating even more widely. I caught a whiff of her perfume. Sunshine…..

A soft hand placed itself on my head, making me jump. "Hey Gray! I got us a vanilla shake! And I don't care how cliché it is. I used to eat these when I was a kid with dad, so I want you to try one!" Natsu exclaimed. When I look up, the woman was gone, and a smiling Natsu replaced her. He set down the glass and sat across from me, placing two straws in the drink. I took a tentative sip.

"This is really good!" I exclaimed, drinking more. Natsu laughed and started drinking some too.

"So, how are the lessons with Misaki?" he asked, a look of caution in his eyes. I looked at him, amused.

"Fine. It was a little frustrating at first, but it's starting to get a little better. Will you read with me tonight?" I asked. He nodded.

"Honestly, I was a little surprised that it was a woman. All my past tutors were lazy old men who both were only in for the money and didn't care all that much or snotty old men who thought they were so much better than me. In ways, they were, but they didn't have to rub it in my face every time I did something wrong," he said bitterly, looking out the window. His eyebrows quirked and I laughed.

"Well she's great and patient. Or at least, with me she is. She might be a devil with you, I don't know," I teased. This only made him more irritated, which I laughed at even more. I took another sip as silence passed between us. When I finished slurping the drink, he reached across the table and caressed my cheek gently. I leaned into his touch, not caring about the other people anymore. I sighed happily.

"Oh, I saw you look very uncomfortable when I was ordering our drink," he said. So he had noticed. "Were you that nervous to be alone out in public?" He gave me a concerned look. I shook my head.

"It's nothing," I replied, taking another long sip. He cocked an eyebrow drinking from his straw also. He was right. This is cliché.

"Maybe we should go back now," I told him. Our drink was almost gone and the sun was beginning to set lower in the sky, giving it a slight orange hue. Natsu nodded. He stood up and stretched. I stood up with him and followed him out of the shop, leaving our drink on the table for a waitress to pick up.

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"Hurry, or we're going to be late," Natsu yelled, pulling me behind him like he did in the beginning. I didn't mind the first one, but with a beverage in my stomach, well, let's just say it was a little unsettling.

"Natsu!" I yelled, getting dust in my mouth once again. Whether he heard me and ignored me, or just simply didn't hear me, I couldn't tell. He just burst forward, determined to get to the Plantation as fast as he could, regardless of everything around him.

We got there sooner than we got to the town. Less than seven minutes, if I looked at the sky well enough. Once he stopped in front of the large double doors, I sat right down and put my head between my legs to help my stomach settle. Natsu didn't pay me any attention until he opened the doors for me. Seeing my sad state, I heard a several bangs on the door.

"I did it again!" he yelled between hits. A few moments later, I stood up and took him to his room. We quickly changed into suits that had appeared on his bed. One looked very expensive while the other looked normal. He helped me put on my tie and we headed back to the front where a carriage awaited us.

SOoooooooo Yay! I would like to say thank you to IvoryQueen for asking for the Gratsu/Natray request! Thank you, this put a lot less stress on my mind when I came up with this chapter. I was going to push out some ideas with the press conference but this gave me even more ideas! You actually really helped me a lot so again, ARIGATOU!

As for my other readers, please feel free to put in requests whether it's for fluffy moments or other plot ideas. I am more than happy to accept them and I will put all rights and recognition to you if you wish! Anyway, review, like and if there's anything I can do better, please tell me! I want to make this the best it can be! Until next chapter, Scarlet out! Loves y'all!

Review responses:

theabridgedkuriboh: I know right. I felt bad just writing it...

x0xalexis8: I know right! I wish I had a boyfriend like him :( Or at least the boys at my school should be like him...

Pholas: I hope this was cute enough for you! XD As for Happy, he comes and goes, that's all about his character, when he pops in the most awkward moments... tehe ;D And thank you for liking my last chapter! I felt bad for making you and everyone else for waiting so long... I hope you won't have to wait as long!

skrtgrl13: I'm sorry you had to wait. But hopefully it won't be too long again :) As for the reactions, you'll just have to wait a little longer ;) I hope this was interesting too!

IvoryQueen: Again, arigatou. I know you just said to add in more Natray moments, but it's often these comments that help me the most XD As for Misaki, she's harmless, but she is important! Sorry if you don't like spoilers, but it's true. Things will get interesting with her ;)

Crystalangel554: Thanks! I hope you enjoyed this one too! :)

YaoixJoe 3: I'm happy it's enjoyable :D and that there are fans who are so into it! You make me soooooo happy! I hope this was an awesome chapter too!