Sorry for the delay! Like I've said before, life has been a little hectic and busy these last few days, and I've barely had a chance to write, as a result. While things are still going a bit haywire - I will try to get back into a consistent writing schedule! I doubt I'll be back to daily updates, but I will try to at least keep things on a consistent scheduled pattern, especially since I do want to progress with the story. Thank you all for your understanding!

"Dialogue"

"Thoughts"

Magic

As the duo continued their trek towards Gracia, well into their journey back to Mermaid Heel - Mira would find herself pondering as to why Natsu let Conway go. "I understand why Natsu believed he wouldn't attack us, but…" Mira paused her thoughts, instead deciding to speak up, and ask the pink-haired man herself. "Hey, Natsu." Mira said softly, her head still resting on Natsu's shoulder, in their piggyback ride.

"Yeah Mira? What's up?" Natsu asked casually, his eyes darting to the side, to make eye contact with the white haired woman.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to let him go?" She asked quietly, not wanting Natsu to think she doubted his judgment - even if that's what she was doing.

"Nah, it was a terrible idea." Natsu responded casually.

"Then why did you!?" Mira asked, with an incredulous look, as she listened to the dragonslayer's response.

"It was a strategic decision on my part." Natsu said. "I could've taken him, I have no doubt about that. But you were about ready to collapse, and he was well aware of that." Natsu explained calmly, as he went back to looking towards the path ahead of them.

"So… you let him go, so I wouldn't get hurt?" Mira asked, a hint of annoyance to her voice, at being looked down on in such a way. Despite that, however, she couldn't help but smile softly, at Natsu's consideration of her safety.

"Basically. Though it'll also aid me, in the future. I'm leaving, in a bit less than a week, to go pay that King guy a visit." Natsu explained.

"How is that going to help you, then!? Surely they'll just be extra cautious!" Mira protested, with a worried look.

"They will be." Natsu agreed, with a nod of his head.

"Then how will it be helpful?!" Mira asked, her tone laced with worry.

"They'll underestimate me. Conway will probably tell King that I don't have it in me to kill. They'll be wrong about that." Natsu stated, with a grave, serious tone.

Hearing Natsu say this immediately caused Mira to go quiet, as she nodded her head. "That expression.. it's just like before.." Mira thought, thinking back to when Natsu first took off Conway's hand, and gave him such a cold expression.

The two continued their travel in an almost eerie silence, Mira not really knowing what to say, for a few minutes.

"So… Who's going with you?" She finally asked, desperate to break the awkward silence that lingered in the air.

"No one. I'm going by myself." Natsu said, simply.

"WHAT!?" Mira suddenly shouted.

Natsu immediately stopped moving, as his face cringed noticeably from the woman's outburst, as she shouted right into his ear, basically. "Shit..! Mira - careful of the ears.." Natsu groaned, as his pace continued once more.

"Sorry.." Mira softly muttered, embarrassed. "But you can't be serious, right? That sounds stupid - what if there's people stronger than Conway there?" She asked.

"There is." Natsu responded, as his mind was flashed with images of a certain dark tanned skin dragon slayer. "A former member of the Oracion Seis is currently working under King, after he was broken out of prison." Natsu explained.

"That's even more reason to not go alone!" Mira exclaimed, once again. "I'm sure if you talked to the Master, she'd be willing to send assistance - Kagura would be more than willing, myself as well!" Mira urged, with even more worry than she originally realized.

"Definitely not." Natsu responded, adamantly. "I prefer to work alone. It's easier, that way - less life for me to worry about." Natsu responded, with a shake of his head. "Besides. The council put out an official request to the Fairy Tail guild, as well. So I'm sure I'll be getting unwanted backup, regardless." Natsu muttered, with a sigh.

"Fairy Tail?" Mira asked, curiously. Though after a moment, she'd simply scoff, with a look of annoyance, as her arms tightened a bit more around Natsu's body. "It's always them…" she muttered, softly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Natsu asked curiously, as they kept walking.

"Can you… can we stop, for a minute?" Mira asked gently.

Hearing the woman's tone of voice, Natsu would nod his head in understanding. He'd look around a bit, spotting a large tree with ample amounts of shade of to the right of them, after a few moments of searching. Making his way there, he'd slowly lower Mira to the ground, careful so as to not drop or hurt her in the process as he did so. After sitting the white-haired woman against the tree, Natsu would sit down next to her, with a comfortable amount of distance between the two of them.

"What's wrong, Mira?" He asked softly, trying to not pressure her too much.

"How come it's always Fairy Tail who gets the special council assignments? How come they're the guild that always gets the chance to shine? We could do it - Mermaid Heel, I mean… Hell, we weren't even invited to be part of the raid on the Oracion Seis!" Mira exclaimed, her voice growing louder and more frustrated with each passing second.

Natsu would quietly listen to Mira and her miniature outburst, nodding his head in realization and understanding.

"You want a chance to prove yourself?" Natsu asked.

"Mhm." Mira nodded, as she leaned against the tree, and looked to the sky. "Our guild is well-known locally, but that's about it. Outside of Gracia and the neighboring towns and cities - we're simply known as the guild that's exclusive to women. It's so.. annoying." She finished weakly, still just staring up to the sky.

Natsu only stared at his friend, with an almost sad look. Though after a few moments he'd instead choose to follow her gaze, looking up to the sky as he did. "I don't think that's so bad. People may not know it yet, but your guild is full of powerful mages. Just wait until the Grand Magic Games - you'll all prove yourselves, there." Natsu said, with a slight smile, which quickly turned into an annoyed frown. "Besides, it's not like the council sends all these requests to Fairy Tail cause they like them. The council and Fairy Tail have always had bad blood." Natsu explained, as he ran a hand through his hair.

Mira listened with rapt attention to what Natsu had to say. He was right, she knew it so - yet it did little in terms of offering reassurance to the white-haired mage. But the last portion did catch her by surprise. "Why? Ultear mentioned the same thing in the past - why does the council hate the strongest guild in Fiore?" Mira asked, confusion evident on her face.

"Because Fairy Tail is destructive. Their master, Makarov Dreyar - he's incredibly strong, wise, and influential. He believes that a mage can't grow and blossom into their strongest self if they hold back. As such - his mages usually always go overboard on missions, which tends to cause lots of destruction." Natsu explained, with a sweatdrop.

Mira stared at him with a shocked expression, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. "That's… that's it?" She finally asked, as she regained composure. "They cause some extra damage - and they're absolutely despised by the council?" Mira asked, utterly perplexed.

"Basically. It doesn't help that the people look up to Fairy Tail with so much admiration - which makes the council's control over the public harder to maintain. Honestly? The council just needs one mistake from Fairy Tail, and then they're disbanded for good. Hence all the incredibly dangerous quests they get." Natsu finished, with a small smile, and a shake of his head.

"I see… Natsu, you speak like you know Makarov - do you? Have you been to Fairy Tail before?" Mira asked, with a hint of curiosity - though Natsu could see something else behind those eyes, something that looked almost like…hope?

"Mm, yeah. It was after the Oracion Seis incident - I ended up at their guild, for a little bit. A very lovely group of people, to say the least." Natsu said, with a small sweatdrop at the memory.

Next thing Natsu knew, he felt himself pushed down onto his back, staring up at the wide eyes of the white-haired beauty who was practically clinging onto him, staring the dragonslayer in the eyes as she did. "Wo-woah, Mira!" Natsu exclaimed, with a small blush on his face. Though his blush was soon quickly wiped away, as he realized the look in Mira's eyes. She looked worried, panicked… yet seemingly hopeful.

"Lis… man… OKAY!?" Mira choked out, her words coming out fast and loud, in quick succession, making it hard for Natsu to understand properly.

"huh- wha- who-?! MIRA!" Natsu suddenly shouted, raising his voice more than he usually likes to do. Though it seemed to have done the trick, as Mira quickly calmed down, no longer firing out unintelligible noises, as Natsu got the chance to answer her. "Mira, Calm down! You're speaking too fast - what about who?" He said, his tone a bit firm at the beginning, before smoothing out to a much more confused one.

Upon realizing her embarrassing actions, as well as the rather provocative position she forced Natsu in, Mira would immediately try her best to backpedal, getting off of the pink-haired man's chest, and body in general, and moving back towards her original spot, with a crimson hue on her face - enough to match Erza's hair. "Sorry..!" She said embarrassedly, as she hid her face in her hands, for a minute; mumbling incoherently.

Natsu would shake his head in utter confusion, not understanding why Mira was going through so many mold shifts, so quickly. Getting up and off of his back, Natsu would sit criss cross where he was, looking at Mira, with a bewildered expression. "Right… it's fine." He said slowly, unsure of what to do or say. "So… what was it you asked?" he finally asked, curiously.

Mira gulped a bit, her hands shaking noticeably, as she spoke. "When you were at Fairy Tail… did you - did you meet two mages named Elfman and Lisanna, by any chance?" Mira asked, with obvious nervousness.

"Huh? Elfman and Lisanna? I… think so. Yeah… yeah, those names are familiar - why?" Natsu asked, after he pondered in the recesses of his mind.

"Are they okay!?" Mira asked, quickly.

"Uhhh- yeah? I think so? Lisanna was the barmaid - seemed really nice.. like the only normal person there. Then Elfman - well, he was weird. Always spouting stuff about manly men and what it takes to be a real man… i tunned him out most of the time, to be honest." Natsu recalled, as he answered the white-haired woman's question.

As soon as Natsu answered her, Mira would let out a shaky sigh, her nerves seeming to calm as she stopped shaking so much. "Yeah, that sounds like Elfman…" Mira said softly, with a small smile. "Hey, look - I'm sorry, about pushing you down.." Mira started off, softly. "It's just - the other reason I hate Fairy Tail getting all these assignments is because it worries me. Elfman and Lisanna.. they're my siblings, and I worry that they'll get hurt by being there." Mira explained, with a sheepish smile.

Natsu nodded his head in understanding and reassurance, as he began to visualize Lisanna and Elfman next to Mira - having a lightbulb moment, as he recognized the resemblance. "That makes sense! Not a lot of people with hair like yours, after all." Natsu said, with a smile. "If you're worried about your siblings… how come you're not in Fairy Tail with them? Or them in Mermaid Heel? Though I guess Elfman wouldn't be allowed, now that I think about it." Natsu continued, ending his train of thought off rather quickly.

"It's.. we got in a fight, the last time we were all together." Mira explained, with a frown on her face. "It was when we first stumbled upon Mermaid Heel - I had wanted to join instantly, honestly. The guild just felt… perfect. Obviously that posed the issue of Elfman - he urged us to stay together, and continue to the Fairy Tail guild, which is where we were originally heading. I was stubborn, even more so than I currently am - and said no. Long story short, it lead to a huge argument, where I basically told him to just go, and Lisanna and I would stay - which resulted in Lisanna getting angry with me, for trying to just kick him aside - and she left with him." Mira said, her eyes downcast. "I realized pretty quick it was stupid of me - but I've just never had the strength to try and mend things with them." She finished, softly.

Natsu would listen quietly, his face blank, as Mira told her story. Once she had finished, Natsu simply pulled the woman into a hug, holding her close against his body, as he tried to reassure her.

"Wha- wha-!?" Mira stammered out, embarrassed at being pulled into the embrace, so suddenly. "Though it feels nice.." she thought to herself, as she was being hugged.

Natsu would soon let her go, breaking the hug with a sheepish smile, as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry- whenever I was upset, my friend Ophelia would just sorta hug me, until I calmed down. It was all I could think of, heh.." Natsu explained softly. "But as for Lisanna and Elfman… I don't know. They seemed happy and fine - but I barely spoke with them, if I'm being honest. All I know - all I know is that they're not hurt, or anything." Natsu said softly, with an apologetic nod.

Mira simply laughed at his honesty about not knowing what to do, a smile present on her lips as she simply shook her head a little. "Well, I'll have to thank Ophelia for teaching you so well." She teased a little, before sobering up some. "No, no, that's more than enough… just knowing they're fine - that'll hold me over." Mira said, with a small, but slightly happier, smile.

Natsu simply nodded his head, still giving his own little smile. "Yeah… well - maybe you should go talk to them? It could be helpful - I'm sure they'd understand, if you apologized. Especially Lisanna - she seemed like a reasonable girl." Natsu said, with a smile.

"Yeah.. you're probably right." Mira said, softly. "I'll… yeah, I'll talk with them. Once this whole Amalgamation fiasco is taken care of." Mira said, with a determined smile.

Natsu nodded his head encouragingly - happy that she was back to her happy go lucky self. Though what she said caught his attention. "Wait - why after the Amalgamations are taken care of?" He asked, confusedly.

"we're leaving in less than a week.. that's not enough time for me to get to Magnolia, have a meaningful reconnect, and get back - now is it?" Mira asked, as if it were simple.

"I guess not." Natsu replied, with a nod, until his eyes shot open wide. "Woah woah woah WAIT - I thought I said you weren't helping!?" Natsu exclaimed suddenly, as the weight of Mira's words hit him.

"Mhm! But I never agreed." Mira said, with a smile.

"I- you're horrible." Natsu groaned, as he shook his head and stood up. "Alright, let's get back to Gracia, you demon." He grumbled, before taking a few steps.

"Wait!" Mira called out. She'd have a slight blush on her face, as she watched Natsu turn around. "I'm still.. I'm still pretty exhausted.. Do you think you could carry me again..?" She asked with a small sheepish smile.

Hearing this, Natsu simply sighed, before nodding his head. Crouching down, he picked Mira right back up, just like he had done previously in a piggyback position, and began the walk back to Gracia. "You're lucky you're not half-bad, or else I'd leave you stranded here." Natsu scoffed, his true feelings being portrayed by the small smile tugging at his lips.

"Whatever you say, Natsu." Mira responded, with her own small smile, as she felt her heart flutter. "...I guess I'm at the age where girls usually get a boyfriend, aren't I?" Mira thought to herself, with a small blush, as she buried her head into the crook of Natsu's neck, once more.

Gracia Outskirts, Few Hours Later.

Natsu would just be reaching the crest of a small hill, looking down to see the now familiar sight of Gracia in the distance, his and Mira's journey back soon to be complete, with perfect timing - as the sun was just setting over the horizon, and the moon makes it route across the sky. "We would've been back sooner, but someone just haaaad to eat." Natsu internally grumbled, as his eyes looked back to the woman who was gently resting on his back, the rhythmic sound of her snoring filling his ear. "Oh well. I probably would've gone hungry, if she didn't say anything. Guess that's the perks of traveling with a companion." Natsu mused, with a smile. "Though she could've helped cook the boar, after I hunted it." Natsu finished, with a shake of his head.

No longer wanting to waste what precious moments of daylight was left, Natsu began to walk the remainder of the stretch to Gracia, as he was able to just barely spot the magnificently made guild hall that housed the mages of Mermaid Heel. Though as he walked, Natsu would be deep in thought about the current predicament he found himself in. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed with the Amalgamations, and King, at this point - or about what backup to take, if any. "Fairy Tail will be there, to some capacity - though I hope only Gajeel. Truth be told, I'd prefer to go on my own." Natsu thought to himself, while walking.

As if reading his thoughts, Mira would stir a little on his shoulder, her gentle and rhythmic breathing halting for a moment - worrying Natsu that he had accidentally woke the lady up. Though she quickly resumed her normal breathing, after Natsu stopped moving for a second. Though it did serve as a reminder for Natsu, that it wasn't just Fairy Tail he had to worry about.

"That's right. Mira is dead set on going… which means Ultear would know, and probably send someone else as well. Kagura and Erza would be ideal, due to their strength - but I'd still rather none of them showed up." Natsu thought to himself, once more. He'd eventually let out a soft, nearly silent, groan - unsure of what to do at this point, opting to just keep walking towards Gracia.

"I suppose I could bring Mira along… but there's Conway to worry about. His earth magic… it wasn't rudimentary - and I don't even know what his other magic was, but - " Natsu began to softly mutter to himself out loud, not even aware he was doing so.

"It's called Command." Mira said softly, as her eyes opened up, and she stared at the dragonslayer, her head still resting on his shoulder.

Natsu immediately froze in his tracks, as a small yelp exited his lips, and he jumped a little in surprise, much to the amusement of Mira.

"Glad to see even the great Natsu feels fear." Mira teased, with a little smirk.

"I'll drop you right now." Natsu retorted back, as an embarrassed blush crept up his face. Though he simply shook his head, and continued walking - Mira's words echoing in his head. "Command? Never heard of it." Natsu lamented.

"It's demonic magic. The user can speak a word, and their target, if they hear and understand it, are forced to comply. Hence why he was able to make you miss, earlier." Mira explained, to the dragonslayer.

"That makes sense… that complicates things. To think my overly sensitive ears will be my downfall." Natsu groaned.

"Hah. I'm sure you'll be fine. It's strong when catching people off-guard - but if you know about it, it'll be easy to handle. The effect only lasts for a few seconds, and If you focus magic around your ears, like a shield almost, you'll be able to resist the effects." Mira said, with a smile. "That's how I got that mean uppercut on him." She boasted, with a smug look.

Natsu simply nodded his head, a small sweatdrop forming as he watched Mira's expression change to one of arrogance and pride. "Well, thanks for letting me know." He finally said, with a kind smile.

Mira simply returned the smile, with one of her own, before sticking her face up in the air, haughtily. "Of course. Whatever would you do without me!" She exclaimed, pridefully.

"Get to Gracia before nightfall." Natsu replied, with a snicker.

Mira immediately deflated, comically so, as she continued to be held in a piggyback. Though she'd look back up, shaking her head a little as she did so. "Please. I'm the most popular female model in Fiore - any guy would be head over heels at the thought of carrying me on their back for a minute, let alone for hours!" Mira proclaimed, playfully.

"Good thing I'm not just any guy, huh?" Natsu responded, with a shake of his head.

Hearing this, Mira's smile turned much more sincere, and genuine, as a small blush crept up her cheeks. "..yeah, it is a good thing.." she softly muttered, into Natsu's neck, making her words even more muffled.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Natsu asked, as he looked back towards the girl.

"Just that you can let me down, now." Mira said, as she took her head out of the crook of Natsu's neck.

Not being one to argue with his friends when unnecessary, Natsu complied, crouching down so that way the white-haired woman could get off his back, without any difficulty. The two would then walk in amiable silence, side by side, as they approached the city. Though Natsu was the first to break his silence, as he held his hands together behind his head, casually.

"I wonder if Chelia and Wendy are still up.." he mused aloud, to himself, as they walked.

This wouldn't go unnoticed by Mira, however, as she eyed Natsu out the corner of her eyes, suspiciously. "Why does it matter if they're awake? In fact… Why is Natsu thinking about those two!? Don't tell me they're… they're…!?" Mira's face immediately lit up in a blush, as she thought about all the different possibilities that could be true. "No! Natsu isn't like that… right!? They're barely 16 and 17!" Mira suddenly realized in her head, as she quickly snapped her head to the right, eyeing down Natsu, as she spoke. "And why do you wonder that?" She asked, a bit harsher than she meant to.

"Huh? Oh, they've sorta been letting me stay with them, while I'm in town." Natsu explained cluelessly. "Wendy asked me to help train her - so I agreed to do so while I'm here. Though I'm worried she looks up to me, a little too much." Natsu continued explaining, before finishing his train of thought with a sheepish smile.

Mira would calm down immediately, realizing how much overreacted she had done, in her head. Though her gaze would turn more curious, as she spoke up again. "Why do you say that? She must not know you that well, if she looks up to you." Mira teased, as she laughed at Natsu's look of mock pain at her teasing.

Recovering from Miras insult, he would simply shake his head, with a huff. "We know each other a little. Though it's because she was there during the Oracion Seis incident - I guess she looked up to me ever since." Natsu explained, simply.

"Oh yeah, I forgot she was there… that makes sense." Mira responded, with a nod of her head, before they went back to an amiable silence.

The two would soon enough reach the doorstep of Mermaid Heel, as they finally finished their travels. Though before she entered the guild hall, Mira would turn around and give Natsu one last smile, as she looked at him.

"Thanks for carrying me back.. I really appreciate it." She said softly, with a small blush.

"No worries. Like you said, any guy would die for the chance." Natsu teased, with his own grin.

"Yeah-! Well-! Uh.. Well thanks, still!" Mira huffed, as she crossed her arms under her bosom. "Anyways… make sure not to leave without me, for Kings Citadel, M'kay? I've got to kick that Conway guys ass!" Mira explained, as a look of anger flashed in her eyes, momentarily. "Anyways, I should head inside… goodnight!" She finished, turning around and heading into the guild, before Natsu even had a chance to respond.

Natsu would shake his head, unable to respond in time before Mira went inside. Turning around, he'd begin his own much smaller journey, back to Chelia's and Wendy's home, so he'd be able to get some much needed shut-eye. "Oh well, I guess I'll convince her to not join me some other time." Natsu muttered to himself, as he walked away.

After a little bit of walking, Natsu would finally manage to reach his destination, noting the lack of lights on the inside of the house, making him assume everyone was already asleep. With this information in mind, he'd softly open up the front door, making his way inside, where he'd see a small note on the coffee table in front of the couch.

Picking the note up, Natsu would begin to read it;

Dear Natsu.

It's Chelia! I know you went to check on that big lead you had, in regards to the Amalma- Amagalma- THE REALLY WEIRD WORD THAT STARTS WITH AN A - anyways - I just wanted to write this down in case Wendy and I are sleeping, when you get back. Dinner is in the fridge - I hope you like stew!

Best Regards,

Chelia 3

PS: Ultear mentioned something about tricking you to stay longer? I don't know what that meant, but figured you would!

Natsu would softly chuckle to himself, as he read Chelia's letter. While he wasn't too hungry, he did find himself in the small kitchen, getting the stew that was prepared for him, not wanting it to go to waste. Though he couldn't help but shiver in fear, at the last part of the letter - not even wanting to know what it was Ultear had planned for him, next.