10Hello, people. Nightlingbolt here. I really haven't come up with a title for this story yet, and honestly, I'm not too sure about it myself. All I know is, I wrote this with the intent to make a Natsu x Kagura fic, but I just couldn't bring myself to put Erza with Jellal (what do you think Jellal's giving up for that favor, by the by?), so it became... well... this.
Hell, the only reason I'm posting this is to let my followers know I'm alive. I wasn't in the Marathon area, but my parents were. Fortunately, they stayed out of the chaos. So if you feel like this is incomplete, I wouldn't blame you for an instant.
I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.
Good news: Fairy Tail won the Grand Magic Games.
Better news: We pretty much averted the end of the world.
Debatedly better news (at least according to Mira): Guild members are starting to hook up.
There were some obvious couples, mainly Elfman and Evergreen, along with Gray and Juvia, not to mention Gajeel and Levy. And then there were the stranger couples, like Fried and Laxus - not that gays are strange, just... I dunno, I thought Laxus liked girls. Guess Fried's the exception, huh? Though he is kinda girly in a couple ways... Whatever!
One of those weird couples: Lisanna and Bixlow. Apparently, they've been getting friendly during the Games. I should be more upset than I am, but strangely, I'm at peace with the news. Meh, as long as she's with a trusted nakama, I guess I'm happy.
It's more than I can say for the guy Lucy's seeing, though.
Once the whole Dragon mess was settled, Lucy confronted Rogue. The past Rogue, I mean. The one I fought with the other guy. The guy who laughed at her (the other guy, I mean). Well, anyway, she made peace with him, and our guilds did the same, though mostly out of good sportsmanship. Flash forward three months, and they're dating all of a sudden. I hear Rogue really let that Minerva bitch have it.
…That sounded a lot less misogynistic in my head. Also, I'm impressed I know that word.
Anyway, I know it's stupid to judge our Rogue based on the actions of his future self, but I'm still kind of scared for Lucy. I mean, for crying out loud, she's my best friend! I don't want Rogue killing her for some bullshit reason. For now, though, Gajeel's vouching for him, so I guess I'll trust him until I got a reason not to.
At least I'm not alone, though. Loke forces his gate open if he even thinks Rogue's gonna try something – which is pretty much any time he's not on a date. Gray usually shoots an icicle past him, and Erza gives him the evil eye. Still, part of me wants to believe that Rogue is gonna stay a good guy (despite his stuck-up guild). After all, the biggest sin is not being able to believe in anyone.
Man, that phrase takes me back.
I said that to Zero about Jellal, and now where is he? Fighting dark guilds and hiding from the council, leaving Erza to worry about him. Now, I like Jellal, and I think he's a decent guy. Still, I don't see why he has to keep giving Erza the runaround. Especially when Erza drowns her worries in cake every time she hears news about Crime Sorciere.
Eh, no sense trying to understand the human heart, I guess. Erza gave me space when Lisanna disappeared, so all I can do is keep a safe distance. Still, at least with Lisanna, I had some closure in her being "dead," so I was able to move on with my life. Erza doesn't have that closure, though. She lives each day worrying about Jellal, and it breaks my heart. She's lost him once already, and I don't think I can watch her lose him again.
"Arrrrgh! It's just so frustrating!"
"What's frustrating?" asked Mira.
"Shit, did I say that out loud?" I asked.
"You did," replied Mira. "So what's so frustrating that you felt the need to slam a hole into my bar?"
"Erza," I said without a second thought.
"Erza?" Mira repeated with obvious glee. "What about Erza?"
Fuck, I can't let Mira know what I was thinking about Erza! Knowing her, she'll think I like her!
"No matter what strategy I come up with to beat her, I think of ways she can counter it!" I say quickly.
Mira looked at me blankly. "Natsu... the only real strategy I've ever seen you use against Erza is to charge her with a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist," she said. "Now tell me what's really bothering you."
Damn it, she's giving me that look! You know the one, the really scary one when she gets mad. I sighed and spilled my guts about Jellal and Erza.
"I see," said Mira when I was done. "You're worried that Erza's concern over Jellal is self-destructive."
"More or less," I replied.
Mira smiled. She told me to come closer, and I did.
"Erza once told me that whenever she feels hopeless, she thinks about you," she whispered.
"M-m-me?" I asked, feeling my face heat up.
"Yup!" said Mira. "She looks back on all the times you challenged her and remembers that you got a little bit stronger every time, and suddenly, she's motivated to put her doubts behind and fire herself up again!"
I felt myself grinning like an idiot. Erza really thinks that about me!
"I thought you might like that," said Mira with a smile.
I heard the guild doors open, and there stood Erza, tall, proud, beautiful... wait, when did I start thinking Erza was beautiful?!
"Erza!" I called, happy to see her.
Erza smiled. "Hello, Natsu," she said, sitting down at the bar.
"So how was the mission?" asked Mira.
"The client was an absolute pig!" said Erza angrily. "Even if he was an old friend of Master, I just couldn't stop myself from giving him what for! And he even gave me double the reward just because I hit him! Who does that?!"
"Sounds like the old man needs to get less perverted friends," I said.
"Indeed," agreed Erza. "It's nice to come home to someone who makes sense." She hugged my head to her chest, and with that armor on, it freakin' hurt! But it was a good kind of hurt, ya know?
"Well, I'll leave you two alone," said Mira. She gave me a brief wink, which Erza didn't seem to notice.
Damn, here I go blushing again. Why am I blushing?! I don't wanna blush!
"Hey," said Erza. "Did you want to go somewhere for lunch or something? Because I kind of don't want to face Master yet."
I flinched. "You mean... just us?" I asked.
"Why? What are the others up to?" Erza wanted to know.
"Juvia dragged Gray on a date, Rogue's in town, meaning Lucy's spending the day with him, and Wendy went on a mission for the day," I explained.
"Hmm," said Erza. "Well, that shouldn't really make a difference. We can have a good time without them, can't we?" Again, she pulled me in for a hug, slamming my head on her chestplate.
Erza started to drag me out of the guild, but we heard someone calling her name, and we looked down to see the old man staring at us with a stern look.
"Mira told me you just got back," Gramps said.
"Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Mira," Erza muttered. To the old man, she said, "Yes. Sorry, Master. I needed a moment to myself to decompress."
"I can tell when you're lying to me, Erza," said Gramps. "Mind telling me why you attacked Salveo?"
Erza stiffened, her grip tightening around me. "Unfortunately, Salveo-san was a little... fresh... with me."
"Define 'fresh,'" said Gramps.
"He flirted with me nearly the whole time I was guarding him," said Erza. "About halfway through, he grabbed my ass, and I punched him in the face. He even doubled my pay for my trouble.
Gramp's face was neutral. "I see..." he said.
Erza let me go and bowed to the old man. "Forgive me, Master!" she said. "I have embarrassed you to a friend of yours! I eagerly await my punishment!"
"You know what?" said Gramps. "I don't care."
"What?" asked Erza.
"Salveo contacted me," Gramps explained. "He 'accidentally' groped my wife once, so I had every reason to turn him away. I should never have sent you, Erza. He requested an S-Class mage, Laxus and Gildartz were away, and Mira is retired, so you were my only option."
"You should have said no," said Erza dully, having recomposed herself.
"I should have," agreed Gramps. "But I knew you were capable of protecting yourself. We're just lucky he isn't too bright."
"Gramps, don't even start on that line of thinking," I said, upset at what the old man was implying. He nodded in reply, apologizing for his thoughts.
"So, where are you kids off to together?" Gramps asked.
"We were just going to grab a bite to eat," said Erza.
"Really?" asked the old man. "You know Mira would have made you something, right?"
"Erza didn't want to risk facing you," I said, getting an armored fist in my head for my trouble.
"You should join us, Master," said Erza.
"I think I'll pass," said Gramps. "Lots of work to do. And besides, I'd just feel like a third wheel."
"What does that mean?" asked a confused Erza.
"So modest," said Gramps. "Natsu, hold out your hand."
I did, and he slipped something into it. "These aren't to be used lightly, boy," he said seriously.
"Oooookay?" I said as I closed my fist around his gift, just as confused as Erza.
"Well, I'm off! Have fun, you two!" said Gramps. "But not too much fun! Ohohohohohoho!" He ran off kind of quickly.
"What did he give you?" asked Erza. I opened my hand, and to my rage and embarrassment, there were half a dozen condoms.
"That old pervert!" I yelled, the condoms burning in my fist.
Great. Now this lunch just got awkward!
Yeah. I didn't really know how to end this.
I'm probably not gonna continue this, considering I still have DTKTS and Natsu's Diary to worry about. I promise I'll get to work on those soon! But seriously, now more than ever, in the face of a tragedy that hit the closest to home I pray to God any tragedy ever will, peace and love from Nightlingbolt.
