Chapter 18

Solitary was the only companion she had requested in the moment of dead silence as she sat at one of the tables in the mini library. Her eyes were fixated on the pictures of the comic book she had found in the small library, attempting to block out the lively, yet disruptive ruckus that was taking place in the guild hall.

Moka had spent the rest of the day looking around for different books to read in the mini library. After what happened back in the guild hall just about two hours ago, Moka felt like it was impossible to head back out there without being peppered with multiple questions about her magic. To make matters worse, her guildmates were probably still chattering about it to no end. And since they probably would refuse to simply change the topic, Moka thought the only way she could avoid being questioned was to stay in hiding away from everyone else for a while, until it was time to head home.

A giggle made its way past her lips as she continued to observe the three adorable cats that were all clad in armor, carrying samurai swords. Growing up in the human world, Moka had always loved reading comic books along with manga itself. To be honest, she always preferred picture books over the ones that only had words on just about every page to the end of its book. Even though they explain every little detail that goes on in each chapter, it still didn't help her understand what was going on. It didn't matter where, how, what place it took in the book, it was still very difficult to imagine exactly what was happening within her mind. To her, picture books were easy enough for her to understand because she could see how whatever situation is occurring as she read along in the book.

Her smile widened as she turned to the next page to find one of the adorable felines battling out against one of their enemies. "This is so cute. Whoever comes up with this stuff, sure has huge a love for cats."

The young woman had finished the "Child of Light" book she had been reading day after day. There were most parts of the picture book she was not impressed with, however, overall, it was all worth reading for the ending coming out a rather happy one like she expected. Her favorite part of the story was mainly the final. What she mostly loved about the ending itself was that Aurora along with her loyal allies flew to the antagonist's castle and defeated her, putting an end to the evil queen's reign of terror once and for all. Afterward, with the help of all of her Lemurian friends, she traveled through the mirror to her world, arriving on the day of Easter Sunday and rescued all the people of the Duke's kingdom from a flood that was caused by a nearby dam bursting. Nonetheless, she was able to lead the group back safe and sound through the mirror to Lemuria.

Just as she turned the next page, the sound of footsteps made its way to where she sat. "Aha! I knew I'd found you in here."

"Hmm?" she hummed, allowing her head to follow to where the voice came from. There stood Natsu along with his little blue friend who was perched on his shoulder. "Oh, hey. What's up?" Moka greeted casually as she gave a smile towards him.

"Don't "Oh, hey. What's up" me!" he yelled comically while pointing his finger directly at her. "What the hell was that back there?"

'Hopefully, he's not here to talk about what happened earlier today. I don't wanna have to go through explaining how I use it." the girl pondered worriedly.

"Tch. Get real, would ya? It's pretty obvious why he's standing in front of you." scoffed the evil Moka.

Moka could only hope and pray that he wasn't precisely standing in front of her just to get information about her magic. Especially when her magic was not something to be taken lightly. Pretending to be confused, she tilted her head to the side. "Hmm? What do you mean, Natsu?"

Natsu only glared at her in response. "Don't you play all coy with me! You know what I'm talkin' about," he scowled. This only made Moka nervous even more. Judging from the way he approached her, she knew exactly where this conversation was leading to. "Now, tell me..." Natsu started with a menacing voice. "...what the heck's the big idea callin' me a raccoon earlier, huh?! Lemme get somethin' straight here, missy! Fire is what I like to chow down on, not outta the garbage, you got that?!" yapped the fire wizard, his demeanor changing completely as he aimed his finger at her.

Moka's hand flew its way to her mouth to suppress her laughter while Happy only goggled comically at Natsu's absurdity.

"Wow. He seems like a bigger dumbass than you." jeered her inner-self.

'I second that. You're not wrong there.' she mused, a smile tugging at her lips. 'Judging from his attitude, I thought he came here to interrogate me about my magic.'

"Oh yeah? Then that makes you just as stupid as he is." she gloated.

The pinkette's smile instantly dropped. 'Shut up!' she mentally snapped. Moka had to admit that she had thoroughly forgotten about how the people in this world differed from the ones in her own since the people of Earthland were not familiar with the Japanese language, its culture, and its community. Truth to be told, she knew little detail about Fiore's community along with its culture herself. However, from what Mirajane had explained to her a week ago, she only knew the significant details about wizards, magic, its economy, and legal and illegal guilds. Throughout her time in Magnolia, she also took great notice of the rather odd wardrobe donned by these Earthlanders. In this era of time in this world, she found that the people of this planet were clothed rather strangely. Fifty percent of people wore revealing clothes, while the other fifty percent of people wore relatively modest clothes. 'I guess it couldn't hurt to explain. Besides, it's not like he'll remember it after I tell him what it means.'

Moka shook her head at the dragon slayer's misinterpretation of the word "Kun". "No, Natsu. You've got it all wrong. It's not what you think it means. Kun is only a Japanese honorific that people use back in my world to address one another. However, it's mainly used for boys in general."

"So you were calling me that weird word, just 'cause I'm a guy, right?" inquired Natsu, raising an eyebrow while putting a hand to his chin.

"You can say that. But aside from that, it can also be used to name a close friend or a particular family member of any gender."

"Any gender?" Happy reiterated in curiosity. "So it's for girls, too?"

Moka hummed in approval. "For females, it's more of respectful honorific than the term chan which implies childlike cute-" she came to an abrupt pause when her eyes came upon a dazed and confused Natsu with his head slanted to the side, swirly-eyed. Moka's face turned into an amused, yet concerned expression towards him. "Uh...he is okay?" she asked, pointing towards him.

"Aye. He's fine." Happy answered. "Maybe all this talk about honorifics is frying whatever brain cells he has left." The little blue cat cheekily said with a snicker. Not taking too kindly to the jab, the pyromaniac delivered his small companion an evil glare.

"Hey! Just what the heck are you trying to say?! That I'm a total idiot?! That I'm a real numbskull or somethin'?!" he demanded incredulously, a tick mark emerging on the side of his skull with displeasure.

"Well, according to the jobs we've been on so far, we haven't been able to complete a single one without you unnecessarily going overboard and wrecking everything you see all the time." Happy stated matter-of-factly to the disgruntled wizard.

"Yeah, true. But we still get the job done no matter what, right?" grinned Natsu.

"Yeah, we do. But you also need to realize that sometimes you need to tone it down." Happy disputed.

Bewildered, Moka watched the interactions between the two companions in silence, not daring to make herself known in their conversation.

"Hmm. This is so rich to watch. It makes me notice something in particular." her conscience chimed in with interest.

'Hmm? Why do you say that?' pondered the pinkette.

"Even his little pet knows that he's an out-an-out dumbass." the evil Moka deadpanned.

'The words "kindness" and "compassion" don't really add up to your description, don't they?' Moka questioned dryly, shaking her head in disapproval.

"Damn right. You're correct about that one. For once, anyway." affirmed her conscience. "But I will be honest about one thing."

'Oh really? What's that?' pondered the girl as she watched both Natsu and Happy have their silly, little spat.

''That you and little pinkie over there would make a perfect couple if you two ever hook up.'' she opined dispassionately.

Moka's face instantly became flustered at the mere image of being Natsu's significant other. 'W-Wha...why...why on earth would you come up with something like that?'

"Oh, come on. You can't tell me you seriously haven't thought about it before." she responded incredulously.

Moka shook her head. Ever since the day that Makarov had informed her about there being no other way of returning to her world, getting herself involved in a physical relationship was the least of concerns. Getting romantically involved with a total stranger was the very last thing that should be on her mind. Right now, her main priority was to learn the use of her magic for self-defense and to keep her monstrous form at bay. 'No, I haven't. Please explain.'

"Ok. Well, for starters; you got the whole cutesy and bubbly persona to you, while dragon boy totally seems all jolly and hotheaded," she explained. "you both almost have the same hair color and fangs..."

'Hey, wait a minute. How do you know he has fangs?' she inwardly inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't pay attention to anything, do you?" she scowled. "Look at his mouth."

Moka did as instructed and carefully focused her orbs on the lower part of Natsu's face. She kept her eyes glued to his lips as he continued to argue with Happy. The pearly white canines barely went unmissed through the endearing smile that belonged to the dragon slayer himself. A blush only returned its way to her face as she continued to examine him. 'Oh, yeah. You're right. But...this still doesn't explain how we'll make a good couple.'

"Whoa. Hold on, there. I'm not finished." demurred evil Moka. "There are still other things I failed to mention."

'All right. Go on.'

"Okay. Sure." the conscience paused for a few seconds before speaking up. "And you're both stupid. There, I'm done." she concluded rather flatly.

Moka eyes snapped themselves shut, a tick mark appearing on her forehead. 'Oh, gee. Thanks for the compliment.' she said sardonically. 'My, you know how to make someone feel special, do you?'

"Hey, I'm just being honest, here. Besides, anyone who's reading this chapter would agree that you'd make a cozy twosome," she said with a rather bored tone.

'H-Hey! Cut it out, she'll hear you!' Moka mentally reprimanded, her face becoming flustered than it already was. 'You're not supposed to do that. That's against the rules.'

"So? Who cares? Don't deny it. You know they'll agree."

'They will not! Now, stop before you get us in serious trouble. You're going to mess up everything.'

"Whatever. Anyway, you said it yourself. There are a lot of good qualities about me, but, "kind" and "compassionate" ain't one of them."

Moka's eyes glared down at the floor. 'I said none of that and you know it! Don't go putting words in my mouth!'

"Wait wait wait. You should rephrase that. Shouldn't it be "Don't put ideas in my head", instead? Damn, I was right. You are stupid." This only caused Moka to irritatingly grit her teeth. "Look, I'm not going to just sit here and pretend that I genuinely consider your feelings. Because believe me, I don't."

Feeling her patience wearing itself thinner and thinner by each second, Moka was about to give a snarky remark until Happy interrupted her thoughts. "Hey, Moka. What are you reading over there?" Happy queried, gesturing to the comic book under Moka's palm.

"Hmm? Oh, you mean this?" she asked, closing the book and holding it up for the two to examine. "Samurai Pizza Cats." she read, referring to the title of the comic.

"Shammer-rock...pieces...cats?" Natsu sweat-dropped as he tried to pronounce the title itself.

"Not even close, Natsu." commented Happy.

Moka merely chuckled at his mispronounce of the title. "No, silly. Samurai...Pizza...Cats." she carefully pronounced for him, turning to face them fully. "From what I read so far, it's about three little cybernetic cats who protect their beloved city from crime, disguised as samurais." the girl explained, opening the book to the pages for the two to see. "While defending their city, they also try to make a living by running a pizzeria in their mechanical town."

As both Natsu and Happy leaned over to peer inside the book Moka held in her hands, a laugh released itself from Natsu's throat while Happy's eyes widen with wonder and excitement at the exact sight of the three cats being sported in armor with their swords grasped in their hands. "Whoa! This is so cool! I don't think I've ever seen a cat swing around a sword like that." Happy marveled as he stared at the cats plastered on the page. "Do you think there could be other cats like these guys out there, Moka?"

Unsure of how to answer him, Moka put a finger to the side of her face in wonderment. "Uh… Well, from what all I've seen so far in this world, I guess all I can say is that there could be cats like these little guys out there somewhere." surmised Moka, her eyes adverting to the blue feline. "I wouldn't be surprised if it were true. I mean, Natsu, you're a wizard that can control fire, right?" The wizard blinked twice, trying to process her question in his mind. When he gave a nod in approval, Moka turned her attention to the blue cat. "And Happy, you're a talking...err...flying, blue cat?"

"Aye." Happy answered cheerfully.

"Aye?" Moka repeated while tilting her head to the side out of curiosity. "Is that your way of saying "yes"?"

"Aye, ma'am!" Happy once again answered with glee, earning a giggle from Moka. "Say, Moka. Since you're a new member of our guild, where do you have your guild mark?"

"Guild mark?" reiterated the girl questioningly.

Natsu nodded in her direction. "Uh-huh. Everybody in the guild has one. See?" he stated as he turned to the side a bit to allow her to see his red emblem that was located on his right shoulder. "Happy here even has one." Natsu added, jabbing his thumb in his best friend's direction. "So you gotta have your emblem stamped somewhere."

"Emblem?" she queried once more not understanding fully about what he was explaining to her.

Natsu slightly frowned in response to her confusion. "Yeah. Y'know? The guild mark you get when you first become a member here," he described, folding his arms while turning to her. "Didn't Mira or Gramps ever explain it to ya when you joined the guild?"

Moka gazed at him, unable to apprehend his definition of "emblem". After several seconds of complete silence, Moka let out a gasp as she remembered something that was disclosed to her.

"It's a mark that makes us official members of Fairy Tail. Every member of this guild bares them." replayed Mirajane's voice in her head.

"Oh, that's right!" she exclaimed with realization. "Are you talking about this?" she inquired, lifting her left hand that bared her pink colored insignia.

A huge grin tugged at his lips at the sight of her emblem stamped on her hand. "Yeah, that's it! That's the one!" he exulted with glee. Moka felt her lips quirk into a slight smile at his joyful demeanor. For an undisclosed reason, she felt a small fuzzy feeling warm its way into her heart. From the delight in his voice, the hint of happiness he displayed from his smile did not go unnoticed. Her mind drifted itself back to the time he had asked her about joining Fairy Tail. She could visibly remember his upset face when she refused his offer of joining their beloved guild in Fiore. On the day that the two of them first met, he was so eager to become her friend although they barely knew one another. He even went as far as to introduce her to his group of friends and it became a major shock to her when they accepted her for her race. Not to mention, even when she initially rebuffed him rather coldly, he still showed her kindness as if none of it ever happened. Not one single person in the human world showed her the generosity that Natsu was showing to her.

A hint of sadness tugged at her heart as the one person whom she loved dearly came to mind. 'Tsukune.'

~Flashback~

Crystalline tears pooled down from her emerald eyes, leaving thin streaks down her cheeks and chin as she held an injured Tsukune in her arms. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Forgive me!" she wept, her tears dripping onto his face. "I guess monsters and humans are too different to get along."

Tsukune looked at her with kind and soft eyes. "Don't cry..." he murmured.

"Look at me-I'm a vampire. We suck people's blood and hurt them in the process. The truth is...back at my old school, all I ever wanted was a friend. Human or a monster, I didn't care." She smiled faintly, wiping the dried tears from the corner of her eyes. "But now...I think maybe it isn't possible."

"Well...I think-" Tsukune started, only to be cut short by a monstrous voice.

"What's with all this lovey-dovey shit?!" demanded the orc as he approached the two from up the hill.

Moka stood up along with a weakened Tsukune to face their attacker. "Please, you should get out of here!" he advised weakly, putting up a hand to gesture her to move back.

"But Tsukune..."

"I know I'm weak...and nothing but a piece of human garbage to you..." he said as he fell back against a scarecrow as the orc charged towards him with the intent to kill. "I don't care if you're a monster and I'm a human; that doesn't matter anymore, Moka. 'Cause I still wanna be your friend!" he yelled.

"All your yappin' is getting on my nerves!" Saizou growled as he swiped at him, sending him backwards on the ground.

"Tsukune!" Moka screamed, running over and kneeling beside him.

Tsukune gave a weak smile, reaching up and lightly putting a hand on her shoulder. "Even if you are a vampire...I still like you...Moka."

~End Flashback~

She felt herself smile at the memory, her eyes becoming glassy. 'Yeah. The day that we first met. How can I forget that?' Even after telling him her initial dislike of humans and telling him of her being a vampire, he was still willing to become her friend. Something that he and Natsu had in common. Both Tsukune and Natsu accepting her for her vampire race. A human or a monster, she didn't care. None of that mattered to her. The only thing that mattered to her the most was making a friend. That was enough for her.

She jolted when she felt warmth itself come in contact with her left hand. She felt the heat rise within her cheeks as she saw that Natsu had impulsively grabbed her hand without her permission. "Tch! Ah, man! It's just a freakin' girly pink color like Lucy's!" huffed Natsu as he held her hand between his palms to inspect her insignia.

"Yeah, but it's kinda lighter than Lucy's if you look at it closely." Happy said as his eyes flitted to Moka's blushing face. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's the same color as Moka's hair." stated the blue cat as he pointed to her pink locks.

Moka merely sweat-dropped in response. 'Why does everyone keep saying that?'

"Because it's true." remarked the evil Moka.

Quickly pulling her hand back, she let out a small chuckle. "Ah...yes. It's my favorite color." She glanced at her hand, an unreadable expression as her mask. "To be honest, I was a little scared when I first got my mark."

Both Natsu and Happy eyed her oddly. "I don't get it. Why would you be scared of gettin' your emblem?" asked the pyro.

"Because I thought it was going to be painful." responded Moka as she held her left hand.

"Why would it be painful, Moka?" wondered Happy.

A sheepish laugh erupted from her throat as she began to scratch the side of her head. "Well, this may sound a little weird for you guys when I tell you this, but here goes." Moka paused momentarily. "Back in the Human World where I once lived-"

"The Human World? There's another universe?!" Natsu interjected in disbelief. He received a nod in response. "Hey, hold on a sec. You said you lived in the Monster World," he stated, eying her suspiciously.

"I did, but I lived in the Human World before I started living in the Monster World," she said. Natsu looked at her for a moment before giving a nod. "Anyway, instead of having magical stamps to get what we want tattooed on our bodies, we normally have these tiny machines kinda shaped like little guns in a way."

"Little guns?" repeated Natsu as he pictured two small guns in his mind, but not how Moka described it.

"Mmhmm. Some call them tattoo guns, while others call them tattoo machines. But before you can get the tattoo you want, tattoo artists have to set them up with all the materials they need."

"How do they do that, Moka?" asked Happy.

"Well, the way that they set it up is by inserting one of these needles through the tube until it reaches the-"

"W-WAIT! HOLD ON A MINUTE! N-NEEDLES?!" paled Natsu, his entire body turning white as a sheet. "DON'T TELL ME THEY USE IT FOR WHATEVER I THINK IT IS!"

"THEY USE NEEDLES FOR THOSE THINGS?!" Happy shrieked, his paws flying to his head in horror.

No words left Moka's mouth as she watched both Natsu and Happy shiver violently at the notion of sharp needles being pierced into their flesh. Finding entertainment in their distress, a sly smile made its way to her lips as a glint of mischief flashed in her eyes. 'Maybe I should have a little fun with them.'

"Why, yes. But it depends on how you have it fixed," smirked Moka, her face darkening. "If the machine isn't set up properly..." she paused for a moment, trying to make the situation more intense enough to strike fear in the two. "...it could lead to very dangerous consequences...or worse."

"W-What do you mean by worse?!" freaked Natsu, now regretting allowing his curiosity to get the best of him.

A dark chuckle released from her throat. "If you're not careful, it could lead to you getting a painful tattoo on your body. The needles go deeper and deeper into your skin until it can no longer go any further. Then, they trace out the design that you want by dragging it along on your skin...painfully slow. Getting these can be slow and excruciating at the same time to where it can even draw blood. You could be sitting there enduring it for hours."

"Hours?!" both Natsu and Happy ask simultaneously in horror, beads of sweat forming on the foreheads.

"A day. Probably even in a year..."

"OH, NO WAY! A WHOLE YEAR?! YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING!" freaked Natsu, his hands flying to his face in fear.

"Nope. Afraid not, Natsu." Moka answered with a sly expression. "Do I need to contin-"

"NO!" shouted the duo, making the vampire laugh. Hearing Moka explain to them how these "tattoo guns" worked in Moka's human universe did nothing but ultimately made them shudder at the thought of those "things" that might cause them to bleed out. If Natsu had to choose which world he wanted to live in, he would most likely choose the Monster World than the Human World itself. The Monster World seemed to fascinate him more due to there being monsters like Moka herself existing. He had wondered to himself of what being in a world full of monsters was really like. Were there many wizards like the ones in Earthland in her world? More importantly, were there Dragon Slayers like himself in her world? 'Is it like our world...or the human world?' he pondered.

"Natsu?" sounded Moka, bringing Natsu out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he answered, turning his head to look at her with curiosity.

There was silence between the two momentarily before Moka decided to break it. "I want to apologize."

"Apologize? What for?" he asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "You didn't do nothing wrong."

"I'm talking about the other day," she said, her eyes trailing down to her hands, her thumbs playing with one another as a blush spreading across her cheeks. "I'm sorry for sleeping on you in the infirmary."

Happy's nearly popped out of his sockets at this. "HUUUUH?! You did what with Natsu?!" he shrieked in shock.

A vision of a shirtless Natsu hovering over a half-naked Moka laying on the bed entered his tiny little mind.

"N-Natsu...it's my first time, so please be gentle with me." Moka said, a light blush appearing on her face.

"I'm all fired up now." Natsu said huskily, a seductive smirk across his face as he leaned down to her lips.

Happy patted Natsu's shoulder. "I didn't know you had it in ya, buddy." he praised as Natsu gave him a confused look.

Knowing exactly what the cat meant, Moka stood up to glare at him. "H-Hey, now wait just a minute! Nothing like that happened!" cried Moka, who was blushing furiously at thought of being intimate with Natsu. "Nothing happened between us, Happy, so don't get the wrong idea."

"Uh huh. Sure it didn't." snickered Happy, his little paws plastered against his mouth.

"I think I'm starting to like this cat, already." chuckled her inner-self.

Moka turned her glare away from the cat to the wooden floor. 'You're not helping!'

"You slept on me?" Natsu questioned, still confused.

~Flashback~

The pink-haired man watched the girl snore quietly into his torso, her chest heaving up and down slowly. Her dried tears remained under her closed eyes as she slept, her grip loosened on his vest. The bangs of her bubble-gum pink hair fell over her face as she slept as Natsu's fingers buried themselves in her hair, curious to know how soft it felt. As expected, her pink locks indeed felt rather soft and silky. Natsu cradled Moka to his chest, hooking his arms under knees and stood up to his feet. He carried her bridal-style to the nearest bed in the infirmary and gently lowered her to the mattress. He pulled the sheet over her body to protect her from the cool air in the small room. He watched her stir as she shifted to lean on her side, her strands of hair spilling over her pillow.

He stared down at her sleeping form with a blank expression for a few seconds before tearing his gaze away to the floor. Not wanting to disturb her peaceful slumber, he headed out the door to the infirmary uttering one single word.

"Weirdo..."

~End Flashback~

"Oh, yeah. You kinda drooled on me while you were sleeping." Natsu chuckled humorously, throwing his arms behind his head.

Moka immediately became flustered with embarrassment. "I-I did that?! Oh my god, I'm so sorry about that!" she exclaimed apologetically, vigorously bowing her head up and down. Great...just what she needed. Another huge mess added on to the pile that she couldn't easily clean up. "You must hate me by now." If it was one thing that strangers hated the most besides being used as a pillow, it was being drooled on.

"Nah. Don't sweat it," he reassured with a toothy smile. "Why the heck would I hate you, anyway? I mean, we're friends, aren't we?" Lost for words, Moka gazed at him in astonishment for a second before hesitantly nodding. "Besides...I wanna know why you were bawling your eyes out the other day."

Moka felt her entire body tense as he mentioned the time he discovered her crying in the infirmary. 'Can I tell him?' More importantly, could she trust herself by telling him the one reason why she was visibly upset? Was she ready to let this impulsive, yet kind and carefree boy know about the man she still held genuine for? Moka just had to ask herself all these crucial questions at the moment. The only person who knew about Tsukune was Mirajane since she was the only one who the vampire interacted with the most. She remembered the promise that Mirajane agreed to keep and took notice that she had not even once broken it, or even tried to. Moka also had to wonder if she could trust that Natsu would do the same as Mirajane. With a shake of her head, she closed her eyes. 'No, I can't tell him. Not yet.'

"Oh, no reason. I've just had a lot on my mind lately." she beamed brightly, trying to hide whatever feeling she had in her heart. Deep down from the inside, she wanted to open up to him and let out everything she had been holding in, just like with Mirajane. However...she couldn't find it in her heart to do so because she still had difficulty trusting people.

Natsu frowned at her, his suspicion, yet concern showing. "Really? Cuz' you looked really upset in there? You sure you don't wanna talk about it or anything?"

"It's fine, Natsu," she reassured, a sighing slipping from her lips. "It was just the lyrics of the song that got me down, that's all." Half of that was true, but it was mainly because all of it reminded her of Tsukune, whom she could never return to ever again.

Natsu wanted to ask further but decided not to out of respect for her. He didn't want to force her to talk about something that made her unhappy, but then again, he didn't enjoy seeing her miserable at all. He considered her as his friend and friends don't allow each other to suffer alone. He suspected that it had to be more than just the lyrics itself that brought her to tears. Natsu might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but he had enough common sense to understand that people have their fair share of touchy topics they don't wish to discuss on. He realized that when he lost someone that he once cared deeply for two years ago and out of respect for his feelings, no one in Fairy Tail dared to mention it. He knew it wouldn't be fair of him to push her into talking about something that she didn't want to talk about. "All right, fine. If you say so, then."

Moka uncomfortably sat in awkward silence with Happy in her lap, watching Natsu uncontrollably stuff his face with food, bits of crumbs flying over the table. She didn't understand how someone could have a perfect fit body and have a huge appetite like there's no tomorrow. Moka felt herself wince as Natsu devoured a huge basket full of bread, chewing the pile down until they were fully inside his mouth. Her jaw fell open in disbelief and shock at what she witnessed. There was no way he did any of that in seconds without slowing down. From where she was from, any normal human being's jaw would've snapped in two if any of them were to shove too much food all at once in their mouth.

"Does he normally eat like this?" Moka asked Happy, who was nibbling on a fish.

"Aye." the feline answered, his tail wiggling. "Natsu can hardly contain himself when it comes down to food, let alone fire."

"Fire? What do you mean?" asked Moka, looking down at Happy. Why would someone be excited over flames that can be useful, yet dangerous to people and many other things that can burn into ashes?

"Huh? Didn't Natsu tell you earlier?" Happy asked, tilting his up at the girl who shook her head. "Natsu just doesn't eat food, flames are also edible to him."

Moka gazed at the cat in a state of confusion before feeling her eyes go widen with realization.

"Lemme get somethin' straight here, missy! Fire is what I like to chow down on, not outta the garbage, you got that?!" echoed Natsu's voice in her head.

'Oh...right!' thought the girl.

"And it doesn't hurt him or anything?" she asked with concern in her eyes. "So he's a performer for a circus, then?" guessed Moka, making Natsu nearly choke on his food and Happy's jaw fall open with shock. Moka bit her lip to hold back a chuckle at their reaction. She knew that they were probably thinking she was ridiculous for assuming that the fire-breather worked in a company associated with clowns, acrobats, and other entertainers. "Um...is something wrong?"

"Yeah, something's wrong! Do I look like I work in a stinkin' circus to you?!" yelled Natsu with an annoyed face, leaning over the table a little from where he sat.

She let out a sheepish laugh, her hands waving back and forth in front of her face. "I'm sorry. It's just that when Happy said that you eat fire, it just struck that you'd be the type of person who works in that kind of environment since you eat fire and all."

"Yeah? Well, I ain't one of those people, " he said defensively, looking at her. "Yeah, I eat fire, but that's because I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer." he boasted with a confident grin.

The color immediately drained from her face at the words that left his mouth. "Dr-Dra...Dragon Slayer?!" stammered Moka, a hint of horror in her emerald eyes. "You slay dragons using fire?!"

Natsu's smile immediately faltered. "What?! No! It means I was trained by a fire dragon."

"A fire dragon?" questioned Moka, finding the word "dragon" familiar. Suddenly an image of a black, scaled dragon with blue spiraling markings briefly flashed in her head. "So dragons do exist in this world after all," she whispered low enough for herself to hear it.

Luckily, Natsu with his sensitive hearing was able to pick up the words she uttered. "Duh. Of course they do. Why wouldn't there be after I told you I was trained by a dragon seven years ago?"

"Yeah, you're right. I mean, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there would be some here since Tsukune and Ruby came across a dragon," she explained as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, unaware of the Dragon Slayer's keen sense of hearing. "Hmm?" she froze, snapping her head in his direction. "Wait. Did you-"

"Yep. I heard ya loud and clear!" he grinned proudly.

"Eh?! B-But how did you-"

"As a Dragon Slayer, Natsu has super sensitive hearing, so he's able to hear things around him and even in a short distance." Happy chimed in. "Not only that, but he also possesses a keen sense of smell that allows him to pick up close scents with his nose."

"Oh, I see then." replied Moka, her eyes flitting to Natsu. "You said a dragon trained you? If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did it look like? Because..." she paused, adding a thumb and an index finger to her chin. "...it could be a possibility that it could be the dragon I saw in my dream," she mumbled in a low voice.

"I can still hear you." deadpanned Natsu, staring at her blankly.

Moka flinched at the sound of his voice. "Oh. S-Sorry."

"No problem," he responded with a brief grin before reverting his face into a serious expression. "Alright, I'll tell you. But on one condition though."

"Sure. Anything." she smiled cheerfully.

However, she did not notice the smirk that made its way to Natsu's face. "You've gotta tell me what magic you use."

Her smile instantly dropped at the bargain he just made with her. In all honestly, Moka was hoping that she could avoid being interrogated about her magic that she has been trying to keep hush-hush until she was sure she could use them properly. "I...I don't know what you're talking about, Natsu. I don't use any kind of magic."

"Liar." sneered her inner-self.

"Oh, c'mon! Don't gimme that, you know what I mean." he said, giving her a knowing look. "I ain't dumb, you know. I know a magic user when I see one. I saw it and everyone else here saw it, so there's no point in trying to hide it. Plus, you mumbled something Luny Shinto...or somethin'."

'If you do, then why did it have to take you so long to get around to it?' Moka mused with a grim expression.

"Because he's a dumbass. How many times I've gotta tell you that?" inner retorted.

'I suppose I'll have to second you on that one, too. But still...he does have a point which is surprising enough.' Turning her attention to her lap, she continued to think to herself a little more. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew there was no use in trying to keep it secretive any longer. Even if she wanted to deny everything Natsu stated, it would only complicate things further than they have to be. The cat had already scurried its way out of the bag and it was due to her displaying her magic in self-defense. The only person who was aware of her dark magic the whole time was Mirajane, whom she had forged a bond with. 'But am I ready to let the whole all these people know about the magic I possess other than Mira? Is it the right thing to do? If I do that, then I won't have to hide it anymore...but that'll also mean that they'll have to know about-'

A soft hand found its way on her shoulder, bringing her back to reality. Moka's eyes followed the hand that led up to the arm of Mirajane who was smiling down at her. "Mira, you..."

"It's okay. You should tell him." persuaded Mirajane, leaning down to her eye level. Moka opened her mouth to protest only for the barmaid to continue. "He deserves to know, they all deserve to know," she said, gesturing to Natsu and the rest of the guild hall. "And besides, you said that you wanted to learn the use of your magic, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Go on. Tell him everything about it." urged Mirajane, giving her shoulder a soft squeeze. Moka stared at her white-haired friend with clear hesitation in her eyes. "You can trust him, Moka. I mean...I am the one that you trust the most, right?" reasoned Mirajane, causing the vampiress to look at her as if she were searching for answers. The memory of the night Mirajane had found her started to come back to her.

~Flashback~

Moka sat in the falling rain, unmoving, her whole body quivering with fear. She made no move to wipe the tears that were now falling from her orbs. Moka started sobbing uncontrollably in fear and frustration, traumatized by what happened to her. The rain mixed in with her salty tears, the sky seemingly crying along with her as the rain poured even harder and louder. Her body shivered violently, not only from the cold rain but from the event that occurred.

"Moka?" called a soft, familiar feminine voice. Moka whipped her around, startled. When she saw the one person, who meant her no harm in the very beginning, she relaxed a bit. There stood the woman, whom she knew as Mirajane with a worried expression. She seemed to be holding an umbrella along with a large, muscular man with tan-colored skin, who had the same color as her hair. "What are you doing out here? It's pouring rain." Mirajane's eyes soften as she took in the sight of Moka. She could see that the unclad girl was scared as she shook violently. "Oh, Moka. What happened to you?" she asked softly, kneeling in front of her. Mirajane reached out and softly stroked Moka's wet hair. She carefully took Moka in her arms, letting her weep into her coat, caring little about the rain. Removing her coat, put it around the girl's frail body. Mirajane held her to her body, hovering the umbrella over the two of them. "Come on. Let's get you out of this rain." Mirajane and the white-haired man along with a shaking Moka continued on to their place.

~Another Flashback~

Mirajane woke up to the small sound of crying and sniffling. Right then, she knew who they belonged to; Moka. She climbed out of bed and followed the sound of her crying to Lisanna's room. Her heart softens as she found Moka crying in bed, faced away. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. Mirajane slowly made her way over to the crying Moka. Pulling the covers back, she climbed in next to her, holding her as she cried. Moka made no move to push her off, only wanting someone to comfort her. Mira gently stroked her hair, while holding her in her arms. Moka's cries started to die down as she drifted off to sleep, with being held in Mira's arms...

~Another Flashback~

"Hey, Mira?"

"Yes?"

"I want to tell you something that I once told someone before coming here." Moka said, looking towards Mirajane, who only stared at her. "Ijust...want to get this off my chest. That's all." she added, lowering her eyes before giving Mira a serious expression. "But I don't want anyone else to know this, but you. Especially the master."

"Moka..." Mira started to say.

"And besides, you're the only one I can trust. So...promise me that you won't tell anyone about this...please." Moka pleaded, gazing deep into Mira's gigantic ocean blue eyes.

Mira smiled down warmly at Moka. "Of course, I won't tell a soul. You can tell me anything, you feel comfortable with."

~End of Flashback~

Moka's eyes glazed over at the memory. Naturally, she could find nothing incorrect in the words that her friend spoke. Mirajane had been the very first person she had opened up to a week after she woke up in Earthland. Moka couldn't find herself communicating with anyone in the guild, other than Mirajane. After the traumatizing encounter, she was forced to endure, opening up to people was the one big step Moka had serious trouble taking. However, trusting other people was the ultimate step had difficulty taking the most. The only person that she had trusted the most besides Makarov was Mirajane. No matter how sweet and friendly Natsu and his friends were to her, she still didn't trust them at all. Even after the small hug she and Natsu shared together in the infirmary, she still felt cautious of him. She didn't trust anybody in the guild, not even in this world. Regardless, she was tired of keeping everything bottled up for so long. 'I guess it couldn't hurt...'

With her mind made up, she turned her head towards Natsu who was staring at her, patiently awaiting her answer. "Okay, I'll tell you." she said with a nod, earning a satisfied grin from Natsu, thrilled with her answer. "But you have to tell me about the dragon that trained you first."

"All right! You got yourself a done deal!" he declared ecstatically. He brought his hand to his face to spit into his palm before holding it out towards her for a "spit shake" as a way of sealing their deal.

Moka made a repulsed face, her forehead turning a shade of blue as beads of sweat formed around her skin. On the other hand, this seemed to amuse Mirajane, who was holding back a laugh at Moka's reaction. "O-Okay, it's a deal. But just not with the hand that has your spit on it, please."

To be continued...

Finally! Holy fucking shit, that had to be the longest chapter I have ever written. No wonder it took me like 3-4 months to finish it. Moving on to the previous reviews. Since a reviewer said that I should try to understand Inner Moka even though I don't like her, they were right. I do need to try to understand her better. Because as I was rereading the chapters of the Rosario+Vampire mange while writing this chapter, I've come to notice why the real reason why she became the way that she became in the beginning of the series.

Now, I've come across a couple of reviews saying that Natsu and Moka need to interact more and have more moments together. Don't worry, they will, but the reason why the two of them haven't been interacting much is because Moka has trust issues and having hard time adapting to this new world she has been suddenly thrust in. Plus, I don't want their relationship to feel too rushed and unrealistic; I want it to feel more natural like Gajeel and Levy's canon relationship in the manga. I want Natsu and Moka to start out as friends to being best friends before they actually start wanting each other more than friends. Now, I know that I'll have to make Natsu more mature enough to be in a relationship with Moka, but at the same time I don't wanna break his goofy character either. I'm honestly gonna give Moka a whole year for her to get use to being in a new world and being in Fairy Tail because I want her to build a relationship not just with Mirajane, Makarov, and Natsu, but with Erza, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, and even Gajeel.

Now about the future fights that are to happen in this story...I can promise you that they will not be half-assed like that fight with Moka and Gajeel which I'm currently editing on in the 10th chapter. After watching episodes of Ikki Tousen, I've come to decide that Outer Moka should just learn hand-to-hand combat because I honestly refuse to have Outer Moka be useless in this story to where it'll unintentionally make her an uninterested character that no one would care about in future chapters. Now the one thing that Ikki Tousen taught me is that you can feminine, cute, and sweet and still whoop some ass. That's how I see Outer Moka.

Now, before ask about Happy having his mind in the gutter, let me explain something to you. Let's be real here, Happy has always been known as a sneaky smartass throughout the entire series. There is barely and I mean BARELY innocent about that cat sometimes because in the first movie he saw Lucy completely naked and it didn't stop him from making a crack about it. He certainly didn't have a problem with roasting Lucy and other people a couple times, so I saw nothiing wrong with him doing that.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Chapter 19 will be up soon!