Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima created Fairy Tail and all the characters. I just play with them.

Natsu sold his first secret when he was 12 years old.

It was shortly after Happy was born. The kids of the guild were fighting, as usual. Natsu and Gray were wrestling, Elfman watching nervously and Lisanna trying in vain to push them apart. The two boys ignored her, reaching around her to slap each other and pull hair, landing whatever hits they could.

"Please stop, you two," Lisanna begged. "You shouldn't be fighting. You're guildmates, friends!"

"I ain't friends with that fire freak!"

"Yeah, why would I get along with that icy bastard?"

Before Lisanna could attempt to reason with them, the doors slammed open. Erza stormed in, muttering darkly to herself.

"That she-devil!" She spared a glance at Natsu and Gray, who quickly sat at a table and began telling jokes, forcing laughter. "She keeps finding ways to make fun of me, but nothing I say gets to her. I would give anything to learn one of her secrets."

Natsu froze. "Do you really mean that, Erza?"

"I would give up strawberry cake for a week if it meant I had the upper hand!"

"Well that's not something I want. If you give me something I want, I'll tell you a secret about Mira," Natsu offered.

Erza grabbed the front of Natsu's shirt, pulling him close. "Name your price."

"Umm…buy me food for the next two days?"

"This had better be worth it, or I'll beat you for the next two days instead," Erza said, eyes narrowed.

Natsu gulped, nodding quickly. "It is, I promise."

"What is it?"

Natsu looked around carefully to see if anyone was listening. Lisanna and Elfman had settled at a different table with their older sister, far enough away that they wouldn't hear. No one else seemed to be paying attention to the three kids at the table in the corner. He leaned in next to Erza's ear.

"Mira likes to cook," he whispered. "And she's really good at it."

Erza's eyes widened. "How do you know?"

"Lisanna told me. Please don't tell Mira I told you. She'd kill me if she found out!"

"Are you really scared of a girl, ash brains? Geez, you're a bigger wimp than I thought."

"What's that supposed to mean, Gray?" Erza's face darkened and Gray backed away. In an instant, she turned to Natsu and smiled, her anger gone. "I will buy you enough food for three days for that information. If you find out anything else about her, I will buy you more. Do we have a deal?"

"Sure." Natsu wasn't sure if it was the promise of free food or the fear of what might happen if he refused her, but he happily agreed.

Erza stood abruptly. "Ha!" she said loudly, getting the guild's attention. "I can't believe Mira's such a girly-girl!"

"What the hell are you talking about, you sword-wielding freak of nature?" Mira snarled.

"You like to cook!" Erza's words were punctuated by sharp pokes.

"What?" Mira shrieked. "Who told you that?" She whirled, glaring at her brother. "Was it you?"

Elfman shook his head, unable to form words in the face of his sister's wrath.

"I bet you suck at cooking," Erza jeered. "Just like you suck at everything else."

"I am a fantastic cook!" Mira yelled, poking Erza back. "I could anything cook better than you any day."

"I accept your challenge!" Erza thundered. "Whoever bakes the better strawberry cake shall be declared the victor. Natsu, Lisanna, and Master will judge."

No one dared argue with her.

In the blink of an eye, the two ran to the kitchen and began throwing around insults, utensils, and ingredients. The guild watched on in awe and horror as the two blazed around the kitchen in a life or death contest of dessert-making. An hour later, everyone gathered around the table where Natsu, Lisanna, and Master sat waiting to taste the cakes.

Mira brought out her creation first, a beautiful and fluffy cake topped with whipped cream and strawberries. Everyone gasped, shocked that the girl with demon magic and a temper shorter than Makarov could make something so delicate. She carefully sliced it and handed out the pieces with a scowl. She crossed her arms and waited to hear the responses.

"This is delicious, big sis!" Lisanna said with a smile. "Even better than the last one you made."

"You should make this more often," Natsu said through a mouthful of sugar, eyes bright with happiness.

"Very good, my dear," Makarov praised. "You continue to surprise me with your many talents."

A small smile broke through on Mira's, but was quickly smothered. The kitchen door opened, releasing a cloud of black smoke. Erza walked out, coughing and carrying what looked like a brick that had been crushed, burned, stuck together with glue, and burned again. The only part of her cake that looked edible were the strawberries on top, but as everyone watched, even those started smoking.

Natsu's eyes widened. "There's no way I'm eating that."

Lisanna simply shrank away, shaking her head.

"Erza, my child, what did you put in that cake?" Makarov asked.

"Strawberries and sugar. And frosting. What else goes in a cake?"

She set the cake on the table confidently, faltering at the sight of Mira's perfect confection. She froze, her eyes sparkling and drool leaking out the side of her mouth.

"That," she whispered, "is the most beautiful cake I have ever seen in my life."

"Are you ready to admit defeat?" Mira asked with a victorious gleam in her eye.

"I will gladly concede on one condition," Erza said, eyes locked on the cake. "You must promise to make me a cake every day for as long as we are both a part of this guild."

Mira raised an eyebrow. "You've got yourself a deal, Red, but I've got a condition of my own. You have to get on this table and shout 'Mira has bested me, Erza Scarlet, in baking.' And every time I bring you cake, you must say 'Thank you, O cake master.' Otherwise you can get your cake somewhere else."

When Erza nodded, her face solemn, everyone fell over in shock. They were sure the girls' agreement would never last. But the next day, the two had a civil interaction over the cake. And they continued, day after day, week after week, month after month. Eventually their conversations extended beyond the simple "Thank you".

But Erza never stopped calling Mira "cake master".

Hey everybody!

Welcome to Selling Secrets, a series of one-shots about the dragonslayers of Fairy Tail, who hear a lot more than people think. So of course, the only thing to do with the information they find is to sell it.

I have a few ideas, but I would love even more! Feel free to suggest secrets in the comments, or on my Tumblr, .com.

As always, special thanks to star-eye for beta-reading and reassuring me that I'm as funny as I think I am. Almost.

Catch ya later, lovelies!