Well, this is embarrassing. I said last time that I would update this much faster but instead, it took me a couple of years just for this one update. I'm very sorry if I kept your hopes up. It's just that there's just so much that has been happening IRL that I haven't had the time to continue writing this story. But enough of the whines…you came here for the story so…let's go on shall we?

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. Not now, not ever. So my deepest thanks to Mashima for creating these wonderful characters and giving me a chance to write a story for them.

Chapter 11: Strawberry Cake

It was indeed, a very sweet night, for both of them. Erza's trying to keep her cool while listening to Natsu, the other not knowing that the woman beside him is about to jump into him with joy. The scarlet haired beauty was in cloud nine after hearing the dragonslayer's hidden feelings for her, even though it wasn't a love confession. Natsu was also happy, as shown by the grin on his face, albeit a little embarrassed at what he said a while ago. It was a very rare chance for him to be able to talk this much with girl he deeply loves with all his heart alone – and this chance is something that he's not about to let go just yet.

"After you somewhat opened up to me, I tried my best to keep up with you. That's why I always kept on challenging you. And though I was always on the losing side, I could see that I'm somehow improving, bit by bit." he looked at her sincerely, with a faint blush on his cheeks.

"All those bruises I received from you are lessons that slowly built me up as to what I am today. Of course, there are a lot who contributed too – Gildarts, Laxus, Gramps, Mira and the others and even Gray. By challenging all those strong people around me, I became stronger myself." he paused again.

"I see. But I don't get the point." Erza stated.

"Hmm? What point?" Natsu asked her back.

"What has you getting stronger got to do w-with your promise to me back then?" she answered, almost whispering the last part.

"Everything!" he replied instantly.

"W-what do you mean?" she asked back. She was quite taken aback and confused now.

"Just let me finish first, okay?" he grinned back at her.

She can only do nothing but twitch an eyebrow.

"O-okay." she resigned.

He went silent for a moment before talking again.

"Like I said, I got stronger through the skirmishes I had with everyone. But regretfully, it was never enough to overpower you. You were always a step ahead of me, Erza. And then, that step turned into a mile when you became the youngest S-Class mage of FairyTail." he smiled solemnly and it was clear for Erza to see.

That light mood they had been going for a while suddenly died down as Natsu was caught up in his thoughts.

"That year was no good afterall, I thought. I'll just have to try harder next time." he said as if talking to himself.

"But that time never came again. With all the jobs we both had, I almost never had the chance to fight you again. The last time I did was after the Lullaby incident and it was even interrupted by the Council." he sighed again.

"The truth pissed me off, everytime. I was always…always…left behind, by you." he was grinning, but his voice was breaking apart.

And Erza could easily tell that.

'Wait, you can't possibly mean that—' she silently gasped.

"I wanted to defeat you so badly, because if I can't, then there just no way I'll be able to say those words you." Natsu sighed deeply.

And Erza couldn't bear it anymore.

"B-but it's alright now! Since I be –" his voice was cut off as he was bonked to the head by Erza.

"You IDIOT!" her face was mad, though her cheeks were beet red.

"Why did you –" his voice was cut off again.

"SHUT UP!" her commanding voice reverberated through the riverbed.

Natsu felt like curling into a ball.

"H-hai…" he meekly replied.

"Y-you…what kind of reasoning is that? Are you really the Natsu that I know? You can't possibly be the same person!" she lashed at him.

"But I am Natsu! What the heck are you even talking about…Ma'am?" he replied, wanting to yell back at her but suppressed the urge to do so as he anticipated how Erza would react to that kind of reply.

Erza shot him a glare and easily made Natsu freeze. She then gave him a worried look and sighed.

"You…should've just told me you wanted to protect me instead of going all those efforts to do so. Things like that never stopped you from declaring that you want to protect others right? I mean, you even said that you would protect Lucy and Fairy Tail." Erza spoke calmly, with a hint of sadness and embarrassment (her cheeks were still beet red).

'You could easily say that to her but not to me...'

Natsu just went silent. Erza could see that he was also troubled by it as well.

"Why did you not do it?" she asked.

The dragon boy breathed deeply. "It's…"

"It's not a matter of why I did it or not. It's because I can't." Erza has a clear view of his melancholic expression as his eyes kept their gaze on the flowing river.

"Then why? Why can't you say it until now?" she begged for an explanation.

She then saw something unexpected. Natsu looked away from her, somewhat embarrassed. "I-I don't want to talk about it. Sorry, Erza."

An eyebrow of her twitched. She quickly grabbed Natsu by the collar and looked at him face to face. "Tell. Me. Now."

Natsu sweatdropped. 'D-damn. If looks could kill, I would be so dead right now.'

"O-okay, I'll tell you. Now please, l-let go." he frantically pleaded and Erza obliged, releasing him from her grip.

Natsu sighed once more and the redhead went back to her original sitting position. "Now, speak." she commanded.

"When I was a kid …father…he taught me many things." he started.

"Father? You mean Igneel?" she clarified and received a nod from him to affirm her.

"Well, one of those things was how I should protect the people and things I truly care about." a faint blush spread across his face though Erza didn't seem to notice it, because she too, was blushing herself.

"I-I see. Then?" she continued to look at him, completely ignoring the fact that Natsu will notice her reddening cheeks too.

"He said that, if I swore to protect them, I have to make sure that I'm stronger than them." Natsu didn't seem to notice how Erza's face changed drastically at that statement.

'So it was His fault, huh? To make him think that he's unworthy of protecting others unless he's strong enough…is strength really that much of a big deal for you dragons? He's a human child for crying out loud!' she wanted to yell it out but doing so might only add salt to Natsu's wounds.

"Why would he teach you that? As for me, it doesn't matter if you're strong or weak. So long as you have the desire and the will to protect someone, you have the very right to do so. You think so too, right Natsu?" she gave him a warm smile.

Natsu smiled back in return. "Of course, especially if it's my friends getting hurt. However, Igneel did have his reasons for saying those to me, even though I never quite understood it since I was still a kid back then. Only then when I grew much older have I fully come to realize what his words meant."

'And I just had to realize it…the hard way.' his face showed off another pained expression.

"And his reasons were?" her hazel brown eyes carefully examined his face.

Natsu went silent for a moment.

- I couldn't have lived without FairyTail. A world without my friends is unthinkable -

"I asked why I should do that, just like you did, and he answered me with a question." he looked at Erza, surprising her for the sudden action.

"How would you feel, if the very person you swore to protect…the person most important to you…ends up protecting and dying for your sake instead?"

…

For a moment, time seemed to stop as the night suddenly went silent.

…

A gentle breeze blew through them, caressing Natsu's hair as he faced Erza. His eyes that silently watched over her for years and continued to do so even now – those eyes were upon her once more. Erza, too dumbfounded to react, just sat there and kept on gazing on him. Natsu blinked once, and looked away a second later.

"To be frank, I never knew what that question meant. So I never knew how to answer it. And it stayed that way until…" he momentarily stopped.

"…until that moment where I almost lost you, Erza." Natsu looked down. Even though he wanted to see how Erza would react to his words, a part of him said no and it prevailed.

And then, for a few moments, she finally spoke back.

"I…see." she said flatly.

'I see? That's it?' Natsu was a bit disappointed to say the least. He looked at her – she was also looking away from him so he was unable to see her face.

The awkward silence was deafening so he spoke again.

"What is it?"

"…when you thought you lost me…" she spoke, almost in a whisper.

"W-what about it?" he gulped and his cheeks began to warm up as well.

Erza tilted her head a bit, and then,

"When did that happen?"

"Huh?" Natsu's mouth dropped. 'What?'

The silence engulfed them again. And then something popped.

"You mean you don't remember?!" Natsu stood up, panting. Even if it was Erza, it took almost all of his mental concentration to force himself not to put a knuckle to her head.

'Even if you don't want to admit because of your stupid pride or something, at least don't act so indifferent. And at least look me in the eye when you're –'

"Of course I do, Natsu." She looked up to him, with a sweet smile on her lips – that was enough for his mind to go blank. If it wasn't for the poor lighting, Natsu could have easily seen how flustered she was. "I do…remember. All of it."

"Sorry about that. You just seemed so down so...I, uh, tried stirring you up." Erza looked at him apologetically. And Natsu just stood there, motionless.

"I'm glad you're back. I feel more comfortable talking to the "you" that I used to know." she chuckled a little, oblivious to the fact that Natsu did not get any of what she just said.

"Uhh…C-could you…please not use feint attacks like that? It's really bad for my heart." he blurted out those words before his brain could even register what it meant.

"Huh? What?" Erza looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"N-nothing! F-forget I ever said that." he stammered as he sat down again. He was thankful that Erza didn't understand that.

'I can't believe I let my tongue slip like that again! Ah crap, how can I face her like this?' his face was in a deep shade of red.

"So, umm, let me get this straight. To summarize, the reason why you can't say that you wanted to protect me is because of what your father told you…and then you realized what that meant when you…saved me from back then, right?" she looked at him, her cheeks also flaming up.

Natsu, on the other hand, felt like he'd been slapped back to reality.

"Y-yeah, that's about it." he gulped. It would come any moment now. The only question that he didn't want to answer.

"Natsu…" Erza was lost in her thoughts.

"What is it?" he looked at her, carefully depicting what her expression meant.

"You still haven't answered the first question that I gave you. Why?" she looked back at him.

"Huh?" Natsu asked, pretending not to know what she meant.

"Like I said…why? Doing all those things…going out of your way just for the sake of promising me that…why did you do it for me? Why not Mirajane or Lisanna…or Lucy at that?" Erza looked directly at him, hoping for the answers that she also desires to hear.

Natsu stared back, his face just inches away from her. Her big, hazel eyes which are looking back at him; her white complexion combined with her scarlet hair; those luscious lips and the faint blush trailing through her cheeks, barely hidden by his own scarf – for him, it was like looking at a goddess. It took everything for him to stop himself from completely closing that small gap. He could almost hear her breathe. And then, he forced himself to smile back.

"Well, isn't that obvious? It's because you're the very first person that I treated as family. Igneel is first but he doesn't count since he's a dragon." he tried his hardest to keep his emotions from leaking out.

The last thing he ever wanted was for Erza to hear a lie about his own feelings. He loved her more than anyone in the world. He wanted to treasure her forever and never let her go. He wanted…every last part of her. He wanted to say all those things to her – he wanted her to hear every little bit of what his heart has been keeping all these years.

There was no way that he only loved her as his sister.

…

But he can't. He simply…just can't. Because Erza…already belonged to someone else.

Or so he thought.

For a split second, he saw Erza's face become somewhat distorted, though the thought quickly disappeared when she smiled back at him.

"Oh, that's right. I almost forgot…that time when we took a bath together." she let out a small laugh that was almost painful to hear.

She had never hated herself this much for getting her hopes up. She looked away, afraid that Natsu might accidentally see her crying.

'I almost thought…that Natsu might have been feeling the same way for me. What an idiot I am.' she found herself having breathing problems again.

"I know, right?" Natsu also tried his best to keep up his façade by showing her his trademark ear-to-ear grin.

Erza bit her lip and did her best to keep up with the flow of the conversation. She slowly, and painfully, accepted the fact that Natsu never looked at her like that - or that he never tried to. She took a deep breath and looked back at him.

"So, what…you're going to be my knight in shining armor from now on?" she joked, while trying to hold back her tears.

"Hmm, a knight? That's more like you, Erza. Ore ga dragon da!" he boastfully declared as he grinned back at her.

'Don't you mean dragonslayer?' she quietly sighed.

"Dragon, huh. Aren't they supposed to be enemies?" she replied.

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" his puzzled face just brought a smile to hers.

"Well, in common stories and fairy tales, you usually hear about a princess being imprisoned by dragons. These knights come in and they'll try to rescue the princess by slaying these dragons…or so the story goes. Basically, what I'm saying is, knights and dragons don't exactly go hand in hand. Much more so if the dragon ends up saving the knight." she explained.

Natsu closed his eyes with his arms crossed. Erza watched him silently.

'Well, Natsu isn't the type to easily understand long and winded explanations.' she smiled.

"Hmm. I still don't get it. Why would a dragon kidnap a princess? Is he going to eat her? I'm pretty sure Igneel never did anything like that before." his answer made her a chuckle a little.

"I never meant you to take that literally. That was just a story, Natsu." though quite heartbroken, she still managed to let out a very warm smile.

The young dragonslayer looked away, trying to hide his blush.

"I-I know that! I was just going along with the flow you know!" he bluffed as his cheeks turned beet red.

Erza giggled but kept it to herself. Even Mirajane herself knew long ago how adorable Natsu could be when he's trying his best, albeit clumsily, to prove something.

"I guess it's true…what they say – truth is way stranger than fiction." she smiled and looked at the beautiful night sky.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu turned his gaze back to his companion.

"It's strange – the truth about you wanting to protect me, of all people." she smiled solemnly.

"Is it…really that strange?" Natsu replied coldly.

"Yes. I mean, if you're a person who lived knowing that dragons are as fearful as they could get, then never for one second would you even think that a dragon would go out of his way, against all odds, to try and prove himself, just so he could promise someone he'd protect her." his eyes widened at her words.

'Does she…know?' Natsu wondered.

"And yet, here you are…doing all just that. This world is indeed…just so full of wonders. Don't you think so, Natsu?" she looked back at him and smiled.

Natsu could only stare at her and nod. 'Meeting and being able to talk with you in a night like this…I guess this is one of those wonders too.'

"The dragon…and his knight in shining armor…right?" he grinned.

"What's that? A title of a book? Sounds pretty cheesy to me." Erza smirked back.

"Eh? You thi—, wait, that's not it! I just described what we are right now!" he retorted, annoyed.

Erza let out a slight chuckle at Natsu's antics. His mere presence was enough for her worries to go away.

She clenched the scarf which was still coiled around her neck. 'As I thought, I couldn't just let it end here. Natsu…I'm sorry…but I won't accept you treating me just like family. I want to be something much more to you…just as you are to me.'

"Well, it's not like I'm expecting much from you, since I pretty much can handle everything else on my own." she boasted.

Seeing Natsu's stupid grin turn into a sour face never felt so bittersweet.

"Say what?" he pouted and was about to say more if Erza hadn't stood up so suddenly.

The scarlet haired knight slowly walked towards the riverbank. Her hair, along with Natsu's scarf, waved ever so gently as the breeze came in contact with it.

"But…you did promise me afterall. So I'm taking up on your offer." she smiled to herself.

'Yes. This is just the start of round two. The fact that Natsu looks at me like that is already a very big advantage for me – with a few pushes I can easily change that sibling love into something more. Yes, I just need to be even more assertive from now on! Good luck, me!' she thought optimistically.

"Uh…Erza?" Natsu wondered why his partner suddenly went silent.

…

She turned around and looked at him.

"So Natsu…you better take good care of me, okay?" the next thing she made literally turned Natsu to stone, all wide-eyed with his mouth agape.

His mind just went completely blank for a few moments.

…

"D-did you just –" he paused.

"Did I what?" she then bolted up as if she remembered something important. And then she blushed so hard she could faint.

'Did I just do…what I think I did? Oh my God, I want to die!'

"Uh…nothing." Natsu looked away, blushing.

'I know I wanted to more assertive, but I think I just jumped on a very high hurdle back there. Now I can't even look at him in the eye!' Erza felt like taking all those actions back.

She walked towards him and sat where she previously positioned herself. Erza sighed, knowing that she somehow, made the situation awkward again. She felt like curling into a ball.

"Umm…why did you stand up and walked towards the riverbank? Did you see something there, Erza?" Natsu asked.

"J-just…forget that ever happened…or I'll make sure you do." Erza stammered. Her whole face turned into a tomato.

"Uhh…okay." Natsu dropped the topic in fear of making Erza move suddenly again, just like he did last time.

'She might wince in pain again. Before she manages to kill me that is.' He also feared for his life too.

"H-hey…how about we talk about you this time, Erza?" Natsu suddenly suggested.

"What?! Why?" the girl blurted out, her head instantly snapping back to her partner.

"Well, isn't it kind of unfair that I was the only one that had to be asked questions with?" he reasoned out, though he still has a hard time looking at her.

"Huh? Isn't it your fault in the first place? You disappeared for a whole year, remember? Besides, you promised to tell me about what happened to you during that time." she lashed back.

Her words struck Natsu like arrows. "W-well, I know that…but –"

'You actually made me say more than what I had planned to say…not that I'm feeling bad about it.'

"But what? Say it to me clearly so that I can understand your reasons, Natsu." She was just conversing with him but it sounded like she was reprimanding him, as always. Erza doesn't seem to realize that though.

"Well…you're not the only who was worried, you know." speaking out those words just made it harder for him to look at her directly. 'Especially you, Erza. I wonder how far you have gone with Jellal…'

"Eh?" she looked at him, surprised.

Natsu, misunderstanding her expression, pouted. "What? You don't believe me, do you?"

"N-no…I was just…surprised." she managed to calm down herself, though her cheeks remained their reddish pink color.

"So? Are you going to tell me? What was everyone doing while I was away?" Natsu asked, back with his lively tone.

Erza thought hard of what to say…because there wasn't really much to. Fairy Tail never changed, still making a ruckus and a pile of problems for the Magic Council – Natsu already knows that. And even if there was something that happened, she still couldn't be sure because she's not even there when it happened. And she didn't even bother to ask the people involved. She wouldn't even step inside the guild unless she's going to pick out a mission or eat – she can't tell Natsu something that she doesn't know for sure. She regretted the fact that she has been neglecting her duties as an S-class mage because she was too caught up in thinking of ways of being able to see Natsu on her missions (She put it into herself the responsibility to look out for everyone and made sure they won't make any problems for Master) – and of course, she couldn't tell Natsu about these too..

"Errmm…" Erza's head is already releasing smoke.

"Is something wrong, Erza? You don't need to force yourself to remember, you know? I could always ask Lucy tomo –" he was cut off by Erza's trademark knuckle punch.

"W-what was that for?!" he yelped.

"Nothing. Nothing special happened in the guild while you were away, Natsu." Erza replied coldly and rather harshly too.

'I was asking why she punched me though…I really don't get her sometimes.' he contemplated.

"So…how about you? What were you doing this past year, Erza?" he asked again.

Erza stared at him for a moment, thinking of what to say. "Well, nothing much. I just went on mission after mission. Come to think of it, I even missed Fantasia."

"Eh, really? Well, that makes two of us then!" he grinned again.

Erza felt somewhat uncomfortable being the recipient of that innocent smile. "Y-yeah, you're right."

He looked at her. "I'll make sure that I'll be attending this year then. You too right?"

"That goes without saying. Yes." she gave him a reassuring nod.

It took a moment for them to notice that they were already staring at each other. Both had their heads quickly turned away in an instant.

"I see. So nothing much happened, huh…" he stuttered a little while rubbing his cheek with his forefinger.

"U-un, not much…" she confirmed her statement again.

Natsu fidgeted, not knowing whether to continue asking the scarlet haired woman or not. 'Well, here goes nothing.'

"Okay, enough about what we did. Did something good happen to you this last year, Erza?" he asked the question again, this time much more clearly in terms of who's the recipient of it.

She blinked for a second, afterwards smiling a little. "Aside from meeting you again, no."

Natsu furiously blushed for a second. "R-really now. I thought you were going to say something about Jellal and you." he let out an awkward chuckle.

Erza gave him a puzzled look. "Why would I be mentioning something about him?"

He returned that same look to her. "And why not? Aren't you li-living together now?"

"Why?" she questioned him again.

Natsu was nearing his limits. He never understood why Erza couldn't get what he meant. So he finally stated what he thought was the obvious to her.

"You…love each other right? I was thinking that maybe, you got married to him or something this last year." he gulped.

Though he never imagined what came next.

"Love…each other? Jellal and me?" her face became more quizzical to him.

He gave a slight nod. "Y-yes?"

"No, we don't. What are even talking about, Natsu?" she replied flatly.

He looked at her; his bewildered face was a sight to behold. "Eh?"

"Huh?" Erza just stared back at him, not knowing why he's making that kind of expression.

Their bodies froze, with the exception of Natsu's eyes that kept blinking like some sort of morse code.

…

…

…

A few moments of silence went by with some gusts of wind blowing through them.

And then –

"NANI?!" Natsu roared as he suddenly stood up in surprise.

Even Erza couldn't help but yelp a little at his unexpected outburst. So Natsu couldn't blame her after receiving a rising uppercut to his temple.

"So-sorry about that, Erza-sama." he groveled down in front of her.

"Stop it with the 'sama', unless you want more from me." her eyebrows twitched, along with a cross popping vein on her head.

Natsu immediately stopped groveling, went back to his position and relaxed himself. And then he went to the main topic at hand.

He looked back at her as if he was accusing her of something. "Wait, what do you mean you don't? You mean you don't love each other?"

Erza could only sigh back at him. "How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

"B-but, you two were…I mean t-the two of you are…" he stammered, not knowing how to properly reply anymore.

Natsu steeled himself at the image of Erza and Jellal together when he went back. He already readied himself for the consequences – his heart breaking and all. But he never, not one bit, expected for something like this to happen. And being a guy whose only talent is in the arts of fighting, these kinds of sudden changes in his so-called plan totally threw him off balance.

Erza suddenly realized something. "Oh, that's right. You weren't here anymore when I came back from Crime Sorciere last time."

A light bulb flashed above Natsu's head. "That's right! Weren't you supposed to go there and get back with him? Don't tell me yo-"

Erza disrupted Natsu via an elbow to the face. "Weren't you listening? I told you we're not together. I went there to end everything between Jellal and me so that we could start over as friends."

It took him a moment before her words finally sunk into his dense skull. "I-I see."

She looked at him sternly. "But of course you would not know that, since you LEFT THE GUILD before I came back from that trip."

Natsu felt like being skewered by something sharp. "So-sorry…" he mumbled.

"About Jellal and me…why are you so upset about it?" another arrow shot through him again, this time to the head, with Erza's question.

"Eh, me? I-I'm not upset, not at all. I'm just a bit su-surprised, that's all." he stammered.

'Damn it. Why wouldn't I be upset?! That was the freaking reason why I left in the first place! It's because I couldn't stand seeing you and that GUY together! And to think she went there with a completely opposite reason to what I had thought. That's just…' his head and his heart were littered with mixed emotions of frustration and depression.

But after a moment, his head suddenly snapped back to her.

"W-what is it this time?" Erza replied, suddenly surprised with his gaze on her.

'Wait a minute…' he blinked.

"Natsu?" now she's a bit pissed and a bit worried for the unresponsive Natsu.

'Erza…and Jellal. They're not…together…!' the scarlet haired knight has had enough.

"Why" she grabbed him by the collar.

"aren't you" Natsu realized what was happening to him, a little too late.

"answering me!" Erza's forehead collides with Natsu's, each earning a slight bump.

"Now, did I get your attention back?" she gave him another stern look, not minding the fact that smoke was still rising from her forehead.

"Y-yeah, sorry about that, again…" Natsu apologized as he rubbed his smoking forehead as well.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at him intently. "So, what were you thinking when you dozed off?"

"Oh, I was just –" he stammered as he remembered his previous train of thought. "…nothing. I just remembered something."

She glared back at him, "Are we going to go back at it again? Answer me, Natsu!"

Her resounding voice that implied his imminent doom broke down Natsu's final act of resistance.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Erza-sama!" he profusely groveled in front of her and bowed several times in quick succession which only served to tick her more.

'I told you to stop it with the "sama" already you little –' she raised her hand to strike him down, yet again.

"I was happy!" Natsu blurted out and made Erza freeze in her tracks.

Her anger suddenly dissipated, replaced with a look of wonder. "Ha-happy?"

"Y-yes…I am." he looked at her…and he couldn't hide the blush on his cheeks anymore.

Erza just sat there, dumbfounded. She could see his cheeks reddening and his eyes looking down, diverting away from her.

She gulped. "Are you…perhaps…happy that Jellal and me aren't together?"

"Y-yes." That shaky affirmation was more than enough for Erza's face to go from normal to steamy red hot in an instant. Too bad Natsu wasn't looking at her.

The sudden silence is splitting his head in two. 'God, I can't look. What would Erza think of me now?! What kind of expression is she wearing right now? Please, I'm begging you…be dumb enough not to notice my feelings!' he silently pleaded.

The red haired maiden was still in a daze, her mind still not registering the words she just heard.

'I…uh…w-what? T-that can't possibly be, what I think it is, right? That's just…not possible. Natsu…he can't possibly be…with me…eh?'

Seeing as he couldn't bear Erza's sudden silence, he mustered his courage and looked at her. He could maybe make up an excuse or something at the spot. But seeing Erza in a state he had never seen before totally left him speechless. She's staring back at him, her eyes somewhat glazed and her cheeks matching her hair.

'And here I was thinking you couldn't look more beautiful, Erza. This…is freaking cheating…damn it!'

"E-erza…" his voice broke the spell she's under.

Her head instantly snapped away from him. "I…uh…sorry about that. Something just caught my eye for a moment there." she tried to chuckle her way out.

'No. There's no way that can happen…Natsu is…there's no way he feels that way about me. I'm just thinking too much at his words again…just like last time. Still…' she buried her face under his scarf to hide her blushing cheeks.

"N-no, it's alright. But I think it's about time we go home now, Erza. You're really feeling the cold with those clothes on." he beamed up a smile back at her. 'She somewhat looked feverish back there…or was it what I think it is?'

She looked at him momentarily, and then smiled back. "Thank you…Natsu."

"Eh? F-for what?" he stuttered.

She slowly stood up and faced him. "Because you weren't sad for me like what the others felt when they heard the news."

'This idiot doesn't show it but he really deeply cares for everyone…me included.'

He just gave her a scowl. 'Who wouldn't be happy? I gave up on you because of that guy.'

She chuckled. "I actually thought that you would be reprimanding me when you get back, since you were the person who was egging me to get together with him the most."

'I only did that because I thought you'd be happier with him by your side, Erza.' He smiled. "Well, I guess you thought wrong."

"Besides, if you ever got together with him, that would mean you'll someday leave Fairy Tail and go live together with that guy. I really don't want that to happen."

"Why not?" she asked him back.

He grinned back at her. "Because I wouldn't get to fight you anymore!"

She could only let out a smile. "I wouldn't be leaving this guild anytime soon. I can assure you that, Natsu. Besides, I now have a score to settle with you."

"I'm always up for it, anytime you want." he clenched his fist in front of her.

She looked at him once more "Alright, but…just promise me this."

"Hmm, what is it?" his eyes blinked for a moment as he waited for her reply.

Erza gave him a solemn look. "Please...don't leave us like that again."

Natsu choked out of guilt, but immediately hid the fact from her. He looked at her and answered resolutely, "I won't. Not anymore, Erza."

Erza couldn't be helped but be awed at Natsu's demeanor. 'You've really grown up, Natsu.' she thought as another faint blush trailed across her cheeks.

"W-what now? Why are you looking at me like that, Erza?" he fumbled as he noticed her staring back at him.

"Nothing." She continued to smile back as if looking back on the old times she shared with him. She broke her stare and looked ahead as she stood up.

"Say, Natsu…"

"Hmm?"

"Do you know why I love strawberry cakes the most?"

…

…

Natsu gazed upon her as he, too, stood up as well. "Huh?"

"Hmm?" she looked back at him. "Did you not get my question?"

"Uh, no, I got it. I'm just confused. Weren't cheesecakes your favorite?" he asked.

"Where did you get that from?" she asked him back.

Natsu somehow got his tongue tangled. "I, uh…sort of heard it when that reporter asked you for your favorite food back then."

She pondered on his answer for a bit. "Oh, that time when Jason from Sorcerer Mag visited the guild?"

As if on reflex, Natsu looked away from her. She took that as an affirmation and smirked, "I never knew you're the type of person to listen in on conversations."

"I-I just heard it by accident! By accident! It's not like I intentionally wanted to hear it, you know!" he reasoned out.

"But you managed to remember something like that till now? Suspicious…" she asked him again, as if teasing him.

"Will you get off my case already?! I accidentally heard it alright? That cheesecakes are your favorites!" he fumed, blushing as he did so. 'Of course I remember. You've got a very SWEET tooth and it's YOUR favorite food!'

"Hmm, well, I did say that, but…" she stopped for a moment as she smiled sweetly at him. "strawberry cakes are a special case."

'W-what's that look supposed to mean?' he blushed even harder. "H-how so?" he stared ahead while taking peeks back at her.

"That's why I'm asking you. I wanted you to guess the answer, Natsu." her hair fluttered as the wind blew ever so slightly. Her cheeks seemed to go redder as the seconds passed but she didn't mind. Not anymore.

'Being scared won't take me anywhere. I'm going to blow all this awkwardness and embarrassment sky high! This is where round 3 begins, Natsu.' she smiled to herself.

She took a peek at her partner, curious as to why he suddenly went silent. The sight of a Natsu who's somewhat deep in thought brought a smile to her face once more. "So?"

Somehow, Erza could see a lightbulb lighting up above Natsu's head as his eyes suddenly opened up. "Ah! I got it! It's because it doesn't make you fa-"

His voice trailed off along with his body, after his face made contact with Erza's backhand. "Wrong."

"Ouch…I'm sorry, Erza-san."

"And despite consuming more calories than I have to, I still make up for it by constantly doing my regular training exercises. I am a young woman after all. Watching out for my body is also part of my responsibility. Did you get all that, Natsu?" she continued reprimanding him.

"Y-yes, sorry." he nodded as he rubbed his face.

After a brief moment, he asked, "So, what really is the reason for it?"

Erza gave him a surprised look. "What, you're giving up already? After one try?"

'If I'm getting my head smashed every time I give a wrong answer, then yes.' He silently grumbled. "Yeah, I can't think of anything else."

The scarlet haired girl let out a triumphant smile, much to the displeasure of her partner. "Alright, I'll tell you. It's quite simple really. The reason, that is."

"Then tell me already." Natsu frowned even more, eager to wait for Erza's revelation.

"It's the color." she answered while stretching her back.

"Huh? That's it?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, that's it." she started walking back.

Natsu, still not content with the answer he got, called her again. "Wait up, you're not kidding right?"

Erza looked back to him and smiled, "Nope."

Natsu facepalmed. "How the hell can you like something based on color alone?"

'You mean I got punched in the face for a simple reason like that?' he thought.

Even he couldn't think that Erza would be that shallow.

"That cake had a perfect blend of red and pink…that's why I liked it." she looked at him as if trying to send something.

Natsu just stared back at her. Seeing as he didn't ask anymore, Erza smiled back at him before she turned back. 'Well, that's one more load off my shoulders.'

"Oh right. I never got to eat my first strawberry cake, no thanks to you, Natsu. So you owe me one." she continued as she walked off.

"See you tomorrow, Natsu." her trailing voice brought him back to his senses.

"No, wait –", he stopped – Erza wasn't there anymore.

He stood there for a few moments and sighed before walking back as well, with a big smile on his face.

"A perfect blend of red and pink, huh?" he chuckled a little.

-oOo-

The bed felt warmer when Erza lied down on it. She stared at the ceiling, trying to recall what had happened today. She resisted the urge to giggle out loud a couple of times as she thought of her interactions with Natsu, both good and bad. Her cheeks are still tinted in red and her heart seemed to jump out of her chest every time she tried to relive those moments. And to think it all happened in just one day.

"Talking to him back then and now…I can't believe there would be so much difference. Is this what happens when you're in love?" she asked herself aloud.

She chuckled at her realization. "Yes, I do love him, do I? That no good kid that only knew how to speak with his fists. How in the world did this even happen?"

She looked at the scarf and gently caressed it with her fingers. "And he's one dense blockhead to boot. That idiot…how am I going to sleep with this on my neck?"

She already resigned taking it off since it would be a waste to do so. After all, it's Natsu's most prized possession. 'I feel like I'm constantly being hugged by -, ack! What the hell am I thinking?!' her cheeks flared up again.

"This has been one exhausting day…but," she smiled as she clenched the scarf, "it's also one of the best in my whole life."

As for Natsu, he hurried back to his house, giddily hopping on the way. He never would have thought that a simple stroll would lead down to this. But of course, he'll make sure Happy would hear none of it. It would immediately cause an uproar considering how much of a prankster he is.

He slowly opened the door to his house only to find his feline companion sound asleep. Natsu breathed a sigh of relief and went straight to bed. But just like Erza, he was also too elated to fall asleep. As he thought back to the events that had transpired, one image popped into his mind. He pinched his cheek hard and it stung, causing him to yelp a little.

"No use, doing it now." he sighed.

'That time, was I really seeing things? If so, then why can I see it so clearly?' he contemplated.

…

As moments went by and drowsiness finally came over them, both could only think about one thing.

'I can't wait for tomorrow to come!'

…

…

…

-TOMORROW-

'I take back what I said. I wish this day hadn't come. What the heck am I even thinking?!' a contemplating knight in a not-so-shining-armor was kneeling right in front of the cherry-faced girl in her usual lovely red dress.

"So, mind telling me again what you want? I might just be hearing things so I want to make sure you know?" the once called demoness whipped her thousand-watt smile(smirk) to her long time bestfriend.

'NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' Erza shivered. 'Why?Why of all the people did I have to go to her?'

"Hey Erza, are you there? If you don't mind the crowd then you can always ask me anytime afterwards. Our guildmates are coming and I have to go and ready the bar." Mirajane started walking away, slowly.

"No wait! P-please don't go yet, Mira." she pleaded, her cheeks in deep red.

Mirajane quickly turned around and spoke in a very concerned voice, "But we're not going anywhere with this, with you stammering and all. As I thought, it's a good idea for you to recollect your thoughts and ask me when every—"

"HOW THE HELL IS THAT A GOOD IDEA!" Erza's voice reverberated across the empty halls of the guild.

"You understand why I'm doing this, right? Right, Mira? You understand why I'm meeting you like this and why I don't want anyone to hear about this, right?" she was visibly nearing the limits of her mental capacity.

"Uhh, no?" Erza's face cracked with her answer, to which brought a bigger smile to Mirajane's face.

Mirajane could clearly feel Erza's trembling hands as it grabbed ahold of her shoulders. "You…you're doing this on purpose aren't you?"

Her killing intent is slowly creeping out of her body, but against a monster that's basically on par with her, it had little to no effect at all.

"Of course not!" she replied, almost giggling. "Like I said, I didn't understand what you've been saying until now because you've been stammering here and there. If you could only say it clearly then maybe I could get the gist of it. And Erza, seeing you stammering doesn't suit you at all. In fact, you're a very outspoken and composed person. So how about we start it again and tell me what you want from the top?" she gave her another reassuring smile.

Erza sighed heavily. 'She's right. I can't go two ways about it. If I can't even talk to Mira about this, then there's absolutely no way I can say it to Natsu either.'

"A-alright, I'll say it again." she gulped.

"I-I w-w-want you t-to te-teach me…" she stammered, again.

"Okay, teach you what?" the silver haired beauty asked.

"Da-" she stopped halfway as smoke started to rise up from her head.

"Da?"

'Goddammit! I'm going to die of embarrassment! Endure it, watashi!'

She breathed in as she focused all her thoughts into one goal.

"I want you to teach me how to ask Na-*ahem*, I mean, a guy on a date!" she blurted, almost exposing her true intentions.

"Oh! So that's what you want!" Mirajane beamed at the realization.

"Finally, you got it. We-well, what's your answer?" Erza gasped for air as she tried to recover from her embarrassment.

"Before that, why are you the one asking the guy out? Wait, since when did you have a boyfriend?" she questioned her again, making Erza much more embarrassed than she already is.

"He…he's not my b-b-boyfriend, dammit! At least not yet! And who cares who asks who on a date? I just want to know how to do it, okay?" said an already exasperated Erza.

Mirajane breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. It wasn't everyday she could get to push Erza's buttons the way she wanted to. So she finally gave her what she wanted…well, almost.

"Oh, so you do have one…a guy you like I mean." she made sure Erza sees the wide grin plastered on her face.

Sure enough, the results were evident, as Erza suddenly froze up with her eyes widening in shock.

"Alright, I'll help you, on one condition." she couldn't help hiding her blush anymore – this was just too good.

'Oh God, if you exist, I would just like to ask one thing…' Erza felt her shoulders drop powerless.

"I'd like you to provide me some pretty little details on this guy." Mirajane giggled.

'Do you really hate me that much?' she gulped, "De-details? Like w-what?"

"Oh, just the basics. Like his name perhaps? Hehehe~"

"Erza? Hey Erza, are you there?"

…

…

…

Mira's words fell on deaf ears.

To Be Continued

Well, how was it? If you have any comments or suggestions, feel free to speak your mind. You can also threaten me for updating after a few years of hiatus. T_T

I hope...I hope (prays hard) that I can release a new update much sooner next time.

RenXRin signing out!

PS: About the "threaten" thing...I meant it as a joke...so please don't seriously try to kill me. XD