Just InCommunityForumMoreFairy Love by Dr Yandere Anime » Fairy Tail Rated: M, English, Romance & Drama, [Erza S., Natsu D., Mirajane S.], Words: 119k+, Favs: 317, Follows: 324, Published: Aug 8, 2020 Updated: Jun 14, 2022214Chapter 11: Courage
This chapter's cringy. Kill me! xD
BTW, I intentionally left out the part where Erza breaks up with Jellal in this chapter. I have an idea where to put it later on, so don't worry.
Natsu may be a bit OOC in this story, but to me, this is how he should've been after all this time. I see this version of Natsu as the ideal version I wanted. I found it hard to believe that after all this time, up until I stopped reading the manga sequel, Natsu was still the same goof as he was from the very first chapter of the original Fairy Tail. He did not become more respectable at all. The only "respect" he gets is from his ultimate power of friendship (and the bullshit plot armor twists, that's just lazy writing, yo). That's why in my version of events, I'm gradually making Natsu a more respectable character by giving him a reason to improve himself (for Mira). And I gotta say, I like him better when he dresses up, pays more attention to hygiene, is more mature and well-mannered now, and is generally an all-rounder who is worthy of the strong affections of admirable women like Erza and Mira. I can't stand those male MCs who get all the girls despite being such a pathetic character. It just doesn't make sense. And I like things to make sense, so this is what my story is all about.
And yes, lol, I just realized my personality can be described as that of a non-comformist, thanks to whoever pointed that out and cleared my mind. It gave me the confidence to continue this unpopular ship. Again, I'm a weak person, so I cling onto people who I have similarities with like a parasite. But I'll continue to try improving not just in fanfiction, but as a person as well. Although no guarantees, lol
For those who actually like this story, this one's for you. Enjoy
Chapter 11: Courage
When Erza and Jellal returned to the guild, everyone was still in the middle of partying.
"Good luck." Jellal said with a sad smile before disappearing into the crowd. Erza just nodded her head in response.
Stalking her prey, Erza followed Natsu with her eyes. Sensing someone looking at him, Natsu looked around for the source. Erza expertly dodged his gaze and hid in the sea of people.
"Hm… weird, must be my imagination." He told himself as he continued to talk to Sting and the others with Mira by his side.
Now that she successfully evaded Natsu's detection, with her next target in sight, she walked up to him and asked for a favor, "Hello, my honey. Your performance was wonderful." Ichiya said in his usual dramatic fashion.
"Thank you. But I actually came here to ask you for a favor…" Erza got straight-to-the-point, ridding herself of all distractions for now. She was a woman on a mission. She needed to focus on her plan for now.
"Anything for you…" Ichiya smoothly said. Even though news of Erza's relationship with Jellal has already made its way to him, he didn't see it as any reason to act differently towards her. That's just how love-struck he was with the queen of the fairies. Besides, with an affectionate and eccentric personality like his, it was rather natural for him to do something like this.
"Do you have a sleeping potion with you?" Ichiya was mildly surprised at her request.
"Of course I do, I always have my precious parfums on me for any occasion. But may I ask why you are in need of it?" Ichiya's potions were very strong. Even his simplest concoctions like the sleeping potion, was of higher quality compared to industrialized potions. Say what you will about him, but no one can deny his brilliance in making potions.
"I've been having trouble sleeping lately. So I was wondering if you had something that can help me out." Erza lied. She was doing this on a whim, but she already made up her mind and she told herself it couldn't hurt to be prepared.
"I would be glad to be of service to you, however…" After Ichiya fished out the small vial from his coat, he paused before handing it over to her.
"…before I hand it over to you, you must take note that my parfums are stronger than others. Inhaling just a tiny whiff will render you asleep instantly. Since it is you who will be using it, I'm not that worried. But please be careful when handling it around others." Ichiya finished his long warning with his usual flashy, dramatic poses (is it just me, or is he somehow similar to God Serena?).
"Understood." Erza answered swiftly in a way that would make it easier for her to leave this conversation.
After she got the potion from Ichiya, she took her leave.
"Wait! You're leaving just like that? Meeeeeenn!" Ichiya overreacted. It wouldn't hurt to feel a little bit of gratitude from her, he felt.
Seeing Erza exiting the guild in a rush, Jellal looked away from his conversation with his former comrades in Crime Sorciere and smiled weakly at his ex-lover's running form, 'I hope you find your happiness, Erza'
Of course, barely anyone noticed Erza leaving because they were having such a good time in the party.
…
The party seemed to go on forever. By the time it was finally done during the early morning hours, everyone made their way home. Most of the people were either wasted or tired by the time the celebration was over.
"Ahhh… I'm beat. Gramps' birthday this year was really something." Natsu said out loud. He was walking with the Strauss Siblings and Happy right now. When Natsu and Mira announced their relationship to the public, walking to the guild and back home together became the routine. Of course, the other occupants of the Strauss family house often went with them.
"That's because there were more people." Mira said. "Now that you think about it, the place was packed compared to the previous years. I wonder why…"
"I think it's because they wanted to see you guys perform." Elfman answered.
"I think so too. By the way, your voice sounded really lovely earlier, Mira-nee" Lisanna complimented Mira's narration from the performance earlier.
"Thank you, Lisanna. To be honest, I didn't think my voice would still be fine…" Mira was referring to her romp with Natsu two days ago. Realizing what she just said, she immediately regretted it. Natsu looked surprised as well.
"Why won't your voice be fine, Nee-chan?" Elfman asked her.
"I-it's nothing. I just meant that I didn't sound nervous earlier…" Mira flusteredly covered up her slip-of- the-tongue.
"Of course! There's no way you of all people would be nervous." Natsu added to help her out, acting suspiciously.
Happy, Elfman, and Lisanna looked at the odd couple.
"You guys are acting suspicious. Did you do 'it'?" Happy mischievously snickered.
The four mages blushed at his implication.
"Happy!" They all shouted.
After they all calmed down from what Happy said, Natsu gave his thoughts on the party one last time.
"But still, I think the party this year was pretty special. Even though there were a lot of people, and I got tired compared to the previous years, I really enjoyed myself a lot." They all smiled after he said this.
The five of them continued to share this lighthearted atmosphere on the rest of their way home.
…
Someone was trailing Natsu on his way back to his cottage on the outskirts of town. Natsu had his hands behind his head while he walked big steps. He had his eyes closed while walking.
Of course, Natsu already knew who it was because of his enhanced senses, but he chose to play along until she decides to confront him herself.
'Weird… Why's she following me?" Natsu thought.
When he finally reached the outskirts of town, he sensed her closing the distance between them, but oddly enough, she didn't show herself yet. Did she honestly think he wouldn't notice her? Or is she aware that he already knows, and is just waiting for the right time to strike?
He kept on walking until he reached his fixed-up cottage. When he reached the front of his door, he finally called her out when she reached the 'Natsu & Happy' sign.
"What's up, Erz? Aren't you supposed to be at home right now?" He turned around and looked at her. She didn't look fazed at all that she's been spotted. So he was right when he assumed that she was waiting for him to reach his house until she made her presence known. He wondered why.
It also baffled him what she was doing here.
"I need to tell you something…" Erza said seriously.
"You could've just waited until tomorrow…" Natsu tried to casually play her off to sort of lighten the mood a little. She looked so serious right now it was scaring him. Did something bad happen?
"…But since you're already here, you wanna go in first?" Natsu opened the door and stepped to the side, gesturing Erza to come in before him.
"That would be great. Pardon my intrusion." Erza said as she took him up on his offer and entered his home.
When she got in, she was surprised at how nice Natsu's cottage looked like compared to when she visited before.
Natsu didn't just fix up the outside of his house, the inside was looking good too. His memento from the adventures he's gone on was neatly organized in a corner now. His kitchen looked clean, and his living room looked fully furnished. She noticed that he didn't have his hammock anymore, so he must've gotten a bed. There were two rooms with the doors closed, so it was probably the bathroom and the bedroom. The fireplace looked like it was frequently used, and she saw that Natsu put bookshelves filled with books all over the place.
Seeing that Erza was looking around curiously, he said "I'm not the one who usually reads these books. I bought them all so Mira could have something to do whenever she comes over."
"I see." Erza nodded her head.
"You can sit down anywhere you like. I'll just go make us something to drink. What do you want?" Natsu asked her what she wanted to drink. Erza was surprised at his hospitality. While he was dating Mira, he's been picking up new things left and right, continuing to surprise her day-by-day. How she wished she was the one who did those things for him.
"Just a glass of water will be fine." Feeling that it would be rude to turn him down, she told him she wanted something easy for him to get.
"Gotcha." Natsu replied and walked off to the kitchen. Erza sat down on Natsu's couch so he would sit next to her when she comes back. While Natsu was busy getting them their drinks, Erza was already steeling herself for her plan.
'It'll be fine, I just have to be honest with myself and tell him what I feel…' She chanted to steady herself. She knew the chance of Natsu returning her feelings after all this time is essentially zero, but she won't waver. She wouldn't let anything stop her anymore now that she's come this far.
When Natsu came back, Erza unconsciously gulped. Natsu noticed this and assumed she was just thirsty upon seeing the drink in his hand.
"Here's your water." Natsu smiled at her.
"Thank you." Erza smiled back, accepting the drink and taking a sip.
After she took her first sip, Natsu asked her what she wanted to talk about. It's not like he was going to refuse anyone who wanted to say something to him, but he's tired from the day's events and the only thing keeping him from crashing on his bed is his scarlet-haired friend beside him on the couch.
"So, what did you wanna tell me? Don't tell me you had a fight with Jellal?" Natsu asked jokingly, not knowing he hit close to bulls-eye. This saddened Erza because the fact that Natsu was worried enough for her relationship with another man meant that he was completely over her. He didn't have any discomfort whatsoever supporting her love with someone else now, meaning the chances he still felt something for her was basically zero. But she wouldn't let that get her down.
"It wasn't a fight. It's more like we went our separate ways already…" Erza vaguely said to leave him hints on what she meant. Natsu was surprised at her affirmative answer. Did he just hear that right?
Her first plan of attack was to slowly tell Natsu she was not dating Jellal anymore so she can open herself up for him. But knowing how loyal Natsu was to Mira, Erza had to be a bit… aggressive with her methods.
However, unfortunately for her, Natsu was able to catch on to what she just said quickly. Since he was curious why Mira spent so much time reading romance novels in his house, he picked up a book from time to time. Surprisingly, he actually liked the type of books that Mira like. That's why lately, he and Mira was spending more time together at his house talking about their thoughts on the books they read.
So when Erza said something like that, Natsu immediately recognized it from one of the tragic romance novels he agonized over together with Mira some time ago.
"Why? I can't even imagine the two of you breaking apart. Isn't this what you guys always wanted? What could possibly tear you guys away from each other?"
Erza kept silent, not knowing how to respond to him. Sure, he was more unpredictable lately, but to actually understand what she meant? She didn't expect this, and thus couldn't come up with a response.
Natsu misinterpreted her silence as sadness and confirmation that they did break up.
"I'm sorry for being insensitive, Erz. But I just don't know why you guys would break up. I always thought the feelings you shared with each other was genuine."
Seeing that this approach didn't work out, Erza redirected the flow of their conversation. This was one battle she could not lose. Even if she resorts to dirty tricks, so be it. Natsu will be hers.
"Do you remember the first Christmas we had together?" Erza looked at him with a gentle look in her eyes.
"Why are you bringing that up now?" Natsu asked. Of course he knew what she was talking about. Even though it was just an innocent moment between two kids, it was one of the triggers that made him fall in love with Erza back then. When he kissed her back that night, he felt like he wanted to do it again. But he always thought that Erza didn't think more of it, because after that night, she continued to act normally around him. During the times he tried to get closer to Erza, she wouldn't push him away but at the same time, it wasn't like she was gonna pull him in either. So he gave up on thinking about that kiss, and closed it off in the back of his mind as just another Erza moment.
And then when they grew older and she met Jellal again, his feelings for her were completely overshadowed by her thoughts of the former Wizard Saint. He didn't give up on her and continued to go after her like an idiot who knew it was hopeless. When his heart was broken on that beach back then, he completely gave up on her and stopped his advances so she can focus on her love with Jellal (remember that he was still under the impression that they kissed that night at the beach).
"Natsu, do you treasure that memory as much as I do?" Erza ignored his question. Natsu didn't know what she was getting at, so he decided to go along with her to see where this will lead. He had no idea what she was trying to say.
"Yeah, I guess… But that's all in the past though. Let's focus on what's happening right now, on your future, with Jellal…" Natsu tried to get her to speak up to him about it so he could help her deal with it. He didn't like how she tried to casually steer the conversation away from the matter at-hand. In his mind, it was rude of him to get her to talk about it because she was probably trying to forget about the pain, but he knew that keeping it in would only hurt her further, a similar experience he shared back then. But when he talked about everything with Mira, it was like a heavy burden was freed from his heart.
Thinking on it now, if it wasn't for his unrequited love for Erza back then, he would never have the wonderful life he has now with Mira. So, in a way, helping Erza out was like his way of repaying her.
"Why did you guys break up? I know it's difficult to get it out right now, but you'll suffer more if you keep it to yourself. Besides, friends don't keep secrets from each other, right?" Natsu smiled at her and held her shoulders with his warm hands to make her more comfortable with him.
He didn't know that the last thing he said struck Erza hard, 'Friends…' echoed in her mind.
"You're right, they don't…" Erza spoke up. Natsu listened on to hear what she has to say, making sure he won't interrupt her so she can let it all out. Is this what Mira felt when she consoled him back then? Probably.
"…But I don't want to be just friends…" Erza boldly exclaimed, surprising not just Natsu, but herself too. She didn't expect to say the words that just came out of her mouth. But now that she let it slip already, she knew there was no turning back. She was actually glad she accidentally said it because she was starting to lose her courage as well. Although it wasn't her intention, she was able to create the opportunity for her to say her real feelings out loud.
"What?" Natsu had a genuine look of shock on his visage. Erza decided it was now or never. She would say everything she wanted to say without sugarcoating it anymore. But of course, this wasn't one of those cliché moments where the heroine lays out all her feelings bravely. Erza suddenly felt nervous now that the moment has actually come. But she was still going to push through anyway.
"Natsu, c-can you listen carefully to what I have to say?" Erza stuttered a bit.
Natsu didn't know what could possibly be more important for Erza right now besides her failed relationship with Jellal. Was there more to it? What did she mean by not wanting to be his friend? Realizing it was useless to just let his mind float around, he decided to hear her out. He wanted to know how he could help her out and fix her problem with her.
"Ok, go on. I'll listen to you and help you out as much as I can." Natsu straightened his body and looked at her with a determined face.
"…" Erza just looked at him. Huh? Why isn't anything coming out of her mouth? She was so entranced by Natsu's serious face that she felt helpless right now. What the hell happened to her resolve from a few seconds ago? She knew she couldn't wimp out now, but her body was telling her another thing. Her strongest instinct right now was to run away and forget this ever happened. She can't do it today after all. Maybe she can find another chance later on?
Seeing Erza have a hard time, Natsu thought this must be more serious than he thought. What was troubling her? He needed to know. But maybe he really was too insensitive to jump the gun like that. He regretted prodding her too much. In his mind, he thought she needed a friend who will listen to her, not force her like this.
'Maybe I rushed her too much. I'll take it easy for now and give her some time.' He thought.
He gripped her shoulders with his warm hands and put on a comforting smile. Erza felt her face get hotter, not that Natsu noticed. He was too busy worrying about her problem to notice anything else.
"It's fine with me if you don't wanna say it right now. I'll wait for you… so you can come to me anytime you're ready."
Erza was touched by his words. That's right. Natsu's the type of person who will never give up on anyone. He was the one who never gave up on her.
Even if people are annoyed by her holier-than-thou attitude, he was there to show hem her good side.
Even if she pushes them away out of her stubbornness, he was there to guide her hand back to everyone so won't be lonely again.
Even if her past catches up to her, he was there to make her look forward to the future.
Even when she couldn't return his feelings for a long time, he was still gonna wait on her.
Even when she rejected him, he is still willing to accept her.
Even when she broke his heart once, he was still keeping hers together.
She was able to let Jellal go, but she would do nothing but hold onto Natsu as tight as she could from now on. She will never waver ever again.
'I don't want to wait anymore.' She said in her mind as tears dripped down her face.
Shocked by her crying face, Natsu donned a look of surprise while still holding onto her.
"Erza? Why are you cr-" He was interrupted before he finished. His vision was blocked. When he realized what was happening, his eyes became even wider.
Erza kissed him.
That's a wrap for this chapter. I want to try out cliffhangers just to see what it feels as the content-maker.
Again, there's a reason why I omitted the break-up scene between the newly-established canon pairing (JErza). It's going to serve an exposition purpose for the succeeding chapters.
Anyway, I hope the NaZa or Natsu crack-ship fans reading this would make their own story. I'm perfectly fine with any romance story as long as it doesn't stick to canon. I'm already tormented by that enough as it is, I don't want to see it in my safe haven I like to call "Fanfiction".
I recently read Tottenham Hotspur's "Way Too Late", and his other NaZa stories are banging as well. It's the cool and ideal version of Natsu I'm talking about. You know-when he doesn't act like a pathetic turd and childish idiot. He is so easy to look down on, and extremely harder to respect. That's why I gauge out all his potentials in the fanfictions I read and write here. He's probably the shounen MC which for me, has the most potential to be better but never did.
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