Chapter 22: The Ugly Truth
I'll be making a bit of lore here, but don't worry, I'll still focus on the story of Natsu, Erza and Mira. I just wrote in the lore because inspiration struck and I thought it would be such a waste to not write it in.
This chapter would also have very mature themes, but I felt that it was necessary to show how twisted their relationship were adversely affecting not just Erza, but also Natsu. There may be instances here that people would have a problem with, but just remember that this is just part of the story, so don't take it too seriously.
Enjoy :)
…
In a suburban area of Magnolia, a rustic three-story house stood out in its neighborhood. This house had a well-kept lawn and an upscale design, giving off the impression that whoever lived in it was on the wealthier side.
Inside the house, a brunette was pacing around the place turbulently, seemingly looking for something.
"Juvia, have you seen the pacifier?" Gray asked frustratedly, having eyebugs in his eyes and definitely looked like he had better days.
"It's not with the twins? I'll go look for it." Juvia responded. Juvia was also tired like Gray to be honest, but to her, it was all worth it. Having married Gray was a dream come true, and when their twins were born, she was over the moon.
But having infants were not all rainbows and butterflies. Waking-up in the early morning hours, the hospital visits, the expenses, the noise. Juvia didn't see this as that big of a deal, but to be perfectly honest, it was taking its toll on her. Gray being too tired to help also wasn't helping either.
Gray and Juvia were what would be called a "suburban family". They live in a homey and safe neighborhood in Magnolia, and Gray worked (went on missions) while Juvia was a housewife. When Gray was home on the weekends mostly (he didn't have a fixed schedule for going on missions, and the length of the missions were unpredictable), he would help take care of the kids (naturally), but it was clear that he had limited energy to do so.
For Juvia, this was exactly what her dream looked like, but for Gray who was hungry for action (going on missions and fighting strong opponents), it felt suffocating at times. While he still did go on missions, he wasn't free to do as he pleased anymore, whenever he liked. He now had a home to go back to (not just an empty house), and while he was also indescribably happy, he had an itch to scratch (not that way you pervs).
He was actually more similar to Natsu than everyone thought, it's just that he was a more calm person, so people had a tendency to mistake that for a lack of interest.
"Found it!" Juvia exclaimed.
"Help me put it on the twins." Gray commanded.
This was what Gray and Juvia's daily life looked like now. After some time, the twins fell asleep.
"They're finally asleep" Gray sighed, sitting upright on the sofa in a relaxed pose, his legs apart. He leaned his head on the sofa. They put the twins to bed in their cribs and were now taking a much-deserved breather.
"Yeah" Juvia answered, "I'll get started on dinner" Juvia said, but just as she was about to stand up from her spot on the sofa, Gray grabbed her wrist gently "You can do that a little later. Just rest a bit for now." Gray suggested. He patted his lap with both hands, signalling Juvia over.
Juvia flashed a warm smile at how sweet her husband was, and placed her head on Gray's lap and took Gray up on his offer.
It's unpredictable when Fuyuki and Mizuko would wake up, so when the opportunity presented itself, Gray liked to catch up on rest. While resting on the sofa, he just realized now that Juvia was overworking herself lately, and he understood that she just wanted to support him as a wife, but Gray knew there were limits to that. He didn't want Juvia to exhaust herself, especially since she just recovered from her pregnancy 2 weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Juvia also knew of Gray's struggles and how exhausted he must be going on high-ranking missions and helping look after the kids. So Juvia decided to pitch the idea she had to Gray. She's been thinking about it for some time now, but whenever Gray went home, he would almost immediately sleep. And when he helped take care of the twins, he was usually cranky (understandably), unlike today.
"I was thinking…" Juvia hesitated, seeing if Gray was already napping.
"Hm? What is it?" Gray responded, giving Juvia the sign to say her suggestion.
"Do you want to go on a vacation? Just to take a short breather?" Juvia asked.
"..." Gray paused for a while, prompting Juvia to look at him while waiting for his answer. To be honest, she didn't know if he was up for it. While he did make good money from guild missions, he seemed to be too tired to do anything else recently. Juvia told Gray multiple times before that he could ease up a little bit because it's not like he only goes on B-rank missions and lower, but Gray insisted on doing as many missions as he can. In his mind, he wanted to make sure he could give his family a comfortable life until his kids grow up (everyone also thought Gray was overreacting, but to each his own).
"Sure." Gray finally responded, making Juvia sit up and hug Gray cheerily "Woah woah, you're that happy?"
"Of course. It's been a long time since we had time to ourselves." Juvia responded. When Juvia was pregnant, they took a break from missions and trips because Gray was paranoid that Juvia might get hurt.
When they got married, their home that Gray bought chipped away most of his savings. With neither of them going on jobs and getting by solely on their savings during Juvia's pregnancy, they almost went bankrupt at one point. Juvia was the voice of reason and kept telling Gray that she was fine at home by herself and that he could continue going on missions, but Gray stubbornly refused (when she was in the early stages of her pregnancy, she offered to help out by going on missions too, but was of course met by stubborn refusal from Gray). Another thing most people didn't know about Gray was that he was over-protective. This was something that only the members of Team Natsu, especially the female ones, knew about him.
Not to mention he became more paranoid when his kids were born (his paternal instinct probably).
Their time almost going bankrupt made Gray paranoid about their finances.
"Where do you want to go?" Gray asked.
"There's this place I heard from Lucy…"
…
"Ok, we leave them in your care. Thank you for this, everyone." Juvia said to the guild. They decided to leave Mizuko and Fuyuki with the guild. Gray thought about leaving the twins with Ul and Ultear, but they live too far away. In Team Natsu, he only trusted Erza and Lucy to look after the twins, but the problem was that Lucy was on a mission and Erza was nowhere to be found. With Juvia, her closest friend was Gajeel, but he had his own family to take care of.
So it was a no-brainer that they'd leave their kids with the guild, mostly it would be Lisanna taking care of the twins. In the essence of bad timing, the barmaids were short-staffed today. So Lisanna had to help out at the bar.
"No problem, just bring us back something!" Macao cheerily replied.
"And don't get carried away, God knows how hard it is for you guys to take care of two kids already." Cana smirked, implying something naughty.
"Cana!" Lisanna shouted.
"What? Don't act like you weren't thinking the same thing." Cana shrugged off.
…
Druid Island. An island between Alakitasia and Guiltina (closer to Guiltina), where local legends say that it used to be inhabited by the legendary Druids, or the group of 98 high-priests and high-priestesses who lived over 100 years ago. Apparently, their mastery of elemental magic far transcended the rest of the world, and unlike their contemporaries, they all shared a mutual dislike for bloodshed.
With the world in a state of chaos succeeding the Dragon King Festival and preceding the Inquisition, these high-mages were united by the strongest mage of his time, the wizard only known as "Dagda". Dagda was so influential that the legendary group were also referred to by his name. They came together from different parts of the world, and settled in what is now known as Druid Island. They made a pact to isolate themselves from the rest of the world and form their own tribes from the original 98 (by "congregating" with each other, if you catch my drift). And once they they have grown in numbers, they planned to bring peace to the world.
However, before their community could grow, they were invaded by the full might of the Inquisitors in an infamous event in magic history now known as "The Tears of Blood", referred to so morbidly because as the story goes, the Druids weren't just killed. The Druids were executed in torturous ways that would make anyone's skin crawl when hearing about it. Dagda's execution was so brutal that it was said that the tears for his fallen comrades were tears of blood.
The Druids would have fended off the Inquisitors and wiped them out there and then, but ironically, it was their fellow mages who helped annihilate them. The mages who helped the Inquisitors made a truce that in return for their help, they would be spared, an event called "The Treaty of Altair", in reference to the capital of the Kingdom of Stella, which was one of the participating kingdoms in the Druids' destruction.
It was largely speculated that the Alvarez Empire was also involved in the Druids' downfall. The theory goes that Zeref wanted control of the territory, but wanted to avoid conflict with Dagda thinking that going up against Dagda and 97 of the most powerful mages in the world would only end in unnecessary bloodshed.
However, he was somehow convinced by the leader of the Inquisitors that the Druids inhabited their island so close to Alakitasia because they planned to invade the Alvarez Empire one day.
Zeref didn't take the threat that seriously at first and had the foresight to know that it was a mere provocation on the Inquisitors' end, but changed his mind when one of the original Spriggan 12 members were killed by a Druid.
This, of course, was orchestrated by the Inquisitors, where they tricked one of the original Spriggan 12 members named Sahel to attack the Druids. The Inquisitors' power of information was terrifying and were second to none, and their intel told them that Sahel was the most temperamental and impulsive member of the Spriggan 12 (at the time. He was even more aggressive and bloodthirsty than Ajeel).
In response, one of the strongest Druids fought Sahel. And it was clear that Sahel underestimated the strength of the Druids, evident by his demise by the hands of the aforementioned Druid.
It was also rumored that Zeref was personally involved in Dagda's death, helping the Inquisitors deal the final blow to Dagda.
Apparently, making a show of killing Dagda to the rest of the world was the Inquisitors' way of making a breakthrough in their goal of eliminating the use of magic. They wanted to scare the mages. Beyond the alliance they formed with the other Kingdoms, they also used their vast numbers, mighty leaders, innovative technology, brilliant warfare techniques, and great commanders to go to war aginst the wizarding world. They proved that the brains preceded the brawns.
However, The Tears of Blood backfired. This was one of the pivotal moments in magic history that gave Elefseria the strength to establish mage guilds.
"...And just a fun fact, it was speculated by scholars that in an ironic twist of fate, Zeref himself helped eradicate the Inquisitors when he found out that he was manipulated into helping them destroy Dagda and the Druids." The tour guide said. She had amber hair fashioned into a ponytail with the bangs neatly down. She had glowing green eyes, and even through her tour guide uniform (knee-length green skirt, black stockings, black shirt with a green blazer, and white rubber shoes), her voluptuous and curvaceous figure was what many would consider a model's body. In terms of looks, she was also considered attractive by many. In fact, she had a niche fanbase of men who adored her, and visited Druid Island just to meet her.
"Ohhh…" Juvia involuntarily let out, flabbergasted by what she just learned. She had no idea such a thing happened.
"Did that really happen?" Gray had his right index and thumb fingers spread out on his chin, his left hand hugging the front of his waist to support his right hand.
Juvia sweatdropped at Gray's bluntness.
Just then, a decaying branch fell and was about to hit someone from the tour group, but was hit by something mid-air at breackneck speed and impaled a tree. Upon closer inspection, the thing that impaled the falling branch was a sharp hairpin.
A middle-aged man from the group pulled it out, albeit with some degree of effort (the hairpin was thrown with such force that it deeply impaled itself into the tree).
"Hey, who does this belong to?"
"Please give me back my hairpin sir, thank you very much." Amber revealed.
"Ah, sure thing." The middle-aged man slightly blushed, captivated by the beauty of Amber with her long hair down. A woman who appears to be his wife gently nudged him at his side with her elbow to wake him up from his stupor.
"That was some crazy power." Gray dumbfoundedly exclaimed, earning him a nod of approval from an equally dumbfounded Juvia.
This time, Gray and Juvia visited a place called Druid Island, famous for their Clover Forest, where the trees where contorted in ways that could only be described as the work of magic. Some trees were even bent in such a way that it resembled a clover, hence the name of the forest.
Besides the historical significance of Druid Island and Clover Forest, it was also famous for its magic shows at night - a spectacle that even fellow mages themselves end up applauding.
They also had the famous Fairy Waterfall (not related to Mavis Vermillion or Fairy Tail), a towering waterfall spanning 15,000 feet that is situated on the coastline, overflowing on the sea (Google the Denmark Strait overflow). Not only was it well-known for having an underwater waterfall, it also gathered the elemental magic particles from the sea to produce limitless Ethernano Spheres, visible tiny spheres of Ethernano that produces a strong (almost blinding) light when touched.
It was speculated that this was the work of Dagda himself, and not even mages like Zeref, August nor Irene were able to replicate this level of terrain magic.
Gray and Juvia maximized their vacation in Druid Island. They visited all the attractions, and tried out all the shops (mostly restaurants and cafes). Druid Island was one of the top vacation destinations in the world not only because it was historically and geographically significant, its commercial tourism was also top-notch. The island was transformed to become a tourism site, including a lot of accommodations, shops, and restaurants. They even had an amusement park situated inside the colossal Clover Forest.
Last but not least, Druid Island also had the Dagda Hot Springs, which was like a system of thermal pools (Google the Travertines of Pamukkale). This is where Gray and Juvia currently were.
"Ahhhh… I like this." Gray said, enjoying the perfect warmth off the water. Seriously, it felt magical - the cooler climate of Druid Island and the warmth of the water acted together to produce the perfect temperature. And it seemed like this was the same for everybody - no matter how weak to cold or prone to hot the person was, the temperature seemingly adjusted according to the individual needs of the person. As an elemental wizard that manipulates temperatures too, even Gray was baffled. Druid Island was in every sense of the word, magical.
"The water feels just perfect…" Juvia said, lost in the moment too.
As a system of thermal pools, naturally you were exposed to people. However, before entering Dagda Hot Springs, the customers are given a comfortable one-piece wetsuit specially made so as to not pollute the natural water, so that they wouldn't have to go naked.
Because of the vast number of thermal pools there were (it was huge island, that's why it's able to house so many attractions and facilities), a limited number of the ones located on the upper part of the slope and were smaller than the other thermal pools, were used for couples or VIPs. With how much they were able to save up from Gray's mission-spree, they of course were able to afford it.
"I was thinking…" Juvia said from her spot beside Gray in their thermal pool, prompting a response from Gray "What is it, Juvia?" He said from his relaxed position, his back leaning on the edge of the pool with his arms stretched out and placed on the edges.
Juvia thought of just getting straight to the point. After all, this was also one of the reasons why she wanted to take a vacation with Gray now. She wanted get him in a much more relaxed and less exhausted state, enough to make him more amenable to what she had to say.
"What if you stopped taking so many missions and stayed around the house more?" She suggested. Now that the savings they spent from Juvia's pregnancy had been replenished, it was about time Gray catches a break. From her time with Gray, one thing Juvia learned about him was that he had a tendency to overreact because as a person, he was more on the paranoid side. Gray did like the action, but he wasn't as spontaneous and carefree as Natsu. Gray thought things through, and found peace in knowing his future… erm, their future was secured.
"I did think about that, and it does sound nice, but…" Gray mumbled the last parts.
"What?"
Gray blushed a little, clearly uncomfortable saying it out loud "I said, I was just thinking of buying you and the kids a house at a better neighborhood. I've been going on missions so that I can buy a big piece of land somewhere closer to where Ul lives." Gray blurted out.
"Pfft" Juvia snickered.
"What?!" Gray comically exclaimed, already aware that Juvia thought it was funny. He shouldn't have said it.
Juvia laughed when she heard Gray's reaction.
"Seriously, what?! Stop laughing!" Gray comically shouted.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you. I just found it funny that you were so embarrassed just because of that."
Gray just blushed in response.
"Why though? I loved that. Thank you for thinking of us, Gray. You're the best husband and father ever!" Juvia hugged Gray jovially, making him blush.
"Yeah yeah" Gray embarassedly played off.
"Maybe I should give you a reward for that." Juvia seductively whispered in Gray's ear from the hug.
Gray was a little flustered for a second, but then smiled pleasedly.
"Oh? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get out of here." Gray responded knowingly.
"But I'm not." Juvia disagreed, catching him off-guard. Did he misread her signal?
"Wha-" Gray was once again caught off-guard when Juvia suddenly kissed him while keeping the hug on his neck tight.
Gray tried to push her off, not comfortable with the idea of doing it in public. Well, not that there were much people in the hot springs today, but in his mind, there was no such thing as too careful.
"It's alright, no one else will see us." Juvia broke the kiss to whisper in his ears.
That's when Gray noticed that Juvia had already used her magic and put up a transparent one-way waterwall, meaning that nobody can see them.
"My waterwall won't go down unless I actively use magic to deactivate it." Juvia mentioned, implying that they didn't have to hold back.
"That's what I like to hear." Gray naughtily said before hugging Juvia by the waist and attacking her breasts, beginning their exciting love-making session.
…
"Natsu, wait up." Erza pleaded as she trailed after Natsu, holding a strawberry ice cream cone.
"Hurry up!" Natsu shouted, getting impatient with Erza.
Yes, Natsu and Erza were still somehow together. However, it was worth noting that they had a drastic change in their relationship dynamic.
"I told you not to buy that there, there's ice cream in the buffet anyway." Natsu grumpily said.
"I know, but it really looked good." Erza explained herself.
"Who cares?! I'm sure the ice cream in the buffet is just the same anyway." Natsu snapped.
Erza responded with a comical sad expression while eating her ice cream.
Yes, they changed roles. Erza used to be the one mad at Natsu all the time, while Natsu was on the receiving end of her short fuse.
…
That day when Erza warned her mother against interfering was also the day Natsu finally tried breaking things off with her. He couldn't lie to himself any longer.
At first, he entertained Erza's unreasonable demands because he thought he could help her that way. He was afraid of what Erza would do if he rejects her regardless of her threats.
But that was bullshit.
When Irene visited him and made her request, afterwards, Natsu got to thinking.
Was he really afraid of Erza's threat?
Was he really trying to help her?
Was he really waiting for Erza to come to her senses?
After that catastrophic day at the basement of the guild, Natsu's emotional state was volatile. He would have bouts of depression, then he would have periods of introspection.
The trauma from losing Mira changed him. He became insomniac. And on those sleepless nights, he would just keep on thinking.
Until it eventually hit him: he wanted Erza just as she needed and desired him (needs are essential for survival and well-being, and desires are strong feelings of wanting something. Meanwhile, wants are things that improve quality of life).
In his moment of vulnerability, he didn't have the strength to lie to himself any more. He didn't have it in him to keep avoiding his thoughts.
He still held some affection for Erza.
Despite all she's done to him, despite the heartbreak, despite her selfishness, despite her twistedness, why couldn't he hate her? It only made sense at this point. If he was a normal person, he should've cut off all ties with her without looking back.
But why? Why couldn't he abandon her completely? Was he really just that soft, or was there something more?
He's made up so many excuses. He kept telling himself he was doing it for Erza.
But he was really doing it for himself.
He first truly realized that he liked Erza when he saved her at the Tower of Heaven. He got so mad when he saw a man from her past do that to her, and then he realized that if Erza died, he'd rather die than live without her.
At first, he thought it was just an infatuation with her because she was one of his closest friends and idols who inspired him to become stronger, as simple as that. He went with that and moved on with his daily life… until the Oracion Seis fiasco clarified his feelings.
Before they did the Oracion Seis mission, Team Natsu went on a normal mission where they had to verify if someone's rich husband (a club owner) was in an affair. Erza and Lucy had to act as decoys for Natsu and Gray to sneak in the wealthy club owner's office. Erza and Lucy had to cosplay as hostesses to catch and keep the attention of the husband. When Natsu and Gray got what they needed from the club owner's office, Natsu lost it when he saw Erza flirting with the club owner in a rather erotic way, getting too immersed in her role - while revealing a lot of skin, she was teasing him by sitting on his lap, hugging his neck and letting him caress her exposed legs. Granted, Lucy and Gray was also disturbed by how open-minded Erza was, but they were able to keep their feelings in check at least, understanding that it was for the sake of the mission. But needless to say, Natsu ruined the whole mission by beating up the club owner and ruining their plan to silently collect information from his office. It turned out he wasn't cheating on his wife, and she was just being paranoid. But the damage had been done.
Back on track, that incident got Natsu to thinking: why did he get so mad? He already knew Erza would do something like that for the mission, but seeing it was different. It awakened an anger inside him he didn't know he had.
And then when Jellal showed up again during the Oracion Seis fiasco, he felt both angry and resentful. He had no idea why he felt like was sitting on pins and needles.
He held a grudge against Jellal for what he did during the Tower of Heaven incident, but with how much anger he held, he couldn't help but wonder why. He's had grudges against enemies before, but it was fleeting and he got over it after he cooled off. But why is it that with Jellal in particular, he felt so bothered? But more importantly, why did he feel so… small?
Maybe because Jellal was stronger than him and he felt a blow to his pride, but that never bothered him before - in fact, he only saw guys like those as motivation to get stronger.
Deep down, he knew why he hated Jellal so much:
Jellal still had Erza's heart.
Despite the improbability of it, despite everything's that happened, Erza still only had her eyes on Jellal.
And why was he so bothered by that? Why did he feel so small?
Because he liked Erza, more than anyone else in the world.
Maybe it came about from spending so much time together ever since they were kids (Erza spent the most time with Natsu, even way more than she did with Gray, because Natsu was the friendliest guy in the guild and during her edgy young adolescent years, Natsu was the easiest to get along and spend time with, so they naturally spent the most time together. It wasn't a stretch to say that if Erza had a best friend, out of anybody, it was Natsu).
Or maybe his infatuation with Erza's strength grew as time passed.
Whatever the case, he knew that the Tower of Heaven fiasco awakened an affection he didn't know he could feel, and it was directed Erza's way.
When Lahar and the Council Knights came to take Jellal away with the members of Oracion Seis, Natsu knew Erza would be dejected. He also knew that she would get over it eventually, but it just didn't sit right with him.
To be honest, he wanted the Council Knights to take Jellal away so that he can have Erza. The moment he thought that, he felt disgusted at himself. That's why he hated Jellal so much. Here the man was, trying to change for the better, but he didn't want any of that because of his petty jealousy.
At that moment he saw the fear in Erza's face, he was angry.
Angry that she would make such a face for someone besides him.
Angry that he felt that way.
Angry that only Jellal would make Erza genuinely light up.
In a last-ditch effort to make sense of his feelings, he decided to try and fight for Jellal to stay with them. Maybe having him around would give him the clarity he needed.
But in the end, the Council Knights still ended up taking Jellal away, so Natsu didn't know what else to do but bring it upon himself to try and capture Erza's heart, no matter how long it takes.
And then 7 years later, he saw their "kiss" and was emotionally scarred. After all that, was it still possible for romantic love to exist in his heart?
He found his answer with Mira. He loved her, truly.
But in the deepest crevices of his mind, his affection for Erza remained.
So when Erza told him she was in love with him, it was like giving back the crying baby's toy. Why would he return Erza's love, when she was the one who rejected him first?
No, he's with Mira now.
But deep down, why did it feel like he wanted to?
But Erza's lost her chance, she had his love and she threw it away.
And then Erza blackmailed him, but did he really believe her stupid threat? So what if she tells everybody, Mira would believe him and even if she was somehow swayed by Erza's obvious lie, he'd find a way to make her believe the truth.
But he got weak.
Deep down, he wanted to take Erza up on her offer because deep down, he wanted to see where it went.
And then they went further with their "affair", and he felt so dirty on the inside that he lost the courage to tell Mira. He let his weakness taint him.
But Mira ended up finding out anyway. He thought he could somehow "fix" Erza and no one else had to know this ever happened.
He got depressed. He didn't care anymore, he just let everything slide down his back. He just went with the flow, so to speak.
He got bored. Bored of life. Someone who's bored is asleep. And someone who's asleep can't say no.
He didn't care anymore, if Mira wouldn't have him back anymore (he got pessimistic and assumed Mira's answer is to break up), he can at least make one other person happy.
And that person was Erza.
He shut Erza out, but still let her back in. He said he was just using her for her body, but really he loved the control that he had over Erza.
Besides, he's a healthy man. Moreover, he's a dragon slayer, with the instincts of one. He's also got needs that need to be met.
He saw their fuck buddies relationship as a win-win.
He didn't hold himself back anymore, he let all his lustful, some even depraved, thoughts out. Now that they've defined their relationship, he went all-out and used Erza as much as he wanted. With how intense he was, he might even break her one of these days. But he didn't care, it seemed like she didn't mind him either.
In the bathroom of the guild. In the alley. On their cabin in the train. At a hotel. At the park at night. At her place. At his place.
What sometimes started from early in the morning usually lasted until the dead hours of the night, a testament to how much stamina they both had.
Their daily exercise was replaced with sex. They sweated more doing it than exercising anyway, having almost break in-between their sessions.
He couldn't stop. What Mira didn't know about him was that whenever they had sex, Natsu wasn't 100% satisfied. But he held it in. He knew Mira didn't have that much stamina when it came to sex. She felt exhausted rather quick for his taste. But he told himself he loved her, and he should be lucky he even gets some regularly.
That's right, Mira. Even if there was a slim chance she'd want to get back with him (in his mind), his heart belonged to her… but his dick belonged to Erza.
He felt a slight pang of guilt again.
And then Irene came to him, and he woke up back to reality.
Well now that someone else wants him to end it with Erza for real this time, why not? He just did this because he had nothing else at the time.
Erza'll be heartbroken, but she'll get over it. Irene promised she'll be there for Erza anyway.
So what's stopping him?
Ruffling his hair out of frustration, he sat up from leaning on his sofa, and placed his elbows on his lap, his hands clutching his hair with his eyes on the ground.
Irene made her request 2 days ago, if there was a time to fulfill her request, it should be now. Erza was on her way to his house to "spend the night", and as much as he wanted to "exercise" too, he's finally gonna do now what he should've done a long time ago, before he loses the strength to do so.
"Natsu, I'm here! Let's have curry for dinner." Erza had a skip to her step, hopping over to the fridge to check on the ingredients.
"Oh? But before that, can you come here?" Natsu tapped the seat next to him on the sofa with his hand.
Erza smiled and practically jumped at the spot next to Natsu, thinking he was flirting with her.
"Ooh, can't even wait for dinner, huh? But why are you acting so polite? You could've just taken me in the kitchen." Erza sat at Natsu's lap while facing him, her arms wrapped around his neck.
Natsu grabbed Erza by the arms and motioned for her to get off his lap and sit somewhere else "That's what I want to talk about, Erza. Can you get off me for now?"
"Ah ok…" Erza awkwardly expressed, not sure what to make of the situation. Why was Natsu so serious? She thought that they were starting to get along again, propelled by their sensual "skinship" activities.
For the past few weeks, they had reached a daily routine where they wouldn't interact with each other much at the guild so as to not arouse suspicion from everybody else and anger Mira, but they were attached at the hip (quite literally, if you catch my drift) when they were in the safety of privacy.
Once Erza took her seat beside him on the couch, Natsu decided to just come straight out with it, "Better soon than never", he thought.
"Erza, can we stop doing this, once and for all?" Natsu awkwardly blurted out.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Erza knew what Natsu was trying to say, but hoped she was wrong.
"You know what I'm talking about - this, us, it has to stop. Please Erza, I can't keep doing this with you anymore." Natsu pleaded.
Truth be told, in the back of his mind, he only thought about Mira. When he gave in and started this physical relationship with Erza, he told himself that it's not like Mira will take him back anyway after all that, but he still hoped, deep in his heart. He knew that he could live without sex, but he couldn't live without Mira.
What Erza could offer him physically, he realized that he didn't need that. Heck, he could be celibate for life if it meant staying by Mira's side. It would be difficult, but he would make it happen, if only Mira would stay by his side again.
Being with Mira, it was the first time he could respect himself. He felt truly appreciated and loved, and above all, he knew that Mira always did things for him without expecting anything in return. He had a lot of firsts with Mira, and he knew that he would only keep growing and things would only get better if Mira would forgive him.
Even if his mood improved because of the dopamine overload he experienced whenever he was with Erza, he also realized that what he wanted wasn't someone who would always say yes to him. He wanted someone who really did what was best for him, even if it meant being on the receiving end of his spite for a while.
The difference between Erza and Mira was that Erza enabled Natsu, in a brown-nosing way. She lost the ability to say no to him, and simply agreed with everything he wanted, and he could kind of sense already that it was just to gain his favor. At times, he would get ahead of himself and test the waters with Erza by asking her to do something intense with him in the bedroom. Sometimes, even he would cringe at what he was asking Erza to do, but every single time, Erza would say yes in the blink of an eye. Their relationship was beginning to grow unhealthy, and he didn't want to degrade both of them further.
On the other hand, Mira knew when to say no to him. At first, he would throw childish tantrums and be petty (like giving Mira the silent treatment). But he would eventually realize that Mira just didn't want him to make a mistake that would cost him dearly later on, so she would refute him not because she wanted to control him, but because she sincerely cared for him and always thought more about the consequences of his actions than even he did.
He was ready to bite the bullet and finally make things right, once and for all. He finally cleared the fog that permeated his mind.
"Did you think that begging me would make me go soft on you." Erza's demeanor suddenly changed, a direct response to Natsu's plea.
"Erza, please. Even your mom thinks that what we're doing isn't right. I know we've gone too far already, but let's stop now before we go any further than this."
"..."
Suddenly, Natsu's words replayed in his mind and it dawned on him.
"Crap. Why did I have to say that?" Natsu thought.
"So it was my mother who put you up to this." Erza's eyes were shadowed by her bangs. She was unnervingly still, giving off an ominous vibe.
"No! I mean- we did talk the other day, but I was the one who made this decision. Don't get mad at her." Natsu tried defending Irene, knowing that she only did what was best for Erza. He also felt guilty that he couldn't keep his promise to her about keeping her involvement a secret.
"..." Without saying anything, Erza turned around and started to walk out of his house.
"Erza, wait! Where are you going?" Natsu knew Erza was about to confront Irene. He couldn't let this unfold anymore, he had to put a stop to it now.
He had to convince Erza today. He finally mustered up the strength to end it once and for all, he couldn't let this moment pass by him.
He had to do it now.
He grabbed her by the arm, "Erza, stop. We're not yet done."
Erza stopped in her tracks, and Natsu suddenly felt an ominous chill in the air.
Erza glared at him using her death stare (the one that looked similar to Irene's), and told him to let her go "I'll be back later, Natsu"
Natsu held his ground, steeling herself to get the job done and prevent Erza from causing any more trouble, but when he saw the way Erza looked at him, his confidence waned. Her stare gave off the same impression as a dragon's intense gaze.
But then, Erza's face softened, "Please? I won't know what to do anymore if you leave me."
"Who knows what I'll end up doing to myself."
Natsu didn't know why he let go of her then, but he did. Maybe it was because the image of Erza about to kill herself on top of Fairy Hills flashed itself into his mind.
That moment of weakness cost him a lot.
And with that, Erza left Natsu's house.
He fell to the floor sitting down, and had a look of hopelessness and disbelief.
"That was my chance, damn it!" Natsu thought as he punched the floor, leaving a hole.
He gritted his teeth in anger, disappointed in himself and mad at the outcome of today. He's already made up his mind, why the hell couldn't he follow through? Why was he so weak? At this point, he shares blame for this situation he's failed to get himself out of time and time again.
But still, the way Erza responded stayed in his mind.
"I knew she was already different from her old self, but still, that-"
Erza's death stare suddenly flashed into his mind.
"-that wasn't Erza."
That night, Erza would confront Irene and go back to Natsu's house, sinking Natsu deeper into her snare and coming back at him with renewed vigor, using his lust to her advantage.
…
"I'll look at the salads" Erza let Natsu know, "Sure." Natsu waved her off, but Erza was unaffected.
It was evening already, and after a long day of going around the island, they decided it was time for dinner.
"Let's see, boar meat, steak, beef crust, boneless chicken. Damn! It all looks so good, gotta get at least one of everything" Natsu smiled, his eyes drooling at the meats section of the buffet, "Except for that." Natsu comically had an expression that he wanted to vomit when he saw the flying fish. He knows that it probably tasted better here in the buffet because it was world-class chefs who made it, but his experience with eating flying fish was unforgettable.
"Eh, Natsu-san?" Someone called out to Natsu.
"Hm? Oh, it's you" Natsu looked away from the buffet and acknowledged her presence, "You should try their boneless chicken, it tastes amazing!" He excitedly suggested.
"Then I'll take you up on that." She chuckled as she brushed past Natsu and got herself the chicken. He was just too cute.
"Are you done for the day?" Natsu continued the conversation.
"Unfortunately, I still have one last group tonight. They requested for a late tour of the Fairy Waterfall because they wanted to show their kids the ethernano spheres at night."
"Aww, that sucks. You won't be able to enjoy the food." Natsu felt for her. He could relate when he couldn't even enjoy the delicious food on the missions they went to because they had to rush and do something afterwards.
"True. At least keep me company?" Her eyes had a twinkle to them, a seemingly subtle hint that went unnoticed by Natsu's denseness. With Natsu, you have to be straightforward to get him to understand something. Yes, she was flirting with him, not knowing she was operating in the shadow of death (Erza should be somewhere around the buffet).
"Why not, but you gotta be careful of Erza. Amy, was it?" Natsu didn't pick up her hint, but he already knew how insanely possessive and jealous Erza can get. It would actually be more fitting to call their current relationship a hostage relationship, where Erza was threatening Natsu with her life in exchange for his affection (which he only gave just enough to keep her satisfied).
Truth be told, Natsu knew how demented things have become. It went from him letting Erza blackmail him, to using her for her body, and then now to staying with her for the sole purpose of keeping her alive and getting her the help she needs. He knew he was at fault too for letting it come this far, but even he understood that this all began with Erza, and that she's definitely gone off the rails.
"It's Amber." She deadpanned.
"Hahaha, my bad." Natsu sweatdropped.
She was Amber Hylia, the celebrity tour guide of Druid Island. Her features matched her name. Currently, she was in casual clothes because staff uniforms were not allowed in the buffet, since they'll also be eating with guests (the island staff has free dinner coupons to the buffet on their working days). Her fashion choice was chic, revealing just a bit of skin in the shoulder, neck and cleavage areas, enchanting normal men with her looks alone.
But the reason she was so popular was not just because of her looks, it was also her personality and skill as a tour guide, always keeping things interesting for her patrons. If she's the tour guide assigned to the group, they're in for an experience.
"Amber Hylia, was it?" Erza interrupted.
"Yes ma'am." She responded with her usual tone.
"What brings you here?" At first, it seemed like Erza was asking why Amber was at the buffet, but intuitive and socially intelligent people could pick up on Erza's real intention. What she was actually asking is "What brings her to Natsu of all people, out of the hundreds that were in the buffet tonight?"
"I'm just having dinner and ran into Natsu-san." She said, her politeness unwavering. But behind that respectable demeanor of Amber's, held a hidden fire directed Erza's way.
Yes, Amber has a huge crush on Natsu.
The reason why Amber was so prolific as a tour guide was because she was a fan of mages (despite being one herself). Having heard about the Alvarez War and the Dragon Gods' 100-Year Quest, she couldn't help but feel a strong sense of admiration towards Natsu, what with him being so pivotal in those events. She has heard about Fairy Tail's Salamander before, but her infatuation with Natsu didn't begin until his titanic achievements came to light for the world to see.
Eventually, the more she researched and knew about Natsu, her idolization turned into infatuation, and then it somehow became an obsession. She was doing a good job of acting composed in front of Natsu now, but inside, she was on fire.
Her obsession turned into affection. The moment she saw Natsu in-person, she couldn't help but revel at how handsome he was. He was gorgeous (for her). His sharp features, his handsome but at the same time cute appearance, his big and toned muscles barely disguised by his clothes, as a woman, she couldn't help but salivate (figuratively speaking).
This of course, didn't escape Erza's god-like intuition when it came to Natsu.