11

Chapter Ten – Armistice

0.0

The underlying tension was palpable.

Like a grimy old western showdown, no one moved, their breaths stilled, each waiting for the other to make the first move just as the sun peaked above their heads.

Naruto's face was grim. His narrowed eyes shifted around the outdoor café as he picked out the subtle signs of muscles tensing in anticipation, features set in unease, and even reluctant acceptance. A majority of the members present stepped back, giving the duo a wide berth, but a select few had edged away from his direct line of sight and settled near his blind spot. The purpose, of which he assumed, was to get a better vantage point or a decisive strike should there be an opening.

Slowly, Naruto glanced back at the woman whom he had just met.

Mirajane appeared conflicted as she switched her attention between the two. It was faint, but he could sense her apprehension when their eyes met. He wasn't certain whether this implied the end of their short-lived friendship; not that he could really blame her if he was in her shoes.

"Wendy," he called out, gesturing with his head as he instructed the Sky Dragon Slayer to stand by him. Her safety was imperative, not thinking twice if he had to make one of the most prominent guilds in Fiore his enemy to secure it.

Wendy shook her head vehemently, waving her hands in an attempt to quell his anger. "Naruto!" The anxiety in her voice was unmistakable. "D-Don't, it's my fault! I—"

"Now!" Naruto hissed, eyeing the black-haired individual standing over her warily.

He pumped chakra into his legs, anticipating the need to snatch his charge away at the slightest twitch from his opponent. However, his grip on the kunai loosened as Wendy made her way next to him, her head ducked down and browbeaten. She was blinking to stave off the impending rush of tears.

Naruto swallowed a nervous gulp as a bubble of guilt bloomed in his conscience. He hastily shrugged it off.

There would always be time for apologies later.

Mirajane plastered a comforting smile as she stepped between Naruto and Gajeel. She was being proactive, patting him on the arm to ease his worries, and egg him to put down his—quite in the literal sense—loaded weapon.

"Everyone," Mirajane said. "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. Let's not do anything rash before—"

Gajeel's demented smile didn't waver. "What's not to understand? He started a fight, so now we're going to finish the fight," he goaded, scoffing. "Easy, no?"

A young woman stepped forward before Naruto had the chance to retort.

Her short, wavy blue hair was held up by a yellow band as she copied Mirajane's actions in an attempt to soothe the tense atmosphere. She was dressed in an eye-catching orange dress and stand-alone sleeves that covered most of her arms. Her elaborate top ended just above her knees only to be continued by a pair of black leggings.

The girl took small, hesitant steps towards the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Why don't we all just take a step back... and relax, ne, Gajeel?"

Gajeel snorted, not even bothering to turn towards her. "Stay out of this, Levy." His crimson eyes narrowed into slits. "This is between me—" he locked his feet behind the other, "—and him!"

In a sudden flurry of movement, Gajeel managed to shrug off the frail arms of one Levy McGarden, as she tried but failed to hold him back, and rocketed forward, ignoring the loud protests for him to stop.

The plump grocery bag in Naruto's arms dropped to the floor. It went unnoticed amidst the flood of shouts and screams; both of the warring and panicking variety, though a clear voice rang out in a gruff booming voice:

"Real men let their fists do the talking!"

With his now free hand, Naruto pushed Wendy back, away from the fight and towards the open arms of a surprised barmaid. Their eyes met briefly, to which he pleaded with Mirajane to take care of her. He failed to notice Mirajane's reply, but he hoped that Wendy would stay safe with her; his hardened battle instincts having already decided that this wasn't an opponent he could underestimate.

Turning back to his on-rushing opponent, Naruto twirled the wind-infused kunai in his hand before flinging it forward in a single, fluid motion. It wasn't aimed at anywhere vital, but it would serve the purpose of creating a suitable opening.

Weaving low, Gajeel didn't even blink as the projectile swept past him. It grazed him just enough for a cut to appear on his cheek; it wasn't shallow, but it wasn't quite deep either. Naruto had heard rumours about Fairy Tail's newest Dragon Slayer. He could only assume Gajeel's naturally hardened skin had stopped most of the damage that he would have incurred.

The kunai then ricocheted off his assailant's skin. The direction of the projectile recoiled just a fraction from going straight on with its intended course and towards the—thankfully—emptier section of the outdoor café. Naruto had no time to check where his weapon had found its mark as Gajeel shortened the distance between the two.

Gajeel cocked his right arm back a few metres away from him, but considering his reach and the distance, it was clearly unable to reach him.

In an instant, Naruto's confidence withered.

A metal rod shot forth from the sleeves of Gajeel's torn-up tunic. Naruto was too stunned to realise that it was scrambling towards him. He hastily brought his arms to a cross, parrying the impending assault with the outside of his forearms. The blunt edge of the metal rod crashed against his guard. Luckily, with the way he shifted his body at the point of impact, he was able to deflect the full-force of the strike, but that didn't stop him from skidding backwards.

The Iron Dragon Slayer didn't let up, a rueful grin being the only visible feature under the bangs of his long, unruly hair.

"Tetsuryūkon," Gajeel intoned.

Multiple smaller columns emerged from the parent rod. They hurtled towards Naruto, all attacking at intersecting angles aimed for his vital points; too many for him to parry or even evade considering how close he was to the attack. One of the off-shoot columns was able to bypass his guard and connect with a solid hit to his chin. His head snapped back from the forcefulness of the blow.

Naruto's body disappeared in a puff of smoke. A destroyed wooden leg clattered to the ground amidst the confused murmurs in the crowd.

"The fuck did he go?!" Gajeel all but snarled.

Unknown to everyone, his vanishing act was a result of a quick Kawarimi. Naruto landed just off to the side of the towering guild house, his profile hidden from the crowd amassing around them. There was no one in his immediate vicinity, allowing him to step back and survey the fight. He acted quickly, hopeful that his subterfuge would not draw anyone's attention. His newly-made clones surrounded him, disguised as they were, before breaking off and assimilating into the crowd.

"There!" Naruto heard someone shout.

With a quick Shunshin, Naruto reappeared in a cloud of smoke barely a second later, just to his opponent's left, rushing down the length of the transformed metal pole. His leg lashed out, already in mid-spin to deliver what he hoped to be a roundhouse to the abdomen; one powerful enough to knock the wind out of his opponent.

Unsurprisingly, Gajeel was prepared. The long metal pole retracted, zooming back into his arm with a solid snap. Simultaneously, he altered the other arm to take the shape of a large, serrated steel blade that started just below his forearm to rebuff the roundhouse.

Naruto winced.

He was quick enough to shift his leg to hit the blunt side of the blade. Unfortunately, he caught the full-force of the collision on his shin. He could have sworn he heard his bones creak in protest as the hollow squall of metal against bone resounded in his head.

His clone disappeared, shrouding his opponent's view as another puff of smoke enveloped him.

Gajeel waved his untransformed hand wildly to clear the smoke around his person. He snarled, curling his lips back to reveal his sharp incisors.

"Come out, you fucking coward! Why don't you—"

Gajeel's words died in his mouth as Naruto came into view, standing in a loose stance just a few metres in front of him.

Undaunted, Gajeel cracked his neck to pop the growing tension in his muscles. He brought his transformed sword-arm up, glancing at it before grinning wildly. The blade roared into life. It was a loud disconcerting buzz of metal against metal, as the serrated edges of the blade whirred like a roller chain around a sprocket.

"You're really annoying, you know that?" Gajeel said, levelling the now pulsating chainsaw-arm at Naruto.

Naruto narrowed his eyes.

He flexed the fingers on his right hand, clenching it into a fist before slowly curling it open. Forming the attack had now become almost second nature to him as tendrils of blue energy began to convalesce in the palm of his hand, gaining its familiar shape. He held the Rasengan in front of him. The blue sphere hummed with such potent intensity that the wind brought about by the swirling vortex fluttered his hair and poncho across his body.

Naruto didn't even see a need to reply. That was because he allowed his clones to do it for him. They blitzed from their position, initially hidden among the members of the crowd, dispelling their disguises in the process.

"You're pretty annoying too," one of his clones said behind Gajeel, causing his studded brows to shoot up to his hairline.

Gajeel didn't even get a chance to swing his chainsaw arm around before the clones bum-rushed him, trapping the offending arm. That only served to enrage Gajeel further as he tried in vain to shrug off their attempts to hold him down. The momentary opening was enough for Naruto to close the distance between the two and thrust the swirling vortex directly at his opponent's mid-section.

Gajeel hurriedly met the Rasengan with his chainsaw.

A fleeting stalemate occurred.

Beads of sweat began to trickle down the Dragon Slayer's forehead, but seemingly, a sudden burst of adrenaline renewed his vigour. Naruto watched as Gajeel began using his larger frame to force down the whirling blue sphere. His opponent's face was strained, and he was obviously wracked with pain as the Rasengan tore away at the length of the blade.

The serrated teeth of his chainsaw were rendered moot quickly, having been destroyed the moment it made contact. Had Naruto concentrated more on the large, noticeable chink in the blade, he was sure that he could neuter Gajeel's defence and end the fight there, but Naruto couldn't be sure that it would cripple the man permanently.

The condescending smirk on Gajeel's lips was infectious as he continued to force the Rasengan down on Naruto, so much so that the blond mirrored it.

"You've got the wrong one again, asshole," the now identified clone said with a small bubble of hysterics.

Exploiting a similar tactic as before, the real Naruto emerged from the crowd. His features were once again his own as he charged forward. He worked fast to cover the distance afforded by the momentary opening. The chakra orb in his hand was a variant from the norm, smaller in size, as was the potency behind the attack. Even if his hastily-formed technique was powered down from its regular intensity, it didn't allude to the fact that it was still powerful in its own right.

Naruto brought the might of the vortex down on his opponent.

Gajeel didn't even have the time to blink as the attack broadsided him. It lifted him off his feet as he careened through the air, not that anyone could see as a large plume of dust and smoke enveloped the improvised battlefield. He crashed atop a stack of empty tables before hitting the ground hard.

Gajeel rolled roughly to a stop.

With the battle momentarily decided, Mirajane rushed forward to bring the ever mounting tension to a halt. She stepped in between Naruto and the others—her expression stern—to ward off any funny ideas that the others or even he himself would start.

Not one to be careless, Naruto stepped back to survey his surroundings. His eyes then latched onto another blue-haired woman that had just rushed out of the guild house, with several other figures trailing after her.

True enough, his battle with Gajeel had barely stretched beyond the two minutes mark, but it didn't excuse the others for reacting so slowly to his presence. It was either that or everyone around here were so used to violence that they didn't even bat an eye if one of their guildmates got into a fight.

Naruto highly doubted such a thing.

"Gajeel-kun!" the newcomer exclaimed.

The exotic-looking mage with dead-black eyes was dressed in a striking outfit with the colour combination of white, light purple and navy blue. It took a while to recognise her. This was the same girl he had seen back then during the parade.

"You've h-hurt Juvia's comrades." Her lips quivered not in nervousness, but in thinly-veiled anger as her black-pooled eyes narrowed at him. "Juvia will not forgive you!" Bringing her hands down in a slashing motion, she screamed with a hint of hysteria:

"Water Slicer!"

Blades of highly-pressurized water shot out from her body, which appeared to be in a semi-flux state of liquid and solid. The translucent arcs zipped at him, sparing the odd obstacle or two in its path no mercy.

Barely holding in her unease, Wendy—now without the white-haired barmaid to hold her back from joining in the fight—stepped up. "Sharp winds that tear the heavens asunder," she intoned hurriedly. Tracking the deadly attack heading towards him, she raised her forefinger in the air, shouting:

"Ictus!"

The similar technique intersected Juvia's own, matching power for power as the large, singular wind arc sliced through most of the water mage's attack. It left Naruto with just a lone water blade to contend with, to which he dealt with relative ease. He spared Wendy a thankful nod before turning back to their now common enemy, who to her credit, didn't even bat an eye at the two-on-one situation.

Juvia stamped a clenched fist into her open palm, spreading her legs apart.

"Water wh—"

Her words died in her mouth as a coarse cackle rang throughout the area. Like a demented phoenix rising from its ashes, the Iron Dragon Slayer emerged from the rubble of wooden furniture.

His peculiar laughter left an odd taste in Naruto's mouth.

The dishevelled form of Gajeel was contrasted right down in the middle. The right half of his body, the one side-swiped by his Rasengan, was covered in metallic scales. The other half was still in his normal tanned skin. His torn and weathered tunic barely hung on by a thread, exposing the bruises and wounds that littered his body.

Gajeel groaned, coughing dryly. Blood spurted from his lips.

His shoulders were hunched as he cradled one arm in the other. He slowly worked the kinks in his body, rolling his injured shoulder gingerly. As Gajeel struggled to stand, his feet swayed as he took a step beside Juvia.

"To think I was just starting to recover after that shambles of a fight yesterday," Gajeel said. He turned to Naruto, wiping the trail of blood that dribbled down his chin. "That kinda hurts, you know. Even more so than the one from that other blond bastard."

Juvia huddled closer to the surly man, plucking a handkerchief that appeared out of thin air. She dabbed at the wounds on his face, their fight momentarily forgone. "Juvia was so worried for Gajeel-kun!" she fretted, her hand following his every movement as he tried to evade the handkerchief. "Juvia thought you died!"

"Go away. I don't need your help," Gajeel said. "This is my fight! I can handle him all on my—"

"I think that's enough fighting for today, don't you?" a weary voice, attached to a similarly weary-looking old man, interjected.

Another figure zoomed past him, already escaping the clutches of the redhead who had tried to keep the Weekly Sorcerer reporter from witnessing the fight.

"Cool!"

The man looked delirious.

The chief reporter of the Weekly Sorcerer, Jason, was dressed in a simple pink t-shirt with a pair of jeans. He continued scribbling away on his compact notepad. The 2B pencil in his hand zoomed left and right, as did his eyes, as he looked from one combatant to the other in awe.

It didn't take long for the face to click in Naruto's mind.

He could easily remember the man's annoying catchphrase. This was the same reporter who had tracked him down all the way to the front steps of their guild tent during the train fiasco. Although back then, he had been a lot less enthusiastic, but still, downright annoying all the same.

Meanwhile, Makarov reserved a displeased frown for Gajeel. Then, slowly, the Guild Master turned his gaze—his eyes slit almost completely shut—towards Naruto.

It was for that reason he blanched.

The pretty redhead behind him mirrored her Master's expression. It was almost uncanny how similar they looked, but the expression looked marginally worse on the one dressed in a suit of armour and a navy skirt. She gave off the air of a strict disciplinarian, honour bound to exact punishment.

Wendy, who could no longer contain that bubble of excitement in her chest, leaned into him.

"It's Erza Scarlet!"

His face scrunched up in disbelief.

Naruto barely checked himself from bursting out and admonishing the girl to read the atmosphere. Regardless, he lowered his guard. His attention was still fixed on Gajeel, but one would forgive him for being unaware when he was blinded by a flash of light. This was accompanied by the familiar sound of a camera shutter.

Although, it really was unfortunate that Mirajane just so happened to be in between the two as she tried to stop the fight from resuming once more. The barmaid had the same dumbfounded expression as she turned to the reporter.

"Cool!" Jason said. "Raging with unsuppressed emotions! The unknown blond challenger fighting against the lovable bad-boy every woman in Fiore would love to tame, Kurogane no Gajeel. A tragic love triangle as they fight to vie for Mirajane's hand." For a moment, Jason stopped, clenching his fists as an expression of pure ecstasy swept his face.

"Cool! What a delicious scoop! This is going straight to the front page on our next issue!"

Naruto allowed the slight of having been called unknown to pass. Had the man already forgotten their incredibly brief interview all those months ago? Not that he minded, seeing that he'd much prefer to stay out of the public's eye, but he could barely contain himself any longer.

He laughed, wiping a few stray tears from his eyes before slowing down his hysteria to a couple of breathless chuckles.

Naruto collected himself awkwardly, noting that no one else was reacting to the joke as he did. Finally, the grim truth dawned on him. He stared into the hateful and suddenly blood-thirsty red eyes of his opponent.

"He's not really going to write that, is he?"

Gajeel nodded coldly. "You bet he is. The only way to stop him now is to kill him and be done with it."

For a moment, everyone stilled. The expression on his face must have been downright terrifying, as even Wendy and the stoic Guild Master, Makarov, shirked back.

"Cool..." Naruto mumbled in anticipation.

0.0

Without the Weekly Sorcerer reporter, whom had escaped Magnolia unscathed, things subsided into a dull roar as calm reasserted itself back into the guild.

There was a bountiful treasure of gossip piled in that camera and notepad as Jason left Magnolia in the dust, no doubt writing the story as they speak; that one single picture defining his status as the other guy who was not Gajeel Redfox (seeing that the Iron Dragon Slayer was actually a more well-known figure in Fiore than him), fighting for Mirajane's love. The only consolation was that he did look like he was winning in the picture.

Oh, he would hunt down that reporter...

So, here they were, seated around a wooden table at the refurbished outdoor café. The damage wrought upon the area had magically disappeared... in the metaphorical sense. Naruto could clearly see the smashed and broken furniture peaking out just to the side of the building. Not only that, there was an even larger pile beside his and Gajeel's.

It didn't sit well with him.

Makarov must have acted on an 'out-of-sight-out-of-mind' policy, something which the others practised too considering that no one even glanced at that particular direction.

To his left, Gajeel grunted in resigned annoyance; a brief pang of pain evident in his voice. He had returned to his non-scaly form, swaddled as he was in a tightly-wound bandage that was wrapped around most of his upper-body. Naruto had no qualms about the power behind his Rasengan.

It must have hurt like a bitch.

On his right, Wendy sipped the cute hollowed-out coconut, complete with a small frilly pink umbrella, which she incessantly fiddled with. Her focus shifted back and forth between those seated around her.

Makarov sat just opposite him, his eyes still shut into slits. The frown on his face didn't waver as he looked up in disappointment at the culpable duo, much like a parent would be disappointed with the rowdy behaviour of his children.

However, the only odd thing was that Erza Scarlet had chose to join in the round-table discussion, stating that, with her own words: 'it is important that I be here'.

No one had batted an eye at that.

Nonetheless, Naruto was glad that she was reserving her ominous glare solely for Gajeel, with only the occasional suspicious glance at him. The final occupant of the table stepped up beside him, holding out another coconut-themed drink with the minor exception that his frilly umbrella was blue.

"Here," Mirajane said with a small smile, to which he replied with a hasty thanks as he accepted the drink with both hands.

"What's with that look?!" a burly man roared from the table just opposite theirs.

His gravity-defying white hair was oddly reminiscent of Kakashi-sensei, but by all accounts, they looked nothing alike. Mirajane had mentioned her brother, Elfman, only in passing. It was right after he tried to confront Naruto about his supposed intentions with his sister. It was getting to the point where every single look Naruto directed at her general direction was mistaken as something vile and wretched in the towering man's eyes.

In response, he calmly sipped the drink in his hand.

Unsurprisingly, it was coconut.

"So," Makarov started after a lengthy breather. "The both of you are from Cait Shelter? One of Roubaul's flock, was it?"

Pulling his lips off the bendy straw, Naruto nodded at the question. "Yeah." He paused, appearing hesitant. "You're not going to tell him about this, are you?"

The Guild Master's face was neutral, but there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. "I don't know. I suppose it would be the right thing to do since you all but wrecked our new outdoor café... but boys will be boys," he muttered, sighing. "Now, I hope that the two of you have settled this grudge match that you seem so set on." A sharp glint in the old man's eyes dared them to rebut his statement. "Because I doubt the council will tolerate inter-guild fighting, especially with our less-than-wholesome reputation."

This was directed more towards Gajeel than himself, but Naruto nodded, hoping to end this awkward discussion and leave.

"Right." Gajeel exchanged a brief look with Naruto that promised that their fight wasn't really over, merely on hold. "No more fighting..."

Naruto could have sworn the words 'in front of you' trailed after Gajeel's declaration.

Makarov still looked doubtful before turning to Naruto. "Now, how is that old hermit Roubaul anyway? It's one thing not to attend our bi-weekly meeting, but lately, he's been more reclusive than ever. At least back then, he'd use the communications lacrima to keep in touch with the rest of us."

The blond tensed, hoping that it wouldn't be noticed. "The Chief is fine," he said hurriedly. "Getting old in the years, but still fit as a fiddle." The unconvincing chuckle that followed didn't do much to support his credibility.

"Hoh, is that so?"

"Master," Erza Scarlet said. "Perhaps we should—"

Makarov waved her off with his hand, apparently knowing what the woman was about to ask. "Oh, I'm sure it's just a simple misunderstanding. Isn't that right, Gajeel? Naruto?"

Gajeel made a small sound of agreement. "Yeah, a misunderstanding," he said, smiling crookedly. "That's all."

Wendy winced, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto. The crushing guilt of knowing that she was the catalyst that caused the fight must have been too overbearing for the girl to keep quiet. "It was my fault!" It was to her credit that she was still able to talk despite four pairs of eyes staring at her. "I wanted to know about Grandine," Wendy added meekly.

"Grandine?" Mirajane asked.

Naruto patted his teammate on her thigh under the table, motioning for her to remain silent. He didn't like that conspiratorial look on the Guild Master's face.

"Just someone we know," he answered for her.

This was not something you would entrust to someone you just met. Still, Naruto wanted to smack himself upside the head. He should have known that this was the reason why Wendy was so dead set on visiting the guild.

The opportunity to find out more about her foster mother's whereabouts must have been too great to pass off. It didn't take much to put two and two together once he understood the whole picture. The only reason why Wendy would even try to approach the black-haired man was obvious now.

Gajeel was a Dragon Slayer, just like her.

It wouldn't hurt to take a shot in the dark, for Wendy's sake. "So," Naruto asked, looking at the surly man who had just stood to leave. "Do you know anything about Grandine?"

Gajeel shrugged, indifferent. "Probably just ran off like mine. Unreliable bastard." His melancholy tone suggested otherwise. "You're wasting your time anyway. I'm pretty sure whoever it is you're looking for doesn't want to be found."

Naruto hummed in understanding, glancing at Wendy out of the corner of his eyes. Thankfully, she was composed. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes, but she must have realised that such a likelihood was probable.

"Thanks, I guess."

"Whatever. Don't look too much into it." Gajeel waved a hand over his uninjured shoulder as he walked away with a noticeable limp. "I'll be seeing you around, Uzumaki."

"He must really like you," Makarov said, watching Gajeel's retreating form as he trudged into the guild hall. "He's never been that expressive before."

"Expressive?" Naruto parroted in disbelief.

The elderly man scrunched his face, deepening the crow's feet around his eyes. "Gajeel is still learning, but give him time. He's pretty shy when it comes to interacting with the rest of the guild."

"Okay," Naruto said as he placed his hands on the table, making the motion to stand. "Well, if that's everything..."

"Of course, of course, you probably have things to do and places to see." Looking around, Makarov jumped up on the table. "Tell Roubaul to give him my best," he said, offering his hand in the process.

Naruto returned the firm handshake.

"It'd be my pleasure."

"Oh, and should you ever visit our guild again in the future, please try not to be so destructive. We just rebuilt this place. Wouldn't want it to come crashing down on our head again, do we?"

Naruto laughed weakly. "I'll keep that in mind."

Makarov offered the same hand to Wendy, another tired smile on his lips. "Do be careful, dear. There are a lot of unsavoury individuals out there." While his expression remained a touch sentimental, Makarov held on tight, not letting go of her hand even when she tried tugging it back. "Who knows what they would do if they caught wind of a branch of magic as rare as yours."

Naruto clamped down on the elderly man's wrist. The fact that Makarov was one of the Ten Wizard Saints was the furthest thing in his mind. He leaned in and whispered plainly, "Let go."

It only added to Wendy's trepidation.

Makarov's eyes crinkled. He waved his free hand placatingly at Erza, whom was stuck between sitting and standing, looking half-ready to jump in. "It looks like you don't have to worry much with him by your side."

Naruto decreased the pressure on the man's wrist as Makarov released the handshake, finally letting go when Mirajane stood up to join Erza at her Master's side. Once again, a grim expression marred her face as she held the drinks tray against her chest. It seemed like he had crossed that fine line in their budding friendship, but the look in her eyes was clear.

He was treading in dangerous waters if he went any further.

"Hoh!" the Wizard Saint exclaimed as he massaged his wrist, revealing a glaring red mark impressed on his wrinkly skin. "You have quite a grip, Naruto. You must really be a powerful mage."

Naruto didn't appreciate the man's attempt at humour to diffuse the situation.

"It does come in useful from time to time."

"How true," Makarov said, his tone bitter. "Well, it was nice meeting you two, but if you'll excuse me, I must be off. Guild Master stuff to take care of, you know."

At that, the tiny man hopped off the table. He exchanged polite nods with his guild members on the way in, all of whom remained oblivious to what had occurred just mere seconds ago; neither did they notice the burgeoning tension between the two S-Class mages and the lone visitor. Even Wendy was every inch as tense and prepared as he was. The notion didn't even register that she would have to go up against two of her favourite female mages.

It was Mirajane who broke the silence, biting the inside of her cheek as she spoke, "Why don't the three of you take a seat? I have something I need to take care of first."

Hesitantly, they did so as she left for the guild hall, trailing in the footsteps of her Guild Master.

Now occupying the seat directly opposite him, the red-haired mage frowned, tucking an armoured gauntlet under her chin. "I must ask you to refrain from doing such things, Naruto-san." Narrowed brown eyes stared back at him. "It would get... unpleasant if you do so again."

Naruto took the thinly-veiled threat in stride.

"Likewise."

He glanced at the Dragon Slayer out of the corner of his eyes, hoping that Erza would catch on. Although, it appeared that Wendy had seen the brief exchange as her leg snapped out, catching him on his shin. Erza nodded, ignoring how their table clattered, which was caused when his leg involuntarily jerked out.

"Is the purpose of your visit solely to find this Grandine person?"

Too caught up to try and think of a believable excuse, Wendy blurted out a quick 'Yes!' before he had the chance to reply. He resisted the urge to sigh. He really had to sit the girl down and talk about this.

"May I ask why?"

Naruto leaned back into his seat, folding his arms into himself before shrugging. "You could, but—"

"It's just very important that I find her," Wendy cut in abruptly, her brown eyes downcast. "I-I just want to see her again," she added almost to herself.

This was a first.

Naruto was silent as he stared at his charge in concern. She had never voiced such a thing out loud before. Straightening in his seat as he finally understood the resolve behind her words, he smiled at the girl even if she couldn't see it.

"It's very important that we find her," he corrected.

Meeting his earnest gaze, a small grin stretched into a beaming smile, causing her eyes to get a little dewy. "Yeah," Wendy muttered, ducking her head down to swipe at her eyes."We..."

Their little moment was witnessed by Erza, whose eyes were clouded over as if trapped in a long-lost memory. Naruto was consciously aware that the sudden lull in their conversation was getting awkward, but chose not to interrupt her. When she finally peered up, she coughed, looking embarrassed.

"I apologise. I was just wondering whether I've met such a person before. Perhaps if you were to tell me what she looks like, I could have a clearer picture?"

Wendy looked to Naruto for his consent, causing him to shrug. Ultimately, this was her decision. Not his.

"Grandine is a dragon."

"Oh," Erza said. "Oh..."

Naruto offered the redhead a sympathetic smile. "Yeah, she's not an easy one to find."

"I suppose so. That certainly explains why you were looking for Gajeel." Erza then frowned. "But it doesn't explain why it led to a fight."

Naruto considered his answer, one that would satisfy her curiosity as well as downplaying his, and to a certain extent, Gajeel's rashness. It may have been justified to him, but maybe not from her point of view.

"I saw a threat and I acted. It's as simple as that," he explained. "Actually, can I ask: is he always that off-putting?"

"Gajeel may come across that way, but he does mean well." For a while, it looked like her strict disciplinarian persona had returned in full force, but then, she smiled, a ghost of a smile that graced her delicate features.

"I suppose I should apologise for Gajeel's behaviour. It seems that you might have misconstrued his intentions. He is not the man he once was," Erza said with a touch of fondness. "He has proven beyond a shadow of doubt that he is a Fairy Tail mage. That is why I don't approve of your rash actions against him. He is still recovering from a—a similar exchange just yesterday."

"It wasn't like I was trying to k—" Naruto stopped himself from uttering the distasteful word, "—hurt him too much," he finally added. "I just wanted to stop him. A guy like him can't be stopped that easily, so I had to be a bit forceful."

Erza looked incredulous. "A bit?"

"Yeah, I had to power it down... a bit."

"I see," she said, looking pointedly at Naruto. "Not a lot of people have the capability to take down a full-fledged Dragon Slayer." Erza raised a perfectly trimmed brow. "And from what I've gathered of your abilities from Mira, you're proficient in transformation magic as well?"

"Yeah?"

It wasn't like he could hide that fact now since it was out in the open. Even if he wanted to deny it, there were quite a number of witnesses here who would say otherwise.

"And your duplicating ability? The strange blue sphere that you wave around? Even those weapons you wield, why—"

"What's your point?" Naruto asked, trying to keep his tone level.

Her lips thinned into a line. "My point is that you're a very powerful mage. If there's one thing that's obvious in Fiore, it's that power rarely escapes attention. So, it is a bit suspicious as to why there are hardly any rumours about you, Naruto-san."

"So, I'm not that well-known. I don't see how it has anything to do with that."

Erza's face was grim. "An unknown mage appears at our doorstep and defeats one of our most prominent guild members? I'm not sure what you're trying to pull here, but it looks like you're using our guild to elevate your status or send some kind of message."

"What?! No! I wasn't—"

He was stopped when Wendy stood up.

"We're sorry!" she shouted, bowing deep enough for her head to be parallel to the surface of their table, her nose just centimetres away from bumping into it. "We didn't mean to bother your guild, Erza-san!"

Her loud apology had attracted the attention of the guild members mingling around them. Suspicious murmurs broke out among the faceless crowd, steadily growing louder as it reached their ears. Fingers were largely pointed at the S-Class mage. After all, what horror could have forced such a young girl to be humiliated like this? The act of having to apologise and kowtow in public was unspeakable.

Erza was flabbergasted, the reddish flush threatening to consume her face whole. She stood up to stop Wendy.

"Wendy-san, please you don't have to—"

Wendy was relentless, far too immersed in her prepared speech to stop. She must have been holding it inside all this time. "Naruto was only worried about me! If... If I hadn't come to the guild in the first place, this wouldn't have happened! You have to believe me!"

Erza nodded, her mouth cycling between opening and closing as words failed to reach her.

"O-Of course, I believe you!"

It was like watching a cornered animal trying to worm its way out. There was no way to quell the ugly rumours now surrounding her name as the exaggerations started to spiral out of her control.

"I may have made an error in my judgement, so please stop, Wendy-san."

Desperate, the redhead leaned over the table to try and pacify Wendy out of her embarrassing display. In an unlikely turn of events, Erza turned her attention back to Naruto, silently pleading with him as she mouthed the words—'help me'.

Then again, he too had been a bit stunned by Wendy's apology. Shaking his head, he patted Wendy on her shoulder, trying to get her back to her seat. He smiled at her in an attempt to calm her frayed nerves.

"Wendy, why don't you sit back down?"

"B-But I, but she—"

Sensing the reason for her hesitation, Naruto turned to Erza. "I'm sure you've made it quite clear that it was just a misunderstanding. Isn't that right, Erza-san?"

Erza made a big show of nodding, though the modest flush had yet to leave her cheeks. "Yes," she concurred, her eyes crinkled up in an amiable smile, again obviously forced.

Wendy still looked hesitant, but she did slide back into her seat, glancing at the redhead as if she might start objecting once again. But when seconds passed and the smile remained on her lips, (though a bit strained) the Sky Dragon Slayer allowed herself to relax.

An uncomfortable silence descended on the table after her statement as Erza looked away in embarrassment, eyeing the members around her as she tried to gauge their reactions. Thankfully, Mirajane returned—oblivious about the little episode that had just occurred—as she held out a neatly-packaged plastic container of what he assumed was the soup that she had promised to make earlier.

"Sorry," she said, though the apology remained ambiguous.

Naruto didn't know whether the barmaid was apologising for her tardiness or her earlier frosty attitude, but he accepted the olive branch with a gracious smile.

"Thanks."

He raised a curious brow as Erza stood up.

"It is important that we strengthen our ties with other guilds," the redhead declared, attracting the attention of those around her once again. She stamped a closed gauntlet into her palm. "So on behalf of Fairy Tail, we welcome you, our friends from Cait Shelter!"

"Uh—"

Naruto looked around, more accurately at Mirajane, but she only smiled airily in return. Wendy wasn't much help either as the girl was as equally surprised by Erza's declaration as he was, but she was clearly star-struck.

"Cait Shelter accepts your friendship?" he said, the upward inflection in his voice unmistakable.

Erza nodded before sealing their new found status with a rigid handshake.

"It is done."

"Naruto," Mirajane said, seeing that their prolonged, awkward handshake was not ending. "Maybe you should get that back to your teammate while it's still hot." She pointed at the container in his hand. "I'm sure she's worried sick."

Wendy turned to him, confused. "What's wrong with Carla?"

Naruto grimaced. He supposed it was for the best even if Carla would ream him in later.

"She has a fever."

"Eh! Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"It's not like it's the end of the world," he told her, stopping stop of rolling his eyes at his young teammate. "And you would have noticed if you actually paid attention this morning."

Wendy shook her head, standing again as the collective of those who were present earlier—and still eavesdropping—held their breaths to see what the girl would do next. "We should head back," she said, turning to the rest and bowing. "Ah, it was nice to meet you all."

Naruto let loose a weary sigh as he too stood up, rubbing the back of his head idly. The anxious form of Wendy was pleading with him to hurry up lest she leave him behind.

"Well, we're probably leaving town soon, so I guess this is goodbye," Naruto said. "I'll see you around?"

Erza smiled thinly. "You certainly know how to leave a memorable first impression, Naruto-san, but it has been a... pleasure?"

Her tone conveyed indecisiveness, and although he could still sense a hint of caginess in her words, he accepted it all the same with a small incline of the head.

Next to the redhead, Mirajane returned with a wave of her own, one hand tucked in front of her as her eyes crinkled up in what Naruto already knew to be a common gesture in the short span of time he had spent with her.

"Come back and visit again soon, Naruto," Mirajane said, his name uttered with that lilt cadence. "And you too, Wendy!" The girl standing by the tall archway flourished her hand earnestly in response. "Be sure to take good care of your teammates," she added softly.

Naruto hummed an agreement, trying not to let his puzzled expression from showing.

"Yeah, I'll—"

He didn't get a chance to finish his reply as he was rudely interrupted by another shout:

"Take those perverted eyes away from nee-chan!"

0.0

"Urgh, Naruto Uzumaki," the pink-haired mage gurgled. "Fight... me..."

His baffling motion sickness kicked in again as he slumped in his seat, his head lolling from side to side like a jack-in-the-box as it followed the motions of the train.

It was something that the blue-furred cat opposite him found hilarious.

"Fishcake?" Happy choked out in between bubbles of laughter, paws held against his abdomen to ease his gasping state. Truly the name had struck a deep chord with the air-headed animal, sending him into a hysterical fit whenever it was spoken in his vicinity.

Lucy, who had deigned to sit next to the mischievous duo, standing instead just off the aisle, bit the inside of her cheek. "I'm sure that's not what it means," she explained to the tomcat, distracted.

Her thoughts have been preoccupied with the blond whom she had met just a few months ago, and she couldn't help that small echo as Cana's words reverberated in the back of her mind.

Had she mistaken the brunette's words?

Lucy was stunned to say the least when she heard that the familiar sounding name had visited the guild, caused a ruckus, and utterly decimated Gajeel—one thought to be worthy of the prestigious S-Class status—without even a scratch on him.

To be fair, Gajeel was recovering from the Fantasia fight last night. Still, it was a miracle when he just upped and walked around the next day.

She didn't pick up that dangerous vibe from Naruto during their brief encounter in Hargeon, but if Erza Scarlet (whom she had also heard a number of oddly disturbing rumours about, but she didn't dare clarify with the source herself) said otherwise, you'd better damn well listen. Coupled with the fact that the surly, heavily-bandaged form of one Kurogane no Gajeel, who would not stop scowling at everyone who pestered him about the fight... Well, it was safe to say that her opinion of the mysterious mage from Cait Shelter had changed.

Natsu, on the other hand, and in typical fashion, had demanded they visit the guild of the one that had soundly beaten his bitter rival, despite still recovering from the same fight with Laxus the previous night.

Surprisingly, he put his plans on hold.

The expression on his face seemed oddly determined as he explained that they would finish the mission at hand first, stating that, with a pleasant smile, her rent was more important.

Only then would they go and find the one called Naruto Uzumaki and beat his ass down.

Lucy would be lying if she said she wasn't indebted and a bit horrified at his declaration. A rising blush crept on her cheeks as she observed the dearth and blood-drained face of the nauseated Fire Dragon Slayer. "Ne, Natsu, Happy," she said, beaming. "Thanks... for everything."

Pfft, who needs some fateful encounter when she had these two around?

"Oh ho!" Happy perked up, covering a paw over his mouth. "What's with you, Lucy? You're acting—" he paused as he rolled his tongue, "—suspicious!"

Natsu only groaned out in response, raising a shaky thumbs up as he did.

Just as Lucy was about to deny whatever the cat was insinuating, the faint rhythmic footsteps of someone approaching behind her caught her notice. She glimpsed the vague form of a young girl. There was a literal mountain of shopping goodies, which she struggled to carry in her arms, obscuring her completely.

The Celestial Spirit mage shook her head, somehow disappointed with what she saw. She held back a tired sigh.

Honestly, what was she expecting?

No one was going to pop out in front of her and claim to be her fateful encounter. Lucy collected herself before turning back to Happy with a playful scowl.

"Shut up, you dumb cat!"

0.0

Unknown to her, Wendy turned back just as Lucy tore her attention away from the young Dragon Slayer.

Wendy stopped and raised an eyebrow. She could have sworn she felt someone's eyes on her back. She shrugged, the act of doing so causing the mountain load of shopping goods in her arms to pitch dangerously.

Oh well, maybe Naruto was rubbing off on her more than she knew.

0.0

The incessant chugging of the train was compounding to his headache.

Add to the fact that Carla would not redirect that scowling face of hers somewhere else, training it on him like sights on a cross-hair, well suffice to say, it was grating on his nerves. Unable to take it any more, he drew his eyes away from the lush, onrushing scenery of the countryside.

His fingers reached out to hook the cat's mouth into a twisted smile. "Stop scowling, Carla. What was I supposed to do? Lie to her? You know I can't do that," he said as the cat struggled to pry his fingers off, gurgling out what he assumed were meanly-worded observations aimed to belittle him.

The feline stood up on her seat, and in a rather un-Carla like manner (the word which he had fashioned behind her back) lunged at Naruto in a surprising counter-attack. It did its job as she clattered against his lap with a small oomph, releasing his hold over her. Carla scrambled away immediately, hopping off his lap as she dropped to her knees on the empty seat beside him; the one previously occupied by Wendy.

"Don't do that!" Carla forced out, wiping her mouth with the back of her paws in revulsion. "God knows where those hands have been."

"Hmm..."

Honestly, she could have done better.

Maybe she was still tired.

"It worked out for the best, didn't it? She cured your cold," Naruto pointed out, picking up one of the many gift-wrapped boxes the duo had bought during her little shopping spree. "And the two of you had a blast buying these." He stared at the boxes in puzzlement, as he gave it a test shake. The contents inside clinked. "Whatever this is."

Carla snatched the box out of his hands before gently placing it back among the others in the seat opposite her. "You'll scratch the tea set..."

"You have a ton of those back home. Stop being so neurotic." Leaning against the armrest, he slanted his upper body out in the aisle, his attention diverted to the vestibule leading to the next carriage that Wendy had passed through quite a while ago. "What's taking her so long anyway?"

The cat mimicked his actions as she returned to her seat, shifting in it as she did.

"I don't know," she answered.

He narrowed his eyes, folding his arms into himself. "What are you not telling me?" His tone was sharp and biting; her guilt already decided in his mind.

"Nothing..."

Just as the word escaped her lips, the door slid open as Wendy stepped into view, carrying what could only be another mountain of gift-wrapped boxes and shopping carriers in her arms. It was only by the hem of her dress that he was able to recognize the girl.

Naruto sighed, flashing a dirty look at Carla. "You bought more? How do you expect to fit all these back home?"

Carla look at him disbelievingly. "We could make space," she explained in slow, halting words. "In your room," she added hurriedly before rushing off to help Wendy with their latest batch of nonsensical goodies.

Naruto slumped dejectedly in his seat, eyes unfocused as he stared at the two scheming girls—one with a sheepish, but pleading smile while the other responded with indifference and a nonchalant shrug.

How was he supposed to rebuff that?

Omake: The Melancholy Irony of Gajeel Redfox – Big Damn Hero

The black-haired individual had finally managed to escape from the wanting eyes of his guild members, especially after his brief inclusion in that meeting with the Cait Shelter group. Making his way towards his shack-like abode, Gajeel happened to come across his excessively polite neighbour. Shoving a hand into his pants' pocket, he ignored the man's blatant attempt at trying to initiate another one of his pitifully dull conversations.

It had always bordered on such trivial questions and mundane matters, something like:

Lovely weather we're having today, don't you agree, Gajeel?

If you have time to spare, some of the residents and I have a few concerns about you... moving into our street.

So, just got back from a mission?

About that, I don't think you could just build your own house on someone else's property. Granted, it's just an empty plot of land, but I'm pretty certain that's a crime.

"Uh, hey?" the middle-aged man called out to his back. "You all right, Gajeel?" he asked. "Did you have a rough mission?"

"Yeah, something like that," Gajeel said, trying to lengthen his strides, but when a noticeable pain shot through his body, he reluctantly slowed his pace. "Whadd'ya want? I'm busy."

"R-Right! Well, it's just that you've been pushing back the appointment for our talk and some of the other residents are getting a bit... worried."

"Soon," he grunted again.

His neighbour wriggled his hands. "Soon?"

"That's what I said, didn't I?" Gajeel shifted his head back as his menacing red eyes narrowed at the man. "Is there a problem with our arrangement?"

"No! O-Of course not!"

The Iron Dragon Slayer smiled, revealing his pronounced canines. It wasn't a friendly smile. "Great, see you until then." Without waiting for a reply, Gajeel brushed past the man as he stood before the door to his shack, altering a finger to change into the key for his customized lock. With an audible click and a jiggle of the knob, the door opened with an eerie creak.

"Bye," Gajeel said.

The man who was still standing in front of his door, his body language screaming indecisiveness.

"A-Ah—"

Without fanfare, Gajeel slammed the door shut in his face. Taking his first step into his home, his mind drifted. He resisted the urge to release a pained groan as he felt his legs wobble underneath him, unconsciously clutching the arm that had borne the brunt of the swirling, blue sphere. He barely got another step in before he succumbed to the monstrous throbbing agony that he been valiantly suppressing in front of his peers.

Gajeel plopped down on the hard, unyielding floor of his shack with a loud thud.

It was on the ground—lying face down, his body prone and unresponsive—that he begun to recall the events that led up to his current pathetic state; saving Levy and those two idiots that trailed after her like lost puppies, sacrificing himself so that Natsu could pull off a decisive victory over Laxus.

The term: 'not afraid to take one for the team' suited him best in the end.

It was only after the Fantasia festival that he acknowledged that his pride as a Dragon Slayer was smarting a bit. Not to mention, he had been on a bit of a losing streak ever since he lost to Natsu. So, it was understandable that when the opportunity arose to raise his shattered self-esteem, he grabbed it with both hands without hesitation.

Only for it to blow up in his face.

Granted, if the prior circumstances that led to his earlier, equally damaging injuries could have been avoided, the fight might have turned out differently. A niggling thought at the back of his head assured him that he had a chance of winning against the blond powerhouse.

Blowing a stray hair from his face, he tried to move to his bed, but his tired limbs were reluctant to do so. Once again, he cursed at himself for creating his own ruin.

"Why do I always have to be the big damn hero?"