Once the Sky Reaches the Flames

Chapter 11: Let's Go Shopping!

"So you managed to ask him out on a 'date', you say?" The scarlet-haired girl asked as she took a spoonful of her strawberry cake.

"I-I-It's not a date, Erza!" The blue-haired girl fumed in embarrassment, her ears visibly dyed red.

"I was simply repeating what you said earlier, Wendy." She said teasingly.

After Wendy asked Natsu to hang out with her tomorrow, Erza invited her and Carla to spend some time together, to which she called a "girls' hangout". She brought them to her favorite cake shop, which she claimed to sell the best strawberry cake in all of Magnolia Town. On the way, Wendy was daydreaming and accidentally blurted out she would be going on a date with her beloved dragon slayer. Erza found it amusing and decided to tease her about it. She wasn't going to let her live it down.

"W-W-We're just hanging out, that's it!" She slammed her small hands on the table lightly.

"You say that, but your mind's fantasizing about it as a date, isn't it?" Carla smirked, taking a spoonful of her vanilla cake.

"Muuuu..." Wendy pressed her face on the table, trying to cover her embarrassment.

"Haha, there's nothing wrong with thinking it as a date if it makes you happy." Erza leaned her face on her hand which was plopped upright on the table. "I'm just glad that you're not that bothered about the Harvest Festival now."

Wendy raised her face. "Well... it does bother me a little." She brought her glass of cake closer. "But I can't let it bring me down. I can always find other ways to spend time with Natsu." She said with a smile.

"That's the spirit." Erza nodded in approval. "So, have you thought about how you would spend time with him?"

Wendy froze as she took a spoonful into her mouth. She slowly put her spoon back into the glass. She faced downward and held her head with her elbows on the table. H-How should I spend my time with him?

"I'll take that as a no." Erza took another spoonful.

W-What am I supposed to do? Wendy wrecked her mind, thinking about tomorrow's da-er... hang out. She's known Natsu for years now, yet in that much time they spent together, she's never really got to know him deeply. Her eyes slowly lifted to Erza. He and Erza are childhood friends, aren't they?

"Erza!" She rapidly straightened her posture.

"Mhwat ish iht?" Erza chewed through her cake.

"How does Natsu like to spend his time?"

Erza swallowed her food first. "Hmmm... he often likes to go fishing with Happy when they're not on jobs." Erza put her spoon on her plate. He also often crashes at Lucy's place... she decided against her better judgement not to tell her.

"I see... fishing." Wendy mentally took note of it.

"You might already know this, but he also likes to challenge others for a good fight."

"A fight..." Wendy seriously thought about it. It did pass by her mind before, but she wasn't too fond of fighting guildmates, and especially Natsu of all people. Although that would be a surefire way to get his undivided attention, she had to admit. It's just there's a problem with this: she wasn't sure if she would be able to prove a worthy opponent to him. Having witnessed Natsu's destructive firepower countless times, she felt she would get her butt handed to her pretty soon. He was practically on par with Gray, and possibly Erza, despite not officially being an S-Class mage. Being dragon slayers, she wanted to grow stronger like him so she could one day call herself Natsu's equal and stand by his side. Natsu's equal... that thought sent blushes to her cheeks.