~*****~

Natsu yawns tiredly as we make our way back to the hotel. "Man, I'm stuffed," He complains. "I totally overate."

"You always overeat," I mention lightly. "You know, you could've told me your plan, I'd have loved to get out of this stupid dress." I complain as I tug at the skirt.

"I think you look great!" Natsu cheers. "But I think I prefer the vagabond look!"

I laugh. "That's what Lisanna said!" I mention impishly.

Natsu rubs at his nose and smiles, the flush on his face becoming super heady. "Didja think I'd prefer you uncomfortable?" He asks. "I like it when you're relaxed and smiling." I snort at him and turn my gaze onto the ground for a moment.

"Since when have you been a smooth talker?" I ask.

"Since you said you loved me that night you were wasted during the games." Natsu says in a serious tone.

I start choking on my air and snap my gaze onto him. "Hold on, I actually said that?!" I exclaim.

"Sure did!" Natsu beamed. "Said it didn't scare you to say it! You should totally say it again!"

"N-No way!" I bark at him. "It's not like you said it back!"

"Course I did! You just passed out when I did!" Natsu retorted in offence.

I grumble irritably. "W-Well, I'm not saying it again until I hear you say it properly." I jut my chin up and cross my arms over my chest.

"Aw, come on! Don't make me say it first!" Natsu complained. I huff irritably and turn on my heel. Natsu catches me around the waist and buries his face into my neck. It takes a moment, but he eventually relents. "I love you, Aria." He says softly. "So much that it makes my heart wanna burst outta my throat most days."

I settle against him, palming at his arms. "I love you, too, Natsu." I hum delicately.

When we make it back to the hotel, we're pleasantly surprised that we're totally alone. It's enough to make my own skin itch for contact. The room feels muggy as Natsu pushes me onto my back, his teeth nipping at my neck. We hold each other for the rest of the night, ignoring the shocked, yet stifled gasps coming from the others as we remain curled together under the blankets.

The next morning, everyone packs their belongings. "I'm so ready to get out of here," I sigh loudly.

"I'm ready to go to another royal party!" Happy chirps.

"Yeah! I wouldn't mind being the king again!" Natsu cheers.

Ballad sighs as she presses her entire body onto the bed. "I wish we could stay longer," She coos.

"Yes, in a strange way, it's starting to feel like home." Erza mentions.

"I guess master and the rest of the guild left earlier, huh?" Lucy asks.

"He did. He said he was ready to get back to Magnolia." Erza nods. "But I think some of them may still be celebrating."

"Like Cana," I giggle. "Probably still downing a barrel of wine."

"Yep, that's a pretty safe bet," Gray laughs.

"I know, right?" Lucy laughs.

"Hey, guys!" Wendy cries out. "Come look!" We peer out of the hotel's balcony at the fancy carriage Wendy is besides. "We're gonna get to travel back to Magnolia in style!"

"And in supreme comfort, I might add!" Carla chirps. I hunch forward, grimacing at the sight. Sure, it was a sweet looking carriage, but I had no more motion sickness potions.

"It's certainly a lovely carriage," Erza hums as she pats at the horses mane.

"Yeah, the Hungry Wolf Knights actually got it for us!" Wendy explained.

"The men had no fashion sense, so perhaps it was the ladies." Carla stated.

"No please... don't make us..." Natsu and I whine.

"It probably looks like a death trap to you two," Lucy giggles.

"Aw, you'll be fine!" Happy chirps. "Cause Wendy and Ballad a spell that can keep you from hurling!"

"Yeah! I love that one!" Natsu cheers. "C'mon, Wendy! Hook me up!"

"It doesn't work for us anymore, remember?" I complain. "We've grown immune to potions and spells!"

"Aw, crap--" Natsu sulks. "We can hack it, I guess..."

"Sure, but you know, you can always take the ankle express," Gray mentions.

"Confront your fear and conquer it!" Erza orders.

"Instead of solving your own problem, you've just made it everybody else's." Carla sighs.

I flinch to the side as Natsu gets fired up. "MOTION SICKNESS, I WILL DEFEAT YOU!" Natsu roars.

"I on the other hand, have no hope," I sulk lower and slide onto the carriage, feet dangling out as I resign myself to my fate.

~*****~

The carriage ride was awful. I couldn't even keep my head up during the ride. We did stop for a break, but all I wanted to do was nap in the sun. "Aw, man, my guts are still all tied up in knots," Natsu complains. I give a loud grunt as he collapses across my belly.

"Would you stop being such a baby?" Gray complains.

"I can't help it!" Natsu whines. "All that bumping and jumping just slays my belly."

"I'm sorry, the road is pretty rough," Happy apologizes.

"We'll be home before you know it, Natsu," Lucy mentions.

"I'm feeling better," Wendy hums. "I think I'll probably have some magic power back in just a couple of hours or so."

"Well, when that happens, can you hit me with that spell of yours?" Natsu whines.

I conk him over the head. "Doesn't work on us, don't bother Wendy," I murmur.

"Miss, what are we gonna do when we get back home?" Ballad asks as she rests her arms on my forehead.

I sit up with a yawn. "Probably take some jobs," I shrug. "Get some food, I dunno. Anything we want, really," I giggle.

"I wanna go fishin' all day and relax!" Happy chirps as he pats at my arm.

"To be totally honest, I think I'm going on some more jobs if you guys would really help me grow as a wizard," Wendy mentions. "What about you, Lucy?"

"When I get home?" Lucy chirps. "Well, I'm feeling really inspired after everything that's happened, the people, the experiences. So, I see quite a bit of writing in my future."

"Oh! What kind of story are you writing?" Wendy asks.

"Let's just say a secret one," Lucy giggles.

"They're all secret to me since I think they're so boring," I comment as I lay back down.

"I seriously need to teach you to read better," Lucy hums.

"Hey, do you know what the deal is with Gray?" Natsu asks as we watch him walk away.

"Dunno. He looks like he really needs a fish, if you ask me," Happy mentions.

I hum. "Maybe he's finally coming to terms with his love for Juvia," I coo in my hand.

"Such a sucker for romance, but when it's your own, it's so clunky and filled with nerves." Ballad sighs as she shrugs.

"Quiet cat," I say quickly.

~*****~

If felt like an eternity before we got back to Magnolia. And it looked like a giant celebration was going on for us. Even Banabooster was hyped up for us. "Now this is a party!" Natsu cheered.

I laughed. "No kidding, it feels nice to be greeted with cheers again!"

"We kicked every magic butt we saw!" Natsu cheered loudly.

"Yeah! We're the champs!" Happy shouted.

"Wow, there are so many people here!" Lucy mentioned.

"I honestly wasn't expecting this grand of an entrance, it's overwhelming!" Erza chirps.

Makarov had his arms thrown up with little Asca on his shoulders. "Woohoo! Fairy Tail's the greatest!" Makarov cheered.

"And that thirty million is certainly makin' him feel better," I chuckle.

"There's a lot of people staring, Miss," Ballad stammered as I held her close to my chest.

I chuckle. "Aw, don't worry too much, they're just excited!" I laugh.

"Look! It's Aria! She took on one hundred monsters all by herself!" I hear someone squeal.

"She's so cool, I swear I cannot get over it!" Another shouts.

"Never mind, it's embarrassing," I mention bitterly.

"I think you may have to get over it," Levy giggled.

"Check out this little souvenir I brought back!" I hear Natsu cheer. "TA-DA!" Natsu produces the Kings crown.

"Is that the king's frickin' crown?!" Wakaba snaps.

"You didn't steal it from him, did you?" Wendy stammers.

"Oops, you weren't supposed to see that," Natsu says nonchalantly as he shoves it back into his bag.

"THEY'RE GONNA ARREST YOU, NATSU!" I bellow as I rear up over him. He pulls out the large trophy we won. "They symbol of our victory! A super shiny cup!" Natsu cheers. I hunched forward, arms dangling at the sheer insanity of Natsu Dragneel. I sling back upwards and point at the bag. "Do I at least get to wear the stupid crown?"

Natsu beamed. "Sure!" Just as he reaches into his bag, Banabooster shouts.

"Attention, please! They mayor of Magnolia would like to present Fairy Tail with a gift to mark this momentous occasion!" Banabooster exclaims.

"Magnolia has a mayor?" I immediately ask.

I feel a fist slam atop my head before Makarov approaches to accept. "A gift? For us?" He murmurs meekly. "You're far too generous, I don't know what to say."

"Good members of Fairy Tail, observe, your gift is to my right!" The mayor chirps, holding his arm out. We all glance up, mouths open at the sight of Fairy Tail Hall. "For years you have been the pride of our city! That's why we are honored to present you with a newly restored guild hall!"

"IT'S EVEN COOLER THAN IT USED TO BE!" Natsu cheers.

"AYE SIR!!" Happy cheers.

"Good mayor, your kindness knows no bounds," Makarov sobbed. He kept sobbing loudly. "I LOVE MAGNOLIA WITH ALL OF MY HEART!" Makarov bellowed through his sobs.

~*****~

The next morning felt surreal. The sunlight streaming through my window, Ballad in her little bed that I made her, and the subtle snores of Natsu right in my ear-- I snapped upright and glared down at him. Even if we confessed directly without running from each other, the snoring in my ear was just awful. "You know, I think I preferred waking up to you eating everything I own," I mention as I poke at Natsu's nose.

"Technically, we ate everything last night when you were sleeping," Happy mentioned as he appeared from the blankets. "So we thought we'd just crash!"

I sigh loudly. I grabbed at Happy and tossed him into the air before getting out of bed. "Time to get up!" I bellow loudly. I hear a crash and a high pitched squeal.

"What the heck was that about?!" Natsu asked as he scrambled to a sitting position. He clammed up and began to flush as I leaned down, angling my face towards his.

"The snoring in my ear gets annoying, you know. If you're gonna sleep in my bed, you're gonna have to keep your mouth away from my ear." I mention impishly. I cup his chin and squeeze his cheeks tightly before standing up. "Besides, we gotta get up."

"Yeah! Get a job ya bums!" Happy chirped.

"But did you have to yell?" Ballad murmured as she patted at her wild fur.

"Sorry, buddy, but you're a heavy sleeper." I explain sheepishly. "Let's go brush your fur out."

"Aye..." Ballad sighed as she flew after me.

~*****~

I gave a soft breath of relief once we arrive at the guild hall. It's refreshing to finally have the reputation we once upheld so long ago, and the guild members who were waiting seven long years for us finally got the respect they'd earned. "It's pretty lively in here, isn't it?" I comment impishly. "Talk about a whole new attitude!"

Natsu grunts in agreement before peering around. "Where d'you think Erza, Gray, and Lucy ran off to?" Natsu asks.

Kinana approaches with her usual warm smile. "I saw them leave earlier. They were going to do a job with Wendy. Carla's with them, too."

"What? But we're all on a team, why would they leave without even telling us about it?" Happy whined.

"From what I gathered; it was gonna be really simple. Something they could take care of themselves." Kinana stated.

I grunt loudly and prop my hands on my hips. "No skin off our noses, then. C'mon, Natsu! Let's pick out a sweet job!" I approach the request board and peer at it anxiously.

"What kinda job are we gonna take, Miss?" Ballad asks curiously.

"I say we should get one where I can set some stuff on fire, then eat until I drop!" Natsu suggests loudly.

I laugh at his comment before plucking off a flyer that I could read-- simply because the two big words saying Monster Hunter. "Or we can go for something with a little more action!" I trail towards Mira and flash a bright smile. "We'll take this one!"

"Sure, it's all yours!" Mira smiled. "But you'll need to go to Dromar's Village for it."

"I don't think I've ever heard of it," Happy mentioned.

"So, d'you know how to get there?" Natsu asks.

I hum lightly, poking at my forehead. "I think I need to see a map before I jump the gun."

Mira giggles. "We've got plenty down in the basement, just don't go doing anything I wouldn't do!"

"Mira!" I complain loudly. "You're such a pervert, I swear, it's never ending with you!"

Mira just giggles at my embarrassment before I stomp off towards the stairs. Natsu looks over the flyer as I scrubbed at my hair while painfully sounding out the words of the encyclopedia I'd found for the map. "Wait, the monster we're hunting is a mole?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Seems like it," I nod. "It's been causing some ruckus, and because it's so huge, I can't imagine why they wouldn't put a hit on it. Shouldn't take too long to get there if we use... this passage..." I trail off as I press my fingers on the map. "About three hours."

"Three whole hours in a wagon?!" Natsu cried.

I giggle. "I'm not a big fan about it, either, but this new batch of potions I made should hold us over."

"But those things suck!" Natsu cries louder.

"Don't' be such a baby," I retort, closing the book with a snap. "Now let's get going."