Author's Notes: So here it is, the final chapter. I'd like to give special thanks to my buddy Type-0 for leaving an awesome review for my last chapter. Also, I'd like to thank SnowTime and LuffyDragneelTheGreatFighter for their encouragement; you three are awesome and I really appreciate it!

It's Just That Time of Year Again

Chapter 5

By The Wumbologist

THUD

Fried's eyebrow twitched.

THUD

He looked up from the magazine he was reading and let out a frustrated grunt.

CRASH

He had come home to the apartment he shared with Laxus and Bixlow expecting a nice and quiet evening; he would crack open a bottle of wine, light some candles and sit down with the latest issue of Sorcerer's Weekly. What he didn't expect, however, was the loud and constant thumping sounds echoing in the distance. Fried was a patient man, but the earth-shaking sounds had been going on for almost an hour; it was impossible to concentrate on his reading and it was getting on his nerves.

THUMP

Alright. Enough is enough! He grabbed his sword, heading for his bedroom door. He had been sitting quietly, hoping that whatever was happening outside of town would cease but this was getting ridiculous. It sounded like a monster was rampaging throughout the countryside; whatever it was, it was going to stop. Now.

When he entered the living room, he was mildly surprised to see an annoyed Laxus throwing on his coat. Oh, he had been around the Lightning Dragon Slayer long enough to recognize what the twitching of his eyebrows and the clenching of his fist meant.

He had to ask, though. "Lord Laxus, where are you going at this hour?"

"I'm going to pay a visit to our neighbor; that bastard almost knocked down my speaker system." He emphasized the word with a startling ferocity.

CRASH

Fried watched as frustration crept onto Laxus' features. Indeed, his music was the most important thing to the blonde; he never went anywhere without his prized headphones. Whether he was fighting, drinking at the guild or relaxing at home, he always had a rock and roll song blasting in his ears. Not only had the earth-shaking sounds interrupted his precious listening time, the vibrations had almost ruined his expensive sound system! Fried could only imagine what would have happened if the valuable speaker set had been demolished...

"Don't wait up." And with that, Laxus made his way to the door.

"Right. Please be careful." At the affirmative grunt he received, Fried made his way back to the confines of his room.

He walked over to the window, watching as his beloved leader made his way down the street towards the sounds of destruction. When he was out of sight, he let out a small laugh before grabbing his magazine and taking a seat on his chair.

THUD

With the leader of the Thunder God Tribe on the case, whatever it was that was making that racket would be silenced within fifteen minutes.

Natsu stretched, letting out a contented sigh before lazily falling onto his back. Man, he hadn't slept so well in a while! This place was incredible; the calm breeze caressed his hair, the lush grass tickled at his skin and the night sky shone brightly, illuminating the surroundings with a luminescent glow. This peaceful hill was the perfect place for a nap; no wonder Wendy liked it so much!

He turned his head to watch the blue-haired girl napping contentedly beside him, grinning as he studied her face. Erza had told him to take Wendy home soon but they had time; it wouldn't hurt to hang around a bit longer... Maybe shut his eyes for a few minutes... The grass was so comfortable.

He took a big breath, letting the natural scent of area fill his nostrils. There was a mild aroma wafting from the grass; a sign that it was growing healthily. The wind carried traces of sweet pollen; no doubt from the variety of plant life that grew in the area. At the top of the hill, the distinct and salty smell of sweat lingered, something that caused him to scrunch his nose in disgust.

Wait, isn't that my sweat? The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning.

He sat up, a curious look plastered on his face. It wasn't just his sweat either; it was mixed in with someone else's. He sniffed the air again. It had to be Wendy's. But wait, they hadn't fought, or ran around or anything that would have caused them to sweat... Had they? He ran over the events of the day in his head again: First they had gone to his house where he showed her around, then they fooled around in the East Forest, then they had come to the hill and watched the view and then...

There was something missing. Between the time they enjoyed the view and the time Erza woke him up... When had they started their nap? They were halfway down the hill; if they had fallen asleep right after shouldn't they have been at the top?

He took a few steps up the hill, following the distinct scent to where it pooled at the summit. There's my sweat, Wendy's sweat and...Blood?! He sniffed at the air, alarmed. Indeed, there was the faint, metallic odor of blood mixed in. It had to be a small amount; the scent was barely there and if it had been a large pool he would have gagged at the coppery stench.

Pointing his nose towards the top of the hill he inhaled once more. There was the mixture again: sweat, blood and... something familiar; it was on the tip of his tongue. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, listing off the possibilities. Flowers? Nah. Citrus? Nope. Saliva? Not quite.

Alright Natsu, one more time! Sweat, blood and... That musky and piquant odor; the sweet yet organic mixture of sweat and blood. Of flowers, citrus, saliva, sweat, nature, fire and the sky. Of his unique smell and the alluring aroma that Wendy gave off.

His jaw dropped as realization hit him. It all came flooding back: the moaning and growling, the warmth, the tangled bodies, the pure ecstasy and the sweet, sweet release.

Indeed, the hole in his memory had been filled and suddenly the Fire Dragon Slayer was feeling very, very warm.

So that was why their friends came all the way out here. This was what the snowflake and Erza were talking about. Miraculously she hadn't noticed the bite marks on Wendy's neck, or the claw marks on his back. Hell, he was pretty sure that the torn remains of Wendy's underwear were being scattered around on the breeze from when he had gotten impatient... An unlucky gust of wind carrying a piece of the cloth would have meant a swift end at the hands of the Titania. He looked up at the sky, silently thanking the God that was watching out for him; really, the fact that they had managed to clothe themselves afterward must have been divine intervention...

Sweat trickled down his forehead. His mouth was dry. His face was hot. He and Wendy had just... The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he got. He glanced quickly at the blue-haired girl napping peacefully only steps away; he had to wake her up and take her home. Would she remember? What if she did...? What would happen then? Would she hate him? What if...?

Bah! This sucks. Worrying was not his style. He was a man who followed his instincts and didn't think too much and damn it, it had worked out for him so far! He had to tackle this the only way he knew how: head on.

If only it was as easy as punching someone in the face.

"Hey... Wendy..." The feeling of apprehension hanging over him caused his voice to come out as a hoarse whisper.

Swallowing hard, he moved closer, kneeling down at her side and placing a hand on her shoulder. He shook her gently, his face growing hotter from the erotic images that popped up at the feeling of her soft skin.

"Wendy, wake up." When she began to stir, he quickly removed his hand and watched her warily.

The young girl stretched, letting out a cute yawn and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before sitting up and facing him. "Mmm... Natsu-san? When did we...?" She trailed off, a look of concentration evident on her face.

Oh, crap. He could tell by the look on her face; she had noticed the hole in her memories a lot quicker than he did... It wouldn't be long before she figured it out. He had to say something, anything, to take her mind off of it.

"You know, it's getting late. We shou-"

A startled gasp cut him off. "N-N-Natsu-san, we..."

She remembered. Her face was the picture of embarrassment; her face burned a scarlet red, her hands were raised to cover her cheeks and her eyes stared down at the grass, searching for anything to distract her. The pink-haired boy was at a loss for words. Never before did he have to deal with something like this; the head-on method was failing him miserably and he had no idea what to do.

"Yeah. We did." So he nodded dumbly, watching her for a response.

The awkward silence that ensued felt like an eternity. Seconds passed with the only sound coming from the gentle breeze that blew in the area. He had to say something. Damn it, Natsu, why can't you say anything?!

"... H-How did you feel?" It was Wendy who spoke up first, surprising him.

How did he feel...? How did he feel? Well, like an asshole and a pervert. He had taken advantage of her and now he couldn't even say anything to her face. What kind of guy was he, to force himself on such a young and innocent girl?

He studied her quietly. Her hands toyed with the hem of her dress. Her face was still the shade of a tomato. She snuck glances at him from the corner of her eye. The Sky Dragon Slayer was waiting for a response... THINK, NATSU! THINK!

He closed his eyes, picturing the day they had spent together in his mind: He had boasted about his adventures and she had watched him in wonder. Her brown eyes are beautiful. He had chased her around the fishing hole. Her smile is so bright. They had talked about their cats, missions, magic, food, life, the universe and everything in between. I want to spend more time with her.

He furrowed his brows. His heart was beating faster. His stomach was doing back flips. What was this feeling? His thoughts were suddenly drifting to the blue-haired girl and all he could concentrate on were her features. The way her fingers intertwined with his. The feeling of her lips pressed against his own. The warmth of her arms wrapped around his neck. He had felt content. Safe. Happy. Wendy wasn't just his good friend and precious nakama, she was something... different now.

Her shaky voice brought him back to the present. "I-I'm so sorry, Natsu-san. When I kissed you I didn't... I didn't mean for things to go so far. I just wanted..." She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

He could see the wetness; the salty tears threatening to spill over. She was crying, and it was all his fault... "Maybe we should just forget about today..."

What?! Why? The memories were etched firmly in his heart. There was no way he could forget! He didn't want to forget! And something told him Wendy didn't want to forget either. He felt it: the compulsion to be by her side, to scoop her up in his arms and dry her tears. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him and the sensation almost made him laugh out of sheer relief. His instincts were back in full force; thinking wasn't doing anything for him, he needed to act! No more complicated stuff! It was time to rely on his guts!

"Forget about today? Don't even joke about that." At her surprised look he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"All the time we spent together, the laughs we had... You wanna just pretend like it didn't happen? No way, Wendy. Today was a blast. All of it."

"But... We did something bad, Natsu-san; we let our instincts take us over."

The unease that hung over him was gone; he gave her his trademarked grin. "Why is it a bad thing? I follow my instincts all the time and they've never let me down before. And who cares, anyways? What everyone else thinks doesn't matter to me; right now, all I know is I'm feeling amazing and it's all thanks to you!"

Those words had flowed from his mouth naturally and easily and carried the truth. The yelling in the back of his head, the force that compelled him to act, the rhythm of his heart; it was simple and easy to follow. Really, he should've just listened to his instincts from the start; thinking sucked and made things way too complicated.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a warm hug. "Listen, Wendy. Can you hear that?" Her ear was pressed against his chest, the rhythmic beating softly whispering into her ear. "Right now, my heart is telling me to never let you go. I dunno what this feeling is, but the one thing I do know is that I want to be close to you."

His smile grew even wider as he felt a slender pair of arms wrap around his midsection. "I feel the same way." Wendy held on to him tightly, rubbing her eyes against his vest in an attempt to dry them. With a small sniff, she raised her eyes to meet his. "Natsu-san, I-"

"I know, Wendy." He cut her off gently, touching his forehead to hers. Closing his eyes, he softly rubbed their noses together; an affectionate gesture that he and Igneel had done many times during his childhood.

Natsu was never good with words. Instead, he was a man who expressed himself physically. Words were hard to decipher; they often carried deep meanings and hidden connotations and he just couldn't be bothered to read into them. Actions, on the other hand, were easy to understand. A change in facial expression, a twitch of the hand, a clenched fist, a sincere smile; Natsu could read the emotions that actions carried like a book.

Indeed, he knew what she was about to say; recent events had made it perfectly clear. It was in the way she held onto him tightly, the way she planted kisses all over his face and neck, the way she stroked his back, even in the way her chocolate brown eyes met his own. He expressed all of his affections for the young girl in that intimate action, and he knew she would understand.

Minutes passed in the comfortable silence and tender snuggle; the only sounds traveling through the area being the contented breaths and the soft zephyrs that flowed throughout the land. Eventually, Wendy broke the hold, looking at him with an adorably serious expression.

"Natsu-san, we can't do that anymore." The sudden declaration caught him by surprise. Why couldn't they? It was good. Really good. She enjoyed it as much as he did, didn't she?

Her face was scarlet but her eyes were firm. Scarlet? Scarlet... Erza Scarlet... ERZA! Crap, that was right. If she found out she would kill him. Literally. He had completely forgotten her sex education courses from their younger days... He and Wendy were too young to be doing that kind of stuff; it was because of something about society and biology and emotions that he didn't quite understand but was forced to remember at sword point.

Well, whatever. "As long as I can keep hanging out with you, it's fine with me." He gave her an enthusiastic grin in response to her relieved smile.

The smile quickly dropped from his face, however, as he thought back to Erza. Her words rang in his ears: "I want her home within the hour". Just how much time had passed since she had left...?

The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up. He was already in enough trouble; he was promised a talk with the scarlet-haired beauty and that was more than enough for him. "Say, Wendy. Let me walk you home; we've been out for a while."

"Ah! You're right! Carla must be worried!" She stood up, brushing some strands of grass from her dress before starting down the hill.

The Fire Dragon Slayer stood up himself, watching his more-than-a-friend make her way down the hill towards the town. At the feeling of the gentle breeze blowing behind him he turned to give one more look at the scenery: the magnificent structures of Magnolia town loomed in the distance, the stars shone as brightly as ever, the water of the sleepy harbor sparkled with the reflection of the moon and the wind was... carrying something towards him?

He reached out a hand to grab the object out of the air. Opening his hand, he turned it over and inspected it. It was a tattered piece of cloth, torn up and slightly damp. He held it up to his nose and took a small whiff. It was that musky-yet-sweet scent from before! Wendy... The winds had brought him the remains of Wendy's underwear!

"Natsu-san!" Her voice called up to him from the base of the hill.

With a huge grin on his face, he pocketed the cloth and turned to race down the hill and catch up with the younger Dragon Slayer. It was a perfect reminder of the day he had today; the sight and scents it carried would ignite his memory whenever he looked at it.

Excitement bubbled up within him as he let out a carefree chuckle.

This was going straight on his wall!

BOOM

The small forested area was in terrible shape. Debris was everywhere; tree stumps occupied the area, leaves, branches and smashed fruits littered the ground and solid wooden trunks lay, ugly gashes and cuts marring their otherwise beautiful forms. The area was eerily silent, save for the thunderous roaring and crashing that echoed not too far away.

THUD

"Tch." What a pain.

Laxus rubbed the back of his neck tiredly as he walked towards the source. The sounds of destruction were very close. He could feel the malicious aura surrounding the area. He was closing in. It was less than a minute later that he entered a small clearing; it was in a half-destroyed state, the remains of once-proud oak trees littered the ground and a lone dark-haired figure stood at the opposite end.

"Huh, I thought something stunk."

At the jeer, the dark hair growled menacingly and turned around to face him. It was as he thought; that idiot Gajeel was the one making the damn racket... He could smell the stench of steel and fury all the way from his room.

"Geheheh..." The laugh that resounded through the area did nothing to remove the annoyed expression from Laxus' face. "Looks like someone's watching out for me; I was just thinking I wanted to beat somebody's face in... Yours'll do just fine."

"Pathetic." The Lightning Dragon Slayer was unaffected.

"Huh?" Confusion was evident in Gajeel's face.

"Is this all you first-generation Dragon Slayers can do? Let your damn smell off around town and then destroy things because you can't get any? You damn brats let your instincts get the better of you; it's weak. It's pathetic. You're nuisances; all of you."

The roar that the Metal Dragon Slayer let out was filled with pure fury and frustration. Laxus smirked slightly; better to have the anger directed at him than at the environment. He was going to end this quick... If the city council found out that a Fairy Tail member was behind this then the old man would get a hefty bill and might have a heart attack; that wouldn't do at all.

"Before I tear that smirk off your face, let me ask you something..." Laxus remained silent, waiting for the question. "How come you aren't affected by all this mating season crap?"

Well, that hadn't been what he was expecting. He folded his arms, head tilted thoughtfully before responding. "I'm artificial."

Gajeel stared at him blankly.

"That... really pisses me off!" With that declaration, he charged. "I hope you're ready to die, you damned lightbulb!"

Laxus let out a short chuckle before throwing off his coat, allowing his scintillating lightning to crackle along his body.

"Come at me with everything you've got, you mutt! I'll teach you what it means to be a true Dragon Slayer!"

The poor bastard. He was artificial; he didn't have it as bad as the Metal Dragon Slayer did but he understood very well what Gajeel and the other two were going through. Puberty hadn't been the best time of his life; hell, he was glad he would never have to go through that frustration again.

They clashed, the force of the impact sending both Dragon Slayers back a few meters. With another loud roar, Gajeel charged again, his arm transformed into a fearsome blade. Laxus inhaled a large amount of air, readying his powerful magic.

"Roar of the Lightning Dragon!" He let loose, the attack enveloping the rampaging dragon and sending him back once more.

Really, this was the best way to help. Absorbing Gajeel's anger and beating his frustrations out of him; old man Makarov had done it for him, it was the least he could do for Gajeel.

As Gajeel charged again, Laxus couldn't help the smile on his face.

Damn, he was such a nice guy.

More Notes: So there it is. I wrapped up Natsu and Wendy's story as well as Gajeel's. Damn, that was pretty fluffy :). I have Sable1212 to thank for giving me the Laxus idea. S/he brought up the suggestion that I should mention Laxus, and that got me thinking about how I wanted to include him. Originally I was going to just give him a few lines in chapter 2 and be done with it, but I think this works out a LOT better.

On that note, I'm a little disappointed at the amount of reviews I got last chapter. I was hoping for some more feedback; I got a lot of views but I have no idea what you guys really liked about it, or if you liked it at all. This is the last chapter so I'd really, really appreciate any thoughts you have. The plot, the writing style, the characters, ANY comments are welcome. I'm not asking for an essay, or even a paragraph. ONE sentence that says "I really loved it!" or "I think you could've done x" absolutely brightens my day and is much more important than you'd think.

Take Sable1212 for instance; two sentences and a simple suggestion to add something about Laxus and it transformed into the ending you see now. Real Personal Trooper Type-0 talked about the concept of innocence, which eventually led me to extending the story. Your reviews are important and can have a direct and positive effect on the story, so please, even if its only a few words let me know what you think... Especially you guys who followed/favorited but haven't said anything yet!

For those of you who have been with me so far, reading and reviewing: thank you! Have some milk and cookies! For those of you who have favorited/followed: thanks! Have some milk! For everyone else who viewed: I appreciate the support; I've set aside some milk and cookies for you for when you review.

One more thing! If you're looking for a really, really good read, please check out Tales of a Dragon Slayer Love Thief: The Angel's Paint! by DraconianAscendant. It's a fantastic, amazingly-written story about Laxus, Mirajane and a host of other lesser-represented characters who get caught up in an art heist. It's ongoing and is definitely worth a read!