As promised, this will be an ErzaxNaruto chapter. I really hope I get to be one of those authors who make it past the tower of heaven arc. Fingers crossed and here we go. Thanks for waiting.

Naruto let out one last yawn as he locked the door to his apartment before heading out. It was a modest place with a reasonable price. A single bedroom next to the bathroom with a small living room and kitchen was good enough for him. Sure he could have found a better and bigger place for himself thanks to his reward from the mission to Lupinus but he wasn't much for extravagance and stuff like that.

He leisurely made his way to the guild. He took his time walking through the streets of Magnolia. The blonde had to admit, the town certainly had its own little charm. The people were friendly enough and everyone always seemed to be in high spirits.

Then his mind wandered to another place, where a village was surrounded by huge forests, a place where the buildings all looked a little bit rough and odd but it had a warm and homey feeling to it. A mountain with huge stone faces towered over it in the distance. A place where the leaves danced…

He was brought out of his thoughts when he saw Loki passing by.

"Hey Loki," Naruto called out. The young man turned.

"Oh, it's you, what's up Naruto?" The resident playboy of Fairytail greeted casually, although, for some reason, he sounded tired. As Naruto caught up to him, he began to notice something about the guy.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good."

The man had some circles under his eyes, meaning that he had not been sleeping well lately. His shoulders were slumped ever so slightly, but Naruto noticed it. It was like something was weighing him down.

He tried for a smile but it almost came out as a grimace. "I'm just feeling a little under the weather. Don't worry about it man."

Naruto wasn't fooled in the slightest. He was definitely more than just "under the weather". It was then that he remembered that this was actually the first time the blonde had seen Loki in the past week. The guy was rarely spotted in the temporary makeshift bar they had set up. Plus most of the girls in town dropped by every once in a while, searching for him. Apparently even they had no idea where he disappears to recently.

"Okay, if you're sure." Naruto said. He could tell that Loki didn't want him to press the topic any further.

Loki nodded gratefully and the two of them walked to the guild in silence.

Erza stared out of the train window as the landscape rolled by. Naruto sat across from her on the coach leaning back into the chair with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. If you didn't know any better, you would think the blonde was dozing off. He seemed pretty relaxed even though they were off to do a mission.

"Erza-chan, you mind if I come along on your job request?" Naruto asked. "I'm itching to get out of town for a while. It's been too quiet around here lately. And that's saying something."

He was right. Ever since the reconstruction of the guild hall started, everyone has been doubling the amount of missions they went on to help pay for the expenses and materials needed. Plus they needed to earn money for themselves as well. Because of this hardly anyone was seen in the guild much this past week. Sure there were a few who stayed but it wasn't as lively.

Naruto has been helping out with the rebuilding thanks to his clones but she could tell he was getting bored.

"Sure, I could use the help." She said.

The blonde pumped his fists. "YES! I'll go pack my stuff."

And just like that he was off. She laughed slightly at his childish behavior. The only other times he seemed this excited was whenever he was eating ramen. She had to admit his enthusiasm was infectious.

Although she had to wonder if that was the only reason she was also looking forward to this mission. Ever since Phantom Lord, she's been getting these strange feelings every time she was with Naruto. Sometimes she unconsciously brushes a strand of out of place hair behind her ear so that it wouldn't look messy or catches herself just staring into his amazing blue eyes. She unknowingly grits her teeth whenever Cana flirted with him. She even had the urge to stroke his whisker marks one time.

Not to mention she kissed him on the cheek during the battle…

What does this mean? Was she attracted to him? Sure he was handsome, there was no denying that. Just ask half of the female members of the guild. But was that it or something more? She didn't know. The butterflies in her chest made it hard to think whenever he was around.

She pushed those thoughts aside for now. She would sort it all out later.

Erza showed Mira the request form and the waitress giggled.

"I never knew you were so forward Erza." Mira said in a teasing manner. "Taking Naruto a hot springs is a little bit much for a first date don't you think?"

Mira laughed when she her friend's face turn into the exact shade as her hair.

She snatched the form from the waitress. "I-it's n-nothing like t-that!"

"Oh relax, Erza. You're just too fun to tease." Mira said. "Okay, I'll tell the master. Have fun but make sure you give him a show before y-!"

"Mira!" Erza was mortified. She left while she still could before the waitress could say anything else.

She blushed while remembering the things her friend said. Stupid perverted Mira.

"You know if you stare out the window any harder the landscape might spontaneously combust."

She turned to see Naruto looking at her with an amused half-grin. "Jewel for your thoughts?"

"I-I was just thinking about the mission." She said. It wasn't a complete lie. She had been thinking about it but now her mind was occupied with something else. Desperately trying not to imagine the scenario Mira had envisioned.

"Yeah, we should probably plan on how we should tackle this." Naruto suggested, taking on a slightly serous expression.

The mission was requested by a man who owned a high class inn. Lately, a series of kidnappings have sprung up and the people coming to visit from neighboring towns were becoming scarce. He wants to put a stop to this so that business could continue as usual.

"Hmm. We should consult with the people in charge of keeping the peace to see if they have any leads." Erza said.

She was a bit surprised when Naruto shook his head. "It's too risky. If the ones we're after have sources in town they would know something's up the moment we do. From the looks of it, it's a small town which means newcomers stick out easily."

Erza was impressed by his insight. What he said thus far was true.

"Then how do we get in without attracting too much attention?" She asked.

Naruto scratched his head and frowned a bit. "Well, this situation requires subtlety. Not really my strong suit but we need to blend in and gather information without letting the kidnappers know we're on to them."

Erza pondered on this for a moment. What kind of alias should they use to get into town without drawing too much attention to themselves? The place was famous for its natural hot springs and she also heard that it was a well known spot for…

"Why are you blushing?" Naruto asked.

"I-I t-think I have an idea."

The couple walked arm in arm through the streets, looking for the inn they would be staying at. Some of the townsfolk glanced at them when they passed. They were slightly surprised to have visitors and some watched them suspiciously. Although after a while, they decided that they weren't a threat since all the two did was make eyes at each other. They looked like any another ordinary young couple. However, some noticed that the pretty redhead looked familiar.

"Arashi-kun, I told you that the inn was that way!" The woman said, pretending to be exasperated with him.

The blonde scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that Yuki-chan, I could've sworn it was down this block."

She sighed. "You're so thickheaded."

"But you love me anyway." Arashi cheekily replied. Yuki turned her head away so that he couldn't see her blush.

Darn him. Why does he have to be such a smooth talker?

Unknown to anyone, Erza was feeling extremely embarrassed and awkward. They had decided to go along with her plan to go undercover as a couple since this place was a romantic hotspot. They picked up false names and changed their appearances to look the part.

Now she wore a pair of fake glasses and tied up her hair in a ponytail. She also wore a white turtleneck sweater and some dark leather pants as well as a scarf around her neck. She had to constantly remind herself that her name was Yuki for the time being else she might slip up accidentally.

Naruto had also changed his appearance by doing a Henge. His whisker marks had vanished and his eyes were now a deep and chocolate brown. He wore pair of jeans and a dark green shirt under a silver jacket.

They backtracked down the street and took the route "Yuki" suggested. Naruto made small talk to keep their roles more believable. She had to admit, it was kind of nice to just talk about non-important details despite being on a mission. After a few minutes, they arrived at the front of a classy looking hotel where they would be staying at.

"Not bad." Naruto whistled.

"Come on." Erza said. "Let's get inside."

She pulled him along and he chuckled. "Can't wait to get me alone huh, Yuki-chan?"

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and couldn't help but laugh a little at her comical expression. She was pretty cute when she blushed like that. He liked the fact that he could get these kinds of reactions out of her. She was usually so stoic and a little stiff back at the guild.

"You're lucky we're on a mission right now." She grumbled as they approached the front desk.

"Hello and welcome to the Tanzaku Hotel." A smiling receptionist greeted them. "How may we be of service?"

"Yeah um, do you happen to have a room for two please?" Naruto inquired.

"Of course we do." The peppy woman replied. She noticed their interlocked arms and ventured. "There are still plenty of honeymoon sweets available for you to choose from."

Their faces held a small tinge of pink at the reminder.

"Yes, we'll take one of those." Erza replied. "Perhaps one with a balcony would be nice."

The receptionist snapped her fingers. "Oh I know just the one. It has an amazing view of the town and you can enjoy the sunsets."

"That'd be great umm….Amanda." Naruto said as he saw the nametag on her uniform.

She handed them their room keys after they filed out some forms and rang a bell that was on the counter. Nothing happened. She rang the bell again.

Amanda sighed in mild annoyance. "Where is that boy? Liam! LIAM!"

Moments later, a sound of hurried footsteps and cursing could be heard as a young man burst through a door and hastily smoothed out his uniform. He looked to be a year or two older than them and stood at the same height as Naruto. His white hair and green eyes were his most notable features. He stood at attention and quickly wiped a bit of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.

"What's up?" The young employee asked casually.

Amanda looked a bit peeved by this. "Where were you? As you've probably noticed, we have guests! Have you been napping in the staff room again?"

Liam was sweating bullets. "Umm…no?"

"We'll talk about this later." She pointed a stern finger at the young man before turning back to the couple. "I hope you have a pleasant stay and please feel free to ask for anything you need. Liam will show you to your room."

They both turned to follow Liam as he led them up a flight of stairs.

"So, what brings you two to our humble abode?" Liam struck up a conversation.

"Well, Yuki-chan and I thought that it'd be nice to go on a little vacation." Naruto said. "Just need to get away from it all, you know?"

"Ah, I see. No use in drowning yourself in work all the time." Liam agreed. "Why here though? I don't mean to pry but doesn't Akane resort seem like a much better choice?"

Naruto opened his mouth to respond but Erza beat him to it. "Actually, that was where Arashi-kun wanted to go but I told him that it was too crowded and noisy. I told him that there was no way in hell is he taking me out to a casino and amusement park for a nice, quiet, and romantic vacation."

Liam smirked at the blonde. "Well I see who wears the pants in this relationship."

Naruto pouted and Erza patted him on the cheek comfortingly while grinning at him.

'I'll get you back for that' mouthed the blonde. The red-head maturely stuck out her tongue at him.

"Hey Liam, I'm curious, why aren't there other tourists besides us? I mean I heard that this place is pretty popular itself. Shouldn't it be packing this time of year?" Naruto asked. This was his chance to see if he knew anything about the kidnappings.

Liam stiffened a little bit at the words and nervously scratched the back of his head. "I'm…not really supposed to talk about it."

"Talk about what?" Erza feigned confusion.

"Well…." His head swiveled from side to side to see if anyone was within hearing range. "Alright I'll tell you but you have to keep it a secret. My sister would kill me if she found out I told a couple of guests."

"Your sister is…"

"The receptionist,"

"Oh, okay."

Liam dropped his voice to a loud whisper. "Well you see three weeks ago, people from town have begun disappearing. Our police say that it's a single kidnapper on the loose but others say more. I even know a guy who claims to have seen a huge hulking monster making off with three of our own. It disappeared before he could get a good glimpse of it though. As you can see the news has probably reached other places by now and that's probably why you two are the first guests in a while."

"That's horrible!" Erza gasped.

Naruto frowned. "I'm sorry."

Liam waved it off. "Hey don't worry about it. It's not your fault. I just wish our local guards would actually get off their lazy asses and hunt these bastards down already. I mean seriously! They keep on ignoring these cases as if people's lives aren't even worth their time!"

Naruto clenched his fists in anger when he heard that. He wasn't even aware that he was doing it until Erza took one of his hands in both of hers and squeezed it reassuringly. He saw that she didn't like what she heard either but nevertheless they had a job to do. To catch these dirt bags and put a stop to them was why they were here after all.

The employee took a calming breath. "Sorry you guys had to hear me rant. It's just been really difficult lately."

"We understand." Naruto told him and he nodded.

"Well, enough of this depressing stuff! You guys are here on vacation!" Liam reverted back to his cheery self. "Now follow me to your room so that I can go back to the couch in the staff room with my name on it."

The three of them shared a laugh and continued on. After turning left down the hallway on the fourth floor, they stopped by a room numbered 143. Liam opened the door for them and gestured for them to enter first.

The room was high class but not overly so. It had a hint of grandeur but also a comfortable atmosphere once inside. A small kitchen laid on one side and a dining room next to it and a nice living room. Beyond the living room was a set of double doors leading to a balcony overlooking the town and boy it really did have a nice view. Erza went to inspect the bedroom.

"So, is the room to your liking?" Liam asked.

Naruto grinned after taking another look at the place. "This will do nicely."

He pulled out some money and gave Liam a tip.

"Whoa, thanks man." The employee said ecstatically. "A hundred jewels for a tip is pretty generous."

The blonde shrugged. "You're a pretty cool guy. I don't mind."

Liam grinned again. "Thanks again. Well I better leave you lovebirds alone. Oh, by the way, if you ever need room service, there's a communication lacrima on the coffee table."

The white haired man shut the door as he exited. Naruto sighed as he finally dispelled his henge and went to check on Erza in the bedroom. A plush king sized bed sat in the room and a bathroom door stood of to one side.

"So what do we do now?" She asked.

The blonde struck a thinking pose. "How about we go explore the rest of the town, get something to eat, and maybe check out those hot springs?"

He was met with a stern glare from the red-head who had her hands on her hips.

"We don't have time for any of that Naruto!" Erza berated. "We aren't on vacation and the people here are actually in danger."

"Calm down Erza-chan." Naruto said. "Hear me out for a minute."

She waited and he continued. "First thing we need to do is reconnaissance. We have no idea just who these culprits are, how they operate, where they hide, and why they kidnap in the first place. I'll send out a few disguised shadow clones to get to the bottom of that. Secondly, the people in town have already seen us. By now everybody will know about the two newcomers since word travels fast in small communities. It would look suspicious if we snoop around. We should keep up our covers for a bit longer. Besides, people tend to let slip small details in conversations. After that we can meet up with our client in secret later to confirm that we've taken the job request. As soon as we know where those bastards are holed up, we can strike before they even know we're here."

Erza was once again struck speechless by his explanation.

"How do you know all this?" She asked, genuinely curious.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer but he frowned like he was trying to concentrate. "I can't remember."

The woman mentally kicked herself. She knew that Naruto had amnesia and that everyone back at the guild was trying their best not to mention it whenever he was around. You would never think he had memory loss though as he tends to act so carefree and happy but she hated instances like this where he spaced out, staring at something only he could see and touching his pouch as if to make sure it was still there. She disliked having to see Naruto like this.

He looked much more handsome when he was smiling….

"Lunch sounds good right about now." Erza quickly said, hoping to bring him out of his own thoughts. She looped her arm around his and smiled up at him.

He looked up and his small frown was replaced with a grin. "Yeah, I'm starving."

Naruto summoned four shadow clones and issued them instructions. They all gave him a mock salute when he finished and dashed out the window to carry out their orders. Once the copies of him were out of sight, he and Erza exited their room arm in arm to look for a nice restaurant.

A patrol man was doing his daily rounds around town to make sure nobody started up any trouble. He was a bit bored to be honest. After all, nothing ever happened in this place. He couldn't wait to change shifts with the next guy.

He was passing through a particularly empty street. Fresh products were delivered at the market today and everyone wanted the first pick. He was about to continue on his way but a voice called out in a hushed tone. "Pssst, hey you look over here!"

The patrolman turned his gaze over to a small alley way where a man stood. He couldn't make out his face since it was covered in shadow. Approaching the suspicious character, he decided to investigate.

"Show yourself!" He stated in his most authoritative voice.

"Come closer." The man said as he stepped further back into the alley.

The guard gripped his lance tighter and lowered it at the ready. Just as he took one step between the buildings, he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head and everything went black.

A few minutes later, the same guard stepped out of the alley as if nothing had happened.

"Sorry about that, but it's for a good cause." Naruto's transformed clone told the unconscious guard. He had propped the man against the wall, tied him up and gagged him just in case he woke up. He should be up in a few hours. It was ample time to gather some information.

The "patrol man" continued his daily task and turned right at the next corner. The same thing was happening to other people all over town. Unbeknownst to the others, a merchant, a female tailor, and a barkeeper were also replaced by Naruto's clones for the time being.

"I hope they have a place that sells ramen." Naruto said as he scanned the various rows of shops while they leisurely walked through the industrial part of town.

Erza rolled her eyes at him. "Don't you ever think of anything else?"

"What? It's not my fault that ramen is the food of gods." He said in defense. "Plus you're just as bad with your addiction to strawberry cheesecakes. I've never tasted it before though."

He had her there. "Okay fair enough. We should look for a place that sells both."

"Definitely," He agreed and they continued walking.

Then, they passed by a middle age man who stopped them. "Why, hello there! This is perfect. Your timing couldn't be more precise in my moment of need. Please sit down."

Before the two of them could even object or ask what the hell the pudgy man was going on about, he had hurriedly pushed them down to sit on two wooden stools that they didn't even know were there. Erza shot Naruto a confused look and he just shrugged in response.

"Now get closer together and smile!" The man said, as he stood a few feet away from them next to a blank canvas on an easel.

There was a sudden flash of light blue and the both of them blinked.

"Hey buddy, what's the big idea?" Naruto questioned.

The pudgy man ignored him and frowned in discontent. "No, no, no. This won't do. You two need to look more relaxed. You're too stiff. Let's try again."

"Hey! Knock it off!" Naruto said in mild annoyance as the man set off another flash. The two of them got off the stools and began to walk away.

They didn't get far though as the man was in front of them again with his arms spread out. "Wait! You don't even know what I'm doing."

A tick mark appeared on the blonde's face. "That's why I've been asking!"

He had the good graces to look sheepish. "Forgive me friends. I got carried away for a moment there. Let me start over. My name is Hirano and not to brag or anything but I happen to be a very renowned artist."

He struck a dramatic pose that made over the top seem like an understatement. Erza sweat dropped while Naruto shuddered. An image of a long, spiky-haired pervert who had a giant scroll on his back striking a similar pose popped into his head for some reason. It was a weird image so he tried to banish it from his mind as soon as possible.

"Well, umm, you must have a lot of famous works." Erza said, trying to be polite. She was used to ….eccentric people so she knew how to take it all in stride. Being in a guild like Fairytail, that was no surprise.

"Yes I have plenty of them, my dear! Sadly no one ever seems to bother remembering my name." Hirano complained. "Oh, how rude of me, I didn't even let you introduce yourselves."

"I'm Yuki and this is my boyfriend, Arashi-kun." She gestured to the two of them.

"Ah, young love. What I wouldn't give to be twenty five again. Those were the days." He said wistfully. "This is exactly what I was looking for! I've decided that my next painting will depict romance and you two are perfect!"

The two of them blushed and Hirano picked up on it. "No need to be shy. This will only take a second so act natural."

The painter held up his hands like he was framing them and a magic circle appeared. It set off another flash and then it was gone.

"A little warning before you blind people would be nice." Naruto muttered.

"You can use magic?" Erza inquired.

"Yes and in fact, this is the reason why I'm so skilled in painting." Hirano confirmed. "My Memory magic allows me to capture what I see in mental images in my mind where I can remember every single detail from that one moment. It's not very useful for fighting. I never did like confrontations, but it is handy for blinding people to make a quick getaway when I need of it." He let out a hearty chuckle.

"Well then, I believe I have inconvenienced the both of you long enough." Hirano said. "Have a good day you two. Now I must resume my search for the perfect example of romance."

The pudgy man picked up his easel and went on his merry way.

"Huh, he's pretty strange, but in a good way." Naruto commented once the painter was out of sight.

Erza nodded. "I just hope he doesn't ambush every couple he meets."

They both shared a laugh before continuing down the road to find some place to eat.

"Good, you're back." One of the guards at the headquarters addressed him. "The chief wants everyone to report to the meeting hall for some announcements."

Naruto's clone disguised as a patrol man frowned. "Did he say what about?"

The other guard just shrugged. "He didn't tell me a thing. Guess we're about to find out."

The two of them entered the building and the other guard led them upstairs to the second floor and into a big room where all the officers were gathered. They were all lounging about and talking with each other. Naruto decided to lean back against a wall on the far end of the room, trying to see if he could pick up anything from the nearby conversations.

"I heard that they were back." A young looking guard spoke in a hushed tone with three others.

"Not again." Another groaned. "Damn them."

"Maybe we should actually stand up to them." One of them suggested. "I mean we have strength in numbers right?"

"Idiot, did you forget that they're powerful magicians?" The oldest in their little group snapped at him. "We'd be lucky to get a few feet from them before we get destroyed."

Naruto processed everything they've been saying up to that point. Who were they talking about? They looked unsettled and maybe a little scared. He caught sight of a young female guard who was sniffling and being comforted by a senior officer. He had a gut feeling that something was about to go wrong in this meeting.

After a few minutes of waiting a man, who he assumed was the chief, entered followed by another person whose dark red cape flapped behind him. Silence befell on the room as soon as everyone saw the second person. The guards avoided eye contact with him and he seemed to relish in their discomfort. Naruto disliked him instantly.

The man stepped up to a small podium at the front and smirked down at them. He looked like he was dressed for a masquerade party minus the mask. He had spiky light blue hair that looked like he got electrocuted and his eyes were the same as his hair color. One thing was for certain though. Naruto could clearly see the maniacal glint in them.

"Hello again you pathetic bunch of meat sacks." He spoke cheerily. "As you probably know by now we're here for another collection."

Naruto could see most of the guards clench their fists.

The man wagged a finger at them. "Ah, ah, ah, you all remember our agreement. We will have our pick for our little project. It takes a lot of magic to make a ticking magic bomb you know. Don't worry, it won't be long now before it's finished."

Naruto's eyes widened. A magic time bomb didn't sound very friendly.

"What have you done with my father and brother?!" The sniffling guard woman demanded.

"Oh they're fine. Although the strain from having your magic drained is starting to take its toll on them it seems." He said. "Honestly I'm not sure if they could last any longer than a few days."

"You sick bastard!"

The man rolled his eyes. "Like I haven't heard anyone say that to me before. I could care less as long as I'm getting paid. Now you all know what happens if you interfere. Make sure that everything goes smoothly for tomorrow or else…"

He sliced his thumb over his throat. "You can kiss your families goodbye."

Now the stakes have been raised. The clone tried to analyze everything he's heard so far. He needed to report back to the original and fast. Hopefully, things couldn't get any worse.

Of course with his luck, it probably will.

Naruto laughed once Erza finished the story. "Natsu actually thought he found a dragon egg in the woods?"

The two sat at a table in a small diner they found. Luckily it served ramen and strawberry cheesecakes much to their delight.

"He was really convinced." She said. "We were all surprised when it hatched. I'll show you a picture when we get back."

"That must've been a crazy day." Naruto said. "So what happened to this Lisanna girl Natsu was with?"

He instantly regretted the question when he saw Erza's face fall into a look of sadness. "Sorry, forget I asked."

"No, it's…..okay. I just don't like bringing up such memories." Erza said. "It was hard on all of us, especially for Mira, Elfman, and Natsu."

She recounted the events of what happened on the Strauss siblings' mission to hunt down a powerful monster. He still couldn't believe that sweet Mira was actually such a hard ass back in the day and was actually just as strong as Erza. Apparently, Elfman tried to use his take over magic once they defeated the beast but the primal personality overwhelmed him and led him to kill Lisanna.

"Nothing was ever the same after that." Erza's voice shook a bit.

Before he knew it, the blonde placed his hand on top of hers on the table. He gave it a comforting squeeze and she returned it. He felt really bad about bringing up such a painful topic for her. Damn his curiosity.

"I wish I could have met her." Naruto said. "She sounds great."

"She was the sweetest girl you'd ever meet." She nodded.

Just then, the waitress came over to serve Erza her cake, forcing them to reluctantly take their hands apart from each other. She cut a small piece of it and held it up to Naruto.

"Open up." She said. He raised his eyebrows in question.

"You said that you've never tried it before so here." She explained.

Naruto's face heated up a smidge as he opened his mouth and she fed him a piece of her cheesecake. "It's good."

She smiled at him and held up another piece up to him. They both shared the sweet dessert and just talked about non-essential stuff. It felt nice to just get to know the other a bit more even if it was just tiny details like Naruto's favorite color is orange and Erza's like for sweet things.

The blonde wasn't even aware that he was staring at her. Back at the guild, she's always so strict and slightly uptight but now she looked more relaxed. He liked her eyes too. They were so warm that you couldn't help but be drawn to them. Her hair reflected her fiery determination and protectiveness of her friends. All in all she looked….

"Beautiful…" Naruto murmured without thinking. He cursed silently as his brain caught up to what he said.

Erza on the other hand expertly hid her red face by pretending to stare at the plants next to their table. Her heart raced as she heard what he said. She had been wondering why he was looking at her so intensely when that happened. Now the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering madly.

They couldn't meet each other's eyes after that until Naruto asked for the bill and they got up to leave.

Naruto cleared his throat after some awkward silence. "How about we go check those hot springs now?"

"Good idea." She said still unable to look at him directly.

The pair quickly headed to their next destination.

Naruto's clone, disguised as a fruit vendor, groaned as he caught sight of a particular woman pass by. He recognized her all right. What the hell was she doing here? Shouldn't she be at a council meeting or something? Damn it, as if things weren't complicated enough.

Meanwhile, Ultear surveyed the town with a small coy smile gracing her lips. "I wonder where you are, Naruto-kun?"

She turned many heads as she walked down the busy market place. But she was set on finding only one person that interested her. Master Hades wanted a report on this young man as soon as he caught wind of him. He could be a thorn in the side if left unchecked. He could also be a very useful ally, she thought. He might be a tough nut to crack since he's a member of that troublesome guild but nonetheless, she could always….persuade him to see things her way.

It would be a shame if they were on opposite sides. He was so handsome.

In a concealed location, three people stood observing the progress they were making. Multiple contraptions each containing a person was being depleted of their magic. The individual machines were hooked up to an even larger one that looked to be a giant lacrima.

"It's almost complete. We just need a little bit more for it to be active." The man who visited the police headquarters earlier said.

His partner nodded. The two of them could be considered twins because of their similar looks. "This weapon will have enough power to destroy anything within a two mile radius. Just wish we could have gotten more for it though."

The third man wasn't actually a human. It was a hulking form of a humanoid wolf that stood at least seven feet tall. Around its neck was a spiked collar and its eyes were red with bloodlust. The only ones keeping it at bay were his two masters. Otherwise it would go on a rampage.

"You could look for another buyer but then I would have to kill you." A new sinister voice spoke up. The three of them turned to see a man with a large black cloak and a large hood to hide his face in shadow.

"F-forgive my colleague, he tends to speak without thinking." One of them said nervously. Their employer was not someone you would like to offend. He radiated this dark and cold aura from him that demanded respect.

"There's been a change of plans." The cloaked man said. "Instead of kidnapping a few worthless civilians, I have a new target in mind to speed up the gathering process. She's a member of the grand magic council and has been recently spotted within the vicinity."

"But sir, we're no match for her."

Unseen by them, the man grinned evilly under the hood. "I'll handle that. Just make sure you'll be ready to move by tonight."

The two subordinates bowed and began to make preparations.

Hades is so predictable. He thinks he's the one calling the shots in the Balam Alliance. We'll let you keep thinking that old man. Little do you know that you're just a pawn in the grand scheme of things to come.

The man turned to leave before thinking. You really are an interesting one Naruto Uzumaki. You've been causing quite a ruckus lately that even Hades has taken notice of you. Not that it will matter. My demon masters cannot be stopped.

With that in mind, he stepped into the shadows and vanished.

There chapter finally done! I had actually planned to make this longer but I felt like I would be stretching it out more than I would like so yeah. I hope you guys like it and please leave your awesome reviews to tell me what you think!

And by the way sorry if I didn't get Erza's personality right in this chapter. I really don't have that good of a grasp of how she acts around normal situations cause sometimes she's really funny and awkward and most of the time she's very serious. Please don't hate me if you think Erza should act differently in these situations. I tried my best, okay?