Erza quickly noticed his arrival.
She turned her head slightly, her eyes meeting the familiar silhouette approaching under the moonlight.
For a few seconds, she just stood there, motionless.
Observing.
Natsu…?
He was walking with his hands in his pockets, his body relaxed, his shoulders loose in a way she wasn't used to seeing. There was no hurry in his steps, nor that chaotic "energy" that usually preceded a loud comment or some senseless provocation. The white scarf was still there, familiar, almost a remnant of the boy she knew, but everything else seemed different. His clothes were more well-chosen, more stylish than anything he had worn in the past, at least in her opinion. For someone who had known him since childhood, the change was noticeable at first glance, so evident that it jumped out at her. There was a calmer air about him, even serene, that contrasted strongly with the noisy and impulsive memory she held of him. And, above all, there was the expression on his face. It wasn't the wide, carefree smile as always, nor that goofy expression that had so often made her roll her eyes. Instead, his countenance seemed strangely serene… almost mature.
Erza's heart beat faster, without warning.
For a brief instant, dangerously brief, she didn't see the boy who had grown up by her side in the guild, nor the impulsive companion who had so often needed to be put in line with shouts and punishments. What she saw was a man walking toward her. A man who, suddenly, seemed distant from the familiar image she had always held.
Was that really Natsu…?
He immediately noticed that she looked in his direction and, as he approached, greeted her:
"Yo. Good evening, Erza."
She took a second to respond, her eyes still fixed on him, as if trying to confirm if that was real. The posture, the tone of voice, even the way he looked at her… everything seemed the same and different at the same time.
"Natsu....?"
Her voice came out firm, though a bit lower than usual.
Silence.
The wind passed between them, gently swaying her scarlet hair. Erza tightened her fingers around the box she was carrying, as if that helped anchor her in the moment. Was that really Natsu? The question arose again without her wanting it, accompanied by another even more uncomfortable one. Had he really changed as everyone said?
"What's wrong? You're looking at me strangely."
He tilted his head slightly, a half-curious smile appearing on his face.
That was enough to break the trance.
Erza took a deep breath, straightened her posture—an old habit, almost automatic—and forced her heart to slow down. It wasn't the time to get lost in useless thoughts. She had come there for a simple reason. At least, that's what she told herself.....
"It's nothing. Just… I was a bit surprised...."
Natsu raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.
She then took a step forward and extended the box she was holding.
"I bought this earlier. A strawberry cake. I thought about visiting you after I heard you'd come back safely. I ended up arriving a bit late."
The gesture was simple, something very typical of her. But there was something different there too. A care that she rarely showed so explicitly.
Natsu blinked, surprised, and then smiled genuinely.
"Seriously? Thanks, Erza. I was craving something sweet anyway...."
She nodded, observing his reaction with too much attention for someone just delivering a cake. Something inside her relaxed upon seeing him act with the same familiarity as always, even with that strange calm and maturity visible to anyone who knew him.
"You… seem different."
"That's what everyone's been saying." He laughed lightly before adding: "Come on in. It's cold to stay standing outside."
Erza hesitated for just a second.
Then she nodded and took a few steps forward, crossing the threshold of the door as Natsu opened it. As she passed by him, she felt that strange acceleration in her chest again, an unexpected, uncomfortable sensation… and impossible to ignore.
Natsu closed the door behind them and made a simple gesture with his head, indicating the small table near the window.
"Sit there. I'll cut the cake."
Erza nodded and placed the box on the table carefully, sitting upright, as if she were still in a formal guild meeting. She watched every movement of his as Natsu grabbed a plate, a knife, and opened the packaging. His gestures were calm, precise, without haste. Even in that, he seemed different.
The sweet smell of strawberry soon spread through the room.
"I brought it for you..." She said firmly when he started cutting two slices. "It's a gift. I'm not going to eat."
Natsu shot her a sideways glance, arching an eyebrow.
"No way." He placed a slice on her plate without asking permission: "I know this is your favorite cake. I'm not going to eat something you love right in front of you without offering. That goes against my principles."
Erza opened her mouth to retort… and closed it.
Since when did Natsu talk like that…? Since when did he share food?
She had never been naive enough to believe that people remained unchanging. She knew, better than anyone, that changes were inevitable. She herself had changed countless times throughout her life, shaped by childhood traumas, discipline, battles, companions, and losses that sustained her journey. Still, there was a stubborn part inside her that insisted on believing Natsu would be the exception. In her mind, he was an unshakeable constant: the boy who didn't change, who didn't falter, who pushed forward with the same impetus as always.
And now, before her eyes, the noisy boy who had once helped her with his impulsiveness and sincerity when she arrived traumatized at the guild… was no longer exactly the same.
That was profoundly strange, and she didn't know exactly how to react to this "change." And, because she knew him so deeply, she knew that transformation wasn't superficial. It wasn't restricted to his way of speaking or the calm he displayed; no, definitely that wasn't temporary..... That's what she felt in the brief moment she spent with him.
Erza blinked, returning to the present when the plate with the slice of cake was placed in front of her. The sweet aroma of strawberry filled her senses, familiar and comforting, though unable to completely dispel the whirlwind of thoughts swirling in her mind. She raised her eyes to Natsu, who was already settling into the opposite chair. He turned the seat sideways, in a casual, almost lazy way, crossing his legs as he picked up the fork and took the first bite of his own slice.
"Delicious." He murmured after chewing and swallowing, his eyes lighting up for an instant with that genuine spark she knew so well: "You always nail the gifts, Erza. Where did you buy this? At that bakery in the center?"
Erza hesitated, the fork still motionless in her hand. The question was simple, even trivial, but coming from him it seemed… unexpected. Natsu had never been the type to start conversations about everyday details without seguing into something about fights, battles, or missions...
"Yes…" She finally responded, cutting a small piece of the cake and bringing it to her mouth, more to disguise the discomfort than out of appetite. The flavor exploded on her tongue, sweet and slightly tart, but she barely registered it. "The same one as always. I thought you'd like it… after so much time away."
"Yeah, I really liked the gift. Thank you so much, Erza..." Natsu nodded with a slight smile in her direction.
Since when was he so polite…? And that smile, unexpectedly charming, made her frown inwardly, scolding herself for the absurd thought. Taking a deep breath, Erza remained silent for a few seconds, observing him closely as he ate calmly, without any rush. When she finally spoke, her voice came out controlled, but it carried the genuine curiosity of someone who had known Natsu for too long to ignore such evident changes.
"How was your mission with Juvia?"
Natsu shrugged, taking another forkful to his mouth before responding, chewing slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.
"It was simple, nothing out of the ordinary. Afterward, the two of us just took a stroll and traveled through several cities together.."
The short, almost casual response made Erza narrow her eyes slightly.
"Just that?"
"Just that."
That definitely wasn't the Natsu she knew. He always exaggerated, complained, or boasted. Now, he seemed… satisfied with the simplicity....
Erza took a deep breath.
"You really have changed." She said at last, staring at him directly. "It's not just an impression."
Natsu tilted his head slightly, a calm smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
"Maybe."
Before she could say anything more, he set the fork down on the plate and stood up naturally, as if he had remembered something irrelevant, but internally he was curious to see Erza's reaction to the fact that he had learned her magic....
"Ah, speaking of which… There's something else I wanted to show you."
Erza frowned.
"Show what?"
Natsu didn't respond immediately. And then, in the blink of an eye, his clothes changed.
His clothes disappeared, instantly replaced by a simple white shirt, made of light fabric, fitted comfortably to his body, accompanied by gray sweatpants. Igneel's scarf remained in place, contrasting familiarly with the rest of the sudden change.
Erza was left mouth agape, her heart racing again.
"This... this is Reequip! My magic! How... how did you...? Since when have you been using my magic?!"
Natsu scratched his cheek, a bit embarrassed, but far from seeming insecure.
"Since recently."
"That's not possible." Her voice came out lower, incredulous. "This isn't a simple magic to copy. It requires control, understanding of magical space, mental adaptation—"
"I know." He interrupted her calmly.
Erza blinked.
Natsu sat back down, as if it were no big deal, picking up the fork again and resuming the cake.
"You remember." He said between bites. "A long time ago… you tried to teach me."
The memory hit her like a silent shock.
She remembered.
She remembered perfectly.
"Natsu, that was just an exercise." She responded, still stunned. "You couldn't even keep the form stable for two seconds."
"Yeah." He smiled sideways. "Back then I didn't understand anything. I thought it was too boring."
That sounded exactly like him.
"But during these two weeks away…" He continued, with a calm, almost reflective tone. "I ended up remembering what you said. About imagining the equipment as an extension of your own body. About not forcing the magic, but letting it flow."
Erza felt a shiver run down her spine.
"I tried again." Natsu concluded, calmly. "It worked... I also learned some other magics after seeing that learning yours worked out...."
She remained silent.
The boy who didn't pay attention. The boy who hated long explanations. The boy who always said thinking too much gave him a headache.....
He had learned her magic!
And not just that.
"Wait. You… said you learned other magics too?" She asked, almost in a whisper.
Natsu nodded.
"Some."
"Some..... Which ones?" Erza asked, looking at him strangely.
Natsu finished the last piece of cake on his plate, setting the fork down carefully before facing her directly. His eyes, always so intense, now seemed to carry a depth she didn't remember seeing before. He raised a hand toward her...
"I'll show you one of them..."
Before Erza could react, a wave of magic enveloped her body, a strange sensation, as if the world around her was expanding rapidly. Natsu's house seemed to grow, the walls moving away, the table becoming a distant mountain. In an instant, she found herself shrunken, the size of a fairy, hovering in the air for a brief moment before falling softly into Natsu's open palm.
"What...?!" Her voice came out high-pitched, echoing like a tiny bell, as she looked around in panic. Everything was gigantic: the cake plate now seemed like a mansion, and Natsu... Natsu was like a living mountain, holding her carefully between his fingers. The warmth of his skin enveloped her, and she felt her face burn with embarrassment upon realizing how vulnerable she was....
"This is... a size-altering magic?! How did you do this?!"
Natsu laughed softly, the sound reverberating like a gentle thunder to her ears. He watched her with genuine curiosity, his eyes shining with amusement.
"Cool, right? I learned it by experimenting during the trip. By the way, you look cute like this, Erza....."
The blush intensified on her tiny face, a mix of anger and embarrassment that made her cross her arms—or try to, in her reduced size. "Natsu! Return me to normal right now! This isn't a joke!"
He blinked, surprised by the vehemence, but nodded quickly.
"Okay, okay. Sorry."
With a thought, the magic dissipated, and Erza felt the world shrink back to normal. In seconds, she was standing beside the table, her heart still racing.
As soon as she touched the ground, she turned to him, but she wasn't really angry; in fact, she was more perplexed than angry. There was also a burning curiosity, mixed with a reluctant admiration.
"How... how did you do this? A size-altering magic isn't something you learn out of nowhere. It requires immense control over mass and magical energy...."
Natsu scratched the back of his neck and explained with that irritatingly new calm: "Yeah, it was complicated at first. But after I got the hang of your [Reequip], the others came easier. I think I have a certain talent for this...."
Erza blinked a few times, processing his words as she sat back down in the chair, the cake on her plate now completely forgotten. Her heart was still racing, not just from the shock of the magic, but from the revelation itself. Natsu, the same Natsu who always relied only on fire and brute strength, now manipulating complex magics as if they were natural extensions of himself. It was surreal, almost impossible to believe.
"Talent...?" She repeated, her voice low, almost a whisper, as she stared at him with a mix of incredulity and fascination. "You never showed interest in magics beyond your element. And now... size alteration? Reequip? What else did you learn during these two weeks?"
Natsu held her gaze for a few seconds longer than necessary before responding. Then, a slow and unexpectedly charming smile appeared on his lips, different from the open and goofy smile as always. It was calmer, almost too confident for someone like him.
That made Erza's heart race again, betraying her in an irritating way.....
"Well…" He began, resting his elbow on the table naturally, "Besides these, I also learned some other things."
Erza narrowed her eyes slightly, attentive.
"Other things?"
"Hand-to-hand combat, for example." He shrugged. "Without magic. Just technique, posture, reading movements. I discovered you can't rely only on fire all the time...."
She blinked.
"You… trained physical combat?" She asked, incredulous.
"I did." He nodded. "And I also learned to use some weapons."
Silence.
Erza felt as if someone had just turned the world upside down. Natsu using weapons....?
"Weapons…?" She repeated, slowly.
"Swords, knives, spears....." He counted on his fingers, as if listing banal things. "Nothing too extravagant. Just the basics so as not to be vulnerable."
Erza leaned back in the chair without realizing it, her eyes fixed on him as if she were looking at another person. Natsu, the same Natsu who broke weapons accidentally, who hated anything requiring refined technique, now talking about training and fundamentals of techniques that don't depend on magic as if it were natural.....
"And where exactly did you learn all this?" She asked.
Natsu laughed lightly.
"Books."
The shock was immediate.
"Books…?" Her voice came out higher than intended.
"Yeah." He scratched the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed: "I never thought I'd say this, but… they're more useful than I thought."
Erza fell into complete silence.
The image came automatically to her mind. A younger Natsu, complaining, huffing, trying to escape every time she forced him to sit and put letters together. It was she who had taught him to read. She remembered perfectly how he hated it. He said it gave him a headache, that it was boring, that it was useless...
And now…
"You… read on your own?" She asked, almost in disbelief.
"I did." He confirmed, simply. "At first it was hell. But after I started understanding better, it even became interesting."
Erza felt something twist inside her chest. Surprise, shock, a strange pang of pride that she hadn't expected to feel. This new facet of him completely dismantled the fixed image she had carried for years.....
"I never imagined…" She murmured, more to herself than to him.
Natsu tilted his head slightly, observing her closely.
"Neither did I." He admitted. "But I think… changing isn't so bad."
They continued talking while finishing the cake. They talked about the guild, recent missions, old stories that drew low laughs and ironic comments from her. Erza noticed that, despite everything, he was still Natsu. Only he seemed to have finally matured, something unthinkable, and become a man....
When the last piece was finished, Erza set the fork down on the plate and took a deep breath. She stood up slowly.
"It's late already." She said, adjusting her posture. "I'm going."
Natsu stood up right after.
"I'll walk you."
He led her to the door in comfortable silence. Upon opening it, the cold night air enveloped them again. Erza stopped at the threshold, hesitating for an instant before facing him again.
"Thanks for receiving me." She said: "And… for the cake."
He smiled.
"I'm the one who thanks you for coming. As for the cake, I"
For a few seconds, neither said anything more. Their gazes remained locked, something unspoken hanging in the air.
"Take care of yourself." Erza said at last.
"You too." Natsu responded.
She turned to leave, but before taking the first step, she felt that strange acceleration in her chest again. She didn't look back. She didn't need to.
As soon as the door closed, the dry sound of the wood echoed softly through the silent room.
Natsu remained standing for an instant, his hand still resting on the doorknob. Then he let out a low sigh and shook his head, a crooked and ironic smile appearing on his lips.
"That was fun…" he murmured to himself.
The image of Erza shrunken in the palm of his hand crossed his mind for a brief second, followed by her expression mixing shock, indignation, and something harder to define. He laughed softly, without exaggerated humor, just a calm acknowledgment.
"Definitely fun using [Command T] on other people."
He crossed the small space of the house calmly. The environment was silent now. He approached the sofa and sat down naturally, crossing his legs, his back straight, his shoulders relaxed.
He closed his eyes.
The outside world slowly became distant as his consciousness turned inward.
The [Stellar Transformation] activated silently, almost imperceptibly. Each meditation cycle strengthened his reserves, expanding his limits little by little.
In the following days, he decided he would stay in Magnolia before taking another mission.
______________________
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