Chapter 57: Vixen

"Haha, you should look at your face. It's as red as a tomato, hahaha…" Natsu laughed in an amused manner. Ultear had regained her calm after hearing his laughter and looked at him in embarrassment. Her cheeks tinted a rosy red, much to her chagrin.

"Humph! Don't laugh so much. You just caught me by surprise. I didn't expect you to make a move like that. Besides, what's with that goal? You sound just like a shitty harem protagonist." She replied with a pout.

"Really? Maybe I am. Anyway, before I forget, let me give you something important." He said while searching inside his inventory for the ice-crystal that housed Ur's soul. Ultear looked at him curiously.

"What do you want to give me? Isn't it a tad bit too late for a ring?" Ultear asked with a playful voice. He found the crystal and brought it out, making Ultear tilt her head in a confused fashion. She felt some familiarity with the crystal, but she couldn't tell why causing her further confusion.

"It's not a proposal ring, but you can think of it like something similar. Let me decorate it a bit first," he replied, bringing out some of the pieces of jewelry he'd robbed acquired through extremely legitimate means. He melted them down and created a simple gold chain out of them. Then, he put the cubic ice-crystal in the holder and successfully connected it to the chain.

"What are you doing?" She asked, watching his antics. She didn't understand why Natsu needed to make a pendant for the crystal. It didn't look like anything special to her, other than the slight feeling of familiarity coming out of it. She thought it was just some magic item.

"And done! At least it looks like a decent pendant now. Here take this, I know this isn't the best-looking pendant you can find, but it's the best one I could make. Besides, It's the thought that really counts, right?" Natsu remarked with a cheeky smile while completely ignoring her question. Ultear took the pendant and looked it curiously, a fond smile adorning her face while looking at it.

"Hehe, don't worry about it. I appreciate your effort, but what's with this crystal? It looks like a magic item." She asked with her head cocked in puzzlement. She wanted to know why Natsu gave her this crystal.

"Of course, it would look like one. It does contain your mother's soul after all," Natsu answered casually, shrugging his shoulders. She was shocked upon hearing this, suddenly clutching the pendant tightly.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking at Natsu seriously. After seeing her serious expression, he sighed.

"Before destroying Deliora, I was busy saving your mother's quickly dissipating soul. I know a spell that can be used to interact with spiritual entities. It's an incomplete spell, but I could still use it to do simple things like transferring a soul into an object. That crystal you're holding is actually the vessel for your mother's soul, so make sure not to damage it." He replied with a smile, causing her to frown.

"But why do this? You should know that I hate my mother, so why did you give it to me?" Ultear asked, raising her eyebrows. She didn't know why Natsu would give her something so important.

"Heh… Did you say that you hate your mother? Don't make me laugh. If you hated your mother, then you wouldn't be doing all that shit to go back into the past. You probably regret running away from your dear mother when you had a chance to help. That's why you want to rewind time to return to your mommy. You're such a momma's girl, isn't that right, little miss homesick?" He teased with a thoroughly amused smile, making her cheeks as red as blood.

"Humph! Who's a momma's girl? Don't spout such nonsense." She muttered while pouting. She looked so incredibly cute, making Natsu smile in fondness.

"As for the reason why I saved your mother, it should be 'Why not?' instead of 'Why?'. Who wouldn't want to protect their mother-in-law if they could? Besides, I wanted to save her soul at the very least. I don't have any way to restore her body in the present, but who says that I wouldn't have any way to do it in the future?" He spoke earnestly, making Ultear surprised. She didn't think there was any possible way to restore her mother's body. Saving her soul was already incredible in her eyes.

"Y-You don't mean…" She stuttered in disbelief. She wanted to hear a confirmation from Natsu to clear all her doubts.

"Yeah! Of course, I will try my best to save my beautiful mother-in-law. I will need her blessings to take you away after all, hehe…" He replied with a teasing smile, making her blush.

She soon regained her composure and looked at Natsu with a mischievous expression. She wanted to get back at him for all his teasing.

"Really? Is it just that, or are you aiming for my mother as well? I didn't know you had a thing for mother-daughter play. You're such a naughty dragon, Natsu. Ufufufu~" Ultear uttered while giggling, causing him to became so embarrassed that his head shook like a rotor blade in denial.

"Of course not. Do you think I would do something so immoral?" He asked with an annoyed expression. Why did everyone think he's a womanizer? He's just a simple and pure gentleman, after all.

"To be honest, yes. My mother is quite charming, after all. I don't think you'd be able to take your eyes off her once you restore her body." Ultear answered with a sly smirk making him cough.

"Cough, cough, cough, then I can't be sure. You never know what might happen in the future after all," he said while avoiding all eye contact.

"..." Ultear just rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Ahem! Anyway, don't you have to return to the council? And take this lacrima with you. You can use it to communicate with me." Natsu said with a cough, trying to change the topic. Ultear glared at him but still answered.

"Sure sure, anything you say, darling~" She playfully replied, making him sigh. He didn't want to continue talking about Ur in front of her.

"Oh, and before I leave…" Ultear said, making him curiously look her direction. She swiftly captured his lips, making him wide-eyed. He didn't expect this vixen to be so bold. After a second, she quickly broke the kiss before he could continue it, completely vexing him.

"This is just some payback for before. See you later, my little dragon ufufufu~" Ultear said while giggling like a little girl. Then, she left the tent swiftly, leaving behind an annoyed Natsu.

'This vixen… Well... At least she looks happier now.' He thought fondly, trailing his lips with his thumb. Then, he left the tent with a wry smile.

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~Edited by Nyanodesu

Read up to chapter 64 in advance at my p@treon:

p@treon. com /xumit

(A/N: I'm taking it slow for now. I'm writing 1-3 chapters daily, depending on my mood. Thanks for all the support <3 I appreciate it. Don't forget those power stones. They give me the power to write! )