Chapter 17.53: Water And A Cool Breeze

Ramza was too busy drinking coffee at the Fairy Tail makeshift bar to notice the fight that was happening behind him. Apparently, Gray called Natsu some names. Knowing how they are, things escalated quickly from there. Right now, they were having their usual slugfest atop a table with Elfman, Macao and the others cheering them on and taking bets on who would win.

This day was special in a way: Erza had gone out on a mission. That means that Ramza didn't have supervised training with her today, as well as nobody to watch over the two other guys. The wind mage sighed and took a sip from his cup as a chair sailed over his head, probably thrown by either the flaming idiot or the no-brainer ice cube.

Mirajane looked as cheerful as ever, smiling over all the chaos. She hummed to herself as she prepared another cup of coffee for Ramza.

"Here you go~" Mirajane said sweetly.

"Thanks." Ramza casually picked up the coffee and sipped.

His training with the redhead so far had been unrelenting. It was just like last time: A really early morning run, a spar just after breakfast, then practicing a few sword skills and forms, and finally another spar right before the sun sets. Erza had prevented him to use any magic besides requip magic, so that he could focus on his physical prowess. He understood why she had done this, but as the days continued, he became more and more frustrated that he couldn't use any of his magics. A part of him just felt... off.

He's been trained like this for a week now. He could certainly feel himself getting stronger. The fact that he could lift a few more beams of wood than he could before to help in the guild's construction was proof of that. However, he still had a long way to go. If he pushed himself too hard, he'd pass out like the first time he and Erza trained together.

Placing his now empty cup of coffee on the table, Ramza then realized the small brawl happening behind him. Shaking his head at the duo's antics, he smiled to himself, that is until both Natsu and Gray flew at him. The two collided with him, sending each other sprawling over the counter. Surprisingly, Gray still had his clothes on.

"Oof!" Ramza grunted, "Why're you coming at me?"

"It's not my fault!" Natsu protested, "Blame Gray!"

"As if, flame brain!" The ice mage grumbled, "You were the one who knocked me into the air!"

"Huh?" Natsu glared at him. "Who was the one who started the fight?"

"You did!" Gray shot back.

"Yeah, right!" Natsu growled sarcastically.

"You wanna go?" Gray scowled.

"Bring it on!"

Ramza barely had time to roll aside as Natsu and Gray started to fight again. Seems like the ice mage's stripping habit had caught up. He flung his coat and shirt aside as he and Natsu started to throw fists. Ramza slyly took his clothes while no one was looking, and slipped out of the guild hall.

Ramza sighed as he remembered the task given to him by Juvia. She had been asking him continuous questions about her beloved Gray-sama, as well as some really questionable tasks. At first she was pretty shy, asking him to give Gray food and snacks and what he did during the day, but now she had amounted to ask him to bring her some of Gray's clothes when Ramza had mentioned Gray's stripping habits.

He'd been meeting with Juvia in a way that no one from Fairy Tail would be suspicious. Ramza had been feeding her information on the ice mage, but she was yet to teach him any magics.

The sky was high in the sky, indicating that it was noon. He then proceeded to the ocean, where Juvia would usually hang out at this time of day. When he'd asked her why the ocean, she said that it's her natural element, so of course she'd want to be at open water.

After a short trip to a bakery to buy some sweets that Juvia liked (the first time he'd brought them, she'd snatched it out of his hands and ate it whole with a big grin on her face), Ramza made his way to the ocean. There he saw her dipping her toes in the water.

"Ramza!" Juvia smiled warmly at him. "I've been waiting for you!"

"More like waiting for Gray's clothes." Ramza grumbled.

Her eyes lit up. "So you have them?"

Ramza sighed. "Here you go."

He put a small satchel in her hands, to which she opened eagerly. She took out Gray's coat and shirt, and put it to her face. Juvia sniffed deeply, and her eyes became covered in hearts.

"Ahh~ The smell of my sweet Gray-sama~" Juvia gushed.

"You're really weird, you know." Ramza muttered, then looked her in the eye. "And you still haven't taught me anything you promised."

Juvia flinched, and chuckled sheepishly. "Ah, yes." She then placed Gray's clothes back into the satchel carefully and faced him. "So, what will Juvia teach you?"

Ramza crossed his arms. "Magic. The kind that you do."

"So, water magic?"

"Yeah. Plus anything else you can teach me."

The water mage put a finger on her lips, thinking. "Well, there are a few moves Juvia thinks you could do. They're at a basic level, so you shouldn't have a hard time doing them."

She then made her way to the shore, and placed her hands in front of her. "Water Slicer!"

A magic circle materialized at her palms, and blue blades emerged from it. They whizzed through the air, until they hit the rocky cliff. However, they did not explode on contact. Instead, the sharp water sliced through the slate cleanly. The cut rocks fell into the sea with a large splash.

"As the name of the spell implies, Water Slicer cuts through anything in its path." Juvia said. "It is strong enough to cut through metal."

Ramza opened his mouth in a small 'o'. "Cool..."

"But it won't be that strong at first. So let's see you do it." Juvia motioned him to come forward. "Come on."

Ramza scratched his head as he stood next to her. "So, like this?"

"Yes, now cast the spell."

"Alright then," A magic circle appeared at his hands. "Water Slicer!"

Ramza braced himself, but only a small squirt of water came out of the circle, as if in pity. He blinked.

"What?" He asked in bewilderment.

"That was unexpected," Juvia frowned, "Try again."

"Water Slicer!" Ramza thrusted his hands out again, but no liquid came out. He tried once more, but not even a drop was summoned. "What's going on?"

Juvia looked at him scrutinizingly. "Are you sure you're a mage?"

"I'm a wind mage!" Ramza waved his hands in frustration. "So why isn't it working?"

"Ah." Juvia opened her palms, "Maybe if you tried with the wind element?"

Ramza raised an eyebrow. "Like, the wind version of Water Slicer?"

"Yes."

"Let me try." Ramza closed his eyes, and willed magic into his palms. A magic circle appeared, but this time wind came out of it quickly in the form of a curved blade. It traveled a few feet, until it vanished into the air.

"Juvia has seen you do the spell successfully." She smiled at him. "You did well."

Ramza looked at his hands. "But they weren't like yours. Mine just flew a bit then disappeared."

"That's because you are just starting." Juvia assured, "But with enough training, you can grow stronger."

"Now," Juvia said, "Let's practice for a bit more."

For the rest of the day, the two of them trained together. Juvia was a patient teacher compared to Erza, she was constantly checking if Ramza was doing alright. She guided him with her hands, and demonstrated spells and things that Ramza couldn't understand. She spoke to him kindly, except the occasional comment of her love for Gray, but she quickly returned to mentoring Ramza.

As the sun set, she waved him goodbye as as they parted. Ramza made his way back to the guild, but he couldn't help but wonder: where did Juvia stay? When Phantom Lord was defeated, the guild disbanded, so that means that she isn't in any guild right now. Maybe she had a house or apartment somewhere?

Ramza opened the door to the guild to see Erza back, and she seemed less than pleased. Natsu and Gray were kneeling on the floor, sweating profusely as Erza berated them. The rest of the guild watched in amusement, but Ramza saw how nervous they were at Erza's voice.

"Idiots!" She roared, "While I'm away for a single day, you guys have the big idea of breaking every single chair and table at the guild!"

Gray raised his hand like a preschooler. "You see Erza..."

She glared at him. "See what?"

Gray gulped. "It's all just a big accident."

Natsu nodded earnestly after him. "Yeah! There was this, uh, huge monster that came in and broke everything!"

Ramza mentally facepalmed. "That has got to be the worst lie I've ever heard."

Erza's face was unreadable. "So there was a monster?"

Gray cringed, but Natsu didn't seem fazed. "It had sharp claws and everything!" Natsu added.

Erza snarled at him. "And does this monster set chairs on fire and freeze tables into cubes of ice?"

Natsu chuckled weakly. "Y-yup...?"

Ramza decided this was the optimal time to bump in. "Uhh, welcome back."

Erza was taken off guard for a moment. "Yes, I've returned from my mission."

"Was it difficult?"

"No, not really." Erza snorted. "Pursuing a group of bandits is relatively easy."

"Well, that sounds like you had a good time."

Erza raised an eyebrow at him. "The journey to and back is still tiring, you know."

"So why don't you go and have some rest? Wanna drop by my house for some coffee, tea, and some cookies?" Ramza suggested.

"Your offer of cookies is too hard to resist." She then proceeded to the guild doors. "I'll meet you at your place."

"Yeah, sounds good."

As Erza closed the doors, Gray and Natsu neared him.

"Thanks man!" Natsu grinned, "You really saved us back there!"

"I still can't believe that you got Erza to calm down like that." Gray said, "You have my respect, Ramza."

"Yeah, mine too!" Natsu put in, then whispered, "Can you save me some of those cookies for me and Happy?"

Ramza smiled at him. "Consider it done."

...................................

Sup! Thanks for reading this chapter! It's shorter than the regular ones, but I hope you like it still. School is unrelenting as ever, but know that I'm also doing my best in this story.

This chapter is the final of three fillers. I may add a few more fillers, but it seems most likely that I'm going to be going back to the regular plot. Feel free to PM me on what you would like to see, or suggestions.

Thank you all so much for the support that you all have been giving me. Keep those comments and reviews coming, because those really keep me going. I read every one of them every day, and I always appreciate your kind words.

Until the next chapter. Stay safe, and stay epic.