Strawberry In The Guild...!

Chapter 4 - Strawberry In The Guild...!

"You're going to join Fairy Tail, for real?!" Natsu asked in an excited voice, eliciting a small chuckle from the orange-haired man.

"Yeah, I think I am." Ichigo replied.

"All right!" Natsu exclaimed happily, jumping up into the air with his fist raised high.

"Yay!" Happy cheered, flying around in circles in a manner that suggested he truly was joyful.

"So what're you going to go do now?" Lucy asked as the group neared the guildhall, being the only one outside of the substitute to not be dancing around happily.

"I think it's time I go sign up." Ichigo replied.

{Magnolia: Inside the Fairy Tail Guildhall, A Few Moments Later…}

"We're back!" Natsu shouted, kicking the door down once again just as he did previously.

Many of the members looked at the entrance to see the dragon slayer and all of his known accompanying friends back in one peace. At the very least this meant the only potential casualty had been Macao, but most knew all too well that Natsu wasn't the type to let that happen.

The group began to walk towards the main bar once again, all eyes of the guild still on them either directly or in the case of some through a hidden series of glances. Everyone had a single question running through their respective minds, but it wasn't asked by anyone until the trio and Happy made their way towards the main bar and sat down.

"So did you find Macao?" Mira asked, anticipation lacing her voice.

"We sure as hell did! Romeo is outside talkin' to his dad as we speak." Natsu said with a big grin spread across his lips.

"All right Natsu!" The guildhall cheered, several raising their glasses. Even Cana smirked as she took a sip from the mug she currently held.

"That was sweet of you to do Natsu. You should be proud of yourself." Mirajane stated sweetly.

"Thanks everyone, but I can't take all the credit. Ichigo here ended up finishing the job by taking out the Vulcan with one punch." Natsu said, smirking slightly as he turned to look at his orange-haired friend.

Ichigo himself didn't necessarily want the attention or the credit for doing what he did, but luckily the guildhall didn't seem to take the dragon slayer's word as what actually occurred, at first. However he was positive Natsu wasn't about to let anyone claim it was a lie anytime soon.

"No way!" Someone sneered.

"I don't believe it." Another commented.

"No, it's true all right, and it was totally awesome!" Natsu exclaimed, likely using a bit more enthusiasm than was needed.

"I'll say, it was really impressive… I mean, it was completely unreal." Lucy admitted.

"Aye!" Happy chirped before walking off to find food, preferably fish.

"It wasn't really that big a deal…" Ichigo trailed off in a bashful manner, rubbing the back of his head slightly.

"Is this true, Ichigo?" Mira asked with a surprised expression from the other side of the bar.

"Well… yeah, I guess, but at the same time I didn't know Macao had been possessed by a Vulcan since I didn't know they could do that to people. So I do regret not holding back more than I did. Still, it worked out in the end since even right now Romeo has his dad back, safe and sound." Ichigo replied, eliciting a nod from the white-haired former wizard.

"That's true… Romeo is probably overjoyed just to have his dad back." Mira commented.

"Yeah, he just looked so happy." Lucy added, smiling as she thought back to the events of just a few minutes prior.

"In any case, well done my boy." Makarov said happily from the end of the bar before taking another sip of his ale.

"Hang on a minute, you 'wished you held back more'?" Natsu asked with a large smirk, drawing the attention of the resident substitute.

'He really does seem to like fighting just as much as Kenpachi…' Ichigo thought, however this time he prevented the involuntary shiver at the concept of such a person existing.

"You really have been holdin' out on me then… now I definitely want to have a fight with you." Natsu stated, his smirk increasing in size and fire seemingly burning in his eyes.

"It was just a figure of speech, you're really over exaggerating." Ichigo answered calmly, redirecting his eyes in an innocent manner.

"Oh, I see how it is. What was I thinking?" Natsu said sarcastically, his smirk still holding as if to say he didn't buy his friend's words it in the slightest.

"Anyway, why don't you tell Mirajane the reason that your actually back here, Ichigo." Lucy suggested, reminding the substitute of the reason he had actually bothered to follow them into the guildhall.

"You have something to tell me?" Mirajane asked in a surprised voice.

'I think I know what this is about…' Makarov thought with a grin, though he chose not to say anything until his suspicions were confirmed.

"Thanks for reminding me Lucy. Also, yeah, I do have something to tell you… and I guess the old man as well. While I'm here, I think it'd be a good choice to join Fairy Tail… if that's still alright, of course." Ichigo replied evenly.

Many in the guild were slightly surprised by this, and several individuals, particularly Cana, nearly choked on their drinks. The master released a slight chuckle, but that was rendered inaudible given that nearby several people were whispering or in some cases coughing loudly, and Mirajane herself kept her reaction to an expression of mild surprise. Natsu, however, just smirked widely at this, while Lucy smiled and Happy just continued to eat the fish he had been consuming on one of the guild's many tables.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Mira asked, her tone only holding a slight amount of curiosity.

"I've heard it a few times about how you all think Fairy Tail is the best guild out there, but after we got back from Mount Hakobe I got to see why that is firsthand. The aspect of family and togetherness, of always being there for one another, is something that Fairy Tail is seems to embody a great deal. That is something I want to be a part of, because I gained my powers to help out others and to protect those I care about. You all may or may not know this but it's also connected to my name that my parents gave me, 'Ichigo' the meaning behind that name is 'Best Guardian' or 'He who Protects' and all my life up until this moment where I'm in an unknown world, I've been protecting everyone and everything around me and I'll continue to do so while damning the consequences as long as they get to live a long life even at the cost of my own life. Protecting my family and friends was all I could think about up until now and now I want to expand that circle of trust and create more memories that I can relive in my final moments. That is why I want to join Fairy Tail." Ichigo replied, his words being heard by the entirety of the guild.

The orange-haired teen likely didn't realize the gravity of what he had just said or the fact that everyone had heard him, but that didn't change the fact that it had a significant impact. He had practically proclaimed his reason for joining were exactly what each and every one of them all loved so much about the guild.

Knowing this, not a single person, not a soul in the room could deny that the master's words had been true. Within the heart of this potentially insane individual did beat the heart of a Fairy Tail wizard, and crazy or not nothing would change that. The otherworldly-teen belonged with them now, and they would respond as such.

'Guess the master was right… he's probably crazy, but at least he's a crazy person with a good head on his shoulders.' Cana thought, ignoring the irony of her inner speech.

Mirajane smiled warmly at his words, the orange-haired teen having listed off exactly what she loved about Fairy Tail so much. The master himself was grinning like a madman, though that was most likely because, at this point, the entirety of the guildhall knew his words had rung true.

"Well said my boy, I like the answer you just gave." Makarov stated, raising his mug high in the air to illustrate his contentedness.

"Then welcome to Fairy Tail, Ichigo." Natsu officially greeted, placing a hand on the substitute's shoulder before releasing a bout of laughter.

"I still have to give him the guild mark though…" Mirajane trailed off.

"Oh right… meh, he's still practically already in the guild anyway!" Natsu stated matter-of-factly.

The white-haired woman then reached down into the counter behind the bar, taking out what looked like some kind of stamping device with the official seal of Fairy Tail clearly etched on its bottom.

"What color did you want?" Mirajane asked cheerfully.

"I don't know… what do you think, Natsu?" Ichigo asked, looking back at the pink-haired mage.

"Me?" Natsu asked confusedly, gesturing a finger towards himself.

"Well you are the reason I know about Fairy Tail in the first place, so it's only fair." Ichigo reasoned, sending the fire mage a small smile. There was also the fact that he didn't really care, but he figured the overjoyed dragon slayer would for some reason or another.

"Sure, I'd be happy to." Natsu replied.

"You called?" Happy questioned, flying up to the group with his usual look of ignorance and bliss.

"Sorry buddy, wasn't trying to." Natsu clarified, placing a hand on the back of his head in a sheepish manner.

The blue Exceed merely shrugged it off and went back to whatever it was that it had been doing, likely something to do with fish.

"By the way, before we even get to any of that, shouldn't you have the stamp on your actual body? I can't see it being easy getting you out of those clothes." Mirajane commented.

"Now, now Mira, no need to try and get our latest member out of his clothes so soon after meeting him… BWAHAHAHAH!" Makarov chuckled uncontrollably.

Ichigo blushed and directed a glare towards the master of the guild while unbeknownst to him the white-haired barmaid did much the same, though her hands were placed against her hips in a show that she was genuinely annoyed.

The guild master and Fairy Tail's well-respected leader still sat in place, only he noticed something about the impish wizard that he hadn't before. His body language, his expression, and the redness of the master's cheeks told the substitute everything he needed to know. Evidently the drink that was currently in his hand was not his first.

"Oh golly I'm drunk." Makarov said with an alcoholic blush on his face.

"Seriously? How much did he drink while we were gone?" Lucy asked to no one in particular.

"I may have lost count because I was worried…" Mirajane quietly admitted, clearly not being particularly proud of that fact.

"Anyway… you're right, Mirajane, it probably would be best if I entered my human body to get the guild mark. Where is it, by the way?" Ichigo asked, directing the immediate group's attention towards the guild's resident barkeep.

"Oh, well its back here." Mira replied, after which she merely picked up the body from its position on the floor and dropped it on the long wooden bar.

"And you kept it on the floor why?" Ichigo asked with a deadpanned expression.

"You asked me to keep it safe, and I had to at least try to hide it when I went out to get some supplies, otherwise people would mess with it when I wasn't here." Mirajane explained.

That didn't really justify such a poor hiding place, but it was the thought that counted. Thus, the substitute picked up the body, positioned it in a chair, and shortly thereafter reentered it without any hindrance.

"Damn my back is stiff. What are these floors made of?" Ichigo asked, feeling the results of being practically sleeping on the floor for several hours in rapid succession.

"Wood of course." Happy answered.

"It was rhetorical…" Lucy clarified, though she didn't think she'd need to.

"Thanks for watching it though." Ichigo stated, wanting to at least illustrate he was grateful.

"Happy to help." Mira replied, waving a hand as if to say it was actually nothing.

"You called?" Happy chirped, once again flying over to the group.

"Sorry Happy, I wasn't trying to." Mira apologized with a warm smile.

"You guys are so mean!" Happy huffed before flying off once more.

"So where would you like it and in what color?" Mirajane asked sweetly.

Ichigo and the former demon of Fairy Tail then both turned to see Natsu humming in thought. It seemed that he was giving consideration, but since it was just a simple color they didn't really understand why this was the case.

'Let's see… where should it go and what color?' Natsu thought, tapping his chin.

Very clearly he could have just picked something random, but the dragon slayer felt the need for it to be somewhat symbolic. Something about Ichigo just breathed that they would get along swimmingly, and thus he decided he would give the location of someone he both feared and respected more than anyone else and the color that he himself sported.

"Middle part of his upper left arm, red." Natsu directed, causing the orange-haired teen to deadpan.

"That's a bit specific, any particular reason?" Ichigo asked.

"Nope, not really." Natsu replied with a shrug, though he was inwardly chuckling.

'Hmm… why does that seem familiar to me? Oh well, probably just my imagination.' Mira thought.

"Alright, I've got no complaints. Feel free to do it whenever." Ichigo said before rolling up his sleeve of his black long-sleeved shirt to the point that his upper left bicep was visible.

"Sure thing." Mirajane replied.

The former wizard took the device an instant later and within a moment of contact withdrew it, revealing a crimson Fairy Tail guild mark to be located on the orange-haired teen's mid-left bicep. She still couldn't help but wonder why Natsu chose the location and color that he did, but it wasn't very important so she didn't really dwell on it.

"Glad to have you officially in the guild." Natsu stated with a toothy grin.

"I'm sure you have a few questions about jobs since you're probably going to need some jewels as soon as possible, but it's getting late so I can explain to you the basics tomorrow, if that's okay." Mirajane offered.

"Sure, that'd be great. Thanks a lot." Ichigo said with a small smile, which the barmaid returned in kind.

"Happy to help." Mira replied.

"Did you guys actually call this time…" Happy asked warily, coming up the group from the ground this time around.

"Nope, she didn't, sorry about that buddy. Stay here anyway, we're about to head out anyway." Natsu said, prompting the blue-haired feline to nod in understanding.

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed, hopping up onto the dragon slayer's shoulders.

The pink-haired teen then turned to Ichigo, knowing full well that their latest member currently had a bit of a situation on his hands with the whole 'not having a place to stay, food, or any money' thing. However that was a given since he wasn't really from their world, and with that in mind he spoke once more.

"Ichigo, do you actually have a place to stay for the night?" Natsu asked, eliciting a shake of the head from the target of his inquiry.

"No, but I'll figure something out." Ichigo replied.

"Mira, you should ask him to stay with you! You already tried to get him out of his clothes… BWAHAHAHAHA!" Makarov drunkenly joked, after which he began rolling around uncontrollably.

"Master…" Mirajane trailed off in a warning manner, a light blush creeping across her face.

The elderly wizard didn't seem to make a reply or acknowledge the barmaid's annoyance. He did, however, roll off of the barrel he had been sitting atop of a moment later, after which he hit the ground without any resistance and released a pained groan.

"So that old man is really the one in charge? I already regret my decision to join…" Ichigo said, a tick mark popping out of his forehead and a blush covering his face.

"Ditto." Lucy commented.

"Anyway, I was gonna ask if maybe you wanted to come stay the night at my place, what with you being from another world and all…" Natsu offered.

"How can you say that with a straight face so easily?" Cana asked from across the room.

"Well if it's the truth why wouldn't I be able to do it easily?" Natsu countered as if it was the obvious answer.

"Then again, that's only if you really do believe it…" Cana muttered under my breath, being quiet enough for no one else to hear. She was, after all, grateful that the orange-haired teen had rescued Macao, therefore just this once she figured she would show a bit of respect and keep her words to herself.

"So, how 'bout it?" Natsu offered once again.

"I don't know… are you sure it'd be okay?" Ichigo asked with a bit of apprehension.

It wasn't that he had a particular issue with accepting the dragon slayer's hospitality, it was more along the lines of him not wanting to impose. Despite the fact that he knew his situation wasn't the greatest, that still wasn't a reason to burden other people excessively.

"Sure, it's no problem at all. In fact I'd be disappointed if ya didn't accept." Natsu replied in a friendly manner.

"Aye!" Happy chirped.

Ichigo nodded in understanding before the group exited the guildhall, waving goodbye as they did so. When the entrance was shut once again, the guildhall was quiet for a few moments, no one really saying anything in the wake of the day's events.

"You know, I still don't know how Natsu can believe that stuff so easily." Cana thought aloud.

"The master has said he believes him, so why are you having a hard time?" Mirajane countered in a calm voice.

"Ignoring what the master said, what do you think Mira?" Cana asked, curiosity prominent in her tone.

"The way he told us about where he came from and the way he acts allows me to believe he was telling the truth. Regardless of how difficult it is to believe, I don't think he's lying." Mirajane replied honestly.

"Ichigo seems like a real man, and real men don't lie." Elfman stated pointedly, backing up his elder sibling.

"I still don't know if I buy it… I mean, I'd need to see something to tell me otherwise. Either way it looks like things will definitely be interesting around here for the near future." Cana commented with a chuckle.

"I think we can trust him. If what he said to Mira was any indication he will fit in fine around here." A petite girl with blue hair commented, taking her eyes off of the book she currently sported in her hands.

"Yeah… plus he went with Natsu to save Macao, we can't forget about that. I think he's at least earned a bit of leeway." Another said in agreement.

"I never said I minded him joining, just sayin' that his story isn't easy to believe." Cana clarified.

"That may be true, but I know he's telling the truth. I am surer of it now than I was the first time I spoke to him. What's more, that boy has an aura around him, an aura of power that I don't think I've ever quite felt from anyone else. It's so unique, but if you try feeling for his magical energy it's impossible to miss and also impossible to identify." Makarov stated, an alcoholic blush no longer present on his face. Evidently his fall had somewhat sobered him up.

'I feel the same thing… I wonder what kind of powers he has? Is it similar to magic, or is it something else entirely?' Mirajane wondered. Perhaps if she was fortunate enough she would be able to see how he fought firsthand.

{Outside Natsu's Home, Some Time Later…}

"Thanks for letting me stay in your home by the way." Ichigo said as the three made their way up to the dragon slayer's humble abode.

"No problem… in fact, feel free to stay as long as ya like. I've got plenty of room, after all." Natsu replied with a smile as he made to grab the door's handle.

"Thanks, but I think…" Ichigo began, only to pause immediately after the pink-haired mage opened the entrance to his house.

The substitute stared with wide eyes and mouth agape at the colossal mess he found the wizard's home to be in. At the same time he could tell, very easily, that this was perfectly normal given by the fact that Natsu was currently staring at his expression with a confused look.

"What?" Natsu asked confusedly.

"Why the hell is everything so dirty?" Ichigo questioned, gesturing a finger inside the pigsty that was the mage's house.

Trash and food was everywhere, furniture was literally in random spots all over the ground floor, the stench was awful, and perhaps worse of all it was very clear that the cleaning supplies existed in the form of an open closet with nearly everything one would need to clean a given space within it.

"The place isn't really that dirty…" Natsu said, looking at the contents of his home skeptically. Even so, he still didn't seem to see anything wrong with it.

"Yeah Ichigo, I don't know what you mean." Happy stated from atop the dragon slayer's shoulder.

The orange-haired teen released a tired sigh, after which he got in front of Natsu, pushed him back outside the house, and then immediately shut the door, much to the said mage's confusion and mild agitation. Happy just stood in place smiling blankly at the door as if nothing had happened.

"What the hell?! Why'd you go and do that?!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Wait outside, I'm cleaning." Ichigo replied simply.

Natsu raised a brow at this and was, in fact, prepared to say more to the alleged Substitute Soul Reaper. However, the words died in his mouth and he decided he would simply remain quiet for however long it took his latest friend to do whatever it was that he wanted.

{Thirty Minutes Later…}

The dragon slayer's ears perked up upon hearing the quiet sound of his wooden door opening, shortly after which he saw the form of Ichigo standing between himself and the inside of his home.

"You can come in now, I finished." Ichigo permitted before heading back into the house.

Natsu and Happy gave each other a curious look before each headed into their mutual home, but when they got in their eyes widened significantly at what they saw.

Neither of them had previously seen their place as dirty in any real sense of the word, but after witnessing how it looked now, it had been a practical dumpster by comparison. They could actually see the floors of the house as opposed to randomly separated bits of trash, and the furniture was arranged almost perfectly.

"So… clean…" Happy trailed off in an amazed voice.

"I try." Ichigo said contentedly.

"How did you do this in thirty minutes?" Natsu asked, turning to the orange-haired teen with a surprised look still etched on his features.

"It wasn't really that difficult." Ichigo replied with a shrug.

"Okay… why did you clean all of this?" Natsu questioned.

"I prefer where I stay to be neat. Besides, you can think of this as my way of paying you back for letting me stay here." Ichigo replied.

"Hehe, you should stay here all the time, then I'd never have to clean." Natsu joked.

'It didn't look like you did anyway…' Ichigo thought.

"Yeah, then we can be even messier because super-maid Ichigo will clean it up!" Happy cheered.

"Ha, ha, very funny… but I didn't know what to do with a few things." Ichigo stated, gesturing a hand towards a large collective pile of items that held no meaning to him.

However, said items, during the time he was cleaning, were the only things maintaining any semblance of organization. He just assumed that they held some kind of significance to Natsu and, as a result, he didn't want to just throw them out with the rest of the garbage that littered the house.

"Just leave them be for now. Oh, that reminds me." Natsu said before he began to dig into his pockets.

Ichigo watched as the pink-haired teen pulled out a piece of paper and then placed it directly on the pile of objects that he himself had gathered. He couldn't really read what was on it, but it appeared the dragon slayer intended to explain.

"This is the signature of the fake Salamander we both fought in Hargeon. All this stuff is basically keepsakes that I have from a lot of fun times." Natsu explained with a large smile.

"You didn't really strike me as the sentimental type." Ichigo replied, sporting a small smile himself at the evidently nostalgic Fairy Tail wizard.

"Hehe, well what can I say? Besides, at least now I've got something from when I met Lucy and you. I guess it's just my own little way of remembering good times." Natsu mused, rubbing the back of his head in a bashful manner.

"Aye!" Happy chirped.

"Alright, it's getting pretty late so you ready to hit the hay?" Natsu suggested, eliciting a nod from the substitute.

"Wait, but where do you even sleep? I didn't see anything like a bed when I was cleaning, and…" Ichigo began, causing both of his latest acquaintances to laugh at his words.

"I sleep on a hammock… but don't worry, I've got two of 'em so you can still have something to sleep on." Natsu replied.

'I thought that was just for relaxing…' Ichigo thought. It, however, didn't really surprise him all that much that the pink-haired wizard simply slept in one.

The three walked up towards the collectively three hammocks, on up high and small for the resident Exceed, and two far closer to the ground for Ichigo and Natsu respectively.

It didn't take very long for them to get situated, Natsu and Happy just hopping in and Ichigo grabbing only a blanket before he was good to go and got into his as well. They seemingly kept their positions, speaking not a word, but unbeknownst to one another neither was asleep. Well, this was the case up until the point that one of them chose to speak.

"Hey Ichigo…" Natsu called in a hushed tone.

"Yeah?" Ichigo asked from across the room, sleep having not taken him just yet.

"You awake?" Natsu inquired.

"Since I started talking to you, obviously not." Ichigo answered.

"Oh yeah… hehe, sorry about that." Natsu replied with a small chuckle.

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo said, waving it off since it really didn't matter.

"Mind if I ask you a personally question?" Natsu asked, seemingly out of the blue.

The orange-haired teen was slightly surprised by this, mostly because he didn't really expect anything like this coming from Natsu. It wasn't that he minded being asked, it truly just shocked him.

"Um… Ichigo?" Natsu called, breaking the teen out of his thoughts.

"Wha? Oh, sorry about that. No, I guess I don't really mind." Ichigo replied.

"Do you… do you miss your friends and family?" Natsu asked.

The pink-haired dragon slayer felt a bit of apprehension in asking the question, but in truth it had been the one thing he had wanted to ask Ichigo since he truly decided to believe his claims shortly after they met. The one thing he himself valued was his family, his guild mates and his foster father Igneel, and he couldn't picture being thrown into another world, so far away from them with no immediate way of returning. Perhaps it was out of place, but he simply wanted to know.

Across the room Ichigo frowned at the question, not because it struck a nerve or because it caught him by surprise, mostly just because he wasn't sure how to answer the question. Of course he missed them, but he could never really express how much, and even if he did in the long run it wouldn't matter given that he knew, eventually, they would be able to find him. The theory about his combat pass was even plausible enough to suggest that. However, as a result of this, another bout of silence ensued, neither the dragon slayer nor the substitute saying a word.

'That really is a weird question… but it isn't a bad one.' Ichigo thought.

"Sorry I asked that… you know what, just forget I did, okay?" Natsu said, believing that perhaps his inquiry had stepped across some sort of line.

"No… it isn't that I mind, I just don't really know what to say. Yes, I do miss my friends and family. I miss my dad, my sisters Karin and Yuzu, and everyone I've become close with over the years. At the same time though, it isn't like I won't ever see them again, so it isn't all that bad." Ichigo replied. On top of that he hadn't really been separated from them for a large amount of time at this point.

"What about your mom?" Happy asked in a curious tone.

Natsu's eyes shot wide open from his position immediately below the blue-furred cat, his thoughts being that very clearly she was left out for a reason. Even from the distance across the room he could tell that the mood of his latest friend had grown sullen, and he didn't need to be a genius to guess why.

"Happy." Natsu quietly snapped.

"What'd I do?!" Happy exclaimed worriedly, picking up on the tone his best friend chose to use.

It took a moment, but the traditionally clueless Exceed understood the situation despite himself. Shortly thereafter he felt actually bad about what he had said, and almost immediately chose to apologize.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to…" Happy said, sounding perfectly genuine in his apology.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad about it… it's just… it's just something that isn't easy to talk about, so if it's alright with you I'd rather not." Ichigo stated.

"Yeah… you're lucky though, to have a family I mean. My guild is my family now, but for the longest time I didn't really have anyone. I had Igneel when I was a kid, but I never knew my parents. After Igneel left randomly, I was really lost, so that's why I asked you that question, since I can only imagine how you feel." Natsu explained, quickly changing the subject to something that would hopefully not make his latest friend more sullen.

"I'm sorry to hear that, it must've been tough when he left…" Ichigo said, a small amount of sympathy clear in his voice.

"Well, maybe at first… but it all worked out in the long run, and I still haven't given up hope that I'll see him again, one day." Natsu replied.

"I remember you saying something like that when we were making our way back to Fairy Tail… also, was that why you beat up that guy the first thing when you got back?" Ichigo asked, raising a brow despite the fact he knew full well the dragon slayer couldn't see him.

"That's part of it… but fights are more or less how we show we care in Fairy Tail." Natsu replied.

"And that's not weird to you?" Ichigo questioned.

"Not at all." Natsu answered happily.

"It's part of what makes Fairy Tail the best guild in all of Fiore!" Happy piped in.

"That so? Well… goodnight, Natsu, Happy." Ichigo said in an attempt to bring their conversation to an end.

"Goodnight." Happy replied cheerfully.

"Goodnight, Ichigo, night little buddy." Natsu said, smiling warmly before he yawned and began to drift off into sleep.

The dragon slayer had started to learn a bit more about his latest friend, and to be honest he saw a lot of himself in him. Even the reasons the substitute gave for joining the guild had mirrored what he loved about it the most. Moreover his current situation was exactly that of his own when Igneel had left him all those years ago, and that was something he really didn't get over until he found Fairy Tail.

Perhaps he did feel a bit of a connection with the orange-haired teen, but even beyond that they got along very well. Ichigo's situation was still definitely less than preferable, but everything happens for a reason, or so they say.