Author's Note: If you noticed, I changed the cover photo of the story. En-Cher-Blue from tumblr made the newest cover art. She's also a fan of this story and a great artist, you should definitely check out her stuff, she's another one of the fewest people who makes art for Natza/Nerza.
Anyways, let's get back to the story now. Enjoy.
Days passed by and the clock was ticking for Erza as her deadline was nearing. She usually would do things by her terms and her rules, yet each time she tried, a crazy ex would try to kill her target or her having-doubts boss would try to rush her. Either way, the job had to be done one way or another.
Though her escapades with Natsu essentially brought them to political parties, speeches in front of large crowds and other types of political businesses, today was quite different. Today was something more personal: Natsu had gone and seen his father at the hospital he was checked into. For the past several months, he was being treated for his lung cancer.
She wore regular civilian clothing but still had her Sais hidden underneath the bottom part of the pants. Natsu, as usual, wore a suit and tie. Today was quite hot in temperature so Natsu took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and had undid his tie, walking around with his jacket over his shoulder, tie over his neck and the top buttons from his white long sleeved shirt unbuttoned.
Inside the hospital, they made there way through countless of patients and doctors alike, making it to the elevator and going to the 8 floor where Natsu's father was. Again, making there way through the busy hallways of the hospital, they made it to the room.
Three patients in the room, separated by curtains, though that didn't stop the three elderly patients from talking. "Hey, Igneel, your kid is here today." The first patient said through the curtains, alerting hum of his presence. His name was Jim who was being treated for a nasty case of uncontrollable diarrhea.
"Oh, I'm over here Natsu." The third patient was the last one by the window. Natsu and Erza walked towards the window and saw the elderly man, just laying down on his bed. Erza finally got to see him: like your typical old man except he had a few noticeable battle scars around his face. Natsu wasn't lying to her when he had told her about his father once being in the army.
"Hey dad." Natsu greeted, walking near the side of the bed and taking his father's hand to shake.
"Who's your lady friend?" Like the same reaction Erza would get from men, Igneel eye-goggled her.
"Oh, this is Erza, my bodyguard," Natsu greeted the two for them. "Erza, this is my dad, Igneel."
"How you doing sir, pleasure to finally meet." Erza extended her right hand for a handshake.
"The pleasure is all mine, Erza." For an old man, he still had an excellent grip and shook her hand.
"Natsu wasn't kidding when he told me you've seen your fair share of war." She continued to look at his scars near his face. Even as an assassin, she couldn't really tell which weapon made which scar.
"Yeah, I served in '68 when Minstrel tried to invade Fiore, Seven and Iceberg," He told her his battle history. "But look at us now, we're all in peace now."
"Well, I thank for your service." Erza gave him a small smile.
"I appreciate that, miss." Igneel returned the favor.
"Oh, you should show her that one scar." Natsu told his dad.
"What's scar?" She looked at both men, intrigued at what scar the pinkette was referring to.
"Ooh, that scar," the old man sat up straight and then raised his shirt, revealing a long scar that reach from the right side of the chest and went long downwards to his stomach. "He's talking about this scar."
"That's a pretty big scar you have that," not many things surprised Erza, but this was a moment in which she was. "How did you even survive a cut that big?"
"You didn't tell her that I was a medic?" Igneel looked at his son.
"I did." Natsu answered.
"Oh, well you see, I was standing behind a trench trying to reload my M14," he remembered the certain anecdote like it was yesterday. "As I was changing my magazine, this guy comes from out of nowhere with a machete and comes down into the trench." He gave them a vivid imagery. "That guy was one tough son of a gun, he took out my whole crew. I was the last one before he charged at me with it. He slashes the crap outta of me, almost trying to take out my guts. Luckily, I was done reloading and I shoot him right in the head."
"Next thing you know, I'm on the ground, desperately using all of my medical tools to try to at least improvise and stall the wound from making me bleed out," he cleared his throat and pulled his shirt down. "And then, the cavalry finally arrives. They take me back to the main camp and helped me with my wound." He then slightly chuckled. "They wanted to sent me back home but, like my son is, I was a stubborn walrus and continued to fight until we won."
"That's amazing." Erza's eyes glimmered with amazement from the old man's story.
"That's my dad for you." Natsu laughed as he patted his father's shoulder.
"That was the closest time I ever came face to face with death." Igneel told her.
"I'm going to get something to drink and go see what's taking your doctor long," Natsu started to walk away from the bed. "You guys need anything?"
"A cup of water would be nice." Erza answered.
"You think you can bring me a cup of joe?" Igneel asked.
"Yeah, not a problem," Natsu was leaving the room. "I'll be back."
Besides the other two patients in the room, Erza and Igneel were left alone. "So, besides being my son's bodyguard, are you two like a thing?"
"W-What?" Erza's face instantly turned a shade of red. "N-No, we're not seeing each other."
"Really?" Igneel was rather surprised at the news given to him.
"Yes, really." Erza said in her flustered state.
"Wow, a pretty woman and yet my son has not once tried to flirt with you?" A profound look appeared on Igneel's face.
"No..." The look on Erza's face betrayed her response. The thought of the dance back on the boat appeared on her mind as well as a few peculiar moments in the past few days they've had.
"So he's actually tried to flirt with you?" Igneel asked.
"Well, I wouldn't call them flirtatious actions." Erza tried to avoid eye contact with Natsu's father and played her long hair.
"What would you call them then?" The old man waited for her response.
She thought for a minute before giving an answer. "They were more like surprises."
"He does a lot ever since he was a kid," Igneel told her. "But that's beside the point." The old man laid back down on his bed. "Do you like him?"
"No." She instantly responded.
"You say that, but your body language tells me a different story." Igneel said.
"Oh really?" Erza asked. What did her body language tell the man?
"While I was telling you the story, I noticed that you couldn't help but look at my son in a nice looking way," Igneel explained. "And your body was loose, more relax when he's around."
"How could you possibly know that?" Erza didn't think he would actually be telling her this. She was just watching over her target. But were his words true?
"Look, I was married for almost 35 years," Igneel had some knowledge on the topic. "I assume my son told you about his mother, correct?"
"Yeah, she died in a plane crash." Erza remembered that talk.
"Well you see, my wife and I, we were madly in love," Igneel continued to explain. "The faces we would give each other, how are body language interacted with each other, that's how I know the way he sees you and vice versa."
"He sees me... the same way?" Erza asked.
"Yeah," Igneel answered. "He's very easy to read, however, you're not."
"And why is that?" Erza took a seat from behind her and brought it close to the bed, now sitting down next to the old man.
"You're conflicted," Igneel explained. "You acknowledge that there are some feelings there yet, you know that somewhere in your brain, that it's only going to hurt you." He cleared his throat once more. "That you know that it's going to end bad in some way."
And there it was, the words she thought she would never hear again in her brain, that it's only going to end bad. The same exact words Mirajane told her. "..."
"Let me ask you, when was the last time you've ever fallen in love?" Igneel said.
Erza never really loved anyone in a way. It's true she and Mirajane had something, but it was more physical than anything in the emotional department from a typical relationship. Every other thing however was either just a fling, a way to seduce and kill her target or simply just a simple booty call. "Never." She finally answered him.
"Is that why you feel conflicted?" Igneel asked another question.
Besides trying to kill him? Erza was now in her thoughts. "No." She answered with no again.
"Your just gonna answer with no? Or you just don't know?" He asked her.
"I don't know, okay? I'm just... don't think it's going to work out." Erza sighed.
"I see." Igneel looked outside his window before looking back at the scarlet haired woman.
"Don't get me wrong, he's a good man, a great man but I just... I don't want to hurt him or myself." Erza told him. Her word a were true, for a man with his goals, she's surprised that a man like him can become president.
"It's fine, maybe not now but maybe later when you no longer doubt yourself," Igneel told her. "Just when the time comes, do please protect for me, I don't have much time left to do it myself."
"I'll... I'll try." She told him. It was a lie but she couldn't help but feel some empathy in words.
"I'm back guys," Natsu came back. He had 2 water bottles and a cup of coffee at hand. "I talked to the doctor already."
"I don't have much time do I?" Igneel knew it was hard for Natsu.
"... y-yeah." Natsu tried to keep a straight face.
"It's okay son." Igneel still tried to keep a smile on his face.
"It's not though," Natsu's nose wrinkled, holding back his tears. "It's just not fair."
"I know son, I know." Igneel tried to comfort him.
Erza got up from her chair and got the things from Natsu's hand. "I... I'm sorry about all this..."
"You don't have to apologize for that..."
...
An hour or two passed and both Natsu and Erza were finally driving back to Natsu's place.
The only noise coming from inside the car was silence and the radio. It was on a classical instrumental channel. It didn't bother either of the two.
Though it was Natsu's car, Erza was the one driving them around. In the passenger seat, Natsu looked outside his car window, typical cliché of the sad man he was unintentionally interpreting.
As Erza slowed and stopped the car in front of a red light, she couldn't help but take a small glance over to his side. "You okay?" She knew what was on his mind, yet she still asked what the problem was.
"I'll manage," he gulped down some saliva. He stopped staring out the window and looked back at Erza. "Thanks for asking."
As their conversation was about to start, so did the start of rain. Drip, drip, drop were the sounds as the light amount of rain tapped the car's windows.
"As if the mood wasn't already depressing..." Natsu annoying sighed.
"Maybe I can just changed the radio stati-"
Natsu looked at her in the most uptight way any man can look at a woman: in annoyance. It was bad enough that the setting changed, he didn't want to risk the chance of having to hear the unpleasant music sounds of sadness, as any typical movie or TV show would do to show irony.
"Okay, I'll just leave the station be where it's at then." She retreated her right hand from the radio and placed it back on the steering wheel.
"Thank you." Natsu sighed.
The light turned green and immediately Erza continued to drive straight until they made it to the next traffic light where she turned to the right.
The rain turned more violent as the rain drops dropped harder and thanks to the humidity, caused fog, making it a bit of a hassle to drive.
Erza turned the headlights on in hopes of making out some clarity in the road ahead of her. "Wow, that changed really fast."
"Huh, you're telling me." Natsu looked outside both his window and front window of the car, trying to make out what's in the fog.
Though the fog made visibility difficult, both of them managed to see the traffic light ahead of them. The light was still green but it soon changed to yellow, making Erza slow the car down.
"Erza...?" Natsu noticed that the car's speed didn't in the very least slow down.
"I'm trying!" Erza pushed down on the brake lever, already having both her foot and lever already at the floor.
"Shit, Erza!" The light in front of them turned red.
Without much left to do, Erza pulled the emergency brakes but it was too late. "Shi-" The air bags immediately went off, knocking the two unconscious just as the car hits something pretty hard.
Boom, they crashed with another car that was crossing the street. Their cars were in the middle of the street and only the fog was their witness to this accident.
The sounds of both the cars alarms went off, wailing into the harshness of the pouring rain and the thick fog as the both the passengers and drivers of the two cars were knocked unconscious...