Icy Fire

Homecoming

The next three months flew by. Natsu was given days off as the salamander was able to help out with the fires. He learned to communicate with Gray mentally more and more. They worked well as a team, to the surprise of many others.

The instructor was beyond offering them, or Sting and Rogue any further instructions. He stated that the four of them were too unusual for him to deal with. He was able to teach them the basics. Erza taught them how to use swords, although she often had to beat it into the dragons.

"Why do we need to learn to use a sword?" Sting argued with her.

"Yeah, we're dragons!" Rogue complained. Natsu had sat down laughing at this. Gray glanced at him.

'She's the best I've ever met.' He told his rider. Gray smirked.

'Better than Gildarts?' Natsu had been trying hard not to mention the tall muscular fighter in front of Gray. His knight was becoming jealous of the other.

'Oh, man I would never want to see the two of them fight!' Natsu shivered. Gray came to sit beside him. He leaned his shoulder against that of the dragon shifter.

"Let's make a deal." Erza grinned wickedly. She swung her sword off of her shoulder. Pointing it at Sting, then Rogue. "If the two of you can beat me, then you won't need to attend my classes." She offered.

"In what form?" Rogue asked.

"Any you wish to take." Erza smirked. Happy landed in Natsu's lap.

"This is going to be good!" He snickered pulling out a fish jerk strip. He sat there eating as the three friends watched the fight.

Erza stood alone on a slight rise in the hill. Sting and Rouge shifted to their half human half dragon form. They attacked.

Erza had Rogue on his knees in seconds. Sting lost his mind at this. He went full dragon coming at the lone girl with talons, scaled tail and teeth nearly as long as she was tall. Erza swung to his back. She rode the dragon, wearing him down as he basically fought himself.

Tired, completely exhausted, Sting wasn't able to land properly. He face planted tearing up a sizeable skid mark in the grass. Natsu laughed. Yet Rouge wasn't out of the fight. He swung at Erza before she dismounted from the white dragon. His shadow form making it difficult for the girl to strike.

Yet, Erza was a powerful fighter. It took her less than thirty seconds to discover that Rogue had to draw a breath and hold it to make his body smoke like in this form. Once he released the breath, he was solid again. Erza struck out. The shifter was defeated.

"Be here tomorrow night, six!" She ordered all of them as she sheathed the sword while walking away. Natsu laughed.

He got to his feet to help the exhausted duo up. With Gray's help they took them back to their hut.

Erza was a great swordsman. She got them stronger, as well as taught them how to wield a sword. Gray was good with the sword Natsu embed for him, but he was even better with his own magical ice swords. He could create a hundred of them and have them fight those around him. Even Erza was impressed with this ability. She loved battling the ice mage. She didn't give up until she defeated him ever chance she got. Neither Sting nor Rogue was ever able to defeat all the swords the ice mage could manifest.

Then add in the fire of one Natsu Dragneel, and you had a near unstoppable force. The two were so intoned with each other, it appeared as if they didn't even communicate. While in dragon form the other two could hear Natsu's thoughts. He learned to block this and only communicate with Gray. It was a feat for him, since it took great concentration.