All because of a fight and a job request

Ch 7

*time skip four days*

Natsu pov

It's been a little over a week now since Lucy left. According to what Mira told me she should have been back by now! Why wasn't she back at Fairy Tail yet? Maybe the job itself is taking her longer than expected? Or maybe... something's happened to her. I have bad feeling in the pit of my stomach and I can't shake it. Maybe I'm just already too worried about her, or my instincts are screaming at me that I need to find her and I need to NOW. I didn't notice Erza had sat down next to me at the bar with her strawberry cake and she seems to notice my internal battle.

Erza: "What's on your mind Natsu?"

Natsu: my body just reacts to the sound of her voice and I duck and cover under the bar. I peek over and she gives me a "what the hell are you doing?" face and I blush a little embarrassed at how freaked out she made me and sit back down on the bar stool.. can you blame me?? Erza can be down right scary! "I'm worried about Lucy"

Erza: "Lucy? What about her? She alright?"

Natsu: I know that no one knew about Lucy taking a job alone, except for Levy, Juvia, Wendy, Mira and Master.. Lucy left them a note the night she left (I over heard Levy talking to Juvia about the note).. but how could Erza, or anyone genuinely not realize her absence in the guild? It wasn't all in Lucy's head at all that she felt forgotten about. Made me feel even more guilty about the crap I said to her. Levy and Juvia have been glaring me down a lot the entire week since Lucy left. Juvia might be cause I beat the crap out of Gray when we got into one of our fights so that might explain her, but I can't think of why Levy would be. Maybe Gajeel told her something? Those two have been getting close so I wouldn't doubt it.. "Natsu?" A concerned Erza pulls me from my thoughts, I take a breath, "Lucy took a job earlier this week really late at night all alone. Mira said it should only take up to a week but it's been over a week now and she's still not back. I just can't shake the feeling that something's wrong."

Erza: I carefully consider Natsu's words and give him a smile, "Natsu, you know as well as anyone here that some jobs take longer than anticipated. It does happen, things come up, foes are stronger than first believed, or there's more than one adversary than originally told. I'm sure Lucy is just fine and is making her way back to the guild as we speak." He didn't appear convinced in the slightest.  "But if you really are still worried about her, talk to Mira and find out where she went. Get Happy to fly you out to where she is to peek on her and see for yourself."

Natsu: I didn't even think about that! "Yea ask Mira! I'll do that, thanks Erza!" I give Erza a massive pat on the back and although she smiled back at me, she had a dark aura around her and I realize my pat on her back nearly made her go face first into the cake she was eating.. I freeze and bow repeatedly, "I'm sorry Ma'am! Thank you Ma'am!" and run off to find Mira. Phew that was close. I found Mira at one of the tables resupplying Cana with another barrel of booze.

Natsu: "Jeeze ya alchy.. it's not even five in the afternoon yet Cana" I can smell every bit of alcohol she's already had today.. How is she not flat on her ass? Oh, and it's only about 11 in the morning! She gives me a very confident in herself smile and replies, "Yeaaaa well, it's five oclock somewhere! Your point??" I shake my head and move on to Mira, "Hey Mira can I talk to you at the bar a minute?" 

Mira: "Sure, Natsu! Let me finish this up first" I give Cana her barrel of booze and she wastes no time at all in chugging it down. My goodness she can really hold her liquor. I walk back over to the bar but before I could say a word Natsu gets in my face and says, "Can you tell me about the job Lucy went on? Where it was? What it was about?" I give a shocked expression but loosen up into a smile and say, "Um Natsu? This is a little too close for comfort here" I giggle and he goes bright red before sitting back down. "Now let me see here" I'm going through the copies of approved jobs I have behind the counter "Ah here it is, here ya go" Natsu snatches it from my hands and feverishly looks it over.. then his goes wide at what he just read.