A/N: So, here's the first chapter! This chapter includes minor swearing, violence and a pantie shot.
Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima
Chapter 1: "Seven of Swords"
"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away."
The sun is low in the eastern sky, casting long, window-shaped patches of light across the cavernous main room of the Fairy Tail guild hall. Raucous calls and laughter echo against its stone walls, filling the space with sound and energy and half of the tables are occupied already despite the early hour. The smell of eggs, bacon, and pancakes waft from the kitchen, slowly blanketing the room with mouthwatering scents.
A shapely girl sits on a bar stool with her elbows pressed against the rough counter, her left hand cupping her delicate jaw. Two long bangs frame her face and a blue ribbon holds a clump of her golden locks up into a side part. The rest of her hair flows down her neck to stop just below her shoulders. A few men ogle her from the far side of the hall, noticing her short skirt and a black spaghetti strap top that showed quite a lot of her bountiful cleavage. Her midriff is mostly covered, although a small section of her back can be seen - the fabric of her shirt hiked up as she leans against the counter.
The blonde sighs, the lids covering her large brown eyes heavy as her unseeing gaze wanders over the large mission board to her right. The cork is almost completely hidden by a mass of job notices, most of which sported rewards of more than 100,000 Jewels.
An older girl with long, flowing white hair and shining blue eyes emerges from the kitchen, her exposed, slender arms skillfully balancing four plates of food. She makes her rounds through the tables, her ankle-length maroon dress swaying with her movements as she sets down each plate in front of their owners. Returning to the bar, she places an order of fish and chips in front of the blonde with a cheerful smile. "Here you go Lucy," the white-haired girl says as her large blue eyes look over the blonde's head to lock onto two teens sitting comfortably in the distance.
A young man with long, wild, black hair sits at a table near the back of the hall. His face and muscular body glint as the hot sunlight hits numerous metal studs, 24 of which adorn his angular face. Although that face is turned away, a thick, heart-shaped piece of iron is visible between his pointy teeth. One of his elbows is nestled on top of the short, blue-haired girl beside him who currently is staring down at a large book on the table in front of her; hazel eyes unmoving and cheeks touched with pink.
Lucy glances down at her food, her eyes flicking to a fork as the waitress places it next to her plate. "Thanks, Mira." she responds, her voice low and emotionless as she reaches for the utensil. Her brows knit together slightly as she stares at one of the fish fillets and, with a startling intensity, she picks up the fork in her right hand and stabs the fish mercilessly.
Mira jumps at the sudden noise and pulls her gaze away from the couple, her eyes wide. She stares at the blonde as she continues tearing into her food. "Lucy, is something wrong?" she asks, her lids lowering as her brows come together in a worried frown.
"Hm?", Lucy pauses and looks up at Mira, brows raised and a chunk of fish almost to her lips. She catches Mira's worried expression and her features soften. "No," she reassures the white-haired mage, plastering quick smile on her face. Her fork continues to her mouth and she chews her food slowly. It doesn't take long for Lucy's smile to falter and, after her mouth is clear, she continues, her voice soft, "I've just been thinking a lot lately..."
The large guild doors swing open and hit stone walls with a loud BANG. Two boy-like figures and what looks like a flying ball of fur rush through the open doors and it closes behind them with slightly softer explosion of sound.
"I WIN!" the shorter boy shouts triumphantly, his voice cracking in excitement as he punches the air above him, the red fairy tail tattoo on his shoulder rippling as the muscle under it contracts. His spiky, pink hair waves slightly with his movements, a clump of it moving in front of eyes the color of hardened lava. Although the temperature is quite high, he wears a black, one-armed jacket trimmed in gold. A white scarf is wrapped around the jacket's high collar; its ends streaming behind the boy. The jacket is zipped closed and tucked under the bottom half of his two-piece jacket, but over his white, baggy, knee-length pants. A thick brown belt holds everything tight to his body, the gold buckle glinting in the sunlight.
The pink-haired boy flashes a wide, toothy grin as he strides confidently into the guild hall.
"Tch. I got here first flame-brain." The other boy argues, his voice calm, but tinged with annoyance. His cold, dark blue eyes glare at the his rival as they walk in side-by-side and his face tilts back and turns to the side as his muscular arms cross over his well-toned chest, partially obscuring the blue guild mark on his right pectoral. His short, black-blue hair sways with the movement, a clump of bangs obscuring his right eye momentarily. An intricate silver sword dangles from a chain around his neck, shimmering as he steps into a patch of light.
A light blue blur swoops in behind the two teens and beelines it straight to the bar. "LUCY!" it cries in a high boyish voice as it attacks Lucy's head, burrowing into the silky strands. She relaxes noticeably and a genuine smile graces her face.
"Hey, Happy. I got your favorite food today." she responds, waving her fork over her shoulder, a piece of fish stuck in its tines.
The sky-blue fur ball turns his head to stare at it with large black eyes and an even larger grin. "FISH!" he shouts happily, his eyes following the fork it moves away from him.
"Welcome home!" Mira greets the three boys, her smile returning. "It's not often Gray and Natsu arrive at the same time." she continues in a quieter tone, her gaze shifting to Happy.
The blue anthropomorphic cat chomps down on Lucy's fork and grins. He swallows before replying. "Aye, they made a bet!" He glances back at the pink-haired boy with a mischievous grin and puts a paw in front of his mouth. "Natsu challenged Gray to a race and Gray only agreed if the outcome determined who would go with Lucy on her next mission."
"You're just afraid of Juuuvia." Natsu teases, smirking. His gaze goes to Lucy, his smirk turning into a boyish grin. "Oye, Lucy!" he calls, turning to make his way towards her, his right hand high and waving.
She ignores him and continues teasing Happy with fish, an eyebrow twitching.
"No I'm not! And I won, dumbass." Gray's muscles tense and his brow twitches in anger. He grabs hold of Natsu's scarf and tugs him back.
The dragon slayer stops and tilts his head back to look at his rival, his expression suddenly serious. "You calling me a liar, stripper?" he growls, his own brow twitching as he smacks Gray's hand away.
"What if I am, squinty-eyes?" Gray spat back, bringing his hands together. "You can't even admit you like her." he adds, his voice low and eyes flicking in Lucy's direction.
"What are you talking about? Of course I like Lucy."
"As in like like, idiot."
"We're best friends."
"Liar."
With a WHOOSH flames covered Natsu's fists and he pulls back to shift into a battle stance. "I'm not a liar!" he yells, swinging his fist at Gray's face.
"What about Juvia?" Mira asks Happy, her eyes shining in amusement.
"Aye! Gray has to go on a mission with Juvia if he looses." he replies, and the both start giggling.
"Idiots..." Lucy mutters darkly, her shoulders tense. She leans her head forward, her bangs shadowing her face and her knuckles turn white as she clutches the fork in her right hand, the smooth metal bending slightly from the pressure.
"L-Lucy?" Mira and Happy squeak, glancing from her to the fighting mages in confusion as Lucy slowly removes herself from her chair. Her bent fork clattering to her plate as she shoves away from the counter.
Happy jumps up next to the plate of food and stares after her, unconsciously sniffing as the delicious smell of fish wafts up to him. His ears twitch, but he doesn't move.
Gray easily dodges Natsu's fist, his eyes lingering on the other boy's bright orange flames as surprise flickers across his face. Ice forms on Gray's arm and the right side of his mouth twitches into a smirk as he blocks the dragon slayer's next enraged blow, this time a kick to his right side.
"Predictable." he scoffs, using some of the momentum from Natsu's kick to spin around the fire mage and plant a kick to his back.
Natsu flies forward, but catches the edge of a table, using the surface to slow his momentum as he twists his body around and lands on the opposite side, yet again facing his rival. Just as Natsu is about to launch into another attack, he catches a flash of gold and grins as Gray suddenly finds himself face down on the floor as a small, but powerful fist collides with the back of his head.
"Oww! Who did that?" he demands, scowling as he picks himself up to a squat and turns to face his attacker. His face pales as he catches Lucy's expression – an expression only Gray can see with his unique vantage point – and he jerks back in surprise, his hands flying back to catch his fall.
Although Lucy's eyes are open and alert, wet tears glimmer at the inside corners. Her lips press tightly together and curve down, reflecting her brows as she catches the ice mage's expression.
"That was awesome!" Natsu congratulates her, grinning in glee and pride at his partner.
Lucy's eyes tighten in anger as her gaze shifts to the fire mage. She growls as her roundhouse kick hits him in the face.
Time seems to slow as Natsu falls face-first into a table, a surprised grunt escaping his lips as the wood cracks beneath him.
Gray's eyes widen, a slight blush appearing as he catches a glimpse of her panties - bright blue with stars.
Lucy continues to glare at Natsu, her whole body trembling. The majority of the guild burst into shouts of approval and cat calls, but they don't affect the busty blonde, for once.
In the middle of the room, a long-haired brunette wearing a blue bikini and burnt orange capris freezes, a barrel of alcohol halfway to her lips. She glances to three cards lying face-up on the table beside her, and then back at Lucy and Natsu. "Shit." she says in a slightly panicked voice, setting the half-empty barrel down on the table behind her.
"Oi, what did ya do that for?" Natsu grumbles, massaging his stinging cheek as he stands back up and looks at Lucy. "You finally decide you wanna fight?" he asks grinning lopsidedly.
Without a word, Lucy turns and stalks towards the guild doors, the soft sound of silent tears hitting the floor in her wake.
"Luce?" Natsu asks, his body already moving to follow her, concern plain on his face. He quickly moves to block her path and reaches out with both hands to grip her shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong?"
She looks down, her bangs covering her eyes in darkness so he couldn't see her expression. "Leave me alone!" She shouts angrily, glaring up at him with tears rolling down her cheeks. A red tinge was already forming at the corners of her eyes and her normally chocolate brown irises took on an amber hue as the salt stung them.
His releases her left shoulder and he moves to wipe away her tears with his right hand, eyes wide. "Hey, why are you-"
Her eyes tighten as she smacks his hand away and pulls her other shoulder out of Natsu's grip.
He stands there in stunned silence, frozen in place and his hands fall limply to his sides as he watches her jerk the door open. "Lucy..." His expression hardens and he rushes out after her before she could disappear completely, "Oye! Where do you think you're going?" he shouts.
"Away." she replies, slamming the door in his face with enough force to send him flying again, this time to land on his back.
"What the hell did you do, Natsu?" Gray chokes out, his voice weak and eyes still wide and glued to the guild doors.
"What did I...?" Natsu echos quietly, sitting cross-legged on the hard wood floor and rubbing his sore face. He frowns, forehead furrowing as he squints at his lap, his arms crossing his chest. After a few moments of concentration he huffs and looks over at Gray. He clenches his hands into fists as flames surround them for the second time today.
"What the hell did you do droopy-eyes! She punched you first!" Natsu shouts, suddenly rushing at the dark-haired mage.
"I didn't do anything!" Gray spits back, instantly back on his feet, his stance wide. "...and she hit you harder, idiot!" He looks at their clasped hands in surprise as he catches Natsu's punch, his ice instantly putting out Natsu's flames.
"I didn't..." Natsu starts to say, a look of confusion plain on his face, "I don't know." he ends lamely, a tinge of fear in his black eyes.
Gray stood there in shock, hand still wrapped around Natsu's fist.
"You should go after her." a throaty feminine voice cuts into the tense silence.
Both boys whip their heads around to stare at the dark-haired woman approaching them and Gray immediately releases Natsu's fist. She holds a single card between her index and middle fingers, the back facing up.
"Eh?" Natsu frowns at the card, his right hand reflexively grasping it as she forces it into his hand. He raises a brow at her as he flips the card over.
Gray leans closer to get a good look.
Much like the back, the face of this particular card is awash with many shades of blue. A white crescent moon hung over the scene, partially obscured by a large stone building. A building that looks suspiciously like-
"Hey, is that our guild?" Natsu asks, leaning closer to the card.
Gray snatches it out of his hand. "Of course it is! This is Cana's card." Gray yells waving it above his head. The two boys glare at each other for a moment before Gray lowers the card and points at a different point on the left side. "I'm more concerned with this cloaked figure here. It looks rather suspicious."
The figure in question is running towards the lower left corner of the card; a long, hooded black cloak shrouding both face and gender. Over the far shoulder is a long, bulky bundle out of which protrudes four plain sword hafts. More seem to be hidden within and a single blade sticks out of the far end. Behind the figure, two more swords are suspended in the air, frozen in time as they fall towards the ground.
"Eh? A thief?" Natsu asks, scratching his head.
"What's so confusing about that?" Cana asks, putting her hands on her hips and raising a brow at the boy.
"We don't have any swords." He replies, his voice rising as he gestures to the guild with both arms.
"It's called symbolism, flame brain." Gray sighs, turning to Cana with pleading eyes. "What does this have to do with Lucy?"
"Well, to put it simply," Cana replies, "...she's planning on leaving."
Natsu glances at the doors and back at Cana. "Wow, you predicted that?" he asks, pointing at the doors.
Cana sighs and shakes her head. "My cards don't usually pick up on trivial things."
Gray frowns, turning the card in his hand to stare at the image again. "But this is a thief right? Wouldn't it mean she stole something?"
The guild crowds around the three mages as Cana starts her explanation. "Think of each card as a Kanji character. One card can have multiple meanings and readings, but only one is correct for each situation. You first need to know the context surrounding the card to truly understand its meaning."
Cana takes the card from Gray, her finger pointing to the figure. "As you noticed, this card depicts a thief and it's most common reading is that of loss, betrayal, or lack of security." Her finger shifts to the figure's feet and she continues, "However, it can also indicate that someone is running away from a problem." Moving her finger left, she taps the two swords behind the figure. "...and these signify a hasty decision."
Natsu looks at her blankly, brows furrowed in concentration. He reaches out for the card, and she relinquishes it to him somewhat reluctantly. "Well, I can't see Luce stealing anything. She's too nice." His left hand goes to his face, expression partially obscured. "What do you mean by trivial?"
"Well, everyone walks through those doors on a daily basis, so there's nothing particularly significant about it." the brunette explains, gesturing towards the guild doors. "My cards also don't tend to pick up on things that I already know." Her voice slows, and her brown eyes become slightly unfocused.
"So, when you said leaving..." Gray prompts, his voice tapering off as he glances towards the doors.
Cana nods and smiles sadly. "Although it may not be by choice, I'm certain she's going to leave the guild today."
"WHAT?" the Fairy Tail mages roar, shock apparent on their faces.
The short blue-haired girl Mira had eyed earlier strode forward and snatched the offending card out of Natsu's suddenly loose grip before he could turn it into ashes, panic and confusion making her hands shake as she stares at the card.
The metal-studded teen stands behind her, easily towering over the short mage as he studies the card in her hands. He glances over to Natsu and snorts. "Bunny Girl sure has stolen something and it sure ain't swords."
"Gajeel!" The blue-haired mage scolds, glaring up at the metal-head.
"No way," Natsu growls, turning towards the doors, "she wouldn't leave like that." Before he could take one step, however, Mira's quiet voice stops him in his tracks.
"She might." Mira answers, staring at the bent fork in her hands, her thumb caressing the smooth surface. "She's been rather troubled lately." she adds softly.
Natsu's eyes widen, his pupils dilating. "She wouldn't..." he says, recoiling. He freezes in place, his expression shifting from shock to confusion as his gaze lowers to the floor and brows furrow in concentration. One hand runs through his hair nervously, his nails scraping against his scalp, while the other curls into a tight fist, knuckles turning white and nails digging into his palm. His right hand stops at the base of his neck and he rubs it.
Murmurs fill the room and, although the pink-haired boy is deep in thought, his ears twitch as certain words filter into his consciousness.
"...something to do with him."
"...dense as a rock."
"...loves this guild."
"...kidnapped..."
"...secrets..."
"...swords..."
The fire mage tenses as a sudden thought hits him, his expression obscured from the others as he removes his hand from his neck. His whole body starts to shake and his hands open. He stares at the shallow indents in his palms, clenching his fists and opening them as if surprised he made the marks himself. The air around the mage starts to shimmer and the already warm room becomes unbearably hot. Sweat pours freely down the closer guild members and he can distantly hear doors opening and closing as others run from the heat. They all know what happens when the Salamander gets emotional.
"Get back, Levi." Gajeel says, picking the blue-haired mage up by the back of her shirt and plopping her on a bar stool further down the bar and away from the now intense heat.
She huffs, arms crossed as she glares up at the overprotective mage, a small blush on her cheeks. "You didn't have to do that." she mutters.
A cold hand touches Natsu's shoulder, and he rolls away from it, growling in irritation as he snaps his head to the right and glowers into Gray's dark blue eyes.
"What do you think you're doing, idiot." the ice mage growls, shoving his rival towards the doors with both hands. "Lets find her before she does something stupid."
He didn't need to be told twice.
A/N: Hopefully you liked it! I'm a bit nervous, but please don't hold back. I love getting crits no matter the tone. Seriously, fire away.
I hope you guys don't mind that I wrote it in present tense. I usually don't, so if you find any slip-ups, please tell me. As with most of my writing, all of the content is improvised. I didn't plan what would happen ahead of time and I don't have an outline. I just have a vague idea that slowly manifests over time, so don't be surprised if you ask me a question and I have no idea what the answer is.