In the world of Earthland, in a country called Fiore, there lays a city named Magnolia. Residing in this city is it's pride, the wizard guild Fairy Tail. The number one magic guild in all of Fiore. On this beautiful winter day the city of Magnolia is in high spirits. The snow fell from the sky in tiny flurries, children tilting their heads back and sticking out their tongues, trying to catch snowflakes. The sun was hidden in a sky of grey clouds, and the temperature was low. Low enough that the citizens of Magnolia had to bundle themselves up in layers. But, this week was Valentine's day. The day gentlemen and ladies present gifts to the one they love. The day lovers stroll under the sunset and share loving kisses in sweet embraces.
Valentines day was coming, and the wizards of Fairy Tail were spiraling into a world of chaos in preparation.
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The Fairy Tail guild hall was busy on a Monday afternoon. Wizards were lined up at the job board looking for good paying jobs so that they could have enough jewels to buy the very best gifts for their sweethearts, or the person they wanted to be their sweetheart. Valentine's Day was Friday, so they had to act quickly. Bisca and Alzack, Fairy Tail's married gun magic wizards, were working separately in order to raise money to surprise each other. They were very rarely seen. Their daughter had been pawned off on the grandparents, all in the name of Valentine's Day romance. Even Elfman and Evergreen were frequently out on jobs, hoping to get something very special for each other.
But some wizards didn't care. For example, Natsu and Gray. The fire dragon slayer and ice-make wizard sat at one of the guild's wooden tables, eating and generally ignoring the hustle and bustle of their comrades. Natsu's exceed Happy, the tiny blue cat with the ability to sprout wings, sat alongside his partner and stuffed his face as well.
"Why do people care so much about Valentine's Day?" Natsu asked, shoving food into his mouth.
"Eh, I don't know. I think it's pretty stupid." Gray shrugged.
"So cold hearted." Natsu laughed.
"Watch it fire breath, before I show you the real meaning of cold." Gray snickered.
Gajeel, the iron dragon slayer, came over to their table and sat down next to Gray. He had a distressed look on his face, and was rather twitchy. He kept shifting in his seat, obviously uncomfortable. Gray and Natsu looked at the metal studded dragon slayer and struggled to keep in their laughter.
"Ants in your pants, Gajeel?" Gray snorted.
"I'll set them on fire if you want." Natsu tee-heed.
"This Valentine's Day crap. What am I supposed to get for Levy? I can't avoid it. Not after, you know, we actually got together. Look at the girls over there! Giggling and whispering! What am I supposed to do?" Gajeel freaked out. He put his face in his hands.
Gray and Natsu looked over to another table, where some of the Fairy Tail girls were sitting. They were in fact giggling and whispering. Sometimes their cheeks would turn red, and sometimes another would point and laugh at one of the other girls. They were obviously talking about Valentine's Day. And at that moment, Gray and Natsu's stomachs sank.
You see, Juvia was at that table. And Juvia was in love with Gray. He knew this, as did everyone else. The realization of what exactly Valentine's Day was hit him like a sack of bricks. He knew Juvia was going to take things too far, she always did. Like the time she gave him a gift for their anniversary of just knowing each other. Gray's face turned pale as he looked at the blue haired Juvia. He dropped his head onto the table.
Natsu immediately felt awkward, and confused. Lisanna and Lucy, were also at that table of giggling girls. Natsu had no idea what to do. He had thought him and Lisanna had something before he went on a mission with the other dragon slayers to fight an Earth dragon. But when he returned, Lisanna had gone out on a date with Bickslow, despite the fact that Natsu had been missing for days and presumed possibly dead. Natsu was still hurting from this, but for the most part he ignored it. But now he couldn't ignore it, not this week. And then there was Lucy. He wasn't that stupid, he knew how she felt about him. But he wasn't sure if he felt the same way about her. His mind went back and forth with it. And now it was going to be Valentine's Day. Did either of them expect something of him?
The three guys sat at the table wallowing in their own self-pity. Other wizards purposely avoided this table, because their pity was so strong that it created a toxic aura around the table.
"Juvia, what are you going to give Gray for valentine's?" Lucy smiled.
"Juvia doesn't know yet. But it has to be special." Juvia blushed.
The girls were in a whirlwind of excitement and romance. They were excited about valentine's day. Not stressed. Flowers, candy, presents. Kisses! They could only imagine what would happen on that day. Anything could happen! They were all so tied up in their fantasie's that they had no idea that the guys they expected so much from actually had no idea what in the world they were going to do.
Lisanna and Lucy made a habit of avoiding direct conversation. Lucy was still mad at Lisanna for being able to deal with Natsu's disappearance so easily, and going on a date with Bickslow while he was missing. Granted, the date was because of a dating game that Master Makarov made everyone play, but that wasn't the point. In Lucy's mind, it could have waited until Natsu was home safely. Lisanna knew how Lucy felt, and she didn't blame her. The blonde Celestial Wizard had a point. She loved Natsu, and she had been a mess when he was missing. Lisanna was pretty sure she didn't feel love for Natsu the way she thought she did, but she still hadn't come out and said anything to Natsu about it.
Levy and Juvia were both able to feel the tension between Lucy and Lisanna, but they chose not to engage in it. All they wanted to do was dream about how awesome Valentine's Day would be. Juvia lost in a fantasy of her and Gray finally getting together. Him finally confessing his undying love for her. Her dreams finally coming true. Levy just wanted Gajeel to let his guard down and show her his softer side. She knew he cared for her, and was happy with her, but Levy wanted more. She wanted to be swept off her feet. She wanted candles, and chocolate, and wine.
Sitting at the bar was Cana and Ember, the dragon slayer raised by Acnologia and daughter of Zeref. Ember hadn't been welcomed into Fairy Tail very warmly, but eventually she was fully accepted into the guild and became part of the family. MiraJane leaned against the bar from the other side, engaged in conversation with her two friends.
"Cana, do you have any Valentine's plans?" Mira asked sweetly.
"Nope. Just sitting here at the bar and drinking probably." Cana smiled and took a sip of her drink.
"What about you Ember?" Mira chirped.
"Uhm. Not that I know of." Ember shrugged.
"What do you mean? Laxus hasn't made any plans with you?" Cana asked shocked.
Laxus was one of Fairy Tail's S-class wizards. A practitioner of lightning magic and a dragon slayer all at the same time, he was Master Makarov's very own grandson. He was also Ember's lover. Cana and Mira were both beautiful, and single, and very shocked that their friend did not have any special Valentine's plans with her sweetheart.
"I guess it kind of makes sense though. Laxus was never the romantic type." Cana laughed.
"True." Mira giggled.
"It doesn't bother me. I've never celebrated Valentine's before. So it's no big deal." Ember smiled.
Freed and Bickslow walked into the guild hall and joined the girls at the bar. Freed sat down next to Ember looking distracted, running his hands through his long green hair. Bickslow was in high spirits and greeted everyone.
"Heeeyyyy Ladies!" Bickslow cheered, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
"Ugh put your tongue away Bickslow." Cana snorted.
"Mmmm Mira, can I speak with you?" Bickslow asked.
Mira stood up straight, looking kind of shocked, and also kind of nervous. Cana and Ember looked at her and bit their lips, not knowing what to say. They could tell Mira wanted them to save her, but they had no idea what they were supposed to do. So they just sat there in silence.
"Uhm, sure Bickslow." Mira smiled nervously.
"Can we go talk down there?" Bickslow asked, pointing at the other end of the bar.
Mira gulped and nodded her head. She started to walk down to the other end of the bar, grabbing a bar cloth on the way so that she could wipe down the bar and avoid eye contact with Bickslow.
When Mira and Bickslow were gone, Freed let out a long sigh and looked to Ember and Cana. They looked at him confused, waiting for him to speak the words they knew he so desperately wanted to speak.
"I need your advice." He said.
"Okay." The girls nodded.
" I want to do something for Mira for Valentine's Day. You guys have to help me." Freed said shyly, and he blushed.
"Of course!" Both Ember and Cana cheered, giant smiles appearing on their faces.
"So, what is it Bickslow?" Mira asked, clearing her throat.
"Lisanna is your little sister. You know her best. What should I get her for Valentine's Day?" Bickslow said calmly.
Mira stopped wiping down the bar and looked at Bickslow shocked. She did not expect this. She knew that her sister and him had went on a date, but she thought that it ended there. She didn't even know if the date had gone well or not. She knew they were friends, but she thoguht that was all.
"I...I really don't know Bickslow." Mira said quietly.
"Look Mira, I know I'm not your first choice for your sis. And I get it. I'm weird. But, please help me." He begged.
Mira's heart softened. In that moment she felt that she had been unfairly judging Bickslow. Sure he was creepy and kind of dark. He controlled souls for crying out loud! But it wasn't fair for her to really judge him when she never got to know him on a deeper level. Besides, she kind of thought it was sweet that he wanted to impress Lisanna. They were a weird match, but maybe they were a good one too.
"Ok. I think we can figure out something." Mira smiled.
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Master Makarov and Laxus walked alongside each other down the road on their way to the Fairy Tail guild hall. Both of them were bundled up in winter coats to protect themselves from the cold air. Snow speckled their hair, although you couldn't really see it in Makarov's already white hair. The old man stuck his tongue out and caught some snowflakes. Laxus shook his head at him.
"Don't shake your head at me, boy. Loosen up." Makarov said.
"I'm fine old man." Laxus huffed.
"Is that so? Any Valentine's plans?" Makarov asked with a sly smile.
"Wait...What?" Laxus gasped.
Makarov burst into a fit of laughter, holding his stomach with his hands. He knew it. His thick headed grandson had totally forgotten about Valentine's Day. To be fair, Laxus had never had a serious girlfriend on Valentine's, so the old man would let it slide. But he would definitely tease him about it.
"Oh Laxus, how could you forget! Poor Ember!" Makarov laughed uncontrollably.
"Damn. What am I going to do gramps? What am I even supposed to do?" Laxus sighed.
"Something special. Maybe some wine. Candles. Romance. Make me a grandchild." Makarov snickered.
"Oh don't get started with that crap!" Laxus snapped.
"I'm not getting any younger Laxus!" Makarov yelled.
"Too bad old man!" Laxus yelled back.
"MASTER WAIT UP!"
Laxus and Makarov turned around to the sudden yell from behind them. The scarlet haired Erza was running after them, her armor clanking. She caught up to them and they all fell into step together, walking to the guild hall.
"Good morning Erza." Makarov smiled.
"Good morning Master." Erza smiled back.
"What can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if you minded if I took off with Jellal for a few days for Valentine's Day. I was going to get us tickets to somewhere."
"No."
Erza gasped and looked at the Master in shock. She hadn't expected him to say no. She had thought Makarov was fine with Jellal now, even after all the bad things that had happened in the past. Crime Sorciere had been a strong ally of Fairy Tail's.
"W-Why not? May I ask?" Erza asked.
"You'll see. I have a surprise." Makarov smirked.
Erza and Laxus exchanged glances. They both had nervous looks on their faces.
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"Listen up children!" Makarov shouted to the guild members. He sat on top of the bar, a mug of alcohol in his hand. The wizards all stopped what they were doing and payed attention to their Master.
"As you all know, the end of this week is Valentine's Day. While I am sure some of you have great plans, I am sure others have no plans at all. Well I have a surprise for some of you. A new cruise is launching this week, and the Magic Council has gifted the magic guild's of Fiore passes onto it's maiden voyage."
"Hell yeah!" someone yelled.
"I'm so excited!" someone else cheered.
"AWESOME!" came another chant.
"Unfortunately, not everyone will be going." Makarov said with a nod. Sighs went through the guild hall in a wave.
"Good, I don't want to go on a boat anyways!" Natsu shouted.
"Oh, you are going Natsu." Makarov smirked.
"WHAT? B-but….." Natsu paled. He couldn't survive a cruise, not with his motion sickness.
"It's okay Natsu, I will use Troia on you before we go so you won't get sick!" Wendy chirped.
"Wendy, you unfortunately will not be going. It's adults only." Makarov said. "But I would still appreciate you gifting any sufferers of motion sickness with your Troia spell before boarding the ship."
"Awwww. Alright." Wendy pouted.
"No pets are allowed either, so no exceeds." Makarov added.
"Lame!" Pantherlily pouted. Happy and Carla sighed as well.
"This also means that Ember, you can not bring Nunu, so your scythe stays here."
"Aww come on! Wait, so I'm going?" Ember gasped.
"Yes."
"No, no no. I hate transportation. I don't want to!" Ember cried out.
"You're going. So is Laxus."
"Dammit old man!" Laxus yelled.
"Alright Makarov enough teasing. Tell everyone who is going that they are going so the rest of us can move on with our lives." Gajeel huffed, crossing his arms.
"Fine, fine. Juvia, Gray, Natsu, Lucy, Lisanna, Bickslow, Freed, Cana, Laxus, Ember, MiraJane, Levy, Gajeel, Freed, and Erza. Porlyusica will also be joining us." Makarov smiled.
"Way to play favorites Master!" Macao laughed.
"Got something to say Macao?" Makarov challenged.
"No sir. Just saying." Macao backed off nervously.
"This is bullshit. I don't want to go on any cruise." Gajeel sneered.
"I think it will be fun!" Levy said starry eyed.
"Anyways, we leave in the morning. Better get packing!" Makarov laughed.
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Ember and Laxus met up with Cana, Freed, Bickslow, and Mira at the dock. They all had their bags packed and were ready to embark on the free cruise. Wendy was standing by to cast Troia on Laxus and Ember so they wouldn't get motion sickness. She had already gotten to Gajeel and Natsu, and they were already on the boat.
The group went over to Wendy so she could cast her spell, and then bid her farewell when she was finished. They could tell the girl was genuinely upset that she couldn't go with her friends, and they felt bad for her. But at the same time, the idea of an adult only week sounded pretty awesome.
They boarded the large ship and met up with the rest of the Fairy Tail members that had been forced to come, as well as the Master and Porlyusica. Why the pink haired healer was going on the trip was anyone's guess. While most of the wizards didn't want to go on the cruise, some of them were actually excited about it. Lisanna, Lucy, Levy, and Erza specifically.
"This is so exciting! I've never been on a cruise like this!" Lisanna chirped.
"The ship is so big!" Levy cooed.
"I wonder what kind of stuff they have on here!" Lucy cheered.
Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel rolled their eyes at the three over excited females. They hung their head and slumped their shoulders. Being forced to stay on a boat in the middle of the ocean was not their idea of a fun time. Juvia was super excited though and kept leaning over the railings at the edge of the ship as they walked to their lodgings. She breathed in the sea air with a huge smile on her face. Water was her element, so being surrounded by it made her feel energized and comfortable.
"Well, I know they definitely have pools." Makarov said.
"Oooh I am definitely going swimming!" Mira said excitedly. She had been so used to the winter weather in Magnolia that the thought of swimming while in the sun brought her spirits up. Freed blushed at the thought of Mira in a bathing suit, so he hid his face.
"Is there a bar?" Cana asked.
"Of course, Cana." Makarov laughed.
"That's all I need to know." Cana smiled.
"There's also a wedding chapel somewhere on the ship." Makarov nodded.
"A chapel?" Erza gasped.
"Why is there a wedding chapel on a cruise ship?" Ember said shocked.
"That's so sweet!" Levy snickered.
At the mention of a wedding chapel, some of the girls minds automatically went into fantasy mode. Images of flowers and wedding dresses, blushing brides and smiling grooms, champagne toasts and a moonlight kiss. Juvia, Erza, and Lucy were the most guilty of this. They had stars in their eyes and their faces were flush. Gray nervously moved away from the girls. He could sense the thoughts Juvia was having, and it made him feel like he should run.
As they walked the ship they recognized some of their friends from other guilds, but they didn'y have time to stop at the moment. They had to bring their luggage to their rooms and get settled in. So they made a note in their minds to make sure to say hi to their friends later. So far they had seen Lyon of Lamia Scale, Kagura and Milliana of Mermaids Heel, Jellal and Cobra of Crime Sorciere, Yukino, Sting, and Rogue of Sabertooth, and Baccus of Quatro Cerberus.
"Hey Cana, Baccus is here." Ember whispered to Cana.
"Oh don't you start with that too." Cana sneered, but she was also blushing. Ember giggled.
"Master! Why didn't you tell me Jellal would be here?" Erza asked.
"Why tell you when I knew the two of you would be drawn together like magnets anyways?" Makarov laughed. Erza blushed.
"Sting and Rogue are here! That's asking for a fight!" Natsu growled.
"Calm down. They are'nt our enemies anymore. And Yukino is here too! I can't wait to catch up with her!" Lucy chirped. Yukino was a fellow Celestial Wizard, and Lucy was excited to see her again.
"This trip is going to be torture." Laxus sighed.
"I think we can probably make the best of it." Ember said, smiling up at him. He smiled back at her and nodded.
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The Fairy Tail wizards finally reached their rooms. Unfortunately for them, the pairings of roommates were not what they were the girls, Lucy, Lisanna, and Ember were in one room. Cana, Mira, and Levy in another. And Juvia and Erza had to share a room with Porlyusica, which was super weird. For the guys it was Makarov, Laxus, and Natsu, much to Laxus's dismay. And Gray, Gajeel, Bickslow, and Freed in another room.
While the roommate situation put out any thoughts of romance at the moment, it brought up a lot of thoughts of awkward situations. A week on a boat full of wizards. No where to escape to. And some of the wizards on the boat were particularly destructive, others awkward, and others to friendly with alcohol. At the very least, the week was looking to turn out rather entertaining for Fairy Tail, and the other guilds involved.