Running through the streets of Magnolia, a barefoot girl of seven was grinning as she glanced behind her shoulder. She did not really understand, herself, why she was smiling; she was in trouble, and she knew it.
"Vajell!" a voice yelled out angrily.
Frowning a little, she turned around, but did not change direction. "It's de'Vajell!" she yelled. "The 'de' is a part of my name, pêche!"
The young boy of nine with the rather unfortunate haircut grew even redder in the face, and seemed to put on a burst of speed.
"Uh-oh." Giggling, Jeanne quickly did an about face, and sprinted down the street, slipping in between crowds whenever she could. When she came across an alleyway, she sharply turned, planning to climb a fire escape, and make her exit via the rooftops.
Unfortunately, the gods had different plans for her.
She smacked straight into a lanky young boy who was coming through the opposite end. She lost her balance, and ended up sitting on the cobblestone street.
"Itai..." she whined, blowing on her scraped hands.
"Watch where you're going, kid," the boy in front of her said.
She looked up, and her sea-green eyes widened. "Ah, Laxus-san!" she cried happily, jumping to her feet. "Perfect timing!" She grabbed his left arm and pulled him to the wall. "Please pretend you've been here a while, and you never saw me!"
"What? Why would I-?" But before the blonde thirteen-year-old could protest more, Jeanne screwed her eyes shut in concentration.
"Conceal Magic: Dissolve!" Slowly, she began to disappear in front of his eyes, but he could still feel her pressed against his side. He also noticed a slight outline, her shadow and the tips of her fingers were still visible.
"Where did she go?" Laxus looked up and saw three boys in the mouth of the alley, looking around wildly.
"I don't see her ahead, she must've gone through here," one decided.
Another, with a really bald head, saw Laxus leaning against the wall. "Onii-san, did you see a girl run through here?"
Laxus looked at the child with a raised brow. "Nope, no one has passed me. Why?"
He became really red, and muttered, "No reason. " Laxus felt one of the girl's hands leave his shirt, but judging by the elbow jutting into his back and the slightest of snickers that reached his ears, she was using it to cover up her mouth. "Come on, guys, let's keep looking ahead, maybe we missed her."
As the three children left, he felt the pressure against his side lift. Glancing down, he saw the fingertips floating in midair. As he looked closer, he also noticed some strands of hair were glinting, seemingly frozen in place.
"Darn it," a voice grumbled. Soon, a very disgruntled face appeared, staring at her fingers, which slowly grew into hands, then arms. Seconds later, the entire body of the girl was in front of him. "I still can't do it all the way!" She stomped her foot in frustration. She looked up, and saw Laxus staring at her. "Thanks for your help, Laxus-san. A bientôt!"
She was about to run off, in the opposite direction of her pursuers, when Laxus spoke.
"How do you know me?" Jeanne turned and faced him with a curious look. "I'm damn sure I don't know you, so how do you know me?"
She still smiled, but her eyes held confusion. "I think everyone knows Laxus Dreyer of Fairy Tail. You're kind of amazing, you know? I think that you're probably the strongest one there, at least the strongest kid."
He narrowed his eyes. "Why, 'cause I'm the grandson of the Master?"
Confusion increasing, she now frowned. "No... Even I can feel how powerful you are. Didn't you train yourself for that?" Her eyes widened in fear as she asked, "Attends, is it 'cause of your family that you're so strong? Does this mean that I'll never be completely invisible? Because Maman and Papa don't practice magic, so does that mean that I can't get stronger, either?" She brought her hands to her head, and her eyes began to water. "I really want to, but I promised I wouldn't until I'm better… Can I never join, then?"
Laxus stiffened, uncomfortable with the sight. Join what, exactly? "Yeesh, don't cry! I never said that. You might get stronger if you practice."
She looked at him with a worried look. "Vraiment?"
"Sure, whatever."
"D'accord." She smiled in relief and wiped at her eyes. "I gotta go, now. A bientôt!"
"Hold up, kid. What did you do to them? Those boys. I helped you out, so you could at least tell me."
Jeanne staggered a bit, having pushed hard off her feet to gather momentum. Frowning, she spun around, hands on her hips. "My name is not 'kid.' It's Jeanne de'Vajell. Remember that name! It's the name of someone who will be in Fairy Tail, as well!"
Laxus scowled. "You? In Fairy Tail?" Is that what she was crying about? She wants to be a part when she's older?
Jeanne frowned deeper. That tone was totally a 'no way can this brat ever join such an amazing place!' kind of tone. She stomped up to him. "Moi. In Fairy Tail. As soon as I can become completely invisible, I am going to join! Then I can help Maman and Papa way more than I can now." She turned and strutted off. Before she got far, though, she started giggling. "To answer your question, I called Shotarou-kun bald. He didn't like that." She began laughing even harder. "But his mama gave him such a funny haircut! He's only got peach hair left! Il est un pêche! And he started it, anyway," she continued, reaching into her pocket. "He called my baby brother a monkey."
She pulled out a crumpled picture of an infant, tiny and pink, with a squashed face. Laxus had to admit, he did resemble a monkey.
"Lucien is only two weeks old, and he is still the most beautifullest Lucien ever." She unceremoniously shoved the picture back into her pocket. "I'm gonna be late for work now! Thanks again for saving me. Au revoir!"
As the girl ran off, Laxus wondered: what sort of job could such a child have?
And as he thought of her claim to join his guild, he pondered. Maybe, Fairy Tail could use such a strong child.