A Chance Encounter (A side story of High School Life), a fairy tail fanfic

Authors Note:

Hey, guys!This is kind of a side story of High School Life, my other story. This happens some time afterward... I will copy and update it to High School Life when the time is right ;) This chapter is actually for my best friend, it's her birthday today :) And to my best friend/sister, I just want to say thank you so much for your support throughout the year! You are the best friend I've ever had! I made this story especially for you ;) So hope you enjoy it! Wish you luck in every examination and stuff this year, and most importantly, happy birthday to you! As for the other readers, I hope you all will enjoy this story as well :) Remember to leave a review! XD

A Chance Encounter

"We're finally here, Lu-chan!" Levy exclaimed happily. She dances around lightly before sighing happily, "The air felt so refreshing!" Lucy giggles while exiting the bus, "I'm so excited! It's our first trip together!" Loke nods and states, "Indeed, milady. We will have to savor the feeling of being together. It will only be a one-day trip, though... Thinking of it makes me disappointed."

Lucy frowns, "Are you expecting something?" Loke ponders, "Well, I was thinking if I could have the chance to sleep with you, milady, and maybe gets to..." A blow to his head makes him stop and mutters an "Ow..." He turns around and said angrily, "What the hell, Gray?!" Gray narrows his eyes, "Don't flirt with Lucy, man."

Loke snorts, "And what does that have to do with you?" Gray sigh, "Just be grateful that Natsu's still on the bus. Otherwise, it won't be just a blow to your head." Loke rubs his head soothingly but said nothing else as he realized that Gray's right. He may even end up in the hospital.

Natsu sigh as he exited the bus, "Finally! Akane Beach! It's been so long. My knees are really stiff." Lucy smiles while stretching her hands out, "Me too. It's already been an hour." Levy sigh happily as she clutches a book within her arms, "But at least I finished this book. You've finished yours too, right, Lu-chan?" Lucy nods while smiling.

Gajeel snorts, "It has already been two hours, bookworms! Seriously, both of you forget the time whenever you're reading." Lucy and Levy blink in surprise, "Two hours...?" They stare at each other and frowns as they said in unison, "Has it been that long?"

Gray pipes in, "But thanks to that two hours, flamehead and I have done the lyrics in our latest song." Natsu yawns, "It's really annoying, but we manage to make it." Lucy gawks at him, "That's impressive!" Natsu blushes slightly and looks away from her admiring stare, "Y...You think so?"

Loke interrupts them abruptly, "Jellal and I even have some ideas for our new songs." Natsu grins while hearing that, "Great job, bro! We could really use that idea." Erza nods in approval, "All of you have managed your time well. I too have finally finished my whole strawberry cake while savoring every bite of it."

Everyone sweatdrop while Lucy smiles, "Good for you, nee-san!" Levy entwines Lucy's and her hand while saying excitedly, "Lu-chan, let's go to the booksh..." Erza interrupts, "All right! Since all members of Blazing Bright are here, let's start this trip by going to Rising Star Cafe! It's the most famous cafe in Fiore. And I heard they sell the best strawberry cake too!"

Levy huffs as her sentence got interrupted. And just when she was about to spend the whole day in the library with Lu-chan! Loke said dryly, "Erza, you just ate one whole cake." Erza shrugs, "I don't see a problem to that." Gajeel mutters to Natsu, "She will probably get fat one of these days..."

Suddenly, Erza raises her eyebrow, "What did you say, Gajeel?" Natsu butts in as he saw Gajeel pales instantly, "Urm...He asked if that strawberry cake is really that delicious..."

...

Wrong answer. Erza grabs the collar of Gajeel's shirt threateningly and snarls, "What are you trying to imply, bastard?!" Gajeel cried out, "Wha...? I didn't say that!" Erza's crimson eyes pierce right through Gajeel's pure black eyes, "Then What. Did. You. Say?" Gajeel grunts, "I just said that you will probably get..."

His breath hitched as he just realized what EXACTLY is he saying. He glances around for help, only to find everyone sweatdropping while Natsu on the other hand, stares at him like he's an idiot. (Gajeel swearing his revenge on him that instant. It's Salamander's fault and yet he's the one being punished! At least choose a better answer, for god's sake!)

Gajeel coughs, "Ahem...I mean, let's go to the Rising Star Cafe!" Erza tightens her grip and hiss, "Don't you dare lie to me! That's not what you said!" Gajeel squeaks, "W...What? That's what I said! Right, Natsu?"

Natsu, sensing Gajeel's silent curse and glare earlier, promptly cocks his head and asks, "Is that what you said? I thought you said you think Erza will probably get..." Gajeel yells, "Shut up, Salamander!" Natsu rolls his eyes while smiling to himself slyly, "You asked me."

Before Gajeel can lunge at Natsu, Erza growls, "So? I will probably get WHAT?!" Gajeel widens his eyes in fear and stutters, "I...I mean...You will probably get... The... The strawberry cake you wanted!" Erza frowns, "And why would you think that?"

Gajeel trembles in fear as his mind races with an answer... ANY answer, "Because...because...urm... Because there probably won't be any people there..."

...

And again, the wrong answer. Natsu stifles a laugh while Jellal facepalmed. This is worse than Natsu's answer. Erza unsheaths her katana (Why would she bring that here in the first place?!) and bellows, "How dare you! That cake is the best in the world, THE BEST IN THE WORLD! AND YOU DARE BESMIRCH THE VIRTUE OF IT! PREPARE TO DIE, YOU..."

Her sentence is interrupted by a loud meow. All of them snap their head towards Gajeel's bag. A black cat's head pops out, and it's trying furiously to scramble out of the bag. Lucy exclaims, "Hey! It's your cat! Come here, sweetie."

The black cat springs towards Lucy and nuzzles her while purring. All of them stare at it, speechless. Jellal groans, "You brought a CAT to a BEACH?! Seriously, Gajeel. What's wrong with you?" Levy exclaims, "Jellal's right! You should have carried it, not put it in a BAG! Oh poor thing, it must be hard to breathe inside there, right?" Jellal sweatdrop as he mutters to himself, "That's not the point..."

Gajeel exclaims, "Hey! I left a small hole for him to breathe, you know!" Erza narrows her eyes and barks, "YOU! YOU BROUGHT A CAT TO A BEACH, AND ON OUR FIRST TRIP TOO!" Gajeel yelps, "What can I do?! My dad is away! Unlike Salamander and that kid, no one can look after the cat!"

Wendy frowns, "That's right, mom and dad look after Happy and Carla..." Natsu crosses his arms and state simply, "Then just throw it out." Gajeel grits his teeth and is just about to punch Natsu when Erza's grip on his collar, along with her katana reminded him of his position. Luckily for him, Wendy pleads Erza, "Erza-san, please allow Gajeel-san's cat to stay. I mean, I would bring Carla here too, if no one would be looking after her."

Erza sigh in annoyance, "Oh fine. But Gajeel, you should reflect on your actions as well. This will not happen again, is that clear?!" Gajeel nods his head furiously, "Yes, of course." As Erza walks on ahead, Gajeel smirks to himself and picks up his cat, "Oh, you have no idea how grateful I am to you. Thank God I brought you here!"

As soon as he said that, Erza kick him in the stomach with all her might, launching him to a kilometer ahead. Natsu broke out into a laughter along with Gray and Loke. Jellal and Lucy sweatdrop while Wendy gasps. Levy frowns in concern, "Oh dear, I wonder if he's alright..." Wendy stammers, "Erza-san...Urm...I think that's a bit...too hard..." Erza shrugs, "Really? I think it's perfect. He should be grateful to me actually. That's the exact location of Rising Star Cafe."

As everyone makes their way towards the cafe along the beach, Lucy chat with Jellal, whom she thinks is the most sensible one among her bandmates, "Jellal, do you need help with that guitar?" Jellal smiles at her, "It's okay, I can handle it." Lucy sigh, "Seriously, why do you guys bring all those instruments on a trip?" Jellal chuckles, "We often got some ideas when we're on a trip, especially Natsu."

Lucy blushes at that, "Natsu, huh? He's always good with the guitar. He's well... passionate in music, I guess." Jellal asks, "You like him, don't you?" Lucy shakes her head instantly as her face blushed a deep red, "NO! We're just...We're just friends, bandmates... Oh Mavis, don't tell me you're going to tease me too!" Jellal chuckles, "Hey, it's okay. I'm not teasing you. It's just that... It's kinda obvious to us. You might not be clear with your feelings, but sometimes you should think about it."

Lucy frowns, "My feeling for Natsu..." She has never seriously thought about that. Maybe she should listen to Jellal's advice... Lucy shakes her head to herself, 'We're just friends, we're just friends. There's nothing to think about.' Jellal asks in concern, "Lucy, are you alright?"

Lucy nods her head, "I'm alright! Just...Urm... What about your feelings towards Erza-nee?" Jellal blinks, "Erza...?" Lucy smiles, "Yes, I'm interested in your answer." Jellal blushes, "Well, I...Urm...I guess I kinda like her..." Lucy gasps, "I KNEW IT!"

Everyone turn their head and Erza asks, "What's wrong, Lucy?" Natsu frowns suspiciously, "Jellal?" Jellal stutters, "Urm...We're talking about the cat." Lucy agrees at once, "Yes, the cat. It's urm... It's not with us, right?"

Gray rubs the back of his head, "Now that you mentioned it, it's not here..." Wendy cried out in horror, "Oh no! We left it behind, didn't we? Poor cat!" Erza suddenly points out to the waves and said, "That must be it."

All of them turn to see the black cat sitting there licking its paw while a huge wave is about to drown it. Levy screams while Wendy shrieks in horror, "It's gonna drown! Natsu-nii!" Before anyone can rush to its safety, Erza pulls out her katana (out of nowhere) and stops them, "Don't. I wanna see what happens."

Everyone shudders while Wendy tugs at Natsu's sleeve and hiss, "Do something, Natsu-nii!" Natsu hisses back quietly, "Oh hell no! I'm not suicidal." Lucy cried out, "Erza-nee! Please just..." She stops when the black cat finally looks up and saw the wave. Lucy sigh in relief, "Oh thank Mavis he noticed."

But to their surprise, the black cat JUMP INTO the wave, making everyone's jaw dropped. After a few minutes, Erza nods her head in approval, "That's really brave of him, I have to say." Natsu and Gray said shakily, "I changed my mind. He is suicidal, after all."

Jellal facepalmed, "I wonder what would Gajeel said... Wait, I don't even want to think about it." Erza shrugs, "It's his fault after all. I'm sure he will learn from this experience and will never bring a cat to school NOR on a trip again."

Wendy wails, "Wa...That's cruel!" Natsu comforts the sobbing girl while sighing, "Sorry, Wendy, this is Erza we are talking about, after all." Wendy shakes her head while sniffing, "It's not your fault, Natsu-nii. I want to come here with you myself. I just wish..." Lucy pats Wendy's head and smiles, "Cheer up, Wendy! I'm sure the cat will be fine! I just prayed to Mavis just now, I'm sure she will help the cat out somehow!"

Wendy wipes her tears while asking, "Urm... I've been wondering about it but... Who exactly is Mavis? Is she a goddess or something?" Lucy giggles, "Oh no, she's more than that! She's a fairy!" Wendy's face lit up as she asks excitedly, "A fairy?! Does she have wings? Does she have ears like us? Or is it a kind of pointed ears like an elf? Does she have tails? How many?" Lucy holds Wendy's hand and walks with her while explaining who Mavis is.

Seeing Wendy's happy face makes Natsu smiles, that's what he likes about Lucy. She's able to cheer anyone up whenever they are depressed.

When they finally arrive Rising Star Cafe, Levy is the first to search for Gajeel whereas almost everyone forgets his existence. After a few good minutes, Levy wails, "He's not here, Lu-chan! Where could he be?"

"Maybe you should take a look at the tree, he may be stuck there," Gray suggests. Natsu ponders, "Hmm...Maybe somewhere on the roof?" Loke sigh, "You should look out to the sea." Jellal sweatdrops, "You should just ask the employees, Levy." Levy sniffs, "But I have already done all that... Except Jellal's."

Lucy suddenly came running towards them and exclaims, "The cashier said Gajeel is in the infirmary! Let's go!" Levy sigh relief, "Oh thank God! I was so worried!" All of them rush into the infirmary and saw Gajeel with his knees bandaged. A girl taking care of him exclaims, "Ah, you must be his friends! I'm sorry to say that he has a bruised knee. But he's alright now!"

Levy hugs him tightly while Lucy sighs in relief. Natsu, Gray, and Loke rub the back of their heads and mutters to themselves, "Just a bruised knee? That's weird..." Gajeel barks, "Hey! I can hear you, you know!" Erza looks dissatisfied as she asks, "I would like to know the reason too. I can't believe that all I can do is just a bruise knee."

The girl sweatdrops as Gajeel explains, "I landed in the sea as you kicked me. But unfortunately, my knee slammed against the rocks. Luckily, the workers here saw me and helped me out." Wendy hugs him, "Thank goodness you are alright, Gajeel-san!" Gajeel ruffles Wendy's hair, "I'm tough, kiddo. You should know that."

Gajeel tried to get up with Levy's help while asking, "So, where is my cat?"

That instant, a silence occurred as everyone looks uneasy. Levy is the first to break the silence, "Urm... You see... Your cat is...someone is taking care..." Before she gets to finish her sentence, Erza interrupts as she places her hand on Gajeel's shoulder and nods to him curtly, "Your cat dies a hero, risking its life for my own entertainment. It deserves a well-built grave along with a will."

...

Everyone facepalmed at that. Levy, Lucy, and Wendy had already covered their ears and prepared for the worse. Gajeel looked as if his soul has escaped as he asks quietly, "What did you say?" Levy stammers nervously, "No no, it's... It's not what you think it is..." Natsu sigh and state simply, "You cat died jumping into a wave."

Gajeel widens his eyes. His jaw dropped. His body froze...

After a few good minutes, he suddenly yells as he tried to lunge at his so called friends (His knee still hurts), " Why you! Why didn't any of you stopped him?!" Gray rolls his eyes, "Dude, it's Erza. We are not suicidal." Erza crosses her arms and said, "But at least you learned that you shouldn't bring a pet on a trip with us."

Gajeel roars, "YOU MAD WOMAN! I'M SO GONNA...LET ME GO SQUIRT!" A tick mark appeared in Levy's head as she hisses, "What did you just call me?!" Lucy places her hand reassuringly at Levy's hand and soothes her at once, "He didn't mean it, Levy-chan."

Erza on the other hand, raises her eyebrow and asks daringly, "You're gonna what?" Gajeel growls in reply, "Oh, I will slam you against the iron pillar and knock you out! The next thing you know you will be drowned in the sea! That's what you get for drowning my poor cat!"

Erza simply rolls her eyes while Wendy looks like she's going to cry, "G...Gajeel-san... That's really horrible!" Gajeel ruffles her hair and smirks at her, "Don't worry kiddo. I will blindfold you beforehand."

Wendy wails, "That's not going to help at all!" Erza hugs Wendy in a comforting embrace, "Now now, that's not going to happen. He's just an amateur, he can't..." Gajeel cried out in annoyance, "Amateur?! OH, I WILL SHOW YOU!"

Once again, he struggles to leap to his feet and dash towards Erza. Jellal pins him down on his bed tightly and said, "Calm down, Gajeel." Gajeel shoves him off and yells, "STOP MEDDLING, BASTARD!"

...

Natsu widens his eyes in horror. Loke gapes at him. Gray's jaw dropped. Levy covers her eyes knowingly. Wendy went silent. Lucy helps Jellal up in concern. Jellal winces a little. And Erza...

Erza unsheathes her katana in fury and yells, "HOW DARE YOU! HE'S JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU, AND YET YOU DID WHAT?!" Gajeel blinks to himself, "H...Huh?" He looked over to Jellal and only then does the color drained from his face. He mutters to himself, "Oh shit." The most important thing you HAVE to know being a student in Fairy Tail High, NEVER insult Jellal Fernandez whenever Erza Scarlet is around.

Within a minute, cries of mercy and shouts of terror could be heard in the infirmary. Natsu has already pulled her sister, Wendy outside before she could hear them. Levy follows Natsu outside. Gray and Loke turned their backs while Lucy had decided it's all Gajeel's fault and that he has to face the punishment while pulling Jellal out of the infirmary. All of them shudder as the katana make contact with Gajeel for numerous time.

At long last (which is just a minute in reality), the cried ended. Gray dared to peek at the situation, to find Gajeel extremely wounded and Erza sighing in triumph. Erza turns to the horrified girl (the worker of Rising Star Cafe) and said, "I'm sorry for the trouble, but I will leave him in your care. Looks like he will be staying here the whole day."

The speechless girl nods slowly as she's still trying to devour everything. Gray gulps and said, "Hey... Erza... Urm... Lucy said she found a place to sit at the cafe." Erza smiles at him, "Then let's go." Loke sweatdrops, "O...Okay..."

Both of them look at Gajeel in pity before joining Erza and returning to their cheerful selves.

When Erza found the others, Wendy is the first to ask, "Erza-san... Urm... How's Gajeel-san? There's a lot of noise in there just now..." Erza smiles at her, "It's okay, that was just him knocking all over the place due to his headache." Wendy asks worriedly, "Ah, is he alright?" Natsu quickly replies, "Don't bother, Wendy. He will be alright."

Erza looks around and said, "Even so, I still can't believe there are no people here. This cafe is really famous..." Levy laughs awkwardly, "Maybe it's still early? There should be tons of people here in the evening." Gray frowns, "Really?" Lucy whispers to him, "No, actually we can't find a place here. This place is actually fully-packed. Once they heard Gajeel's screaming they left in a hurry, that's why..." Gray sweatdrops, "I... I see..."

A waiter hurried up to their tables and asks, "Yes, what would you like?" Jellal replies, "Three coffees, two teas, a hot chocolate and two lattes, please." Erza adds, "And a whole strawberry cake." The waiter jots down the orders until he stops, "Urm... Sorry, miss, we're out of strawberry cake."

The instant he said that, Erza felt the world crashing down suddenly. The waiter looks uneasy as Erza froze and did not say a word. Natsu coughs slightly, "T...That will be all." The waiter nods and went off, leaving Erza to deal with her shock.

Lucy breaks the silence, "There are more people here now." Levy glance up and comments, "You're right. Seven tables are already full in such a short time. Guess this is a really popular place." Loke's face lit up at once as he saw a few hot girls chatting to one another. He stands up smoothly and winks at Lucy, "I will be there if you need me."

Natsu rolls his eyes as Lucy sigh, "He's going to flirt again..." All of them stare at Loke. He casually sits beside them and winks at them when they notice his presence, making them blush. Soon, all of them begin to chat, and some of them blush at his pick-up line.

Levy shakes her head, "Seriously, I can't understand why girls would fall for him." Everyone (except Erza and Wendy) replies in unison, "I don't too." Wendy blinks in surprise, "But Loke-san is handsome, isn't he? I mean, I may fall for him if he ever..." Everyone stares at her in horror while Natsu grabs her shoulders and hisses, "Don't! He's just a trash. You're way more than him, Wendy."

Luckily, the awkward conversation stopped when the waiter arrived with their drinks. Wendy sips on her hot chocolate silently, wondering why everyone's gaze is on her. That's when Erza suddenly mutters, "No strawberry cake..."

Lucy sweatdrops, "Urm... Erza-nee?" Erza's body trembles as she whispers to herself, "And just when I really looked forward to it too..." Suddenly, Jellal produces a slice of strawberry cake from his bag and handed it to Erza. He blushes slightly while smiling, "I bought this just now in all the ruckus (When everyone left in a hurry). Here."

Erza blushes in shades of red before she accepts it meekly and whispers, "T...Thank you, Jellal." Everyone couldn't help but smile at that. Erza took a bite and moan at the flavor. She exclaims, "This is really delicious!" Jellal cracks a smile at Erza's happy face.

However, before Erza could take another bite, Loke who is flirting with the girls, accidentally knock Erza with his back while he's trying to get close to a sexy brunette. And of course, that knock off his made the cake Erza's eating fall down the table and creates a huge mess on the floor.

Everyone froze.

Loke turns around to apologize, oblivious to everything, "Ah, sorry, Erza. I didn't mean to urm... interrupt you. I was just..." Erza's body trembles slightly while she asks quietly, "... What did you do?" Loke frowns, "Huh?" He peers over to see a slice of cake on the floor. And worse, it was trampled. (A certain customer exclaims in disgust at the mess under her shoe)

Tears suddenly form on Erza's eyelids as her chocolate brown eyes turn watery.

Everyone froze. Yet again.

Loke gulps and prepares for the worst. No one and exactly NO ONE has ever seen Erza cried (Except Jellal... And maybe her family...) Jellal's breath hitched at the sight. Somehow, it pains him in the heart. Despite her tears, Erza grits her teeth and narrows her eyes at Loke. If looks could kill, Loke's soul would have already turned to dust by the hatred in her eyes.

But this time, no one pity Loke at all (Except Wendy... She's too kind.) After all, this is the first time Jellal has bought something for Erza. It's the first time that Erza has felt so delighted. And the fact that Loke has demolished it and made Erza cry did not help at all.

And the next thing he knew, he was badly beaten, bruised, slashed, tore, and he could literally hear his bone cracking. Everyone in the cafe ran out in a hurry again. This is worse than he thought. But even worse, he was tossed out into the sea. THE SEA. Oh dear lord, just when he doesn't know how to swim!

Erza sigh as the anger bubbling inside her finally disappear. She was so looking forward to the cake that Jellal has bought for her. Jellal grasps Erza's hand and said, "Don't worry, I will buy another cake for you." Erza shakes her head and dried up her tears while suddenly feeling ashamed for crying. She smiles radiantly, making Jellal's heart skip a beat, "It's okay, just a bite is enough for me, Jellal." Jellal blushes in different shades of red at that.

Meanwhile, Wendy watched everything in horror. Partly her brother's fault to begin with. Natsu was so captivated by the scene, making him forgot to cover his sister's eyes. Wendy asks in a whisper, "L...Loke-san is going to be fine... right? Surely he knows how to swim?" Natsu and Gray answer in unison, "Nope, that playboy definitely doesn't know how to swim. He's doom for sure." Levy adds, "Plus his injuries, I doubt he will even be able to swim."

Wendy wails, "Wha...! But that's so cruel! Loke-san didn't do it on purpose! He... He can't die now!" Natsu hugs his sister and comforts, "Now now, don't cry, Wendy. This is what he gets for messing real bad with Erza."

Wendy shakes herself out from Natsu's grasp and rushes to Erza's side, "Erza-san! Please don't let Loke-san die! He didn't do it on purpose!" Erza's eyes twitched, "That bastard deserves it." Wendy stares at Erza with her teary chocolate brown eyes pleadingly, "But...!"

After a few good minutes of persuading, Erza finally gives in to Wendy's irresistible puppy eyes. She sighs, "Oh fine, maybe this torture is enough for him." Wendy cheers silently as Erza walks to the cafe... Huh?

Erza grabs a long wooden bench and breaks apart the four legs. She then throws the long, flat piece of wooden to the sea, successfully knocking Loke in the head. Wendy, Lucy, and Levy gawk at the scene, "You said you are going to save him!"

Erza shrugs, "I am, when the wood hits him, he will fall unconscious, and he won't struggle at all. That way, his body will float on the surface, allowing him to breathe. When he comes to his conscious, he could just grab the piece of wood and swim over here. Then he will be fine."

Everyone sweatdrop at that logic. Natsu, Gray, and Jellal bow their head towards where Loke is. Gray sigh, "You are an awfully great buddy of mine, Loke. To think that you can't even finish your high school... Goodbye, my bro."

Natsu said, "You are a great guitarist, Loke. Blazing Bright owe it to you, really. Don't worry, we will build a grave for you. Hey, you like tabby cats, right? Maybe we will buy you one and let it stay near your grave. That way you can play with it. Rest in peace, Loke."

Jellal averts his gaze, "I can't say you don't deserve it, as you have made Erza cry. But thank you for everything you've done for us. You know, it would be really troublesome trying to explain your death to your parents... Anyway, I bid farewell to you, Loke Celestial."

Right after that, Gray and Natsu are checking up a name list. Lucy peers in curiosity, "What's that?" Natsu smiles at her, "Hey Luce, just some names that can replace Loke in Blazing Bright. They're not as talented as Loke, but they will do."

Lucy exclaims, "You guys have already gone that far?!" Gray raises his eyebrows, "What? Do you really think Erza's logic is going to work?" Lucy winces slightly, "Urm... 99% impossible and 1% not sure?" Natsu nods his head, "Yup, there's no way it's possible, and even you know it." Lucy facepalmed, "Alright, alright, just... go on."

Suddenly, a girl, the worker of the cafe, walks up to Erza timidly, "Urm... I'm sorry, miss, but... I'm afraid you will have to pay for that table and for all the trouble you caused. Our customer ran away... for the second time." Erza frowns, "I'm sorry for that, but I'm afraid I do not have enough money to pay all that."

Natsu walks up to them and asks, "What's the matter?" The girl, upon seeing Natsu, gasps, "Ah! That pink hair... You're Natsu Dragneel, aren't you?!" Natsu raises his eyebrows, "Yes I am, how would you know?" The girl exclaims, "I'm a great fan of Blazing Bright! Of course, I know!"

An idea hit her as she squeals, "I know! I know! Why don't all of you perform here this evening? Everyone is a fan of yours! And not to mention that way you can make up for all the trouble you caused." Wendy pipes in, "A performance here? Let's do it, Natsu-nii! I've never seen you perform LIVE!"

Natsu ponders for a moment, "Wait... This will be Luce's first time performing, won't it?" Lucy gulps, "Urm... I guess? If there's a piano..." The girl said, "Yes, there's one here! It's a grand piano the manager bought. You are free to use it!"

Lucy sweatdrops, "Urm... Well... I don't think I should..." Natsu interrupts, "Then we're in!" The girl jumps up in joy and said excitedly, "Thank you! I'm going to tell the manager now!"

Natsu sigh, "But without Loke, I'm not sure what song are we going to perform..." Jellal said, "I brought both my guitar and electric guitar with me. I can take his place." Natsu frowns, "But without him... Somehow it felt weird." Levy said, "Don't fret, Natsu. You can decide that later. There's still plenty of time. But this is a great chance to let Blazing Bright shine once more." Lucy squeaks, "But... Urm... Gajeel-san won't be playing with us, right?"

Natsu groans, "Yes, you're right. He won't. This is harder than I thought." Erza said, "Leave that for later, Natsu. Now, let's just enjoy the sea!" Within a minute, Erza has changed into her bathing suit, a pair of red bikinis. Levy appears in a pair of orange bikinis while Lucy in a pair of blue bikinis. Wendy, on the other hand, appears in a blue swimsuit. The guys merely take off their shirt and they're all ready to jump into the sea.

Wendy giggles as Gray splashed some water at her. Erza and Jellal are having a swimming competition while Levy joins in the water fight between Wendy and Gray. Natsu asks, "You're not going to join, Luce?" Lucy shakes her head and smiles, "Later, I will just stay here for now. Why don't you go in, Natsu?" Natsu clears his throat, "Urm... I will stay here with you. I don't feel like playing in the water too."

Lucy smiles to herself at Natsu's company. Both of them stay under the beach umbrella while drinking some iced lemonade. While drinking, Lucy dares herself to peek at Natsu. His well-toned chest and those six-abs muscles make her blush and avert her gaze at once.

Unnoticed by Lucy. Nastu too peeks at her. Her long, smooth golden hair and her perfect curves make Natsu blush too. Suddenly, two guys approach Lucy as they tried to hit on her, "Hey there, blonde. Are you free tonight? We could hang out if you want." Lucy looks uneasy as she replies politely, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not free tonight."

The guy nudge her and smirks, "Oh come on, surely you're not the shy type?" The other guy pulls her up and said, "Come with us now, I'm sure you will like it." The first guy winks at her, "You're gonna have fun with us, don't worry."

Natsu, who could not hold back anymore, stands up abruptly and hold on to Lucy's hand while growling, "Back off, man. She's mine." Lucy turned scarlet while the two guys, upon seeing Natsu's serious expression, let go of Lucy at once and stutters, "I... I'm sorry, man. I wasn't doing anything, I swear." Both of them scurry off in top speed at Natsu's hard glare.

Lucy smiles at Natsu, "Thank you, Natsu." Natsu sigh, "Seriously, there's guys like these everywhere." Lucy giggles, "It kinda reminds me of you when I first met you." Natsu raises his eyebrow in surprise, "Really?" Lucy explains, "I saw you at the school gates with... Gray, I think. That time a lot of girls are surrounding you guys." Natsu laughs at that, "Oh, you mean that time. The day when we first met in class, right?" Lucy nods in reply.

Both of them watch the scenery peacefully. The dazzling rays of the sun and the breezy weather make Lucy's golden hair shone brightly. The sight of her somehow makes Natsu blushes. Natsu states, "You know, Luce, I'm really grateful to be able to meet you. I'm really glad that both of us attend Fairy Tail High."

Lucy beams at him, "Me too! Maybe it's... Urm... Fate?" Lucy inwardly facepalmed at that word. Oh, Mavis, those books she has read is definitely getting into her! Natsu however, smiles, "Rather than fate... I'd say it's... A chance encounter." Lucy's cheeks turned pink as she mutters, "That's... That sounds nice."

Natsu squints his eyes at his bandmates. He exclaims, "Seems like they're engaging in a water fight or something. Let's go join them, Luce!" Lucy stands up, stretches her body before calling out, "Alright, I'm coming!"

Meanwhile, Wendy shivers in fear as she hides behind a rock. This isn't the playful water fight that she's hoping, this is clearly a battlefield! Gray and she are supposed to be facing Jellal, Erza, and Levy. And now, Gray is hiding somewhere while thinking of a strategy.

Erza is lurking around dangerously, hunting for them. Wendy shudders at the thought. Jellal... Somehow, she could feel his gaze toward her back, which is actually a rock. Oh, that guy knows where they're hiding all right! If it isn't for his pity towards them for having to face Erza Scarlet, they would have been hunted down by now.

Speaking of which, Wendy has not seen Levy at all. She looks around before her gaze landed on a high rock... She facepalmed almost at once. Ahead of her, sitting on a high rock while dangling her legs in the air, was Levy McGarden, reading her book quietly.

Wendy felt like crying. If it wasn't for Lucy staying with her brother and both of them having a nice, romantic atmosphere, she would have dragged her brother in the fight as well. Suddenly, a voice sounded beside her, "Psst! Wendy! Wendy!" Wendy almost shrieks in surprise at that. She places her hand around her beating chest as she recognized the raven-haired male. She sighs in relief, "Oh it's you, Gray nii-san."

Gray grasps her hand and reassures her, "It's alright, Wendy. We will claim victory no matter what. Trust me." Wendy silently groans to herself. If it isn't for Gray Fullbuster, she would have surrendered without hesitation by now! Gray said, "We will target Levy since Jellal is actually quite strong and agile. The reason we don't target Erza... Well, you know it. Anyway, once Levy surrenders, it would be our win."

Another voice joins in, "That's smart, but be careful, Levy-chan isn't as fragile as she looked." Gray and Wendy gasp in shock. Lucy giggles at their fearful expression, "Natsu and I decided to join your team since Wendy's here." Wendy hugs Lucy and wails, "Lucy-san!"

Natsu comments, "Anyway, if you're targeting Levy, make sure you DO NOT EVER drench her book." Gray shudders at that thought, "I still haven't forgotten the last time she turns evil. It was horrifying." Lucy ponders for a while before smirking, "I might have a plan..."

Erza snarls in frustration, just where are those two? Jellal, upon sensing Erza's annoyance, coughs, "Urm... Erza? Maybe you should check behind the rocks." It was then Erza saw a blob of black behind a rock not far from her. Erza grins sadistically, "So that's where Gray's hiding." She stalks across and is just about to pounce on him when she realized that it's just a seaweed disguise.

Without hesitation, Natsu and Gray ambush her from the back and started splashing the water towards her, making Erza look sideways to avoid getting the water into her eyes. Gray grins like a maniac, "Got you, Erza! In your face!" When Erza recovers from her shock and is just about to counterattack, Natsu and Gray has already swum towards the horizon, making Erza follows at once.

Jellal exclaims, "Erza!" as he saw the ambush. But what he didn't expect is Wendy suddenly splash a handful of water towards him... Okay, that's really awkward. However, Jellal soon found himself unable to move. His body felt weak, but at least he can still open his eyes. Wendy bows her head in apology, "I'm terribly sorry, Jellal-san! I really don't mean it! But I have to do it..."

Jellal whispers as he fell down to his knees, "What... Did you do?" Luckily, the water level is below his head, even with him kneeling. Wendy averts her gaze and stutters, "I just splashed some poison of hydinarus (A plant I create myself... XD) towards you... Don't worry, it only has a paralyzing effect." Jellal curse to himself, "Damn, I forget that you are good in studying plants."

On the other hand, Levy who is peacefully reading her book, got the shock of her life as Lucy appears behind her and snatches her book away. Lucy winks at her, "I will be taking this, Levy-chan!" Levy screams while climbing down the high rock furiously, "Give it back, Lu-chan!" Lucy said, "You're not supposed to be reading while playing a game, Levy-chan."

Suddenly, a big wave swept over them, almost drenching the book. Levy shrieks while Lucy fakes a gasp, "Oh my! Better be careful about your book." Another wave is starting, making Levy cried out, "Okay okay, I won't read it again! Just... stand away!" Lucy frowns, "I can take my time, can't I?"

Levy, now fully knowing what Lucy wants, groans in exasperation, "OKAY I GET IT! jUST GET OUT OF HERE!" Lucy smirks triumphantly and dashes up the surface. The wave merely swept her feet. Levy sigh in relief.

Lucy shouts out, "ADMIT IT!" Levy sigh and yells out, "I, LEVY MCGARDEN, SURRENDE..." She was interrupted by an angry yell instantly, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Levy gulps, that voice... It's Erza, no doubt. And not to mention Erza has already given up on Natsu and Gray. She's now swimming towards her direction... In a crazy speed.

Lucy groans, and now her perfect plan is ruined! Erza is really competitive, and she would never hear of surrendering. Poor Levy stutters in fright, "NO...NO! I DON'T MEAN IT, ERZA! I MEANT I'M...I'M SUR...SURROUNDED BY... THE... THE ENEMY!" Erza appears right behind her and said, "Oh thank heavens. I thought I heard it differently." She smirks at Lucy, "Oh? So you've participated in this fight too, sister."

Lucy shudders, "Urm... I...I guess so?" Natsu and Gray pale at that. They too have been swimming towards Lucy in desperation. However, Erza is faster than them. Luckily, before any harm can be done, Wendy who is watching in horror, cried out loudly, "ERZA-SAN! JELLAL-SAN IS HURT!" Erza stops her actions and saw Jellal kneeling there, his facial expression is really tired.

Jellal curse again when he saw Erza swimming towards him worriedly. His whole body felt weak, and he can't even shout. Jellal groans silently, "Oh my god, Wendy!" Wendy bows her head again and cried out, "I'm sorry! But I have no choice, Jellal-san. Lucy-san is in trouble just now."

Wendy look up to see everyone hurrying their way towards her. She gives them an eye signal to tell them to continue with the plan. Lucy gapes at her in awe while Natsu and Gray give her a thumbs-up. Behind them, Levy asks worriedly, "What happened? Is Jellal alright?"

The three of them glance at her while grinning like a maniac, making Levy stops at once. She sweatdrops, "Urm... Guys?" Lucy states, "You fall into our trap easily, Levy-chan~" Gray smirks, "And now, the real water fight starts." Levy could only mutter, "Oh shit" before water is splashed towards her in almost every direction.

Meanwhile, Erza caught up to Jellal and quickly examines his body, "Your body temperature is alright... But you can't seem to stand up... Jellal?" Wendy quickly excuses herself, "T...Then, Erza-san, I... I will put Jellal-san in your care." Erza nods, "Yes of course. Thank you, Wendy."

Jellal splutters at that. He whispers, "N...No... Don't, Erza. It's all..." Erza frowns and bends down, "What is it, Jellal?" Jellal muster up his remaining strength and gasp, "It's all Wendy's scheme!" Erza froze as she heard that. She turns around to see Levy being targeted and Wendy has already swum to their side. Erza clenches her fist and snarls, "Why them...!"

Levy squeals and shrieks as the others splash water around her. Gray taunts her, "Give up, Levy. Just give up, and everything will be alright." Lucy pipes in, "Gray's right, Levy-chan. GIVE UP." Natsu smirks, "Surrender now, Levy, and we will stop." Wendy who is quietly watching, squeaks, "Urm... Depending on your situation... I too, think that the best way for you is to surrender, Levy-san."

Levy cried out, "But Erza would KILL ME!" Suddenly, everyone stopped their actions. Wendy sigh, "You should have listened to us, Levy-san. Good luck." Lucy winks at her best friend, "Be safe, Levy-chan!" Gray smirks, "Let's see if you can endure this or not." With that, all of them run towards the shore.

Levy stares at them in confusion, "Huh?" She looks sideways to see Erza swimming towards her. She frowns, she has yet to surrender, so why would she be afraid? A gigantic shadow looms over her, and only then does she knows what her friends meant. She turns over to see a gigantic wave in front of her. Standing in front of it, she somehow felt really small... Oh, she's doomed.

The wave splashes down with a huge noise, drenching Levy from the head to toe. The impact makes her dizzy. She was being swept up to the shore to where her friends are. All of them are raising an eyebrow at her. She closes her eyes and sighs in defeat, "I surrender."

Erza, who is kneeling nearby due to the wave, gawks at her while the others cheer. Gray exclaims, "It's our win today! HOORAY!" Natsu high-five with Wendy, "Great job, Wendy! You're the best!" Wendy blushes, "No, it's all because of Lucy-san's plan, you know." Lucy hugs her, "But it's you who saved me. Thank you!"

Jellal, who has recovered, comforts Erza and said, "There's always next time." Erza sigh before she smiles, "You're right." Erza calls out to the others, "Do you guys still want to play?" The others nod their heads while Wendy shakes her head, "No thanks, I think I have enough fun in the water today." Lucy said, "Then I will accompany you to change your outfit, Wendy."

Wendy gives her a grateful smile and walks to the shower room with Lucy. Wendy calls out to Lucy in the shower, "I will take a bath, Lucy-san. You should go back first, I will catch up later." Lucy replies, "Okay, just rest in our seat under that blue beach umbrella when you're ready!"

Soon, Wendy appears in a pale blue sleeveless shirt with a white skirt. She stretches her arms and yawns. That was one hell of an experience for sure! She takes her time to stroll towards where the others are, until...

She saw a figure walking towards where Erza. Erza, who is facing the sea, does not realize anything behind her back. To Wendy's horror, the figure is holding a metal pipe and it's aiming for Erza... He's bringing it up and he's gonna slash it down anytime now...

Surely that couldn't be Gajeel revenging his cat?! Wendy couldn't see clearly, but that bandaged man, looking like a mummy, somehow makes Wendy certain that it's Gajeel Redfox. The distance between them is too far for her to warn Erza. Not wanting to experience yet another murder (The first is Loke), Wendy turns her head and runs away from there as quick as she can.

She mumbles her apology but did not stop as she keeps bumping into the bunch of people there. After a few minutes, she stops and pants for air. She looks up and fears washed over her. In front of her is an unfamiliar road with thousands of shop. She's lost.

She searches for any signboards to help her, but alas to no avail. Tears made its way into her eyes as she wanders about for about half an hour. Suddenly, she bumps into a raven-haired boy. She mumbles an apology, "S...Sorry..." The boy, however, grabs her hand and stops her.

The boy asks worriedly, "Hey, are you alright? Are you... crying?" Wendy shakes her head and stutters, "N... No, I'm not. The dust just... gets into my eyes." The boy frowns, "You're lying, aren't you? Your tears have already fallen." Wendy gasp as she realized that her tears have already fallen down her cheeks.

The boy pulls her along with him and smiles at her, "Hey, don't cry. Come on, I will cheer you up. What's your name?" Wendy sniffs, "I...I'm Wendy... Wendy Dragneel." The boy grins at her, "My name's Romeo, nice to meet you, Wendy." Wendy blushes at Romeo's grin. She manages a smile as she allows Romeo to lead the way.

Soon, Romeo leads her to an ice-cream shop. He exclaims, "I heard that this shop sells the best ice-cream! You should try it too." Wendy cringes at that, "I... I don't have any money with me..." Romeo smiles at her, "Then I would pay for you. What flavor would you like?" Wendy shakes her head and protest, "You don't have to! That's just..." Romeo turns to the worker of the shop and said, "Two vanillas, please."

Wendy smiles happily as she was given three scoops of vanilla ice-cream in an ice-cream cone. She smiles at Romeo, "Thank you so much, Romeo." Romeo smiles back, "You're welcome, Wendy! Hey, let's go to the park and enjoy it there."

Sitting on the bench, Wendy's spirit is lifted as she slowly devours the ice-cream. She asks timidly, "Romeo... How do you know that I like vanilla flavor?" Romeo blushes and averts his gaze, "Urm... Well... I like vanilla too, you see..." Wendy turns red and looks away instantly, "Ah I see..."

Romeo asks, "So Wendy, why are you... crying just now?" Wendy sigh and turns depressed almost at once, "I'm lost..." Romeo nods his head in understanding. He asks, "Do you remember your place before? A landmark maybe?" Wendy replies, "I'm on a trip with my brother in a beach, you see." Romeo mutters to himself, "Now that I think of it... Lucy-nee is going on a trip to a beach too, how strange."

Wendy blinks, "Is something wrong?" Romeo shakes his head and said, "It's nothing. A beach, huh?" Wendy asks hopefully, "Do you know where is it?" Romeo winces, "Sorry, you see, I'm new to this place too. I just came in the morning for work. I'm supposed to work here for today. I'm taking a break now" Wendy widens her eyes, "You're working?! Where are you working?"

Romeo brightens up as he exclaims, "I know! I will ask the people there. Come on!" Wendy follows him and soon, they arrive a supermarket. Romeo explains, "I work as a helper here, De Vire Swiss Supermarket."

Romeo asks a worker there, "Hey Wakaba-san! Do you know a beach nearby?" The man named Wakaba replies, "Yes, there's one not far from here. Why? Do you plan on going?" Romeo explains, "No, of course not! Wendy here is lost. It seems like she's from there." Wakaba smiles at Wendy, "Ah I see. If you want, I can drop you off there. It's not far away. Romeo, you wanna come?"

Romeo nods his head and declares, "Until I've seen Wendy safely back to where she was before." Wendy turns scarlet at that statement, making Wakaba snickers. The three of them boarded a car and head off to the beach.

Meanwhile, Gajeel Redfox certainly is ignoring his pain and is fully prepared to slam the pipe against Erza for drowning his poor cat. That's when he remembers that he has to blindfold Wendy. He mumbles, "Oh right, that kiddo..." He stops his action and looks around for Wendy.

After exactly half an hour of searching, Gajeel becomes really worried. Just where could that girl be? He calls out to Natsu, "Hey Salamander! Where's your sister?" Natsu blinks at him, "Gajeel? You're actually alright?! Wait... Why are you carrying that metal pillar?"

Gajeel grunts, "Don't mind that. Where's your sister?" Natsu frowns and glances at their seat, "Huh? I thought she said she will be resting there..." Fear washed over him as he quickly looks around. His eyes widen as he caught no sight of Wendy. He mutters, "Oh no."

Erza, Lucy, Levy and Jellal walk up to them and ask, "What's the matter?" Natsu clenches his fist and cursed, "Damn it! Wendy's gone! Why hadn't I look after her?!" Lucy and Levy exclaim in alarm, "Wendy's gone?!" Gajeel looks uneasy as he said, "I searched for her for about an hour from now. I still can't seem to find her."

Erza orders, "We will search for her again. Jellal, Lucy, you two search the north. Gray, Levy, you two search for the east. Gajeel, Natsu, you two search for the south and I will search for the west." Levy sweatdrops, "Erza, the west is the sea..." Erza raises her eyebrow, "What? She may be drowned there."

Lucy sigh at their argument, "Let's just go and search. We will report here after 15 minutes, okay?" The other agree without objection as they begin to search for the blue-haired girl. Natsu grits his teeth as his eyes skim across the trees and bushes. He would never forgive himself if Wendy disappears. She may be kidnapped for god's sake!

Gajeel too searches around high and low. Although the both of them aren't blood-related, he still thinks Wendy as his important sister. He barks out, "Salamander! Any sight of Wendy?" Natsu replies, "Nope, not at all."

Suddenly, a figure dash towards them and Natsu could feel his breath punched out of his body as someone threw herself into his arms. Gajeel is the first to react, "Wendy! There you are!" Natsu landed on the floor and groans at the pain.

Wendy cries out loud as she hugs her brother. Oh, she misses him so much! The minute she stepped out of the car, she runs towards them in her fastest speed. Natsu, upon realizing it's his sister, hugs her back tightly and asks in concern, "Where have you been, Wendy? We're so worried about you!"

Wendy dries up her tears while explaining, "I was lost in the city just now." Natsu frowns, "Why are you there in the first place?" Wendy sniffs, "I saw a really... horrifying scene, and I can't bear to watch it..." Gajeel growls, "Spill it! Who is that punk that dares to scare you?! I will murder him with my own hands!"

Wendy sweatdrops at that. HE was the one who scared her. But... Wendy tilts her head to see the others running towards them. And Erza Scarlet is among them. Wendy sigh in relief, 'So Gajeel-san did not murder Erza-san.' Wendy fakes a smile, "Oh no, it's just a hallucination."

Lucy hugs Wendy tightly and asks, "Where have you been?!" The others smile at her, glad to have her back safely. Wendy explains, "Well, you see... I... I thought I saw something horrifying, and so I quickly ran away. Somehow I got lost in the city..."

Levy exclaims, "Oh poor you! What happened next?" Wendy smiles at the memory, "A kind guy helped me! He brought me to a famous ice-cream shop and treated me to an ice-cream! And then, he asked his friend to bring me back here."

Lucy gasp, "Oh my!" Wendy nods her head excitedly, "He works at a supermarket too! He's pretty awesome." Natsu's and Gajeel's ear perked up instantly. Natsu forced a smile at Wendy, "What's he like?" Wendy replies, "He's got black hair!"

Gajeel snorts, "Oh, you mean those who wear glasses like nerds?" That comment made Wendy huffs and Levy smacks his head with her book. Wendy argues, "Gajeel-san! Not all people that wear glasses is a nerd. And anyway, he definitely does not wear glasses."

Natsu and Gajeel nod at each other before both of them leave them and went towards another direction. Gray calls out, "Hey idiots! Don't overdo it!" Wendy blinks, "Where are they going, Gray nii-san?" Jellal facepalmed, "Wendy, they're going... " Gray stops Jellal at once, "Woah there, man. She'd better not know it."

Meanwhile, Natsu and Gajeel have already arrived the De Vire Swiss Supermarket. Gajeel growls, "I'm so gonna beat the living shit out of that guy. You heard, right, Salamander? The way that kiddo talk... She's fantasizing him." Natsu cringes at the word but has to agree with him, "Wendy's not allowed to be hit on at this age. She's still innocent."

Gajeel marches in the supermarket and bangs on the counter, "You! Who is it that dares to hit on Wendy?" The worker sweatdrops, "Urm... I'm sorry, but who is Wendy?" Natsu replies, "A blue-haired girl." The worker frowns, "I'm sorry, but no one fits your description here."

Gajeel growls, "Don't you dare lie to me! Call out whoever worker you have! Black hair, no glasses, and below than 40 years old, I believe." The worker stammers, "Now now, please calm down. There's no way..." Suddenly, a guy emerge from the storeroom and said, "Hey, Kenny! What's the problem here?" The worker frowns at the guy, "Where have you been to?! You're supposed to be working, Mest."

The guy named Mest shrug, "I just had some ice-cream. You would never believe it! I saw a blue-haired girl with..." Gajeel snatches his shirt's collar and snarls, "Oh so you are the one huh?" Natsu states, "Black hair, below 40 years old, no glasses, quite good-looking... Yup, he's the one."

The said guy furrows his eyebrows, "I have no memory of meeting you before... What business do you have with me?" Gajeel and Natsu crack their fist and grins deviously, "Oh you don't need to know why. Soon enough, you will learn eventually." The guy could only gulp before...

Lucy sigh, "Won't you guys just tell us where Natsu and Gajeel have gone to?!" Gray shakes his head, "Like I said, it's for your own good." Wendy pleads, "But they've gone for an hour! What if they're lost like me?!" Jellal smiles at her, "That won't happen, don't worry." Levy groans, "JUST TELL US ALREADY! This curiosity is seriously killing me!"

Erza groans, "Can't you all be quiet?! They've gone to beat that guy Wendy met, of course! It's so obvious!" Everyone froze. Gray hiss, "Erza! You aren't supposed to tell them!" Erza shrugs it off. Lucy and Levy facepalmed as they mutter to themselves, "I should have known..."

Wendy's body shook as she stammers, "But...But they can't do that to him! That's unfair!" Wendy then proceeds to rush towards the supermarket (God knows how she remembers!). After about half an hour of running, she bumps into a person again. This time, she landed on the floor. She opens her eyes to see a familiar person rubbing his forehead... "Romeo!"

Romeo blinks and opens his eyes. He exclaims in surprise, "W...Wendy?! Wha...?" Wendy sigh in relief, "Oh thank God you're alright!" Wendy stares at him with a serious expression, "Romeo, have any guy approach you just now?" Romeo blinks, "Urm... No, not really. I was ordered to send these boxes to another supermarket. I haven't come across anyone at all... Except for you, that is."

Wendy sigh again, "Oh thank Mavis!" Romeo asks, "So why are you here? Wait... Don't tell me you're lost again?!" Wendy blinks and looks around her surroundings. She sweatdrops, "Urm... Looks like you're right." Romeo stifles a laugh, "You lost twice? That's..." Wendy looked really embarrassed, making Romeo changes his sentence, "That's... cute." Wendy blushed at that, making Romeo blushed as well.

Romeo stands up and pulls her up, "Then I will walk you back! I memorized this place by now. Anyway, I'm supposed to pass by the beach while delivering these boxes." Wendy smiles at him, "I would like that, thank you."

Both of them take their time as they walk to the beach. They chat about their interest and lives, occasionally laughing at the jokes. When they arrive the beach, Wendy smiles at Romeo, "Thank you, Romeo. I will be going then. It's nice to meet you." Romeo stammers, "Urm... Could I have your phone number? I... I don't mean anything... Just maybe we could chat once in awhile and..."

Wendy giggles and write it down in a paper (That somehow blew into her hand... cliche XD) with Romeo's pen (For delivery). She said, "Once you message me, please give me yours as well, okay? There's no more paper here..." Romeo nods and bids her farewell, "Bye, Wendy!" Wendy waves, "Bye, Romeo!"

As Wendy walks back to where her friends were, she's surprised to see something drifting on the sea. A huge wave washed it ashore, making Wendy ran up and see. She gasps, "L...Loke-san?!" And not just that, a familiar black cat jump off the plank and rub itself on her. Wendy gasp in delight, "Gajeel-san's cat! So you're alive after all!"

Loke who was injured badly has his face planted in the piece of wood and his body hugging it. Apparently, Erza's logic did work... How weird. Loke could barely open his eyes, "W...Wendy? Oh, thank god! Ashore at last!" Wendy asks, "Loke-san! How did you find the cat?"

Loke whispers, "It... It was swimming in the sea... It found me and..." Wendy frowns, "You need treatment immediately, "Loke-san! Here, I will help you to the infirmary and give you some first-aid." Loke allowed Wendy to let him put his wet arm against her and pulled him along, "You have no idea how glad I am that you're on a trip with us."

Wendy smiles, "I'm glad too." before she pulls her into the infirmary where Gajeel was. On their way, they are met by the others, shocked to see Loke alive. And due to the shock, no one questions Wendy about her whereabouts before.

Loke could not believe it, but he was sure that Erza shot him a concern glance. The cat automatically sprang itself to Lucy's lap and rest there, making Lucy squeals. The others merely shot him a pitiful glance.

Right on time, Natsu and Gajeel have already returned, their smirks plastered on their face. Gray asks, "How did it go?" Natsu grins, "Better than we thought." Lucy too caught up with the cat, and Levy too caught up with the book, have completely forgotten what they have done.

Wendy, on the other hand, knowing that Romeo is safe (She just talked to him!), smiles innocently, "Oh? That's great." Gajeel gapes at the cat sitting on Lucy's lap, making it jumps down and purr around Gajeel. Gajeel cried out, "MY CAT! YOU'RE SAFE, AFTER ALL!" Erza states, "You should thank me. I saved both your cat's and Loke's life."

Natsu gawks at her, "That logic actually worked?!" Lucy rolls her eyes, "Duh, why do you think Loke is alive? You saw him just now." Natsu rubs the back of his head and trails off, "You have a point there..." Wendy smiles, "Don't worry, I just gave him some first-aid treatment. I even rubbed some oil into his wounds. It's really effective. He should be fine if he rests for awhile."

Levy suddenly snaps her book shut, "Anyway, back to the topic, what are you going to do about the performance later, Natsu?" Natsu blinks, "Oh yea... There's a performance..." Gajeel frowns, "There's a performance?"

Natsu exclaims, "I know! We will perform the new song we thought of. We need to perform three songs right, Levy?" Levy nods her head, "You still lack two more." Natsu thumps on the table, "Then add in the song that Jellal created." Wendy pipes in, "The third one can be the one which I made with Lucy-san, can't it?"

Lucy chokes on her drink, "Y... You're sure?" Natsu pats Wendy on the head and said, "Great job, Wendy! Alright then, the three songs are decided! Gajeel, you can perform right?" Gajeel smirks, "Of course." Levy comments, "After you take off all the bandages, that is."

Gajeel sigh and rip off the bandages and put on another shirt and grins, "I'm ready." Lucy sweatdrops, "That's fast..." while Levy rolls her eyes. They're interrupted when the girl from before, who is a worker of the cafe, appears and informs them excitedly, "Your performance is going to start! It will be in the outdoor seat where you're sitting just now. Come on!" Levy gives them a thumbs-up and exits. Wendy said, "I will be going then, good luck, Lucy-san! Everyone!"

Everyone grabs their instruments while smirking. Lucy looked uncertain, making Gray comforts her, "Chill, Lucy. It's going to be alright. We're right here for you." Natsu entwines her hand and said, "You're gonna do great, Luce! I will be beside you the whole time." Lucy takes a deep breath and smiles, "Thanks, guys, I will do my best out there!"

Once they went in, the crowd cheers loudly, making Lucy gasp. Wendy is standing in the first row (She managed to squeeze in) and cheering for them. Natsu grabs the mic and said, "Hey there, everyone! Thank you all so much for attending Blazing Bright's performance!" Everyone cheers and whistle that instant, making Lucy cracks a smile.

Natsu continues, "Before we perform our songs, we would like to introduce all of you to our newest member, and also a pianist, Lucy Heartfilia!" The crowd cheers again while Lucy bows, making her blush at the attention.

Natsu said, "Without further ado, we will begin our performance! First is a song that our guitarist Jellal Fernandez has made. It's called "Something I need" Hope you guys enjoy the song!" Natsu clears his throat before starting the song.

I had a dream the other night
About how we only get one life
Woke me up right after two
Stayed awake and stared at you
So I wouldn't lose my mind

And I had the week that came from hell
And yes I know that you could tell
But you're like the net under the ledge
When I go flying off the edge
You go flying off as well

And if you only die once I wanna die with
You got something I need
In this world full of people there's one killing me
And if we only die once, (hey)
I wanna die with you (you, you, you)
You got something I need
In this world full of people there's one killing me
And if we only die once, (hey)
I wanna die with you (you, you)

Last night I think I drank too much, yeah
Call it our temporary crutch, hey
With broken words I've tried to say
Honey don't you be afraid
If we got nothing we got us (Yeah)

I know that we're not the same
But I'm so damn glad that we made it
To this time, this time, now (yeah)

You got something I need
Yeah in this world full of people there's one killing me
And if we only die once I wanna die with you (heeyy)
You got something I need
In this world full of people there's one killing me
And if we only die once, (hey)
I wanna die with you (you, you, you)
You got something I need
In this world full of people there's one killing me
And if we only die once, (hey)
I wanna die with you (you, you, you)

If we only die once (hey) I wanna die with
If we only live once I wanna live with you

Natsu ended the song, making the crowd whistle. Natsu said, "Continuing, it's called "Sparks Fly". It's created by our pianist, Lucy Heartfilia. And she will be singing too." Handing the mic to Lucy, Natsu whispers a 'you can do it' before grabbing his guitar, signaling that he's ready whenever she is. Lucy takes a deep breath and smiles, "I hope you guys will like this song!" Lucy signals Gray, Jellal, and Natsu to start.

The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm
And I'm a house of cards
You're the kind of reckless
That should send me runnin'
But I kinda know that I won't get far
And you stood there in front of me
Just close enough to touch
Close enough to hope you couldn't see
What I was thinking of

Drop everything now
Meet me in the pouring rain
Kiss me on the sidewalk
Take away the pain
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile
Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile

My mind forgets to remind me
You're a bad idea
You touch me once and it's really something,
You find I'm even better than you imagined I would be.
I'm on my guard for the rest of the world
But with you I know it's no good
And I could wait patiently but I really wish you would...

I'll run my fingers through your hair and watch the lights go wild.
Just keep on keeping your eyes on me, it's just wrong enough to make it feel right.
And lead me up the staircase
Won't you whisper soft and slow?
I'm captivated by you, baby, like a firework show.

Drop everything now,
Meet me in the pouring rain,
Kiss me on the sidewalk,
Take away the pain
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile.
Get me with those green eyes, baby, as the lights go down
Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around
'Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile

And the sparks fly...
Oh, baby, smile...
And the sparks fly...

The crowd applauds as the song is finished. Her voice is melodious, and the song is indeed amazing. Lucy couldn't believe it, she's done it! Seeing the crowd admiring her song, she couldn't help but smile. She winks at Wendy and Levy before handing the mic back to Natsu.

Natsu said, "For our last song, we will be performing an original song called "Can't stop the feeling". It's our newest song, and we are working on it." Gajeel starts without hesitation.

I got this feeling inside my bones
It goes electric, wavey when I turn it on
All through my city, all through my home
We're flying up, no ceiling, when we're in our zone

I got that sunshine in my pocket
Got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops, ooh
I can't take my eyes up off it, moving so phenomenally
Room on lock the way we rock it, so don't stop

And under the lights when everything goes
Nowhere to hide when I'm getting you close
When we move, well, you already know
So just imagine, just imagine, just imagine
Nothing I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance
Feeling good, good, creeping up on you
So just dance, dance, dance, come on
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
And ain't nobody leaving soon, so keep dancing

I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance, come on

Ooh, it's something magical
It's in the air, it's in my blood, it's rushing on
Don't need no reason, don't need control
I fly so high, no ceiling, when I'm in my zone

'Cause I got that sunshine in my pocket
Got that good soul in my feet
I feel that hot blood in my body when it drops, ooh
I can't take my eyes up off it, moving so phenomenally
Room on lock the way we rock it, so don't stop

I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feeling
So just dance, dance, dance
I can't stop the feeling
So keep dancing, come on

I can't stop the, I can't stop the
I can't stop the, I can't stop the
I can't stop the feeling

Nothing I can see but you when you dance, dance, dance
(I can't stop the feeling)
Feeling good, good, creeping up on you
So just dance, dance, dance, come on
(I can't stop the feeling)
All those things I shouldn't do
But you dance, dance, dance
(I can't stop the feeling)
And ain't nobody leaving soon, so keep dancing

Everybody sing
(I can't stop the feeling)
Got this feeling in my body
(I can't stop the feeling)
Got this feeling in my body
(I can't stop the feeling)
Wanna see you move your body
(I can't stop the feeling)
Got this feeling in my body
Break it down
Got this feeling in my body
Can't stop the feeling
Got this feeling in my body, come on

Natsu finished, sweat forming on his face. Gajeel and Gray are smirking smugly, making the girls squeal (Levy looked disturbed by it and her strokes on Gajeel's cat quickens and begins to get rougher) Jellal and Erza are smiling at each other while Lucy is smiling timidly. Wendy cheers and claps under the stage and Loke... he's sitting in a wheelchair while looking really annoyed... He was promptly ignored by his bandmates.

After that, the manager of Rising Star Cafe catches up to them and thanks them, "It was a great hit! Thank you all so much! Even those who live far away came here to our cafe!" Natsu hesitates before asking, "So urm... We've made up for our previous trouble... Right?" The manager laughs, "Of course! I'm even kinda glad you caused it!" Wendy giggles at that. Before they leave, Loke winks at the manager (Which is a girl, by the way), "Oh what do you know? We may be doing this on purpose..." Erza rolls her eyes, "You didn't even perform with us." Loke hiss, "And whose fault is it?!" Everyone replies in unison, "Yours, obviously." Loke maintains his cool and smirks at the manager, "But we would do anything for a gorgeous girl like you." Those words and that smirk would have made the manager swoon if wasn't for Loke sitting in a wheelchair... It did ruin his image somewhat. The manager merely blushes and said, "I hope you guys enjoyed your stay here, bye!"

Wendy hums happily while pulling the wheelchair Loke is on towards the bus stop(She actually volunteered...). Levy said happily, "You guys did great on stage! Especially you, Lu-chan!" Natsu turns and asks, "How is it, Luce? Your first performance." Lucy blushes, "Well... It's... way better than I imagined it." Gray snorts, "You probably imagined you will fail." Lucy changes the topic at once, "Anyway, today has been a great day! I'm glad we went on this trip!" Everyone agree, especially Wendy, who couldn't help smile at the thought of a certain someone. Only Loke looked depressed. He wished he hadn't come on this trip. Jellal suddenly coughs for their attention, "Urm guys... We've gone past the bus stop." Everyone stopped and looked back in unison. Only Wendy and Loke there, frowning at them."

Gray sweatdrops and said, "Y...You're right." All of them went back before Wendy suddenly cried out, "Oh no!" Natsu and Gajeel are the first to rush to her side (Alon with Gajeel's cat... It's in his arms), "What's the matter?!" Wendy stutters, "We...We've missed the bus." Souls left their bodies as their face darkens, "You're joking... Right?" Somehow, Wendy's teary face tells them the answer. Everyone slumped down onto the floor immediately. Gray asks, "Surely there's a taxi...?" Lucy frowns, "No taxi will be here in this hour." Levy suggests, "Why don't we call someone we know to fetch us?" Almost everyone replies, "I didn't bring my phone." Everyone looks at Natsu, who sweatdrops, "My phone's battery died." Everyone groans at that. Erza asks, "Why don't we just stay here?" Natsu shivers, "Mom and dad will KILL me when they know Wendy will be sleeping outside. Everyone groans yet again, making Wendy squeaking "Sorry" for a hundred times.

Suddenly, a honk makes all of them look up. Gray exclaims, "No way! D...Dad?!" A raven-haired male, whom Gray recognized as his father, Silver Fullbuster looks out of a Toyota highlander's window and asks, "Yo! What are you guys doing? Camping in a bus stop?" Gray's mother, a beautiful maiden with long, wavy brown hair, Mika Fullbuster, cried out, "S...Surely you guys aren't vandalizing?!" Gray cried out, "Mom! Of course, we're not!"

Silver cried out, "Wait that's... Lucy, right?!" Mika exclaims, "You're right! Lucy-chan, it's been a while, hasn't it!" Lucy greets them, "Silver-san! Mika-san! It has been in a while!" Natsu said politely, "Good evening, Silver-san. We're actually... searching for transportation. We missed the bus, you see." Mika cried out, "That's perfect! Come on in, everyone!" Everyone instantly lights up and boards the car at once.

Wendy frowns, "Mika-san, what about Loke-san?" Mika gasp, "Oh dear, are you alright?" Loke smirks at her, "My beautiful..." When he caught sight of Gray's hard glare. That is his mother for god's sake! And he dares to flirt even with her?! At the same time, thank God that his father hasn't realized what Loke said. Loke coughs awkwardly and said, "I'm fine, thank you, Mika-san."

Mika sigh, "I'm sorry, Loke, is it? I'm afraid you will have to try and board in the car as well. That wheelchair of yours... it's not going to fit." Loke nods before struggling to get in the car with Wendy's and Lucy's help. In the noisy car ride, Wendy saw a message on her phone... Oops, she had brought her phone after all... Quietly and secretly, she checks her message to see an unknown number,

Wendy, right? I'm Romeo here! That number is my phone number. It is your phone, right? Please reply!

Wendy giggles and quickly type back a reply. Today her encounter with Romeo... Wendy thinks to herself, 'Rather than fate, it's more of... a chance encounter.