"It seems like everybody is in a relationship or in love. I'm just here like, 'I like that tree. That's a nice tree.'"
-Teenager Post # 7957
"…Do you still love me?" her gaze was unreadable, her voice calm and monotonous, and the coldness of the snow and wind seemed to penetrate the closed room as he sighed and looked at her with an odd look, perhaps silently begging her not to make him answer. But she held her breath in resolve, hardening her gaze and waited for his answer.
"Yes, yes I do."
Tears unconsciously fell from her eyes; her face still stoic and figure unmoving. One might think it was because of happiness that she was crying. He loved her, he said. But all her senses were dulled as realization hit her full-force; for when he said he loved her, he looked away.
CHAPTER 1: A NEW THREAT
1st day of classes; 11:17 AM
Principal's Office, Fairy Tail High, Fiore
"Master Drakarov Meyar! I mean, Master Makarov Dreyar! Half of Building A was melted and frozen and the journalist from Sorcerer Weekly took pictures of the fight and Natsu Dragneel accidentally elbowed the journalist in the face and he screamed 'cool!' before fainting!"
Fairy Tail's principal had a half-completed magic circle hovering over a thick bundle of paper and stared at the random student who had burst through his office.
Until said student realized what she just did. She had sparkling, bright, brown eyes which were wide as saucers and her blonde hair, which had the upper half tied up in a side ponytail, was in a state of dishevelment.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, sir! Err, let me try that again." She went outside; and the principal sweat-dropped at her loud supposed whispers of 'calm down'. Then three surprisingly firm, calm knocks were heard.
"Come in." the principal called. The same student stepped in, but the aura and atmosphere was completely different from what it had been ten seconds ago. Her eyes were dull and her hair looked oddly straight and well-kempt.
The principal finished the circle and with a bright, yellow light, all pages had Fairy Tail's signature mark. The old man nodded at the girl to speak while the clock situated at the mahogany double door's top continued its' click-clacking in the background.
"Good morning, master. The school nurse sent me to inform you that Jason, from Sorcerer Weekly, would not stop shouting 'Cool!' in the clinic. He fainted after being elbowed by Natsu Dragneel while fighting with another student. Half of Building A is either burned down, frozen, or chopped up after the fight." The principal had a seriously straight and calm face. Before his eyes went downcast.
"That is one hot and sexy skirt you've got there." The old man lewdly commented as the blonde-haired girl mentally face-palmed.
'This old geezer…' the blonde thought in disdain.
"But what you've just said isn't less confusing than the first sentence you've shouted, Ms…" he waited for the girl's answer.
"Lucy, sir; Lucy Valentine." The girl said in a very formal, monotonous voice and a blank, unreadable face to match.
"So Lucy, you're telling me that Jason, the well-known journalist," she nodded, "fainted after being hit by Natsu Dragneel while fighting with another student?" the girl nodded once more.
"Yes, sir." The clock continued to click-clack in the background. And the principal gave one, great sigh.
"You kids never let me rest."
1st day of classes; 7:17 AM
Corridor outside class 3-A, Building A, Fairy Tail High, Fiore
A certain blonde-haired girl walked towards the corridors of Fairy Tail, the students not at all taking any notice and just unconsciously passing through as if she didn't exist. She was always early on the first day; so that she could observe and take note of her surroundings.
Her new and last classroom was in sight, she observed, trying to keep her face and eyes as blank as ever. She paused beneath the sign that read 3-A in black, bold letters, and her grip on her schoolbag slightly tightened.
This was it, she thought; this was her very last year. And she had successfully and up-to-date remained average and invisible. She still hadn't found her best area in magic where she could specialize, but she could worry about that later. She had done her best to conserve energy, never doing more to get noticed, but enough so that she remained in the middle rank. Average as any other person named Lucy, she thought.
After this, she would no longer have to pretend; she could finally let herself go and explore the real world. Without hiding anything.
She took one step forward, with every intention to peacefully attend her class. Until a blue blast of magic coming from the classroom hit her straight on the forehead. Thus, effectively knocking the girl out cold.
1st day of classes; 7:32 AM
Principal's office, Fairy Tail High, Fiore
"Erza, this is Jason, one of the most famous school critiques and writers of-"
"Cooool! It's Erza! The Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail!" the cheerfully idiotic reporter snapped pictures of the redhead in all possible angles.
"-Sorcerer Weekly." The principal finished in a dull, almost boring voice.
"A pleasure to meet you, sir. I am Erza Scarlet, the school's former and I pray, still the next student council president." She bowed and the master looked at her; 'She's taking this way too seriously.' He thought.
"Wow! It's cool to meet you too! I can't believe this!" The journalist gave a full-fledged grin, "Wow! I'm shaking hands with Erza Scarlet!" he shout out loud once more, shaking the hands of the redhead who just smiled back.
"He is writing an article about one of the most influential magic schools in the country, and would like an overview and tour of the school." The principal continued, as he turned to Erza with a look that said 'not worth taking the whole tour of the school.'
"Of course, Master." She turned to the journalist, chin held high and with a deep, authoritative voice, she said "Shall we get going then, sir?"
"Coool!" the journalist replied, snapping a few hundred more photos.
Erza Scarlet led the journalist through the school, she gave minimum comments, but even so, nothing could appease the reporter's wild, cheery energy.
"Fairy Tail High has never failed to top in every competition concerning sports, academics, and magic." The redhead voiced out proudly, while showing him the wide field of the Earth magic club, "I must say that it's an accomplishment, attending such a prestigious school, not that I would be boasting." She continued, obvious that she was, indeed, boasting.
"Cooool! I bet the members of the Earth magic club could bury someone alive in a second!" Jason pointed out, while Erza sweat-dropped, 'You're missing the whole point,' she mused.
"And the principal taught all students and clubs in Fairy Tail to have only one motto." the red-haired girl's bossy personality was showing in full glory by now.
"I know! Number One! Right?" Jason asked, his hand up in the air with the index finger stuck out, making Fairy Tail's insignia.
"Coooool!" Erza nodded her head in reply.
"Yes; 'Number One'. Two simple words, but for us, students at Fairy Tail, it gives us the inspiration to do our best and not to simply disappoint."
'As expected of Fairy Tail's Titania.' The journalist's eyes were sparkling with fan-like adoration, taking note of the quote.
"Indeed, it's powerful what expectations can do." The girl finished with a strict voice.
Every room and corridor in the school was unblemished, waxed, and absolutely zero-trash-zone. And the journalist was more than impressed at how quiet and studious the classes were.
The tour went on and the scarlet-haired girl was relieved as they passed the last corridor in school. She did her best; and yes, she'd shove a pen down the journalist's throat if he wrote anything less deserving for her efforts. Erza Scarlet smiled an unfamiliar smile. The smile of a predator.
They stopped by class 3-A, her classroom, and the well-known star section of Fairy Tail.
They were done, she mused. Finally, Fairy Tail was going to have a report in Sorcerer Weekly with the words 'violence', 'fight', and 'destruction' missing from the scoop. She did it; everything went smoothly, all according to plan. She patted herself on the back for a job well done.
Until the wall to their right 'exploded'.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY, ICE PRINCESS?!"
"BRING IT ON, FLAME-BRAIN!"
Erza Scarlet barely had a second to protect the oblivious journalist, who had collapsed to the ground shouting 'earthquake! Earthquake!', from the explosion. But then again, a second was more than enough for Fairy Tail's Titania. She requipped a magical sword and continuously hit the big blocks of cement that came their way, repelling each and every one of the broken wall. A vein popped as she glared at a certain pink-haired boy and an unfamiliar black-haired, half-naked student.
'I knew I shouldn't have passed through this corridor. But how dare they cause this recklessness.' She thought angrily.
"Woooww! It's Natsu Dragneel!" the journalist got up in a second and walked towards the fighting duo. Taking shots of the heated argument.
"No! This isn't right!" Titania voice was drowned out by the two verbally sparring classmates of hers.
"PERVERTED STRIPPER!"
"CHERRY-HAIRED PYRO!"
The two boys then now picked up the pace and began sparring physically. The teacher and random students, on the other hand, watched from the huge gaping hole in the wall while the journalist continued snapping photos.
"Coool! I never thought I'd ever see a live and up-front fight in Fairy Tail!" the journalist moved behind the pink-haired boy to take a close up shot of his rival when Natsu drew his arm back strongly, sharply, and suddenly. He hit the journalist straight in the face and sent him flying downwards, cracking several floors and disrupting almost all classes in the school building.
And everything went downhill from there.