Author's note:

Bear with me on all this fluffy schoolgirl crush romance early on. It escalates, I promise. I wanted to write something really emotional, meaningful and worth reading, and due to the ages of the characters in the first chapter, I thought it would be more fitting and realistic to have such a juvenile conversation. But please don't let the first few chapters be any indication of what's to come. For all I care you can skip the first few chapters if you want to get to the good stuff, but plot wise I think everyone would have a better understanding of what's going on if you just bear with me on the less interesting and less creative beginnings.

"Leixia, girl," Natsu snapped her friend back into the world. "Well?"

"What?" she returned, clearly not having paid any attention to the conversation.

"Were you paying any attention to anything I just said?" Natsu demanded to know, an irritated look growing on her face.

"Haha, nope, sorry!" the giggly teen confessed. "I'm so out of it."

"Look, I know all about your journeys and battles and everything, but could you please focus on a conversation? It's important," she declared.

"Fine, sorry. What is it?"

"What do you think about Xiba?"

"Xiba? Why, is something wrong?"

"Well, no, not really... I was just wondering something, that's all."

"Wonder what? Who he's gonna bother for food tonight?" Leixia laughed.

"Well, no," Natsu fumbled over words before going in for the kill. "Are you interested in him?"

"He's all yours, Natsu," Leixia responded uncaringly.

"Mine? What? No!" Natsu became defensive and felt the need to clear her reputation. "I'm not interested in Xiba!"

"Well that was a random question, then," Leixia responded as she rolled over on her long missed bed, staring at her decorated ceiling now.

"Actually, it wasn't... if you had been listening! Nevermind, though. That's all I needed to hear," she responded before mumbling, "It's probably best that's all you know..."

"What, does he like me or something?" Leixia joked, but after a few awkward moments of silence, she noticed the serious look on Natsu's face and followed up. "Oh ... you're serious."

"Doesn't matter," Natsu assured her. "I just said I'd ask."

"Oh, please," Leixia quickly dismissed the entire conversation. "He should know he's not my type."

"Haha, right," Natsu agreed.

"I just wish that my type would go for me, once in a while," the smitten teenager sadly confessed.

"Well then, you need a different type," Natsu advised.

"I can't help it. I like what I like."

"Girl, you like the wrong type! I'm surprised you haven't fallen for Maxi. He'd fit your 'type' perfectly," Natsu joked.

"I'm not ruling him out as a possibility," Leixia admitted. "That'd be nice, if it worked out with him. Really attractive, strong, energetic, and a great body too-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Leixia, this is Maxi you're talking about," Natsu quickly became a little more involved in the conversation.

"What? I'm not allowed to point out good qualities in people? Gosh, Natsu, you're so negative."

"Negative?" Natsu became slightly offended. "I'm just .. a bit weirded out, actually, hearing you talk about Maxi like that."

"Don't act like you've never thought about it."

"I haven't! You're forgetting, you're the one who fantasizes over every attractive man she finds."

"See, you just admitted you think he's attractive," Leixia teased her friend.

"That's all you. Maxi isn't my type. So go do your thing and fantasize about him."

"I will!"

Natsu rolled her eyes and carried on with her sleepover.