HI! This is my first time writing for Fairy Tail. I hope you enjoy, and please let me know what you think!
I also don't own Fairy Tail. Wah.
The large room was getting crowded as a steady stream of fit college students flowed through the wood doors or the fitness room. In the front right corner farthest from the door, Natsu Dragneel stood with two of his good friends, Erza and Grey. The trio had been lucky enough to fit gym time into their schedules so they could all visit the campus gym together this semester. Even luckier, their gym time over lapped with the boxing class Gajeel taught 3 times a week.
It being the first day of the new spring term, lots of new faces were present in the fitness room. Natsu could make a decently accurate guess as to who would make it through the class and who would not. He could see more familiar faces, a few from the Fairy Tail residential area who he waved to. There were also a couple other Criminal justice students he knew from class. Erza nudged him to look towards the door. Which was no surprise. Fiore Magical University's Magical Criminal Justice degree program was best in the Country. Many magical students looking to join a guild after graduation pursued training in law enforcement first, because it prepared them for independent field work after graduation. With the time before the start of class dwindling, two members of Raven Tail, one of the newer and thus smaller, magical residential area on campus had walked in.
At Fiore Magical University, students were selected to live in different residential areas based on their admissions interview. Many of the areas had been in existence from the founding of FMU and had connections to the outside magical community. Once in a residential area, it was rare for a student to move to another, but upper classmen did have the freedom to live off campus. It did nothing to lesson their residential affiliations. Even in the summer, many students spent the majority of the break working in a magical internship program facilitated by the residential area office.
While Fairy Tail was known for their indomitable spirit and the close connections the forged with each other, The Raven Tails were known for their bad attitude and cruelty. They also made no secret of their hate for the other magical residential areas on campus, Fairy Tail in particular. Why a residential area like Raven Tail with a such a negative reputation was aloud to continue was a hotly debated topic amongst the masters and administration.
The two raven tail mages had pushed their way to the front by the door, elbowing other students out of the way. From his spot at the front Grey snorted at their brutish behavior. It just wouldn't be a semester at FMU if there weren't tensions brewing between the magical houses.
With five minutes remaining before they were supposed to start, and no sign of Gajeel, a petit blond bounced into the room. She brushed right past the lumbering Raven Tail lackeys to stand in the middle in front of the mirrors lining the front wall.
"Hi everyone! You should all be here for a boxing class with Gajeel. Unfortunately, he ran into some first day of the semester conflicts and he asked me to cover for him. My name is Lucy, I usually teach cardio kick boxing among other things."
Her smile was huge and her enthusiasm was contagious. But the first thing his eye found was the Pink Fairy Tail mark on the back of her right hand. Natsu could see a few people leave from the back, but for the most part people were rolling with the flow. The Raven Tails were getting excited; the big one had a look in his eyes that reminded Natsu of Erza when she was looking at strawberry cake. He did not like that look on the Raven Tails face, but there was little Natsu could do about it. He had never met her before, which was odd for the very tight knit Fairy Tails.
From her blond ponytail to her pink sneakers, Lucy was the antithesis of Gajeel, but if he had asked her to cover for him, Natus wasn't worried about how intense the class was going to be.
Erza had a determined smile on her face; similar to the look she usually had when she knew she was going to beat Natsu or Grey at something.
"I hope you are ready, Lucy is a total slave driver. And her kick boxing class is no joke."
"You've take a class form her before?" Grey had started to stretch, and Erza was doing the same.
"A few times last semester. She lives on my floor and Levy and Juvia go often. I think she also teaches some of the other cardio classes, and an intro ballet class."
"I thought I knew everyone who lives in Fairy Tail Erza." Natsu pouted. At FMU, your residential area became your home, and especially for many of the students who didn't really have anywhere else to go, their dorm was a true home.
"I'll introduce you after class Natsu." Erza smiled at him again, much kinder this time. Erza had made Lucy a project of hers. At the start of the year she had seen the girl across the hall only a few times in passing. The dorm master, Professor Makarov had even spoken to her about Lucy, asking that she put forth extra effort to integrating Lucy into Fairy Tail. Erza knew Lucy's story, she knew how much Fairy Tail could help her. Erza knew because Fairy Tail had also saved her.
In front of the class Lucy had set down her water bottle and put on the speaker so she could control to music.
"We are going to get started in a minute, Gajeel told me this class would be mostly made up of some veteran muscle. Where Gajeel focuses on strength and power, I usually focus on agility and flexability. I am going to try and keep it as pure kick boxing as I can for you guys, but if there are any sequences that feel new and uncomfortable, just swap it for something you are more familiar with!"
From the front corner came a malicious voice, one of the Raven Tail mages. "So this is gonna be some pussy-ass workout. Lets get out of here Kurohebi, this is for weak fairy girls."
Lucy raised one eyebrow, aware that the meathead was only trying to get a rise out of her. His companion tried as well.
"But if we stay we can watch those nice tits of her bounce around."
"You make a good point Null."
Natsu felt a hand holding him back before he realized he had moved forward. Erza stood besides him.
"Lucy can handle them. She doesn't back down."
True to Erza's word, Lucy stared them down, looking eerily Erza like in her intensity.
"Stay or go, I don't care. But one more disrespectful comment I will remove you and have you banned from the Gym Facilities."
She turned her back on the two angry looking Raven tails, her smile firmly in place and looked at the rest of the class behind her reflected in the floor to ceiling mirrors.
"I hope you are all ready, this is gonna be a great work out!"
True to he word, it was a very different work out from what they were used to with Gajeel. The combinations were different, and she incorporated a lot more elements that worked your whole body. Her taste in music was also far superior, not to mention the positive reinforcement she incorporated was a completely foreign concept to Gajeel.
The two Raven Tail members had been subtly disruptive the whole class, but Lucy and her students were making a valiant effort to ignore them.
But with 15 minutes left, the Raven Tails decided it was time to up the anti. Lucy began to work a full song of squat exorcises; introducing a few he had never tried before with Gajeel. Standing in a wide leg stance and going as low as possible, the class was pushing through, even though Lucy was pushing the limits.
With no warning or provocation, the larger raven tail mage moved suddenly, his hand reaching back as it wound up. No one noticed the arc of his hand until it came down with a resounding slap on Lucy's behind.
The Raven Tails voice filled the stunned silence. "mmm… Next time I see that round ass I'm gonna make it twerk for me bitch."
Before Natsu, Erza or Grey could move, Lucy had wound up for a shot of her own. She punched him square in the jaw with an echoing crack of knuckles on bone. Raven Tail did not pause, in a split second Lucy had fallen back blocking his right hook, but was going to be too late to block his other fist. Before he could connect everything came to a halt.
Standing next to Lucy was Natsu, one hand blocking the meaty fist from connecting with her face, and a fire in his eyes, hot with fury.
"Get out!" Lucy's anger was intense, and she was backed up now by Erza and Grey, as well as Natsu who was still by her side.
"You should teach your fairy bitches how to punch." The Raven Tail lackey didn't address Lucy, choosing in stead to address Natsu, who was boiling over next to her. Erza had made a move forward as well; ready to defend the punching ability of Fairy Tail women everywhere. Lucy was closer however, and she had a much more poignant message to deliver.
Lucy grabbed his forearm and used it as leverage as she drove her knee up into his groin. He went down almost instantly, clutching himself in agony.
"For crying out loud. Get out of my class. I am going to recommend you be banned from the rec center for at least this semester." She looked to his counterpart, her big brown eyes sparking with anger.
"I suggest you teach your Raven Tail counterparts how to take a hit."
The wide-eyed Kurohebi dragged his partner out of the classroom. The rest of the class was looking on in shocked silence. There was a small smattering of applause as well. Lucy put on a wide smile, the same from earlier. Up close Natsu could see, this smile did not reach her eyes.
"There are technically 10 minutes left in class, but I think this is a good stopping point. There is a chance I will cover for Gajeel a few more times this semester, so I hope I see you all again and that we can go a full 50 minutes. You guys missed out on my hardest track!"
The class emptied slowly and more than a few came up to thank her for a great first class of the semester. Lucy graciously thanked them and ushered them out. The only three who stayed were the three other Fairy Tail mages.
Erza clapped her on the back after the last person cleared the door. "That is how it's done Lucy!"
She smiled wide, and scratched the back of her head with the hand that hadn't done the punching."Does it always hurt this much when you punch someone?"
Erza immediately took her hand and examined her knuckles, which were angry red and swelling. "You might have a nice bruise there tomorrow. "
"I can help with that." Grey Stepped forward with blue glowing hands, producing ice with is maker magic.
" You must be Grey, Erza told me about your maker magic. Thank you."
Natsu also moved to introduce himself. He couldn't believe it was already second semester and there were still Fairy Tail Mages he hadn't met yet.
"I'm Natsu! Nice job taking care of that jerk."
Lucy waved off the compliment. "Thanks. I've heard so much about you guys from Erza. I'm sorry this is how we had to meet for the first time."
Grey smiled, he was starting to get his stuff together because the first few people from the next class had already started to come in.
"We will just have to hang out to make up for it. We are headed to dinner right now if you would like to go?"
Erza was ready to leave as well, "Yes, we are meeting Levy and Juvia too. We've been trying to get her to come along all fall semester. I guess al it took was letting her knee a guy in the groin to get her to join us!"
"Now that we've met, I wont let her avoid us anymore Erza." Natsu threw an arm over her shoulder and moved to pull her out of the room.
Lucy was laughing but she ha to hold off the enthusiastic Natsu. "Sorry, I teach the Yoga class that is coming in next, I wont be heading back for another hour or so. Maybe Ill see you for dinner tomorrow?"
Natsu didn't let go right away, his smile was wide and he brought his face closer to hers. "Yeah something like that Luce."
The slow reduction of personal space went almost unnoticed by Lucy and Natsu. They took a moment staring at each other, Lucy in daze and Natsu with a light of determination in his eyes. Grey and Erza exchanged surprised and knowing looks.
As the three exited the classroom, Natsu waved over his shoulder " See you soon Lucy."
Outside in the hallway Natsu turned to his friends. "Im going to wait for her. You guys go ahead and get everyone to stay, shouldn't be hard, we always stay in the dining hall for ever anyway."
Grey regarded him critically, wondering what could have gotten into Natsu. "Ok. But we could all stay if you would like…lover boy."
Natsu blushed a rosy pink that matched his hair but the glint in his eye sharpened. "Can it ice man, or ill send Juvia your class schedule." Grey paled, last semester Juvia had switched herself into all of Greys classes so they "didn't have to spend a moment apart". With that threat Grey let the issue slide, for now.
"We will see you at dinner, take care of Lucy." Erza voice echoed with the seriousness of a friend and sister. Lucy lived across the hall from her and Erza had taken an extreme liking to the outgoing but absurdly busy stellar spirit mage. She had been trying to get her to meet up with the other Fairy Tail Freshmen, but her efforts in the fall semester had only stretched to the other girls on their floor.
If Natsu was finally going to grow up and take interest in a woman; and from the way he was looking at Lucy Erza suspected Lucy had awoke that instinct in him, Erza was glad he had chosen Lucy. From what she knew of the two of them separately, they would be really good for each other. Weather they became romantically entwined, or just became friends.
And thus with the Freshmen Fairy Queens approval things were set into motion; things that would make life at Fiore Magical University much more interesting.
I hope you enjoyed!
the_lone_lemon
