"Go away!" a blonde girl yelled at the smiling, pink haired boy that was behind her, "If I'm alone with someone as popular as you, all kinds of weird rumors about me will pop up again!"

"It doesn't matter if that happens does it? Enough already. Just go out with me," he said happily.

"N.O!" She yelled at him.

A blue cat was flying nearby, "Lucy Heartfilia," he said, gesturing to the girl, "Only two months since entering High school and already famous for being the most beautiful!" he then gestured t the boy, "and Natsu Dragneel, a fun-loving guy, just as well known,"

Natsu nodded to the cat, "as a couple, it's just too romantic,"

"You idiot! Don't ask a person out with that kind of reason!" Lucy almost screamed at him. In her frustrated state, Lucy marched off. Boys who saw her in the hallway had hearts in their eyes, waving at her. She waved back at them; even she did not know them.

"Hi Lucy!" a light haired boy said.

"Hi," she replied. I'm being greeted by people I don't know again…I'm Lucy Heartfilia, 16 years old, she sighed, from a young age, I've been told that I'm cute, but being cute…is a horrible thing! She wanted to howl those last words out in the open.

"Lucy, you don't like being cute? You really are interesting," a dark haired boy said during break in class.

Gray!

"Well…its b-because I don't think I'm cute and….well…People say it's difficult, to be around me, so I can't make any friends. Also, people tried to abduct me 107 times already, and weird guys are attracted to me because of the way I look and stuff….When I look back at my life, its full of bad memories," a heavy air seemed to fall around Lucy.

"I-I see," Gray said, "That's true, I wonder if I'd think that if I were as cool as that flame brain,"

"Gray, you are cool!"

Lucy felt an unknown weight come up on her and a pair of hands appeared on her shoulders, "you rang?"

Lucy turned to see Natsu behind her, her face aflame; she started to pound on Natsu's chest saying no one called for him and that she wasn't talking about him.


You see…it's because I love Gray, he might just be pitying me because I can't make friends with other girls, but he's a nice guy who listens to me when I complain, when all others would say, 'your lucky,'…I'm sure he's heard all the bad rumors about me…Other people would shun me after hearing the rumors, yet he's still so nice to me. No star can compare to him, the person I love is the coolest person in the world to me…


"Um, please g-go out with…me" Lucy wrote on a piece of paper, she signed her name at the bottom and held it up, "YES! Finally done! I wonder if Gray would read it? He'll read it, won't he?"

Suddenly, her paper was swiped right out of her hands. As she turned to see who the culprit was, her letter was torn to shreds.

"Argh! Natsu!" Lucy cried, she quickly got up and started to hit him, "what the heck are you doing to a young girl's determination? You idiot!"

"How about you? It's about time you accepted your fate. Beautiful girls should be with handsome guys!"

Natsu slowly pushed her against the wall, one hand over her head, her wails were silenced, "I've told you I love you, right?"

Lucy felt something beat inside her chest, wha-what is this…? She could her face warming up.

"As if I would ever…let another guy have you!"

"Uhh…um...This must be my lucky day," she clamored, putting her hand up to hide her blushing face, glancing at him through her fingers, "please don't come any closer,"

He grinned, "Cute,"

Something snapped within Lucy, like as if a volcano exploded nearby. Natsu felt her angry presence and backed off a bit, "It not like that, well this time," he tried to smile, "it wasn't how you looked, but 'cause how you were blushing,"

Lucy face turned to a scowl, "Who would-" Natsu gulped, "Go out with someone like you?!" she kicked him in the face and ran off; I've made up my mind! Im going to confess to Gray! She grabbed her notepad and tried to find somewhere else to write her letter, I'm really going to go for it!

As Lucy tried to find a spot where she can write a new love letter, she was soon stopped by two groups of girls. She knew them as Natsu's fans.

"Don't get the wrong idea, just because Natsu likes you!" "He'll soon lose interest!" "Turn him down! Turn him down!" one group said, while the group was a bit more tearful, "That poor thing!" "I feel sorry for Natsu! Him being turned down so many times!" "Lucy, you're selfish! You're horrible! Don't turn him down!"

People are always watching me, so I can't hide and write the letter, Lucy thought as irritation bubbled inside her.

"Turn him down!" "Don't turn him down!"

Lucy turned on her heel and jumped at them, giving them a scare, "Wahoo!"

"Ack!" "Eek!" The girls yelped and run away.


During the middle of art class, they were outside drawing the scenery.

"So, why do you hate being cute?" Natsu asked, coming up on Lucy's side.

Lucy clutched her drawing board to her body, "It's because I can't make any friends," she said miserably, "now is the time to make friends, but everyone hates me,"

Natsu glanced over his shoulder and waved to the group of girls watching them, he could barely hear them asking him to go sit by them and draw whatever they were drawing for the class.

"All in all, every girl wants to be cute right?" he leaned back, "Clothes look good, even makeup and,"

Lucy slammed a piece of paper over his drawing board, as Natsu looked, his face grew grim. It was a report and she had all D's.

"Being cute won't help me get good grades, ya know," she said.

A is the best grade in the school, and you got all D's?! Natsu thought, "Why don't you study then?"

"I don't have the time. I work part-time to buy beauty products and the like….people are funny, they think girls who are cute, are cheap if not stylish," Lucy pined.

Natsu glanced at her, "I see…so you are doing your best, huh?"

The happy mood that was around seemed to get sad, as Lucy started to speak again, "During Middle School, I had a friend who was a girl, but during my first year, I met my friend's boyfriend and he fell in love with me at first sight,"

Natsu's eyes widen.

"After people heard that they broke up…"

'Did ya hear? Lucy is a boyfriend stealer?' 'They say she stole a girl's boyfriend,' 'Well, I can see that since she is so cute,' 'we can't let our boyfriends meet Lucy, or she'll steal them too,'

Lucy shut her eyes at the memory, her body shaking slightly.

"They said some horrible things, huh?" Natsu asked.

Lucy opened her eyes in surprised at Natsu. She smiled a bit and shook her head; she could feel tears at the corners of her eyes.

"It wasn't your fault,"

Lucy stared at Natsu.

"It….wasn't your fault,"

Natsu…

"If I have to say something, being beautiful is a sin!"

"Is your head ok?" Lucy said gloomily, then grew angry, "UGH! I took the time to spill my thoughts to you and-"

"Cute," Natsu grinned, Lucy stopped in her tracks, 'even though I told him, why does he keep calling me cute?'


'…It would be great…if that word became a magic word, and when said, it will make my heart cute. Even Natsu would be a lot nicer….Then I'

'wait, Natsu has nothing to do with this, I love Gray,' I thought as I walked down the hallway, holding my newly written love letter, hoping to give it to Gray, 'well, I just need to put it in his desk and-'

"Lucy?"

I glanced up to see two girls standing before me. One had long red hair, tied in an up pony tail, the other, kinda hiding behind the other, had shoulder length wavy blue hair.

'Oh! Its Erza and Juvia from my class! Maybe they want to be friends?' Lucy smiled slightly at the thought, "Yeah?"

Lucy noticed Erza eyes trail down, staring at the letter in her hand. The red headed girl's eyes snapped back to Lucy's face, "That's for Gray, right? You mind not giving it to him?"

'What?'

"Juvia here started going out with him yesterday,"

Juvia nodded feverly after the red heads words, Lucy's eyes went wide with shock.

'HUH!? NO WAY!'

"Are you planning to steal her boyfriend?"

Those words brought Lucy down from her shocked haze. Juvia took a step forward, a slight blush on her face. She twiddled her fingers together as she started to speak.

"Juvia confessed to Gray and he said 'yes'. You get along pretty well with Gray," Juvia glanced at Lucy, who stood still, "and you're cute. So if he read your letter, he might change his mind! I really don't want a love rival," the bluennete almost cried out.

"Umm but…I also like,"

Her words were drowned out as Erza spoke up again.

"Lucy, since your cute, there must be a whole bunch of guys you can have, right?"

Lucy felt her heart might just break apart in sadness, "that's true," she said slowly, a sad smile on her face, "That's right…I'm sorry," Lucy turned and ran away from the girls, not wanting to cry in front of them.

"Ah, Lucy!"

The two girl's faces turned worried.

"What should we do!? What should we do?" Erza placed her face into her hands, "I thought she would talk back!"

"We made her cry!" Juvia said back.

"I mean," Erza glanced up, "The girls in the class said she wasn't a nice person!"

"Ah, what do we do?!"


Natsu was walking down the hallway, Happy resting on his head. He noticed a familiar blonde running towards him; a smile broke on his face.

"Hey Lucy! Wanna go do some Karaoke after school?"

For a split second, Natsu noticed her face as she went passed him. Turning sharply, Happy tumbled off from Natsu's head as he raced after Lucy.

"Hey, wait!" he exclaimed, "What happened?"

"It's nothing!" Lucy cried over her shoulder.

Natsu was able to catch up to her and grabbed her wrist, "What do mean, 'nothing'? You're crying!"

Lucy stopped, her head hanging low, her blonde hair shielding her away from Natsu's gaze, "You asked me, what's so wrong about being cute, right?"

Lucy turned fiercely, facing Natsu, tears in her eyes, "All of its bad!" she yelled, "There's no point in being cute, if you can't get the boy you love to love you back! I don't have any friends! I have no one!" She ranted, "All of it-"

She was cut off as Natsu leaned forward and kissed her. Her body felt warm as they broke apart, she glanced up to find him staring sadly at her, "I'm sorry," he said and left, leaving her alone in the hallway.

'Why sorry?' she thought as she slowly walked back to class, 'Why am I wondering why?' her face reddens at the memory, 'HE kissed ME,'

"Lucy..."

With a small gasp of shock, Lucy realized Gray was standing before her, "G-Gray!"

'Wait….did he see the kiss?! This feels awkward!' she screamed mentally.

"Hey, you remember back in middle school, when your friend's boyfriend fell in love with you by sight?" he asked.

"…yeah," 'I don't remember his face though,'

"That was Natsu,"

Lucy felt as if her body turned to stone. Her eyes widen with his proclamation, "WHHAAAAT?!"

"Yeah, since then, it's been an unrequited love," He grinned, the two being good friends, "He wanted to go to the same school," Gray started to explain, "He had to drop his grades a bit just to come here. He told me he knew that you had a complex about being cute, even saying it was his fault…and till that complex went away, he was going to keep calling you cute,"

Images of Natsu flooded Lucy's mind, 'as a couple, it's just too romantic, 'Was that him putting up a front?'' 'It wasn't your fault 'Guilt? Does he blame himself?'' 'I'm sorry,' 'you're cute,'

A small chuckle escaped from Lucy's lips, "He's so silly….Hey, Gray? You know what? Thanks," she turned and ran out, looking for the entrance leading out of the school.

'Natsu, you see, I've always…wanted to become a girl who could smile and say 'thanks,'…When someone called me cute, it was hard for me, because I could not gain the confidence to live up to that opinion of me. Even though you faced a similar burden, the gentle you, who never said a word, was so brilliant that I couldn't look right at you,'

Lucy continued to run through the school yard, looking all around, 'Would it be ok if I go slowly? I want you to tell me the secret of a smile. If possible, while holding hands. The magic of 'cute' has really gotten through me,'

"Natsu,"

Lucy had found him, right in the same spot that they sat during art class. With a sigh, Natsu stood up and faced Lucy.

"In middle school," he started to say, "my girlfriend back then told me she was going to bring a friend to our usual place…that's when I first met you, Lucy,"


Sitting beside his girlfriend in a booth, Natsu gazed lazily at the door, waiting for 'this' friend to come. With a ring, the door opened, a girl with blonde hair tied up as pony tail to the side with a blue ribbon strode toward them. Natsu couldn't help back stare at the girl.

"Hello, Lisanna's boyfriend!" she said.

"y-you're cute," Natsu said, a slight blush on his face. The blonde girl frowned for a moment as her face turned red, but then a huge smile broke on her face.

"Thank you!"


Lucy eyes widen at the memory. A blush was now on Natsu's face.

"I only wanted… to see you smile like that again," the pink haired boy glance away.

A small laugh escaped from Lucy.

Natsu grew flustered, "What..?"

The blonde rubbed tears of mirth away from her eyes, "Its nothing. I was thinking, that I really went around in circles," she took a round item from her pocket and held it up, "Hey, look at this,"

Natsu stared at the item, only to be found surprised as Lucy leaned over and kissed his cheek, "Wha-wha-wha,"

Lucy held the item up between them, "it's a new lip gloss," she said, "What do you think of it?"

A happy grin came upon Natsu's face, "Cute," and Lucy couldn't help but smile back at him.


If you tell me once more that you love me, then… in your arms, I'll confess my love for.


Lucy and Natsu leaned against each other, kissing each other.

'From now on, I'll be happy when I hear the word, cute and I'll be a person who can smile and say, 'Thank you'. Please gently cast your magic on me again,'


Behind a couple of bushes, not too far from the kissing couple, sat Gray, Juvia and Erza.

"Its kinda hard for us to come out now," Gray grumbled, "Natsu really does move quickly,"

"y-yeah," Juvia mumbled, "They're a nice looking couple,"

"They have each other, so everything is good, right? No, I'm the only one by myself," Erza huffed sadly.

"I wonder," Juvia said sadly, "if Lucy will forgive Juvia for being rude earlier,"

"Well, you won't know until you apologies," Erza said. Juvia glanced at her friend.

"You think she'll become Juvia's friend?" Juvia asked. Erza smiled fondly at her friend.

"I'm sure she'll will,"


and begin that kind of romance.