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Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail

It was like any other day….

The guild was rowdy… Gray and Natsu were arguing over who was stronger.. having their little competitions as usual… Wendy and Carla were sitting with Lily and Happy… talking about nothing too serious… Erza savoring her strawberry cake… Gajeel in the corner of the guild… closing his eyes with his arms crossed… listening to everything going on in the guild while taking an 'I don't care' appearance…

The raijinshu were sitting with Laxus… Laxus was enjoying his sound pod.. with closed yes.. Freed sitting quietly next to Laxus… watching the guild… Bixlow and Evergreen doing the same… they were the team that enjoyed comfortable silence….

Levy was reading a book.. Jet and Droy sitting on either side of her.. eating food…

Master drinking his beer on top of a table with his legs crossed… Macao and Wacaba were sitting around him… Mira went about smiling while she served the guild members…

Lucy was sitting at the bar, sighing and comically crying.

"Lucy.. are you okay?" Lisanna asked as she came up to sit next to her..

"Oh Lisanna… sniffle sniffle.." Lucy said with puppy teared eyes….

"What's wrong Lucy? You've been moping for some time now. Did something happen?" Mira asked as she came up towards the two girls from behind the bar.

"My team…. They made so much property damage.. that we got no reward.. absolutely nothing! And I have my rent due next week!" Lucy said with clenched fists.. she was frustrated and depressed at the same time..

Erza who was eating her cake at a table nearby in silence.. paused from biting into the cake that was on her fork… guilt overwhelmed her.. she looked over at her depressed teammate.. she put her fork down and moved over to the seat next to Lucy…

Gray and Natsu paused in their brawl.. they were standing in the middle of the guild hall.. and looked over at their favorite celestial mage… they too had a tinge of guilt now.. they winced… they knew they had gone.. slightly overboard on their last mission…

The mission had been simple…. It was an early summer harvest season… and a major farmking town needed help with harvesting their top crops… of course.. Natsu and Gray had to get competitive… 2/3 of their season's crops were either frozen or burned… 1/3 of the crops was just enough for them to survive… it was a disaster….

"Lucy…. I sincerely apologize on behalf of Natsu and Gray… Why don't we go on a quick mission just you and me?"

"No no Erza it's fine… I don't blame you…" Lucy said smiling to Erza..

the two girls looked behind them to stare at the two frozen boys… they flinched as the two girls glared them down… dark aura from both of them….

Natsu and Gray gulped…. Sweat forming on their brows…

"ehehe….. sorry Luce…"

"yea… sorry Lucy…"

A certain blonde haired man and a black haired man smirked…

Sigh…. Lucy turned to face the bar again.. plopping her head on her arms… Levy looked up from her book and saw her best friend sighing again… and she felt bad for Lucy… undoubtedly it was always Natsu's fault… somehow it just always was…she sighed as well as she stood up from her seat and walked over to the celestial mage.

"Lu-chan… cheer up… Just go on a quick mission that'll pay the rent." Levy said warmly.

"I… think… I'll go on a solo mission." Lucy said softly.

Erza, Gray, Natsu, Levy, Wendy, the exceeds, Lisanna, Mira, and all those close enough to hear… were startled. Lucy… going on a mission without Natsu?! Laxus and Gajeel were listening intently… and their eyebrow twitch gave them away.

"WHAT?!" Natsu yelled. "You can't Luce! We're partners!"

"I'm not saying we aren't! I just… need some time on my own… just one mission… alone" Lucy said with a frown as she faced Erza… Gray.. Natsu…

"But Luce!" Natsu whined..

"Natsu… stop." Erza commanded… "I think that's a great idea Lucy. If I go with you, these two idiots will whine and follow us anyway. I'll stay back and make sure they don't interfere and destroy things."

"WHAT?!" Gray yelled

"ERZA!" Natsu yelled.

"THAT'S FINAL GRAY.. NATSU!" Erza death glared at them. "IT'S YOUR FAULT THINGS CAME LIKE THIS. We have no choice… Lucy's strong. She can handle herself."

Natsu pouted.. and Gray had a frown.. Lisanna just giggled at them.. they looked like lost puppies..

"Thanks Erza" Lucy said smiling.

"No problem Lucy. But once you come back from the mission.. we are going out on missions as a team again."

"Of course."

Mira's face lit up as she remembered something… she clasped her hands and quickly went over to the side of the bar… she took out fliers of job requests and she rummaged through them… looking for a particular one she had seen a few weeks ago…

Having found it.. Mira quickly placed it in front of Lucy and her eyes beamed with excitement..

Lucy's watched Mira's excitement from realization.. to her putting a mission flyer on the table… she looked at the job request.. and her eyes widened…

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Duke Sawarr
Seeking a beautiful female mage ballroom dance practice partner who is accustomed to an aristocratic environment. More information will be given upon arrival.

Reward: 350,000 jewels

Housing and Meals Provided.

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"Wow Lu-chan! That's the perfect job for you! It's not dangerous and has high pay!" Levy said excitedly.

"Yes Lucy. You should definitely take it. Mira have you been hiding this job for her?" Erza said as she watched the devil white haired mage suspiciously.

Mira smiled and shrugged.. Secretly… SHE HAD! Lisanna knew her sister.. and she smirked knowingly at her.

Lucy smiled widely… this was the best news she had all week.. the job request would be simple… accustomed to being in an aristocratic environment? She was a HEARTFILIA. She was brought up to be an aristocrat. All that she learned.. was engraved in her.. no matter how much she wanted to part from her upper class life. And it did help that the pay… was 5 months worth of rent…

"YOSH!" Lucy said standing abruptly and a fist clenched in the air. "Mira! I take this one!"

"I knew you would" Mira said smiling.

"BUT LUCY!" Happy and Natsu said together. Happy had flown over to Natsu's shoulder now.

Lucy walked away from the bar..
"Be careful Lu-chan!" Levy said smiling..

"I'll try to make sure Natsu and Gray behave and leave you alone too Lucy!" Lisanna said.
"I will! Thanks Levy, Erza, Lisanna, Mira. Be back soon!"

"We'll be waiting" Erza said smiling
Lucy smiled back at her warmly.

She was passing Natsu and Gray now…

"Bu.."
"No buts Natsu. I'm going alone. Once I come back.. I promise to go on missions with you again… We're still team Natsu." Lucy said smiling as she put a hand on his shoulder..

Natsu still pouted.. "Tch.." he crossed his arms and looked away… Happy did the same..

Lucy sighed and smiled… "I promise to buy you both food when I come back…"

"Really?! Okay Luce! Go make money and hurry back!" Natsu said with his signature grin.
"Really oh really Lushii?! Fish Fish Fish!" Happy said smiling.

Lucy laughed. "You guys be good. Oh and Gray…" Lucy said looking at Gray now.. "You too. Don't make Erza too mad."

"Tch. I'm not like flamebrain here." Gray said crossing his arms.
"Yea. I expect you to be the mature one." Lucy said, sticking her tongue out at him.

"HEY!" Natsu said with a frown.

Gray smiled warmly. He had to admit.. she was sure cute at times.

"Of course Lucy. You be safe. Let me know if some creep bothers you"
"Mhm. Gray your clothes~"
"What!? When did this happen?!" Gray looked down shocked at his half naked body..

Juvia was scratching her nails into the wooden beam she was hiding behind…. Her face was contorted with anger… "LOVE-RIVAL….!" She hissed.

Lucy giggled to herself as she left Gray and Natsu…. She was walking towards the doors when she noticed Gajeel glance at her… he smirked.. and she smirked back at him… she didn't know what game he was playing.. but he wasn't intimidating at all anymore… she could play his game.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow at her boldness… "oh bunnygirl…. You want to play?" he thought.

She faced the doors again.. and noticed another odd pair of eyes glancing at her… the lightning dragon slayer.. had his eyebrows slightly raised.. the raijinshu were watching Lucy too.. but Lucy and Laxus' eyes were locked..

Lucy felt awkward.. she and Laxus had never really talked to each other much… and his sudden gaze.. that was unusually long… and piercing… with those beautiful eyes… made her blush and tear her gaze away… looking towards the doors again… of course her blush didn't go unnoticed by Laxus.. which made him raise his eyebrows more at her.. and smirk… he was amused and finding himself quite pleased by the fact that he could make her blush….

He wasn't blind. He saw the way Natsu looks at her… or even the way Gray looks at her… He saw her exchange with Gajeel… the smirks between the two were playful… but the reaction he got from her… was much more rewarding…

She stepped out the guild doors… and headed towards her apartment… the thin clouds were going by slowly.. and she admired the sight of the beautiful blue sky.

In a couple of hours… Lucy was at the train station.. boarding her train towards… the address on the job flyer… She sat down on her seat.. and looked out the window… the landscape rolled by…

All the while… she kept thinking over and over again.. Duke Sawarr… the name was so familiar… but she couldn't put her finger on it… If he was a Duke worth knowing… she would know since her father had always tried to marry her off in an arranged marriage…

Her eyes widened…..

Duke….Sawarr…

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of the Junelle