The following text is a fanfiction. I do not own any of the characters mentioned, except Jeanne and her family. Flames, comments, and critiques are accepted, and Gray will come cool me down if you throw one of those my way. This story is basically the end of chapter 24, and the beginning of chapter 25. "Fairy Tail" belongs to Hiro Mashima.


"Freedom! Outside air is the greatest!" Natsu was yelling and running around happily.

"I can't believe the arrest was just a formality. I wasted my time worrying!" Lucy sighed.

I completely sympathized with her. Yesterday morning, I had woken up late and ran to the guild to watch Erza and Natsu fight. I had arrived to glum faces, and Lucy explained that Erza had been arrested. For the rest of the day, we were all worried sick, and even more so when we learned Macao was impersonating Natsu. But then they came home the next day, and we were all relieved as Erza explained it all.

"Erza! Let's fight!"

"Don't be silly, I'm tired," was the calm reply. But that didn't stop Natsu from charging with fists flaming. Erza released a sigh, and with one uppercut with a sledgehammer! Natsu was out.

Many of us, myself included, laughed at how quickly he was defeated. Suddenly, my eyelids started drooping. Aw, merde. Mystogan had returned. He always put everyone under a sleeping spell before entering the guild, so that no one could see his face. As far as I knew, only Master had seen it. I hadn't even seen it through his past, which I'd viewed before I'd joined. Now that was a messed up place.

As suddenly as it arrived, the sleepiness disappeared. Everyone was up and grumbling, except for Natsu, who remained blissfully unconscious. Gray was explaining to Lucy who Mystogan was: a candidate for Fairy Tail's strongest who always hid his face.

"So, no one but the Master knows what his face looks like," he was saying.

"Nope, I do," a voice called out from above. Everyone's heads snapped up to the second floor. Laxus was leaning on the railing, chomping on a cigar and sneering down at all of us. "Mystogan is shy. Don't get too nosy."

I would swear, he looked right at me as he said that. I shifted uncomfortably, knowing that my body language was practically screaming, 'too late!' Fortunately, he was distracted when Natsu woke up (finally) and yelled, "Laxus! Fight me!"

I used that moment to mutter, "Conceal Magic: Dissolve." And I silently disappeared from sight.

"...don't stand a chance against me if you can't even beat Erza," Laxus was saying.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Erza called out dangerously.

"I mean, I'm the strongest!" Laxus declared, raising his arms.

"Come down here, bastard!" Natsu demanded.

"Why don't you come up?" Laxus taunted.

"Fine by me!" the dragon slayer yelled, leaping over the bar to reach the stairs.

"Imbécile," I whispered, and was not surprised when Master brought down a giant fist upon him.

"You can't go to the second floor. Not yet," he said simply.

"You got in trouble," Laxus laughed.

"Mou, what are you, a kid?" I muttered. I stiffened as he seemed to glance in my general direction. 'There's no way he can hear me from there! I believe a little over five feet, but at this distance?!'

I relaxed though, as he continued, "I'll never let anyone else take the title of Fairy Tail's strongest! Not Erza, not Mystogan, not even that geezer! I am the strongest!"

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "Hai, hai, we all know that, no need to brag, tu connard arrogant," I said to myself as I walked out the guild.

Mou, Laxus just seemed extra full of himself, as of late. It was like he had an uncontrollable urge to prove he was better than the rest of us every time he opened his mouth.

I hadn't really seen him since that day he hinted he knew about my Montage View, but I wasn't complaining. The gods knew I preferred to keep away from conflict anyway.

WWW

The next day, I entered the guild early. I thought it was about time to get another job, and I didn't want to have to wait in line as people chose.

"Master!" Mira cried as she ran downstairs. "One of the requests from the second floor is missing!"

Master sat there calmly, took a sip from his beer, and promptly sprayed it out.

Everyone started clamoring.

"Second floor means S-class!"

"Who'd be stupid enough to steal that?"

"Oh…" We all looked up at Laxus on the second floor. "Yesterday, I saw a cat stealing one of the jobs. Yeah, a cat with wings…"

"Happy?" Mira gasped.

'Quoi? Natsu actually dared to take a S-class quest? What is he thinking? He's gonna get expelled for sure! Wait... He wouldn't take Lucy with him, would he? Surely she's smarter than that!'

"But I doubt that they're coming back alive," Laxus was saying, "I mean, taking on an S-class job with their pathetic skills, haha!"

'Oh, mes dieux, Laxus! Could you at least pretend you're worried for them?'

"Laxus!" Mira yelled, stomping up to him. "If you knew about this, why didn't you try to stop them?!"

"All I saw was a cat sneak off with a piece of paper in his mouth," came the reply. "I never imagined it was Happy, or that Natsu would go on an S-class job."

I frowned. He saw a cat with wings sneak away, and didn't assume it was Happy, or that Natsu was up to something? How many cats with wings did he expect lived in the area?!

"What job was taken?" Master asked.

"The Cursed Island, Galuna," Mira replied, giving Laxus a really scary look.

"WHAT?"

Everyone in the guild freaked. 'They went to Galuna?! The Island of Demons?! They must want to die! Seriously, what are they thinking?!'

"Laxus!" Master called. "Go bring them back!"

"Don't be ridiculous. I have my own work to attend to."

'Like what? What can be more important that assuring the safety of your nakama?'

"Members of this guild are supposed to be able to take care of themselves."

Okay, that time, he definitely looked at me. As Master yelled at him, I held his scornful gaze with a withering look of my own.

"Connard," I breathed out.

Laxus scowled.

...Oh.

Merde.

He can hear me! Oh mes dieux, and I was trash-talking him aloud yesterday! He probably heard them all!

So I did what I do best. I ran. I ran out of the guild and to the park, finally stopping under and climbing up my favorite tree. Hidden by the branches, I proceeded to freak out.

What was I going to do?!