I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL. MASHIMA HIRO DOES.
Lucy sighed heavily. She sat alone at a table watching Lisanna and Nastsu from afar. Her body was bent as her head and arms lay across the wooden table and her golden locks scattered over her porcelain face. Lucy buried her face in her arms. She felt something turn at the pit of her stomach. It wasn't a sick feeling or any form of cramps. There was no fever, no sniffling cold, no headache, no cramps, and no allergies. Today just felt a little off.
"Things will be different now," Lucy whispered to herself softly. It's been two years since they last saw each other. Which means they have a lot of catching up to do Lucy thought to herself. Ever since Lisanna returned, the two of them looked like a couple- though the idiot was probably too dense to see the poor Lisanna's feeling.
To be honest, Lucy didn't know how to react to the fact Lisanna was alive. It was a mixture of feelings which she couldn't quite figure out. Sure Lucy was happy that Lisanna was alive all these years. She was Mira's and Ellfman's beloved sister after all, and a dear member to everyone in Fairy Tail. Why would Lucy be upset with Lisanna coming back from the dead?
A few days ago, her best friend Levy asked if there was anything wrong with her. Jokingly, Levy teased Lucy about being jealous of Lisanna spending so much fun with her dimwit of a best friend. The summoner assured the bluenette that the green monster of jealousy hadn't taken over her. Why on earth would Lucy be jealous of Lisanna? That had to be a joke! Lucy was just as strong as her, wasn't she? Lucy wasn't weak at all! She was just as attractive as the shape-shifter with better curves to boot! Right? Why on Earthland would Lucy be jealous of a girl like that? Who cares if she had Natsu wrapped around her little, porcelain finger? Lucy doesn't need an idiot's attention to be happy. It's not like she was head over heels for the well-built pink dragon. It's just a stupid feeling that will go away soon after all.
Lucy buried her face deeper into her arms. Is this how Juvia feels about love-rivals? Lucy wasn't in love with Flame Brain (or Gray for Juvia's sake). It was just a simple crush that school girls get, right? It will go away soon at least.
The first time Lucy met Lisanna was right after they came back from Edolas. It was cold and raining. Natsu gave Lucy his red coat. It still smelt of smoke and ash even though it was drenched in the rain. Gajeel had a funny grin plastered on his face with tears streaming down his face. He finally got the cat of his dreams, Panther Lilly. Lilly brought out a white haired girl whom he tied up with his bare paws thinking that she was an imposter. When Lisanna saw Natsu, Lisanna attacked Natsu with a big hug that knocked the two to the ground. From the stories she heard, it was obvious that Lisanna had a crush on him back then, and it is obvious now. Well, it's obvious to everyone except for the pink haired moron.
Lucy admitted to herself that she had fallen for the pink headed idiot though she was in denial about being that much in love with him. This wasn't how she imagined herself falling in love. A handsome prince charming with dazzling eyes would come to her rescue just like the books she read, not a pink haired idiot dragon with a white scarf!
But how could she stop herself from falling for him? He had saved her life twice on the first day they met. The first one was from falling into Bora's cursed charm ring. The second time was when he rescued her from Bora once again on the rocking boat at the cost of destroying the port with the military right at their tails afterwards. He took her to the guild of her dreams where she made real friends other than her Celestial Spirits. He tricked her into being his teammate and brought her to her first mission. He tricked her into doing a crazy S-Class mission that involved demons and a curse. He wiped away her tears when during the Phantom Lord Incident. He caught her when she fell off Phantom's Sky Prison. It was his voice she heard from afar. And when she couldn't walk anymore, he gave her a piggy back ride home. He was her knight in shining armor that her mother had read to her in fairytales despite the fact that he happened to be a fire breathing moron. And when Lucy went back home to the Heartiphilia Estate, he was there ready to bring her back home to Fairy Tail. Of course Erza, Gray, and Happy were there was a blob of pink leading the pack. And how could Lucy forget the words that Happy said. "He cried at the thought of you leaving Fairy Tail," Happy's words echoed in Lucy's head. She shook her head trying to stop thinking of him. How could she stop thinking of him when were together 24/7?
Hell, Lucy stood up her first ever real date because of the moron! To this very day, Lucy hadn't had her first date, much less her first kiss. She trusted him enough to catch her when she fell of Phantom Lord's Sky Prison. During Oracion Seis, she fell off a damn waterfall trying to save him from the clutches of the raft which was giving him a terrible case of motion sickness. She was crazy enough to hop on to a roller coaster at Edolas to save the motioned sickened dimwit who later puked on her. She'd risk her life to save him. All her precious memories were of him, including the sad ones.
If only I was stronger, she thought he wouldn't have to go through hell because of me. She remembered the first time they met, well second encounter actually. On their second encounter, his face was abnormally green. He came to save her because he felt that he didn't feel that he really saved her from Bora and for causing her to go bankrupt with the lunch she paid for him. He saved her multiple times even if he was near death. She remembered the time when Gajeel had captured her. Beating after beating that Gajeel had placed upon her, she endured. In fact, she thought it fit for all the times she brought danger to Fairy Tail because of the name she was born with.
When her pink knight came back with his noble steed Happy, he looked already tired and his magic power was nearly exhausted. But at one look at Lucy, his fists went ablaze and he fought for her yet again. She was helpless without her keys. All she could do was watch with Sagittarius as the fight continued. After the fight was over, her knight was all bandaged up and looked like a mummy. All Lucy got was a simple blemish on her stomach. It was all her fault for his pain, not Lisanna's.
How silly it was of her to think for a moment that the great Salamander would even be interested in a weak Celestial Mage as herself! She remembered the day when Mira told her "I think Natsu might love you" then over hearing Wakaba and Macao's conversation of Natsu and a crush that he was planning to see later on in the evening. It just so happened that the great dragon slayer had asked her to meet him by the Oak Tree in the park, she saw him blushing! The great and mighty Salamander blushed! The world must be ending! Or was she dreaming that she could raise the temperature of the already hot headed idiot. Or was she imagining that she could make his heart skip a beat like how hers skip two whenever he flashes his toothy grin to her.
Of course, it wasn't meant to be. She had to let him down for the sake of the team and their friendship. R-right? But Lucy couldn't do it. She spent hours to prettify herself with Cancer's help just for him. Later, she rehearsed what she was going to say to him. She constantly thought about what their children look like only to find Happy looking cats. When the time had come, she was so disappointed at the same time very relieved to find out he wanted to use Virgo to dig up a damn box of embarrassing old pictures of guild mates.
Pathetic Lucy! She screamed in her head.
Salamander needed someone better, not a rich and spoiled blond. Without her keys, she was nothing. Her hand-to-hand combat wasn't exactly that great. She wasn't on par with the level of magic power her teammates were in. Was Lucy just someone he used to mend his mourning heart? Guild mates often commented on how she looked and acted similarly like Lisanna when he brought her.
"Hahaha!" Lisanna's laugh broke Lucy away from her train of thought. Now, Lucy was sitting up right. Lisanna's laugh had startled her. The 'lovely duo' was still hanging out at the table across from her. Lisanna seemed to inch closer to dense flame-eating-chicken-dimwit. Lucy couldn't help but cringe. He looked so happy with her. That genuine toothy grin, she couldn't possibly make him smile like that.
"Things will be different now," Lucy repeated to herself in a hushed murmur. She wanted to go back in time. Maybe she should have confessed to him. Wait… This is just a school girl's crush. It will go away soon. Lucy hoped it would. The stinging pang in her chain increased greatly. She liked it better when she was 'dead.'
No! Lucy thought I will not think like that! As a friend, I will support him. I need to be happy for them.
Lucy got up from her seat and headed towards the job request board where Nab was still deciding on a job. The walk was long and lonely. The only sound she heard were her the click and clack of her boots. There were no fluttering of wings and the fishy smell of her most favorite blue cat. No smell of the intoxicating ash she grown accustomed to, no heavy feet running and no booming voice yelling that he'd beat her to the job request board.
The job request board was bigger than she thought it would be. Usually a blue feline would hover over her shoulder and search for a job with her. But the crazy cat was showing Lisanna some fish. The celestial wizard scanned the board for a job that would be easy enough for her but still be enough to pay rent. She didn't want to badger her friend to accompany her on her job. After all, he had a lot of catching up to do with Lisanna. She'd only be a hindrance, a nuisance, a lonely third wheel.
This would be the first job Lucy would do without her crazy dragon friend. Plus, this time she'd get the full reward without splitting it or having to give part of it away to the Magic Council for damages she didn't do. Lucy grabbed a paper that interested her. It seemed simple enough to her. How hard could fighting a few criminals be? Her spirits could handle it and so could her. She could do it. After all, her magic has increased greatly. She could summon a spirit for a longer amount of time and her whip skills with Fleuve d'étoiles had increased as well.
Lucy hurried to the bar where Mira was drying a few glasses.
"Mira," Lucy called, "I found a job that I'd like to do."
"Okay," the silver haired woman said as she wiped one of the glasses to the point where it was glistening. "Is Natsu coming too?"
Lucy's heart sank a bit as she answered, "No." Lucy was sad that she was going to be traveling alone.
"Oh," Mira said surprised. Ever since Lucy came to the guild, Natsu was by her side. After all, he brought her to the guild. But since the very beginning of their friendship, the two had been inseparable. "Is Gray coming then?" Gray and Lucy were pretty close. Mira presumed that maybe...
"Juvia will not accept this!" Juvia said. She revealed herself from a pillar she was hiding behind to spy on the ice Mage who was walking around in his boxerd as usual. Juvia came running to Lucy exclaiming, "Juvia will not let Lucy be alone with Gray-sama on a mission!" It was loud enough for everyone to hear, that is except for the certain Mage who seemed to be oblivious as the pink haired moron.
"Then you could go too Juvia," Mira suggested. The thought of being on a mission the whole day with Gray was making Juvia's temperature going up. She began to think of taking care of him and possibly getting rid of Lucy. Killing her love-rival would only be a bonus.
Lucy who wasn't in the mood for any of Mira's matchmaking replied as kind as possible, "Nah, Gray always gets fined for walking around town nude or in his underwear so part of our reward goes to pay that along with stolen underwear. Besides, he's just as destructive as Natsu!"
"Then are you going with Erza?" Mira inquired.
"She's off slaying a volcano demon," the blonde answered. Maybe Lucy would have gone with the crazy red head but she hadn't returned from her S-Class mission yet.
"That's right," Mira chirped. "I must have forgotten. Why are you going on this mission?"
"We'll," Lucy began, "My rent is due next week and this job will cover it."
"I don't mean that," Mira said in a bubbly giggle. "Why are you going on a mission without Natsu? You two are always together!" Mira leaned towards Lucy holding her face in her palms and bending her body on the counter so that her elbows propped her upright. Mira was imagining what it might be IF the two were to a couple. Why was Mira doing this to her? Was it to remind her that the mighty Salamander would probably never go on a mission with her ever again? Or was she just teasing her? Mira knew that Lisanna had a thing for Natsu. Why was she doing this?
"We are not always together!" Lucy barked defensively. "Besides, he seems busy right now."
"Uh-huh," Mira responded sarcastically. She pointed to the table where Lisanna and Natsu were at. Lucy stared in bewilderment. Natsu had gotten up on the table and was dancing his childish dance with Happy. To Lucy, it looked like a chicken dance. "He doesn't seem too occupied." Mira responded.
"This is a mission I want to do," Lucy said pointing to herself. "I want to do it by myself. I haven't done a solo mission." The last mission they went to, over two thirds of it went to pay the damages he caused all because he burnt town a chapel.
It's cause he won't let you Mira thought to herself.
"Are you sure Natsu will be okay with that?" Mira questioned. The simple question baffled the blonde. Why would he care? They were just friends and nothing more. Natsu never showed any signs in liking her. The only thing that Lucy knew that Natsu had ever shown passionate feelings for was not a person. It was his fire food. He had a magnetic attraction for his fire food and picking fights.
"Why wouldn't Natsu be okay with it?" Lucy asked her older friend.
Mira didn't hesitate to answer. "You know Natsu," Mira replied. "You're his best friend in the whole wide world. He has issues with relationships after Igneel left him. He might think you're leaving him."
Lucy hadn't thought of that before. "He doesn't need to worry," Lucy replied with an assuring smile. "We're best friends and I'll always be there for him. I'm not going anywhere. Fairy Tail is my home and my family."
"Okay then," Mira said in a defeated tone. "When are you leaving?"
"First thing in the morning," Lucy answered. With that, Lucy walked home.
Mira looked at the Celestial mage as the blonde exited through the double door of the guild. "You're just as dense as him," the wise silver haired woman whispered softly that only she could hear.
Lucy walked excitedly down the road to her house. She balanced herself with her arms out on the side of the canal that led to her house. Plue followed behind her as the faithful snow dog normally did. Her mind was filled with emotions. There was excitement and fear. But most importantly she was going to be alone. A mission was going to be the thing to clear her mind and straighten out her feelings. She wanted time to escape her nightmare and wake up to realize that her prince is still out there. She wanted to continue writing chapters of her life even if it meant that she had to slay the evil monster alone. She didn't need her pink knight and his blue steed.
But inside, she just wanted to forget about her stupid crush!
THIS IS MY FIRST FANFIC. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. I'M STILL NEW AT THIS, SO DON'T BE ANGRY WITH ME. I HOPE I DIDN'T MAKE ANY MAJOR ERRORS. SO PLEASE REVIEW AND RATE!
NEXT CHAPTER: THE MEANING OF PARTNERS
