A/N: So this one took longer than I expected. I wanted to set a schedule of updating every Thursday, since that's when I originally posted. Sorry it's a bit late. I'm on vacation at the moment. ^^" Also, thanks for the encouragement everyone :D Hopefully this doesn't disappoint. I'm planning on keeping the REAL reason secret for as long as possible (until it has to be revealed or the day ends), but be sure that I'll drop hints of all sorts of different theories all over the place. ;)
This chapter includes a kiss, an assumption, and lots of running.
Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima
Chapter 2: "Look, a Distraction!"
"Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day."
The sun is halfway between horizon and zenith as Lucy crosses the main bridge separating Fairy Tail from Kardia Cathedral. She slows slightly, skidding and pivoting her body to the right, leaving Mongolia's main thoroughfare to follow a stone-lined canal. The sharp CLIP CLOP of her high-heeled boots are offset by the muffled thumps of her keys moving loosely against the restricting leather of their case.
She continues following the canal as it curves to the left, her footsteps slowing as she walks down the familiar path. A small smile graces her lips as she watches the shimmering water to her right, tension leaving her shoulders at the soothing sound of water slapping against stone. She approaches the low dividing wall between the street and canal as she catches sight of her reflection. Squatting down, she stares at her tear-stained cheeks and red, puffy eyes. Her right hand comes up to gently prod the puffy flesh, her lips curving down into a small frown. Sighing, she stands back up, her hand flowing down her face to drop to her side.
The press of bodies surrounding her becomes harder to navigate as she nears Mongolia's shopping district. Although there are no shops on Strawberry Street, the market proper is merely a block away. Locals and tourists pour out of the market streets, bags of newly bought produce hanging from their arms. Lucy's stomach growls at the sight, her right hand instinctively going to her stomach as she looks down in dismay. "That shitty cat probably ate all my fish." She grumbles, glancing back towards the guild for the first time since she left.
She reaches the end of another intersection, hugging the wall of a bakery to her left to avoid a gaggle of girls cooing over the newest copy of Sorcerer Magazine. The smell of fresh-baked bread assails her mouth and nose, making her mouth water and stomach gurgle even more. Distracted by the intoxicating smell wafting towards her, Lucy steps out of the building's shadow and into something that stops her in her tracks.
Natsu's nostrils flare as he takes a deep breath through his nose, his brows knitting together in concentration. Wrinkling his nose in disgust and snorting out the offending air, he glares at a small salon to his right. The acrid smell of nail polish and strong perfume wafts out of the open windows to assault the dragon slayer's sensitive nose and he pulls his scarf up to mask the smell with his own smokey scent. "She better be there." He grumbles, glaring at the bare back in front of him as they run down the street. The locals give the dragon slayer a wide berth – highly aware of how destructive he can be – as his unique salmon-colored hair and white scarf send whispers tearing through the crowd.
"Quit your grumbling. This way is faster." Gray retorts, a hand tugging at the waistband of his black pants as he scans the crowd. A couple of girls heading in the opposite direction notice the motion and stare, faces turning bright red as the boys come closer.
"Oi! Keep your pants on, stripper." Natsu snaps, eyes flicking to Gray's hand before moving back to the crowd. His gaze lingers on a few blondes as they fly past and he shakes his head. "All wrong." he mutters under his breath.
"Eh?" Gray looks down and yelps, quickly removing his hand. The girls let out a few disappointed groans as they pass and the ice mage scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. "Thanks, flame brain." he whispers out of the corner of his mouth.
"Tch." Natsu turns his head to the side to look down one of the numerous side streets. He sniffs again, frowning. A gentle wind is at his back, blowing the scent of that damn salon his way. He groans in frustration and turns his gaze towards the canal shimmering in the distance.
"Could that be-?" Gray starts to ask, motioning to a blond off to the right.
"Nah, her hair's too long," Natsu interrupts him, not even looking at the girl.
"What about-"
"Wrong voice," he snaps irritably, his movements becoming more and more pronounced as he stews in his frustration. "Not that Luce would be talking much right now." He mutters, eyes half-lidded and slightly unfocused as turns his head to better direct his sensitive ears.
Before Natsu could focus much, Gray speaks up again, his tone exasperated. "Are you even looking...?" Gray's voice peters off as he freezes in the middle of the street, his mouth hanging slack.
Natsu groans, not seeing Gray's expression. Holding a hand against his forehead, he replies, "She's not on this street, droopy-eyes. This isn't her usual rou-" He collides with Gray's back, sending them both careening onto the hot stone pavers. "Damn it, Gray! What did you stop for!?" he shouts, jumping up onto his feet.
"Isn't that...?" Gray chokes out as he fights to regain his breath, pointing to a scene unfolding on at the end of the street.
"For the last time, she's- " The dragon slayer's gaze finally lands on the scene before them, his eyes locking onto a group of five figures clustered around the street corner. His brows shoot up and eyes widen in recognition.
The ice mage glances at the other boy and pales. "Shit."
"Did you see the king's face?" a tall, light-blonde-haired youth crows, mirth pouring out of his whole being. A short blue vest trimmed in thick gray fur and lined in gold lays open, exposing a chest covered by a thin, translucent black shirt that hugs his neck. The bottom of his shirt cuts off about an inch below his pecs, leaving the rest of his chest bare. The only markings on his body, excepting the white Sabertooth guild mark on his left shoulder, is a short diagonal scar over his right eye. His forearms – covered by shoulder-length dark-blue gloves – curl in front of his bare stomach as he bends over slightly in laughter. His spiky hair sways at his convulsions, a crystalline metal pendant dangling from his left ear.
"Only Natsu-kun has the guts to do something so ridiculous." One of his furry companions answers, his arrogant voice clear despite the numerous voices surrounding the group. The small, cat-like figure walks to the teen's right, his red-furred arms crossed over his pink belly. The majority of his fur is a dark red color while his face, belly, and paws are the light pink of exposed skin. His hairline converges into a widows peak and curves around his eyes to form small sideburns. The only clothing on the small creature is a plain blue vest with three black buttons.
The black-haired teen to the blond's left nods at the red Exceed's words, his expression serious. The right side of the teen's head is obscured by his relatively tame, if messy, short hair and, unlike his more emotional companion, very little of his skin is exposed. A long, black, ankle-length cloak trimmed in gold drapes over his shoulders and is secured by a white strip of cloth at his neck. The white guild mark of Sabertooth is embroidered on the left shoulder of his cloak, identical in placement to the blonde's own mark. The high collar of his gray shirt covers his neck and the bottom of his shirt is tucked under the thick, dark-gray sash of his decorative battle skirt. From beneath the cloak peeks plain brown boots and steel-armored leggings.
"Fro thinks so too." Another small creature nods from the other side of the dark-haired teen, a pink and black spotted, frog-shaped hood wobbling slightly with the movement. A furry, lime green cat face peeks out from beneath the hood, eyes large and round and mouth open in a smile. The rest of the Exceed's body, including his tail, is covered in a pink suit.
Just as the four Sabertooth mages reach the corner of the street, a vaguely familiar figure steps out in front of them and collides with the surprised dark-haired teen. He grunts slightly as he stumbles backwards, hands instinctively latching onto the feminine figure to steady her. 'Fro' squeaks and hides behind the blonde mage, peeking at the newcomer from around the boy's legs.
"Oops, sorry." The busty blonde asks, blushing slightly as she quickly extricates herself from his grasp.
"You should be a bit more careful, Lucy." he scolds, a serious expression quickly returning to his face.
Her head jerks up to study his face and she gasps in surprise, "Rogue?"
A boyish laugh makes the girl jerk her head up to look at the blond-haired boy to her left. "Sting!?" she asks, her voice raising an octave.
"The one and only, baby." He answers, ending with a confident smirk that shows off his pearly white teeth and elongated, fang-like canines.
"What are you doing here?" she asks, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.
Sting laughs, hands on his hips, and leans forward. "Where's Natsu-san?" he asks, a wide boyish smile spreading across his handsome face.
She grins, glancing over her shoulder and gesturing in the direction of the guild. "Knowing him, either brawling with Gray at the guild..." Her eyes lower and her features soften as she turns away, mouth turned down in a small frown. "...or sulking like a little kid somewhere."
"Oh?" He asks, amusement sparkling in his eyes. "Do I sense a lover's quarrel?"
"W-what? No! We're best friends!" she shouts, waving her arms across each other and shaking her head from side to side despite the blush creeping across her cheeks. She tries to back away from him, but he grabs her wrist.
Sting eyes her, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Oh, so he hasn't claimed you yet?"
"That idiot?" she scoffs, turning her head to the side and tugging her hand out of his grasp. She crosses her arms across her chest and turns away, the movement making her breasts bounce slightly. "He's a lost cause."
He suddenly cocks his head to one side, one eyebrow raised and back straightening. His smile disappears for a moment as he concentrates. "Heh, sounds like lover boy is looking for you." He teases, his smirk returning as he turns back to Lucy.
"It's not like that!" She says, her eyes widening and body stiffening as she whips her head around to stare in the direction she had come from. Her eyes roam frantically over the street. "Where...?" Her eyes dart around and, as she turns her head, lands on Sting. She winces at his cocky smirk and looks away. "You're lying aren't you?" she asks, pouting.
"Sting never lies!" the red cat shouts, glaring up at Lucy with his arms crossed. She looks down at him in surprise.
"Fro agrees!" The other Exceed says, nodding his head and moving to stand beside Lector. Unlike the red-haired Exceed, he was smiling and held a non-aggressive stance.
"Who said I was talking about Natsu-san?" Sting winks at her, his smirk creeping further up the left side of his face.
"Sting." Lucy says hesitantly, her voice low in exasperation as she squirms under his amused gaze.
"Yes?" He replies, drawing out the word playfully.
She sighs irritably and glares at him. "I really don't want to talk to him right now. Could you just... distract him or something?" she waves her hands negligently in the direction she came from.
"And why would I do that?" He purrs, closing the distance between them and towering over the girl.
She gulps, taking a step back. "Uhm, because... you're looking for... and I uh..." She finds herself staring at his well-defined abs in an effort to avoid his suddenly intense eyes. She quickly looks away as her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
Sting suddenly grabs Lucy's chin and pulls her into a kiss, his lips grinning against hers as his indigo eyes look over her shoulder. He chuckles as he releases her lips, his mouth moving to her left ear. "You can thank me later." he whispers in her ear, giving it a playful lick before pulling away.
The two exceeds look up at the blondes in disbelief and even Rogue looks at the two with a stunned expression, all three of their mouths hanging open. A couple of the girls – who previously had been gushing over the latest Sorcerer gossip – stop and point to the two mages in excitement, causing the others to turn and stare at the "couple".
"That was my first kiss you asshole!" Lucy screeches, giving Sting one of her famous 'Lucy Kicks' in the gut.
Caught off-guard, Sting finds himself crashing into something soft and squishy. After a few moments of confusion, he looks up to find the gaggle of girls surrounding him with concern. He smirks up at them and gives a wink. "Thanks for catching me ladies."
With Sting out-of-the-way, Lucy finally sees her two fellow guild mates standing in the street behind the other Sabertooth mages. "So that's why..." she mutters, turning her head to glare daggers at Sting. Face bright red in embarrassment and anger, she moves a hand to her ear in an attempt to wipe his saliva away, disgust plain on her face. "Ewww." she mutters, shuddering as she turns on her heel and stomps off towards her apartment.
Sting, now standing, laughs at Lucy's retreating back, his eyes closed and head tilted back as scandalous whispers ripple through the crowd like wildfire.
"You sure that was wise?" Rogue says finally, his voice emotionless despite his barely perceptible smile.
"Why is he here?" Natsu asks, his voice low and angry. He starts advancing again, a menacing aura surrounding the dragon slayer as he glares daggers at his target. One hand went to his scarf, pulling it down and away from his nose. The annoying scent is still in the air, but he ignores it.
"Hold it Natsu." Gray says, his voice calm with an angry edge. He puts a hand on his shoulder, gripping it despite the intense heat roiling off his pink-haired frenemy. "I don't like this any more than you do, but we don't want to start another guild war." he tries to reason with him, eyes darting around the gathering crowd and wincing.
"But that cocky bastard laughed at her! Again!" he growls, continuing his advance and dragging Gray with him.
"Hey! Cool it!" Gray shouts, anchoring himself to the street with a chunk of ice.
"Let. Me. Go." Natsu hisses, turning his head to glare at Gray, their noses almost touching.
"Oh, I see what's going on here." Sting's voice cutting through the air. The street is mostly empty now and most of the shops have closed their doors and drawn their shutters.
"No wonder she thinks you're a lost cause." Lector pipes up, smirking from beside his best friend.
Both Fairy Tail mages turn to glare at the approaching figures with nearly identical expressions of annoyance. "What's that supposed to mean?" they shout.
"Aw, that's so cute. You even talk in sync." Frosh says, nodding his head and giggling.
"What of it?" Natsu nearly growls.
"Hehe, Natsu-san obviously wears the pants in this relationship." Sting teases, now within arms-length of the Fairy Tail mages.
"Huh?" They both look down at Gray's pants, which pointedly were still secured around the ice mage's waist.
"But he-"
"Gah!" Gray quickly removes his hand from Natsu's shoulder and backs away after melting the ice around his left foot.
Natsu looks at Gray in confusion.
"I'm not gay!" Gray shouts, crossing his arms in front of his chest in an x, much in the same way Lucy had done earlier.
Natsu's eyes widen, his face contorting in disgust as he moves away from Gray. "Oye!" His head rapidly moves from Gray to Sting. "Me and that ice princess?" he exclaims, pointing at Gray. "No fucking way!"
Happy finishes Lucy's fish, a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth as he stares at the guild doors. Levi sat beside him, eating the last of the fries while pouring over Cana's card. Gajeel sat on her opposite side, munching on the fork Lucy had bent earlier with an aloof indifference. Jet and Droy are standing behind the blue-haired mage, arguing about what the card meant.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH
Levi glances over at Gajeel with a raised brow. "Isn't that an indirect kiss?" she asks, eying the fork suspiciously.
The iron dragon slayer smirks, taking a pointed bite out of the handle. "So what if it is?" What are you going to do about it? His gaze challenges her. "I'm not going to waste good food."
She huffs, and returns her gaze to the card, a slight blush creeping up her neck.
Mira looks at the two with amusement.
"Why did you stop me, Mira." the blue Exceed asks, turning his big eyes on the white-haired beauty in front of him.
She leans across the bar counter and pats his head with a cheerful smile. "Someone needed to finish this food before it got cold." she replies, gesturing to the plate before him.
"Aye!" he says, patting his stomach appreciatively. "Fish should never go to waste, even if it is cooked." His frown deepens and he narrows his eyes slightly in suspicion. "...but anyone could have finished it."
"True" she laughs, scooping the empty plate up in one hand and retreating to the kitchen, a knowing smile on her lips. "...but Erza and Juvia should be returning from their missions today." she adds as she disappears through the kitchen doors.
Happy and Levi stare at the closing doors with horrified expressions.
A/N: So, I realize that Sting might be a LITTLE out of character here, but that's to be expected with how little we've seen of him so far. I'm not sure if Frosch's gender has been cleared up yet, so until then I'll refer to the Exceed as "it". If anyone has proof, please say so in a review or PM me. I'll change the gender in this chapter as soon as I have a definite answer.
EDIT: So Frosch is a boy! Woo mystery solved. Thanks xXxSatasixXx!
