Lucy gazed down at all the items she hauled up onto the shop's counter. Some chocolate bars, a bag of chips, some of her favorite magazines that she could read. Laid on top was a little celestial key she'd picked up in the small magic section of the shop. It wasn't anything particularly fancy—Plu the dog—but she'd vowed to herself to buy a celestial key wherever they were available.
"That'll be 28,000 jewel, ma'am."
Lucy hesitated for a second, blinking at the steep price. 28,000? For some junk food and a little celestial key? Not likely.
She turned on the charm instantly, leaning over so her bodacious chest was more visible. Her voice, sing-songy and sweet, lulled out the words, "How about 21,000 jewel and a kiss?" She subtly squished her breasts together with her arms.
The shop-keeper blinked.
Five minutes later, Lucy was huffing down the street, her wallet now 28,000 jewel lighter. Apparently, her dashing good looks and her majestic charm didn't work on these small townsfolk. The idea irked her.
She tried to forget about it as she walked to the local train station, focusing on her journey ahead. She was out of the estate. She was free of her father's clutches. She was going to live life to the fullest, make her mother proud.
She was going to see the rainbow, one day.
Lucy made her way to the teller at the train station, still not really sure where she was headed. Should she go east? West? Was there any place in particular that she'd always yearned to see? Her mind was completely blank.
"Miss, what is your destination?" The teller asked.
"Um," Lucy said, stammering. She read the board on the wall, read the list of possible destinations and their arrival times. Still, she was stumped. She glanced down at her magazine, desperate for an answer from the universe. "I…."
Her favorite magazine, Sorcerer Weekly, seemed to have an answer.
Lucy's favorite model—Mirajane Strauss—was sprawled across the cover page, wearing a pretty bikini. Beneath her were the words 'FAIRYTAIL OF MAGNOLIA!' in bold print. It was like a lightbulb went off in her brain. Fairytail. Her favorite guild. It seemed that the universe had made a decision: Magnolia was the place for her.
"Got any tickets to Magnolia?" Lucy asked, deciding to give herself up to fate.
"That'll be 2000 jewel."
Lucy handed over some cash and took her train ticket. She made her way over to the correct train and boarded, happily picking a seat beside the window. As she waited for the train to begin moving, she decided to flip through her magazines. She just had to know what her favorite guild's had been up to while she'd been busy leaving the estate.
Lucy's eyebrows tugged down as her face twisted into a frown. "Ooooh." She hummed to herself. "This looks interesting."
On the first page of Sorcerer Weekly, large bold text announced something practically unheard of.
Fairytail's Salamander FINALLY caught on camera! After many years of desperate attempts to take his picture, SORCERER WEEKLY has finally managed to catch some shots of the infamous wizard—AND a FULL INTERVIEW! See the spread on page 7!
Eyes wide, Lucy frantically flipped to page seven. She'd been idolizing Fairytail ever since she was a kid, and for the longest time, this Salamander guy had been her absolute favorite. He was one of the strongest in the guild, especially for his young age. And he was the funniest one, hands down—he'd always get in trouble because he'd destroy every city he visited. Lucy thought it was absolutely hilarious.
And, up until now, there had never been a picture of him. She'd never been able to put a face to the name. It was bizarre, having a hero but not knowing what he looked liked. Now, she'd finally get the chance.
"Page seven, page seven…." Lucy mumbled under her breath, flipping through the pages. Around her, the train began to fill up; people shuffled on and took their seats, although no one decided to sit in her booth yet. "Ah, here it is."
The glossy page was absolutely littered with photos of the same guy. They were candids—definitely not a photoshoot. In fact, it appeared like the mage was fighting the photographer. Each shot, the boy's face got progressively more angry, until the last shot, where he was spewing fire at the paparazzi.
The boy wasn't quite what she expected. He was shorter, skinnier than she'd thought. Honestly, based off of his reputation, she'd been expecting a carbon copy of Laxus, another Fairytail member she liked. But, no—this guy wasn't the jacked beast she'd come to think of him as. He was young—probably around her age—and looked more boyish than a manly beast. Still, there was something cute about him.
Seeing the pictures of him only confirmed her mild celebrity crush on him.
Lucy read the interview next and tried to keep herself from laughing out loud.
Interviewer: So, why haven't you been featured in Sorcerer Weekly before?
Salamander: What the hell? Don't stick your camera in my face.
Interviewer: Our readers want to know—who do you think is the hottest wizard in Fairytail?
Salamander: Are you f******* serious?
Interviewer: Do you really have a rivalry with Gray Fullbuster?
Salamander: Ice Princess? F*** that guy. Hey—quit sticking that f****** camera in my face!
Interviewer: Do you have a girlfriend?
Salamander: Listen, pal, I said quit it with the camera!
Interviewer: Anything you want to say to your devoted fans out there?
Salamander: That's it! That camera's gonna be a pile of ashes! Jesus f***! F*** you! *Interview was promptly ended due to combustion.
**Crude language has been removed.
Lucy grinned. Yup—he was definitely her favorite now. He set the freakin' interviewer on fire. How could everyone not love him?
She paused for a second. Well, the magic council definitely had reason not to like him, what with his destruction of nearly everything he touched. And some of his guildmates—Gray Fullbuster in particular—often talked about his obnoxious personality. But there was something about him Lucy liked.
He was genuine.
She'd been raised in a world full of fake smiles and fake politeness and fake greetings. She'd gotten used to acting, to putting up a façade. But here was this guy, and he was an utter mess…but that was him, nothing fake about it. And honestly, she respected that.
Amused, she glanced over the photos of the boy again, smirking. But this time, now that she was paying more attention, she realized something was utterly wrong about the photos. Something was different. Something she'd never seen before.
She searched the entire image, really not quite sure what was wrong, desperate to figure out which part of the picture was not making sense in her brain. She ran her eyes over every part of the photos: his face, his body, his arm, the fire spewing out of his finger tips and mouth.
Lucy's eyes landed on his head. Specifically, what laid on top of his head.
It was his hair.
Now, there was nothing particularly different about his hair. Nothing that completely stood out. It was just….the shade of it. It was an odd shade of grey, one that she'd never laid her eyes on before.
Everyone had their own hair shade and that resulted in their own unique shade of grey—Lucy deduced that was because of their actual unique hair color beneath the colorless filter set upon everything. But everyone's shade was relatively similar, not really straying much from the norm.
Lucy's hair, for example, was a light shade of grey. Her mother had said that Lucy's hair was blonde—a kind of yellow. Of course, this meant nothing to her. What the hell did yellow look like? But still, the idea thrilled her. She had a hair color. Incredible.
Other people had different shades, darker ones. Lucy assumed that meant they had darker hair. Her mother had made mention of brunettes and redheads, or people with golden undertones. She'd talked about so many different hair colors, how everyone's was unique, just slightly different frm everyone else's. The idea seemed magical.
To Lucy, everyone's hair was grey. Dark grey, light grey, a smokier kind of middle-toned grey. But this guy, this Salamander…his hair was totally different.
It was light grey. But there was some dimension there, making Lucy think that no, maybe it was middle grey. But then again, the way his hair spiked out and the way the shadows played on the strands made her think it was dark grey. It didn't make sense. A person's hair couldn't be every shade of grey! Something about the tone of his hair was just different, so much that Lucy couldn't make sense of it. It was just weird.
This kid's hair was really messing up her brain, so she decided to take a break from all of these hair thoughts. She closed the magazine, taking a few deep breaths, trying to clear her mind. She closed her eyes, trying to relax.
A voice came from the aisle, bright and high-pitched. "Here's a spot!"
Lucy's eyes snapped open. To her surprise, two bodies and slid into the bench seat in front of her, joining her in her booth. Lucy gave a polite smile, and then returned her gaze to her lap.
Instantly, she froze. Her eyes slowly made their way back up to the pair in front of her.
It was the boy from the magazine. It was Salamander.
He was sprawled out on the train seat, one hand on his stomach and the other on his forehead. He was sweaty, but shivering as if he were cold. Beside him, a cat. With wings.
Lucy;s jaw dropped. "S-Salamander? From Fairytail?"
The boy's eyes flickered over to her, narrowing in slight confusion. He opened his mouth to speak, but the second he did so, the train began to move; instantaneously, he hunched over, holding his stomach, letting out a sad groan.
The cat looked at Lucy. "He gets motion sickness. He'll be fine, though."
"Bluuuuuuuuurggghhhh," The boy hissed out, skin as pale as snow.
"That's—that's…." She trailed off, babbling like an idiot. "That's Salamander."
The cat frowned. "You know Natsu?"
Lucy couldn't take her eyes off of him. He looked like he was about to be ill, but she could tell that was him, the boy from the magazine. Her favorite mage. There were no flames coming out of his finger tips, but his hair was still that glitchy, wonky color that made her head hurt. It was him.
"I—um, no, but I read Sorcerer Weekly a lot, and he just got his first spread in it!"
The boy let out another groan—this time, it was tinged with anger. "Ughhhhhh."
The cat laughed. "Bummer. He was hoping that wouldn't get released."
"Why?" Lucy asked, looking back to the boy.
Although he was basically out of commission—sweaty forehead, cold shivers, gagging like he was about to blow chunks—his eyes seemed alert, and she could tell he wanted to talk.
"Natsu hates the interviewer guy," The cat explained. "He always gets Natsu all riled up. The only reason the pictures made it into the magazine is 'cuz it's the first time Natsu didn't smash the camera to bits."
"Sheesh," Lucy huffed, a smirk on her lips. "Is it really that bad to have some pictures in a magazine and do an interview?"
The boy rolled his eyes, but another wave of nausea hit him and he proceeded to gag.
The cat grinned. "He's not good with people."
"is that why he's got a talking cat for a sidekick?"
"I'm Happy," The cat explained. "Me and Natsu are best friends."
Lucy frowned. "I thought his name was Salamander."
"That's just his nickname," Happy explained. "He got it 'cuz he's got dragon slayer magic—that lead to the whole salamander thing."
"Oh. Are you in the guild, too?" Lucy prodded.
"You betcha!"
"Oh, wow!" Lucy cried, her inner fangirl coming to the surface. "Is Mirajane really that pretty in real life? Is Laxus actually a dick? Is Gray actually the most handsome in the guild?"
Natsu let out a cry of anguish; Lucy wasn't sure if it was from her stupid questions or from his motion sickness.
Either way, Lucy darted forwards, alarmed by how ill he was getting. She touched the back of her hands to his forehead; he was burning hot, really clammy. He was sweating so much that his hair was damp and stuck to his forehead. "He doesn't look so good," She murmured.
Happy cocked his head to the side. "Are you a nurse or somethin'?"
Lucy gave him a warm smile while she prodded at Natsu, checking his heart rate. "Me? No, not a nurse. I just…" She took a breath. "A couple years ago, a family member of mine got sick, so I was around doctors and nurses for quite a while. I just sort of picked up on how to check the basics, I guess."
Flashbacks of doctors surrounding her mother, nurses poking at her skin hit Lucy like a brick wall. She blinked, trying to get the memories away from her, trying to stop her eyes from welling up. She put her focus on the boy in front of her.
"How's he looking?"
Lucy frowned at Natsu, who seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness. She pulled up his eyelid and looked into his eyes; they seemed glazed over. "Honestly…not very good. Does this happen every time he goes on the train?"
"Yup. Usually we try to avoid the train, but we wanted to get home quickly, and this was the fastest way."
Lucy nodded. She reached over into her bag and pulled out her snacks and drink. "Maybe he just needs something in his stomach, and something to drink."
Happy agreed, and the two began to slowly feed the unconscious boy. Naturally, the second after they'd placed a chip in his mouth, he'd woken up. Still very sickly, still sweating like a pig, he'd accepted the food and drink. Lucy offered some snacks to Happy, too, who graciously accepted.
The train ride went by fairly quickly as the three shared the treats. Lucy kept checking on Natsu, making sure he was staying hydrated, while asking Happy every question she ever had about Fairytail. The little cat obliged, happy to share since this nice lady was taking care of his best friend.
At one point during the five hour long train ride, Lucy and Happy had changed sides. Lucy was now perched beside Natsu, giving him a sip of the drink, still chatting up Happy. The train turned slightly, and Natsu let out a loud groan; he leaned forwards, plopping his head in Lucy's lap.
Lucy blushed at the contact, and peered down at the boy. His big hands were touching her—his left was on the side of her thigh, his right was laid against her hip. His spiky, weird colored hair was the only thing she could see; his face was smushed into her lap. He let out another groan as the train zipped along.
She didn't have the heart to move him, not when he was sick like this. She'd seen sickness in its most furious form with her mother, and now it was her soft spot. She couldn't move him, not when he was so sick and was using her as a pillow.
"So," Happy continued their conversation, "You really like Fairytail, huh?"
"Yup! It's my favorite guild. One day, I'm gonna join."
Natsu stirred in her lap, letting out a mumble.
"You're a mage?" Happy asked.
"You betcha! A celestial mage. I use celestial keys. It's really cool."
The train slowed, and a voice came over the intercom, announcing that they were arriving in Magnolia; within minutes, they were stopped at the station.
Happy poked Natsu until he stirred, and Lucy helped him off the train; she slung his arms over her shoulders and walked him out onto the station, keeping him steady. His condition improved the second they got off the train; he was still a little shaky but was awake and aware and even began to speak, too.
"It was really nice meeting you!" Happy said with a grin. "Thanks for taking care of Natsu."
Lucy gave the cat a warm smile. "Don't worry about it. I had a lot of fun."
Natsu spoke, voice ragged and rough with grogginess. "What's your name, again?"
"I'm Lucy." She said with a soft smile. "It was nice meeting you both." She gave a little wave and then took a step back, about to turn and head off into her adventure.
"Hey—wait a sec!" Natsu called, stepping towards her. "Lucy, wait." He reached out and grabbed her wrist to stop her from turning away.
Lucy paused. "Hm?"
"Why don't you come with us?"
Lucy frowned. "What?"
Natsu blinked, as if it were obvious. "You wanted to join Fairytail, right?"
"Yeah," Lucy mumbled. "And?"
"So, come on. Join."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "I can't join now—I'm not very strong, and I've only got a few celestial keys, and…"
Natsu snorted. "That doesn't matter. Fairytail's a family, and you're really nice. It'll be great."
Lucy glanced away. "I don't know…"
His hand was warm on her wrist; he gave her a cheerful grin. "C'mon. I want you there."
"You do?"
"'Course! You're my friend."
She blinked. "I'm your friend?"
"Well, sure. You took care of me the whole train ride, and you even gave Happy some snacks. That's friendship." He looked back, giving Happy a nod, and then returned his focus to Lucy. "Come on. Join the guild. You can even be on our team."
"That's a lot coming from him," Happy murmured. "He's never made a team before."
Lucy looked Natsu directly in the eyes, not blinking. "You want me to join Fairytail and you want me to be on your team? Are you sure?"
"Yup."
Lucy shrugged. "Well…okay, then. Sounds good to me."
"Great! Let's go get some grub." Natsu cried out, spinning on his heel and hauling Lucy down toward the station doors. "I'm starving."
Lucy couldn't help but burst into laughter, Happy chuckling along as well.
She was happy. She'd never had a more genuine smile on her face. Maybe it was just being with Natsu that inspired this. Being with someone so honest, so genuine…it motivated her to be more genuine as well.
A/N: Hello, readers! I hope you like this chapter! It's just a little one, and not much happened in it, but I promise things will pick up. And I'll try to update faster! Thanks for reading! Please review!
