Fourteen years later...
Gray Fullbuster had grown into a very handsome twenty-one year old man with messy black hair, cold but charming blue eyes, and an attractive, well built chest which sometimes he would show off too much. He now worked as a manager for Fairy Tail. A pub in Magnolia owned by a very old but kind man named Markov. It had beer, good food, music, and pretty much anything else needed to make a pub fun and enjoyable the only problem was it wasn't as possible as the pub's rival Phantom Lord. Phantom Lord wasn't just a pub it was also a brothel and stripper club and Magnolia had a very large selection of perverted men so you can probably imagine why Phantom Lord was more popular.
"I can't believe it not a single customer." Markov sighed. "Doesn't anyone have any decency or artistic vision anymore?"
"Hate to break it to you Markov." Gray said. "But now a days people are most interested in other things."
"We need something, something new to bring in customers."
"Well I'd be willing to be a male stripper."
"No! We are not going to be like the filth hole! There's more to life than naked women and sex you know. Speaking of which Gray put your clothes back on."
"Ahh! How did that happen?" He gasped when he saw that he was only wearing his boxers. "Sorry. Hey listen I need to turn in now I've got a date."
"Oh know don't tell me you're still dating that harlet? I'm telling you Gray she's not the one for you. She's one of those women who will just drain you dry and leave you to die."
"Hey she's not that bad." He said getting dressed.
"Tell that to the several guys she dumped and left broken."
"I gotta go."
"Alright see you tomorrow."
Gray had recently began dating Seilah Phantom Lord's top stripper. She was beautiful, driven, a great dancer, and would show off her body so she seemed perfect for Gray. At six o'clock he went to meet her at a restaurant and waited for her to show up. Three hours passed and she still didn't show, he hoped that she hadn't dumped him because she had been his longest girlfriend ever. You see despite being very handsome and having the body of a Greek God, Gray didn't exactly have the best luck with women. He had dated many women but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't connect with them. He just couldn't fall in love, some said he had a heart of ice and that he could never fall in love with any woman. His relationships usually didn't last longer than a week but he and Seilah had been together for a month and a half despite the fact that he had no chemistry or connection with her either but she hadn't dumped him yet so he figured there must be something there even though she was a shallow, vain, manipulative, and selfish little shrew who liked to use men to her advantage.
At nine o'clock two people who were dinning there took notice of Gray's loneliness. They were two of his friends, Gajeel Redfox a tough big guy who was apart of motorcycle gang and his girlfriend Levy Mcgarden a cute little librarian.
"What's wrong with him?" She wondered.
"Looks like the guy got stood up." Gajeel said.
"Poor Gray."
Finally Seilah arrived. There she was, a tall, slender, and extremely attractive young woman with long, straight, black hair and purple eyes that could strike fear or lust into the hearts of any man who looked into them. It was no mystery why she was the top stripper at Phantom Lord.
"You're late." Gray said.
"Yeah sorry but I was seeing someone." She said applying lipstick.
"Huh?"
"I said I was seeing someone."
"Seeing someone? As in you were dating them?"
"Not exactly more like spending nights with him."
"Uhhhh...Did I miss something? Cause last I checked you were my girlfriend."
"Yeah about that, look Gray you're a nice guy and you have a great body but...You're not really for me."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you work for Fairy Tail and we both know what a lousy dump that is. If I'm ever going to get anywhere in the world I need to, let's say upgrade."
"Upgrade."
"Yeah I met this photographer who came into Phantom Lord the other night and he said he'd be willing to get me a modeling gig."
"And you believed him? No offense Seilah but I think he's only saying that to get into your skirt."
"Shows what you know and let's be honest there wasn't anything between us."
"You said there was two weeks ago."
"That's because if you dumped me I'd look like a loser so now I'm dumping you. Don't take it too personally Gray, after all I don't love you and I know for sure you don't love me. See you around."
She then waltz out of the restaurant leaving Gray shocked and somewhat hurt by the whole scene which did not go unnoticed by Levy and Gajeel.
"Well there goes ex girlfriend number twelve." Gajeel said.
"Maybe we should talk to him." Levy suggested.
"Oh no not another crusade."
"We're his friends. We're supposed to help him."
"What are we supposed to do?"
"Why don't you go talk to Gajeel? Give him some advice."
"Who do I look like? Cupid?"
But after a little more coaxing from Levy, Gajeel agreed to check up on him.
"Hey stripper boy." He said. "You okay? No that I care but my girl is so yeah."
"Gee thanks for the concern." Gray said sarcastically.
"Look don't feel too bad okay? Lots of guys get dumped and I'm sure that this doesn't make you any more of loser than you already are."
SLAP!
"That's not helping!" Levy scolded after hitting him with her purse.
"Ow! What just happened?" He asked dizzy from the hit.
"Gray I just want you to know that you don't deserve her." Levy said helpfully.
"Thanks but she's got a point. We didn't really connect or bond."
"Don't worry Gray there's someone out there for you."
"I don't think so. I mean I've been dumped by twelve girls in my life and they all do it for the same reason. I'm just not the one."
"Don't feel bad lots of men have trouble with women before meeting that special someone. Take Gajeel for example, women used to be afraid of him and he thought he'd never find love but then he walked into my library one day and...Well I wouldn't exactly say it was love at first sight but I felt something. A connection, that somehow we were supposed to be together. Granted it took me three months to talk to him after finding out that he wasn't a criminal but now here we are happy as we can be."
"Yeah when you're not smacking me." He groaned.
"I appreciate the help but I think I wanna be alone right now." Gray said.
"Okay. Feel better Gray."
"Thanks."
Get got up from the table and went over to the pub.
"Oh boy he's going to get drunk." Gajeel realized.
"I'll call his brother." Levy said leaving to find a phone.
Eight hours later Gray woke up lying on the pub floor, half naked, and recovering from the worst hangover of his life.
"Oh Gray not again." His brother Lyon said. "Let me guess another break up?"
"Yep." He slurred sleepily.
"Come on, I gotcha."
He threw Gray over his shoulder and carried him back to his house.
"You're lucky Mom and Dad aren't alive to see you like this." Lyon said.
"Oh shut up. You peek at girls in the bathhouse."
"I am not peeking I am studying the youth and beauty of women for my art."
"You're peeking at them Lyon. You're a pervert, a creepy pervert."
"And you're a drunk stripper. So what did you get dumped for this time?"
"She said she wasn't going anywhere with me and she dumped me for some weird photographer who probably lied about making her a model or something."
"That bitch."
"I don't get it Lyon. Why do girls hate me? I mean is there something wrong with me?"
"Well let's see you're reckless, distant, have a somewhat cold demeanor, and you strip. But most of all you lack any interest in the women you date making a cold man incapable of love."
"Hey! "
"What? You asked."
"It was a rhetorical question you moron. Ugh...But I guess you have a point. I don't know why Lyon but I don't seem to like any woman, maybe I'm just not meant to love anyone. Maybe I'm meant to be alone."
"I wouldn't say that. Gray maybe if you would just lighten up you'd be able to find love."
"I do loosen up and it still doesn't work. Oh screw this!" He put his shirt back on and went outside.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going for a walk to clear my head. Don't wait up."
He walked down to the beach. The sun was shinning very bright today and it made the sea look very beautiful. Now Gray still couldn't swim but he liked looking at the sea so he decided to just stand by the docks and watch the waves crash and then turn to foam. To this day he didn't understand why he was so fascinated by the sea when he couldn't even swim a stroke. It was really ironic actually.
"Hey! Move it!" A voice shouted.
He turned to see a blonde, spikey haired young man and two other men trying to move equipment on to a boat. He recognized him as Laxus Dreyar, Markov's grandson. He would come over to the pub a lot when he was a kid but when he got older he became more interested in becoming a great scientist like his father Ivan Dreyar even though Gray was sure that guy was a sadist.
"What are you doing here Laxus?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I was just trying to clear my head. What are you doing? Trying to discover Atlantis?" He joked.
"None of your concern. I'm here on scientific business."
"Really? Why am I not surprised?"
"Hey how's the old geyser?"
"Markov's fine but he misses you. Why don't you stop by and say hello?"
"No way."
"Why?"
"Because he called my dad a madman and said that he belonged in psychiatric ward."
"No offense but I'd say that too if my son tried to combine human D.N.A with a lizard."
"My father is a genius! He's gonna change the world one day and I'm gonna be like him."
"I hope to God not. Otherwise we'll all be turned into toads and snakes."
"Shut up!" Laxus angrily shoved Gray into a nearby motorboat making a splash that briefly scared him.
"Laxus! Are you crazy!" Gray shouted startled.
"Oh don't be a wimp I only pushed you into a boat- ...Wait a minute you still can't swim can you?"
"No I can't."
"Interesting." He said deviously. He then leaned over to the motor of the boat.
"Laxus what are you doing?" Gray getting scared. "Oh no! No! Laxus! Don't you dare!"
He tried to stop him but Laxus punched him back and started the motor which sent the boat off.
"Laxus!"
"Have a nice trip Gray!" He laughed.
"This isn't funny! Laxus I'm gonna get you for this! Just wait til I get back to land!"
Gray didn't know how to stop the motor or steer a boat so he just had the sit there as it carried him out to sea. The motor didn't stop until it broke down and it left him drifting in the middle of the sea.
"Well this sucks." He said. "Damn you Laxus. I swear as soon as I get back to land I'm going to make you pay severely for this!"
He began searching the boat for something useful but all he found was a fishing pole and a hammer. He figured that maybe he could get the motor started back up with the hammer and see if he could someone's attention while it was steering around. He picked up the hammer and began giving the motor a few taps then without warning the motor starting working again and the boat took off at a speed so fast that it knocked Gray right into the water. In a panic he desperately pushed himself up to the water's surface. When he got up there he turned to see the boat was heading straight for him.
"Oh crap!"
THUMP! The boat hit right in his forehead and knocked him out cold. His unconscious body began to sink toward the ocean floor but something caught him. It was a pair of arms which wrapped around his waist and pulled him toward the surface so he could breathe. An hour later as Gray started to come back into consciousness he became aware of three things. One his head hurt like hell, two he was laying down, and he was alive. At least he hoped he was alive, he had been knocked out so maybe he drowned. Then again he was pretty sure you couldn't feel pain if you were dead.
Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a soft hand gently caressing his face. Was someone there? Did someone save him? Who was it? When he opened his eyes the worst this he saw after they adjusted to the blinding sunlight, were a pair a soft and beautiful grayish blue eyes that held intense worry. As his eyes adjusted more he saw that they belonged to a beautiful woman with long, wavy blue hair, and glistening pale skin that made her look like a porcelain doll. Her upper body wore nothing except a necklace but her long blue hair covered her breasts. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in all of his life.
"You..." He said dizzy. "You saved me."
She smiled and leaned in closer, she gave him an innocent, harmless, peck of a kiss on his lips. Gray responded as if in a dream and began kissing her patiently. He was dazed and confused but chose to act on emotion because he felt instantly drawn to this woman. Like he had seen her before. There was definitely a strong familiarity between him and this woman but he didn't know why. When their lips parted she began to slip away toward the water but he caught her arm.
"Wait." He called softly. "Who are you?"
She didn't answer, she only planted a kiss on his forehead and another on his lips. Then she disappeared beneath the ocean surface leaving Gray to pass out just before he could see her fish tail. Unknown to him he had met this woman before. She was the mermaid who had saved his life fourteen years ago and ever since then she had been very much in love with him though she had convinced herself that she would never see him again until today. Seeing him again now a handsome man, it made her feel like that fate was trying to tell her that they belonged together. So now she was determined to find a way to be with him no matter what.