Thanks as always to the amazing Aurelia Roschelle for test-driving this chapter for me and making sure it's safe for public use.

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and the characters are owned by Hiro Mashima. The only thing I own is this story based on Mashima's work.

Seeing beyond the obvious

Natsu Dragneel sprawled face down, half-drooping on the lounge chair. The lower half of his body was splayed over the chair while his waist and chest fell dejectedly over its side. The sounds of laughter, splashing water and excited flip flopping fell all around him, but Natsu didn't seem to notice.

Around him, seven pairs of curious eyes were fixed on what appeared to be a tenderised piece of meat lying on a chair.

"You think he's melting?" Gray asked, giving his friends a questioning look.

"You mean something like heat stroke? Then why doesn't he just go into the water?" Lisanna replied, moving over to touch the boy's exposed back.

"Hey Natsu," she said to the limp, wilting boy, "want to go into the pool with us? The water's nice and cool. Gray, Elfman and Gajeel are going to water wrestle. You want in on that, right?"

Silence.

The seven observers bent closer to Natsu, each hoping to catch even single sign of awareness.

"Oi! Lava face, you listenin?" Gray shouted, but still Natsu didn't move. "Shit. Gajeel, you try."

"Me? You think I give a damn about what this idiot does?" Gajeel growled kicking the leg of Natsu's chair. The chair shook, and the boy wobbled, but there was no other change.

"Hey you! Natsu!" Gajeel continued, kicking the chair once more, his annoyance at being ignored evident. "You look like that piece of cheese we left out in the sun when we were kids. Remember what happened to it? Come on, snap out of it already!"

Again the group of friends inched closer to the boy, this time hoping for some sign of life.

"Guys, I think he's really sick," Mirajane said kneeling beside Natsu and touching his forehead lightly. "He feels alright though. Natsu, what's going on? Natsu, can you hear me?"

This time, the boy groaned and turned his head slightly. He uttered a barely audible sound before falling back into his depressed slump.

"What did he say?" Gajeel was the first to ask.

Mira turned to the others, "I think he said ... 'mushy'"

"No," Lisanna objected, "I definitely heard it, and I'm sure he said 'squishy'."

"Sounded more like 'manly' to me," Elfman threw in.

"Juvia thinks it sounded more like 'juicy'," the shy blunette spoke up from next to Gray.

Gray glanced over his shoulder at Juvia and nodded. "Yep, that's what it sounded like to me too."

"No, it was definitely 'squishy'!"

"I'm almost certain it was 'mushy'."

"It was 'manly'!"

"It was 'juicy'. Juvia heard it too, right Juvia?" Gray said pointing to the girl at his side. "Two beats one." Juvia only blushed and looked at the floor.

The group was so caught up in their argument that they didn't notice the heat that was gradually growing in intensity behind them.

When it came, it hit them so quickly and suddenly that they all shrivelled in fear.

"NAAAAATSUUUU!" was the last thing each of them heard before fist collided with face and a flurry of salmon and tan was sent flying off the lounge chair and onto the wet floors of the main pool area.

"Ara, ara," Mirajane sighed touching her cheek.

"Now that was man!" Elfman retorted.

"Owww Erza," the salmon-head said finally, rubbing his cheek with his palm. "Whaddya do that for?"

"You are a Dragneel, can you at least pay some attention to your surroundings and start listening when people are talking to you!" the redhead scolded angrily. "Now sit down!"

...

"But you're the one who pulled me off the chair," Natsu sulked to himself.

Lisanna walked over to Natsu and held out a hand to help him up.

"What's going on Natsu?" she asked him as they walked back to the lounge chair. "It's not like you to be so low energy. Did something happen?"

"Happen?" Natsu repeated as he sat back down. "No, nothing ... happened," he said, his voice fading as he was pulled once more into the memory.

It all happened this morning.

Well, in truth, it started yesterday when Lucy was working in the gardens. It was a great day. Sure, Aquarius had given Lucy a hard time in the lake gardens but Virgo had treated her more kindly in the flower gardens and she seemed to be having fun, even though it was hot and she complained a lot. A lot. For a tiny person, Lucy Heartfilia could complain like a pampered princess when she was in the mood. But Natsu didn't mind. He just remained quiet and let her talk. Somehow, it all only added to all her weirdness.

The problems started in the afternoon ... because of that Minerva Orland.

Minerva was from an old, powerful family in East Fiore. The root of the family's wealth lay in the wars that their territory fought with neighbouring towns and villages in the distant past. The spoils of those wars went to a select few warrior families, and Minerva's was one of them. These days, the family was known for their political influence in the East and their dedication to preserving their cultural heritage. The Orlands saw themselves as the last remnants of an ancient and powerful nobility and they demanded respect from all their peers, most of whom they felt were hardly worthy of their presence.

Lucy had been working in Mavis' flower garden when Minerva walked by. Lucy should have stopped digging when a club member came down the path but she didn't notice Minerva. Some dirt fell on Minerva's shoes, the tiny brown specks of soil dirtying the shiny red surface. It wasn't a lot, but the owner was furious.

Minerva wasn't the kind to rage and yell when she was angry. She was a lady, and ladies always show decorum, even in anger. It's said that a lady's angry presence alone is enough to freeze a grown man's blood, and Minerva had mastered that art.

She just stopped in her tracks and stared hard at Lucy. She didn't even make a move to remove the dirt. Lucy gasped and apologised over and over but Minerva didn't say a word, she only looked at Lucy and then at the remaining dirt on her shoes.

Her intentions were clear.

Lucy took a deep breath and crept over to where Minerva stood and started removing the dirt with her fingers.

After a few seconds, Minerva shook Lucy away with a shove of her leg. It was so practiced and controlled, yet so graceful, like the movement of a crane, as if this was something Minerva had done naturally many times before.

"Stop. You're just making it worse with your dirty, muddy hands. Just leave it alone. I'd have you replace them since they're worthless to me now, but these shoes probably cost more than you would earn in your lifetime digging dirt."

Natsu was about to run over and help Lucy, even offer to pay for the shoes, but he remembered that Minerva knew who he was. At the time he was more afraid of Lucy finding out about him from Minerva than anything else, so he held back.

"You're so incompetent. You can't even do something as simple as this right. Just a suggestion, you might wish to aim for just a bit lower in this life. It seems gardening is somewhat too advanced for you. Maybe you should try something involving trash? You should feel right at home there."

With that, Minerva turned and walked off, her gait as graceful as ever. She didn't look back or lower her gaze.

When she was safely out of sight, Natsu approached Lucy. The girl hadn't moved.

"Lucy ..."

Lucy turned back to Natsu from her crouched position, a wide grin on her face.

"Gosh! It's so hot today! I swear, couldn't they have given me housekeeping duty or something inside today of all days!" She huffed as she moved back to her original position on the garden floor. She picked up her trowel and continued her work, complaining about the heat as if nothing ever happened.

"Yeah..." was all Natsu could say.

That should have been it. It should have been over. Except it wasn't.

Lucy was really happy when Natsu caught up with her the next morning. She'd heard she'd be working in the gym and that apparently meant easy work in a nice air-conditioned room with half-naked, hot, sweaty guys sprawling, stretching and bending everywhere. A perfect summer day... according to Lucy.

Natsu laughed to himself as she carried on about how excited she was about this one. He just crossed his arms behind his head and walked quietly along behind her as she headed to the part of the club that housed the gym. This excited Lucy reminded him of the girl who'd smashed into him that night in Mavis' garden. Every day Natsu saw a different side to Lucy, each side fun in its own way. She might be weird, but Lucy was never boring.

Libra, though, had something entirely different in store for Lucy. There would be no half-naked, hot, sweaty guys in Lucy's future today. Nope. Natsu doubled over laughing when he heard it. It was just too sweet a contradiction. And Lucy's face was priceless!

Tennis courts. Maintaining and supporting the staff at the tennis courts. Outside. Hard manual labour. Again. Someone in Fairy Tail really seemed out to get Lucy.

"Well, there's sweat ... and shorts are better than nothing, right Lucy?" Natsu teased her as they walked to the tennis courts.

"Shut up Natsu!" Lucy tossed back. "What are you doing here anyway? Don't you have to ... I don't know ... guard something?"

Natsu pulled his cell phone out of his pocket at waved it at her. "They call if they need me."

Lucy growled but ended the conversation there.

She spent the early morning setting up the courts and helping the staff fix fencing and other small things that needed mending before the day started. Natsu just hung out on the grassy park that surrounded the courts and enjoyed the weather. He could see her as she moved around the courts doing this and that but they hardly interacted. Unlike the last two jobs, this one was more public and he couldn't be seen too much with her.

This is getting to be a real pain, he thought.

Natsu was ready to tell Lucy. He was feeling really bad about lying to her. And now they were friends, which was why he'd lied to her in the first place, so he didn't see any reason to keep lying. Lucy was his friend; she liked him for himself. She laughed and played with just plain Natsu. She teased and scolded him, not Natsu Dragneel. She wouldn't care about the Dragneel.

Briefly, the image of a 15 year-old smiling Jellal flashed in Natsu's mind. Natsu shook his head and forced the vision away.

Lucy was a nice girl and she'd be the same with Natsu Dragneel as she was with Natsu the security guard. So what if she admired his dad? That didn't mean she'd treat him any differently. Lucy was different from ... other people. Natsu had felt it all along but that feeling became fact that day on the hill.

Lucy trusted him.

That made the lie so much worse. Natsu was determined to tell her. He trusted that she'd believe in him.

He'd wanted to do it yesterday, but with the whole thing that happened with Minerva, Natsu thought it would be better to wait until Lucy was in a better mood. Natsu knew Lucy would be mad, but they were friends now so she couldn't stay mad for long.

"AH!"

A sharp scream behind him tore Natsu from his thoughts and drew his attention to the tennis courts where Lucy was putting up a net on one of the courts. In another court Minerva was playing a game with her group.

"Sorry about that," Minerva said coming up to Lucy to get her ball. "My aim's really bad."

"Hi! No, it's okay. Don't worry about it" Lucy said, rubbing her side and tossing Minerva the ball. "It didn't hurt too much. It just surprised me, that's all."

It wasn't long before another ball came Lucy's way, and then another. Just moments after the third ball hit, Minerva spotted the perfect shot coming her way. She smirked as she jumped and slammed a fourth ball directly towards Lucy with all her power. The girl screamed out in real pain this time and crumpled to the floor.

Natsu was up in a second.

He'd seen it. Minerva had aimed directly at Lucy. This was no mistake, it was intentional.

Natsu reached Lucy just as Minerva got there.

"Hey you! What was that about? You aimed right for her!" He yelled running up between the two and facing Minerva squarely.

Minerva just stared back at him with disdain. Clearly she took offence to the tone Natsu was using with her. Even Natsu Dragneel had no right to speak to her like that.

In reality, the Dragneels and their circle were leagues more powerful than the Orlands. But in Minerva's mind, money, reach and that thing they called 'power' nowadays didn't matter. Her family was older and from noble blood, and to her that made them significantly more powerful than any other family.

Natsu drew his eyes from Minerva's to look down at Lucy who was lying face down on the floor angling and clutching her lower back awkwardly.

"You alright, Lucy?" he asked, stooping beside her but not daring to touch her.

Lucy tried to face him but the moment she moved, her whole body cringed in agony. Instead of answering, she only nodded.

"What's wrong with you? Are you crazy?" Natsu yelled angrily directing his attention back to Minerva but not moving from Lucy's side. "Why did you do that? She didn't do anything to you!"

The people who were already on the courts had been watching the scene since Lucy's first scream and they knew what was going on, but no one approached the group. If Lucy was alone Natsu was sure they would have helped her but given her company, people preferred to keep their distance.

Minerva looked at Natsu curiously and decided he was worth a response, "That's between me and ... what did you say ... Lucy, here."

Natsu growled and stared hard at Minerva, and the girl with the cold, prideful eyes returned the look. When Natsu realised that he wouldn't be getting anything more from her. He turned his attention back to Lucy.

"Lucy, are you sure you're okay? You should get someone to look at that."

"No, Natsu," she responded in a low voice, "I'll be fine. I just need to stay here for a while, it'll go away. I just need a minute."

Natsu's eyes widened as he took in her pained but determined expression.

Another face to Lucy.

He knew Lucy was brave, and in her own way she was very strong. But Natsu never imagined that the same girl who would whine and complain like a princess when the sun became too hot would bite down and endure what was obviously a lot of pain. This time, he would understand if she cried.

"I'll be fine," Lucy repeated in a stronger voice as she tried to get up. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her face was drawn as she moved, but she got up and turned stiffly to Minerva, still pressing down on her back. She swallowed hard before speaking.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. It was an accident. Though, I really hope you get better at tennis ... for my sake." Lucy forced a smile before turning away.

Before Lucy could leave, Minerva bent towards her and whispered something into her ear. Smirking with barely-concealed contempt she pulled away from Lucy and stalked off to finish her game. Lucy could only stare incredulously at her as she walked off.

"What is it?" Natsu asked her.

Before Lucy could respond, the rest of the staff was at her side fussing over her injury and grumbling about what had just happened. One of the girls wrapped her arms around Lucy's waist and helped her off the court. Forced to the background, Natsu could only follow obediently.

One of the larger, older men offered to carry her but Lucy thought that being carried would only put more strain on her back.

"Guys, I'm fine, really. I mostly got the wind knocked out of me. That's all. I just need to wait it out. It's not that bad. Don't worry. I'll be up mending fencing in no time, just watch me."

"Sorry Lucy, but that's a no. You're going to the infirmary to have that looked at," the older man said to her. "Occupational health and safety and all."

Lucy only moaned and muttered something about wishing that she worked for Aries.

§§§

An hour later Natsu was sitting on a chair next to Lucy's bed in the Club's small staff infirmary.

"See? I told you I was fine. I just needed some time that's all! I'll be back at work for the afternoon shift. Levy'll be here in a little while any way. We'll have in lunch here today. I can't wait for you to meet her! You guys will totally get along."

Natsu was wearing a distressed look.

"What's with you?" she asked him.

"Nothing. I'm glad you're okay. But ... why didn't you say something to Minerva? We both know she did that on purpose."

"And what would that do Natsu? She already doesn't like me. That won't change. I just have to hope that things don't get worse."

"Lucy, you can't let her get away with that. That was assault. Everyone there saw it."

"Assault? That's a bit much don't you think? Besides, even if it was, so what? What would calling it 'assault' do? It already happened. I don't want to make a big deal over nothing."

"Nothing? What are you talking about? Nothing? I don't see why I'm angrier over this than you are."

"You think I'm not angry Natsu?" Lucy said, emotion finally entering her voice. "You think I don't want to march right up to that girl and tell her exactly what I think of her? You think I don't want to tell someone that she has it out for me and that show on the court was all an act? Of course I want to. But what would that do?"

Lucy's voice was rising now, her passion finally showing.

"What? Tell me. What will that get me? It'll get people on my side? That's a bit petty don't you think? What'll that actually do? What next? Saying something would only turn this little thing into a really big deal and get me riled up and angry for nothing."

Realising that she was letting the situation get to her Lucy sighed and tried to calm her emotions.

"It's all just a big waste of energy," she concluded emphatically.

"Waste of energy?" Natsu asked. "What do you mean waste of energy?"

"Getting mad would only make her angrier with me and then she'll just go on to bigger things. And then what? You think people like her get in trouble Natsu? You're a security guard. Tell me, have you ever seen any one of them really get in trouble? Doesn't matter what it is; what they did. Daddy dearest always bails them out," Lucy said, her hands balling into fists. "It's people like us who'll take the fall, people with no connections. No way am I getting heated with those people. I'm just gonna do my job and not draw the wrong kind of attention to myself. If that means bending my head once in a while, I'll do it. Anything else is just a waste of energy. I'm not sacrificing my future for the pampered, over-indulged little rich girl."

Natsu was silent. He didn't know what to say. Her words were just that - words - but it felt like they were stabbing him. They were sharp and honest. They came from a firm but sincere place that Natsu could tell meant a lot to Lucy. Lucy believed in those words ... and that hurt.

Unaware of how personal this was and just how deep she was cutting Natsu, Lucy continued. As much as she didn't want to get angry, there was something bottled up tight in her chest that Lucy needed to release, and Natsu had opened the shaken can, so he got hit with the fizz.

"Us and them," Lucy started again, quietly this time, "we're different Natsu. You know that already. How many times have they told you didn't really see something one of their kids did? How many times have you seen them let off the hook with a pat on the shoulder, or given something you feel they didn't deserve? We don't actually have much of a choice in here, Natsu. We can't really do anything. And getting angry and talking back will probably only make it worse for us. This is their world. When we go home, when we're with our friends and family, we have a choice. In here, in this club ... we bend."

Natsu swallowed. He wanted to disagree; he wanted to tell her that she was wrong and that she could say whatever she wanted, that she could fight equally against Minerva. But he didn't really believe that. He never really thought too much about it, but he'd seen things happening around him that he never really approved of and that he thought were wrong. And he did get angry about them. But that was it. He just got angry, or felt bad, and moved on.

Us ... and them. Natsu the security guard really isn't Natsu Dragneel? But I'm Natsu. I'm the same Natsu? I know I am. Aren't I?

"I work really hard Natsu, we all do. But no matter what they do, even if they never see the gates of a university ever, Daddy and Mommy will give them companies and board rooms. We've got to work our hardest just to get into a cubicle in one of the lower floors. I'm not saying they're all like that or everything's unfair. I met a lot of them since I've been here and they're hard workers too," Lucy paused at this point to sigh loudly. "I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. I'm confused. I just don't want to lose everything or get my family in trouble because I pissed off the wrong person."

Inch by inch, Natsu's frame was growing smaller. He felt like he was drowning under all these words and complicated questions that he didn't have answers to. That big room suddenly became very small and hot. And it was still closing in on him. Natsu couldn't breathe. Even the silence was pressing down on him.

"Um Lucy ... I'm sorry but I've got to ... um ... go to the office" Natsu said hurriedly. He needed to get out of there.

"But Levy'll be here any minute"

"Sorry Looshy, but I guess I'll have to meet your friend another time. I'm really glad you're alright. I'll see you later, okay?"

With that Natsu left the room.

He couldn't hate Lucy for what she said. She wasn't wrong. He'd be lying if he said she was wrong. And he knew she didn't mean any of it in a bad way. She believed what she said. But the more Natsu thought about it – and boy did he think about it – she wasn't all right either. Was it becau-

The next thing Natsu knew he was drowning again ... this time in water.

Dammit!

He swam up to the surface and stared at friends who were all having a good laugh at his expense. All except one.

"Dammit Erza! Whaddya do that for?"

"Didn't I say to sit down Natsu?" the redhead said fiercely.

...

"But you're the one who threw me into the water!" Natsu mumbled half-heartedly.

"Natsu, get up here, sit down on that chair and explain exactly what's going on with you," Erza commanded.

Natsu complied. You didn't disobey Erza Scarlet when she was in this mood.

Once he was seated, his friends fitted themselves around him and waited to see if he'd black out again. Something was definitely wrong; this sulking and brooding was not Natsu.

"Are you going to tell us what's wrong, Natsu?" Mirajane asked, touching his arm gently.

Natsu looked at Mirajane and then up to Erza who was staring at him sternly, waiting for an answer. His eyes travelled further up across the pool to Taurus, the bulky, pervy, black and white speedo-clad man who looked after the pools. He was strange, but he was also funny and strong and dependable.

"Taurus is our friend, isn't he?" Natsu asked the others.

His friends looked at each other, uncertain about where Natsu was going with this.

"Sure, Taurus is our friend," Gray answered slowly.

"But do you think we're really his friends? Or does he only see us as Dragneels and Scarlets and Strausses?"

The rest of the group were surprised. They didn't think Natsu even noticed things like that. Difference didn't matter much to him. Natsu only ever saw people; people were people to him, no matter who they were or where they came from, as long as they were nice and he got along with them, he was happy. It might have been childish naivety, but still, all of his friends liked this about him.

Mirajane decided to take the question. This was something she thought a lot about after all. The 'Take-over Siblings' worked with the wider public more than the others and they'd faced their fair share of criticism over the years for being the bosses' kids. It was something Mirajane had to deal with from a young age.

"I think they see us for who we are. It took a while and a lot of work for them to see past the names, but I think we were able to show them who we truly are, and I believe they care about us for our sakes and not our parents' companies or their net worths."

Seeing that Natsu was still confused, and that the others were now paying close attention to her words, Mirajane tried to phrase it another way.

"I think it's true that our ... circumstances ... are different from a lot of people's. We can't deny that. We've been very lucky, and that's part of us whether we like it or not. I think if we try to deny that part of us or pretend it's not there, it could be very insulting for other people. It's like turning our backs on something other people feel is very unfair. So we should acknowledge that we've been lucky. But our situation is only part of who we are; it's not all of it. We aren't defined by 'Dragneel' or 'Strauss'. I like to think that we're much more than that. We're still regular people behind our names and circumstances. If you think about it, everyone is different in one way or another, and their differences are part of them, we just need to see beyond the obvious differences. I think Taurus and Sagittarius and Aries and Flare and all our friends see that."

Mirajane smiled when she saw the light coming back into the fiery boy's eyes.

That's more like it, she thought.

"So in the end, we're just like everyone else?"

"Yeah, I like to think so"

"I knew it! I was worried, but I knew it! I was sure of it!" Natsu blasted, pumping his fists in the air. Then something else crossed his mind and he sent Mirajane an inquisitive look.

"How do you know that that's how they see us? That they see past our names?"

"I just know. I believe in my friends. Don't you, Natsu?" Mirajane answered winking at Natsu and smiling at her friends.

Natsu paused for a moment to take this in. Then be broke out in hysterical laughter. He'd known it. He'd know it all along. He'd let Lucy's words get to him but they didn't really mean anything. Nothing had changed. He was still Natsu and Lucy was still Lucy. She'd already approved of him. So what if his name was Dragneel? Lucy wouldn't care about that. He was sure of it. She wasn't that kind of girl. Natsu believed in Lucy.

But I did lie to her. And she told me all those personal things in the infirmary too. Lucy trusts me. Stupid Natsu! I have to apologise to her. I'll tell her the truth, and apologise to her. Tomorrow. I'm definitely going to tell her.

"Haw haw! Thanks Mira!" Natsu said jumping up and startling everyone around him. "Now, did I hear someone say water wrestling? What are we all just sitting around here for? Let's go!"

"Gah, you idiot flame brain," Gray said jumping up behind him and tackling him to the ground, "Don't just go switching moods so suddenly. Can't you sense the atmosphere?"

"Shut up, ice princess. Atmosphere? What's that about? You really are a diva aren't you?" Natsu returned throwing Gray over. "Everyone! Gray's really a girl! Come on! Let's see! Show us!"

"You shut up!" Gray shouted, kicking Natsu's hand away and dodging the punch that was aimed at his head. "If anyone's a diva here, it's you, with all your 'are you really my friend'crap!" he mocked back.

"Ara ara," Mirajane said smiling.

"They didn't even make it to the pool," Lisanna giggled.

Erza, however, was not happy. The rules of water wrestling explicitly dictated that there should be at least some water. This would not do. She was about to say just that when a black sandal flew past her head.

...

"Natsu Dragneel! You irresponsible, carel-"

For the second time that day Erza was interrupted, this time by a series of high-pitched ringing sounds, followed by a loud bang.

Silence filled the pool area as everyone turned towards the source of the noise: a container filled with knives, forks and spoons hitting the poolside floor.

Natsu felt his heart drop when his eyes fell on the entryway.

...

"Natsu ... Dragneel?"

Facing yourself is a hard and frightening battle; you might see a lot of things you don't want to see. But if you're victorious, very little will get past you again.

There we go! I hope you guys enjoyed this update. Please let me know what you thought. I'm always so anxious and uncertain about what you think. Yes, SpinalCoil is uneasy and needs validation. Save me!

No, I didn't forget about what Minerva whispered to Lucy on the tennis court. Find out next chapter.

Older drafts: This chapter was originally titled "Shut me up on Wednesday". It ended with someone's cell phone ringing during the awkward silence at the end and the first three lines from Ola's 'I'm in Love' playing...

Stole my heart on Monday

She had me deep on Tuesday

Shut me up on Wednesday

("I'm in Love" belongs to Ola and Oliniho Records)

I pulled it because it didn't work but I wanted to share the alternative ending as an author note because this song was a big part of my summer and it makes me happy, and when something makes you happy you just wanna share it XDXD...even if you can't squeeze it into the story :'(((.

Bye!