Chapter 14: Friendless

"And that's why I'm late," Natsu finished. He had just explained to everyone what had happened to Gray. After going back to the pool to get dressed, Natsu and Lucy had convinced D to come to lunch with Natsu and his friends. Natsu was currently explaining why they where late for lunch. Erza nodded. D was brooding.

"I accept your reason," she stated. Natsu sighed in relief. "Will Gray be alright?"

"It's just a little cut, he'll be fine," D stated. "Can we eat now? I have stuff to do." Erza glared at her.

"Like what?" she asked. D put her hands in her hoodie pockets.

"Like, none of your business?" D replied in a dumb blond voice. Erza was about to retort, but Lucy spoke first.

"DTTM mode: hungry version," was all she said. Erza closed her mouth and nodded in understanding.

"Okay then, everyone, let's go eat," Erza announced. Everyone but the girls that had slept over at D and Lucy's that morning looked shell-shocked. Erza had let it go? Just because of some mode Lucy was talking about? What's going on? What is DTTM mode? Why didn't Erza pummel D?

The group was now sitting at a table in their favorite restaurant/bar/club Fairy Tail. They were all members and only Fairy Tail members can get in. It was a peculiar place. You could come to eat, socialize, party, and/or take odd jobs that are offered from towns or other schools. It was a fun place. It had a few quirks though. It was loud and people would always randomly start fighting! The group especially loved it because Master Makarov, the principal of the school, owned the place.

"So, D, you never told us what your parents do," Mira began while calmly eating her food.

"My parents are dead," D answered flatly. Everyone froze. D and Lucy simply kept eating. Mira cleared her throat.

"So…Lucy, how about your parents? What does your mother do?" Mira asked changing the subject. Lucy froze and hung her head. A depressed aura surrounded her.

"Auntie's dead too," D answered for her. Mira froze.

"What about your father?" Erza asked gently. Lucy stiffened and her depressed aura turned even darker as she began grumbling to herself. D looked at Erza.

"He's alive, but we don't talk about him," D answered with a tight smile that obviously said 'Don't ask anymore questions.' Everyone quietly went back to their food.

"So, where are you guys from?" Natsu asked turning to Lucy.

"Nowhere, everywhere, so many places…" D answered. Lucy chuckled. Laxus stared at D for a moment before remembering that he had to ask Lisanna about D's job.

"Yo, Lisanna!" he called. The white-haired girl turned to him. "What's D's job? She told me to ask you and, if I told anyone after you tell me, you'll be banned, whatever that means." Lisanna's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She turned to D and whined:

"Why?" D looked at her.

"Are you saying you don't trust him not to tell any of these people?" D asked gesturing to everyone sitting at the table. "Interesting."

"What do you mean you don't trust me?" Laxus accused standing and leaning on the table. Lisanna looked at him with a torn expression.

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's that I don't want to be banned," Lisanna defended. Laxus stared at her.

"If you trust him, you don't have to worry about being banned," D added. Lisanna looked completely pitiful.

"Fine! I'll tell you, but if I'm banned, Laxus, I swear I'm going to kill you," Lisanna agreed in a dark voice. Laxus sat and appeared to be waiting for something.

"Well…aren't you going to tell me?" he asked. Lisanna looked at him like he was crazy.

"Not now! They'll hear me! DO YOU WANT ME TO BE BANNED?! DO YOU?!" she screamed. Laxus shrank back.

"No," he answered. Lisanna calmed down and went back to her food.

"Good, then be patient," she demanded. Everyone stared.

"Ne, D," Natsu began, "why does Lisanna know what you do?"

"She's seen me working before," was all D said. Erza brought her fist down on the table.

"I demand to know why Lisanna and Laxus can know but not us!" she yelled. Everyone but D shrank in their seats. Even Lucy found Erza terrifying. D sighed.

"Why are you so interested? It has absolutely nothing to do with you. It's also, quite frankly, none of your business what I do," D stated coldly. Erza recoiled as thought she had been slapped.

"Bu-but aren't we friends?" Mira asked. "It's only natural to want to know more about you." D stood then.

"I don't have friends," she stated before walking away. Lucy quickly stood and went after her.

"D!" she called. Everyone at the table watched them go in shocked silence. Natsu got pissed and went after them.

"D!" Lucy called again. She was currently chasing after her speed walking cousin. "D!" Lucy caught up and grabbed her cousin's arm. The girl spun on her.

"What?!" D snapped. Lucy recoiled but refused to back off.

"Why'd you say that? It was rude. She just wanted to be your friend!" Lucy yelled.

"I don't have friends!" D shouted back.

"But you could make some if you tried!" Lucy tried to reason. "You just need to-" D's glare cut her off.

"What makes you think I want them?" she hissed. Lucy's eyes widened.

"You don't want friends?" she asked.

"Friends bring nothing but pain and false happiness. Why would I want one?" D wondered. When Lucy didn't answer she started walking again. Lucy was too shocked to speak. That's how D saw friendship? For someone like D, it was shocking.

"She has more problems than I thought," Lucy thought aloud before taking off after her cousin.

Natsu took a step out of his hiding spot.

"So that's why she said that," he mussed to himself. He grinned. "Well, we'll just have to change her mind!" He ran back to his friends.

Natsu had just finished explaining what he overheard between D and Lucy.

"That's what she thinks friends are?" Levy asked.

"I wonder how she got that way?" Mira wondered.

"I knew Lucy brought D here to fix her personality, but I never knew it was this bad," Erza stated.

"We should do something for her!" Wendy suggested. "Like throw her a welcoming party! Maybe she'd change her mind?"

"That's a great idea!" Natsu shouted.

"Party!" Cana yelled. Everyone in Fairy Tail cheered.

"Party?" someone shouted.

"Have it here!" another voice called.

"Where else would we have it?" Evergreen yelled back.

"I'll go ask D what she thinks," Erza decided getting up and heading for the door.

"What do you mean? She'll love it! Who doesn't like parties?"

"No, thank you," D rejected firmly. Erza looked shocked. She had caught the two standing next to a taxi. (They came on a bus.) She had asked D about the party and was being flat-out rejected. Lucy began writing on a piece of paper.

"What do you mean, no?" Erza asked in disbelief. D stared at her.

"I don't want a party," D restated. Lucy began folding up her paper. Erza couldn't believe it. Who says no to having a party in their honor?

"Are you sure?" Erza questioned. D nodded. Lucy's paper was no longer in sight.

"Well, if she doesn't want a party, it's best not to force her. We could die that way," Lucy warned. D looked at her suspiciously. "Out of curiosity, are you planning on exercising with us again tomorrow?"

"If it's alright with you, may we?" Erza asked. D sighed.

"I don't care," she admitted. Lucy smiled.

"I guess that means we'll be working together to survive D's rigorous exercises. Let's work hard, ne?" Lucy asked holding out her hand. Erza smiled back and shook it.

"Yes, let's work hard together," she agreed. With that said D and Lucy left. It wasn't until Erza was halfway back to Fairy Tail that she noticed the slip of paper in her hand. She opened it and saw Lucy's elegant hand writing.

Dear Erza,

A party sounds great! If D doesn't want it, make it a surprise! A party might just be what she needs to realize how wonderful friends can be! Great idea!

-Lucy

P.S. I can't really help so good luck!

Erza smiled and ran the rest of the way back to tell everyone the good news.