"Lucy! Over here!"

Lucy's eyes snapped over, searching through the crowds of guild members, trying to locate the voice that had called out to her. It took her a moment—it seemed the entire guild had showed up at once; everyone was milling around and chatting happily—but her gaze finally landed on her target.

Levy was sitting on a checkered picnic blanket, a picnic basket sat neatly beside her. She was waving her hands, grinning over at Lucy, her blue hair—Lucy had already recognized Levy had blue hair, but it was particularly pretty right now with the sunlight streaming through it—waving in the wind.

Lucy couldn't help but grin at her friend, the excitement of the impending festival beginning to itch at her. This would be her first festival as a member of the guild, as part of the family. Finally, she belonged. It was something she'd dreamed of for so long.

The entire day sounded like a blast. Fun in the sun with her best friends? A delicious lunch, made with tender love and care by Mira? The chance to hunker down in the park as the sun set and watch the sakura trees light up the sky—possibly in a variety of colors?

Lucy was downright pumped about the idea of the trees being beautiful colors. Part of her was skeptical about the rumors—what were the chances? Why would trees glow rainbow?—but most of her was absolutely sold on the idea. Besides, if the rumors weren't true, all of these tourist couples wouldn't travel the entire world to see the trees, right? The trees must glow rainbow—Lucy was determined to find out.

Of course, she would only be able to see the few colors her eyes could manage, but that was fine with her. Even seeing those few colors blew her away on a daily basis. Seeing them in such a beautiful setting might make her cry.

"Hi, Levy!" Lucy cried back, a grin on her lips. She stepped towards her friend, politely excusing herself through the crowds.

Lucy had lost Natsu and Gray a while back—they'd gotten swallowed up in the crowd of guild members—so she was thankful that she'd located Levy so quickly. She belonged in the guild, sure, but it was still nice to know she had someone to sit with.

The crowd parted slightly for the blonde as she made her way over to Levy's picnic blanket. As the bodies of her guildmates moved, Lucy's view of the picnic blanket became more clear. To her surprise, there was more than one body sitting before her.

Levy…and Gajeel?

Lucy's eyebrows raised slightly, surprised, as she took a seat on the blanket. A short while ago, Levy and Gajeel had hated each other. They couldn't stand being in the same room as one another. But somewhere along the line, things had changed a little bit. Not much, but enough for Lucy to realize that the two had become almost…friends.

Incredible how quickly things could change.

"Hi, guys. What's going on?" Lucy asked, glancing around at the ruckus. Everyone was laying out picnic blankets all across the park, gathering in close so they could hear Makarov's introductory speech to the festival.

Levy shrugged; her cheeks were flushed with a slightly dark grey tone. "Festival day is finally here! Aren't you excited, Lucy?"

Any awkwardness from the start of the day—when nearly everyone had embarrassed Lucy and asked if she'd found her soulmate—was gone. All of Lucy's friends had apologized for bothering her so much, and she was keen on letting the moment slide. Besides, any hope that no one would recall her hesitation was a relief. If they remembered her stuttering, they might jump to the conclusion that she actually could see colors…

"Of course! I'm hoping to win the grand prize in the bingo game."

Gajeel crossed his arms. "Not likely! Me and shrimp here are gonna blow everyone away."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly do both of you intend to win?"

Levy grinned. "We're competing as a team."

"As a team, huh?" Lucy inquired, opting to give Levy a funny look. "That's totally cheating."

"Nope!" The blue haired girl cried, an evil smile on her lips. She rubbed her hands together diabolically. "I already talked to the Master about it—convinced him it was just a smart move strategically. He said he would allow it."

"That's right!" Gajeel crowed, giving the small girl a high-five. "Two pairs of eyes are better than one. We're gonna kill this competition!"

"Yeah!" Levy growled back fiercely. "We're gonna nab that prize."

Lucy snorted. Well, they were certainly determined. It didn't really bother her—she was just glad they were getting along. She didn't like seeing two of her friends bicker all of the time.

The trio chatted for a bit about nothing in particular—the lovely weather, strategies for bingo—as the entire guild settled into the park. Mira came around with trays of ice cold lemonade, offering a glass to each member of the guild, making sure everyone was comfortable. Lucy happily took one, her face messing up into a grimace once the sour taste hit her tongue.

Soon, they were joined another person: Juvia.

"Hi, everyone!" She'd greeted, giving the group a little wave. "It's so nice out today, isn't it?"

"Hi, Juvia!" Lucy smiled at the girl. "Come, sit with us."

Juvia smiled graciously, taking a seat beside Lucy. She was wearing a bold blue dress—one that Lucy hadn't seen before.

"Is that a new dress?" Levy inquired, on the same wavelength as Lucy. "It looks so nice on you!"

The girl let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, it is. It's my first festival as a guild member, too, so I thought I should dress the part."

Gajeel winked at her. "Maybe Gray'll notice."

The grey in Juvia's cheeks darkened, and her eyes dropped to the ground shyly. Her lips seemed to twist down slightly, reflecting the sadness in her gaze. "I'm trying not to get my hopes up," She murmured softly. "I always just end up disappointed."

Lucy's eyebrows pulled together slightly; she patted Juvia's shoulder. "Well…hey. Just…don't think about him, alright? This is your first festival with the guild. This is your day. Just have fun and enjoy yourself. Forget about Gray for a day. This one's for you."

Juvia sighed. "You think?"

"Yeah!" Levy encouraged. "Enough focusing on him. Focus on yourself for once!"

Juvia's blue eyes searched the group, a little bit wider than before. She looked at Lucy, who gave her an encouraging nod; she looked to Levy, who gave her a cheerful thumbs up. Next, Juvia glanced at Gajeel expectantly, looking for one more piece of encouragement.

Gajeel's face was blank.

Levy elbowed him in the side, making him grunt out in pain.

"Ow! What the—oh. Um, yeah, Juvia. Forget ice-boy. Just have fun today."

Gajeel's statement seemed to ignite a fire in the water mage. Her hands balled up into strong little fists, and she gave her friends a nod. "Yeah—you're right. I should be having fun, not worrying about Gray. I'm in this guild, too!" She let out a little huff of breath through her nose, almost as if she was giving herself a mental pep-talk. "Thanks, you guys. You're the best."

"Anytime, Juvia." Levy replied, proud of her fellow guildmate.

"I'll always be here to motivate you!" Lucy replied in agreement.

Juvia stood, a fierce look washing over her expression. Her voice was rough, angry, stubborn and tenacious. She was going to have fun today. She was going to think about herself. She wasn't going to be the mopey girl in love with a boy who would never love her back—no, today, Juvia was in love with herself. "I'm going to get some lemonade!" She spat, her tone unyielding. She stormed off, a new woman.

Lucy snorted, watching her friend peel across the park, determined to have fun. "Good for her. She deserves it."

Mira's voice broke through the hum of the crowd, silencing everyone. "Attention, everyone! Welcome to the beginning of the sakura tree festival! Today we will be playing a variety of games—including the ever-anticipated annual bingo game—and we will also be taking part in a guild-wide dance! There will be tons of food and drinks available for all of you to enjoy today, so don't limit yourself! Later tonight, we will all be making our way down to the center of the park to view the beautiful sakura trees! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

The crowd let out whoops and hollers in response to the day's activities.

Cana seemed rather pleased by the mention of unlimited drinks. "Where's the beers at?" She cried, finishing off a drink. "I'm feelin' thirsty!"

Mira laughed, smiling down at her guildmates from the small stage that had been set up for her. "Now, now—before things get too wild, I'd like everyone to give Master Makarov a big, enormous hand!"

The crowd erupted even louder this time, hollering as the Master made his way up to the stage, joining the beautiful Mirajane.

"Good evening, children!" He shouted, giving a wave to a few guildmembers down below. "Whose ready to party?"

The crowd went wild; Lucy couldn't help but laugh and clap along in the fun. Everything was just so exciting—the guild was everything she'd ever dreamed of.

It was so bizarre, thinking about her past. Being stuck up in the estate, living a bleak, miserable life, dreaming of what Fairy Tail was like…and now, she was here. She was in the guild. Going to the guild's festivals, sitting with her new friends, chatting with guild members she used to read about in magazines.

She was here. She was living her dream.

There were colors in the sky and in the plants and in people, and she was here, in her favorite guild chatting with her favorite mages. She was friends with Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster. She'd chatted with Gildarts.

She was best friends with Salamander.

Lucy's eyes filled up with tears, and she tried her best to stop the wetness from spilling over onto her cheeks. She looked up at the Master as he gave his welcoming speech, as he talked about the meaning of guild and family. And she couldn't make sense of how perfect everything had become—her life was everything she had dreamed.

As Master finished up his speech, his eyes flickered over to Lucy.

"And, today, I would like to welcome our new members. The newest members of our family who are experiencing the fun for the first time today. This is their first time participating in our festivities as a part of the family. I would like to personally welcome these individuals into my home, into my family, with open and loving arms. Because that is what Fairy Tail does—we embrace those who need a hug, we welcome those who have nothing to return to. And we do it with pride. Because we are a family!"

The crowd of guild members let out hoots and hollers.

"Fairy Tail, let's dedicate this day to two members who are taking part in festivities for the first time today: Juvia Lockser and Lucy Heartfilia. Enjoy the fun, ladies! This is just the beginning!" Master gave Lucy a wink, very obviously noticing how wet her eyes seemed to be.

The crowd went absolutely nuts, and everybody stood and cheered. Lucy couldn't help but smile—her smile was so big her cheeks hurt—at her newfound family.

All of the colors Lucy could see seemed to much brighter today, and she knew why: because she was in love with life.

"Alright, everyone! Pick a partner—it's officially time for the beer pong tournament!"

Lucy made a face—she was god awful at throwing balls into cups—and let out a sigh. There really wasn't a point in her taking part in the tournament—she was a curse. Her hand-eye coordination was absolute garbage, and she would drag down whoever her partner was. She would do the right thing and opt out.

Levy turned to her left, giving Gajeel a look. He gave her a nod in return as they silently agreed to be one another's partners.

Lucy blinked, impressed. Honestly, those two were really on the same wavelength today—they were just clicking. Bickering here and there, sure, but for the most part, they were basically two peas in a pod. Lucy couldn't help but admire their newfound friendship.

Mira was up on stage, jotting down the names of partners and placing them on the tournament board. Each partnership was randomly assigned a team to compete with—whoever lost was out, and whoever won continued on to the next randomly assigned competition, until there was only one winning team remaining. That remaining team would be considered the winner and would be awarded a golden goblet.

Master stood next to Mira, addressing the crowd as she wrote down team names. "Would anyone like to opt out of the event? If you don't you will be automatically signed up with another single person."

Lucy sighed, mentally admitting defeat, and raised her hand.

But, before Master could see her opt out, Lucy was roughly interrupted. Suddenly, something clapped around Lucy's mouth, preventing her from calling out and voicing her decision to opt out; something else grabbed her waving hand and tugged it down, gently pushing it against her side and holding it there.

"Not a chance," The voice hissed in her ear, amused. "You're not running away from this one."

Lucy frowned, already recognizing the voice. She spun around, wheeling herself to face the mystery person. "And why not?"

Natsu stood before her, crossing his arms as he smirked at her. "Because—you're gonna be my partner."

She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. No way. I'm terrible at this kinda thing."

The boy shrugged. "Who cares? It's just for fun."

"Yeah, except we're totally gonna lose! And that means we will have to drink all of our beers—and that means I'm gonna get drunk because I'm a total lightweight." Lucy hauled herself up to a standing position and began to walk away, intent on going up to the master and opting out directly.

Natsu followed beside her, starting to whine. "Aw, c'mon, Luce! We'll be a great team!"

"No."

He twisted his features into a sad, whiny puppy-dog face. He reached down and grabbed her wrists, forcing her to stop and look into his eyes, hoping to change her mind.

And boy, did he ever.

Now, Lucy wasn't the kind of girl to be easily won over, but Natsu's tactic was rather…persuasive, to say the least. His eyes were so big and conveyed his disappointment so thoroughly; his little lip was jutted out, pouty and sad. Even his gentle grip on her wrists—the contact made her veins buzz like he'd set them on fire—seemed to teeter her over the edge, make her want to change her mind.

She tried to stay strong. Honestly, she did. But there he was with those eyes and those lips and his touch, and his stupidly cute expression sort of melted her on the spot.

Then, he muttered, "Pleeeeeease, Lucy? For me?"

And that was that. She was screwed. There wasn't a chance in heaven she could deny that boy anything after he pulled that face.

Lucy couldn't even remember why she had wanted to opt out in the first place.

"Ugh," She sighed. "Fine."

Natsu released his grip on her wrists—was it weird that she didn't really want him to?—and pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!" He snarled with excitement. He spun on his heel and ran over to Mira, telling her that he and Lucy were partners before the deadline to sign up.

He made his way back to the girl, tossing his arm over her shoulder.

"No worries, Luce. This'll be fun."

Lucy peered around, a little too caught up in her surroundings. Scattered throughout the park were several tabletops—they were floating; someone was sustaining them up evenly in the air with magic—covered in cups filled with beer. Teams were competing, tossing the little ping pong balls at the cups, letting out cries of agony when they missed.

To the left, Juvia and Cana were currently taking on Elfman and Evergreen. Lucy wasn't really sure who was going to win that one—everything seemed rather tied up. What she did know, though, was that Juvia was having a fantastic time—she'd never seen the blue haired girl with such a big smile before.

To Lucy's right, there was a fierce battle going on: Erza and Gray were currently rallying against Bisca and Alzack. This fight was also a close one—Erza and Gray's determination were strong, perfectly on par with Bisca and Alzack's perfect accuracy.

Lucy felt a nudge to her side, bringing her focus back to what lay before her: her and Natsu's first challenge in the tournament.

"Just so everyone knows," Lucy said, speaking up, "I want it to be very clear that this tournament was rigged. What are the chances our first match up was against Laxus and Gildarts?"

Laxus smirked.

Gildarts let out a snort. "Should've picked a better teammate, little Lucy."

"Hey!" Natsu growled. "I'm good at this."

Laxus grinned. "Then prove it."

Natsu rolled his eyes. He raised his hand, and flicked his wrist; the ball flew from his fingers gracefully across the table, landing directly in a cup. A cocky smirk spread across his lips, and he glanced over at Lucy. "See? Nothin' to it."

Gildarts grabbed the cup and chugged it back without hesitation.

Lucy gave him a weak smile in response. Sure, of course he could nail a beer pong shot what with his incredible reflexes and dragon-like abilities. The chances of her making this shot was near zero. This was a huge mistake. "I don't think I can do that."

"Of course you can!" Natsu reassured her, taking a step closer to her. He lifted her hand and elbow, altering her form until she was in the right position to toss the ball. "Just keep your eyes on the cup you want to put the ball in, and focus on that spot. Easy peasy."

Lucy gulped, tossing the ball gently, hoping her arc was correct.

The ball sailed over the cups, flying over Laxus' shoulders; it fell to the grass below. Lucy cringed, head dropping in shame.

"I'm so bad at this. Natsu, we're going to be so drunk. So, so drunk."

His lips were curled up into that cute little smirk of his, and his eyes searched her face. For a split second—perhaps Lucy was just dreaming this up?—his eyes dipped down to her lips, but flashed back up to her eyes just as fast. "I don't think I'd mind being drunk with you."

Lucy's face would've gotten all hot and stupid—but Laxus and Gildarts tossed the balls back, nailing their shots in the cups they'd been aiming for.

Lucy cringed, grabbing one of the cups, pinching her nose, and chugging it back. Natsu sucked his drink back easily, not nearly as bothered by the burning sensation in his throat as Lucy was.

The game continued on for a bit longer—Lucy missed every shot but one; Natsu got a couple good shots in—but ultimately, the duo lost to Laxus and Gildarts. Lucy's prediction about being drunk only became partially true—she was just a little buzzed, thank goodness—because Natsu had been a gentleman and stepped up, drinking over half of the cups of beer so that Lucy didn't have to have her full share.

"Eliminated in the first round," Natsu muttered, pouting as he and Lucy took a seat on the edge of the stage, watching the other games take place. "That's rough."

"Hey—I warned you about what would happen if I was your partner."

He snorted. "True. I don't mind. It was worth it watching you try to chug back all that beer."

Lucy made a face. "Meanie."

Natsu laughed. "Not a beer drinker, huh?"

She tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I'm more of a wine girl, myself. What about you?"

He shrugged. "I like beer. Not much of a drinker, though."

"Why not?"

"I'd rather waste my money on food."

Lucy smiled. "Why am I not surprised?"

The two chatted on and on as the beer pong games continued. Time passed and games came to an end, and the tournament continued on. As the teams began to dwindle down, the guild began to circle around the few games remaining, cheering on each side.

Eventually, it came down to only two remaining teams: Gray and Erza, and Juvia and Cana.

The final game took place on the stage, so every member of the guild view it in all of its glory.

Honestly, it was a pretty ugly sight—by this point, each person had chugged back so much beer that they were swaying all over the place.

Erza, despite her intense determination and focus, was beginning to stumble and sway; Gray's eyes were red and bleary, a stupid little drunken grin permanently etched onto his lips. Juvia was a giggly drunk, and she had to lean on the table to stay standing. Cana, however, was totally fine—her reflexes were razor sharp.

"It's a—it's an unfair advantage!" Gray complained. "Cana's an alcoholic!"

Gildarts let out a cry from the audience. "That's my girl! Atta be!"

"Okay, participants!" Mira called as she handed out the balls to the players. "Begin the match!"

Everything started out as expected: everyone missed their shots except for Cana. She nailed shot after shot, forcing Gray and Erza to chug back even more alcohol. The crowd was going absolutely nuts, enthralled by Cana's tolerance to drinks.

"We're never gonna win," Gray muttered, shaking his head. He glanced at Erza. "Maybe we should just forfeit."

Erza hiccuped. "Forfeit?" She blinked. "Never!"

"C'mon, Erza—they're killin' us!"

Cana snorted. "Only wimps quit in the final round!"

Gray turned to look at his competition, taking a long second to balance himself after doing so. "It's just stupid—Erza can't even see straight. Hell, even Juvia can't stay standing. You're carrying the team."

The crowd erupted into ooooooh's as the drama between the two final teams intensified.

"Hey!" Juvia shot back, no longer giggling. "I'm helping, too!"

Gray gave Juvia a look. "Listen, Juvia—you definitely helped her out. But she's the one winning this final match."

Cana crossed her arms, then looked at Juvia. "I don't like his tone."

Juvia frowned. "Me either."

"How about this?" Cana spat, turning to glare at Gray. "You and Juvia—one on one. That'll decide it."

Juvia looked at her partner. "What?"

Cana gave her a nod. "No worries. You've got this. You're right—we both carry this team. Time to prove him wrong."

Juvia's eyes were wide. "But, Cana, what if I can't?"

"You can do this."

It took the blue haired girl a moment. She looked out into the crowd, her eyes locking onto Lucy's. She remembered what her friends had told her earlier—that today was for her, that today was a day of fun, not sadness. Today was the day Juvia loved herself.

And that meant taking chances.

"Let's do it," Juvia replied with a nod, voice cold. She turned to face Gray, eyebrow pricking up, challenging him. "You in?"

Gray's expression was hesitant. "Are you sure?"

Juvia grinned at him—but it wasn't the usual smile she flashed him. No, this smile was intense, determined and ready for a fight. "Absolutely."

Gray blinked at the girl before him, hardly recognizing her. This fire, this intensity…it was so different than her usual behaviour. She wasn't doing this for him—she was doing this for her. It was different. New.

The corners of his lips tangled upwards into a grin.

Juvia lifted her arm, tossing her ball; it spiralled in the air, landing directly in Gray's first cup.

The crowd cheered out her name. Lucy chanted out extra loud, hoping her passion would help Juvia win the cup.

After chugging back his drink, Gray smirked at Juvia, shooting his ball, nailing it. The ball landed directly into one of her cups. Juvia ,ughed, impressed, and sucked back her drink.

The game went on and on, back and forth, tied up completely—until Juvia sunk the final ball, defeating Gray. The crowd went absolutely wild; everyone hopped up on stage and lifted Juvia up onto their shoulders, chanting her name.

Lucy, absolutely thrilled, turned and tossed her arms around Natsu, cheering loudly. Natsu hugged Lucy back, shouting out congratulations to Juvia—and telling Gray he could suck it.

Confetti sprayed into the air—Mira had really come prepared—and Cana cracked open a bottle of champagne spraying the foam into the crowd, absolutely overjoyed that her partner had won the tournament for them.

Once everyone had settled down, there was an official award ceremony where Juvia and Cana were awarded the golden goblet.

There was a prize for Gray, too—but for whatever reason, he'd disappeared during the celebrations and wasn't around to collect it.

Natsu hopped on stage to receive the prize for Gray—but he decided to make a speech instead.

The boy cleared his throat and leaned into the microphone. "Ahem. Can everyone hear me? Alright. I'd just like to thank Mira for the opportunity to take part in this awesome beer pong tournament. I would also like to thank Gray for not being here—I'm guessing he's out crying somewhere because he got his ass whooped Juvia—because I am absolutely stealing this prize. Oh, and I'd like to thank the beautiful Lucy Heartfilia for being my beer pong partner. Even though we were eliminated almost immediately. Cheers!"

Lucy cringed, her face getting hot when he called her beautiful. She rolled her eyes when the boy joined her in the crowd, sitting beside her on the picnic blanket.

Was it bad that all Lucy could think about was how his elbow was touching hers?

She shook her head, forcing herself to listen to Mira's congratulation speech, trying to get her mind off of Natsu's beautiful comment.

Except she couldn't. And her heart was pounding really hard. And her throat felt really tight.

No, no, no, no. It's Natsu. Salamander. He was her best friend—she couldn't think of him like this. She had to stop. It wasn't appropriate.

Lucy slammed her eyes shut, taking deep breaths, making herself really listen to what Mira was announcing. She'd have to get through the rest of the day without thinking of Natsu. That wasn't so hard, was it? She'd just have to avoid him, is all. Not come into physical contact with him. That wouldn't be so difficult.

"Alright, everyone! Onto the next activity—a dancing contest! Everyone pick a partner!"

Natsu's hand immediately clamped down onto Lucy's tugging her into a standing position.

Lucy let out a cry. "Gah! Why?"

Natsu tugged her up, pulling her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, tossing her hands up onto his shoulders. "You'll be my dance partner, right?"

Their faces were so close Lucy could feel his hot breath fanning across her face. His eyes were big, wide and cute, and he flashed her a goofy little smile.

"Of course," She squeaked back, desperately trying to forget how their bodies were touching. "I'd love to."

A/N: Abrupt ending, I know. But at least this chapter was longer, right? Riiiiiight!? Next chapter will pick up immediately after this one, much like the last. Might be a couple days before it's out cuz I've gotta work all week! BUT THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS! KEEP EM COMIN. I love you guys so much. Thank you for everything.

I hope some Juvia/Gray development is alright with you!?