Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Fairy Tail characters that honor belongs to Hiro Mashima!
I do own the Original Characters (Ocs) that appear in this story and the plot~
Chapter 29: A Day Spent On You And Me
Lucy found herself staring mindlessly at the calendar.
The colorful, cutesy animal theme calendar that was hanging on her bedroom wall did not bring her happy news today. Her brown eyes were focused on today's date, which had a large red circle surrounding it. Her heart infected itself with sadness as her eyes continued to stare at the date on her calendar. Today was the day she visited the graves of her departed parents. Although her father and mother had died at separate times in her life, she had come up with the decision to always visit them on the same day. She was going to do that today.
At least that was her plan, until something had came up.
And that something was in the form of Mirajane Strauss. The Take-Over Mage had asked, more like ordered, the ex-heiress to be present at the guild today. The white haired and quickly apologized to the blonde since she was one of the few people that knew about the blonde's ritual today, but Mira had no choice. The Celestial Mage's presence was required to be there just like everyone else. It was something about Jason from Sorcerer Weekly was visiting today. He was coming over in order to conduct interviews with those that attended the Grand Magical Games.
If this was any other day she would have been ecstatic for the chance to be in one of the most popular magazines in Fiore. If only it landed on a different day. The last of the Heartfilia family did not feel like being interviewed, but this was for her guild and she would do this for them. So she locked up her sadness and chose a quick change of clothes.
Time to get this interview over with, so I can spend the rest of the day at their graves…
She walked out the door hoping to leave her sadness behind and the walk to guild felt quicker than normal.
When she had walked in the guild she had quickly noticed that it was quieter than normal. And that was due to Jason being there and the absent Natsu. She didn't dwell too much on that. She found herself forcing a smile on her face and when she saw Gray and Juvia. Her two friends were being interviewed by the short man with blonde hair that stuck up in the middle. He was wearing a bright pink t-shirt with the words Fairy Tail and blue jeans. The young man known as Jason was speaking a mile a minute with the occasional 'COOL!' thrown in there. Gray and Juvia looked like they wanted to be anywhere else besides being interviewed by the eccentric man.
Lucy only offered the two an understanding and pity-filled smile.
She was too preoccupied in watching her friend's plight that she did not see or hear someone coming up from behind her. That was until the blonde someone bump into her pretty hard, but she managed to steady herself before she fell face first onto the ground. She was going too snapped at the person who bumped into her to be careful, but as luck would have it another person bumped into her again. The Celestial Mage felt her annoyance bubble up as she looked up only to find the two who had rudely bumped into her were Lisanna and Levy. The two didn't look apologetic. They just continued on their way to a table, sitting down and giggling as they whispered to one another.
It reminded her of a couple of school girl bullies.
Lucy didn't know how to react to this. She had never experience anything like this before. She had expected that kind of behavior from Lisanna, but not from Levy. Not knowing how she should handle this situation the ex-heiress decided to shrug it off. The blonde did not have time or the energy to think about what the two girls were doing together. She sighed as she walked over to her new permanent seating area, Gajeel's table. Lucy's partner was already there waiting for her. He was eating some iron and besides him was another plate of food, which Lucy assumed was for her. She sat down greeting the Iron Dragon Slayer with a somewhat force cheery voice.
"Hello, Gajeel." She said as she eyed the food that looked untouched. "Is this food for me?"
"Hey, Bunny Girl." He greeted as he pushed the plate of food towards her without taking his eyes of his own food. "And yes, that's yours. I figured you would want some food, since we'll have to answer that idiot journalist's questions today."
"Thanks a bunch, Gajeel!" Lucy grinned as she used her uninjured hand to feed herself. She hummed happily as the delicious food went into her mouth. Seriously, she was developing a bad habit of not eating breakfast. She needed to get rid of that habit. "Mmm, this tastes good! Nothing beats bacon and eggs!"
"You forgot to eat breakfast again didn't you?" He grinned as he watched the girl eat like she had never eaten before. She had only eaten freely without worrying about how she looked when she was around Team Natsu and she was sure Gajeel wouldn't judge her. "Seriously, how do you survive by yourself if you forget to eat?"
"It only happens once in awhile." Lucy took another bite out of the delicious food. At least she was hoping that was it. "Not like I forget to eat on purpose."
"Uh huh," Gajeel took another large and loud bite of his iron as he observed her. He could tell something was off with her. Her brown eyes were hiding sadness in its depths and her voice was not as animated as it usually was. Something was on her mind and it was bringing her down. "What's got you putting on that pathetic face, Bunny Girl?"
"Eh?" The ex-heiress dropped her food back on her plate her mouth wide and her eyes shining in surprise. She didn't think Gajeel would catch her fake cheerfulness that quickly like he did. Then again nothing could really get past his keen eyes. "My face is not pathetic! It looks like it normally does!"
"Tch, I'm not a fool, Bunny Girl."
"I never called you a fool." The blonde frowned as she switched her face to a neutral look. She returned to eating, except this time she was eating slowing and with more grace. She always did that when she felt out of funk. She would always revert back to her lady act manners. "I only said my face looks perfectly normal, Iron Hedgehog Head."
"Perfectly pathetic." He corrected with a smirk.
"Whatever."
"Shit, not this crap now." The Iron Dragon Slayer growled annoyed as his red eyes flickered to something behind her. "Here comes that reporter."
Lucy felt her lunch get stuck in her throat at the mention of Jason.
"Ugh, now I think my face might be looking pathetic." The Celestial Mage made a sick face before she changed it into a smile. She whispered another thing before the reporter closed in on them. "I'm not ready for this."
Gajeel never got the answer her.
"COOOOOLLLL!" A high squeaky voice squealed excitedly beside the blonde. "It's Black Steel Gajeel and Celestial Hottie Lucy!"
"Hello, Jason-san."
Gajeel only nodded.
"It's time for my next exclusive interview! And guess who is next?"
"Erza?" The blonde replied hopefully, but she knew her hopes would be killed.
"No way! It's you guys!" He jumped, like he jumped almost fifty feet in the air. "Aren't you so lucky?"
"Yeah, lucky…"
"So which one of you will like go first?" He moved his head around from side to side, his hand scribbling in a mad frenzy even though no one spoke. So what was he writing? "Or better yet, let's have an ultra special exclusive with the brand new team of Fairy Tail, The Unbelievable, Unexpected Duo!"
"What the fuck did that Demon Woman called our team?!" Gajeel glared at Jason. The rage look in his eyes said it all. He did not like the name their team had been given. "Hell no, that's not our team name!"
"It's a temporary one that Mira gave us. She told me about it. Guess you haven't heard then." The blonde ex-heiress stated trying to calm down the Dragon Slayer. She had notice his hand had twitched and she feared Jason would get a firsthand experience with her partner's Iron Club attack. "So please don't refer to us in the article by that name, Jason-san."
"Then what's the team name?" The overly excited reporter asked his eyes brimming with anticipation. "Care to tell me?"
"Well, to be honest we haven't come up with one yet." Lucy replied with a gentle smile on her face. "We know we need to come up with one, but you can't rush creativity."
"What she means is we don't want to have a stupid sounding name!" The man added with a frown and a glare at the reporter.
"You two are so cooool!" Jason, without warning, took a picture of them. He ignored their reactions to the bright flash. His grin was still wide as he watched them blink their eyes and he continued to speak to them. "So let's start with the questions!"
"Okay."
"Hn."
The blonde haired man flipped to the next page in his notepad. "When did you two become partners?"
Oh how were they going to answer that question or were they just going to ignore the question entirely?
"Umm, well…" She glanced at Gajeel for permission to speak about their story. The Dragon Slayer just nodded at her. The expression on his face told her what she needed to know. He did not want to be the one to reply to any question asked by the reporter. Well, she guessed it was all up to her. The Celestial Mage spoke in a clear voice as the Jason sat with his pen ready and waiting. "It was also our first job together. It was after a job at a town called Aeterna Caelestis that we became a team."
"Uh huh and what was the job about?"
"Something was scaring the citizens from going into the forest." The blonde replied, though she decided to keep what exactly had occurred there a secret. She did not think it was wise to mention the little boy or the key she had broke out of its prison. "We had searched the forest and found the culprit was a wyvern."
"A wyvern? COOOLLL!" Jason smiled broadly. His whole body was shaking and jittery. Lucy would be amazed if the man managed to write legibly with all that body movement. The man needed to seriously to calm down. "How did you guys beat it?"
"Well, I was knocked out unconscious because it caught me by surprise. That's how my arm was broken." The ex-heiress lifted her broken arm a little before she continued with her story. "I didn't see what happened, but all I know is that Gajeel beat it."
"Tch." The long haired man grunted. His red eyes glanced over to the woman next to him. He did not like the fact that Lucy, his partner, was making herself sound weak and like she did none of the work too. "Don't sell yourself short, Bunny Girl. You did you're share as well. I only fought the wyvern."
Lucy felt her eyes widen from the fact that he was saying something nice about her in front of someone else.
"I find it incredible that you only got away with a broken arm, Lucy-san!" The reporter smiled at the ex-heiress. The Celestial Mage was beginning to feel self-conscious about this good complements being said about her. "You must really strong to only get that sort of injury from getting hit by a wyvern."
"Thanks, but if it weren't for Gajeel I may have been eaten by the damn thing."
"Maybe. Oh, I have another awesome question!" The reporter turned his gaze towards the Dragon Slayer before it refocused onto the blonde woman. "What do you think of your partner? How do you two get along?"
"He's the best partner I can have. He's strong, arrogant, focused about jobs and seriously is a man–excuse me, a fierce Dragon Slayer not to be reckon with." The last of the Heartfilia grinned. She could not hide the happiness echoing in her voice. She saw Gajeel smirk in approval as she spoke about him. "We get along just fine. He makes me laugh more than he annoys me, actually."
"Sounds like a good foundation for an awesome team."
" Hmm, I think, we could even start our own successful comedy act if we wanted too." The blonde woman added jokingly. "We would be a hit!"
"Cool! If you ever decide to do something like that I would be the first to advertise it." He grinned widely before his eyes flickered towards Gajeel. "And your answer?"
Lucy suddenly found super nervous to hear the Iron Dragon Slayer answer.
"She's intelligent, strong, quick on her feet, easily adapts and she can be a devious planner sometimes. She's a partner that meets my high expectations of what a partner for Black Steel Gajeel should be like." The pierced Dragon Slayer replied his voice laced in pride as he spoke about Lucy. "The getting along deal, it's basically what she said. We get along fine, even with her smartass mouth."
"You're a smart ass too." Lucy punched his shoulder.
This action seemed to send Jason in a happy dance briefly before he controlled himself and switched to the next set of questions.
"Okay, so let's talk about the Grand Magical Games!" Jason flipped to another blank sheet of paper. "Gajeel-san, you were on Fairy Tail Team B correct?"
"Yes."
"According to Master Makarov you were at first against creating a second team and being a part of it."
"Ehh, you were?" The ex-heiress did not know about that detail and she had a feeling no one else knew about that either except for Master and those on Team B. Still she would have thought that the Iron Dragon Slayer would have jumped at the chance to show off his incredible strength. "No way!"
"Yes." He replied to the two of them. He was inwardly hoping Master Makarov kept the whole deal a secret.
"So what caused you to have a change of heart?"
Gajeel froze. There was no way in hell he was going to tell this reporter that. He was not allowing billions of readers to learn that the only reason he even agreed to Fairy Tail Team B was only because they were bribed. Master had promised that the winning team would have been given the right to order the loosing team for a day. That was too far of a good deal to pass up and so he had agreed. And who did Gajeel plan to order around? The Iron Dragon Slayer had only one person in mind to order around and that was his current partner Lucy. He planned to order Lucy to dance for him in her bunny suit as he played his guitar.
He was going to keep that tidbit to himself.
"None of your fucking business!"
"Iron Hedgehog Head don't be so rude to Jason-san!" Lucy whacked his head as she scolding him with a frown on her face. She had expected him to say something not so nice to the hyper man at some point during this interview. "He was just asking a question."
"He was asking a question that is none of his business!" He growled. He rubbed the area where the blonde had hit his poor abused head. Gajeel's red eyes were glaring murderously at the reporter daring him to keep asking about his reasoning. "Ask something else, you jackass!"
"Your responses are so COOOL!" Jason, instead of feeling threaten by the man's death glare, squealed in excitement as he went on to the next question. Seriously, Gajeel could be holding a sharp weapon at him and Jason would still only see awesome rainbows. "So your best match by far was the one where you battled one of Sabertooth's Twin Dragons, the Shadow Dragon Slayer Rogue Cheney."
"Yes, I fought that him." The elder Dragon Slayer replied. He would have to say the best battle he had ever fought was either the one with when he first fought Natsu or their tag team against Laxus. "Wouldn't say it was the best battle I had, but it was a good one."
"How was it like to battle another Dragon Slayer from a rival guild?"
Gajeel refrained from correcting the man.
"Tch, like it should feel like. It was a fight that tested your abilities. There is nothing more exhilarating than a fight between two strong opponents ready to tear each other apart." Gajeel paused only to smirk broadly. "Though, in the beginning that damn brat didn't put up much a fight."
"That's right you were beating him with no problems, even after he insulted you." Jason nodded his head so fast it looked like it was going to fly off. "How did it feel when he stated you were weaker than Salamander?"
Oh that was the wrong question to ask.
"How the fuck do you think I felt?" The Iron Dragon Slayer bared his teeth snarling loudly. His whole posture was rigid with anger."That little shit didn't know what the hell he was saying!"
The Dragon Slayer's anger was ignored.
"It looked like you had the match in the bag, but then Cheney-san turned the tables and was beating you down like nothing." The reporter replied innocently not knowing what a dangerous thin line he was walking on with Gajeel. He certainly lacked a survival instinct or danger sense."There was no doubt he was wiping the floor with you."
Lucy, who was sitting beside Gajeel, could feel his irritation growing and she knew that Jason had gone too far for her partner's liking. Fearing for the reporter's life she decided to do something risky. She placed her usable hand on his. She began rubbing soothing circles on his skin, hoping to comfort him enough to calm down. His ferocious growls stopped as he looked at her with confused eyes. She only smiled reassuringly as she silently mouthed to him that there was nothing to worry about. She wanted him to ignore Jason's statements. The pierced man released one last growl of annoyance before he calmed down. He took one breath and refocused his eyes on Jason, who had missed the little interaction between the two.
"Everyone was positive that the Shadow Dragon Slayer was going to win, but then you amazed all of us when you ate one of his shadows and combined your iron powers with his shadows! It was sooooo COOOlll!" Jason scribbled on his sheet of paper in great speed. The sound of paper tearing echoed around the pair. "How was it to use own power against him?"
"It was nothing I couldn't handle, though it was thrilling. He needed a dragon roar back into reality. "Gajeel shrugged nonchalantly. He was enjoying the soothing circles Bunny Girl was doing on his hand. They felt nice. "Plus, his over-confidence needed to be brought down a peg."
"Cool! You're truly were an amazing fighter during the games!" Jason grinned as he replaced the notebook he was holding with a new one. He turned to Lucy. "Now let's talk about you Lucy-san!"
"Sure."
"You were on the second Fairy Tail team, correct?"
"Yes, I was on Team Fairy Tail A." Lucy replied confirming the information.
"You were one of the first to battle on the very first day and your thirty minute battle was against Raven Tail's Flare Corona." The hyper reporter's scribbling could be heard going against the paper. The blonde felt bad for the paper. "How did you feel being the first one to battle?"
"It felt great! I was so happy to be representing my guild!" The ex-heiress smiled widely.
"You sure look like it too! Your fighting spirit was shining like a fire that could not burn out!" The pointy haired man dramatically waved his arms around. Okay, Lucy was sure this man got way to excited over his job. "You were able to summon multiple spirits with complete ease!"
"I have my wonderful friends to thank for that!"
"Do you mean your spirits?"
"Yes, we trained everyday and that was the results you saw during the games. Together there is nothing that will beat us!" The Celestial Mage announced proudly. She felt her spirits beside her hip hum in agreement with her words. "Our bond is unbreakable!"
"Cool! Your bond with your spirits is one of a kind!" Jason agreed as he went on to the next question. "Your battle with Corona-san was epic. The crowd was sure you were going to win, but then it turned one-sided."
"Yeah, it did."
"It was quite a shock to many. You were doing spectacular then all of a sudden Corona-san was beating you and you didn't fight back. What happened to cause your battle to go against you?"
Lucy gritted her teeth. That battle against the Raven Tail mage would have been her win. She would have shown the world how strong Celestial Mage's and their spirits could be when they had a relationship like hers. She would have shown the world that Fairy Tail was a guild that deserved the number one spot. She would have done all that when she won,but Flare had resorted to cheating. She had threatened to hurt little Asuka. The blonde had no choice but to throw the fight. She wasn't going to let anything happen to the little girl just because she wanted to win.
"I would have won. I had every intention of winning, but…" Lucy bit her lips nervously. She didn't know how to explain the situation of how she lost. She decided to be blunt. "She threatened one of my own and I will not sacrifice the lives of others so I could win some points."
"Yes, I have heard from eye witness near the Fairy Tail section. They say they noticed Salamander pull some of Corona-san's hair away from a little girl wearing a cowboy hat." Jason responded as he twirled his pen around in thought. "So what you are saying and from what the witnesses have said…it comes down to the fact that Corona-san cheated."
"Yes, she used the length of her hair to try to harm one of the children of our guild members." Her brown eyes harden as she recalled that incident. She shook her head clearing her negative thoughts. "Honestly, I think she resorted to something underhanded because of the negative influence of her guild master."
"Oh, why say something like that?"
"Flare-san had apologized to me and I hope we'll be good friends in the future." The blonde smiled a little. "Do you really think a bad person would do something like that?"
"Coooll! And what you say is true. You really are a forgiving person, Lucy-san!" Jason grinned, his eyes focused intensely on her. "It lines up with what Corona-san has said about you as well."
"Ehh?" The last of the Heartfilia family replied confused. She wondered when Jason had talked with Flare about her. "You spoke with her? And you talked about me?"
"Mostly about your battle and you, yes." The reporter nodded. "She has expressed good will towards you and said a few positive things about you. She has also provided me with the information that she should have not won the battle with you."
"But my spell…"
"As Corona-san has stated, one of her guild mates had negated your last spell from the sidelines, thus you were cheated out of your win."
Lucy froze with shock. Flare had snitched out her own team for their cheating ways. She could not believe the red haired woman would do something like that. It felt good to know that the readers when they read this would learn the truth. She felt the rush of happiness and that should have been the dominant feeling in her body, but what she felt was frustration. She was cheated out of a win! She could have made her guild proud, but it was taken from her by Raven Tail. She was so wrapped in her growing emotions she had stopped the soothing circles she was giving Gajeel's hand.
"Those fucking cheating bastards." Her partner growled lowly. He noticed the negative feeling building up in his partner's brown eyes. He acted on an impulse and flicked her forehead before she became too lost in her feelings. "Bunny Girl, don't do that shit."
"Hey, that hurt!" The blonde was pulled out of her thoughts and instantly pouted. She rubbed the tender spot on her forehead from where he had flicked her head. "You could have just called my name idiot!"
"Tch."
"If you don't mind, but I will like to continue with the interview." Jason cleared his throat looking serious for a minute. They blinked and he was back to his normal hyper self. They had to be imaging things. "I still got some questions to ask."
"Sure." Lucy replied, though she stuck her tongue out at Gajeel.
"Actually, I want to get Gajeel-san's thoughts on this next question."He glanced at the Dragon Slayer.
"If it's not something stupid then shoot." He nodded slightly.
"What did you think of Lucy-san during her one-on-one battle with Sabertooth's Minvera-san during the Naval Battle?"
Lucy stiffened as she heard the name Minevra. She involuntarily shivered as the memory of that fight became and image in her head. That was not a fight at all. A better term describing the battle would be more along the lines of a brutal beating. Minerva had shown no mercy. That woman had used Lucy to state a message. Her message was that Sabertooth was the strongest guild out of all the other guilds. The Territory Magic user wanted everyone in the audience to understand and she wanted Lucy to come to the same conclusions as well. The Celestial Mage was berated and beaten until she was almost lifeless
Lucy was lucky to come out of that match alive.
She knew that none of her guild-mates blamed her for a second loss in the games. She had given it her all during both battles, but her mind was now silently wondering what Gajeel thought about her battle. Did he think she had failed her guild? Did he think something bad about her? Her heart was hammering as her mind filled her with the possible negative words that would come out of his mouth. She was preparing herself for the worst when she remembered his words on the train. And she felt like she was being stupid. There was no way he would have said anything bad about her.
Then again why was she getting so worked over what he thought of her?
"Bunny Girl made her guild proud." Gajeel stated. His eyes focused on Lucy beside him. "She may have gotten the shit beaten out of her, but she never gave in to that damn bitch. That Saber-bitch may think she's strong, but she can only hope to be as strong as Bunny Girl."
"Cool! You seem to think very highly of Lucy-san."
"If I didn't why would I partner up with her? That Saber-bitch may have called her a useless piece of trash, but Bunny Girl is anything but useless." The Dragon Slayer replied with a smirk on his face, but his eyes narrowed darkly as he growled. "If that bitch or any other shithead decides to think otherwise then they are blind idiots. My partner is strong."
"Gajeel…" Lucy blushed as the Iron Dragon Slayer admitted that he did think highly of her. He had told her before about how strong she was, but now he was telling a reporter. Gajeel was telling the reporter, who was going to write and present his responses for the eyes of many to see. She stared into his red eyes seeing the honestly in the words he had spoken. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. So she avoided his eyes by looking to the side.
"Cooll!" Jason stood up in excitement causing his chair to fall on the ground with a loud thud. He began to take random pictures as his camera was clicking rapidly and as his head shook around violently."The bond between you two is as obvious as is your strength!"
"I think you broke him Gajeel." Lucy whispered as she looked at Jason wearyingly.
"Tch."
"Hey, we really need to come up with a team name!" The blonde woman suggested suddenly, ignoring the spinning man in front of them. She was sure Jason was going to be busy for awhile. She remembered what the reporter had called her team. She would not want to be known as The Unbelievable, Unexpected Duo and neither did Gajeel. "Got any ideas?"
"As long as it doesn't sound like shit, I'm good with what you come up with." Gajeel shrugged his eyes on her trying to ignore the eccentric reporter. "Or it is not like that shitty name the Demon Woman has given us."
"Mira did shout some other possible names for us." The Celestial Mage replied as she went through the list of possible team names Mira had provided them with the other day in her head. The barmaid had given them a rather lengthy list of options."Remember?"
"No, I stopped paying attention to that Demon Woman the minute she went into lala-land." The Iron Dragon Slayer admitted honestly. He didn't have time to watch the bar maid make a fool of herself when he would rather being paying attention to his female. "Her voice went through one ear and out the other with my brain not processing the words as anything important."
"Then I'll name them off and you say your opinion on them, okay." She suggested with a smile on her face. Behind her Jason was surrounded by a spotlight as he rambled on about them being cool in a high and squeaky voice. "Steel Star?"
"It's okay." He nodded.
"Yeah, I agree." Lucy replied as she went to the next one on her mental list. "Dragon Star?"
"Sounds like a name for a band." He grinned widely at her. "Are we making a band? If we are I demand that you wear your bunny outfit."
"No way!"
"Kill joy."
"Hey, I don't like the name Dragon Star either since there is a dragon constellation named Draco." Lucy mumbled her explanation to the man next to her. "So let me take out any name related to constellations."
"So how many options do we have left in the list?"
"We have two left from the ones Mira had suggested. Studded Star or Metal Star?"
"First one sounds like we would have to have a studded theme." Gajeel made a face that the blonde could not put a name to."Metal Star is almost the same as Steel Star."
"You have a point. And besides, I don't like the sound of them either." The ex-heiress stayed silent as she brainstormed other possible names. She liked the idea of naming their team off of their magic. That would describe both of them perfectly, but Steel Star and Studded Star just did not click with her. She paused when the perfect name came to her mind. "Why didn't I think of it sooner?"
"Bunny Girl?" The Dragon Slayer briefly watched the reporter do a split in the middle of the room with small interest, before his gazed returned to his female. "You got an idea?"
"It's perfect for us!" She grinned widely as she mentally patted herself on the back. "Iron Star. We should be called Iron Star, since you're the Iron Dragon Slayer and my spirits are stars in the sky."
"Iron Star?" He repeated the name slowly and carefully as he tested it out. He liked the sound of it. It was not too boring or too flashy of a name. Plus, it made sense and described both of them. "I like it. It's perfect."
"Coooooooollllll!" Jason suddenly broke from his dancing and reappeared by the two in a blink of an eye. His eyes sparkled with excitement. "Did I just hear you two come up with a team name?"
"Uh, yes." Lucy said as she stared at the hyped up reporter. "We're Team Iron Star."
"Iron Star, I love the sound of it!" He scribbled the name quickly before he went into another dramatically fueled rant about it.
Lucy and Gajeel only stared at him wishing him to go somewhere else already.
…
The Celestial Mage was glad the interview was over and that she did not have to pretend to happy anymore.
She was back to feeling what she was feeling when she had woken up earlier that day. Her negative mood was wrapping her excitement from the interview and the choosing of team name into a black shroud of nothing. She felt like she drowning in it. She tried to shake it away, but found her attempts of making herself feel somewhat better were in vain. The sadness just came back like it was clawing her from under her skin. She was just sad. She released a tired sigh as she walked along the canal roadway that led to her apartment. Why was she heading to her apartment again? She should go see her parents. So why was she going home?
"Oi, there you go again make that pathetic looking face!" A certain man said with annoyance laced in his low baritone voice.
Oh, right. Gajeel was walking her back home, which was a routine the two had developed lately.
"Sorry." The normally vivacious woman replied monotonously. She looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Just not feeling like my usual self today."
"I've noticed." He answered. He had noticed her mood in the guild and he had been wondering what had been bothering the usually cheery girl. "You haven't insulted me or call me by that ridiculous nickname the whole walk to your place."
She could only shrug his comment off, even if what he had stated was true. The blonde ignored him for a bit and she stopped walking. She heard her partner's footsteps stop as well as she gazed at canal they were walking beside. She listened to the soothing sound of its flowing water for a bit. Her brown eyes registered the setting sun in the water's reflection. She could not go home now. She needed to see her parents even if it was dark when she got there. She could feel the Iron Dragon Slayer's stare on her back. She took a breath before she replied back to him in a quiet voice.
"Do me a favor."
"A favor?" She had turned to see his face was expressing confusion.
"Come with me to Acalypha, Gajeel." She whispered, hoping he would say yes. "I need to go there. I have to go there today."
"Acalypha?" He asked staring at her. He did not understand why she wanted to go there. What was there, besides the trading guild? "What business do you have there, Bunny Girl?"
"I have to go visit someone and I would like some company on the way there." She stated simply. She pointed to the setting sun behind her. "Plus, it is getting really dark. If you don't want to that's all right. I could find someone else."
"Tch, don't talk for me." He scowled at her before she nodded towards her broken arm. "Besides, who will protect you from all the shits that decide to mess with you?"
"Loke." She answered. It was a logical answer for her to say since after all the lion spirit had protected before. Virgo would do the same for her as well. " He is always ready to protect me just like Virgo."
"That Playboy Lion of yours is not as good or intimidating as me, Bunny Girl." The long haired man pointed out. "I'm coming with you, no buts!"
"Thanks." Lucy smiled gratefully. "I expected as much from you."
The way to Acalypha was not too far of a walk from Magnolia, especially when it was almost completely night time. The two traveling mages soon found themselves going past the Love & Lucky guild towards a small dirt road. Gajeel had remained silent during the entire walk, but he was looking out for any dangers that could potentially want to harm them. Lucy on the other hand, had been in pensive and silent during their travel as she walked alongside him. She was focused on something else and not paying attention to her surroundings much. It was like she was too preoccupied with whatever was on her mind.
Gajeel decided to let her be for the time being.
He followed behind her keeping a silent watch over their surroundings. He was searching for anything that was potentially dangerous to them. He saw nothing really, but it never hurt to be too careful. He followed behind the blonde Celestial Mage onto a dirt road. He was really confused about where she was leading him. Eventually, he saw the outline of a small cemetery. It was so barren looking and desolate, like no one took care of this place on a regular basis. The state of the place did not seem to bother the blonde in any way. She just continued to walk on. She walked through the graves without looking where she was going. It was like she had already been here before.
The Iron Dragon Slayer bit his lips in order to keep the question at bay. He wanted to ask, but her brown eyes were focused near the very end of the last row. Was that where they were heading to? The question left his mind as soon as it was formed because Lucy had suddenly moved. She was gripping his left arm tightly and chewed on her lips nervously. The red eyed man said nothing and allowed her to. He had a feeling that this act provided Lucy with comfort. Finally, they stopped in front of two small graves with the names of the deceased written in simple letters.
Jude Heartfilia X791
Layla Heartfilia X777
They were the gravestones of Lucy's parents.
"Hello mother and father, it's me Lucy." The blonde spoke softly as she waved to the grave markers in greeting. She had a gentle smile on her face. "It's been awhile since I lasted visited. I'm sorry I have not been able to come by more often and bring you flowers."
The only reply she received was the wind blowing her hair.
"I've been doing well. I'm not on Team Natsu anymore, but I can't complain. I was a solo mage for awhile and went on a few jobs with my friend Gray." Lucy continued to speak. Her voice was calm, but lacked any other emotion than sadness. She spoke like her parents were standing in front of her or maybe she was only imagining them standing in front of her listening to her attentively. "You're probably wondering who this scary looking guy is beside me, huh?"
She gave her parents' gravestones a somber smile.
"His name is Gajeel Redfox and he is a Dragon Slayer like Natsu, except Gajeel's element is iron." The last of the Heartfilia explained her eyes fixed on the grave and her fingers tighten around his arm. "He's my partner actually. Father, you must be thinking what the hell is your daughter doing hanging around such a punkish, scary looking guy right? And mother would just welcome him with open arms since he's my friend."
The wind picked up as Lucy laughed a little.
"Well, don't worry. He's a great guy. He protected and defended me from a wyvern. And he thinks I'm strong." The Celestial Mage murmured as she released her grip on Gajeel's arm in order to kneel down in front of her parents graves. "He's been a really great person to be around with and a good friend. He's a great person overall."
The blonde traced her fingers over their names in a slow, loving motion.
Damn, Gajeel was starting to feel really out of place, but he kept silent about it.
"I'm sure you guys would like him." She smiled sadly. Her fingers were still on the stone like she was afraid it would disappear on her. "Oh, guess what mother? Can you believe I am the owner of all the golden keys? Me, at such a young age gathered all twelve zodiac keys? I still can't believe it myself."
Lucy paused as she felt her eyes watering up when she imagined the proud smiled her mother and father would have given her.
"I hope you guys are doing well." The blonde said as she wiped some stray tears that had escaped her eyes. "I miss you two so much."
As the Celestial Mage spoke with her parents, Gajeel continued to stand behind her. He quietly respected her private moment with her parents. He just stood there being a guard for her. The blonde women spoke to her parent's graves for a few more hours about mundane things like her hair products, her progress on her novel and about her jobs. Bunny Girl only really spoke about things that would be considered mundane by others. The Iron Dragon Slayer did notice things she talked about the most were about her keys, Ice Stripper, and oddly enough him.
He paid attention to every word she had said about him and he liked how they were all positive. She didn't mention Salamander much, which made Gajeel pleased. She didn't need to waste her time on that idiot anymore, not when she had him by her side. And besides why would any one want to listen about tales of an annoying Salamander. It would be enough to drive anyone insane dead or alive. He looked away from her figure and focused his gaze on the sky line. The sun was slowly descending behind the mountains and taking away the sun's light. It was getting late. He knew that they should leave now awhile they still had some light to guide them, but he was reluctant to interrupt her grave visit.
"Bunny Girl, we should get going." He placed a hand on her quivering shoulder. He could smell her salty tears in the air. "We don't want to be traveling late at night."
"I know, just give me a few minutes to say good bye." Lucy replied as she sniffled trying to calm her quaking nerves.
"Sure." He nodded.
"Sorry, I can't stay longer. I wish I could stay here and tell you everything, but he's right. It's time for me to be heading back." She lifted her hand, kissing it and placed it on both her parents' grave. "I promise to try to visit more often, okay."
Naturally, Lucy had received no reply as she stood up. She waved goodbye before she went to stand besides Gajeel. She knew that she did not look decent, but she found herself not caring. Tears were trailing down her face and she was positive that her eyes were puffy and red. She wanted to go home, crawl into bed and wrap herself around a comfy blanket for the rest of the night. The Dragon Slayer said nothing and the blonde felt like he understood what was on her mind. He nodded and then he did something she did not except. He gently wrapped his arm around her waist. Lucy was surprise by his action, but she smiled, accepting his attempt of comforting her.
"This never happened." He whispered.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." The blonde smiled.
The pair said nothing else to one another. The two Fairy Tail mages walked out of the cemetery as the last tendrils of light faded from the sky. Their eyes were looking ahead and they were so focused on what was in front of them that something escaped their eyes. Behind them a small light was beginning to form above the graves of Layla and Jude Heartfilia. The glimmering light sparkled once, twice and a third time before something formed on the graves. Two translucent figures stood side by side watching the blonde and black haired man walk out. The two figures had smiles stretched on their lips as they waved goodbye to them.
Best wishes, our beloved daughter Lucy.
It was in the middle of their journey back home when Lucy spoke again.
"You know my mother was a Celestial Mage just like me." She said in a solemn voice as she looked Gajeel. She had stopped crying minutes ago, but her face was still in an expression of sadness. "And from what I heard from Aquarius she was a very good one."
Gajeel said nothing; he just decided it was best to listen to her.
"She was retired by the time I was born, but she was still my idol."The ex-heiress looked up at the sky. She could see some leftover colors from the sunset lingering in the sky. "I wanted to be just like her when I grew up, beautiful, strong, loving and forgiving."
He just nodded.
"My father, even when my mother was alive, had always been against me becoming a mage. He never wanted me to be a mage. I was supposed to be his perfect, little girl that did everything he said." Lucy's words were filled with slight bitterness. "He wanted a submissive little doll to marry off for money."
"You're too headstrong to be submissive Bunny Girl." The Dragon Slayer stated. He could never see someone with Lucy's attitude be submissive to some random rich boy. "Your dad was too blind to see it."
"Yeah, but that is how females were treated in the high society. We're treated like merchandise ready to be sold at the highest price. I had no choice or free will of my own." The blonde spat the words out. She remembered how often men would offer her father a large sum of money to buy her as a bride. "That's why I wanted to leave everything behind. I didn't give a damn about the money. All I wanted was a real family and friends. And of course my own free will."
"Sounds like being filthy rich was not all rainbows and daisies like everyone thinks it is."
"It was lonely for a person like me who wanted more in life." She explained calmly. Her brown eyes soften as the next words left her lips. "Still, I think my father understood my feelings in the end."
"Why? Wasn't he dead when we got back?" He didn't even think about the possible repercussion of asking a question like that. Even he was it was rather insensitive, but still asked it. "So how do you know?"
"Yes, he was dead." She responded with an even voice. Everyone knew what had happened with her father so she never really got upset when they asked her about him. "The seven years we were gone, he sent me a gift for my birthday and wrote me a letter for each gift."
"Letter?"
"Yes, one for each of my birthdays for the seven years we were trapped in Fairy Sphere." Lucy smiled ruefully as she remembered her feelings during that time. "I cried like a baby when I read them."
"Hn."
"Then I realized that I was a child who had lost her only living parent. After having no contact with her father in seven years and at that moment I realized how much I loved him and how much he had loved me. I never told him that, but I'm sure he knew it."
"Yeah, he probably did." Gajeel's eyes scanned over the trees watching the leaves sway in the wind."Both would be proud of you, Bunny Girl."
"Thanks."The ex-heiress grinned her eyes were looking up at the now star lit sky. "Hey, can I ask you something, Gajeel?"
"What?" His eyes shifted back to look at her, but he kept his ears opened. He could have sworn he heard footsteps, but he could not be sure.
"What was—" She gulped, her eyes shining with nervousness."What was your dragon like?"
"Metalicana? Why do you want to know about him?"
"He raised you right? So he was like your dad." The blonde whispered shyly as her gaze dropped from the sky and focused on him. "What was your dad like?"
Gajeel didn't respond right away. He didn't know if he should even respond to her. He would basically be telling her something he had yet to share with anyone, not even Lily. No one knew about his relationship with his dragon. It was something he never openly spoke about to others. His memories of his dragon were private, beyond private. Why would he tell her such a thing?
Because she's our chosen mate and she has a right to know us better. That invisible annoying voice declared.
That means she has to know every single thing about me then? Because she's my female?
Yes, you want to know her feelings about us correct?
Yes…
Then tell her more about us, idiot. The voice ordered. Besides, look how much she had shared with us in one day and one night. She deserves the same responses as well.
You got a point. Gajeel agreed with the annoying voice in his head.
It's a good chance to bond with our female and make our bond grow deeper and stronger, until all that would be revolving around in her pretty little mind will be us.
I like the sound of her only thinking about us. Gajeel inwardly smirked at the idea of him being the only male in Bunny Girl thought about from now on.
So stop walking with her like an idiot and respond to her! She's starting to regret asking!
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry in your private–" The Celestial Mage was already apologizing but Gajeel's voice halted her words.
"Metalicana was a downright selfish bastard." The Iron Dragon Slayer began simply. He grinned when he saw the shock face Bunny Girl was displaying now. It was funny. "He always called me a weak, stupid child whenever he had the chance. He was an arrogant, egotistical dragon that was afraid of no one."
"Oh wow, he reminds of someone." She smiled with slight tease in her voice. "Sounds like a dragon version of you."
"Tch, I'm nothing like that Iron Gecko!" He glared at her, but Lucy only smiled in return. "I have an excellent signing voice that is a gift bestowed among you lowly–"
"Yeah, you definitely picked up some things from your dragon besides his magic." The ex-heiress teased as she giggled. "Like his arrogance and ego."
"Whatever." The red eye man shrugged before he continued to speak. Maybe I did pick that up from him. "Besides being a bossy, selfish bastard he was like a father to me. He picked me up and raised me as his own."
"He must have seen what a great mage you would become when you grew up."
"Maybe, I'm not sure. He never really explained why he took me in, especially since I wasn't the most pleasant person to be around with." The grouchy Dragon Slayer admitted honestly. "Metalicana and I both had poor skills of getting along with others. He was a dragon who hated weaker beings and I was an orphan who hated the world."
"Orphan? You never knew your parents?" Lucy asked in a soft voice.
"I don't even know how my folks looked like. And no one wanted to take in a troubled kid in. No one gave a damn about me."
"Gajeel…" Her brown eyes were shining with sympathy. He must have been so lonely with no one to even care about his well being. Lucy could understand that crippling feeling of loneliness at such a young age. She had grown up just like that with just her father to raise her.
"No need for pity."
"I'm not pitying you, idiot. I understand how lonely it must have been."
"Tch."
"So how did you meet Metalicanna?"
"He tried to kill me actually."
"Ehh! You met him when he tried to kill you?"
"Yes, though I gave him a hard time." Gajeel smirked widely. "You should know by now I don't back down from anything, Bunny Girl."
"I'm guessing you insulted him too."
"Damn straight! He must have like my fighting spirit, so instead of killing me he took me in." The Iron Dragon Slayer chuckled. "I probably would have died young if it weren't for him."
"And then I would have never met you if you died! Remind me to thank your dragon when you meet him again for saving your life!"
"Would it be that bad if we had never met?"
"Of course it would be bad!" Lucy glared at him heatedly like he had said something forbidden. "If your dragon didn't save you, we would never be how we are today. You're a good person Gajeel. No matter how much you think you are not. I would be devastated if I had never met you or became such good friends! I am glad I met you!"
"Bunny Girl, sometimes I think your crazier than me."
"Believe what you want, but I am telling you the truth." She huffed annoyed. "You are a part of my life now and I would not have it any other way, Gajeel."
"I wouldn't have it any other way either." He replied honestly with a smile.
That proved to be the wrong thing to do.
"You smiled again!" Lucy squealed happily as she stopped walking in order to stare at the rare occurrence. She was suddenly bouncy again and made her hair swish around her face. "I didn't think I see that again!"
"Tch, just don't go telling people about it. I have a reputation to keep!" He moved towards her. He left a small space in-between them. He reached over and swept some stray strands of her blonde hair out of her eyes. "I'll only smile around you, Bunny Girl."
"I won't! It's our secret between partners." Lucy agreed. She didn't want to share Gajeel's smile with anyone! It was something she wanted to keep between her and him. She was so happy she didn't notice him playing with a strand of her hair or the affection in his red eyes. "I'm so glad you came with me today Gajeel."
"Me too." He whispered as he stared at her happy smiling face.
The rest of the walk back to Magnolia had left the two mages feeling closer to one another as they slowly began to strengthen their bond.
Repsoted 6/5/2015
