~Her guild mark was pink, just like his hair. And as it turned out, it truly did represent him as well.~
Behind the Mark
It was a quiet day. Something seldom in the Fairy Tail guild hall, especially during the middle of the day. Lucy idly crunched on a few ice cubes from her drink at the bar. Well, Natsu was off on some adventure with Happy and he was usually the first one to make commotion…
Actually, come to think of it Gajeel was off doing some errand for the master… Laxus and the Raijin Tribe were off on a mission as well… and Gray had finally given into Juvia's constant begging for him to accompany her to a resort in Hargeon which had offered her a free week-long stay if she agreed to do a water demonstration at night during their fireworks display that they'd be having on the one year anniversary of their opening. Yes… that pretty much accounted for everyone who was overly loud and destructive so perhaps it wasn't a surprise that everything was so… quiet.
Mira sashayed up behind the bar, sliding Lucy a new, full glass of soda as hers was nearly empty. She sent her a 'thank you' smile.
"Are you as bored as you look?" Mira sang, taking away the empty glass and putting it beneath the bar.
Lucy shrugged. "Not really bored… just admiring the peace and quiet."
Mira nodded down the bar to where Cana had passed out cold. "She'll probably be awake soon… I'm sure it'll pick up in here, then."
Lucy took a sip of her drink. "Then I'll enjoy it while I can."
As if on cue, Levy shouldered through the guild doors. Lucy waved her down and she happily jogged up to hop on the stool next to her. "Can I get a sandwich, Mira-chan?" Levy asked. "I'm starving."
"Coming right up," Mira winked.
Levy situated herself on the stool, looking a little frustrated with exactly how far up the bar counter was… After all, she was so small that it was nearly chest-level for her. Lucy wondered if they'd ever thought about putting in adjustable stools.
"Where are your two cheerleaders?" Lucy asked, referring to Jet and Droy. "Figured they'd be at your heels with Gajeel gone."
Levy shot her a look and she smirked. "First of all they're not my cheerleaders. We're a team. And second I… didn't really tell them he'd left on an errand." She looked ashamed of herself but Lucy could understand why she'd yet to tell them. After all, she was probably right in assuming that if they had known Gajeel was gone, Levy's personal space would be nonexistent. She didn't exactly blame her. Levy peered over her shoulder. "Is it just me or is it really quiet today?"
"Nope, not just you," Mira answered, bustling toward her with a delicious-looking sandwich piled high with meat and cheese. "All of our… regulars are off doing something or another," she smiled, placing the plate in front of Levy, who was barely bigger than the sandwich. Lucy wondered if she'd even be able to eat half of it. "Which means it's nice and quiet. Gives you some peace, let's you hear your own thoughts; think about the important things, y'know?" Mira trilled, sounding blissful. She leaned onto the counter with a sigh.
Mira hardly ever had any down time during a normal day in the guild so Lucy couldn't blame her one bit for relishing in a slow day. "'The important things'?" Lucy echoed. "And what might those be?"
Mira raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you know. Asking the important questions… like where Elfman was last night, why Erza's been laying off the cake lately, whether Fairies really do have tails, how I can get you and Natsu together… you know, the important stuff," Mira giggled.
Lucy quite nearly spit out her drink at the last one. She tried to give Mira a stern glare although it was rather hard to do when she was coughing unmercifully on some soda that'd gone down the wrong pipe. She seemed to be the only one who hadn't gotten a kick out of Mira's answer, though.
"Ooh, yeah… the real important stuff," Levy nodded seriously, a twinkle in her eye. She exchanged a few very thoughtful nods with Mira as Lucy managed to reign in her coughing fit.
She glared at them both. "Well Elfman went with Evergreen and them on their job and Erza is laying off the cake because Gray and Natsu convinced her that the entire stock of eggs produced in this part of the region had been infected with a disease and weren't fit for use or consumption." Lucy sighed, shaking her head. They were idiots. She would've bet a thousand jewels that Erza wouldn't buy into their prank, but she would've been dead wrong. "She's literally fifty miles down the coast buying eggs right now."
Levy spluttered at the thought and giggled away as Mira shook her head. "My, my, she can be gullible sometimes…"
"As for your other 'important questions', Natsu and I will… be just fine without your help. I mean… that is to say… I'm working on it." She suddenly found her straw to be the most interesting thing in the world and cowered as she felt two pairs of eyes boring into her.
"You're working on it?" Levy deadpanned. "Oh is that so… How's that working out for you, then?"
Levy was her best friend and knew exactly all that was, or rather wasn't going on between herself and Natsu… and what progress, or lack thereof, was going on as well. She'd seen right past her façade. "I-It's… going," Lucy said defensively.
Levy shook her head and took a bite of her sandwich. "Mm," she answered, not dignifying Lucy's obvious lie with a real reply.
Mira looked absolutely thrilled to have buddies to talk gossip with, or at least kid around with, and gave Lucy a sweet smile. "Don't you worry; I have plenty of plans in the works for you two."
Lucy's eyes bugged. "Oh I really don't-"
"So if you're so 'in-the-know', what about my other important question?" Mira mused. "Let's hear it; do Fairies have tails?"
Lucy had, in a way, been showing off a bit having the answers to Mira's questions. However, that'd only been because she was annoyed they'd both been so amused by her relationship with Natsu… or rather how she'd gotten choked on her drink with even the thought. She stared at Mira with unamusement. "Ha, ha, very funny. I don't have that answer; no one does."
Mira nodded. "Then we'll have to keep that one on the list to ponder today," she said rather sarcastically.
There was a moment of silence where Levy chewed her sandwich, Lucy took a drink, and Mira rummaged around under the bar organizing dishes and silverware. Lucy pondered to herself the eternal question that had given the guild its name. She wondered what had exactly happened to really name the guild. Asking if Fairies had tails was an eternal question, an eternal quest, yes, but so would asking if mermaids had horns, or if imps had three legs. She wondered what exact conversation had elicited someone to pick Fairies… and a tail.
She set down her glass on the counter and caught sight of her guild mark. It was also an interesting design… she wondered who had come up with it. Maybe it'd been Mavis. And then suddenly she had another question, one she hadn't ever thought about before. "Hey Mira… what determines a guild mark's color?"
Mira looked up from her organizing task, eyebrows raised. "Oh, it represents the hair color of the person you like."
For the second time that day Lucy choked, this time on her own tongue as she slapped a hand over her guild mark. Heat rushed to her face and she looked around, paranoid, as if someone would just now notice that her guild mark was pink, and, y'know… Natsu was really the only one with pink hair that she knew.
Why had no one told her this before?! She would've started wearing gloves or something to keep it hidden. And why had no one said anything? Although it was true that everyone just somehow knew that she liked Natsu… She always figured maybe she was just being a little obvious but now perhaps maybe it was because of something that had been out of her control. Had she really liked Natsu even way back when she first joined the guild? He had taken her by surprise… and her heart had been beating awfully fast…
Which then begged the question of whether Natsu himself knew. Or rather, if he did know, why hadn't he said anything? She wracked her brain and realized that his mark was red, not blonde like her hair. She deflated a little. Oh, maybe that was why…
Her thoughts were broken as a gurgly and unnatural sound emanated from Levy's throat as she struggled to swallow her bite of sandwich, snatching Lucy's soda and gulping down to keep herself from getting choked. And then she laughed. A loud, hearty, belly laugh that brought tears to her eyes.
Lucy stared.
"O-Oh my God that was priceless," she wheezed. "Lu-chan you looked mortified."
Lucy was beyond confused, looking to Mira for clarification.
The barmaid's voice quivered with concealed laughter as she answered, leaning on the bar. "Don't be silly your mark doesn't reflect who you like. I was teasing."
Levy slapped her little hand on the counter. "That was a good one, though," she sighed, wiping a tear from her eye.
Lucy's eyes narrowed and lips pursed. These two… they were getting one hell of a kick out of her embarrassment. She quickly tried to produce a comeback, or perhaps something she could throw out about either Gajeel or Laxus to put them back in their place. If they wanted to have a war on who could embarrass who the most, she was not going to lose.
Before she had a decent retort, however, Mira gave her a more serious answer. "A person's guild mark reflects the color representing the person who brought them here, whether literally or metaphorically, to their new family."
Lucy's thoughts of malice melted away. "Oh… really?"
Mira nodded. "Yes, really."
Lucy looked down at her guild mark again. It'd been one hundred percent Natsu who had brought her to Fairy Tail. He'd quite literally grabbed her by the hand and dragged her to her new home so she guessed it was only natural that hers would be pink. It probably didn't surprise anyone else either.
She looked off to the side. Natsu's mark was red… she assumed that probably represented Igneel. He was the reason Natsu went on his eternal quest to find his father in the first place, and also the reason why he found a place like Fairy Tail, a home for those who needed a family. And back when Natsu had first been 'abandoned' by Igneel, there were probably few candidates that needed a family more than he did.
Erza's was blue… Lucy assumed her reasons were a lot like Natsu's The blue mark undoubtedly represented Jellal and the veritable hell she'd gone through as a child because of him. She'd needed something steady, stable, and so because of all that'd happened thanks to Jellal and the Tower of Heaven, she'd been open and wishing for a family like Fairy Tail.
Gray's was a dark blue. It took a moment of wondering before Lucy pieced together that perhaps the blue represented Ur. Much like both Erza and Natsu, Gray never really had his real family around, and his substitute family had, eventually, been lost as well. It was thanks to those losses that they found Fairy Tail, one way or another, and joined.
Lucy ran a finger over her own guild mark. In her team her mark was the only one represented by a person literally bringing her to Fairy Tail. All the others were metaphorical. After all, she'd always daydreamed about Fairy Tail and joining, but hadn't ever seriously considered it until Natsu had pushed her through the doors. It'd been a complete surprise and she owed it all to him.
Lucy glanced over to Mira. Her mark was white if she remembered right… and so was Levy's. Her eyebrows pinched. Maybe it represented a family member with white hair? That wouldn't fit Levy, though.
Mira seemed to read her mind. "Lisanna and my marks represent the Master."
"Mine too," Levy imputed.
Lucy's eyebrows raised. Oh… that would indeed make sense. The Master used light magic, just like Mavis, which was pure and beautiful. It only made sense that the color white would represent Makarov. It also made sense that many of the members in their guild would've been brought to Fairy Tail thanks to something he said or did.
Lucy cocked her head. "Elfman's is black, though, right?"
Mira nodded. "I've always taken it to represent our father." Levy and Lucy both gave her interested looks and she decided to go further into detail. "Well, after our parents died we pretty much just relied on each other. I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go, and Lisanna was too young to even question it. So for both of us, finding the Master and being taken under his wing was what convinced us to join. We needed a family and he gave us one." Lucy couldn't help but note the similarities between Mira's story and what she'd assumed for her own teammates. They'd all been through such hardships.
"However, Elfman, shy as he was back then," Mira giggled, "had known he wanted to join a guild. He wasn't great a magic, and knew next to nothing about guilds, but he knew he wanted to join one. I never really knew why until he mentioned, a few years ago, that our father had made offhand comments when we were young about how real men who wanted to protect those close to them, used magic. And how those real men joined guilds. I guess he'd told Elfman to grow up nice and strong and join a guild, just as he had when he was younger, and Elfman really took that to heart." Mira shrugged. "Our father had demon soul takeovers just as I do, so I suppose black, or a dark color, would've represented him well."
Lucy nodded to herself thoughtfully. She'd never heard of the Strauss' past but had always been a little curious. It made sense now why they'd joined, though. Lucy and Levy had shared almost everything from their pasts with one another. Levy had admitted how her parents were very harsh and had given her an ultimatum as a child. They wanted her to grow up to be a strong mage. They'd said she could either begin learning and training to become the successor to their guild, or she was out on the streets. Levy, being the inherently gifted child she was hit the road and never looked back. She taught herself her own magic, stopped in every library she could find, and had gotten halfway across the region by the age of eight.
Lucy remembered staring at her, flabbergasted as she'd told her the story. Levy may have been small in stature and weak physically, but she had enough street and book smarts to get her through whatever life path she chose. She said she'd actually just stumbled upon Fairy Tail one day, mistaking it for a restaurant and ordering something to eat. Makarov struck up a conversation with her about who she was and where she came from… and where she was going for that matter, and by the end of the conversation he was escorting her down into the vault of literature underneath Fairy Tail. Levy said she'd joined that day and hadn't looked back. She'd been impressed by his appreciation for books, impressed by the familiar and carefree atmosphere, and ultimately had joined not because of the books –though those certainly didn't hurt the deal—but because he redefined her entire concept of what a family could be, and she was eager to partake in such a joyous crowd.
Lucy's eyes flicked around the room to the other faces and guild marks. She wondered how they'd all gotten there. Everyone had a story, most filled with sadness or tragedy, and Fairy Tail had, in a way, saved them all together.
"What about Gajeel's?" Mira piped. "His is black, yes? I thought the Master was the reason he joined…"
Levy rolled her eyes. "Yes, Makarov is the real reason, but he's just…" She sighed. "He's so bullheaded that I don't doubt for a second that that guild mark represents himself."
"So he brought… himself… to Fairy Tail?" Lucy questioned.
Levy nodded. "He likes to think that no one has any control or power over his thoughts and actions but himself. That he's the only one who can get himself to do anything." Levy rolled her eyes again. "It's not true, but he really does believe it. He's so stubborn sometimes."
Lucy and Mira shared a chuckle. "That does sound like him. I guess I thought it would maybe represent his Dragon or Jose or something."
Levy shrugged. "I mean, it could; it's not like Gajeel would ever actually seriously answer the question of who it represents… but I really do think it's himself." She snorted.
Fair enough. Levy really did know Gajeel the best out of anyone here, too. Lucy herself had her money on Jose. He'd been the one ultimately sort of controlling Gajeel and directing him down the wrong path, which was probably the catalyst in helping him then change directions and turn down the right one. Phantom Lord itself was, after all, probably the ultimate reason why both he and Juvia left.
Lucy took a moment to remember Juvia's mark. It was blue. There probably wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that it stood for Gray and his ice. He had changed her life the minute she laid eyes on him, after all.
"Then Laxus'…," Levy spoke up, still chewing away on her sandwich.
"Oh, that'd be Ivan, no doubt," Mira nodded. "He was always a little conflicted by the polar opposites that were his father and grandfather, but ultimately it was his father's bad influence that made him opt for his grandfather's good one."
Lucy could understand that, too. It was really the same as Erza's. Something or someone traumatic and ultimately almost evil was what drove them toward the light.
Cana stirred down the bar, mumbling something angry-sounding before conking back out cold. Everyone by now knew that Cana's reason for coming to Fairy Tail was to find Gildarts, her father. Her mark was black, and while that didn't match Gildarts' hair or the normally chipper aura he produced, it also… fit. His magic was lethal and when he was serious he did give off a very dark ominous vibe, especially if his beloved daughter was in harm's way. Lucy smiled.
"One that I've never been able to understand was Wendy's," Mira admitted.
It took Lucy a moment but she remembered that Wendy's was a light blue. "Oh, surely that's Grandine, yeah? She was the Sky Dragon, after all."
Mira looked off to the side, nodding. "I suppose that is true… I guess I always thought it'd be Natsu or Erza or one of you all that she would contribute to finding Fairy Tail."
Lucy shrugged. "I mean, if Natsu was brought here metaphorically by Igneel, then Wendy sort of was by Grandine, too. Or I guess maybe it could represent Mystogan, her second family. He might've urged her to find a guild or mentioned how a guild could be like a family sometime along their journey. He was young back then but surely he knew at least about guilds in this world."
"Or maybe she was just trying to find another family like both Grandine and Mystogan, so it's both," Levy mused. "She found Cait Shelter and they reminded her of how she felt with her former families, so it turned out blue."
Lucy chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking. She'd have to ask Wendy about it the next time she had the chance. Actually… she wondered if Wendy even knew that guild marks represented those that brought them to their guild. She certainly hadn't until around ten minutes ago. She couldn't believe that the question hadn't come up until just now, after being a part of a guild for years. Huh.
There was an elongated moment of silence between them then where Lucy pondered exactly all that their guildmates had been through before joining Fairy Tail. All the stories she did and didn't know. All the heartbreaks she had and hadn't been told. And yet somehow through it all they'd all found one another, a place and a group of people that they could call home. Something they all fought tooth and nail to keep, and enjoyed every single day.
She looked back down to her own mark and traced its outline. They really were lucky to have one another. She couldn't imagine what her life would've been like had she not met Natsu, or had he not brought her to Fairy Tail. She had no idea how she would be living at this very instant, but she knew it would've been drastically different and probably not for the better.
A smile twitched at her lips. She was so grateful to everyone here, for so many things, but he was the one she was the most grateful for. He was everything. He was her reason, her best friend, and what sometimes felt like her other half. Yes… she really was lucky to have him.
#13 - color
It always kind of bugged me that there wasn't ever explained why their marks were the color they were... so here's my little headcanon. :D I'm super curious what other people think is the reason, so if you have a different headcanon I'd seriously like to hear it. :D
A more serious-ish one with a little insight and a tiny bit of shipping? Hopefully? Haha XD
Okay, seriously thank you guys for your amazing reviews! I just have to take a second to give special shoutouts to shadowninja2000, AnimexFreakz 0.o, PinkFireandGoldenStars, Kauia, Lemonsnaps, Kirinah, OgaxHilda, MasterGildarts, zElliexMagic, and guests and everyone else who has left me some recent-ish reviews because they are seriously amazing. Oh and Kikachoo your recent review legit made me snort out loud too. It's good to know that my author's notes aren't quite like nails on a chalk board... at least for someone anyway. XD
Whew, okay sorry little rant thingy over. I hope you have a loverly week! :D
~Foxtail-chan