chapter two: a job in iris

"Hey, Mira, have you seen Lucy today?" Natsu said the next day.

"No," Mirajane said. "She hasn't come in yet. Have you gone by her apartment?"

"Nope. I'll head there now," Natsu said. "Thanks, Mira!"

He ran out the door with Happy close behind. "Natsu, what are we looking for Lucy for?" he asked.

"We have a job."

A few minutes after Natsu left, Lucy dragged herself into the guild. "I have to pay my rent!"

"Natsu was here looking for you. In fact, he left just a few minutes before you came in. I figured he was going to your place to look for you."

"Great, thanks." Lucy jumped up and ran out of the guild. She ran toward her apartment building and came across Natsu and Happy opening the door.

"Wait a minute! Don't think about entering without my permission!" she told them.

Natsu gulped as he tried to ignore the sudden butterflies he got in his stomach. "We got a job."

"Let me see."

Happy handed her the job request. "It's in Iris Town."

"Protecting an heiress?" Lucy sighed. "Yuck."

"Sorry, Lucy!" Natsu apologized quickly. He knew his friend used to be a member of the Heartfilia family, one of the wealthiest families in Fiore, but her mother passed away when she was younger and her father had passed away the month before they came back from Tenrou Island.

"It's okay. We already said we were coming, right?" Natsu asked her.

Lucy smiled. "Right!"

"Natsu, it's two trains from here to Iris. Are you going to be okay?" Happy asked him.

"I'll manage," he groaned.

"You'll be fine. Come on, we have to meet them later on, right?" Lucy pointed out.

"Yeah. I'll muddle through it somehow."

"Natsu, it's Gray!" Happy said suddenly.

"What?"

Natsu looked down to where Happy was pointing and saw Gray Fullbuster waiting just a little ways up their train.

"Hey, Gray!" Lucy called out.

He turned around and looked at them. "Hey, Lucy, Natsu, Happy. You guys going on a job too?"

"Yeah, this one," Lucy told him, showing him the job request.

"And you two thought you could handle this job alone?" Gray said. "I'm coming along, too."

"Lucy and I can handle this one!" Natsu objected.

"No way. Besides, we need to let them know we take them seriously on this."

After they had sat down in their seats and the train began to move, Lucy stared out the window. She saw green fields pass by and was thinking over her sudden declaration of feelings for Natsu.

Are we just good friends? she thought to herself. There have been times when I thought he liked me, but there's no way he does. The girls always have crushes on the guys. And he isn't a bad guy. He's really sweet. Lucy looked over at a motion-sick Natsu, who was trying to talk to Happy on the seat in between her and Gray. But on second thought, this guy is different from most.

"Ugh, please kill me!" Natsu begged Lucy after the train came to their first stop.

"Okay," Gray said, grinning evilly.

"No, because I don't want to do this job alone!" Lucy told them, pushing them apart. "Our client is expecting the both of us, now come on! Gray is just an added bonus."

"That's harsh, Lucy."

Lucy dragged Natsu over to their second train, and sat him down in a seat towards the middle of the train. She sat down across from him and stared out the window. Gray sat down beside her.

"Man, Lucy, you're being mean to Natsu," Gray pointed out.

"I am not!"

"It's 'cause they're in love!" Happy giggled.

"Shut up, cat!" Lucy said.

Natsu stared at her. Maybe Lucy does feel the same way about me.

About halfway through the train ride, Lucy looked over at Natsu, who was finally asleep. Happy was asleep against the seat between Lucy and Gray, who was still awake. Gray looked over at Lucy.

"I won't tell."

"What?!" Lucy asked him.

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

Lucy looked at her hands. Her Celestial Spirit Gate keys were in her pouch at her side, and if Virgo knew how she felt she would never hear the end of it. Of course, Loke was a problem as well...

"Yeah. It is kind of obvious. But what about - " Lucy nodded toward Natsu " - him?"

"Like I said, it is obvious." Gray stretched out. "Wake me up when the train gets to Iris, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," Lucy smiled. Who knew?