"All you need is someone to join in on your weirdness"

Whoever said that money couldn't buy happiness had clearly never been very poor. Maybe money couldn't buy happiness itself, but it could buy things that would make a situation a hell of a lot more enjoyable. For example, wearing the same clothes everyday was not something that anyone would find pleasant for a long period of time, even if those clothes could pass as 'clean'. Also unpleasant was sleeping in a place such as Kitanai's Inn for an extended period of time. Things like that were undignifying—distasteful.

So I decided to take action.

"Have you decided on a job yet?"

The tinkling sound of someone's voice rang like bells in my ears, and I turned around. A beautiful woman met me—tall and voluptuous, with ivory hair and a kind countenance. She fixed me with a smile quite similar to the one Levy had greeted me with the day before. Mirajane, I realized. She was the only woman in the guild with snow-white hair, after all. Levy had also described her as one of the most gentle-hearted here, and she certainly looked the part. Soft features. Soft shape. Soft eyes. Soft smile.

"Well…" I began, and Mirajane's smile only broadened.

"I could help you decide if you'd like," She offered, but I shook my head.

"No, I'm fine," I reassured her. "I'm probably just going to go with this one anyway." I reached out and pulled the closest slip of paper from the board. "It looks easy enough, and the reward is nice…" I glanced over the request that I'd never even looked at before, "50,000 jewel. Apparently there's some trouble in the East Forest regarding some bandits. I'll go tomorrow and take them out—piece of cake."

"Alone?" She inquired, surprise etched across her doll-like face. "Don't you think you should at least take someone with you? It is your first request after all."

"I'll be fine." I stated with a noncommittal wave of my hand. "Besides, I'm sure everyone else here is busy with their own requests right now." I plastered on a simpering smile in an attempt at humility.

Mirajane released a tinkling laugh, "Oh no, no one's busy right now; in fact, I think that Lucy and Natsu have been taking a break for the past few days." My features faltered, almost slipping into a grimace. "How about I call him over right now?"

"Oh really there's no need to-"

"Natsuuu!" She called, waving her arms at a figure seated at the bar. A young man with bright pink hair snapped his head to us, and I realized in mild surprise that this was one of the people who'd eyed me in distrust the day before.

He stood up and began walking towards us, a lazy look present on his features as he greeted the woman, "Hey Mira, what's up?"

"Xandria here wants to go on her first request to the east forest, and I was wondering if you'd like to accompany her." Mirajane explained, and I folded my arms, frowning at the woman.

"I don't need him or anyone else to help me; I'll do just fine on my own." I said, causing Natsu to throw me an acidic look of annoyance. I met his gaze, and after a moment his distaste vanished, replaced with an emotion that I was far too familiar with by now—distrust. He turned up his nose. Sniff. Sniff.

"You smell weird."

"Ok?"

"I've never smelt anything like it before," he continued. "You've got this odd undertone." Natsu paused and leaned forward, inhaling deeply. "It smells kinda old… incense or something? I can't really put my finger on-"

I thumped him on the nose, and he recoiled at the action.

"Will you stop going on about my scent?"

Natsu frowned and let out a whine. "Do I have to go with her?" Mirajane released a tinkling laugh before nodding.

"You know that master wants each of the new recruits to be accompanied by another member on their first request," said Mirajane. Both Natsu and I let out huff at the same time, eyeing one another with a wary gaze, and I realized that perhaps I was acting a bit childish.

"I told you, I can take care of myself, I don't need anyone to babysit me."

"Go with Natsu; it won't hurt you."

I sighed and shoved the request paper into my pocket, glancing at the pouting, pink-haired punk.

"Meet me here tomorrow morning at nine o'clock sharp." I quipped, "We'll leave right after that."

He replied in a collage of grumbles and complains, but Mirajane was adamant. We had to go together, it was what the master wanted, and it'd be much safer for me, and didn't I want to be careful? I rolled my eyes and grumbled until she bustled off to serve some of the guild members at the bar.

The rest of my day was filled with an enthusiastic, one-sided chat with the exuberant, over ebullient Levy and a book she insisted I read. I wasted my time in the inn over a copy of Coeur's Wicked Games. It detailed the story of an aristocratic family that lived in the neighboring country of Bosco and owned many of the ports there. It actually ended up being interesting, especially after the discovery of the affair occurring between a family maid and the young heiress, and subsequent murder of the maid in question.

After I finished, I fell asleep, and awoke to the raucous calling of birds in my ears. Only, it wasn't birdsong that I heard; the innkeeper was shouting at me from the other side of the door. I rolled out of bed, lacking even the slightest notion of grace, and turned the knob to expose my room to the hallway.

The old hag informed me that I had exactly ten minutes to get my ass out of her inn and onto the streets. I was gone after fifteen. At approximately 9:20 am I shouldered my pack and marched into the Fairy Tail headquarters, terribly late and terrifically peeved. Being thrown out of an inn wasn't exactly the best way to start your morning.

I was greeted by a mildly miffed Natsu. "You're late."

"And you're annoying." I retorted, no shortage of venom in my arid tone. "You can scold me later Natsu; we're already running behind."

"Jeez, you don't have to be so pushy." He grumbled, scuffing a sandaled foot against the floor as I strode forward. "No reason to start the day so high strung—relax a little, you know?"

I did know, but I was in no state to relax. My brain was too busy for that, bubbling and boiling with a thousand and one different thoughts. Natsu seemed rather preoccupied as well, and by the time we were out of the door, the memory of my tardiness had already slipped our minds.

An uncomfortable silence set in as our feet struck a rhythm against the cobblestoned streets of Magnolia, so I decided to strike up a conversation. "So…" I began, "a little birdy told me that you're a dragon-slayer."

I was met with a shrill squeak. "Aye! Natsu's the best in all Fiore!" A disembodied voice was speaking, one that I couldn't quite place. My gaze fell from Natsu, down several feet, and onto our only other companion, a small blue cat walking on two legs. I almost pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Did your cat just talk?" I blurted, and Natsu responded with an animated nod.

"Of course!"

"I can fly too!" The creature chirped, and my brows knit together as the cat displayed the unearthly feat. It sprouted two angelic white wings, and an overabundance of feathers ruffled as the cat rose several feet into the air. Natsu released a content laugh, obviously appreciating my surprise.

"Happy's a pretty impressive cat," He remarked, glancing at his companion in affection.

"How—" I gaped, but after staring a few moments I shut my mouth and simply accepted it. The world was a strange place, indeed. I made a mental note not to use the expression 'when pigs fly' ever again, just in case.

Natsu said something, but I didn't quite catch it.

"Huh?"

"I asked what this request was anyway," He replied. "We fighting a Gorian or something? Ending an evil curse? Finding buried treasure?" Natsu paused, cringing, "Please tell me it isn't picking berries or something."

I shook my head. "None of the above, actually. We're subduing a group of wanted bandits; their camp is somewhere within the East Forest. It shouldn't be much trouble for us, especially if you're half the mage everyone says you are."

Natsu grumbled and fell in step with me, and I ignored him to survey the shops around us. A bakery stood to our left, the smell of warm sweets and breads filling my nostrils. Perhaps I'd visit later, once I actually had money to spend. I always did love a good cheesecake, or better yet, a good pie…

"What kind of mage did you say you were again?" Natsu inquired, and I cast him a wayward glance.

"I didn't."

He huffed. "Well, what kind of mage are you?"

"I use water magic," I said, my lips tugging into a half-smile.

"You sure don't smell like Juvia…"

I canted my head. "Juvia?"

"She's the strongest water mage in the guild, beautiful too, if you're not comparing her to Lucy…" He said, and his eyes looked me up and down. "She could best you in a fight, probably."

"I guess we'll have to see, then," I mused, and he shot me a look that suggested I had a screw loose. I rolled my eyes. "I was just kidding, Natsu. In all truth I probably couldn't beat her, not if she's one of your most talented mages."

He paused. "Well she's nothing like Erza or Gajeel or I, but she's pretty good," He conceded. "How good are you?"

"I'm mediocre—below average. I only know a few spells, and even then they aren't the best offensive ones." I stated with a shrug. "I joined the guild in the hope that I might get better, find a mentor or something."

Natsu didn't say anything. He only stared at me, his eyes narrowed and his brows knit together in deep thought. I frowned and asked, "What?"

"Are you sure that you aren't any good? There's no reason to be modest. You don't need to worry about that with me I-"

"I'm not being modest." I interjected. He narrowed his eyes.

"You sure about that?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" I replied with a laugh. "Natsu, you'd think that I'd have a pretty good grasp of my own magic skill, wouldn't you?"

"I'm not saying that you're lying… It's just," He hesitated. "I can normally sense people's magic energy pretty well, and yours seems to be…"

I plastered an inconspicuous smile to my face. "Seems to be what?"

"It's pretty high," He deadpanned. "Perhaps water magic just isn't suited for you. Have you tried any other—"

I released another laugh, cutting him off. "You're probably just sensing my levels all wrong, Natsu. Look at all the people we're surrounded by—I'm sure you're just getting me mixed up with one of them." I waved my arm to the crowd around us, but Natsu simply shrugged. I could tell he wasn't buying it.

A few minutes of silence passed between us, Natsu mulling over his observations, and me mulling over my lies. He was right, water magic wasn't my forte, but it was what I would have to work with from now on.

Eventually, Natsu broke the quiet.

"Hey, what brought you to Magnolia in the first place?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Yes."

"Fine," I paused, frowning. "Well," I paused again, "I guess I needed a place to start over."

"So you came to Magnolia?"

Natsu asked too many questions.

"It's more complicated than that."

"How so?"

I released a frustrated huff and Natsu folded his lean, muscular arms. "Magnolia just sort of happened," I said. "I liked the town, so I stayed. That's it."

"But surely there must be a reason you picked it?"

"Listen, kid." His nose scrunched up at the name, and his mouth opened to point out that we were practically the same age. I continued speaking before he could complain. "There's no reason. I can't tell you why I came here more than anyone else could."

"I don't understand," he mumbled. "Everything happens for a reason."

"No," I said. "Everything does not. People just tell themselves that to make things easier. They say there's a reason for your birth, for your death. They say there's a reason for the chance encounter you have with a stranger on the road. A reason that supposed lines of fate intertwine. People say that there has to be a reason you go to school, you get a job, you start a family, or that there has to be a reason that you don't. There always has to be reasoning. Everything has to make sense. Or, at least, people think it should.

"But the problem is," I continued, "that sometimes things don't make sense. Most of the time, actually. Most of the time things don't make sense. You're thrown into the fires of hell and someone laughs and they say, 'get up.' 'Get out,' they tell you, and when you stand up and try they thrust you back down. Maybe someone else comes along, and they fall into the pit with you. 'This is alright,' you think. 'This is okay.' But nothing is alright and nothing is okay. Even though we tell ourselves it is. We tell ourselves everything is alright. We tell ourselves that everything is okay. And we tell ourselves that everything happens for a reason because we couldn't bear it otherwise. We couldn't bear the truth." My words failed me and the sentences died on my tongue, but I still thought it. It was still there. Sometimes, I thought, sometimes it's better not knowing the truth, because sometimes it's the knowing that'll kill you.

He was silent for a long time and I realized that maybe I probably said something wrong. But, for once in his life, Natsu shut his mouth and he kept it that way.

We didn't say anything the rest of our walk, and we barely even spoke afterwards. I spent my precious time observing the town and scenery around us, and Natsu spent his stewing over a constipated portfolio of thoughts. The request flew by, and it took less than ten minutes to apprehend the infestation of bandits hidden within the recesses of the East Forest. Admittedly, Natsu did most of the fighting; I slashed a few attackers rather savagely with a dagger, and set to work striking a few with a very feeble and unrefined water whip. Needless to say, Natsu had no doubts of my professed magical impotence following our request.

After we had wrapped things up and contacted the Magnolia authorities to have the bandits collected, we received our reward. I insisted that Natsu take at least two thirds, if not more, for he had done most of the work. He had denied the money, even though I'd hardly used any magic on the mission, saying that he didn't need it and that I was the one that was broke. I had given in and taken all 50,000 jewel in humiliation. Perhaps my pride was wounded but my wallet was not.

We'd returned to the guild hall later that afternoon, both of us in high spirits after our completed mission. I was sitting, sipping contentedly at a mug of ale that the ever-angelic Mirajane had brought over in celebration of my first mission when a blond bombshell slipped into the seat across from me.

"Are you Xandria?"

I smirked. "Depends on who's asking."

She laughed. "It's wonderful to meet you. Levy told me all about you. Honestly you should've heard the girl; she kept going on and on about how great you were. Obviously, I had to meet you for myself."

I set down my mug and my brows ascended. "She really said all that?"

The woman opposite me gave an enthusiastic nod. "Of course, Levy has a habit of speaking glowing terms of those deserving it."

"Wow… That's really sweet of her."

"I'm sure she'll be glad to hear you think so." The blond girl replied, and I met her soft gaze with one of my own. She had the most exquisite chocolate eyes I'd ever seen. Kind and mischievous and caring all in one. They were copper against honey and sage, the same shade of the earth after it rained. Brown eyes were just brown eyes until you fell in love with someone who owned a pair.

"What's your name?" I inquired.

"Lucy Heartfilia."

"Ah. She mentioned you—said I'd have to meet you soon. Called you one of the most wonderful people she'd ever met."

Lucy blushed, beaming. "Oh, now, that's not really true."

"Don't be so modest." I said, starting to warm up to the girl. "I knew wonderful but I certainly wasn't expecting the pleasure of meeting someone so charming."

"Why thank you…"

"Don't thank me; I was simply stating the facts."

Lucy turned positively scarlet. Of course, I was exaggerating, but if I wanted friends I had to start somewhere, and the closer I got to the people in the guild the better. Besides, she really did seem like a wonderful girl, if a little bit scattered. After a moment she cleared her throat, a pinkish blush still staining her cheeks.

"So how was your first job with Natsu?" She inquired.

"It went really well, actually. Admittedly, Natsu was a little childish, but aside from that everything went perfectly."

"Natsu's more than a little childish, believe me." She said with a laugh, and I nodded indulgently.

"You could say that again."

"I remember when I went on my first job—it was with Natsu as well, and he was just as childish," She said. "In fact, I've only just joined this guild a few months ago, but already so much has happened since then."

"I heard about the confrontation Fairy Tail had with Phantom Lord." I offered, and Lucy's features grew solemn.

"Juvia and Gajeel are both former members, but I think they both like Fairy Tail much better than their old guild."

"Yeah."

"Well," Lucy blurted, her expression clearing as she glanced up at me. "Levy mentioned other things about you, aside from just the praise. Like how you need a place to stay, for example…" Lucy trailed off, a wicked grin stealing across her face. "And I just so happen to be renting an apartment that has more than enough room for the both of us. You could stay there for the time being, as long as you pay half of the rent every month."

My jaw dropped. "You're being serious?"

"Why would I lie?"

I thought it over for a moment. It was probably the best option I had—housing was expensive, even in a small town like Magnolia. Besides, there was no way I wanted to live alone, at least not at first, and even though I didn't know the girl, I'm sure I wouldn't hate her. She seemed rather nice (maybe a bit too nice but I could always work around it) and she was obviously sociable. Anyway, if we didn't get along I could always move out.

"How much is the rent each month?" I inquired, and Lucy flashed me a smile.

"70,000 jewel, so that's-"

"35,000 per person—pretty cheap." I finished, and pulled a stack of cash from my pocket, counting off the bills until I was sure it was the right amount. 40,000 jewel. "Here, this should be enough to cover my first month, along with any extra expenses." Her eyes widened at the sight of the money, and she snatched it from my hand, greedily counting the cash off.

"Really? Thanks!"

"No problem," I said. "So where is this place at? I'm going to need to know how to get home, aren't I?" Lucy laughed.

"Strawberry Street—it overlooks one of the city's main canals. You'll know it when you see it. It's an adorable little apartment with red walls and a dark brown roof. Here." She paused and reached into a small purse she carried at her side. Lucy extracted a small silver key and handed it to me. "This is the spare, don't' lose it, I only have two. I won't be home until late tonight either, I have a few errands I need to run, so feel free to get settled in."

I nodded. "Thanks again." I flashed her a genuine smile, and she returned the look.

"Don't thank me, thank Levy; she's the one who told me about how badly you needed a place to stay. I figured that since I needed someone to help me pay my rent it was the perfect option to let you live with me." Lucy explained, and rose from her seat, walking away from me. "I'm sure you'll be able to find it Xandria, it's the brightest one on the row of houses."

And with that she was gone, leaving me behind in the middle of the guild with nothing but my thoughts and a dull key to keep me company. I sighed, not knowing what to do. It was already late in the afternoon, and I didn't have any plans. Levy was absent from the guild, and now with Lucy and the dragon slayer gone as well, there was no one left that I knew, save for Mirajane. My eyes scanned over the crowd, trying to pick out someone that I might find interesting, but I gave up, deciding that I should probably go to the apartment and get settled in.

It was a short walk from the guild to Strawberry Street, and I found myself staring at what could only be the home Lucy described. A petite, two-story apartment house peered down at me from its cramped position between two other homes. The exterior was none too appealing, at least to my tastes. It looked like a cottage, with red plaster walls and a tan, shingled roof with two chimneys protruding from the top. The location was lovely, though. Right on the edge of a canal, with proud stone arches and lazy water. Occasionally a small boat would drift by, cherry faced sailors beaming at me as they made their way to sea. The interior was something else, though.

I cautiously opened the door to the apartment, entering the quaint little house and examining the surroundings. Salmon walls and Cherrywood veneer floors greeted me. Lucy's taste was far more girlish than I'd originally anticipated, and I grimaced, noticing the frilly, hyper feminine style that she loved to decorate with. The same obnoxious pink filled my vision everywhere I looked, even in the darkness. Glancing around the room once more I realized that it contained only one bed—and even that seemed like a tight fit. It was so cramped; I had no idea as to how we could fit another. I frowned and moved to turn the light on, but a loud crashing noise erupted from behind a thick, wooden door in the corner of the room, and I stopped. My breath caught in my throat as I saw someone emerge, and instinctively I shifted into a defensive position. A man with a full head of spiky black hair appeared; he was practically naked—wearing nothing more than a pair of black boxers and a silver cross necklace.

"Sorry Lucy, I think your-" He froze midsentence, a dark look crossing his face upon realizing that I was most definitely not the blond woman he was expecting. "You aren't Lucy."

"Neither are you."

My hand twitched, and as the man took a measured step forward, I was about to strike. However, a loud grunting noise interrupted us both. I whirled around, my gaze flying to the single bed that lay in the room. The intruder made no sudden movements, so I extended a tentative hand and pulled back the sheet. A bleary-eyed Natsu materialized before me.

"Xandria?" He said through a yawn. "Why are you here?"

"Because this is my house; I'm renting it with Lucy," I blurted. "Why the hell are you here, and who is… that?" I motioned to the other occupant. "A stripper?"

"Hey!" The one with the black hair exclaimed, obviously not appreciating the comment.

"Will you please put on some clothes?" I snapped, and the nudist blanched. Natsu laughed at him.

"Gray here has a bad habit of striping his clothes off in random situations. It's wonderful, really."

"What—"

"You know how some people have a habit of biting their nails when they're nervous? Well, Gray just removes his clothing instead." Natsu explained, a look of enlightened amusement on his face.

"How does that make any sense?" I tried to wrap my mind around his odd stripping habit. I really did. But I couldn't. I sighed; the people of Fairy Tail only kept getting weirder and weirder.

"Listen, we just came here to see Lucy, when is she going to be home?" Gray grumbled, and I rolled my eyes.

"Do you think I trust you enough to tell you that? For all I know you two could just be waiting until Lucy returns home, preparing for the chance to-"

"We don't exactly trust you either," He retorted, his features hardening. "For all we know you could be a burglar."

"Pinkie here knows me." I stated dryly, crossing my arms as I gave this 'Gray' an underwhelmed once over. "What woman would be happy to come home to two men in her house uninvited?" Gray flushed with anger before clenching his fists, holding his tongue, and turning to the man beside us.

"Do you know her, Natsu?" Gray inquired, earning a nod from the other boy.

"Yeah, she's a Fairy Tail mage." Natsu said passively, standing up beside me. "Didn't you see her when she joined up yesterday?'

"I was out on a job, so no, I did not." He informed us, his features glacial.

"Listen Gray, which, by the way, that's kind of a dumb name if that's actually your real name," I said, and 'Gray' purpled. I had to fight off the smirk, "I'll let you and Natsu stay in my apartment as long as you put on some clothes and fix whatever you broke in the other room."

"Your apartment? This is Lucy's house!" Gray shouted.

"Didn't I just tell you that I'm renting with Lucy?" I quipped. "She invited me to be her roommate. So now it's my house too, and if you think that I'm going to allow a pervert like in my home, then you're sorely mistaken." His eyes flashed as he fixed me with a stony glare.

"Haha that's right! Gray the pervert!" Natsu exclaimed with a wide grin.

"The same goes for you dragon boy, don't think that you can keep lying around in Lucy's bed like that." I said, and he shrank back. I sank onto the mattress instead, and Natsu crossed his arms, frowning at me.

"But you're sitting on her bed!"

I shrugged.

"Oh and while you're here, would you mind moving the bookshelves to the parlor right there?" I asked, noticing the free space by the entryway.

"What? Why us?" Gray grumbled, and I rolled my eyes.

"I need room for the bed that I'm going to order, so I'll have to place it on the opposite wall of Lucy's bed." I explained, and paused before giving them both a hesitant smile. "Please."

The pink haired boy sighed and began moving towards the bookcases against the wall, pushing against one and moving it towards the door. I sighed and leaned back against Lucy's bed, a smile playing across my lips.

~Lucy's POV~

She had completely rearranged my room. That girl had completely moved all of the furniture on the far wall to the foyer to make room for her 'bed' that wouldn't even be arriving for three or four more days. And then she had the audacity to pass out on my bed! MY BED! Leaving me with a few scraggly blankets and the cold floor to sleep on.

Talk about a pain in the ass.

It was already blatantly obvious that living with her was going to be a challenge, but for now, I suppose I'd let her sleep. She was obviously tired from going on her first request with Natsu, and she looked a lot more peaceful asleep like that—a lot younger, even though she clearly wasn't old.