"Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that as well."

I didn't say anything the next morning at breakfast when I noticed Bickslow show up with wincing movements and bruises on the little skin he had exposed in his typical outfit. I remained silent, only casting furious glances when I saw the matching bruises on the blond man's knuckles.

At least until breakfast had ended.

The moment our little group parted ways, I strode off in the wake of a bruised blond man, and once I caught him, I made sure to give him a piece of my mind.

"What the hell are those bruises from?" I snapped. He met my glacial eyes with a bemused pair of his own.

"I fell."

"Don't lie to me," I snarled. "I saw Bickslow—and you know just as well as I do that he has a matching set."

"So?"

"So? I told you not to get involved. I took care of it last night; there was no reason for you to step in like that—like the violent buffoon you are!"

"Excuse me?"

"You crossed a line that you had no right to. What happens between Bickslow and me is between the two of us; you had no right to play the hero like that!"

"For the record," he said, "the bruises are actually from falling. I've got them on my elbow and back too, see?" I observed the other purple marks, still fuming. "Bickslow tripped last night on the stairs—drunken ass that he was—and I took the tumble with him. You can ask him or Freed about it. They were both there."

I opened my mouth to respond, shut it, then opened it again. "Oh. Well then."

"I did punch him though, once, when he started saying something about you. Oh, and I used his toothbrush to give our porcelain throne a good scrubbing. Seemed fair, don't you think?"

I blanched. "Blondie, I told you—"

He scoffed. "Seriously, will you stop being so ridiculous?"

"What are you talking about?" I replied, my eyes narrowing to slits as I glared daggers at him.

"Acting all tough—like you're some badass who can survive everything. You can't, sweetheart. Even I need help sometimes. Why can't you just accept the fact that you're not invincible? Let someone else help you out for once."

"I don't need saving, and I certainly don't need it from you! Believe it or not, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

He groaned, but I wouldn't listen to any more protests from him.

"So what are we doing today?"

"Training, of course. Yesterday was just to celebrate our first night in the Capital."

"He's right. Today we start our intense regimen of training for the next three months."

"We're going to wipe out the competition by the time these games roll around. They won't know what him 'em."

"Be a little more humble. We've missed seven years; we're hardly prepared for these games."

"Well we will be."

"I say we hit up the gym today. It's just as important that we be physically fit as well as mentally prepared."

"But shouldn't we be focusing all of our efforts on our magic?"

"Evergreen how are you going to participate in these games if you can't run without getting winded?"

"Hey!"

"Ladies please, we'll figure out a way that we can balance everything. We have to be prepared both physically and mentally, as Xandria so eloquently worded."

"Whatever, Freed."

"I think she's right, though. I wouldn't mind working out in a gym some myself."

"Well I would! Sorry we all can't be the brilliant physical specimen that you are, Laxus."

"Evergreen!"

"Fine, if you really don't want to go to the gym on the days that we work out there, you can sit in your hotel room and study magic. See how far that'll get you."

"Whatever, if you're going to be such a jerk about it, then I'll go."

"Oh boy, I guess this means we get to hear you bitching about it the entire time then."

"Alexandria!"

"What?"

We all burst into laughter. All of us, at least, except for the lazy Evergreen.

A week passed—and then another—and training seemed to be going well. As well as it could, at least. Every night I came back to the hotel room sore and tired, but fulfilled. I had become stronger, not by much—it had only been two weeks—but I could feel my muscles becoming more accustomed to the intense training that Laxus was forcing us through.

"Hey! You paying attention?"

I turned my head, glancing over Laxus who was waving his hand in front of my face, trying to pull me from my daze. I blinked, adjusting, and then rolled my eyes at him.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"We were just talking about how we think it's time we put a little more focus onto our magic," Freed explained. "What do you think?"

"I think that's a good idea," I answered with a shrug.

"So we'll start off by visiting Crocus' library today, they're sure to have something on each of our magics," The green haired boy announced. "After we pick up a few new spells we can start practicing what we already have down later this week."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Freed, but I might as well not waste my time by going."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that they aren't going to have anything relating to my magic," I explained. "Lost magics aren't exactly easy to dig up manuscripts on."

"Lost magic? You use lost magic? What kind?"

"Magicae Astral—it's a form of celestial magic," I replied, casually leaning back in the chair that I sat in. "No one really likes to use it much, seeing as how it hasn't been used in hundreds of years because of its instability. Honestly I wish I didn't use it myself… its quite draining."

"You can control the stars?" Evergreen blurted, her eyes going wide as she stared at me. I let out a light laugh.

"Not exactly, Ever. I draw my power from the cosmos; I don't control them. I could never even dream of controlling something so ineffable. I translate the dormant energy into magic with the help of a lacrima that my former master, Hades, imbedded within me as a child. I have to be carefu, though; if I try channeling too much energy through my body, or if I try bottling it up too much, I could become illand even die. That's why I've had to train myself to handle the magic." I continued. "And, while I admit I fell ill many times to it when I was young due to misuse, I'm mostly capable of controlling it now."

"You surely are the product of Grimiore Heart, aren't you?" Freed remarked, and I nodded solemnly.

"It's nothing to brag about. Trading your quality of life for a little extra magical skill…" I trailed off, shaking my head.

"I'm sorry…" Freed muttered, and I looked up, my eyes shining as I smiled at him, shaking my head.

"Don't be. It's over now, and you shouldn't be the one apologizing." I paused, laughing slightly. "God, just don't pity me—as long as you don't do that."

"I won't."

"You're not exactly a pitiable person, Alexandria," Laxus remarked. He watched me with careful eyes from the corner of the room where he stood draped lazily against the wall.

"I know," I said. "All the same, I just want to let you know that I won't be joining you on your little trip to the library today, as much as I love libraries and all."

"Nor will I," Laxus added, raising his hand. "Lost magic user that I am and all." My brows raised. That's right.

"Whatever, you two stay here and keep each other company until we return," Freed stated, and I laughed.

"Keep him company? Please, I'd rather eat glass." I scoffed.

"I'd rather drink acid."

"Try not to kill each other while we're gone," Bickslow grumbled, moving towards the door with Evergreen in tow.

"No promises," I said with a chuckle.

"We'll be back soon."

"Leaving already?" Laxus asked, and Freed shrugged.

"We haven't got all day, have we?" He responded, walking out of the door, and quickly shutting it behind him, leaving me along with Laxus in the brute's suite.

I watched as he slowly moved from the wall, gracefully walking across the room to his bed, which he promptly lied down on, stretching his arms as he did so. I rolled my eyes.

"Feeling lazy, are you, Sparky?"

"I guess—Hey! What are you—"

I had moved from my seat against the wall to sit on the bed beside him, glancing down at him. He looked up at me, as if I had interrupted him from something.

"I'm just sitting down. Calm your tits, princess."

"Well, don't you have a vile tongue?" He remarked.

"Can't handle my sharp wit and dirty mouth, can you?" I retorted with a grin. "Not many people can. I am rather unbearable." I mused, twirling a strand of hair in my hand. "But then again so are you."

"You're insufferable," He said and began to laugh, the deep noise rumbling through his body and shaking him until finally it burst out of his mouth in a rolling chuckle. His entire figure lit up when he laughed, his usual air of seriousness completely fading into that of an insouciant child. I couldn't help but smile with him.

"How can you complain about my words? You don't exactly have the purest of mouths yourself, Saint Laxus."

He glanced up at me, feigning shock. "Oh shit, I'm sorry!"

We both laughed again, and a pregnant pause followed.

"So, what should we do?" I questioned, letting my words hang in the air for a long moment as he stared up at me from his position on the bed.

The air was thick enough to cut with a knife when he finally cleared his throat.

"I guess we could talk, like normal people." He announced.

"Too bad you aren't normal." I said cheekily, earning a scoff from the blond haired man.

"Fine then, if you're going to be that way, then I'm just going to listen to my music."

He had captured my attention.

"You always listen to your music…" I trailed off, biting my lip absentmindedly as I tried to figure out how to word my next question. "I was wondering if you'd let me try your magic headphones?"

He frowned.

"What? No."

I scowled at him as he sat up and pulled the magic headphones from the drawer behind him along with the little box that contained the tapes that made the music.

With a smirk he began to place them on his head, but I lunged forward, knocking him over and latching my fingers around the headphones. He gasped in shock as I pulled the headphones out of his hands, a slightly angry look on his face as I triumphantly held my trophy in my hands.

I was smiling proudly myself. At least, until I realized that I was practically straddling him. I let out a surprised shout and fell backwards off the side of the bed, my face beginning to burn.

She was insane. There were no other suitable words to describe the girl. One moment he had been innocently pulling his headphones from the drawer behind him, preparing to listen to some decent music as a form of entertainment, and the next, she was on top of him.

He hadn't been expecting it, but in all honesty he should have. Her unpredictability was starting to become one of her defining characteristics.

All the same, he hadn't really known what to do. While he had been tempted to throw her off of him and across the room once he saw her true motives (silly little thief); he realized he couldn't simply do that to a woman like her. There was no doubt that she would retaliate. And besides, one did not simply chuck a lady off of themselves in such a cruel way. (Like she was a lady)

So he sat there, shocked, until she simply turned red and lost her balance, falling off of him and the bed and into the floor.

And he would have left her there too, ignored her if he had the chance, if she wouldn't have still had his precious headphones.

With as much dignity as I could muster, I picked myself up from the ground, smoothing my pants and carefully checking over the headphones, making sure they hadn't been broken in my little tumble.

I turned my head, staring at him, and he peered curiously back at me, as if he was trying to calculate my next move. Which maybe he was. I'd have been carefully observing the person who had just tackled me if I were him.

"So you're stealing my stuff now?" He said after a moment, causing me to blink.

"Borrowing for an unspecified amount of time," I clarified, and he did a poor job of hiding his grin.

"Assaulting me and then stealing from me,." He said with a shrug of his head, and I laughed, my embarrassment fading into amusement.

"There's no reason to get your feathers so ruffled just because you can't defend yourself, Sparky."

"Actually, I was just being a gentleman," He replied, continuing to eye me and the headphones. "I could have thrown you across the room if I wanted."

"And do you really think I would have let it go then?" I retorted, sinking onto the opposite bed that must have belonged to one of his roommates. "Talk shit. Get hit."

"Another good reason why I didn't throw you off me," He muttered.

"Well you can keep whining, but I'm going to try these on," I announced, pulling the spiked headphones over my ears. He continued staring at me as I glanced at the box, trying to figure out how to turn the music on.

Finally, after much button pressing, the music started, the low strumming sound of a lacrima powered guitar pervading my ears.

The music quickly picked up, drums and a voice joining in behind it, my ears beginning to ring with the entrancing sound. It was an odd song, talking of old friends, and acceptance, one that I had never had the luck to hear before. It picked up again, more instruments joining in the background as the angelic voice bounced around my head.

And a second took its place.

Then a third.

All the while Laxus stared at me, and I stared defiantly back, my eyes flashing as the music blasted in my ears.

Suddenly the music stopped, and I opened my eyes, realizing that I had closed them somewhere along the way. Standing above me was none other than Laxus, who proceeded to remove the headphones from my ears.

"Your rental's up," He said as he plucked them from my ears, and I let him—only frowning slightly at the loss of the music.

"What a shame, I was really starting to enjoy it." I said with a sigh, flopping backwards on what appeared to be Freed's bed. The blond haired man laughed.

"Maybe I'll let you borrow them again later."

"Really?"

"Probably not, actually. They're my babies."

"Please don't say that, it makes you sound like Bickslow."

He grinned, and we both chuckled.

~Laxus' POV~

When she laughed her whole face lit up. When she smiled she became a ray of sunlight, somehow her face and entire being becoming the embodiment of the burning star itself.

I had never noticed this before.

I didn't see how I could have missed it.

Just one other weird thing about her. Tch.

~Xandria's POV~

He was such a freak.

And irritating—like a fly that constantly buzzes around one's head but never has the common decency to leave.

And rude.

And so awkward. Unbelievably awkward. Impossibly awkward. Outrageously awkward. More awkward than words could even begin to describe.

And yet, there was just something about him, something that made all of these other attributes seem to fade somewhat. (Although, he would always be a freak in my eyes.) Something that I simply couldn't put my finger on.

A/N: There you have it, a very fluffy chapter from yours truly. Sadly, I was unable to provide the lyrics from the songs they were listening to (good ole fanfiction dot net prohibits the use of copyrighted lyrics in any fic), but I believe you guys will be perfectly capable of imagining Laxus' own playlist (he likes classic rock in canon [what a dad], but I can also see him liking several other genres as well). So it's up to you now!

Xandria and Laxus are finally starting to break the ice (and can I just say that they both need to go to an etiquette class because good lord are they rude). Maybe they'll even become friends. Who know? Oh wait I do. And you're going to find out soon in the upcoming chapters!

As always, Review and tell me what you thought of it. I love you all and appreciate the comments and reads so very much!