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Chapter 10— Glamor

Akira

I was waiting backstage with Lucy, Gray, and Natsu when the competition finally started. The MC was getting the audience all hyped up for a beauty pageant of girls from all over Magnolia. No one had really said anything to me when we finally left the changing room. Lucy had changed into a cute cheerleading uniform that left little to the imagination.

As soon as the competition started, some men with black uniforms escorted Natsu and Gray out from backstage, much to my amusement. I glanced over as I heard a squeal coming from the side. Mirajane and Juvia walked over to us, both of them wearing skimpy bikinis. Juvia has tossed her hat aside and let her hair flow past her shoulders. She really looked beautiful. Then she opened her mouth and I no longer thought she was all that pretty.

"Did Gray leave already? I was so hoping to show my darling how his Juvia could look so sexy." She peered over my shoulder sadly and gave me a mock polite smile. I narrowed my eyes, feeling oddly provoked. Mirajane hugged Lucy and told her how beautiful she looked. Lucy was looking sadder by the minute. Probably because she thought there was no way she was winning.

"Akira, you aren't participating? I'm sure Gray will be quite upset." Mira said, looking over at me. Juvia's eyes darkened and she started shooting daggers at me. I rolled my eyes at her and looked over at Lucy who was looking anywhere but at me uncomfortably.

"No, I'm not. I really don't like the idea of showing off one's body for the pleasure of men." I looked directly at Juvia, whose ears turned pink. Her fists clenched at her sides and she glared murderously at me. I gave her a mock sweet smile as Lucy noticed the tension. She grabbed my arm and slowly pulled me away from the obvious show-down that was just waiting to happen.

"You are very good at making enemies." Lucy said, shaking her head. I glanced at her and smirked as we walked right next to the curtain leading to the stage.

"Of course I am. That's all I used to do before coming here. The life of an assassin is a very lonely one." I pressed my lips together and faked an air of sadness. Lucy looked at me sympathetically and I almost had to turn away to hide the laughter that threatened to rise up. I couldn't believe she had fallen for my obvious fish for pity. Lucy was about to say something when a figure appeared behind me and my sensors flared in warning.

I stepped to the side just in time as the person strode past me without even bothering to avoid bumping into me. I immediately recognized Erza's long red hair and I sent away the identifying sensors that had already activated. My defenses heightened as I clasped my hands behind my back. Erza turned to look at me, obviously upset that she hadn't managed to shove me. I nodded at her in greeting but she simply gave me a look of disgust. I looked away as she began to talk to Lucy.

"Hello, Lucy. I see you're participating as well?" she said formally. Lucy sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. "I am as well, you see. I wish to win that lovely bikini and also the hearts of all the men out there. It will be a simple challenge I believe." She said confidently. I clenched my fists at her cockiness.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Titania." I warned. She turned to face me, her eyes flashing in warning.

"That's Miss Scarlet to you, Bellfront." She snapped, crossing her arms. I matched her stance, crossing my arms as well. I frowned and ran my tongue over my teeth.

"Miss? We're the same age. And you have no authority over me, Titania." I sneered slowly.

"Watch yourself." Erza warned swiftly, lifting her chin and glaring at me. She gave me a look that would have much stronger men cower in fear. I held my ground and returned her snarl with a sneer of my own. Lucy looked back and forth between us nervously. She was right. I did make enemies quickly. But enemies were not what I needed right now.

I sighed and stood down, looking down and placing my arms to my sides, avoiding Erza's eyes in submission. Erza sighed in approval and turned away from me, satisfied that she had won that round. I lifted my head back and scowled at her back as she continued to talk to Lucy. I wanted nothing more than to beat her at something other than a full on battle. I wanted to rub it in her face that I wasn't going to be some submissive pet that she could stare at for hours.

An idea popped into my head as the MC introduced the competition. I grinned as Erza walked away, bidding Lucy good luck. Lucy looked at me and frowned at the look on my face. I smirked and looked out past the curtains where everyone who was participating's names were listed. My name wasn't up there but I knew that I could get it up there if I wanted. I grinned even broader as I saw that Erza was last on the list. This was simply too perfect. Now all I had to do was win.

"Lucy. I have an idea." I said excitedly.

"I don't like the sound of that." She said fearfully. I rolled my eyes and took her hands in mine.

"Okay, I'm going to participate in the competition." I said firmly. Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at me in disbelief.

"You-you are?" she asked in a hushed whisper. She glanced nervously down at my stomach where the hidden scars resided. My gut clenched but I forced the feeling away, grinning broadly at her. I winked and jutted my chin towards the MC.

"You let them know, I'm going to go pick out an outfit." I released her and whirled around, excitement flooding through my blood. If I could win this competition without showing off any skin, it would take Erza down a few pegs. It would also put me in a warm light with the men of Fairy Tail. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of this before.

I ignored Lucy's protests after me and darted into the changing room. I sifted through the outfits one by one until I pulled out the perfect outfit. I held it up to the mirror in front of me and grinned almost sadistically. This would too easy.

Gray

I sat towards the middle of the stadium with the other boys of Fairy Tail sitting all around me. We were waiting for the Miss Magnolia competition to start. I had barely registered the excitement that passed through the crowd and the enthusiasm of the MC. I was looking at my hands, twisting them around my shirt. Part of me wanted to take it off like I usually did but this time, I was conscious of it. I was conscious of my skin underneath the shirt.

The memory of Akira's body clouded my vision like a storm. I couldn't rid my thoughts of the scars on his stomach above her bandages and the horrifying scars on her back. There were two prominent dark scars that shot diagonally across her shoulder blades and down her back. They looked recent. My hands clenched as I remembered the ugly burn scar on her shoulder. I knew where she had gotten that one. I had one just like it on my thigh. It was from the destruction of our city.

But the others… the others were not from the wreck. They were recent and prominent. Someone had given those to her. Hatred and fury boiled up in my chest as I thought about Akira screaming at the mercy of a hooded figure who tortured her, giving her those scars. My imagination ran wild as I thought up the different scenarios of how she managed to get those scars. My thoughts only heightened my angry as I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands.

"Gray?" I jumped as I felt a soft hand rest on my shoulder. I jerked around to see Wendy hesitantly lifting her hand away. "Are you okay? You've been glaring at the floor for ten minutes now." I breathed a sigh and nodded my head, rolling my shoulders. I tried to roll out the tension in my joints as the MC began to talk again. I tried to pay attention but my mind was elsewhere, wandering to a certain girl with stunning blue eyes.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Miss Magnolia Bikini Pageant! Today we are fortunate to have 15… wait, no, 16 young ladies who are ready to show their stuff to the panel of judges. This competition consists of one performance of each of the girls to show off their looks, beauty, skill, and talent, whatever they wish to get the highest score from the judges. The young woman with the highest score will win the title of Miss Magnolia as well as complementary bikini to get ready for summer! Who's ready for the girls?" Cheers erupted from the crowd of hungry men and supportive women.

I glanced at the list of girls and only saw fifteen names. Someone must have entered at the last minute for there to be a sixteenth entry. I thought about what Akira would be doing backstage. I narrowed my eyes at Erza's name and hoped that she wasn't causing any trouble. I glanced at Natsu and couldn't help but compare the two. They were both reckless and unpredictable and stubborn as hell. I wouldn't put it past her to provoke Erza.

Finally, the competition started with a short, cute brunette who did a short interpretive dance. I leaned back on my seat, slightly bored as each girl came out to do some sort of performance. Mira came out, looking as beautiful as ever, and sang a song receiving the loudest cheers yet. Lucy came out in a cheerleading costume and did a Fairy Tail cheer. I sank further in my chair as Juvia walked on the stage and performed a water dance. Her eyes found mine and she gave me a sly look, trying way too hard to be attractive. I avoided her eyes as she left the stage.

Erza walked out onto the stage receiving immediate cheers from our section. Erza had a way with men and she could easily make all of them fall in love with her with a simple command or flip of the hair. As predicted, she not only earned the applause from the crowd but also from the judges after displaying her beautiful array of armor and clothing within her magic. It seemed as though the competition would be between her and Mirajane. I sighed, thinking that was the end, but the MC walked out on the stage, gesturing for everyone to stay seated.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a last minute entry!" he lifted a piece of paper and read off from it. "Please give a warm welcome to Akira Bellfront of Fairy Tail!" I sat up right and rubbed my eyes, wondering if I had heard what he had said correctly. I looked around to see the others looking just as confused. What was Akira thinking? She couldn't walk out in a skimpy outfit! It would show everyone her…

My thoughts faded away as Akira stepped out onto the stage. A low hush washed over the crowd as Akira made her way to the center of the stage. My mouth had parted and I couldn't tear my eyes away. She wore a tight, white and red corset with a minuscule miniskirt that barely covered her butt. A cape cascaded over her shoulders as her hair was tied up in loose curls. She had on red lip stick that made her face look piercing. The liner around her eyes drew out the color. She looked like a goddess.

Like a swan, she gracefully raised her arms asking for complete silence. She controlled the audience with her mesmerizing grace and beauty as she ran her hand down her side and over her hip. She bit her lip and my eyesight went fuzzy as I imagined my own teeth doing the same thing to her soft, plump, full lips. I couldn't even make sense of the thoughts flooding through my head. They were arousing and perverted and not at all like me. What did this girl do to me?

"Thank you." She said simply. With those two words alone, she had captured not only my heart, but every heart in the crowd. She lifted her hands and cast them out to the crowd. I closed my eyes I felt the familiar sensation of cool, soft snow falling on my face. She was making it snow. I opened my eyes again and found her looking directly at me. My lips parted as she ran her tongue over her lower lip.

With a wave and a kiss to the adoring crowd, Akira left the stage in an explosion of loving cheers. The snow was gone but my heart still felt like it was chilling from the cold. I sat back in my seat, staring up at the clouds. Horrifying thoughts of what I wanted to do with her alone had crossed my mind too many times. No one had ever had this kind of effect on me. It was unsettling how much she provoked uncanny thoughts through my head. I had never thought of her in that way before. Not even recently. But this? This was too much for me to handle.

"Wow…" someone said next to me in awe. I turned to see Natsu's wide eyes still staring at the spot where Akira had been only moments ago. Him too? In fact, I noticed that I wasn't the only one who seemed flustered by her performance. I looked around to see almost every man in the crowd either terribly aroused and loving it or trying to hide the fact that they were terribly aroused.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of what just happened. I came to one conclusion. Akira had not had this kind of effect on me, Natsu or anyone else in the guild and yet one simple change of clothes couldn't have every man falling head over heels for her. There was only one things she could have done to spark so much sexual tension within the crowd. She had to have used some form of love magic or something. No, not love magic, but lust magic. Something to make every man pine for her.

"What just happened?" Wendy asked softly from behind me. She tapped Natsu's shoulder but he was still mesmerized by Akira's lingering memory. She looked around to see that every man in the guild, including Elfman and Gajeel, were still staring hungrily up at the stage. I turned to look at Wendy and gave her a shrug. She sank back into her seat, probably wondering why boys were so weird.

The MC walked back on the stage and raised his hands, accepting the cheers of the crowd.

"Well that was an amazing competition from all the contestants! Let's hear a big round of applause for all sixteen girls!" Cheers flooded the stadium as all the girls lined up behind the MC. Akira was still wearing the white outfit but she didn't seem so mesmerizing anymore. Maybe it was because she was standing next to all the others. She smirked at the crowd while Erza scowled at the ground. I frowned as I noticed Akira's clenched fists.

Finally, I understood. This was all an attempt against Erza. The only reason she entered the competition was to spite Erza. All she wanted was to get a better score than Erza. I couldn't understand why. Maybe it was a girl thing, but I couldn't understand why winning a beauty pageant would count as a win for Akira. All I knew was that Erza didn't look happy at all. And if she didn't look happy, Akira was in for a rough ride.

"Congratulations everyone! I have the results right here in my hand. I will display all the rankings above my head right after I announce the winner! Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment we've all been waiting for!" he gestured to a person walking on the stage. The person carried a pretty silver tiara and a pink sash.

"Let's hear a big round of applause for our Miss Magnolia competition winner! Ladies and gentlemen, it's… Mirajane Strauss!" I breathed out a sigh I didn't even know I was holding. Mira squealed in delight as the crowd erupted into cheers. I glanced at Akira who didn't look the least bit fazed. If anything, she seemed happy that she lost. The rankings were suddenly displayed on a holographic screen above the MC's head. Akira's grin widened at the results.

1. Mirajane Strauss

2. Akira Bellfront

3. Lucy Heartfilia

4. Erza Scarlett

5. Juvia Locksar

6. -

…

I stared in awe as Akira gave a mischievous grin to Erza who was looking at anything but at Akira. I stood up as the cheers slowly died down and pictures began to be taken of all the girls and then of Mira alone. I made my way through the crowd as Akira hopped off the stage with a spring in her step. She ignored all the hungry men waiting for her and grinned as she saw me walking towards her. Her smile was contagious and I couldn't stop the small smile that spread across my face at her optimism.

"What did you think, Gray? I put on quite the performance didn't I?" She asked, giggling. She twirled around in front of me and I had to force my eyes to remain on hers.

"Yeah, it was… enthralling." I said softly. Akira grinned and waved at someone behind me. I turned around to see her waving at an incredibly nervous Natsu and Happy. Natsu's ears were bright pink and he was looking at anything but her. I felt my cheeks burning and the weirdest urge to rip out Natsu's eyes.

I grabbed Akira's shoulders and led her behind the stage of the stadium, trying to avoid all the stares and the people around us. I wanted to talk to her in private. I needed to figure something out. When we were alone, I released her shoulders and faced her fully. My cheeks were still flushed as I became aware of her long bare legs just inches below me. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. The effect she was having on me needed to relinquish so I could concentrate.

"What the hell was that, Akira?" I managed to growl out. Akira's eyelashes fluttered as she stared at me innocently.

"Why, whatever do you mean?" she touched her fingertips to her lips and batted her lashes at me, sticking out her lower lip. I looked away and shook my head again.

"You know exactly what I mean. Ten minutes before this thing started, you said you couldn't participate in this competition because of your… deformities. Then two seconds later, you're on the stage looking like a goddess and capturing every heart in the stadium…" I trailed off, realizing that I had said too much. "Why did you do it? You don't care about the title." Akira smirked and flipped her hair over her shoulders. She inspected her fingernails in indifference.

"I don't like it when people think they can just walk all over me. I can't fight Erza in a real battle, so this one will have to do. Besides, I didn't hear anyone complaining." She grinned and stuck out her hip, causing me to feel another flash of heat. I gritted my teeth and took in a sharp intake of breath. I needed to get away from her before I did something I would regret.

"Gray... stop looking away. Watch." I turned to look at her. She took a step back and spread her arms out as she began to shimmer brilliantly. I stared at her, mesmerized as her beauty was heightened again. Her face was clear of any shadows. The smirk that usually resided on her lips had softened into an angelic smile. Her skin turned paler and her eyes switched from noticeable to piercing. Then, the shimmery glow around her disappeared and she went back to normal.

"What… what was that?" I managed to breathe. She clasped her hands in front of her as her body glowed for a few seconds before she reappeared wearing her old simple clothing. Her magic reminded me of Erza's and for a second, I had fleeting thought. They aren't so different after all.

"I like to call it my glamor. It's a type of illusion magic that allows for you to become overwhelmingly beautiful in the eyes of everyone who looks at you. They had no restriction on magic so I figured…"

"A spell? That was a spell? Wait, I don't understand. You fooled everyone in the crowd to believe you were more beautiful than you were just so… what? You could beat Erza in this competition? Well then, you didn't really win did you? You're illusion won. I can't believe you actually used magic to alter people's vision of you. I can't believe you changed my view of you. Akira this… this is not normal. How do I…" I blinked and took in a sharp intake of breath. "How do I know you haven't used this on me before?" I stepped away from her, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Gray—" she took a step forward, reaching out for me but I recoiled.

"Akira, how do I know you haven't been lying to me this whole time? I trusted you from the beginning but you need to tell me now if this was some kind of ploy or something to infiltrate the guild. And don't use your glamor thing! Tell me the truth! I couldn't take it if I found out that you've been—"

"Gray! Shut up for a second!" Akira snapped, silencing me immediately. I swallowed as she rubbed her temples, sighing in exasperation. "If you would just listen for a second, you wouldn't jump to such rash conclusions." She looked up at me and took a deep breath. Then she rolled up the sleeve to her left arm. I shrank away as I stared at her arm. It was shriveling and turning a green-ish color as if it were aging fifty years ahead. I covered my mouth as I heard the skin bubble and pop as if her skin was festering like meat under her shirt.

"This is the price you pay for using the glamor. I can't use it for any extent of time because it ages my body under the glamor up to seventy years over my age. The more I use it, the older I get and soon, my body would just shrivel up and die if I used it too long. My arm will go back to normal in a few days but it's dangerous to use glamor because it's not the most predictable. It may only age you ten years but other days it will age you over a hundred years. If I had been using glamor on you and your guild this whole time, you would know it. I would probably be dead. I don't like using glamor. This was the first time I had ever used it in a while."

I breathed out and reached for arm. I touched her wrist and she recoiled, hissing slightly as her skin sizzled under my touch. She pulled her sleeve back over her arm and looked away, her cheeks slightly paler than usual. I felt like such a jackass. I never should have doubted her. This was Akira I was talking about. This girl who had blushed under my touch, the girl who had come crawling to me for help when she was on the verge of death. The girl with the scars that reminded her of who she was and prevented her from seeing who she could be.

I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I reached for her shoulders. Her eyes widened as I took both shoulders in my hands and pulled her closer to me. I engulfed her into an embrace, on arm wrapped around her waist, the other around her shoulders and across her neck with my mouth buried in her hair. I would never doubt her again.

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