Iron in the Stars

AN: Story is my idea, but I do not own anything Fairy Tail.

Chapter 2: Combat Lessons Begin

I woke up in the morning feeling more refreshed than I had in days, most likely because I didn't wake up to a mass of body that can be mistaken for a thermal blanket. I looked at the clock on the bedside table and almost had a heart attack. I thought I set an alarm to wake me up at 7:00 and it was now 7:30. I need to be at the guild in 30 minutes to meet with Laxus and Cana. I made a mad dash around my apartment to get dressed, brush my teeth and find something suitable to wear that wouldn't get destroyed with whatever torture he had planned for us.

I was only about five minutes late, but once I got there Laxus had a glare on his face directed towards me. Oh shit! "I'm sorry I'm late." I said it with a huge smile on my face and hoped he wouldn't take it nearly as bad as Erza would have. He just huffed at me and walked towards the back off the guildhall. I followed him and noticed that it was just I going. I looked back at Cana and observed her closely for a second and realized that she was still drunk from her previous night's activities. No wonder Laxus was in a bad mood. It would probably be best if I didn't say anything about being one man down. We walked over to the training grounds. I've only been over here a handful of times and knew I should come here much more. I didn't see too many people over here and figured it was because it was too early for most of the people in the guild. While I looked around I didn't notice Laxus stop in front of me. The only thing I did notice was the fact that my ass was on the ground and he was turning around laughing.

"Lesson one Blondie, you must always pay attention to your surroundings." I glared up at him for a second, but he offered me his hand to pull me up. "What would you like to do Laxus?" He looked around at all of the possibilities. "I want to see your endurance. Let's run." I looked at him horrified. Run? Ugh, I didn't want to run. "That is something I can do on my own." He nodded, but still started walking over to the track. I sighed and followed. "You don't have to prove yourself to me and don't push yourself past your strength, I just want to see how long you can go." I nodded solemnly and started running on the track. I almost fell on my face with shock when I saw him match my pace and run with me. I knew he said not to push myself, but with him running with me I just had to try and outrun him. This went on for about 15 minutes, but I couldn't keep the pace anymore. I needed a break or at least slow down to a walk. "You're pretty fast Blondie. You have good endurance, more than some even. I'm proud of you. Let's walk one more mile and then we can continue to something else."

The next mile took us about nine minutes, but it was much less straining. My breathing became more even and I was ready to move on. I followed him over to a room I've never been in. To say it smelled was an understatement. I did not like the smell of this room at all. It smelled like sweat. It was a weight room. He laughed at my distaste in the room and just shoved me over to one of the machines. "I want to know what your weight limit is." I grimaced at him. I knew I was weak and he was bound to think so too. "Let's start with a fifteen pounds." I knew I could handle that! So I at least wasn't as weak as he feared. We moved up five pounds repeatedly until we found a weight I struggled with which was forty-five pounds. "I'm actually pretty shocked with this. I mean you can do much better, but I thought your limit would be more around twenty-five." I stuck out my tongue at him and he laughed. "Should we move on? I only have one more thing with you today and then you can meet your drunk friend." He was definitely upset with Cana. "I'm sorry Cana couldn't join us Laxus." He was about to say something when Gajeel walked in and stopped right in front of us.

"Are you lost Bunny?" He looked at me with a straight face full of astonishment and I couldn't help but lose my shit and laugh. "Don't mind the hyena over here. I told her last night that I wanted to start training her so she would become stronger. She's actually surprised me with what she can already do. We were just about to go do a little hand-to-hand combat if you would like to join?" He looked at me and smiled evilly. This couldn't be good. I looked at Laxus, "we are?" He nodded at me and looked over at Gajeel. "You going to tag along, it would do me better to watch her so I can tell her what she's doing wrong and what she is doing well." Gejeel nodded again. "I would love to take down Bunny, of course I'm in." We walked over to a bunch of mats and to say I was nervous was a complete understatement. I stood no chance against these gods in front of me. They were Dragon Slayers for Mavis sake! They were built for a fight.

As soon as we got to the mats I looked up to the ceiling and said a silent prayer to Mavis to keep me alive. "Alright Blondie, this is how it's going to work. The first to get the other down for five seconds three times wins." We both got into position and I could barely look over at Gajeel. He looked excited. I was terrified. "Are you ready?" Internally I was yelling no, but I guess I didn't have a choice. I might as well get it done faster. "Alright on the count of three." Laxus began to count, but before he got to three Gajeel stopped him. "Let's make this interesting. Bunny, if you can get me down once I will be your slave for a week! However, if I win the three you have to do what I tell you to do for a whole day." He was such a smug son of a bitch. So basically if I win once I win in total to him. Okay, I can get him down once! I agreed and Laxus just smiled at me shaking his head in amusement.

"Alright ready?" We both nodded. This time he counted to three and I felt myself hit the mat. I didn't even have time to blink. Laxus laughed as Gajeel grabbed my arms and pulled me up. What the fuck just happened? I didn't even see him! "Let's try this again and a new rule, Gejeel, you can't use any magic. That wasn't fair and I'm not counting that as a win for you." He just silently laughed and nodded to Laxus. "Whatever you say Lightbulb." He counted to three again and I watched as Gejeel came at me. This time I saw him and dodged. He fell on his knee and I went to jump on his back to take him down. My plan didn't quite work out though because I grabbed on and went for a ride instead. He stood up and grabbed my arms pulling me around him and pushed me down on the mat. He won this round. I was frustrated. There was no way I could beat him. I wouldn't give up, but I knew there was nothing I could do to win against him I was not strong enough.

"Alright, round two. Let's do it on the count of three." Three sounded and Gejeel just stood there. He was waiting for me to come to him. I thought for a second to assess what I could do as an advantage. I was small so he couldn't grab me easily if I crouched. I ran over to him with the impression that I was going to punch him in the face but at the last second when he went to grab me by my shoulders I ducked down and swung my legs down swiping his legs from under him. He fell hard on the mat and gave me an incredulous look. It didn't last long though because before I knew it he was in front of me. He went to grab me and I spun myself around to where I was behind him. I punched at where I knew his kidneys would be to try to get him on the ground and it did for a split second again, but he also grabbed behind him and pulled me down with him. He held me there until Laxus called it. Damnit, I had lost again! By this time I was out of breathe and I knew that my heartbeat was probably screaming out to the Dragon Slayers in the room. They both were looking at each other. "What?"

"That was fairly good Bunny. You actually got me down twice without using magic. I'm impressed. You won't win against me right now, but take pride that you accomplished something that most people can't." I smiled at his compliment. "Does that mean you will accept me as the winner and be my slave for a week?" He roared in laughter, which made me smile awkwardly. "Not a chance Bunny, good try though. Let's go again." I groaned, but got in position. On the count of three we went to go again, but this time I got thrown back and away from the mats entirely. In front of me looked to be a real fight. I could see flames and knew it was Natsu. Gajeel punched Natsu hard causing him to go against the wall and slump down a little. I jumped up and went in between them to stop the fight, which was a stupid idea because the next thing I remembered were flames coming my way.

It took me a few moments to get my bearings and open my eyes. Once I did though I took a deep sigh and closed them again. "What the fuck were you thinking flametard?" That was Laxus' voice and by the sound of it he was furious. "Go get Wendy! You could have seriously hurt her!" I heard Natsu's footsteps get more distant and opened my eyes. Why had he done that? Couldn't he see that it wasn't a true fight? It suddenly hit me. It was because it was Gajeel. He never let Gajeel get too close to me because what had happened before he joined the guild. I had forgiven him, but I don't think Natsu had. He was way too overprotective to over look what the Iron Dragon Slayer had become. Laxus and Gejeel walked over to me and helped me up. I flinched and Laxus immediately let go making me fall into Gajeel. He held me steady and Laxus looked over my right side. It was burned pretty badly. Natsu has burned me on multiple occasions in the past, but never to this extent. To say I was irritated with my best friend was as an understatement. "Can you stand on your own Bunny?" I hadn't realized that I was leaning on him. I muttered an apology and stood up right. I was glad I was looking down and they were so tall, because I held a bright red blush to go with my lack of thinking.

Wendy walked into the room sans Natsu and I wondered why he didn't come back in. It didn't take long to figure it out though. I could hear him and Laxus screaming at each other. I didn't even notice Laxus leave. He must have when I was leaning on Gajeel. Makes me wonder how long I was leaning on him. His body was softer than I would have imagined. Don't get me wrong; it was solid, but comfortable. It was like I fit into him perfectly. "This looks pretty bad, I'm not sure if I can heal all of it at once." I looked apologetically at Wendy and she just smiled reassuringly at me. It took her about twenty minutes, but I was as good as new. I hugged her tight and told her I would get her a milkshake once we got back to the guild. Just like the young child she was I didn't even get a chance to blink before she was off running to Mira I assume for said milkshake. Gajeel was still standing there, this time laughing.

"I'm still counting that Bunny. You owe me a day!" I smiled at him and just nodded before I went to walk away. "I'm leaving for a month long mission so once I get back!" I grimaced at the ideas running through my head. I would not be looking forward to that day at all. I just hope he didn't make me wear the bunny costume. I felt a tug on my elbow and looked up and a smirking Gajeel pulling me in the direction of the guild. "I know a young girl that is waiting for her milkshake slacker, let's go." Slacker? I kicked him, which he was not expecting and then ran as fast as I could to the guild so he couldn't retaliate. "Low Bunny! That was very low. I'll remember that!" I giggled as I reached the doors not expecting to see what I did.

"You! Me! Lunch! We need to talk!" Cana was staring at me pretty hard. She must have heard everything and was curious. She was so nosey at times. I loved her though. "Just give me a second. I want to buy Wendy a milkshake." She nodded and walked back to her barrel of wine. I went to walk over to Mira to purchase the shake, but Wendy was already drinking one. I looked over at Mira with a questioning look and she just winked at me. "No worries Lucy, I already gave it to her." I smiled at her and nodded. "Lushy!" I looked back at Wendy's table and noticed that Carla and Happy were sitting with her now too. I haven't seen Happy in a while. Him and the other Exceeds had gone away for a small time, to see the other Exceeds. They were gone for about a month. I walked over to the table and picked him up to give him a bear hug. "You're smushing me Lushy!" His complaint wasn't taken to heart because I could feel him rubbing his face against the top of my chest. "I missed you Happy. Did you guys have fun?"

"Yes! I got to see everyone and spend time with Carla. She even started taking my fishes! I think we're dating now." I looked at Carla who was looking away from Happy looking smug. There was something different though because it was clear she was trying to hide her smile and had a blush on her fuzzy face. I just rubbed her head for a moment and carried Happy away. "Enjoy your milkshake Wendy, we'll have to go shopping soon, okay?" She didn't even look at me when I called out to her. She just enthusiastically nodded her head and sucked down the shake like it was the best thing in the world. I walked over to Erza, Gray, and Lisanna's table and put Happy down. "Hey you guys!" Gray and Lisanna smiled at me, but Erza gave me a hard look. "Lucy, did Gajeel hurt you? Natsu and Laxus were arguing about how Gajeel was man handling you. Do I need to put him in his place?" Oh geez, it has gotten completely out of control.

"Nothing happened Erza, Natsu completely over reacted. I was training with Laxus and Gajeel this morning. They were just testing my skills out. I wasn't even hurt by them in the slightest. In fact, I was actually having a good time." She smiled at me like I just gave her a piece of strawberry cake. "I didn't know you were training! Can I help?" I was a little worried about letting her help me, but I knew it would make her happy so I agreed. She jumped out of her chair and grabbed me swinging me around. It was painful to say the least. I felt trapped against her cold, hard armor. It didn't last long though because I felt an arm go around me and pull me away dragging me out the door. I heard my team call out goodbyes while Cana dragged me out the door and down the street.

"So, what happened? What's going on with you and Natsu?" I gave her a dirty look. There was nothing going on. "I don't understand why everyone has this impression that we are together or something? He is overprotective, that's it, but there was something that Laxus said yesterday that upset me." She glanced over and asked me what he said. "Well, something about Dragon Slayers and that they hoard what they find to be important to them. Do you think he is hording me which is why he pushes every male away from me?" I think this was the first time I seriously saw her think about something. "You know what girl? It sounds logical. I mean think about if you had a daughter, would you let a man near her? I mean you would, but a father? Do you think a father would be all right with someone dating his daughter? Not only that, but don't you think that said father would have high standards for her? I think he is treating you the same way. He just can't let you go."

What she said made sense, that didn't mean I had to like it, but she was right. I would have high standards for my daughter. I didn't like the fact that he was acting this way though. "How do I get him to stop?" She laughed at me. "Bitch, you need to put him in his place. He needs to understand that he is your friend and only your friend. You need to get a guy and get yourself laid. Once you have a man in your life he needs to realize that you don't belong to him." I nodded to her. She was absolutely right, well; I did need to get laid, but not exactly with that. She was right that I needed to put him in his place. "Alright, enough about me, you need to tell me about your date with Laxus. I think he has a thing for you." She blushed and looked away. "Did something happen? You need to tell me!"

"Alright psycho, I'll tell you about the night. First off, you are right about him wanting more from me. We are going out again, at least I think. He is upset with me right now. Our date was amazing. He took me to an exclusive club and bar in the Crocus. It was so much fun. We danced and drank and maybe even kissed a little." She went to say more, but I had to interrupt her. "What! You guys kissed?" She blushed and nodded at me. "He was such a great kisser. I'm honestly surprised we didn't end up in bed together. The night was spectacular. We are going on a mission together in a few days."

"Why is he upset with you? What happened? Why weren't you with us this morning?" She looked perplexed for a minute. "I would like to say one question at a time, but it's basically all together. I got into a fight with Bacchus last night and drank too much. He is mad at me because I still talk to him after how he treated me. Not to mention that I promised to train with you and I was in no shape to do so. I'm sorry for that." Did Cana just apologize to me? She doesn't do apologies. "Cana, do you like Laxus, I mean, would you date him?" She thought about it for a moment and a blush formed on her cheeks as she nodded slowly. "Yeah, I would."

She didn't have a moment to think after that because I had my arms around her jumping up and down in excitement. "You guys will make a great couple! I can't wait for the whole guild to know." She looked horrified. "Bitch, you wouldn't tell a soul. I'll kill you in your sleep!" I faltered for a moment. "No, no, I won't tell anyone. I'll let you guys take care of that." She smirked at me, "besides, we need to find you a man. I know someone that Laxus mentioned, but I want to see it for myself. It's someone I would have never thought of for you." I tried to get the information from her on who they were speaking about, but she refused to tell me. I decided that maybe later I would get her drunk. She had loose lips when she had alcohol in her.

AN: Alrighty peeps, that's it. As a fair warning. I will not normally be this fast with updates. I just had a few chapters already typed. They just needed to be edited before they can go up. I will even most likely add another one tonight. Hope you like it!