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Ride 'em Hard

Chapter Six

"W-wait...how much is this?"

"FBI said that they would double the amount of what the race would have paid," Erza answered with an amused smile, still holding out the two envelopes to Natsu and Lucy, who were sitting on the stools at Mirajane's bar. Both of the young adults had their jaws dropped at the redhead, completely dumbfounded. "So, this is six-thousand for each of you. Jellal and I were paid earlier, so these two are for you."

Natsu grinned and took both of the envelopes from Erza, carefully handing Lucy her share. "See, Luce? You did pretty neat last night. The guys back at the station are gonna like you a lot now!"

"They've translated the handwriting into Russian print, so it's easier to tell what it says," Erza explained. "They were more than impressed with the files than what we could have gotten from getting the job. Apparently there's answers to some cases that they had to put on hold, but they have names and places now. You did the right thing, Lucy. I don't know why we didn't think about this before."

"Jellal told me they were usually boring stuff, or they used very aloof names that make no sense at all," Lucy flushed and looked at the envelope, pinching it and feeling the bulk of cash on the inside. "I can see why not many people would think of taking files, especially when they're in those scribbles."

"Well, you did good and you got a good deal of money out of it," Erza chuckled before bidding goodbye to them, heading back to the small stairs that led up to Makarov's office, where Jellal and Makarov were discussing in private. Lucy couldn't hear what they were speaking about, but she could see them talk through the glass window of the old man's office, where the walls were decorated with photos and posters of different cars and bikini models…

"Hey, Luce," Natsu caught her attention and saw him staring at her intently. She felt her cheeks slip into a shade of red, frowning at him. Making a questioning noise, Natsu grinned brightly. "Why don't we go shopping in the city?"

"Mm?" Lucy blinked. "For what?"

"So you can get clothes. Girls like shopping for clothes, right? You can get a better wardrobe, and some comfortable clothes - you've been saying that some of Mira's old clothes aren't too comfortable for you? I'll drive you to that fancy clothing shop that you and Lisanna were talking about the other night."

"What! Natsu, you don't have to -!"

"It's your first paycheck in Fairy Tail, and you have six-thousand dollars to spend to your heart's content," Natsu smirked, waving his own envelope like a fan at her, making her roll her eyes at his tone of voice sounding so pampering. "Besides, we have the day off to do whatever, and I need some new stuff myself. I can't pick my clothes out very well, so I'm gonna need help."

Lucy was about to protest again, but Levy's foot shutting Gray's newly repaired car door startled her. Looking up, Lucy saw the victorious grin on the blue-haired mechanics face as she gave Gray a playful punch.

"Ha! See what I mean? Good as new, Gray, just like I said," Levy kissed her fingertips, like a chef, and spoke something in Russian that Lucy couldn't make out. Then, Levy went on to say more phrases in other languages, Lucy figured, of French, Italian - so many as she danced around the stoic-looking racer. "You owe me now, Gray. Take it up now!"

"Oi, Levy!" Natsu called out, making the small woman pause and smile to the other driver. "I'm takin' Luce shopping today with our paychecks. Wanna come with us?"

Stars sparkled in Levy's brown eyes as she nodded to them. "Lulu-chan, let's go shopping together! Gray is gonna be my chauffeur for today, since it's part of the deal we've made - It's gonna be a girl's day, Lulu-chan!"

"But I need clothes, too, Levyyy!" Natsu whined, plopping his head on Lucy's shoulder and the blonde's eyes narrowed. "Don't make it all 'bout you guys, ne?"

"Sure, we can give you much needed fashion advice, starting with the color of your hair," Levy placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. Natsu made a strained noise, but Levy ignored him and yanked on Gray's sleeve. "C'mon Alfred, you're taking me shopping with Natsu and Lulu-chan."

"Quoting Batman now?" Gray frowned. "You're a nerd, Levy."

"Say it again, and I'll tear your baby apart," Levy smiled darkly as she kicked with the back of her heel to Gray's repaired door, leaving a footprint made from the dirt outside the garage. Gray grumbled an apology and Levy snickered with delight as she glanced back to the two at the bar. "You two ready to go? Where's our first stop?"

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"Hey, Levy, how did you...you know, end up in Fairy Tail? I mean, if it's okay I ask," Lucy asked quietly while she joined the blue-haired woman scoping the racks in the shiny, very expensive store. They were in the girl section, of course, and Natsu had dragged Gray over to the other side of the shop, where the clothes were. Levy changed from her mechanic uniform and into more casual, girly clothes; a frilly, black skirt and a orange crop top with pastel pink designs. Lucy herself was wearing one of Mira's sweaters and skinny jeans.

Lucy felt a bit out of place with Levy in the extravagant clothing store, but this really wasn't a new environment for her. No, Lucy remembers how her dad would give her credit cards and have someone drop her off at shops like these, but it was lonely and boring - Lucy remembers buying barely anything, just to get her father to look at her and ask why she didn't purchase anything.

Levy twirled a finger around one of the long strands of her bangs, looking at a pair of jeans with interest. "No, it's okay to ask, Lulu-chan," Levy smiled before returning the jeans to the rack. "Don't worry about asking. You're part of the gang now, so there's no secrets between us, you know?"

Levy picked out a cute, blue-and-white tunic top. Holding it out to press it against Lucy's breasts, nodding with approval. "Anyway, you're wondering how I got in? Heard that Jellal spilled the beans for Erza on the train," she smiled, putting the top in Lucy's hands. "It's about time you learned more about everyone little by little, right?"

"Well," Lucy blushed, looking at the top given to her by Levy, "I would have never expected either Erza and Jellal to come from that. I mean, I know that Mirajane and her siblings were used as financial fraud, but…"

Levy waved her hand, chuckling. "It's not a big deal, Lulu-chan. I'm okay with telling you my story," Levy cooed sweetly before seeing shoes on display. The mechanic's eyes sparkled as she scurried over to them with Lucy being dragged behind. "So, I went to plenty of colleges and stuff like that, right? I was the daughter of a really rich family, much like you. My dad is this really important politician advisor and a college professor for literature and crap. My mom stayed home, taking care of stuff with me and housekeeping, after she married my dad - she's how I'm related to Juju-chan, you know?

"So, anyway, in my second year of college, my roommate was in this drug business that I had no idea about," Levy rolled her eyes before picking up a shoe. "She took off when the cops got involved, and stashed her goods in my things, so everyone thought it was me. Not only did I get arrested, but my dad's reputation got kicked in the ass to the politician branches and fired him. My dad disowned me and kicked me off his financial plan, leaving me in major debt and in addition to my criminal fines and serving time was a bonus.

"They never caught my roommate, since she booked out of the country with a new name and all, but by my third day in prison, Makarov showed up with the knowledge of my story," Levy grinned, putting the shoe back and facing Lucy, who's eyes were wide. "He came to my cell and told me about Fairy Tail, and how he looked at my file and knew that I was innocent - since I was taking so many classes at the time, there was no way I could've organized drug deals and all that. I was taking lots of shop classes, and mechanics and languages, so he offered me to join."

"Wow," Lucy exhaled with amazement, and this made Levy grin bigger.

"Yep! It's nice, too, since Jet and Droy were also from my school and needed jobs, I hooked them up with Makarov and they work for me," Levy smiled.

"I just...never thought you'd come from a family that had money like I did. I'm sorry if that sounded rude!" Lucy peeped, realizing what she had just said, but Levy simply laughed and waved it off.

"Please. My dad was somewhat controlling of my mom," Levy rolled her eyes. "He didn't like my aunt or anyone on my mom's side of the family, so he told her that she wasn't allowed to talk to them, but she always snuck out with me to meet my aunt and Juju-chan."

"How did Juvia get into the whole gang business? Why isn't she with us, if she's your cousin?" Lucy asked next.

Levy shrugged at that. "I don't know, actually. Something happened when we were kids, and I haven't heard anything from my aunt or Juju-chan until I joined Fairy Tail. I never really had the chance to ask her what happened either, since it's practically against the rules."

"Rules?"

Levy held one finger up, poking Lucy's nose with it. "First rule of Fairy Tail's book of rules: Don't kill anyone, unless they try to kill you first, or pose as a threat. A little hint from the law enforcement of self-defense, and we take it to our jobs," the blue-haired woman winked before holding two fingers up.

"Second, and this one applies to all gangs, so this can count as number one in other places," Levy went on, going to the next rack. "Ya keep business with your business. You don't go telling people from other gangs what's going on behind closed doors. If you do, then your boss has the right to take you out - as in killing you. No one likes a gossiping gang members. Secrecy and personal information is very important to everyone, like a lifeline. So, with me and Juju-chan, even though we're blood-related, I have no right to ask her how she got to Phantom Lord, nor what she's doing for jobs. I can ask her how she's doing, or little things; like what she ate for dinner last night, if she's busy or whatever.

"Third," Levy held up three fingers to Lucy, "if a gang did something to piss yours off, you have the right to even out the damage until satisfied. But, it has to be passed by the boss, or you can get into major trouble."

"I didn't think gangs had rules like that," Lucy swallowed nervously before giving her friend an uneasy smile. "Sounds like recess rules, if you think about it."

"Every gang has different rules, though, so these may not apply to everyone," Levy pointed out. "Some gangs do more than racing and drug deals. There's gangs who run brothels and prostitutes, hit-and-runs, murdering, kidnapping and all those stuff." Seeing how the blonde went pale, Levy giggled lightly. "Don't worry, Lulu-chan. Fairy Tail doesn't run like that. We work for the FBI and cops, remember? Makarov learned his lesson years ago and refuses to apply that to his current work."

"Oh, thank goodness -!"

"Luuuce! How does this look on me? Do I look like the real-deal now?" Natsu's cheery voice stopped her from being in relief, as she turned her head to see her driver dressed with the shop's attire. He reminded Lucy of one of those flashy guys in the rap music videos; black leather vest with baggy jeans and studded shoes, even a hat on top of his head.

Lucy went bright red in the face, slowly shaking her head to contain her laughter. Levy, however, was more verbal about her opinion, which was the same as Lucy's, thankfully.

"You look like an idiot, Natsu," Levy nearly shouted, catching the attention of the other customers and employees. Hands on her hips, Levy hurried over to the pink haired man, grabbed him by the ear and hauled him over to one of the racks on the men's selection. Gray, who was leaning against the outside of the changing stall Natsu was in, rolled his eyes at the sight when Levy scored through the lines of clothes, tossing Natsu many articles of clothing.

"First of all, don't you ever wear leather vests in public, unless you look like Gajeel-kun - all buff and scary-looking, you hear?" Levy ordered as she checked one of the pants tags before tossing them up, having Natsu catch them. "And, I told you this before, Natsu, stick to the colors that go with your scarf! Nothing shiny! No leather, no silk, no metal."

"Okay, okay!" Natsu nodded with wide eyes as Levy found a deep purple with white lining vest. The young woman plopped it to the pile of clothes and pushed him back to the changing stall, where Gray stood and took a step away from the approaching two. "W-wait, Levy. This is a lot of clothes!"

"Pick one outfit you like, then!" Levy ordered with a twitch of her brow, yanking the curtain shut and turning around. Lucy slowly followed at the distance and arrived to one of the couches by the changing rooms. Sitting down on one, Lucy bit back her snicker at the small curses Levy slip from her lips. "Honestly. If Cana was here, she'd beat your head in with your lack of knowledge for colors and fabric, Natsu."

Sitting down with a sigh, Levy crossed her legs before looking to Lucy. "I'm not sure how you can handle him, Lulu-chan. Driving with him is one thing, but living under the same roof?"

"He's not that bad, Levy-chan," Lucy giggled softly, seeing how her blue-haired friend portrayed herself being exhausted.

"Thank you, Luce!" Natsu called out from inside the changing room, directing more attention to them in the store.

"Be quiet, flamebrain," Gray bit out. "You're gonna get us kicked out, you moron."

Levy elbowed Lucy on the arm, catching the blonde's attention. "Go and try to stuff on, Lulu-chan! I want you to try out the clothes I picked for you. Cana isn't the only one with good taste in clothes, you know." Looking up to Gray, who was bored out of his mind, Levy smiled evilly. "Gray, why don't you tell Lulu-chan how you got into Fairy Tail?"

"Is that what you two were chatting about?" Gray raised a brow, taking a peek at Lucy, who stood up and tip-toed to the open changing room. "Why would Lucy care to know anyway?"

"Because it's nice to get to know your friends, isn't it?" Levy sniffed back once Lucy closed the curtain. "Cana told Lucy how her family used to live on the streets and Makarov found them, and even Erza was trying to tell Lucy her and her husband's backstory!"

"Erza can't even keep a straight face with telling her story without crying her eyes out," Gray rolled his eyes and pulled out his cellphone, looking at the screen. "My story is my business. You just wanna know because you don't know it, Levy."

"Party pooper!" Levy sniffed.

Lucy tried on the tops and pants Levy had stacked for her, finding them perfectly comfortable and to her own taste. Checking herself out in the mirror inside the stall, Lucy approved them first before calling Levy to stick her head in to peek, making the mechanic wolf whistle.

"Lookin' good, Lulu-chan! Told you I was good," Levy snickered with delight.

"I think I'll buy these two outfits," Lucy said softly, gesturing to the one hanging on the hook and the other she was stripping off to change back. "And you got these all from the clearance rack, too? You're really good at this, Levy-chan. I wouldn't even be spending six-hundred here!"

"Oi, can I see?" Natsu asked somewhere behind Levy, who kicked at his shins to keep him from peeking. He squawked in pain, and Lucy could hear Gray sighing in annoyance. "Damn it! I just wanted to see the outfit!"

"Go buy your shit and wait in the car," Levy snapped behind her. "Lucy's stuff is going to be a surprise, so go pay with Gray."

The sound of Natsu whining faded out and Lucy guessed that Levy waited until they were gone to turn back, a large smile on her face. Lucy was confused by the whole ordeal, yet didn't question her friend as she put her own clothes back on.

"Hey, Levy-chan," Lucy spoke after gathering her purchases into her arms.

"Mm?"

Lucy slowly smirked, eyeing Levy with a mischievous look in her brown eyes. "So you like it when Gajeel wears leather, huh?"

After buying her new clothes and escaping Levy's wrath of her embarrassment, Lucy slipped into the Mitsubishi Lancer next to Natsu, who was chatting with Gray through the radio about how he's gonna wear his new outfit to the next race. Lucy rolled her eyes when Natsu gave his goofy grin to her and asked about her clothes, telling him in response that it's a surprise, like Levy said.

Driving behind Gray's Subaru Impreza, Natsu kept the station connected to the cars so Lucy and Levy could decide where else to go. One the idea of going to a cafe or a smoothie stand, Levy's voice went abrupt at the red light of a sudden gasp. Lucy's head tilted and Natsu blinked and looked to the radio with confusion before looking at each other.

It was Gray who spoke. "It's Trinity Raven, Natsu."

Lucy's eyebrows creased in worry as she looked to Natsu, who's mouth went to a firm line of distaste and moved forward to see ahead of him right behind Gray's ride. Lucy didn't move an inch from her seat when the light turned green and Gray's car hit the pedal to turn sharply into a small parking lot, where a Plymouth Road Runner blocked the way of a familiar Nissan 370Z and a Silvia in their spots. Natsu followed cooly, but Lucy could see his shoulders tense under his black t-shirt.

Lucy looked out the windshield to see the tall Boze sitting atop of his ride with Sue ontop of the trunk. Boze was wearing a lime green tank and torn shorts while Sue was wearing a band shirt and skinny jeans; by the Nissan, stood Juvia alone, wearing a spring dress and sandals. Her long, wavy hair was up in a bun and she had sunglasses on. Ahead of Juvia were two figures, a man and a woman, apparently.

Gray slammed on the brakes, making the tires screech as he kicked his door open, catching the teenagers attention with a snap of their heads. Juvia, however, kept her stare to the two people by the Road Runner. Natsu and Lucy follow suited, and Natsu reminded her to keep her shopping bags in the car before leaving. Lucy closed her door and hurried over to Levy's side, who stayed at her side by the opened door.

"The hell is going on here? This ain't your turf, Trinity Raven," Gray snapped as he walked up to the small group. Natsu followed behind, shoving his hands in his pants pockets.

"Well, look who decided to rescue the princess, mm?" the female with long, pink hair and heavy makeup cooed. Her red lips smirking at the sight of Gray, leaving Juvia's contact for a moment. She wore clothes that were black and decorated with skulls all over, and Lucy could see her as some kind of rough chick. "Juvia-chan's knight in shining armor!"

"The fuck you want, Ikaruga!" Gray snarled darkly and was about to approach the woman, but Natsu hauled him back from doing so.

Juvia calmly raised her hand to the two Fairy Tail members, silently asking them to calm down while Boze and Sue looked to the two girls by Gray's ride. "It's okay, Gray-sama. Please, don't get angry," she said calmly, and Lucy was surprised to see how the girl who practically saved her life was so cool about it. "Ikaruga just wanted to see me, that's all."

"Well, not just to see sweet Juvia, you know," the woman, Ikaruga purred as she crossed her arms. "It seems that I have a bit of a problem with this sweet dumpling here. You see, last night, while I was racing...Juvia thought it would be funny to jump on my hood."

The man next to Ikaruga, who was only sporting chained pants and silky, long black hair snickered with amusement. Peeking through his bangs, Lucy saw how heavy the man's eyeliner was and how pale his skin looked. She inwardly shivered at his creepy attire. "Ikaruga came back last night ready to skin someone! That would've rocked, man!"

"I just want to pay Juvia-chan the same respect she served to my ride, that's all," Ikaruga simply said, looking at her long nails. "I find it very rude for someone to plant a dynamite in my engine and then smash my window. I can't even ride my Dodge anymore, Juvia-chan, and I'm upset about it."

Juvia, despite Ikaruga's sharp tone, smiled with just as much venom. "Perhaps Ikaruga shouldn't have rammed her trampy ride to Natsu-san's fender while his partner was trying to get inside," she tipped her sunglasses up, and Sue was bouncing in her spot on top of Boze's ride. "Juvia was just returning the favor for how you treated Toto-sensei a while back, remember? It was Ikaruga who shot Toto-sensei and left him in the tunnels. And the time you stabbed Gray-sama? Or the time you tried to run over Jellal-san when he was helping Erza from a wreck?"

"Couldn't help it if they were in my way, Juvia-chan," Ikaruga said simply, spiking Natsu and Gray to react with tense jaws. "Don't forget that you damaged my ride, sweetheart."

"Ikaruga can get her repairs done," Juvia said simply, staring the woman straight in the eye. "Surely Ikaruga can fix her Dodge and get the pole out of her ass."

"Listen here, you bitch -!" The pink haired woman shrieked and raised her hand to smack Juvia. Gray was about to intervene when Natsu pulled him back again, and the Trinity Raven driver halt with her palm just a inch away from Juvia's fair cheek. Levy and Lucy bit back a scream when Juvia narrowed her eyes and Ikaruga's forehead pulsed with anger, her breathing harsh.

Seeing that Juvia was not reacting to her violence, Ikaruga slowly withdrew her hand to her side and towered over the shorter woman. "You got a lot of guts, comin' from the shittiest part of the city, girl."

"Ikaruga is of no threat to Juvia," the blue haired woman said simply, still emotionless to the threatening posture she was receiving. "Ikaruga knows very well that she is nothing against Juvia, if she remembers from the last time she struck Juvia with no valid reason."

Stepping back, Ikaruga crossed her arms and glared at Juvia. "You're still not getting away with it, girl. You hear me?"

Vidaldus suddenly perked and snickered with glee. "Why not a race to make it even, mm? We all love a race during the day once in a while, right? They rock just as hard as the usual ones, babes!"

The man splayed his hands out and ran them through his hair, winking to the two girls watching. "Seeing two more chicks really gets me goin', yeah!" he chuckled, loving the way Levy glared in return and Lucy bit her lip in disgust. "Kinda inspired a thought, Ikaruga. Make a deal with the devil and let me win for you, babe!"

Juvia looked to Boze and Sue, who were silent. Leaning against her Nissan and crossing her ankles, the woman shook her head. "Juvia is on call. She needs to save her fuel for when Jose calls the bar."

"We ain't gonna let you leave, babe. Not until you make a deal with me," Vidaldus wagged his finger to her before jutting a thumb towards Gray and Natsu. "And ya boytoy ain't gonna stop us. We'll head up to the bar and finish it the other way, if we have to, and you don't want that, right, dollface?"

Juvia's eyes narrowed, waiting for the man to state what he wanted. Vidaldus chuckled before looking to Ikaruga, who smirked and began biting her long, painted nails with excitement. "We wanna deal with what you guys always wanted: We'll stay far away from your property and never step foot in your bar," Vidaldus smirked. "Ensured promise to never vandalise or jump the bar with guns and violence every again…"

"And?" Juvia frowned.

"And, for the trade for stayin' off your property, we want your chicks," Vidaldus snapped his fingers and pointed to Sue, who froze with wide eyes, and his other pointed hand to Juvia, who was unfazed.

"No fuckin' way!" Natsu yelled at the rocker, who shrilled giggles like a madman.

"How dare you -!" Gray was about to step in and pull a fist back when Juvia's gentle hand touched his shoulder. Stopping from punching Vidaldus, Gray stared wide-eyed at the blue haired woman.

"You are not touching Sue-chan," Juvia stated strongly. Lucy saw thick tears in Sue's eyes as Boze reached down and grasped both of the young girl's shoulders tightly. "If you dare to touch an underage girl, I will not hesitate to rip your stomach open and choke you with your insides."

"Ahh, but what about you, babe?" Vidaldus awed. He reached a hand towards her, about to cup her chin and tilt it upward. "If you race against me, will you be part of the bargain -!"

In a second, Juvia grabbed the man's wrist and twisted his arm. Pulling him forward, Juvia slammed Vidaldus to the hood of her car and raised her foot to step on the side of his skull, not caring about her dress skirt riding up her legs; twisting the man's arm to his back, Juvia grasped his other one backwards and into the air at an uncomfortable angle.

"Juju-chan!" Levy shrieked in surprise, letting Lucy grasp her hands in shock. "Please, please! Juju-chan, don't! He's not worth it!"

Natsu kept his hold on Gray from squirming to attack, letting himself get elbowed and kicked hard. He knew that Juvia could hold her own just as easily Gray could, or even for Gajeel, and so Natsu puts his trust in the blue haired woman. Ikaruga watched silently as Juvia pulled her partner's extended arm further back, causing him to croak.

"Juvia is not racing today, and this is the final warning," she said cooly, pressing her foot harder on the man's skull.

"Then, we will have to stop by and return the favor you did to my -!" Ikaruga was interrupted by Gray's firm, strong voice.

"I'll race."

Juvia's head snapped up to see Gray stop his fidgeting in Natsu's lock, his expression serious when Natsu slowly let go of his friend. Juvia's eyes widened and brought her foot down from Vidaldus's head, slowly letting him slip out and crack his neck and stretch his arms. The rocker man stepped back to his partner, who was watching Gray with slit eyes.

"What did you say, boytoy?" Ikaruga sharply asked, ignoring how her partner heaved right next to her.

"I'll race in her place with Vidaldus," Gray repeated slowly, making sure that everyone heard.

"Gray-sama," Juvia whispered to him, reaching out to grip his leather coat when Natsu finally released him. "Gray-sama, no. This is Juvia's problem, you don't need -!"

"I'll add in my ride to the deal, too, if I lose," Gray didn't give a glance to the woman trying to stop him, constantly tugging on his sleeve. "If you win, you get what you want and my car. If I win, you stay off of Phantom Lord's property and don't go anywhere Juvia outside of races."

"Risky, risky," Vidaldus purred. "I like this idea, man. Hey, Ikaruga, babe, what do you think 'bout this deal? Could be a nice tune-up from your broken baby, no?"

The woman in question's red lips parted to reveal pearly-white teeth, smiling brightly. "Juvia-chan's knight in shining armor has a pear, that's for sure. His ride is pretty cute, too. Juvia-chan still needs to stay, though."

Juvia swallowed before looking to Sue and Boze. "Sue-chan, Boze."

"Hai, Juvia-sama?" Sue's head perked, tears still evident in her eyes and Boze followed to pay attention to the S-Class woman.

"Drive Juvia's car back to the bar, and tell Toto-sensei what's happening. If Sol is there, tell Toto-sensei in private - he'll know what to do when Nii-chan wakes up, okay?"

Sue jumped off her relative's car and ran to Juvia, wrapping her thin arms around her and hiding her face into Juvia's breasts. "Juvia-sama, no! Come back with us, please! Gajeel-sama is going to get mad, and you know it!"

"Do what I say, Sue-chan," Juvia said firmly, gently petting Sue's brown hair and pushing her off carefully. Holding her face, Juvia offered a tiny smile. "Sue-chan is eighteen now, so you can drive Juvia's car home, okay? Just listen to Juvia, and let Toto-sensei know what's going on."

Sue's eyes darted from Juvia to Gray, a little pleading look written in her eyes. Gray crossed his arms and gave Sue a curt nod. "I'll bring her home, kid. If Gajeel gets his panties in a bunch, just tell him that I got it covered."

Sue blinked and forced herself to nod, detaching herself from Juvia and taking the keys handed to her by the woman. Pouting, Sue bolted back to Boze when he climbed off of his car, whispering something to him before running to the Nissan's driver door.

"Natsu, take Levy into your ride with Lucy, 'kay?" Gray looked over his shoulder to his friend, who inhaled and nodded slowly.

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"What are we suppose to do now? What's happening?" Lucy shivered in her seat, glancing between Natsu's still form and back to the Subaru Impreza and the Road Runner at the top of a mountainous road that was on the outskirts of the city, close to some of the factories in a few mile distance. "Natsu, what's going on?"

"They're drift racing, Luce," Natsu explained softly. "The kind that causes your car to skid across the dirt or pavement when you hit the breaks at a fast speed."

"But what's going on with them?" Lucy pointed out to the top. "What do they want with Juvia?"

"Vidaldus has been trying to buy Juju-chan for years now," Levy's quiet, raspy voice came from the backseat, and Lucy turned her head to see the blue haired mechanic curled with her legs up to her chest. "Trinity Raven are known to buying property, and that includes people, too. Vidaldus has been going to Jose, trying to put a price on Juvia until Gajeel found out."

"How do you know that?" Lucy asked, purely shocked by what she just heard.

Sniffling, Levy rubbed under her eyes. "Gajeel confronted Vidaldus before a race, because he was about to go to Juvia with another offer, and a fight broke out. I was there that night and so was Phantom Lord's boss and Makarov… It took about ten men and a taser to stop Gajeel from trying to kill him, otherwise that would've started a war between the two gangs. God," Levy exhaled and tangled her hands in her short hair. "I thought that taught the asshole a lesson about trying to buy Juju-chan, but now this! How could they be so careless about this? And putting Sue on the spot like that is what got Juju-chan mad!"

"Levy, it's going to be okay," Natsu told her without looking back, his brown eyes still looking to the top of the road. Lucy stole a glance to her driver before looking back to the mechanic. "Vidaldus isn't the only one who knows how to drift, you know."

"But this is Vidaldus's spot, Natsu!" Levy reminded him. "Who knows what's gonna happen!"

"I trust that ice princess knows what he's doing," Natsu shrugged. "I've known him long enough to tell when Gray means business. Besides, this has to do with Juvia-chan." Looking back to smile at both the girls, Natsu had that look in his eyes that made Lucy's chest twist in a sweet way. "Gray's head over heels for Juvia - ain't no way he's going to lose to a fake poser like Vidaldus! He's all fired up!"

Atop the mountainous road, Juvia waited inside Gray's car and watched as her crush spoke to the contestant about the main rules. She knew about drifting, but never raced with anyone outside the Phantom Lord, but has watched many take place. Totomaru and Gajeel would drift with her for fun and practice, and Boze and Sue have a long way before even being considered to start learning about it; and Juvia knew better than to drift against anyone from Trinity Raven.

Looking through the window to the Road Runner, Juvia was somewhat glad that both cars had tinted windows. She didn't want to see Ikaruga's face at the moment, or even make eye contact with the woman who followed her and her gang members that morning while they were running errands for Totomaru. She was mad, yes, but Juvia was also very concerned for the Fairy Tail member who took on the deal with Vidaldus Taka, the man who has been trying to buy her from her gang and brother ever since she was a teenager.

"No tools for this race, man," Vidaldus snapped his fingers. "These roads are tight enough to cause trouble between us, 'kay? No guns, bombs, spikes - the whole shebang."

"No partners," Gray added. "Keep your passengers inside the car the whole time."

"Done deal," Vidaldus smirked darkly, his eyes darting to the windshield Juvia was hiding behind. Juvia sighed under her breath of relief when she reminded herself that Gray's car was also tinted. "On the next whistle from the factory, boytoy. That's when you know to go."

Gray nodded and got off his car, heading to the driver's side and entering his car with ease. Juvia quickly looked down to her hands on her lap, not saying a word to the driver to her left; her heart was hammering in her chest, and she could feel her nerves starting to tingle at the tips of her toes and fingers. If she didn't calm down, she knew a panic attack and possibly something worse will happen.

Once Gray started the car and the engine started to hum under Juvia's body, her nerves relaxed, but her heart still kept pounding. She fiddled with her own hands, trying to distract herself.

Gray's large, rough hand reached over and engulfed both of her hands, making her freeze on the spot. "You okay, Juvia?"

"No," Juvia exhaled. "Juvia is not okay with Gray-sama getting involved in something like this. This is Juvia's problem, not Gray-sama's."

Gray watched as she bit her lip, fighting back her hiccups of frustration and his eyes softened as he let go of her fidgety hands and lift a lock of her wavy blue hair to get a peek of her eyes. Seeing how her hands froze and cheeks redden, Gray smirked and tucked that lock of hair behind her ear.

"It is my problem when they're trying to buy you, Juvia," Gray said softly, his fingers still tangled with the long strands of her bangs. "You're not an item to be bought, you know that. What would your brother do, if he was here right now, instead of me?"

Juvia only responded by shooting him a stare that was unreadable, and Gray nodded. "Exactly. You know what would happen if Gajeel was here, Juvia, and that's just going to cause more trouble," he explained further, pulling back his hand before he touched her red cheek. "Besides, you've helped us a lot in the past and a lot of favors that saved our asses many times."

"There is no favor to return to Juvia, Gray-sama," Juvia puffed, making him raise a brow at her. She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her bare arms, looking down to her lap. "Fairy Tail has always been nice to Juvia and Phantom Lord. Gray-sama always visits the bar and gives Juvia medicine, even though Juvia tells him that he doesn't need to. Gray-sama doesn't need to do this to be even with Juvia - Please, Gray-sama, don't get involved in Juvia's problems."

"I'm not doing this to return the favor," Gray smirked, making Juvia's back straighten out and inhale sharply as she realized how he leaned closer to her. Their faces just an inch apart, and Juvia could feel his warm breath tickle her skin into goosebumps. "I'm doing this, because I ain't gonna let anyone take you away like that. I don't like it how that asshole treats you, Juvia. If I didn't know better, I'd probably act like your brother and actually try to kill him."

Unable to respond to his words, Juvia went beat red in the face when Gray pulled back and faced ahead of him. Her words spluttered at her lips, holding her cheeks with both hands when she heard him chuckle under his breath. "Gray-sama is so mean to Juvia…" she grumbled quietly, and she didn't have to look to see his snarky grin growing bigger. "Teasing Juvia like that is mean."

Readying his car besides Vidaldus in his Road Runner, Gray couldn't resist his small chuckle. "Let's say that that I get really protective of those I really care about," he shrugged simply, his demeanour slowing down to a stiff and unsure (which is very much unlike him). "Especially when it comes to you, Juvia."

Juvia mentally shook the thought away. "Because Juvia and Gray-sama have known each other since we were pretty young. Sixteen, or so, when Gray-sama joined?"

"Not like that," Gray mumbled. "It's more than that, Juvia, and you know that."

Juvia stole a quick glance before looking out the passenger window. "Gray-sama...Gray-sama knows that it's -" she cleared her throat and exhaled. Her cheeks burning harder now. "If Jose ever found out about anyone in a relationship outside of Phantom Lord's territory, things won't be good."

"Jose is more bark and no bite," Gray bit out, making Juvia bite her lip to hold back her giggle.

A tiny smile on her lips, Juvia played with her fingers. "I-if Juvia could, she wishes she could -!"

A loud, ear-splitting whistle echoed through the barriers of Gray's car, igniting the start of the race between him and the Trinity Raven rocker beside him. He stole a glance to his passenger, who went expressionless and stared ahead of her, leaving him to remind himself that this race was about her future. His foot on the gas and his right hand on the gear stick, Gray set himself on the poorly paved road on the mountain alongside with the Road Runner screeching its tires. He was thankful that they both had their seat belt straps across their torsos when he made the first out of the top, from lurching to different sides with force.

Juvia closed her eyes and breathed, feeling her heart rate slowing down with the smooth sound of the engine massaging her back in her seat and the sound of the screeching tires distracted her from reality. This was always a remedy for her, being inside a car when she was stressed or feeling ill; whether it was her driving or someone else, it was always the cars that made her feel better about everything around her, ever since she was very small.

However, riding inside Gray's car for the first time, is sparked a vivid memory that she buried deep in the back of her head. While she would be alright with her brother driving her around and make her feel better all the time, Juvia could remember how her stepfather used drive her and Gajeel around, way before her brother could drive by himself. It was different when her stepfather drove on the road, compared to her driving or even his own son's driving skills.

Whenever Gajeel's dad drove, even when he wasn't racing and just going for a slow ride, Juvia could feel how he was driving with a whole purpose behind the wheel. It was like Juvia could see her dad being part of the car, and vice versa, and then the whole world was in that one man's favor for that moment. Like now, inside Gray's car, with her in the seat, she felt how perfect and precise Gray's concentration was on the task.

Looking up, during a drifting turn where Vidaldus's ride was twisting alongside Gray, nearly pushing them over the edge into the rocky cliff, Juvia came to the sudden realization that her own hand was…

"It's okay," Gray's voice was stern, yet gentle in tone. Juvia's eyes snapped down to see her hand grasping his thick wrist in a vice grip, her knuckles turning white. Once Gray forced the gear to shift into drive, he briefly let go of the knob and flipped his palm upward. He tangled their fingers while his other hand held onto the wheel, turning it hastily. Bringing their hands up to his chin, he pressed his mouth to her stiff fingers, speaking against them. "It's going to be okay, Juvia."

But Juvia knew that. She knew that Gray had this handled perfectly in his mind, and she couldn't bring herself to doubt him. Juvia couldn't remember how she got to the point of holding onto Gray like that - she was calming down just fine! The blue haired woman certainly didn't want to come off that she was anywhere near nervous or afraid.

A sudden bump to Juvia's side made her head snap the other way, eyes sharpening to Vidaldus trying to push Gray against the rocky wall. She briefly heard Gray swear before pressing back just as hard, aiming their rides in the middle of the road. Looking ahead, Juvia saw an upcoming turn that would lead to a downhill pathway to the bottom, where Natsu, Levy and Lucy were waiting at the end of the told finish line for the winner…

"Gray-sama," Juvia said cooly, feeling him bring their hands down and back onto the knob. This time, Gray arranged her palm to grasp with his own hand holding hers in place, both gripping it tightly. Her brows creased, seeing how the two cars have not let up on their pushing against each other. This was going to cause a very dangerous issue.

"Just wait, Juvia," he said at the feeling of her hand stiffening underneath his palm. Both himself and Vidaldus were picking up speed, yet, if they were to remain pushing against each other as they make a turn, it would cause a collision and a crash no doubt. He saw how Juvia's face was calm-looking, but he knew her better.

Gray picked up more speed, intimidating his rival to do the same, but he could sense the hesitation from the Road Runner before bumping him again. Smirking, Gray glanced to Juvia and whispered for her attention and the blue haired woman blinked her way to him, raising a brow. "You think I can get a prize when I win?"

Juvia blinked again, this time in confusion. "Gray-sama, you're going to -!"

Gray stomped on the brake and made both of their hands shift the gear, stopping Juvia from responding and twisted the wheel sharply, causing a piercing shriek of the tires on the pavement. Juvia blinked when she saw in the rearview mirror of the Dodge Road Runner colliding with a boulder of the turn, having unable to turn on cue with the Subaru Impreza on the sharp turn. Its front fender was bent, but no horrible damages to the bulky car as Gray practically flew down the hill and to the end of the trail.

Gray drifted at the bottom, spinning his car into a figure eight to circle Natsu's ride, seeing how the flaming doors opened and Natsu jumped out while Lucy helped Levy climb through. Once he put the car into a stop, Gray let out a satisfied exhale and opened his door, leaving the engine running while Juvia blinked herself back to reality. Her door opened and Juvia released her seatbelt and was pulled out of the car and into a bone-crushing hug by her cousin, who was crying hard.

"Juju-chan! Juju-chaaan!" Levy shrieked as Lucy came up behind the mechanic and joined in the hug. Juvia was a little bit taken aback by the attentions she was receiving, but returned the hug with gentle, curious pats on her cousin and the blonde's backs.

In the distance Natsu approached Gray and gave him a snarky punch to his shoulder, which the dark haired man returned with a brotherly smack to the back of his head. Natsu snickered and gave his friend a thumbs up. "Had to tell the ladies that you got it covered. Poor Lucy was freaking out in her seat and covered her eyes."

Gray shrugged. "Not like I haven't done this before. Laxus is still better than I am with drift racing, I'll admit."

"Still, that was pretty neat what you did near the bottom, man," Natsu pointed out, looking up to see the Road Runner slowly making it's way down. Frowning, Natsu directed Gray's attention to how the car didn't stop, but rather sped out of the area and to the main road of the city.

Gray frowned at this, his brows settling to a frustrated crease as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Can't even man up and leave the car?" he sniffed bitterly at the Trinity Raven's car disappearing into the road. "Poor excuse for a gang, in my opinion."

"Yeah, but hit 'em where it hurts, they won't hesitate to bring friends along," Natsu reminded him with a serious face. "Since Totomaru probably knows what's up, he'll handle it to Jose for later notes. I don't think they're going to go anywhere near the bar - for a while, at least."

Gray's eyes darted to the three girls, the two from his gang still clinging and chattering away to the mute and confused woman. Seeing her now, dressed like she was a normal girl in her summer dress, her blue hair up in a messy bun with her bangs framing her face - Gray could have seen her, never knowing who she was, and think of her as an average woman walking in the city.

But he knew better, unfortunately.

Feeling another bump to his shoulder, Gray looked back to the pink haired man, who had an odd look in his eye as he grinned like an idiot. Narrowing his eyes, Gray cocked his head to the side as he stared back at his friend.

"What is it, moron?" he bit out, but that only made Natsu grin even bigger. Gray didn't think that would have been possible, unlike that one time when Laxus caught Natsu and tried to staple Natsu's face.

"You're the knight in shining armor, icicle," Natsu cooed cheekily as he poked upwards on Gray's arm, who stiffened and his face strained in a pain/irritated look. "Wait till I tell everyone back at the garage!"

Gray grabbed the giggling Natsu by the scarf and hauled them to be nose-to-nose. "I swear to God, if you tell anyone about that, I'm gonna -!"

"Excuse me."

Both Natsu and Gray sprang apart at the sound of Juvia's soft voice interrupting them. Beside her was Lucy, her arms crossed and glaring at Natsu with an accusing hum, and Levy with her hands coiled around Juvia's bare arm. Gray cleared his throat and straightened himself before officially turning to the women.

Juvia's lips twitched to a tiny frown. "Juvia doesn't wish to be a bother, but… Juvia needs to go to the bar," she announced softly, looking down to her sandaled feet. "Juvia left her phone in her car, and Juvia is still on call tonight."

"Oh, yeah," Gray perked, running his hand through his hair. "I can take you there, no problem."

Looking to the Salamander, Gray raised a brow, hoping his pal would get the message. Natsu tilt his head before blowing a airy chuckle. "I can take Levy and Luce home for ya. I'm sure Luce would like to chat with a girl on the ride home tonight, right, Luce?" Natsu swung his gaze to the blonde, who blinked before going red in the cheeks.

"Uhm...oh! Y-yeah!" Lucy nodded hard before blushing to Levy, who was already grinning with mischievousness. "Levy-chan, we have loads to talk about on the ride home, right?"

Levy made a soft cooing noise before nuzzling her face against Juvia's shoulder. "It's not a problem with me. But, I was really hoping to spend more time with Juju-chan and Lulu-chan at the same time. That sounds like a fun idea - Ohh, Juju-chan, I wish I can bring you home with me!"

"Juvia is sorry, Levy-chan," Juvia blushed, fiddling with her fingers. "But, it's like Juvia said, she's on call and Nii-chan will be looking for Juvia when she isn't home before the night falls."

"I know, Juju-chan," Levy sighed with bliss before leaning away from her cousin, grasping both of her hands with a bright smile. Juvia couldn't help but return a half-smile. "I'll try to visit the bar sometime soon, okay? I'll bring Lulu-chan with me, so you two can get to know each other better. Is that alright with you?"

"Juvia works morning shifts for the next few weeks," the blue haired racer nodded, looking to Lucy. "Juvia will make sure to make Lucy-chan and Levy-chan special treats, if you have any preferences."

"Oh, Lulu-chan, you should try Juvia's apple pie!" Levy grinned to the blonde, who peeped in surprise. "No! You should make your chocolate cake, Juju-chan! Yeah, or maybe sundaes?"

Juvia gave a warm smile. "Juvia will figure something special out," she promised, gently squeezing Levy's hands. "Levy-chan and Lucy-chan, please have a good night, and Juvia will see you two soon?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice...Juvia-chan," Lucy flushed sweetly to the two. "It's great seeing you, too. You have a safe night, too!"

For that moment, Gray saw the Juvia that was somewhat rare to see in public. Her eyes sparkling against the lights of the sun and her lips parting to a bright and honest smile; she looked truly happy, and Gray could feel his heart race when she giggled like a little angel behind her fingertips. That moment, Gray really wished that she was born in a different life. The kind of life where she didn't have to be targeted by other gangs for her body, or she had to defend herself and jump cars at tops speed - he knew her better than that, though. Gray Fullbuster knew that Juvia Lockser, in no matter what life she was born into, she was going to have to struggle with difficult things no matter where she went.

But Gray wished that he could be there more for her, and it bothers him that he can't.

.

.

.

=xxx=

AUTHOR'S ENDING NOTE - Tokyo Drift was my least/most favorite of the F&F series. Mainly because the casting for the main role was too old in appearance to play a seventeen year old, but I also like the idea for the plot. But, then again, I'm a big fan of the other films, too.

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