Author's Note: Hello! This is my first fanfiction on this account, and the very first one I've written for Fairy Tail. I've had a few ideas in my head, but eventually I settled on this one. Enjoy (hopefully)!
1: Star Bound
With a quiet sigh, Lucy Heartfillia leaned forward in the wooden seat, frowning further as the chair squeaked underneath her. She lifted a single finger towards the magazine, lazily flipping the thin pages until she found an interesting article.
Then she stopped, brown eyes widening slightly and mouth barely ajar. The hand that was previously resting against her head - palm splayed out across her cheek - fell to the table. The same hand traced the wispy logo on the top of the page before the girl squinted slightly, heaving out an even larger sigh than before.
Fairy Tail.
Sure, the blonde had looked through this issue of NOW Magazine, a weekly magazine that published all the latest updates for hot musicians, artists, actors, and entertainers, nearly three other times since the magazine had come out two days ago. Yet even so, she found herself drawn to this specific page again and again. It was a two-page spread that detailed information on the entertainment company known as Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail was renowned nationwide for its rigorous training that sent out a number of entertainers, musicians, actors, and models whose skilled triumphed far above their competition.
Did Lucy want to join? Hell yes. Could she? ...That was a different matter entirely.
Thousands of people applied during their audition weeks every year, and only a fraction of them ever made it in. The judges were said to be terrifying, able to crush your dreams entirely and send applicants off feeling terrible about themselves. It was also said that there used to be a time when the company would accept everyone and anyone… however, the company's success became too much, and they had to cease how lenient they were being when it came to accepting applicants.
Of course, these were all rumors. There was no proof that the judges were as awful as Lucy heard - after all, the company boss was said to be a small old man who loved all of his members dearly.
Then again, that could easily be another rumor.
For the umpteenth time that day, Lucy exhaled a sigh. She strung the strap of her acoustic guitar case over a shoulder, pushing 500 Jewel under her now empty cup of tea. Thanking the waitress as she exited the small cafe, the blonde began to walk along the curb near the river, waving off the shouts of worry coming from the men in the boats near the river that ran through the city.
She was in Magnolia Town.
The thought alone was still enough to cause her heart to beat rapidly and erratically. Lucy had arrived a few days ago and had been staying in a hotel. One of the audition weeks for Fairy Tail would start in two weeks, and she… was kinda banking on making it in.
Well, she hoped. She would be screwed if she didn't.
It wouldn't be an understatement to say that the girl didn't have anywhere to turn. After a certain situation left her stranded and isolated from her father, she was running only on the remainder of her funds - which were quickly running out - while praying that her talent was good enough. After all… it was something that she wanted to do. Her mother had supported her, and her father, in his younger years, encouraged her as well.
Swallowing hard, Lucy shook the thoughts away and gazed around at her surroundings.
She had, thanks to being lost in her fantastical thoughts, ended up in a small park. A few people were here and there, some walking their dogs, some lounging on the playset, some resting on the benches.
Whether it was the pure euphoria of being in Magnolia or the need to practice before performing in front of judges, Lucy found herself sliding her guitar case down her shoulder and gently setting it on its side. Gingerly dropping herself to the soft grass, she propped her guitar up to a comfortable position, one end draping over her crossed leg, and tested the strings. Good. They didn't sound out of tune at all.
With a shaky breath inward, she began to strum on the strings, changing the positions of her left fingers every so often to change the chords. After warming up, she felt a tad more comfortable and began to strum to a song. [1]
Her hums, though they started off as quiet murmurs to herself, eventually increased in volume. Shutting her eyes on instinct, Lucy focused only on the words coming out of her lips, the way her fingers pressed against the strings, the way that the wind just barely ruffled her hair…
It was only when the song was finished did her eyes creep open, widening even further when she released that a small group of people were surrounded her. Some were smiling widely while others were cheering.
"Again!"
"What was that song?"
"Are you a member of Fairy Tail?"
To the last question, Lucy could do little more than swallow hard and quickly shake her head - though the fact that one of these people thought she belonged to the Fairy Tail made her head spin in delight. "No, but I'm trying out this year."
"Really?" The man who had asked the question smiled wider, leaning down ever so slightly just to pat the blonde's hair. "You'll definitely make it."
"I sure hope so," she responded, somewhat sadly, as her fingers instinctively began to move on their own. Before she knew it, she was basking in the attention - which made her giddy with joy - and eventually was on her way to singing a fourth song. [2]
By this time, the crowd around her had opted on sitting on the grass as well, swaying softly as Lucy's voice and playing rained down on them. Unknowingly to the girl, however, was that a member of the very company she was banking on joining had situated himself in the crowd as well.
He had been a passerby, simply strolling through the somewhat quieter and smaller park that rarely was packed. Today was one such day, but the situation had been a bit different. Where the people would normally be sparsely distributed over the area, in small groups or alone, today they were all concentrated in the same spot, situated around an unfamiliar face. Wanting to see just what the commotion was about, he chose to approach.
And dear Mavis, was he glad that he did.
There was a large crowd surrounding this girl, and just from being there, he understood why. The girl sang like an angel. Her voice sounded as if it had been carefully trained, and he found himself shutting his eyes and drowning in the mesmerizing sound that was her voice. He wondered… which company was she from? Surely he would recognize this sound from anywhere-
Then it stopped, and from the disgruntled sounds near him, Natsu could tell that he wasn't the only one who was upset about it. Yet the blonde girl merely offered smiles and apologies, promising that she would come back here tomorrow probably. Then she had stood up, collecting the Jewel that had been thrown in her guitar case, and began to head to the main section of town.
"Wait up!"
Lucy visibly winced at the sound, turning on her heel rather quickly to see a boy with vibrant pink hair rushing in her direction. Cocking an eyebrow, she brushed a thick strand of hair back over her shoulder. "Yes?"
"That was really cool!" he blurted, his confession coming much more sudden and being much more bold than the girl could have ever imagined. "Which company do you belong to?!"
"Oh, um-" She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks, both out of surprise and embarrassment, but she was quick to shake it off. "Um, thanks!" That was when her gaze trailed down, noting - among his rather strange attire - the… company marking. Her mouth fell open, quickly meeting his gaze once again, when she realized just what it was.
A Fairy Tail marking.
She took a step back and observed him more closely. A pink, unkempt mop of hair was gathered on his head, and the smile glued to his face was contagious. Dark eyes. Tan skin. A sleeveless dark vest with orange trim that was hung open, therefore showing off what Lucy thought to be a very nice pack of abs. Scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. Baggy white pants. Casual shoes. And on one arm, right below his shoulder, a red Fairy Tail marking was clearly printed.
"Wait, you're in Fairy Tail-!?" she cut in, not even thinking of answering his question. Wait. She searched her mind and was fairly certain that she had seen that fiery pink hair in NOW Magazine at least once before…
His smile dropped, but only for a second. In another moment, it had been replaced by an even wider, toothy grin. "Hell yeah I am! And what about you? Though I doubt that it would be as good as being a Fairy-"
"Mm. You're probably right." Lucy paused before offering a softer smile. "Lucy. And I don't belong to a company."
"Natsu." He roughly took Lucy's smaller hand in his, shaking it rather erratically. His eyebrows were raised, and his dark eyes pierced the girl in front of him. "You… don't belong to a company?"
"Nope."
"And why's that?"
"I haven't auditioned for one before." Lucy shrugged, turning on her heel to begin walking slowly towards the main part of town. Natsu followed behind, arms crossed behind his head as they walked.
"Well, that's dumb." He said after a moment. Then his face brightened, and the boy spun around towards her. "Wait! Fairy Tail is actually having audition week soon. You should definitely try out!"
"I know," she drawled, laughing lightly. "That's actually why I'm here in the first place."
She could hear him laugh next to her, a low, somewhat victorious sound, as he threw his arms above his head. "Awesome! I'm sure you'll make it in!"
"Thanks," she murmured back. Hearing it from someone who was actually apart of the company resonated a little better with the girl, but there was still a large, fearful feeling gnawing at her insides. Simply talking about her audition - which would determine if she would stay in Magnolia or not - was enough to cause her hands to shake, lips trembling in response.
That was when the boy next to her - Natsu - shrieked all of a sudden, and when Lucy turned, she saw that he was staring wide eyed at his phone. "C-Crap! I forgot that I- Shit. I've gotta go before Erza tries to kill me-! Nice talking to you, see you soon, Luigi!"
Then the boy with the flaming pink hair was running off, leaving Lucy standing there in the dust with a single eyebrow raised. Luigi?
Weird.
"What the hell."
Lucy was currently laying on her bed, arms raised above her body as her hands held onto a issue of NOW Magazine from a few months ago. After walking around the town for a little bit longer, she had returned to her hotel room and started to dig through her (many) issues of NOW.
The boy in the park had been on her mind. Not the boy himself, but the name. The hair. She mainly paid attention to the Fairy Tail articles dealing with the school's music and acting programs (as those were the divisions that she was attempting to join), but she could have sworn that she had seen his name a few months back.
And she was right.
There, clearly on the page, was an article titled: "Fire breaks out while Fairy Tail "Wizard" Natsu Dragneel performs live".
She carefully read over the article, biting her lips as her blonde brows furrowed down. According to NOW, Natsu Dragneel, a dancer and stunt performer of Fairy Tail, had accidentally started a fire while performing and managed to burn a few people within the audience. Apparently, Natsu's dancing style was based more around engagement and dangerous tricks, and though the boy seemingly had lots of experience with performing with fire, the damage to the stage - and a handful of people - was nothing laughable. His dances were, however, seen to be beautiful: He mixed used a dancing style of poi, often using fire fans, to create highly engaging, complex, beautiful, yet dangerous acts.
Now that Lucy had finally found his name, she dropped the magazine to her bed and continued on staring towards the ceiling. It wasn't a secret that Fairy Tail - though renowned - often committed rather dubious or sketchy acts. Lucy had read stories about fights between members of Fairy Tail and other companies; she saw articles about the scandals and rumors that plagued many of the members. But she also knew about the success stories. Every member was secured to go to stardom.
Neither of those were reasons that she wanted to audition.
Rolling onto her side, Lucy heaved out a sigh and drew her legs closer to her body. She stayed in that position for a few minutes before glancing at her cell. Ten PM and her heart was still pounding.
It took awhile, but finally, the girl was able to drift asleep.
The few days before Fairy Tail's audition week filled the city with hopeful applicants and people with dreams. Hotels were booked - luckily Lucy had reserved prior to witnessing the storm of people infiltrate the city - and it was possible to see people performing in the street.
Such was currently the case as she walked down the main street. To her left, a group of three boys were dancing and doing flips. A bit further down the street, there was someone dressed as a mime. And even further away, though within hearing distance, was the sound of a girl playing passionately on her violin.
It was probably an attempt to get in the judges' favors before the actual audition, but Lucy, for whatever reason, doubted that such an attempt would help much.
So she continued down the street, occasionally stopping to watch or listen to a performance. There were so many people who were auditioning that were amazing. Their bodies moved in ways that Lucy couldn't imagine; their voices hit the notes that Lucy still strained to reach.
"Hey! Are you trying out for Fairy Tail?"
Turning on her heel, Lucy saw a well-built man leaning by the doorframe of a cafe. Though she gazed around the area, she found nobody else close enough in the vicinity other than both of them. He must've been addressing her.
"I- Yeah. You could tell?"
The man merely nodded, cocking a half-smile and winking. "The guitar. It's that time of the year."
"Oh." She fiddled with the strap crossed diagonally over her chest and slowly trailed her eyes over to the man. Dark brown hair. Well-dressed in a suit. Average looking.
He continued to nod, one arm bent and palm facing up. "There's a karaoke event going on inside. Might be good for you to try it."
"Uh-"
"You wanna practice before being ripped apart by those judges, right?"
"What?" Lucy cocked an eyebrow, now staring at the man head on. "That might not happen…!"
"It does to nine out of ten applicants. Are you saying you're not in that majority?"
"Well-"
"Then prove it." The man had reached for the doorknob, slowly beginning to open the wooden door. Lucy pursed her lips, but found herself walking towards the entrance, her heart pounding rapidly against her chest. The man was right, after all. If she wasn't good enough here, her dreams would get crushed.
The atmosphere within the cafe was much more different than the carefree groups and individuals performing their acts outside. The lights were dim, and a handful of people sat alone at tables. There was a larger group of people in the front, hollering and shouting as one man completed his act. He bent forward with a large, sweeping bow before placing the microphone back on its stand and exiting the stage.
"There's a signup sheet up front," the man who had been outside urged her. Lucy nodded tentatively, cautiously walking near the front. Nobody turned to look at her as she hastily scribbled her name down.
The twenty minute wait before her performance was nerve-wracking. Other people who had signed up also performed, and though some were mediocre, others were fantastic. One girl in particular had a voice like a lullaby that calmed Lucy down temporarily.
But then the announcer was calling her name, and Lucy found herself scrambling to the stage, guitar still strapped over her chest even if she wasn't going to use it.
"Song?"
Freezing, Lucy realized that she hadn't even checked the song book. Face flushing - thus cueing a handful of laughter from the crowd - she scurried towards the book, skimming over the choices, before seeing one song. Nodding inwardly, she shouted out: "17!"
Then she was back to the center of the stage, and when the music finally started to play, it filled the room with a warm, familiar tone. Some of the audience members hollered out as they recognized the tune.
Swaying to the beat, the way the audience was acting actually… soothed some of her nerves. "Fairy, where are you going?" The lyrics came to her easily, and the rest of the song continued with few mistakes.
Unknowingly to Lucy, a small group of teenagers had decided to enter the cafe during her song, chatting and bickering amongst themselves as they got a table.
"Hold it, Ice Princess!" A certain boy with fiery pink hair cursed, shoving a single finger in the direction of a male with darker hair. When the voice made it to his ears, he found himself turning towards the center of the stage. Upon gaining the realization that it was Luigi, his grin spread from ear to ear as he hooted and started to clap.
"Did you just-!?" Though 'Ice Princess' wasn't able to respond when Natsu shoved a finger over his lips, he quickly pushed the finger off of himself. Before retorting, however, he finally took notice of the girl on the stage.
The third person of the group, a female with striking red hair and an intimidating aura, roughly kicked both of the boys from underneath the table. "Not right now!" she hissed. "Someone's performing - be respectful!"
While Gray visibly became paler and immediately straightened his back, Natsu took no notice. He was leaning forward, feet pointed towards Lucy, as he listened earnestly to the song.
The other two at the table exchanged glances due to the girl currently on the stage, but they remained silent.
When the girl on stage finally finished, the cafe erupted in hoots and cheers. Natsu gave a standing ovation, and Erza and Gray chose to clap from their seats.
Giving a low bow to the audience, Lucy was giddy - face flushed - as she skipped off the stage. The rush of performing, the cheers and "Oh yeah"s coming from the crowd as she sung… Her heart continued to beat quickly against her chest, but this kind of nervousness was good. She would never want to lose this euphoric feeling currently rising up inside her.
As she accepted a glass of water from one of the waitresses, Lucy wished with every ounce of her being that she would be accepted.
Author's Note: Aah, and first chapter's done. :^D
I'm terrified about copyright infringement (I'm kind of scared about the one line I put in), so parts that will be sung will use the [#] format. These will lead to the end A/N and say which song I pictured for that scene. There are two like that in this chapter, but the singing isn't the main part of the story (so if you think it's weird, it won't be like this a lot ajdkf).
[1] Wings - Birdy
[2] Delicate - Fauntella Crow