Natsu sat on the grass looking out over the river. The light of the setting sun dancing in sparkles on the waters surface. Happy sat next to him eating a fish and being quiet. He knew Natsu was in deep thought so he didn't want to disturb him. He had been quiet all day, even while they were out in the woods fishing.
Contemplating feelings, especially those of a romantic nature was not something Natsu had ever spent much time doing. He felt as if he had steam coming out of his ears from the gears in his mind working too hard. But he knew that some time soon he had to come to a conclusion, and he wasn't going to give up. He knew that if his silent thoughts and alone time didn't work for him, then he would have to go and talk to someone about it. This may be a situation he couldn't figure out on his own, no matter how hard he was willing to try.
Natsu let out a sigh and closed his eyes, tilting his head to the ground. Happy took this as the end of Natsu's deep-thinking-time.
"Natsu, feeling better?" Happy asked.
"Still confused Happy. This is some rough stuff. I wasn't born for this." Natsu sighed.
"You were born to fight!" Happy cheered.
"YEAH!" Natsu shouted, and they both laughed.
"Do you want to go home now Natsu?"
"Yeah."
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Ember woke up with the morning sun shining on her face. She stretched her body out like a cat, but quickly coiled in on herself. Stretching too hard still hurt her ribs. She let out a pitiful groan. Laxus rolled himself over and threw his arm over her body. Feeling her tenseness he opened his eyes and sat up, looking at her confused.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"I stretched too hard." Ember pouted.
"Oh, don't be a wimp." Laxus laughed and kissed her forehead.
Laxus sat up and stretched himself, his arms reaching out like giant wings. Ember laughed as his face contorted hilariously from his yawn.
"You know, I could have stolen all of your stuff and neither of you idiots would have ever known." A voice chuckled.
Ember and Laxus both jumped out of bed, immediately on the defense. They scanned the room and noticed Natsu and Happy, both of them sitting on Ember's breakfast table. Luckily for everyone no one was naked this time. Laxus and Ember growled at Natsu and sat down on the edge of the bed, waiting to hear what ridiculous story he might have for them this time. Natsu smiled at the both of them, baring his teeth.
"What is it Natsu?" Ember asked.
"You really have to learn how to knock you little punk." Laxus sneered.
"Well maybe if you ever went home…" Natsu sighed.
"What the hell? That's not even your business!" Laxus shouted.
"Alright enough. Anyways." Ember laughed.
"Ember, I did what you told me to do. With Lisanna and Lucy. I spent all of yesterday thinking about it, and I still haven't figured it out." Natsu sighed.
"Oh! OH! Well, did you feel anything?" Ember asked excitedly.
"Yes. I felt a few different things." Natsu said.
"Well tell me, like what?" Ember got up and went over to the breakfast table to sit down. She was now entirely into the conversation.
"Ugh, girls and their weird shit." Laxus rolled his eyes and laid back down on the bed.
"Well….something weird happened." Natsu sighed.
"Just spit it out!" Ember laughed.
"Uhmmm…." Natsu looked down at his lap, and his face turned bright red.
"OH HAHA OH OKAY!" Ember yelled, laughing hysterically. Laxus was laughing over on the bed as well.
"Natsu! Congratulations, you ARE a man!" Laxus cheered.
"Eeehhh….." Natsu groaned.
"Okay okay. That's normal. But that doesn't help you figure out who you have emotional feelings for." Ember nodded.
"No, just that he definitely wouldn't mind getting busy with either one of them. Don't blame yah." Laxus chuckled.
"Really? Enough from you!" Ember snapped at Laxus, waving her hand at him and turning back to Natsu.
"So now what?" Natsu asked.
"Just sit back and see what happens. I'm sure something will soon. This time, don't force anything, let it happen naturally." Ember said, and Natsu nodded.
"HEYO EMBER!" a yell from outside.
Laxus, Ember, and Natsu all turned their heads towards the front window. Someone was yelling from the street. Laxus sat up and stuck his head out the window, which was right next to the bed. Down on the street below was Gajeel and Levy. Levy waved up at him with a smile. Gajeel had been the one that yelled.
"Oh, Laxus, what's up brother?" Gajeel said up to the window.
"Don't call me brother. What do you want?" Laxus huffed.
"Master wants everyone at the guild hall as soon as possible. I don't know if it's something serious or not. But Lucy stopped by Levy's and we figured we would yell up to Ember since we would be walking by anyways."
"Alright, we will be down there soon. Thanks for letting us know."
Gajeel and Levy nodded and made their way down the street. Ember and Natsu had heard the conversation and were already by the door ready to leave. Laxus grunted and got off the bed, quickly getting dressed.
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"Master, is there trouble? Why are you calling everyone in?" Mira asked nervously.
"No trouble. You will see." Makarov nodded from his seat on top of the bar.
"Are you sure? I'm not battle ready today." Cana asked.
"Well maybe if you didn't drink so much." Freed snickered.
"Watch it clown." Cana smiled, smacking Freed in the chest.
Besides the wizards out on jobs, almost everyone was present in the guild hall. Max and Warren sat in a corner talking amongst themselves. Wendy and Carla sat with Romeo, His father Macao, and Wakaba. Gray, Juvia, Erza, and an out of breath Lucy sat together at another table. Evergreen, Bickslow, Lisanna, and Elfman sat socializing with each other not far from the bar. Mira was behind the bar, and Cana and Freed sat at the bar, Master Makarov sitting on top of it.
Gajeel and Levy walked in, Pantherlily walking at Gajeels after Ember, Laxus, and Natsu came in. This trio got a few weird looks from people, but was then quickly ignored. Natsu went and joined Erza and the others. Ember and Laxus walked over to the bar.
"What's wrong old man? Is there something up?" Laxus asked, sitting in a stool next to his grandfather.
"No. Nothing is up. Ember, how are you doing my dear?" Makarov said, smiling at Ember.
"Oh, I'm doing a lot better. If I move the wrong way it hurts though. But that is to be expected." Ember smiled at the Master.
"I'm sure you move the wrong way a lot." Cana snickered, gulping at her drink. Mira giggled and Freed shot her a dirty look.
"Cana, I don't care if you are a girl, or Gildarts daughter, I will destroy you." Laxus growled.
"Don't worry Laxus, I will do it for you." Freed said proudly. Mira and Cana just laughed. Ember rolled her eyes and went to sit next to Cana.
Makarov stood up on the bar and cleared his throat loudly. He knocked his walking stick a few times and the sound it made on the bar reverberated through the entire guild hall. All the wizards turned their attention to the Master. He smiled a giant goofy smile, and this caused everyone to relax. Most of them had been under the impression he was going to send people out to fight.
"Good morning children! Lately we have dealt with a lot of drama. And injuries. So I am taking it upon myself to bring on a bit of fun." The Master beamed.
"Oh no. What does he have up his sleeve." Gray whispered to Juvia. She shrugged.
"Gray, pay attention please. Thank you. Anyways, we are going to play a game. And it's going to be public. The citizens of Magnolia are already preparing the festivities out in the center of town. There will be food, and games for the citizens. All the good stuff. But the main attraction is The Dating Game! And you will all be the contestants! A fun filled time where the citizens of the city get to see their beloved Wizards blush and swoon!" Makarov cheered.
"You have got to be KIDDING?" Laxus said in shock.
"What is this Master? A dating game? What?" Mira blushed.
"This could get ugly. Fast." Gray chuckled.
"No kidding." Erza sighed.
"What kind of crap are you trying to pull old man?" Laxus growled.
"I'm not trying to pull anything. Just want to have some fun. Of course, it may not be as fun for all of you." Makarov giggled.
"What do you mean?" Mira asked.
"Well, no one is being set up with their actual partner. Unless the game allows it. You might end up with someone totally different!" Makarov laughed, his eyes watering.
"What?" Evergreen gasped.
"That's right. And whoever you end up with, you have to go on a date with them!" Makarov laughed even harder.
"Are you punishing us gramps?" Natsu shouted.
"No. He's just trying to ease the stress everyone has been under recently. He's just bad at it." Erza smiled.
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The center of Magnolia was in fact set up to look like a festival. There were colored lights, balloons, the aromas of all sorts of delicious food. Kids ran around giggling as their parents drank spirits. There was a huge stage set up. In the center of the stage was a huge divider, and on one side of the divider was one single stool, and on the other side there was four stools. This set up had no significance to anyone until Makarov chose to go over the rules.
All the wizards of Fairy Tail, that were currently around to participate, stood off to the side of the stage waiting for more information. They discussed outcomes and bad scenarios amongst themselves. Some of them were secretly excited to actually go out on a date. Other's were dreading ending up with someone other than the person they wanted to end up with. And if someone was to get jealous, that could turn out bad for the festivities.
Makarov walked out onto the stage with a megaphone in his hands. He turned to the crowd with a giant smile on his face he welcomed everyone and introduced himself, even though the citizens already knew who he was.
"Thank you for coming to The Dating Game festival. I am sure that you will all be delighted to watch Magnolia's wizards ask and answer questions and ultimately end up going on a date with whoever is their closest match. The rules are simple. One wizard will sit on one side of the divider, this will be the one asking the questions. On the other side will be four other wizards, and they have to answer that question. Now, so that no one can choose an answer based on the voice of the person, everyone has to write their questions and answers down on a piece of paper. The question will be pushed through a slot that is in the divider, and the four wizards on the other side will answer it on another piece of paper, then return it to the other side of the slot. The question asker will then make themselves known and read off the question and answers. They will choose their favorite answer and it will be revealed who they will go on a date with. Is everyone ready?"
The crowd cheered. The wizards sighed. While this had the ability to be highly entertaining for anyone watching, it was also bound to be torture for some of the contestants.
"Round one. Start."
Sitting on the single stool and waving to the crowd was Cana, a drink in one hand, a piece of paper in the other. On the other side of the divider sat Bickslow, Macao, Gajeel, and Max. The guys all smiled and waved, except for Gajeel. He sat with his arms crossed. They each had paper and a writing instrument. Cana wrote her question down and stuck it through the slot. The answers came back. She picked up the papers and revealed herself by walking onto the other side of the divider. She wasn't impressed by her prospects, but Bickslow and Max hooted and hollered. With her back turned to the guys, she acknowledged the crowd.
"The question I asked was, 'what is your favorite thing to do with your spare time?'. The answers are 1. Train my body to be stronger. 2. Hang out with friends. 3. relax at the guild hall. and 4. anything and everything. Well, I'm going to have to choose answer number 3, because that's where I spend most of my free time, and there is alcohol there." Cana said with a smile. She turned around and her suitor stood up. It was Macao.
"It looks like our tarot card wizard is going on a date with Macao, the wizard who can make fire sticky!" Makarov cheered. The crowd hooted and hollered, and everyone exited the stage.
Next it was Freed sitting alone, and on the other side of the divider sat MiraJane, Juvia, Wendy, and Laki. Freed was uncomfortable with this, so he quickly wrote down his question and slipped it through the slot. The answers came back and he picked them up with a shaky hand. He stood up and went to the other side of the divider. His face turned as red as a rose bush. All four girls, including poor Wendy, were in bikinis. He quickly turned his back to them.
"Well I see someone is having their fun. Anyways. The question I asked was ' What is the best use of your magic?'. The answers were, 1. To help others. 2. For protection. 3. For Gray. and 4. To help my friends and family. I'm going to have to go with number 2.. Protection is a good use of magic, and Juvia, you made yourself too obvious." Freed said with a stood up with a smile and waved at Freed, her purple hair in a high ponytail. He blushed uncontrollably, but wasn't entirely disappointed.
"And it looks like our rune writer Freed will be going on a date with the wizard of wood-make magic, Laki!" Makarov hooted.
Lisanna sat on her stool, smiling and waving and letting herself have a good time. She hoped Natsu was on the other side, and that she ended up picking his answer. A girl could dream. When the answers came back she quickly went to the other side. She beamed when she saw that Natsu was there! Along with Bickslow, Laxus, and Elfman. She was confused as to why her older brother was there. Makarov had a sick mind.
"I don't know why my brother Elf is over here, but hopefully I don't choose his answer. I asked 'What was your favorite childhood activity?'. The answers were, 1. fight. 2. play with animals. 3. sing to my parakeet. And 4. listen to music. Well, I'm going to have to go with number 2, because I love animals!" Lisanna smiled widely. Bickslow stood up, raising his fists in the air, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Lisanna gasped. Her plan had backfired. She would have never assumed Bickslow to ever play with animals.
"Interesting! Animal Soul Lisanna and the man who controls Souls, Bickslow! Let's get a round of applause for our newest couple!" Makarov was having way too much fun with this. Lisanna sighed.
Sitting on the stool looking off into the distance, Gray didn't care very much for this game. But he had no choice but to play. When his answers came through the slot he picked them up and slowly walked over to see who the girls were. Juvia, Lucy, Erza, and Ember. Not to bad, but he was terrified of what Laxus would do if he chose Ember's answer. And he was sure Juvia's would be so obvious that he could skip right over it.
"Ok. My question was "What is your favorite food?', pretty simple right? So the answers are as follows. 1. Cake and other sweets. 2. Flavored shaved ice. 3. I don't really know. and 4. Magic. Really? Who eats magic? That was a cop out. Anyways, I guess I will go with number 2. Since that's one of my favorites as well." Gray shrugged. Juvia jumped up with a squeal and ran over to Gray, throwing her arms around him. He turned red in embarrassment. But in the back of his head he thought maybe ending up with Juvia really wasn't so bad. They spent a lot of time together already.
"And there you have it. Juvia of water and Gray of ice! Maybe some couples are destined to be together!" Gray shot Makarov a dirty look.
Mira waved and smiled at the crowd, the people cheering and going insane. She hoped their reaction didn't give away who she was. But they had been pretty rowdy the entire time, so she was sure no one knew it was her. And the looks on their faces when she walked to their side of the divider proved she was was bright red and in shock, so was Warren. Laxus and Natsu didn't have much of a reaction.
"Ok, so I asked 'what would you do if you had done something to make me sad?'. The answers are 1. I could never make you sad. 2. Sit down and talk about it. 3. Nothing. And 4. who cares. Well, some of these boys don't seem to really be into this huh? Anyways, I will choose number 1, because it's really sweet." Mira giggled. She turned around and Warren's jaw dropped. He never would have expected to get chosen by Mira! She smiled at him.
"Our very own MiraJane and the guy who can speak inside your head, Warren!" The Master cheered.
Elfman couldn't even sit on the stool, he was too big. So he just stood and flexed his amazing muscles for the crowd. When he picked up the papers with the answers on them he accidently crumpled them, but they were still readable. He lumbered to the other side and sitting there was Ember, Levy, Evergreen, and for some weird reason Carla.
"Why is Carla here? She's a cat! Anyways. I asked 'what makes a man, a man?' Answer 1. Knowing what to do with your hands. 2. Giving in to your emotions. 3. Intelligence. 4. Your actions. I'm going to choose number 4, because I always do manly actions!" Elfman cheered. Carla let out a cry, and Evergreen gasped. Everyone laughed at the fact that Elfman was now doomed to go on a date with a flying and talking white kitty cat.
"Beast Soul Elfman Strauss with how fitting, Fairy Tail's smart and sassy exceed Carla!" Makarov laughed uncontrollably. Evergreen was pissed.
Wendy blushed and smiled nervously. She wasn't very comfortable with this game. She thought it was creepy, especially when Cana had convinced her to wear a bikini the first time she was onstage. She went over to the other side of the divider nervously. Romeo was there, so she felt more comfortable. But Laxus, Max, and Gajeel were there too. And that scared her.
"Uhm. I...I asked "what is your favorite type of magic?'. 1. The strongest kind. 2. Sand manipulation. 3. Dragon Slayer magic. and 4. My magic. I'm going to choose number 3, since I am a dragon slayer, and our magic IS really cool!" Wendy giggled. Romeo jumped up and ran to her, grabbing her hand. She felt instant relief and smiled at him.
"Aww how cute, Fairy Tail's little youngsters! Sky dragon slayer Wendy and rainbow fire wizard Romeo!" Makarov said, winking at the two kids.
Wakaba smoked his pipe as he shuffled through the answers before going to the other side. He had a wife, so this game was wrong for him to be playing in the first place, but his wife was in the crowd having as much fun with it as anyone else. He blew out a cloud of smoke and walked over. Ember, Erza, Levy, and Evergreen were sitting on the stools. He had to admit, he was somewhat disappointed Mira had already gotten a date and couldn't be there. Oh well.
"Mmm, I asked 'what's your biggest turn off that a man could possess?'. 1. Ignorance. 2. Weakness. 3. Not admitting to mistakes. and 3. being too much of a pervert. Hmmm. I guess I will go with number 2. I'm not weak baby!" Wakaba smirked. He heard a disgusted gasp and turned around, it was Evergreen. His eyes bulged out of his head. Great, she was the last female of the four he would want to go on a date with.
"This is getting good! Smoke wizard Wakaba and our actual fairy, Evergreen!" The Master cheered at the crowd. They all cheered back, even Wakaba's wife.
Gritting her teeth, Ember sighed heavily as she looked down at the pieces of paper. She didn't want to do this at all. She had no interest on going out on a date with anyone. Unless it was Laxus of course. But she knew it wouldn't be that easy. She knew the Master didn't want this game to go perfectly for everyone. But she would take it in a mature fashion and with good humor. It was a game afterall. Even though she thought it was a horrible one.
Ember walked to the other side of the divider and was happy to see that Laxus was sitting there. She hoped she was lucky enough to choose his answer, but she didn't let her hopes get too high. Natsu, Gajeel, and Max were also there. With three dragon slayers there, and her a dragon slayer also, there was a huge chance she may pick any one of the three. Wonderful.
"Ok. I had a hard time coming up with a question. But I ended up asking 'how do you view pets?', since I have my very own, and Nunu is extremely important to me. The answers are 1. A pet should be as strong as it's master. 2. Pets are nuances. 3. Cute and cuddly. and 4. Pets should be your best friend and partner. Well…..that's an easy choice then. I go with number 4, because Nunu is definitely my best friend and partner." Ember smiled.
Unfortunately for her, that was Natsu's answer. He looked at her in shock, and at Laxus in fear. Laxus made a face that even made the crowd cringe. He leaned close to Natsu and whispered "Better not touch her, punk." Natsu gulped and nodded. Ember walked off the stage as the Master yelled into the mega phone.
"Alright! Fire dragon Natsu the Salamander and the dragon of Darkness, Ember!" Makarov then turned to Laxus and mouthed 'I'm sorry', with a smirk.
Anger. Impatience. That's all Laxus felt at the moment. He was so mad at his grandfather that at the moment he didn't even want to be related to him. He crumpled the paper with the answers even though in a few seconds he would just have to uncrumple them in order to read them. He walked over to the other side of the divider in a wave of anger. The women cowered from him. Since it was almost the end of the game and there were not many people left, it was three girls instead of four. Erza, Lucy, and Levy.
"Great. These are my options? The crazy redhead, the big boobed bimbo, and the weak book nerd." Laxus sneered.
"LAXUS!" Makarov yelled.
"Ugh. Anyways. I asked 'what is most important in battle?'. 1. Friends. 2. Heart. 3. Strategy. I'm not one for mushy shit, so I will go with strategy." Laxus said, he then crumpled the papers and threw them on the ground, walking off the stage.
Levy looked at Lucy and Erza in fear, because he had chosen her answer. She didn't know what scared her more. Going on a date with Laxus, Ember's anger towards her, or Gajeel over reacting towards Laxus. This could be bad.
Lucy was upset. Natsu had been taken out of the game already, and she didn't want to go on a date with anyone else. She was also still very confused by the kiss he had given her the other day. He hadn't spoken to her since. Her mind was a tornado of negative thoughts. She walked over to the other side and looked at the two remaining guys, Gajeel and Max, and let out a long sigh.
"Okay. Let's finish this. I asked 'how far would you go for friendship?'. Answer 1. I would do anything for my friends. Answer 2. Depends on the friend and the situation. Obviously I am going with Answer 1." Lucy said with a shrug.
The winner was Max. A huge smile was on his face. This game turned out lucky for him indeed. Lucy groaned and walked off the stage.
"Celestial wizard Lucy and sand wizard Max! Wonderful. That means our two last contestants are going on a date as well. Iron dragon Gajeel and the Titania Erza!"
The crowd went wild. The Fairy Tail wizards all gathered behind the stage out of the crowds view. Not everyone was having a good time, and tensions were running high.
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"I hate this. I hate this. I HATE THIS!" Lucy cried, sitting on the ground next to Levy, Erza, and Lisanna.
"Me too. I'm with Laxus. I've been trying to avoid Ember." Levy sighed.
"She knows it's not your fault Levy. Don't worry. And also, I'm with Gajeel, so don't be worried about anything. We probably won't even talk." Erza laughed.
"Guys, I'm with Bickslow." Lisanna whispered. This caused them all to laugh at her expense. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.
"Ember, you must be seething in anger right now. Your man has to go on a date with Levy. She is cute, huh?" Cana teased.
"Oh hush. I'm not worried about anything." Ember laughed.
"Elfman has to go on a date with a cat. How humiliating. And me? I'm stuck with that idiot Wakaba. Ugh." Evergreen sighed.
The three girls stood far away from everyone else. They didn't want to be near any drama if a fight was to break out. And considering the games results, there was bound to be one.
"Laxus!" Gajeel yelled.
"What Gajeel?" Laxus sighed, turning around.
"You better not lay a hand on Levy!" Gajeel growled, getting in Laxus's face.
"Wouldn't dream of it. She's not my type." Laxus snickered.
"Are you calling her ugly? I will pump you full of metal!"
"No, I'm not. But are you dense? Or have you just forgotten that I'm with Ember?"
"Oh. Right." Gajeel instantly calmed down. "Sorry man."
Laxus nodded at his fellow guild mate, and Gajeel calmly walked away. Bickslow and Freed laughed while shaking their heads. They were shocked. Considering the results, everyone was acting like adults about it. No one was fighting. Master Makarov would be proud.
"Attention children." Makarov called out.
All the wizards turned from their conversations and looked at their Master. He looked happy as a clam. If anything, they were happy that he had been having a good time. Even if they were not. He had his hands clasped behind his back and he was smiling. He looked suspicious.
"Well round one was fun! Ready for round two? The crowd is getting anxious." He said, a huge toothy grin spreading across his face.
"ROUND TWO?" Everyone yelled.
"That's right." Makarov nodded.
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"Welcome to Round Two of the dating game, Magnolia!" Makarov spoke into the megaphone. The crowd had grown larger, and everyone was as excited for round two as they could possibly get. "So this is how round two is going to work. As you can see, the divider is gone. Each contestant, in the order they came before, will come onstage with their winning date. BUT, they will get to choose someone else, if they want to. The former winning contestant and the person that will be battling for the date themselves now, will have to answer a list of questions. All questions will be the same. The answer sheets will then be handed to the contestant to choose between. Whoever's answers they like best will be their official date. They will either be stuck with the same person, or get their way and have a new date. Let's see how well our wizards do this round!"
The crowd went absolutely insane. All the Fairy Tail members perked up. They would have a chance to get a new date. The Master had given them hope. They just hoped it wasn't shot down.
The questions everyone had to answer are as follows…..
1. What is your perfect idea of a date?
2. Since I am your date, where do you plan on taking me?
3. What will we be doing?
4. If I wasn't your date, who would you want your date to be?
5. What do you like most about me?
6. What do you dislike most about me?
7. In your opinion, who should I be going on a date with?
8. Do you want children?
9. Who is the number one wizard in Fairy Tail? Past or present?
Cana was up again. Macao had won the date with her, and after thinking about it she realized it wasn't so bad. Sure he was an old man compared to her, since she had been frozen in time for 7 years on Tenrou Island, and he hadn't been. But he was always one of her closest friends in the guild, and they frequently drank together anyways. As long as he kept his hands to himself, she figured their date would be like any other time they drank together. But she was given the chance to switch it up, so she was going to take it.
"I'm pitting Macao against Bickslow." Cana announced.
"Why Bickslow?" The Master asked. "The fans want to know, of course."
"Hmm well, we have actually become friends recently. I think a night out on the town with that crazy dude could end up being a wild time."
Cana winked at the crowd, and they cheered. Bickslow and Macao came onto the stage and sat down with the question sheet and a pencil. Cana waited as they filled out the paper, with her back turned to them. She posed and fluttered her eyelashes for the crowd. The guys hooted and hollered as her breasts almost fell out of her blue bikini top. She showed off the Fairy Tail emblem tattoo on her hip. She was having fun, and loved the attention. Makarov came over to her with the two answer sheets. When she picked one she handed it to Makarov so he could announce who it was.
"It looks like Macao comes out the winner!" Makarov yelled to the crowd.
Cana made a pouty face at the crowd and then walked offstage with the guys. Men were yelling "we love you Cana!" and "Come drink with me Cana!" from the crowd. A drink sounded really good.
Freed stood with his eyes closed and his back turned waiting for the answer sheets. He listened as the crowd cheered on the people behind him, and called out his name. He had chosen to bring MiraJane up to answer the questions. It's not that he didn't like Laki, but he didn't know her very well. And while going on a date would allow him to get to know her better, he would really much rather go out on a date with Mira.
Makarov tapped his hand and Freed grabbed the pieces of paper. He read over them and then handed his choice over to the Master. The Master smiled and turned to the crowd.
"Lucky Freed! Mira comes out the winner this time! Congratulations Freed, you get a date with Fairy Tail's infamous MiraJane!" The Master called out.
Freed's cheeks turned rosy. He looked at Mira and she smiled at him, her own cheeks blushing. He couldn't believe it. But he was glad. After reading the answers to the questions he realized one of the girls was actually really weird. And that was Laki. He sighed in relief.
Lisanna smiled and waved as the crowd yelled out how they loved her and wanted to marry her. She had obviously chosen Natsu to come and answer the questions. She had already chosen her winner and was just waiting for Makarov to announce it. She crossed her fingers behind her back, praying and wishing with everything she had that he yelled out Natsu's name.
"Well, it looks like Lisanna is going on a date with Bickslow! I guess our soul controller had better answers than the Salamander! Have fun you guys!" Makarov announced.
Lisanna gasped. For the second time Bickslow had beaten out Natsu. As much as it upset her, there wasn't much she could do about it. So she took it like a champ and walked off the stage with her head held high.
Gray stood on the stage, and just like the first time, he didn't really care to be there. He would have rather just left the game after the first round. Not because he was excited to go on a date with Juvia, but because he thought that this second round could make things worse. On one hand he could just choose not to have anyone come up and accept the date with Juvia, but that might give her the impression that he definitely had feelings for her. On the other hand, if he had someone else come up, this would set Juvia into a rage of jealousy, and that could be just as bad.
"So Gray, who are you going to have come up here? You look like you are in deep thought?" Makarov asked.
"I was thinking. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to go on with this. But I guess in the spirit of the game I will. I'll bring Ember up here." Gray said.
Juvia gasped. Anger and jealousy was written in bold letters all over her face. Ember got onstage embarrassed. Juvia burned holes through her with her stares. She was determined to win the date with Gray. Again!
Gray waited as the girls filled in their answers behind him. Girls in the crowd shouted how much they loved him and wanted to marry him. He smiled, causing them to swoon. Makarov handed him the papers and he read them quickly, handing over his choice.
"Juvia wins! Looks like water and ice really are a match made in heaven after all!" Makarov cheered.
Elfman stood there, flexing his muscles for the crowd. Behind him the white cat Carla and Evergreen wrote quickly. Evergreen looked determined and wrote furiously, almost breaking her pencil. Carla didn't seem to care at all. She looked like she just wanted the game to be over and done with. The only reason she had to participate in the first place was because they were short a girl, and the number had to be even.
Makarov handed the papers to Elfman when Evergreen and Carla were finished. Elfman read them, taking his time, and then handed his choice to Makarov. Makarov smiled at him.
"Looks like you got lucky Elfman. Evergreen wins!"
Evergreen squealed and ran over to Elfman. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, she laughed as they left the stage.
Wendy had decided she didn't want to have anyone go against Romeo. He would have been her choice anyways, so she skipped her turn. Wakaba couldn't go up next because Evergreen had been stolen from him by Elfman. He wasn't mad about this, because they belonged together anyways. That meant Ember was up next. She was excited to have the chance to get Laxus. Of course she already had him in real life, she didn't need to win him with a game, but even though she didn't show it she didn't want him going on a date with another girl. It made her uncomfortable, and insecure. And she didn't want to go on a date with Natsu. He was like her little brother now. That would be awkward.
"Well Ember, should I even ask? No. Laxus, get up here." Makarov said into the megaphone.
Laxus walked onto the stage. He still wasn't into the game, but he at least wanted to get Ember in his corner. He didn't want her going on a date with anyone unless it was him. He wasn't worried of losing her, he was just protective. Him and Natsu sat down and filled in their answers, neither one of them looking like they even cared to be doing it.
Ember waited patiently for Makarov to hand her the answer sheets. When she got them and began to read them her hands started shaking. She thought it would have been easy to pick out the difference, considering how up front the questions were. But both Laxus and Natsu were equally stubborn, and obviously thick headed. Both of them thinking the other would answer it with obvious answers, they both wrote down stupid and vague ones. Ember had no idea which one was which, and had to base her decision on the answers that didn't obviously show who had answered the question. She finally chose one and handed it to Makarov.
"HAHA the winner is Natsu! Too bad Ember!" Makarov laughed.
"UGH ARE YOU GUYS KIDDING? YOU BOTH ANSWERED THE QUESTIONS LIKE LITTLE KIDS!" Ember yelled at Laxus and Natsu.
She stormed off the stage, the two dragon slayers running after her.
It was Laxus's turn. He had obviously called for Ember to come up. Her and Levy both had similar personalities. Both of them were smart, and both of them liked to read. He was worried that their poetic attitudes would transfer into the answers and he wouldn't know which was which. He was counting on the answer to the most obvious question 'who would you want to go on a date with' or something like that. Obviously Ember would put his name down, and Levy would put down Gajeel. He had this one in the bag.
Makarov handed him the papers and he snatched them away. His face dropped when he read them. What he had feared had been what happened. Both of the girls attitudes had transferred onto the paper. And the question he thought would be his saving grace backfired. Both of the girls had similar ideas. One wrote "a certain dragon slayer" and the other wrote "a strong dragon slayer". He looked at the old man, knowing that he must have given them a rule that they couldn't put down a name because it would be too obvious. He was seething, but he did what he had to and chose one, handing it to the Master.
"Well, it looks like Laxus will still be going on a date with Levy! Tough luck for you and Ember!" Makarov shouted into the crowd. 'Awws' and some laughter went through the crowd in a wave.
"Dammit old man! You set me up!" Laxus growled.
"I did no such thing. It's not my fault you kids are just a bunch of brats." Makarov snickered.
Lucy was loving the attention from the crowd as she posed and smiled for them. But all she could think about was how bad she wanted Natsu to beat out Max in the questionnaire. If she was stuck going on a date with Max she would be seriously upset. He had always been weird in her eyes. But it wasn't even really that, it was because she needed to talk to Natsu after that day. She needed to know why he kissed her, and what it meant.
Makarov handed her the papers. She read them and a giant smile stretched from ear to ear. She handed her choice to the Master, knowing in her heart there was no way that she could be wrong. That piece of paper had to be Natsu's.
"Tough luck Max. It looks like Natsu won this one! Lucky guy!" Makarov cheered.
Lucy was so happy she could explode. Max pouted and walked off the stage. Natsu smiled. It was definitely less awkward going on a date with Lucy than going on a date with someone who was like a sister.
"Erza wins!" Makarov yelled.
"WHAT? YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING?" Gajeel shouted.
"Nope. You should have paid closer attention." Makarov laughed.
Gajeel had been sure that he would know Levy's answers compared to Erza's, but he was wrong. When it came down to it he didn't know how to read women, at all. And that had blown up in his face. He stormed off the stage, sick of the game. Levy hung her head, Erza rubbing her back in an effort to comfort her.
"Well at least it's you Erza. I trust you." Levy sighed.
"Of course. And Gajeel wouldn't do anything funny, even if it was someone else." Erza smiled.
"Maybe you're right." Levy said, blushing.
After the second round six people were left dateless because of how everything played out. For guys there was Warren, Wakaba, and Max. For girls, Ember, Laki and Carla. Instead of there being a third round, the game ended and Makarov chose the pairings himself. Much to his children's dismay.
Ember ended up being paired with Wakaba. Laki with Warren, and Carla with Max. Warren was probably the happiest of all of them. Wakaba didn't want to be anywhere near Ember out of fear of Laxus, and Max certainly didn't want to go on a date with a cat, but he had no choice in the matter.
Makarov had told everyone that they didn't have to go on their dates right away, but that they should do them as soon as possible. Most decided right away was best. The wizards might have been angry with the results of Makarovs little game, but they didn't know he had done it only because he knew that pretty soon he was going to have to send some of his children out on a very dangerous mission, against a very dangerous enemy. And he wasn't entirely sure if all of them would make it back. This hurt his heart, and he had no control over it. But in his mind, he figured if he forced his kids to get to know other boys and girls in their guild, that if the one they loved didn't come home, then it would be easier for them to move on.
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Laxus and Ember sat on her bed. She had her hand in his hair, gently playing with it, and he had his hand on her leg. Sitting in the chairs at Ember's breakfast table was Gajeel, Levy, and Lucy. Natsu sat on top of the table with Happy and Pantherlily. Wendy sat with her legs crossed on the floor, Carla next to her, and Ember's hellhound Nunu's head in her lap. Laxus had told them all to come to Ember's because he had a bad feeling. It had been bothering him all day. He could feel it in his mind and in his gut, and it creeped over his skin.
"So, you think the Master is hiding something?" Lucy asked.
"Yes. I know my grandfather. Something is up. And what's worse is I can feel it. It's like it's in the air." Laxus nodded.
"But why ask us specifically to tell about it? Why not the Thunder Legion?" Levy asked shyly.
"Well Levy, besides you, the exceeds, and Lucy, we are all dragon slayers. If I feel something, there is a chance any of us are feeling it. I figured that I should bring it up to everyone at once, in private." Laxus said.
"But why invite us then?" Lucy questioned.
"Well, to be honest, if Natsu feels something then there is a chance you might too. You guys work together all the time, and spend a lot of time together. Obviously the exceeds come with their partner, just as Nunu goes with Ember. And Levy, your may be able to find information that we wouldn't even begin to think of looking for." Laxus answered.
"Right. I will just listen to everything everyone has to say and then research accordingly." Levy smiled.
"I will be helping you with that when it comes time." Ember said to Levy. Levy smiled at her and nodded.
"Now that you mention it I have had a weird feeling lately. But I thought it was due to that Bone Crusher guy and everything we went through. The injuries and such." Gajeel grunted.
"Yeah. I feel off. Like I don't know what day it is." Natsu agreed.
"That's normal for you Natsu." Lucy giggled.
"This is different." He said seriously. She just nodded.
"I...I have definitely been feeling weird. Laxus, you say it's like you can feel it in the air. I get that. I feel it too. Something is wrong. But also familiar." Wendy sighed.
"Okay, so we are all on the same page then." Laxus slapped Ember's leg as a reaction. She jumped, startled.
"We all need to do some serious thinking. Pay attention to what you are feeling for the next couple of days. If you have any questions, or anything important comes to mind, please talk to each other. If you need to come here, feel free. But PLEASE use the door. Natsu, I'm looking at you specifically." Ember said with a laugh.
"Good luck. He just comes in the window at my place to. All the time, no matter what." Lucy giggled.
"I figured. But either way, something is going on. And we need to figure it out before it falls on top of our heads." Ember said, a grave look on her face. Everyone nodded in agreement.