GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN! I've been super busy lately, I'm so sorry you guys! This is the longest chapter with a count of 2,696 words without the author's note. I hope you enjoy!
Please excuse any spelling/grammar errors.
Everyone turned to the edge of the field where a group of people were walking towards them. Their small figures grew bigger as they grew closer, Fairy Tail trying to get a glimpse of their opponents.
"Never thought I'd see you again," someone called out from the middle of the group.
Gray froze, and a look of shock crossed his features. His eyes became bigger when a silver haired teen appeared out of the crowd, a smirk on his face.
"Lyon," he breathed.
"You know him?" Natsu asked.
"We're brothers," Lyon said. "Or rather, step-brothers."
"You've never told us anything about him before," Erza crossed her arms, looking to Gray to explain.
"We were both orphans on the street. That's when Ur found us," he started. "She raised us like her own until we were around ten years old. Then she was in an accident," his eyes got glassy for a moment, like he was reliving the memory. "She didn't make it. Lyon and I were taken by social services and separated. I haven't seen him since."
"I'm so sorry," Lucy put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring pat.
"How come you two aren't having a heart-felt reunion?" Lisanna questioned.
"We tolerated each other at the very most. It's not such a big deal," Lyon shrugged.
"Gray-sama! Juvia didn't know you had a step-brother!" the busty bluenette suddenly appeared behind him, hearts in her eyes.
"It's not something I like to talk about," he had an edge to his voice, trying to get people off of the topic. Since he wasn't running away from his stalker, she realized that it was a touchy subject. Her expression became serious, grabbing his hand and squeezing it to comfort him. He surprisingly squeezed back.
Lyon's gaze shifted to the girl next to his step-brother, and his breath hitched in his throat. She was gorgeous, absolutely breathtaking. He didn't know what the hell happened but all of the sudden he couldn't help but feel love for her. He ran over to her, and took her free hand in his.
"You are absolutely beautiful! What's your name, my love?" he kissed her hand, causing her to jerk it away in shock.
She open and closed her mouth a few times trying to get words out, but then Gray stepped in between the two.
"Hey, leave her alone," he growled, and Juvia just about fainted at the thought of Gray fighting for her. He didn't know what the burning feeling in the pit of his stomach was, but he didn't like it. Over the past week Juvia had followed him and pestered him every time he did anything. It was annoying as hell, and he had grown to resent her. But when Lyon talked to her like that, he couldn't help but feel protective over her.
"You worried I'm going to steal your woman?" Lyon looked amused at Gray's reaction.
"She's not my woman! But she doesn't need to be involved with you, that's for sure," his jaw clenched tighter, if that was even possible.
"Is someone jealous?"
"Hell no!" he said a little too quickly, causing Lyon to chuckle and turn around.
"We'll settle this on the field. If you guys win, you can keep her. If we win, she has to transfer to Lamia Scale," he walked to the opposite goal, his team following him.
"Juvia doesn't agree to those terms!" she screamed. "Juvia belongs with Gray-sama!"
"That was… interesting," Lucy mumbled, the rest of the onlookers nodding in agreement.
"Gray-sama, you must win! Juvia doesn't want to leave your side!" she held onto his arm, and he went back to being crept out by her.
"I don't think I've seen Gray so determined to beat someone," Levy whispered to Lucy.
"Not even Natsu?" she whispered back.
Levy shook her head, and Lucy's eyes widened in shock.
"We've still got 45 minutes until the game starts," Natsu stated. "What're we going to do until then?"
"I suppose you guys can just relax until then," Erza was munching on a strawberry frosted donut, and then she caught of glimpse of Gray. "Or try to relax as much as possible."
Lucy half expected Gray to break a tooth, or his jaw, considering he hadn't released his death clench on it. The color named teenager isolated himself off to the side, his glare not leaving Lyon's direction.
"Just leave him," Natsu said, reading the minds of half the people there. "He needs to be alone right now. I promise you, he needs to be alone – and yes Juvia that means you too," he glanced to her, said girl getting caught red-handed while on her way to her 'love'.
She grumbled something, and stalked over to the bleachers.
"Lu-chan," Levy called out, getting the blonde's attention.
"What's up, Levy-chan?" she turned towards her, the two of them calling each other 'Levy-chan' and 'Lu-chan' since Levy accidentally called her that a few weeks ago. Lucy reassured her that she loved it, and added the '-chan' to her name as well.
"Can I talk to you in private?" the petite girl squirmed in place, reminding Lucy of what Lisanna looked like about a month ago.
"Sure," she nodded. Levy grabbed her hand and led her away to a far corner of the field.
"Is something wrong?" Lucy looked over the bookworm, seeing distress in her eyes.
"I – I… I twik I wik somon," she had her hand over her mouth, clearly trying not to say it too loud.
"Levy-chan, you've got to speak up."
Levy pulled Lucy down to her height, and cupped her hands around the blonde's ear.
"I think I like someone," she whispered.
Lucy's hands shot to her mouth as she gasped, a squeal escaping her lips.
"Shhh, keep it down!" Levy flailed her arms around, trying to contain Lucy's excitement.
"Who?! Tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!" Lucy bounced on her toes, looking to Levy with puppy dog eyes.
"You can't tell anyone, ok?"
"Mhm," Lucy nodded, not able to contain herself.
"It's um… It's Gajeel," she mumbled, but Lucy heard her.
"YOU LIKE G –" she screamed, but Levy tackled her to the ground.
"Lu-chan!" Levy was on top of her and clamped her hands over the screamer's mouth, frantically looking around to see if anyone heard. Everyone was just going about their own business, causing her to sigh in relief.
"Mhm mhm mmmmhm mmhhhhmm," Lucy was staring at Levy, obviously annoyed.
"You said you wouldn't tell anyone! And what do you do? You almost let all of Fiore know!"
"Mhhhmmm mhm mmhhm mhm mhm mmmhm," she argued, and a tick mark appeared on Levy's forehead.
"I'm not letting go until you promise. Come on Lu-chan, you're my best friend," Levy begged.
Lucy's eyes softened when she heard Levy say she was her 'best friend'. She sighed into Levy's hands, and slowly nodded. Levy took her hands off of the blonde's mouth, waiting to see if she was going to scream again.
"Fine, I promise I won't tell anyone," she huffed, looking defeated.
"Thank you Lu-chan!" she hugged her before rolling off of the female soccer player. They both stood up and dusted themselves off.
"Look what you did, I haven't even played yet and I've got grass stains on me!" Lucy playfully scolded Levy, who laughed in return. "So, what makes you think you like that giant iron-obsessed freak?"
"He's not a freak! And I don't know, I just… I just think I do. I catch him staring at me sometimes, and I think maybe he likes me. But then he proceeds to call me names and tease me. It's like I like him, then I hate him," she ran her hands through her hair, pulling the blue locks in frustration.
"Sounds like you like him, and maybe he likes you. Guys do tease girls that they like," Lucy rubbed her chin, her eyes focused on nothing particular while she was thinking. "Just see where it goes, I don't really know what to say. I haven't been in a relationship before, but I've read a ton of romance novels! Why don't you just try to hang out with him? That way you can get to know him better."
"He just makes me so nervous! Jet and Droy always follow me around anyways, it's not like I could get alone with him," she huffed and pouted cutely.
"I think I can handle Jet and Droy. You free tomorrow?"
Levy nodded.
"Good. I've already got it all figured out, you just have to look pretty," Lucy smiled, her eyes gaining a mischievous look.
"What are you planning?" Levy asked cautiously, almost regretting her decision to tell Lucy.
"You'll see," she giggled, causing Levy to get even more nervous.
"Lu-chan!" she stomped her foot, now angry with her friend.
"You know, it's almost comical the physical difference between you and him," she looked Levy up and down. "He's freaking huge and muscular – not to mention scary looking – and you're short and petite and, well… delicate."
"I'm not delicate, I'll have you know I can handle myself!" Levy threw punches at Lucy, all of which she easily dodged.
"I know, I know Levy-chan. You're probably just as lethal as Erza," Lucy wrapped an arm around Levy's shoulders, and they started to walk back to everyone else.
Levy's angry face melted away into a laughing fit as she realized just how much she loved Lucy.
Erza watched Levy and Lucy walk away together, and she sighed as she bit into her donut.
"What's wrong Erza?" Mira, her ex-rival, asked.
"It's nothing," she turned slightly away from her, hiding her face.
"Erza," Mira put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around. "I've known you way too long, now what's wrong?"
"It's Jellal," Erza muttered, hoping no one else would hear her.
Mira's eyes lit up when Erza said his name, a match-making plan already forming in her mind.
"What about him?" she asked ever-so-innocently.
"He – um… he," Erza fiddled with her fingers, her eyes darting all over the place. "He asked me on a date…"
Mira squealed and grabbed Erza's hands.
"This is great! What did you say? You better have said yes," her evil aura started to seep through at the thought of Erza turning down Jellal.
"No, no! I said yes, it's just – I've never really been on a date," she explained. "I don't know how to handle these things."
"That's alright, I'll handle it for you!" she smiled sympathetically. Erza never seemed to be nervous about anything. She was always so strong and solid, Mira was surprised to see something as silly as a boy bring her down.
"I appreciate your help Mira. I promise I will listen to everything you say," she was back to her normal- serious self.
"No problem, I'm glad to do help! Tomorrow, we're going shopping!"
Erza almost paled at the thought of shopping with Mira, but gulped and hesitantly agreed.
"Natsu!" Lisanna ran over to him, breaking the pinkette out of his trance.
"Hey Lisanna!" he flashed her a toothy grin, his unnaturally sharp canines showing.
"You nervous?"
"Nah, we've got this in the bag," he said. "Gray's out to kill Lyon, I can guarantee you nothing is going to stand in his way. The rest of us have been doing really well at practice," he gestured to the rest of the team lazily kicking a ball around a few feet away from them. "Lucy's been doing great though, I think she's going to be our secret weapon."
"That's great Natsu, so I was wondering –"
"I mean she's so freaking fast, I can't even keep up with her. I almost think she's a human hybrid because her agility is so insane," he didn't even realize he cut her off.
"I'm sure Lu-chan will be amazing," her and Lucy had gotten really close over the past month, the two of them also calling each other 'Lu-chan' and 'Li-chan'. "But Natsu, I was just about to ask you –"
"Oi, Natsu!" Loke ran over to them. "Elfman keeps ranting about a real man not needing to practice, but I think my foot is still doing that weird thing when I kick. It causes the ball to spin and go hard right, can you help me out?"
"Yeah sure," he started running off with him but quickly turned around. "Lisanna, we'll talk later! Ok?"
"Ok," she mumbled, but gave him a thumbs up to let him know.
Forty five minutes later, everyone regrouped. Coach was going over the plan with them, and everyone nodded every few minutes.
"Got it?" he asked, causing another round of nods. "Good. Now, put your hands in," he put his hand in the center of them, everyone else following after. "On three, Fairy Tail."
"One."
"Two."
"Three!"
"Fairy Tail!" they shouted while raising their hands up, causing the now-filled bleachers to cheer.
"Ashley," Coach pulled her aside. "You're on the bench for now."
She was about to protest, but then made her way over to the bench with a few other players.
"Don't feel bad Luce! I'm sure he'll put you in soon. He probably just wants you to watch or something," Natsu patted her on the back.
"Yeah, probably," she agreed. "Good luck."
"Thanks!" he ran out onto the field with the rest of the guys and got into their places.
The whistle blew, and the game started.
Fairy Tail got the ball right off the bat, or more specifically – Gray. He charged right over to Lamia Scale's goal and shot it in like it was nothing, making sure to glare at Lyon while he walked back. After it was thrown back in, Natsu had the ball only for it to be stolen from one of LS's players. He chased after him and tried to get it back, but the guy kicked it over to Lyon. Lyon sent it flying towards FT's goal, but Elfman was able to grab it in time.
Elfman made an excellent goalie because of his massive body. No one expected him to be quick on his feet, but he was. It made for quite the sneak attack of sorts.
Elfman tossed it back in, and Loke got it. Loke kicked it over to Natsu, who ran with it for a moment and then passed it to Gray. Gray kicked it towards the goal, but Lyon came out of nowhere and stole it. He ran with it all the way back to FT's goal and made it in.
They went back and forth like this for the longest time, but neither team was able to make another goal. The clock was ticking down, and both teams were getting low on energy.
"Coach, come on! You've got to put me in!" Lucy screamed at him.
"For the last time, no!"
"Why not?! Is it because I'm a girl?!"
He didn't answer.
"I thought we've been over this, I'm just as good of a player as anyone out there. Put me in! The timer's about to run out, and I'm pretty sure you don't want this to end in a draw. Let me play, damn it!"
The Coach sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and pointer finger.
"Fine, maybe I was holding out because you're a girl. I'll let you in, just don't screw up," he glared at her, and then called a time out. "Samuels, you're out. Ashley, you're in."
"Thank you, you sexist pig," she growled.
"I heard that."
"I'm glad!"
A boy that Lucy didn't know that well sat down on the bench, and she went onto the field with the rest of the guys.
"Took you long enough to get out here," Loke teased her.
"Apparently, someone still doesn't have faith in me," her eyes flickered to the Coach, who was staring at her.
"Well then, you've got to prove him wrong," Natsu smiled at her, and her eyes showed her determination.
The whistle blew, the ball was thrown in, and Lucy sprang into action.
Well I have no clue where this fast Gruvia, GaLe, and Jerza development came from... I hope you guys enjoyed it! You guys are awesome with 22 reviews for the last chapter, that makes me so insanely happy! Remember to follow/favorite and to leave a review! Time for some shout outs! The shout outs go in order from who reviewed chapter 8 first, then second, then third, etc. A lot of guests reviewed so I want them to know which is theirs.
noodlegirl22 - I'm glad you love it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D
RandomObserver42 - Yay, I'm glad you like it! Those fics are driving me crazy, I hate them all! She obviously isn't like that, and that's not the way Fairy Tail is. I've got a fic to recommend to you then, it's called "Breaking the 4th Wall of Cliche" by halliegirl. It's absolutely amazing, I hope you check it out!
SkyFairies - Here you go, I hope you like it!
sincereivory - Awesome, I'm glad you like it! I get yelled at by my mom for laughing like an idiot too, you are not alone... I hope you enjoyed!
FairyDemonDust - I hope you enjoyed!
Sara lovelymusic - Interesting idea you've got there... hmm... I'll see what I can do with it. I hope you enjoyed :D
SaberTail FairyTooth - Sting will be in this story, but he won't be transferring to FTA. Don't worry, there will be plenty of Natsu being jealous later. And there isn't any specific period of time between my updates, I just write whenever I have time and then post. I promise that I will try and make it so that they're not too far apart.
WaterDragonMaverick - Haha that would be funny, I might just put that in there. I decided it would be a nice twist to see some early GaLe moments ^.^ As for Natsu and Lucy's kiss... well... hehe I'll just shut up...
Pentastic - Yay, I'm glad you like it! I hope you enjoyed :D
phanakhone18 - I'm glad you liked the last chapter, I honestly thought it was total crap. I hope you liked this chapter!
KisekiNoSeki - Haha, well at least you're signed it now so I can call you by your name! I'm glad you like it so much! I hope you liked this chapter :D
Crunchycrackers - I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. They're awesome to write with, but not so awesome to receive... I'm sorry I wasn't able to update sooner, I was so busy and couldn't write... But alas, here I am now! I'm glad that everyone seems in character, and yeah they're going to be a lot more attentive towards each other romantically... If I had to write their relationship like it is in the anime I would be like 90 years old before they got together... And awe you're making me blush... Thanks for the lovely review, you're an awesome reader :D I hope this chapter pleases you!
Guest - Awwweeee, thanks! I'm glad you like the story :D
IamDivergentForever - Well wait no more! I hope you enjoyed!
Lucy Fairymage - Yup, typical Natsu and Lucy relationship! I hope you liked the chapter :D
Guest - I'm glad you like it! Thanks for thinking I'm amazing! I'll keep writing, don't worry! I hope you enjoyed the chapter :D
Guest - Awee thanks! There will be many Jerza moments to come!
Liz - I don't mind hearing criticism, so if you're going to leave a review I would appreciate if you would leave a full one. Thanks.
CraftinSnowMann - Lamia Scale is one of the guilds in Fiore. If you can't watch Fairy Tail, then how come you are reading the fan fiction for it? I appreciate that you're reading my fic, but I'm just curious.
ngnutellalover - GaLe moments shall be coming up! I'm glad you like the story, and thanks so much! It means a lot that you think I'm amazing, and that this story is amazing! You're amazing too :D
Guest - I might just make that happen at some point... Thanks for reviewing, I hope you enjoyed!
Guest - Here you go! Sorry I made you wait, I hope you liked it!
You guys are all awesome, here's a virtual cookie for you! I'll see you next time ;D