Chapter 4:

Back to the Present:

Marcarov felt awkward. One of his potential family members was still staring at Mirajane, and the others just stood around and observed them like they were watching a show. Mirajane, who had been watching, simply smiled and went back to wiping glasses.

Lucy shook her head. "Sigh. What am I going to do with you guys."

"What? You say it like we're your burden Lu-chan. Besides, it's not like you don't know Mero's obsession with the amazing Mirajane." Arumi snorted.

Lucy sighed. "I suppose so. But still! This is a public place. Couldn't she, oh I don't know, act a little more normal? I mean, this is embarrassing!"

Niki shrugged. "Meh. Not really. You get used to it. Besides, if you think this is embarrassing, wait till Arisu makes her famous lava cakes."

"Ma," Lucy shrugged,"you're right. It's been a while so I must have forgotten about it." Then, giggling at the thought, she mumbled," Tashikani (translation:certainly). She's definitely more embarrassing with Arisu's lava cakes. "

"Hey!" Merodi grumbled as she whacked Lucy on the arm. "I heard that! You did almost exactly the same thing I did when you first got here! Are you really one to talk, Lu-chan?" She put her hands on her hips, then turned to glare at Arumi. "And it's not an obsession, Arumi-nee, it's only admiration. Get that right!"

Lucy started to say something before she realized what Merodi had said. "Wait, how did you know how I reacted when I first came here?"

Merodi only shrugged, with a nonchalant look. "I have my 's other things too, like how that Natsu guy really likes your bed and will sometimes appear in your apartment through your window. Which, by the way, is-"

"DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE IF YOU ARE A PROPER LADY." Lucy's voice cut in, with an edge to her voice.

Ignoring the threat, Merodi simply continued. "-kinda cool but also creepy. Dude needs to understand a girl's privacy, and the damn timing for goodness' sake. Although…I can't argue with the fact that Lu-chan's bed is pretty nice, but your yell when you find out that someone's in your bed is a real pain in the butt to deal with. Makes me wonder why he keeps coming back for more. Do you think he's a masochistic idiot? Or is he just dense but hungry for a male-female relationship? Oh, what if he actually likes you but is too stupid to figure it out but is still strangely attracted to you anyway?"

There was a brief silence right after Merodi blurted out that last sentence. Lucy slapped a hand over her face as her face turned red with embarrassment. The other girls (including Merodi) just stood around with smirks on their faces while taking in the "amazing view." The reactions across the guild varied. Natsu, the guy in question, glanced over when he heard his name out of curiosity but that curiosity was soon cut short by an surprise uppercut from Gray. Arisu smirked at this, while Niki just shook her head in amusement at Lucy's gaping face as well as the shocked faces of some guild members. They probably didn't see that coming, especially from the youngest of the newcomers. One of those exceptions was Mirajane who clasped her hands together and cooed in delight. Arumi only huffed in annoyance as she mumbled something about how Merodi said that on purpose to mess with Lucy.

Suddenly Merodi quipped, "You're right. I did do that on purpose. Besides, Lu-chan, we're not proper ladies anymore so none of us needs to act like one. I mean, it's not like you yourself is acting like a proper lady."

"Huh? Wha? How could you say that? I'm more of a lady than you'll ever be!" Lucy huffed as her face once again turned pink in embarrassment.

Merodi was about to retort when Niki cut her off with an unemotional, "She's right, you know."

This was then followed by Arisu's "Muahahahaha! As expected of Lady Lucy huh?"

"Wha? You guys~ Don't follow Mero-chan and tease me~" Lucy squealed at her friends.

"Hmph!" Merodi sniffed. "As ladylike as Lu-chan may have been in the PAST, she's no match for deadpan Ki-chan, sleepy Ri-chan, and bored Mi-chan."

"I don't know Mero-chan, Lu-chan and even we couldn't compare to you when you are in angel mode." Arumi teased.

"Yeah!" Arisu seconded. "Angelic Mero-chan even won the 'most unique princess' for accidentally breaking the old man's treasured ice sculpture that everyone else hated."

"Wait, what? I thought that was just a joke by the old man in revenge for breaking that monstrosity so shouldn't that be a negative thing?" Arumi said in one of her common ditzy moments.

"Argh! No! How many times do I have to tell you? It wasn't the old man who gave her the title. It was those weird judges. Remember how much they hated that sculpture?" Arisu groaned.

"Right? Although it was really strange how much they disliked it. To the point where they'd give Mero-chan of all people the award for breaking it." Lucy added.

"Ugh. Guys, can we just focus here? Are we gonna get our stamps or what?" Merodi grumbled.

Arisu snorted. "Like you can talk. Who was the one who got distracted first?"

"Huh? Wha? How dare you!" Merodi gasped as she flailed her arms about in defiance.

Meanwhile, a certain trio burst into laughter.

"Ooooh~Mero just got dissed~" Arumi, Arisu and Niki chimed in unison. Then, the guild heard a loud: "Jinx! You owe me a soda!" Again, they managed to speak at the same time. The trio looked at each other with mirror images of shock and laughing hysterically.

Lucy, on the other hand, didn't take the unexpected 'harmony' so well. "Oh my gosh! You guys just jinxed! Twice!"

This time it was Merodi's turn to be embarrassed. She sighed as she tore her eyes away from her idol. "Relax, it was only a double jinx. It happens in life. Geez, lady, who's the one being embarrassing now? Ugh."

This mini-outburst from Merodi brought Lucy back to normal. She coughed awkwardly as her cheeks began to burn a lovely pink color. "Ahem. I was just a little excited is all. After all, it's been so long since we last met up like this."

Merodi's slightly angry face softened as she gruffly replied, "Hmph. I guess it's understandable. The last time we met…things…kinda sorta didn't go so well…"

By now, the hysterical trio had calmed down. They had heard what Lucy and Merodi had said. Arumi chuckled softly, "Tashikani. The last time we met was an unhappy one."

"Tashikani." mumbled Niki as she bowed her head and allowed her bangs to shade her face.

There was a moment of silence after that as the guild tried hard to swallow the information they were presented with in such a short amount of time. It was an unusual moment that was soon broken by Arisu's signature 'loud talking': "Ma! What's past is past. Right now, the most important thing to do is to get those guild stamps!"

Suddenly, the guild burst back into action as everyone went back to what they were doing before the interruption. Natsu was dragged away to fight by Gray (who was being unusually sensitive and understanding of the feelings of Lucy and the girls).

Marcarov gave a small cough. "Now then my children, tell Mirajane what color and where you want your marks."

Mirajane swiftly put down the glass she was wiping and took out the Fairy Tail mark from wherever she hid it. "Please don't hold back and tell me your wishes ne?" She quipped as she flashed the girls with her signature smile.

"Hai!" the girls replied cheerfully.

"My, such liveliness. Who's first?" Mirajane chuckled as she waved the mark in the air.

The girls looked at each other indecisively. They honestly didn't think they'd get this far what with all the hoopla they were sure to cause with their departures. Well, at this point, they could only hope that being part of Fairy Tail will protect them when the time came.

"Ne, do you think it'd be too late to consider an image change by now?" Arumi whispered as she nudged Niki in the ribs.

Niki rolled her eyes. "Yes. I think it would be. Afterall, how are you gonna explain a sudden image change?"

"What are you guys doing? Hurry up and decide already. It's embarrassing to have people staring at us like that." Lucy hissed as she covered her face in embarrassment.

"Oh right. I forgot we were doing that." Arumi's sudden comment caused the whole guild to slip. "Are? Is something wrong? Why is everyone (except Mirajane) on the ground?"

A sweatdrop appeared on everyone's head as they slowly got up (minus Mirajane). Mirajane just smiled her signature smile. "Well, since you have your mark in mind, what color and where do you want it?"

"Um…I want a green mark on my right hip please!" Arumi chirped as she clasped her hands together and her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Hai. I got it. Would you mind showing me your right hip please."

"Sure!" Arumi replied as she slightly yanked her ankle length skirt down to reveal her right hip.

"Alright. There you go. A green mark on your right hip as requested."

"Yay~"

"Who's next?" Mirajane asked while smiling gently.

"Me!" Arisu said excitedly. "I want one on my right arm in fiery red!"

"Next is me huh," Niki murmured stroking her chin like a wise man. Then, she looked up at Mirajane with determination and expectation. "I want mine to be purple. On my right thigh please."

Mirajane chuckled. "Ok. There you go." She turned to Merodi who was still deep in thought and asked kindly. "And what would you like?"

Merodi blushed as she snapped out of her thoughts. "A-ano...can I have one on my right hand in teal? Like Lu-chan?"

"Sure!" Mirajane replied as she smiled widely. "There! Now you all are part of our family now. Welcome!"

"Welcome!" "Welcome." "Nice to meet you!" "Let's have fun together from now on!" The girls and Lucy all smiled as they basked in the welcoming warmth of the hot-blooded Fairy Tail members. Among these cheers, however, were the sounds of Natsu and Gray fighting.