Chapter 25

The third day has finally come to an end. The sun was currently setting, coloring the skies with vibrant array of warm colors.

'Yeah, warm...' Lucy mused sarcastically. For her, it felt like everything's cold.

Though the game only took several hours from noon, for Lucy, it felt like an eternity. The final scores for the third day and the ranks they've got were posted in blaring lights in the center of Domus Flau, where the audience could see it, the winning team could boast and the losing teams could be further humiliated in the eyes of over a thousand of spectators.

Fairy Tail B = 10 + 9 = 19

Fairy Tail A = 8 + 10 = 18

Sabertooth = 11 + 6 = 17

Mermaid Heel = 4 +3 = 8

Lamia Scale = 3 + 4 = 7

Blue Pegasus = 3 +2 = 5

Lucy could still remember why on Earthland how the scores led to what they are now. It turned out that the King of Fiore wasn't exactly a total sadistic bastard, incapable of the most humane emotions like compassion and mercy. Well, he gave ten points to whomever team managed to beat the ten-thousand monster challenge, namely, them. Speaking of which, the euphemistically height-challenged ruler reasoned that he purposefully put that monster count because the last time Cana used her flashing attack, the Magic Power Finder showed nine-thousand, nine-hundred, and ninety-nine. He needed something higher than that. And raising the level by another point was higher than that. Way to go with your Math skills, bastard. Way to go.

'Yeah, sure. Blame it on Cana.' Lucy thought, irritated. The belt Virgo let her borrow disappeared exactly right after their fight with the goth loli wannabe.

The event this year was really quite different than the past years because this time, it was team effort. Team effort in the Pandemonium and team effort in the Magic Power Finder event.

'Really? A team effort…' Lucy brooded, eyes squinting in irritation as it followed Laxus. If she remembered correctly, it was team effort…mostly. Sabertooth, Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus have done their job with their team mates but not Laxus…

He jumped from the commentators' post and walked with swag, bulging arms swayed with ego as he strutted down alone while his other team mates were running like idiots, chasing after him but nah, it doesn't just end there. He just have to throw the Fleuve d'étoiles towards her in her post like it's some sort of celestial trash, shove his damn fur coat into the air to add to his drama that he was a freaking sex god to make the other bitches swoon at him. Scratch that, it did work. Lucy saw how many hungry stares and drool dripped from the women as hearts floated in the air blah, blah, blah. Then what? Lucy might add that he practically shot her a deathly stare that said she's in trouble. The nerve! Well, mister, two could play the game.

That time, she caught his eyes and also shot him a scowl that said, 'No siree. You ain't the boss of me!' and he visibly flinched under her gaze as he quickly withdrew his attention from her and towards the equipment. He clenched his fists and summoned electricity from the sky. And mind you, his team mates didn't even lift a single finger. More like, their fingers were unneeded! They didn't even reached him in time because the moment they stopped beside him, the smoke cleared and revealed the freaking score, nine-thousand, nine-hundred, and ninety-nine. Oh, and wait, there's more! He practically shot her another look while smirking that proudly boasted, 'Really? Because last time I checked, I was the boss!'

That didn't end well because the next thing she did was hug Natsu from behind and threw him a smug look. It worked but the next he did was fetching her rival, Chico-Bitch-Hammitt from the Fairy Tail watching stand and kissed her hands. The bitch has the nerve to blush in front of her! Her! Her, Lucy Heartfilia! THE. LUCY. HEARTFILIA! And that was when a miracle happened; no hell broke loose from Fairy Tail. It was deathly silent that a cricket hum could actually be heard in the damn background as they just shifted their eyeballs from her to him and back again.

So here she was, with tears brimming in her eyes as she exited the arena alone because well, she's jealous and angry and infuriated and…feeling stupid because she lost in their internal battle of pride. Her team mates even tried to talk to her or accompany her but she just dismissed them off, telling herself that she was not anyone's responsibility and it's not right to snap and bite at their heads for being concerned citizens of Fiore.

Well, at least she finally had time to herself, so she wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and continued with her journey to nowhere. Feeling that there's nothing else to go, she decided that she'll just swallow her pride and prance back to the inn they were staying. And then what? Mope around like a silly, little, love-sick, hormonal teenager and get herself in a state of depression. That can't be good because one, she doesn't want to be depressed; two, Laxus will be there together with that little missy, and three, she's not up for another round of fighting. She just wants to be alone to collect her thoughts.

These days were being hectic and full of troubles because Sael has returned. Thinking about him and all of his stupidity made her stomach clench in fear and disgust. She quickly averted her thoughts away from that one as soon as she noticed that she's stressing herself again. Feeling the need to relax and attune to Mother Nature, she decided to head to a forest to calm herself down.

Lucky, she instantaneously found a real nice spot just outside of town, occupying the western zone of the valley. She ran towards the center and made herself comfortable as she sat down on the grass. The view on her place was wholly beautiful. She watched as the sun sets in the horizon and felt the humble breeze of the wind as it made the greenery around her flutter in its mild gusts. However her moment of peace was short-lived as she heard footsteps coming near her. Her hands rapidly shot towards her old belt, planning on taking down whoever bandit was lurking with her whip.

"Easy, easy..." A male voice spoke. It wasn't the voice she wanted to hear. It was younger and she felt something familiar about it that she finally lowered her guard and took her hands away from her weapon. She turned back to see a blond male.

"Sting? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Well, I really want to relax for a while. It's getting too stuffy there." He pointed towards the capital. Lucy just nodded in understanding and turned her gaze back to the setting sun, trying to regain her moment of tranquility. "May I sit down?"

"Yes." She replied and heard a shuffling beside her. The blonde sneaked a glance and sure enough, the man sat cross-legged beside her, looking at the sunset like a...like a...well, like a lost puppy...

"So, what about you?" He looked straight at her with a serious expression.

"Same thing as you." She shrugged as she looked back to the fainting sunlight.

"Lucy-san, I was just wondering how did you beat Natsu-san?" He spoke a few seconds later. Realizing that her well-deserved rest will have to wait since Sting Eucliffe was second to Natsu in loudness and density in the art of privacy, she turned her attention back to him but the guy was staring at his hands.

"It was bitter work, you know…" She started. The man looked up to stare at her with gleaming eyes. Well, who was she to judge? This guy's idolized Natsu his whole life. "…I trained but most of all, it was because of Laxus." She looked away from him to stare at the grass beneath her with a sad smile.

"The Thunder God? Your boyfriend…eh I mean fiancé?" He stammered. He might have remembered how she corrected him in their fight. Wow, never knew that Eucliffe wasn't forgetful like Natsu. Another point for a good boyfriend material.

"Yeah. He was the one who trained me and then Natsu was the one who challenged me in the S-Class trials."

"Was it hard to fight him?" His eyes shot back at her with intense curiosity.

"Yeah. He's a monster, I tell you. I almost lost." She chuckled, turning back her attention in the horizon.

"Then how?" His eyebrows furrowed. 'Almost lost? But Natsu-san said that she beat him.'

"Simple, motion sickness." Lucy smiled at the memory, taking a glance back in her companion.

"Oh…" Sting mouthed as he sweat-dropped. "Um…Lucy-san?"

"Hmmm?" The darkness has begun to creep. Stars were visibly twinkling in the darkened sky. Lucy squinted her eyes to see what the boy's got in mind. He seemed to be hesitating because he pursed his lips and his eyes went downcast like he's thinking of something deep.

"I may be out of character by saying this but how did Laxus confess?" For a moment, Lucy was taken aback. Never, as in never, has she heard a man ask a question like that. Even Laxus.

"It's a long story." Lucy decided to keep the whole dying incident from him. "But he was sincere when he did that. Like it's a matter of life and death." Well, not exactly 'like' but a real life-and-death situation. She could still remember how that bear of a man stuttered and cried like a lost child when he said that. Though, she watched in blurred sight and hearing, she still could memorize every detail in perfect clarity. And it made her hear flutter when he said those words. Now, she felt guilty about reacting so stupidly when he woke her up in three in the morning. It seems stupid now. How she wished she could turn back time.

"Lucy-san? How?" His voice snapped her from her reverie.

"This is about Yukino, right?" From the hitched breathing she heard, she knew she hit right on the spot. Lucy has always have this hunch that the Eucliffe boy has this big, fat infatuation with her fellow Celestial Spirit Mage.

"H-How-w d-did y-you-o k-know?" Silly boy, stuttering like a crying child. Lucy just ruffled his hair which earned her a grunt.

"I'm a woman, you know. We feel that." Lucy giggled. Sting nodded unsurely.

"B-But how did you know?" He still persisted after a few moments.

"I just know, okay. Besides, technically, I'm older than you, so I think I should know more."

"But!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You don't need me to tell you how to do it. You just have to tell it with sincerity."

"But!"

Lucy flicked her fingers in his face as if to say 'no' but Sting noticed that she was smiling.

"If it helps you, then you could do it over something sweet like a dinner. Besides, I have a feeling that she likes you too." The blonde noticed that the man flushed fifty shades of red at her statement which earned him a chuckle from her.

"What?!" He exclaimed between blushes. And Lucy laughed at his innocence.

"Gotcha…" A man behind the shadows cast by the trees and bushes, unheard and unperceived by the two powerful mages grinned with much delight.