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"I think I like you, Heartfilia." He smiled.

Three days have passed and surprisingly, Lucy's ankle has been fully healed. The reason for this was explained by Virgo last night. Because of the Celestial Spirit Mage's unusual amount of three expanding containers, her stamina has developed her body to handle a fast-rate recovery. It was a proof that her body won't deteriorate due to incredible amounts of stored power. Both the blondes were more than thankful for the information. Three days halted their training schedule. Problem One is solved. Two more to go. And what are those? First, they have a stalker monitoring their every action. Laxus told this to Lucy and she was livid in knowing that fact. They didn't know who was it and what was their intentions. Second, they still have to pay the expenses brought by their stay in the hotel. It might not be as fancy but surely, a week's stay definitely amounts to something big. Laxus said that he would find a job and earn just enough so that they can pay their bill. Lucy volunteered to do it too but the man refused and outright stated that she had postponed her training long enough so he said she should train on her own. So here she was, in the forest of Clover Town. She didn't know what to do here.

"Open! Gates of the Goat, the Golden Bull, Giant Crab and the Centaur! Capricorn! Taurus! Cancer! Sagittarius!" She flicked four Golden Keys and four figures emerged in a soft golden light.

"Hello, how may I help you, Lucy-sama?" Capricorn bowed his head like a dignified butler he is.

"I will protect your nice body!" Taurus jumped up and down at the sight of his master.

"A haircut, perhaps-ebi?" Cancer snipped his scissors.

"Moshi! Moshi! Lucy-sama!" Sagittarius saluted.

Lucy cut to the pleasantries and explained what she wants or aims to do. All of the Spirits listened to her intently and when Lucy got to the part that they will attack her at the same time, they adamantly protested, saying that it was their duty to protect her and not to attack her. Lucy, expecting this, explained that she will just train and will see for herself if her reflexes were good enough. She was inspired by Laxus' speed last time. She wants to, if not surpass or equal him, at least be near his level of proficiency. The Spirits reluctantly agreed, seeing as it was an order from their owner.

"Okay, go!" Lucy signaled them to start on which they did.

Capricorn was the first to attack. He went straight at Lucy in his full speed and tried to punch her in the gut. Lucy, in turn, back-flipped and brought her whip. She extended it to Capricorn's arm and caught it. Using the momentum gained from her back-flipping, she sent Capricorn into the air, eliminating the first threat. It might take seconds for him to come back. Her train of thought was cut short when Taurus started barreling towards her. He tried to strike using his axe but the girl moved quickly and jumped into the blade. Before she could use her Lucy Kick on the Golden Bull, she saw arrows darting and whooshing towards her in an unbelievably and accurately fast pace. She stomped hardly on the axe causing it to strike and get stuck in the ground, bringing Taurus along with it. He might take a few minutes to unstuck it from its place. Noticing that the arrows are nearing her, she did another back flip, the arrows barely touching the skin of her shoulders. She needs to do something about Sagittarius. His expertise lies on range-type weapon and his aim is deadly. She needs to get near him but how? No, she doesn't have to. Lucy extended her whip and wrapped him. She then slammed him to Taurus who was still struggling to remove his axe from the ground. Victory is far from over when Capricorn made a comeback. He tried again to punch her, only this time in her head but fortunately, she managed to jump into the air, causing Capricorn's fist to smash the ground, leaving a large crater. Lucy, from the corner of her eye, she saw something fast moving. She forgot about Cancer! Just when his scissors could cut her hair, Lucy used her whip to grab a branch of the tree and shortened the whip's water-like rope, causing it to rapidly pull her. She then stood in the branch and called for a time out.

"That was very good. Thank you everyone!" Lucy said, panting and gasping for air. It was a restless exercise after all. All of her Spirits said their thanks, too before she dismissed them back to the Spirit World. Thanks to her intake of Spirit Energy, it wasn't just her that became stronger; her Spirits too acquired enhanced strength and not to mention, invulnerability. They can last longer in battle now. She might not be on par with Laxus' strength and speed but she can tell now that she really has progressed.

It was almost dusk when Laxus finished the job and he was clearly disappointed. It was just to defeat some lame old monster in a cave. Traveling took more time than fighting that weakling. All it took was a single spell for him to defeat the pathetic beast. On the other hand, he's happy because of the loot he has earned. This town really was as generous as they all say. It is more than enough to cover their fee in their stay at the hotel. It could even take them across two towns and be back at Magnolia by the first day of the next month, July. Now, with the money provided by the mayor, he was walking lazily back to the hotel they were staying. Unconsciously, his thoughts drift to a certain Celestial Spirit Mage.

'Was she okay?'

'Maybe I should have let her come with me.'

'Or I should have come with her training.'

'Is she safe? Maybe bandits have come for a payback!'

'I better find her, now!'

'Dammit, Laxus! Why leave her alone?'

His worrying was put to an abrupt stop when a little girl approached him. She was maybe two or three years older than Asuka and she was carrying a bunch of roses. They were all fresh and beautiful. There were yellow, pink, red… 'Yeah, that yellow one is her hair, that pink was her cheeks and that red one is her…lips. Wait, what? Am I comparing her to those roses?'

"Um, Mister, do you want some roses for your girlfriend?" Okay, for a child, she sure does know many things.

"Yes, give me one yellow, one pink and one red." He has no idea about these kinds of things. He just picked the color that first came into his mind and besides, why wouldn't he gave her flowers? They have more money than they needed. Might as well use it.

"Here it is, mister! I hope your girlfriend will like it!" The girl smiled as she handed him the flowers. Laxus gave her three hundred jewels in which she was quite surprised. He told her that she can keep the change. The girl thanked him and skipped happily on her way home.

'Girlfriend, huh? That girl sure does remind me of that Happy cat.' And Laxus also skipped happily and eagerly towards the hotel.

It was already dark outside when Lucy finished cooking. After her training that afternoon, she has decided that she will make dinner for Laxus as a 'thank you' gift. Thinking about it, she can tell that this was what a wife probably do: wait for her husband. She blushed at the thought. She, Laxus' wife. Mrs. Lucy Dreyar. She almost short-circuited thinking about marrying that dashing Dreyar. But after minutes of waiting, she started to worry. It wasn't like him to be so late.

'Where is he?'

'He should be here by now.'

'I should have gone with him instead of training.' Her worries were put to an end when the said man opened the door, holding…holding…holding… Are those roses?

"Um… Welcome back, Laxus!" She greeted him.

"Um…Here. I ah…bought them for you." Laxus looked the other way, trying to hide his blush and finding interest in the coach. Truth be told, he was giddy when he was walking but when he arrived at the door, all of a sudden, he can't help but be nervous. His heart began pounding like crazy and magically, he was nervous that she might not like it.

"Thank you. I love them." Lucy took the roses from his hand and unknowingly, her hand brushed his. She was also blushing furiously at Laxus' efforts. He's a Bad Boy Type and then he became this Good Boy in front of her. Oh, she could kiss him at this very moment but she didn't. Instead, she put the flowers in a vase. "Come on, Laxus. Dinner's ready." She motioned for him to seat.

At their table, Laxus recounted how he was bored about the mission. He told her that the travel took longer than defeating the monster. Lucy was surprised that he talked so animatedly. Never has she seen him talk that way and she doubt that her old self did too. She was truly enjoying this time with him. He's rude, cocky, perverted and full of pride but he was fun to be with. He always looks out for her. He's protective of her and even though he might not show it, he cares for her. And even if she didn't want to admit it, the guy was a total gentleman. He never took advantage of her. Not to mention, with that scar, he's a mysterious, handsome hunk. After dinner, Lucy volunteered to wash the dishes herself and insisted that Laxus should rest early. He was tired from taking that job even though he doesn't want to admit it. When she finished her chore, she has decided to take an early sleep too. Training is a killer. As she was lying down and facing him, she thought of all the things the man has done for her. She can't help but smile.

"Somehow, I find myself falling for you, Laxus Dreyar." She whispered as she closed her eyes.

A/N: To compensate for the late updates, I have written a new chapter. It took me hours to write this one despite the high dose of writer's block I'm currently battling. Hahahaha :D

Paname: Thank you for that. I hope you like this one much better because Lucy admitted that she llllliiikkkkeesss Laxus! :D

xXLakestarXx: That was one of my favorite parts too. I hope you find this one better. Thanks! :D

XLALUX: Oh, sorry about that. I really am not an expert but I'm still glad you liked the story. Here's the update, by the way :D

XxShyxX: Thank you for that one but I still hope that this one is better than the previous chapter. :D