Wow! It looks like quite a few people have read the first two chapters--so exciting! Thanks to my reviewers!
Please review after reading! I want to know how the story is doing/coming along. Or even if you like it!
Thanks so much & enjoy!
A/N: (Edit, 10/20/09) So I'm a HUGE idiot. I don't know how Igneel's name got in here! I meant Gajeel, I swear. Thanks to Fairy Tail Fan I kept putting Kiba instead of Kaien Shiba in my Bleach Fic, my brain hates me. I'm a moron sometimes.
"Hi, Mirajane," Lucy smiled warmly at the white-haired barkeep. She tried her best to not look so weary.
"Good morning, Lucy!" she sang, smiling as she wiped the bar counter. "How are you today?"
"Eh, ok," she grumbled, as she slumped down into a padded bar-stool. Mirajane was always so cheerful, greeting everyone and anyone with her signature smile. Lucy immediately felt guilty for her dark mood.
"What can I get for you?" Mirajane hummed, looking over the blonde woman's face.
"Beer," she growled, avoiding the S-class mage's eyes.
"Beer? This early?" she replied, her tone motherly. "Lucy, what's wrong?" She watched Lucy shoot a dark glare toward the tables. Mirajane instantly knew the answer to that question: new girl. She smiled, laying a comforting hand on Lucy's arm. "It's only because she's new," she whispered. "Besides, we have to play nice."
Lucy looked at Mirajane, startled at how intuitive the young woman was. "I—I no, that's not it!" she squealed, her face turning red.
"Lucy..." the pale-haired mage scolded her.
"Face it," a deep, grinding voice interrupted their conversation, "she's hotter than you!"
Lucy glared at the dark-haired dragon-slayer as he slammed his mug onto the bar. Deep amber liquid splashed on the wood, and Mirajane tsked in disapproval. Lucy growled some incoherent profanities as she looked pleadingly at her female friend.
"Gajeel," Mirajane began, her tone casual, "don't say such things. It upsets Lucy. Besides, it's not nice to eavesdrop."
"But it's true," he growled. "And she knows it. Why else is she walking around like a lost puppy dog? She's no longer the novelty of this guild."
Lucy felt her stomach sink as her mouth suddenly became dry. She reached for the mug that Mirajane slid across the bar surface, grabbing it between both hands. She took a long, satisfying gulp. It hurt to admit it, but Gajeel was partially correct in his theory. The Stellar Spirit mage would never admit that to him, however. She was upset that the new inspector was gaining all kinds of attention. She just didn't understand why it upset her so much. It didn't help that even Natsu seemed pre-occupied with the newcomer. Perhaps it was because of how kindly the visitor treated Happy. And the way to Natsu's heart is through kindness to his companion. She stopped, gasping for a breath between gulps. She hated the bitter taste of beer, and knew she would pay for it. Later.
"Gajeel.." Mirajane warned. Suddenly, she smiled as she attempted to change tactics. "You seemed to have dressed rather...er, nicely today."
Lucy let her eyes wander over Gajeel's clothing as she held the large mug to her face. Mirajane was right. He was dressed immaculately. He wore a dark blue pair of trousers with a white, collared, button down shirt. Two of the top buttons were undone, showing his well-defined chest. His dark locks were clean and combed into a low ponytail. Even with his multitude of facial piercings, Lucy had to admit that he cleaned up well.
Eeew! she silently screamed at herself. "Another one!" she gasped as she pushed her now-empty mug toward Mirajane. The white-haired mage looked concerned at Lucy's sudden bout of alcoholism.
Gajeel nodded, his eyes on someone else, "Thanks!" He flashed a wolfish grin.
Mirajane smiled more widely, winking at Lucy. "This wouldn't have to do with the gala tomorrow would it?" her tone was innocent as she widened her eyes in mock interest.
Lucy had a sudden urge to regurgitate all that she had just drank. The gala. She wanted to bang her head off of the counter in frustration. It was two days earlier that Mirajane had talked Makarov into holding an elaborate affair in Adessandra's name. As she explained to Lucy, it gave everyone a reason to relax and enjoy each others' company. Lucy had to admit, it was rare for that to happen. She didn't totally disagree with Mirajane's rationale. Besides, it gave her a reason to wear the new, slinky dress she had just purchased with the allowance she received from her last mission.
What made the situation worse was that Mirajane had suggested that the men had to ask the women to the formal. It wasn't that Lucy was concerned that she wasn't pretty enough to have ample suitors lining up for her promise as their date, but more that she wanted to go with a certain someone. And that certain someone was pretty much clueless. She didn't know when or how he began to preoccupy her thoughts, but his lack of attention toward her had only fueled her sudden interest.
Lucy spun on her stool, reveling in the sudden dizziness from the alcohol. She began to feel warm and tingly inside, the fuzziness enveloping her in with confidence. She looked to where Adassandra was seated, scribbling furiously on her notepad.
Maybe she's not so bad, Lucy thought, give her a chance! It was true, she had yet to give the young woman a chance. It wasn't that the raven-haired newcomer was unfriendly. No, Lucy couldn't quite put her finger on why she was wary of the Council's representative. Maybe Gajeel was right. Lucy sighed as she watched the Guild go about its daily routine.
The formal, she thought as she shuddered. Everyone was buzzing about the formal. She could hear the whispers about "who was going to ask who", but none of them involved her. She sighed again. Gajeel is right! She was being vain, and she knew it. But, it was the only thing she was confident in: her looks. She wasn't a spectacular mage, nor was she proficient in any other sort of magic. No, she was just a plain Jane in the sorcerer's world. The only thing she had was her looks.
She realized that she was staring at the newcomer when Adie's pale blue eyes locked with hers. Lucy blushed as the the red lips parted, revealing a bright, encouraging smile. She quickly spun back to face Mirajane—who had apparently been watching Lucy closely.
"I think she's nice," she murmured as Lucy's face turned crimson.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" the blonde yelped.
She heard the empty mug slam on the hardwood surface, and she jumped from the loud noise. Gajeel wiped his mouth, belching in satisfaction. "I'll show these bunch of pus--" he began.
"Gajeel!" Mirajane purred. Her voice was low, but her tone was deadly. Her eyes flashed their warning as Gajeel quickly shut his mouth. "Apologize for speaking like that!" she replied calmly, though her tone still cold.
"Sorry," he muttered. As he pushed off the bar and stalked into the crowd.
Mirajane smiled, her anger forgotten. "I think he's coming around!"
"Yeah, right," Lucy sighed. She wished Erza was here, but Titania had decided to search out information on the Celestial Mage attacks. "Erza's going to miss the formal," Lucy drawled, watching Gajeel as he pushed his way through the crowd.
"I don't think she'll mind too much," Mirajane answered as she retrieved Gajeel's empty mug.
From the corner of her eye, Lucy saw the Council Inspector leave her table, calmly walking over to speak to a few guild members in the far corner. To her surprise, Gajeel changed his path, as if he were following the pale-eyed woman. Lucy spun on her stool, finding a glass of water sitting in front of her. Next to it was a plate with a few tiny cakes. She smiled at Mirajane's motherly nature. As she reached for the tiny pink-frosted cake, the bar next to her exploded in a hundred tiny shards of wood.
"What the hell?" she shrieked, jumping from her stool. She stood, incredulously staring at the cause of the explosion.
"Who do you think you are?" she heard the voice ring out as the guild became deadly silent. Lucy turned toward the voice. Adassandra was stalking toward Lucy, staring at the hole in the bar. Her face was bright red, and her eyes were dark with...rage. Had she done this?
"How dare you touch me!" she hissed, pushing her thick-framed glasses up the bridge of the nose. Lucy scanned the crowd, everyone was deathly silent, staring at the scene that was unfolding in front of them.
She made eye contact with Natsu, who was grinning from ear to ear, his hands around Gray's neck. Gray was also smirking, obviously pleased with what was happening.
"Stupid woman!" came the gruff voice from somewhere below Lucy. She swung her head around, only to find Gajeel attempting to recover from the impact. "Strong! I like it!" he grinned as his eyes flashed their pleasure. His shirt was torn, and his upper torso was revealed to all who could see. Lucy felt her face becoming hot.
"Don't you...ever...touch me again!" Adassandra spat. She rolled up her sleeves as her heels clicked on the floor's surface.
"W-what happened?" Lucy spoke the words before she could stop herself. Suddenly, the pale eyes were focused on her.
Adassandra pushed a few stray strands of onyx-colored hair from her eyes. "This..this buffoon touched me inappropriately!"
"Touched you inappropriately?" Lucy echoed, confused by Adassandra's meaning. She looked at Gajeel, who was now standing; a toothy grin upon his face.
"Yeah, I grabbed her ass!" he said with pleasure as he puffed his chest out in pride.
"You what?" Lucy spat. "T-that's totally inappropriate!"
"Exactly!" the black-haired woman crossed her arms over her chest.
"How dare you assault a woman, Gajeel!" came the deep voice as Elfman pushed his way through the throng of curious guild members.
"Can it, dipshit!" Gajeel hissed.
Elfman tsked the dragonslayer. "This is exactly why you will not get a date to the ball," he shook his head. "If you don't know how to treat a lady--," the white-haired man began to explain.
"This is exactly why," Gajeel retorted, "you are a virgin!"
Elfman blushed at Gajeel's jab, as a few giggles echoed from the crowd. Adassandra looked around angrily.
"Er...Elfman, was it?" she spoke loudly, her voice carrying throughout the hall. She straightened her pinstriped pencil skirt.
"Yes, my lady," he replied, bowing his head respectfully.
"A fine example for every man in this guild to follow," she smiled kindly. Elfman blushed at the praise.
"Thank you, Miss Marigold."
"Adie!" she quickly responded. "And, no, thank you. For being a gentleman. There aren't many of your kind left." Somehow, she managed to demurely blush. Lucy's mouth fell open at the exchange. She's a fantastic actress! And she's strong!
"I think I will take you up on your offer to escort me to the gala, Elfman," she said through her blushes.
"I d-didnt--," he began to stammer, taken by surprise at what the enigmatic visitor was insinuating.
"It would be my honor to be your date," she lowered her head. He couldn't possibly be this clueless, could he?
The tall man blinked a few times, before understanding her words. "You have made me the happiest man alive!" he said, unsure of what to make of the situation.
"It is my pleasure," Adie replied kindly, as she shot a murderous glare at Gajeel.
"Him? That pansy bastard? You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Gajeel scoffed. Before he could utter another word, Adassandra had managed to maneuver around Elfman, landing a solid uppercut to Gajeel's jaw. He collapsed into the shattered bar, as his lip gushed blood. Lucy was definitely impressed.
Adassandra looked at Mirajane, "I am sorry for the damage done to your bar. I will compensate you for it."
Mirajane looked from Elfman to Adie, nodding her understanding. She glanced angrily at Gajeel, "Do not worry," she replied softly, "he deserved it."
With that, the dark-haired woman turned and stormed from the guild as everyone—Lucy included—watched as the tiny woman disappeared through the doors. Mirajane smiled at Elfman as he excitedly recounted the events.
"I'm so proud of you!" his sister replied as she patted his arm. He was becoming a fine man.
The hall began to buzz with this morning's exciting happenings. Lucy was still staring at the door when Mirajane spoke, loud enough for her to hear. "If that isn't enough to convince you she's someone to befriend, then I don't know what is."
Over the clamor of the hall, Lucy could hear Natsu howl with laughter as he rolled on the floor. Gray stood, shaking his head in amusement.
Juvia rushed over to her fallen comrade, "Gajeel-sama, are you ok?" she attempted to help the injured man to his feet.
He wiped the blood away from his lip, grinning. "I think she wants me," he replied. Lucy rolled her eyes as he began talking about his intent to bed the newcomer.
"You're a pig!" she hissed as she stormed over to Natsu.
She could feel the alcohol wearing off, and she knew it was now or never. She loomed over him as he rolled on the floor. She tapped her foot impatiently. When he continued to ignore her presence, she kicked him with her new boots. Steel toe: 2, Natsu: 0.
"What the--?" he howled, glaring at Lucy. He immediately broke into a smile "Did you see that?" he asked, "it was awesome!"
Lucy felt slightly annoyed, more so because Natsu never spoke this way about her. She pushed the anxious thoughts from her head. "Well?" she asked impatiently.
"Well what, Luce?" he asked, scratching his head. He looked at Happy, who shrugged in response. Obviously he didn't understand Lucy's prompting either.
"Aren't you going to ask me something?" she hinted. There!
"I don't have anything to ask you," he replied, confused by her cryptic message. Lucy glanced at Gray. Even he had no idea what Lucy was referring to.
She rolled her eyes, sighing. "Aren't you going to askmetothedance?" she spoke so quickly that Natsu's head begin to swim.
He shook his head, trying to process her previous statement. "I'm not following, ya, Luce!"
"Do you have a date to the dance?" Her foot began to tap more quickly.
"Nope," he shrugged his indifference.
"Well?"
"Well what?" he looked up at her, still confused.
She leaned down, so that her face was inches from his, "Aren't you going to ask me?" Her voice was louder than she had anticipated. For the second time that morning, the entire hall had become deathly quiet. She looked around, her face reddening with realization that everyone had heard her request.
"Oh. That," Natsu replied quietly, his face also turning red. "Why didn't you just say something?"
"Idiot!" Lucy roared in exasperation.
"Settle down, Lucy," Natsu waved his hands in surrender. "Sure! I'll go with you. What are friends for?" Lucy felt her stomach sink from his words. She suddenly had the urge to cry.
"Lucy?" His voice was soft.
"What?" she hissed, angry at his ignorance. Natsu answered by glancing at Gray and looking back to her. Lucy narrowed her eyes in confusion. This time, Natsu nodded his head in Gray's direction as well as glancing.
"Oh. Yeah," she mused. "Gray, do you have a date?"
"Nope. And I don't care to have one," he replied as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He realized that he didn't have pockets. In fact, he didn't have pants. "Shit!" he howled. "Again?"
"You're an ass," Natsu shook his head.
Lucy looked to Juvia, an evil grin spreading on her face. "Juvia?" The water mage's head shot up as she looked in Lucy's direction.
"You have a date to the dance?" she saw Juvia glance at Gray, then shake her head. "Wanna go with Gray? I'm going with Natsu," she explained. She could see Gray's face pale in terror.
Juvia's face lit up as she vigorously nodded. "I'll go with Gray-sama!"
"Done!" Lucy beamed, flashing her a thumbs-up!
"I'm...I'm..gonna kill you..." Gray rasped. His eyes were bulging from his head. "I can't believe you just did that...to me!"
"Eh, get over it!" Lucy replied nonchalantly. "Besides, were you planning to ask anyone?" Gray's face turned red at her question. He didn't indicate an answer.
"Exactly, so who cares? Go as friends." Like Natsu and I, she thought darkly. "No one said you had to date her."
"But I just got her to leave me alone," he whined. "You just undid all of my hard work!"
"It's not like you are stuck going with the Council Inspector!" she replied over her shoulder. Gray's face turned a darker shade of red. It was missed by Lucy.
"See you tomorrow night!" she waved her goodbye to Natsu, Gray, and Happy.
"You know, Natsu," Happy said, from his seat on the table. "You're going to have to bathe for this."
For the second time that morning, Natsu collapsed in a fit of laughter.