Hey guys! Good to see you back! I had two crazy week, but I managed to pull through and now I bring you chapter 16 of Pure XD

OMG! The last chapter has been my most favorite chapter so far! And I received so much love from you guys *cry happily* Thank you for reading, following, making this your favorite story C:

Special thanks to my beta - Iza, she's the best.

My gratitude to: Annechase, zin - chan - luvs - u (Your review was always funny :)), Petra, Shoukou Heart, rolulove4ever, ZaxForever, StiLu RoLu JeLu Love, Rolu, NatashAurel (OMG she's a RivaMika shipper, I'm happy that we met, girl ^^!)

Guest: *sob* Thank you so much!

Guest: Aw, that's so nice of you to say so :D

I'm . such . a . geek: I'm glad I can make you feel that way XD

Bluefrost15: Thank you! I'm glad ^^~

Guest (who was reading while I was writing this :))) Don't worry, just let the emotion go :))

Thank you so much!

NOTE: This story is StiCy as well as RoLu. There will be RoLu moment. Please, be patient ^^~ I'm looking forward to it as much as you guys, believe me ^^~. Oh, another thing, I don't hate Yukino or Loke, heck I love Loke! But we need someone to play the hard role, right? XD

Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Pure

Chapter 16 - The bet

"Could you, please, say it again? Who is he?" – Sting asked, glancing at the guy with orange hair who was talking to Lucy's parents.

Lucy held back a long sigh before replying. – "For the third time, Sting, he is my friend."

"Your friend? I didn't know you have the Loke as your friend. How come you never told me about that? Are you sure he is your friend?" – Sting frowned slightly.

Sting had been helping Layla prepare dinner when Jude, Lucy, and some guy had walked in. He'd recognized that guy immediately. It was Loke, the supermodel or something he usually saw on Fiore Weekend Magazine from the Press Club. The girls loved him and Lucy hadn't been the exception until a year ago (you all must have known the reason). When they had met, they greeted each other friendly, smiling, shaking hands... Lucy really didn't know why, but she felt kinda relieved. They were now gathering at the dining table to have somewhat a cozy dinner. Lucy was sitting in the middle with Sting on her left side, Layla was on her right side, Loke took place across the table, and her father sat on his left.

"Well, I'm having an amnesia, so I can't remember, but my dad said so. Besides, it's not like I told you everything that happened in my life." – She said nonchalantly.

"…"

Lucy turned to look at him when she didn't hear any response. He was raising a brow at her.

"Seriously? Everything?" – Sting nodded slowly. She sighed.

"How close are we, anyway?" – She asked although she already knew the answer.

Sting smirked before answering quietly. – "Really, really close." – He winked.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and gave him a kick on his shin. He almost yelped in pain, but tried to restrain himself. Sting gave her a look that said "What the hell did I do?"

She mouthed "I just felt like hitting you." and she jerked up her chin slightly in a challenging way. Sting picked up a chopstick to prod at her waist, tickling her. She tried to kick him again, but he used his legs to tangle hers with his own, restraining her from giving him more pain. Meanwhile, Jude, Layla, and Loke were still reasoning with each other about something. It was not until they heard Lucy's soft laughter that they turned to look at those two. The couple was trying to tickle each other. Layla and Loke blinked, Sting immediately regained his composure when he caught the look Jude was giving him. Lucy covered her mouth to hide her smile. In one last act, she kicked Sting's shin again and he jerked slightly, his fingers twitched. Damn it, Lucy!

Loke cleared his throat before asking. He nearly forgot that the one he really wanted to talk to was in front of his eyes.

"So, Sting. Are you studying at Fiore with Lucy, too?" – He said carefully.

Sting nodded, swallowing his food, then replied.

"Yeah, I'm in Sabertooth while she is in Fairy Tail."

"Wow, you two are both in guilds? I've heard that only talented students are able to join a guild."

"Yeah, although his brain sometimes has problems, he is really good at sports." – Lucy said nonchalantly and gave Sting a smirk when he glared at her.

Loke laughed lightly. - "It's really fun to have a sibling, huh? I always wanted to have a little sister or a younger brother to tease."

"Huh?" – Lucy, Layla, and Sting turned to stare at him. Sibling?

Jude inwardly facepalmed; he forgot to tell him about Sting. Loke blinked and pushed up his glasses. Why is he wearing glasses all the time? Lucy thought.

"Umm… You're two… Are not siblings?" – He asked slowly.

Sting narrowed his eyes. Somehow, he hated it when people referred to him and Lucy as brother and sister. He never wanted to be her brother, for God's sake.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but no. We're not, nor we will ever want to be." – He said.

Lucy nodded and gave him a bright smile although she felt kinda strange. I've never mentioned Sting and Rogue to him?

Loke's eyes flew back and forth between them. They're really look-alike. He mused.

Lucy sent her father a quizzical look, but he was avoiding her eyes, trying to eat his meal in silence. Layla covered her mouth to hide her knowing smile. Jude had definitely forgotten to give him some information about her friends before declaring that Loke was her friend.

"So… You guys are classmates or something?" – Sting raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyway. Or something. He wanted to say it out loud. Just like Lucy, he could smell something funny here.

"Anyway, I've heard that you have a basketball match tomorrow. Is that correct, Sting?" – Jude inquired, distracting them from Loke's perplexity.

"Ah, yes, Jude-san. Despite it being just a friendly match, we take it kinda seriously, because our rival is Fairy Tail – Lucy's guild." – Sting answered politely.

He knew Jude just asked out of courtesy. Lucy's father never cared about what Sting and Rogue did anyway. He didn't like them, but he didn't hate them either. He was just a little…frigid towards them. Nobody ever knew why.

"Loke, you should come. You and Lucy could watch, then celebrate the triumph together." – Jude said casually. Layla gave him a look of disapproval.

"Dad, Sabertooth has the equal chance to win, just like Fairy Tail." – Lucy said softly, frowning at her father.

The match hasn't even begun yet… Sting sighed inwardly. Sometimes, he thought that her father enjoyed giving him such a hard time. Therefore, Sting just hummed in response. Loke felt the tension was rising, so he laughed lightly to ease the mood.

"Lucy's right, Jude-san. And I would love to watch her friend play, so I'll be there. Lucy, can I have the privilege to sit next to you on the stand tomorrow?" – Loke looked straight in her eyes, giving her the most charming smile of him. She arched a brow, then smiled.

"Why, of course. I'm glad." – She said cheerfully. Sting narrowed his eyes, the smile she gave Loke wasn't genuine. Something was bothering her, he was sure of it.

After that, the dinner went smoothly; not that they had many things to talk about. Layla also recognized her daughter's swing of mood. She wondered what was on her mind. Jude and Loke, however, didn't suspect anything. The conversation mostly centered around Loke's life as a supermodel. Is he trying to show off his soon to be son-in-law? Layla thought. And of course, it went without saying. Lucy, as well as Sting, was bored to death.

Right at that moment, the only thing in Sting's mind was Lucy. All he wanted was to talk to her about them. But then again, he didn't know what he should say to her in the first place and he was a little freaked out. Seriously, he had dealt with tons of girls, he always knew what he should and shouldn't say to a girl, what he should and shouldn't do to charm a girl. However, it was a totally different story when it came to Lucy. That girl could be an angel and a little devil at the same time. She was fierce, but she was also gentle. She knew him too well, his tricks didn't have any effect on her, not that he would use any of those on Lucy.

What should I do now? He mused. Was that too soon for him and Lucy to be in a relationship? Should they wait? What would Rogue do if he were him? His strain of thought came to a halt when Rogue popped in his head. What will Rogue do when he knows?

Lucy glanced at him. His face seemed troubled. Something's wrong?... Oh God, don't tell me he has the second thought about what happened. Lucy heaved a sight. Don't do this to me, Sting. I'll kill you if you ruin my good mood. She glared at him out of the corner of her eyes, but he didn't notice, so she hurriedly pushed those thought out of her mind. He wouldn't do that to her, she was just over-reacting.

By the time the meal ended, it was already 7.30 PM. Lucy and her parents started to see Loke out.

"Well, it was nice to see you again, Lucy. I'll see you tomorrow." – Loke said, then bowed. He took her hand and lifted it to his lips, but she gave him a playful slap on his cheek and a smirk.

Sting scowled, he didn't like this guy. Who did he think he was? Openly flirting with her like that. However, Sting couldn't do anything about that, not with Jude in the same room.

"Of course. Good night, Loke." – She said casually.

"Good night, Lucy, Sting." – He said and got in his car.

When the car was out of Heartfilias' backyard, Lucy's parents went back inside, leaving her and Sting alone. Sting opened his mouth, but she beat him to it.

"You should go, too. It's late. I'll talk to you tomorrow." – Lucy turned around swiftly, but he quickly grabbed her arm.

"Hey, something's wrong? You seem strange. We can talk about…you know…later if you want. But, tell me what's wrong, you just suddenly turned cold." – He asked gently.

Lucy blinked at him, then the corner of her lips turned up. The smile brought back warmth to her face and eyes.

"Nothing, I was just thinking. Nothing too serious. I'll talk to you tomorrow, after the match." – She winked, then took his hands and gave them a squeeze. He chuckled.

"Okay, but don't try to hide anything from me, I'll find out sooner or later." – He smirked, pulling closer, then gave her a peck on the lips. – "Good night." – He turned around before she could see his blush. She didn't mind, because she was also trying to hide her red face.

Lucy stood there until Sting's figure disappeared before her eyes. Now, what should she do about her friend - Loke?

[The next day]

"Ladies and gentlemen, The Fifteenth Sport Congress of Fiore Academy is officially opened…" – The announcer said loudly and the crowd went crazy.

The Sport Congress included many activities like: relay race, swimming, fencing, basketball, martial arts… This was the most awaiting event of the year, people got to see 4 guilds compete to find out the strongest one of all. A true competition was always epic. That day was the first day, so they opened the congress with the competition of the cheerleaders from the 4 guilds, then came the most fascinating sport in Fiore: basketball. Of course, they were all waiting to see Fairy Tail and Sabertooth play against each other. Last year it had all ended with a draw, but this year could be different. Sting and his team had never been able to defeat Fairy Tail. They hoped that the triumph at the friendly match would give them some hope for actual winning this year.

"Rogue… Rogue! Hey!" – Sting waved his hand in front of Rogue's face. The black-haired guy snapped out of his thought and focused his eyes on Sting.

"Something's wrong?" – He asked. There was no time to zone out right now, they had to stay focus. Rogue nodded.

"I was just thinking."

"About what?" – Rogue flicked his tongue before replied swiftly. – "Nothing."

In truth, Rogue was thinking about last night when Sting had come back.

[Flash back]

"It's kinda late, did Sting tell you when he would be home?" – Weisslogia asked, pushing up his glasses.

"Father, he has come home later than this, you don't have to worry." – Rogue said calmly, flipping through the channels to find something to watch while his father was reading.

"How is Lucy?" – He asked again after a minute.

"She's fine, her memories are coming back, I'm sure she will recover soon. Do you want me to ask her to come? We could have dinner or something and you could talk to her. It's been a long time." – Rogue glanced at his father.

"No, it's fine." – Weisslogia answered quietly, holding back a sigh. Rogue knew Weisslogia still blamed himself for what happened, but it wasn't his fault and it was so unfair that Jude didn't let Lucy meet him, even just for a second. He hoped that when Lucy regained her memories, she could persuade her father to let go of the past. Rogue nodded silently and retreated to his room, he still had to study.

By the time he had done his homework, it was almost 8. He allowed himself to take a break and think about Lucy. He wondered what were they doing. Were they fighting? Was Lucy upset or angry? If she was angry, then Sting would be in big trouble. Where the hell is that idiot, he should be home by now. Rogue sighed.

"I'm home." – Speaking of the devil. Rogue shook his head and waited for Sting to come and find him. The door creaked, opening, and the Sting's head sneaked in. The blonde grinned widely. Rogue raised a brow. Seem like someone's happy.

"Hey…" – Sting plopped himself down on Rogue's bed and stared at the ceiling with the most stupid smile Rogue had ever seen.

"Let me guess, Lucy was furious and she hit your head so hard that your brain now is badly damaged?" – He said mockingly.

"Nah, we made up." – Sting was grinning again, then he sighed dreamily.

"Okay, what happened? You're creeping me out." – Rogue asked. Sting opened his mouth to tell him, but he thought for a second and decided against it.

"Nothing, we made up, like always. I don't know why, but it felt kinda more relieved than usual." – He said.

Rogue stared at him, contemplating the reason why Sting felt that way.

"Well, maybe because things were more serious this time." – He shrugged.

Sting's smile dropped and Rogue wondered if he said something wrong.

"Yeah, it's getting more serious." – Sting murmured, still staring at the ceiling. Silence embraced the two of them, with Rogue gaping at the blonde like he was waiting for some words to appear on Sting's face and explain the situation to him.

[End of Flash back]

Although he had said that, he couldn't stop the nagging doubt that Sting was hiding something from him. That thought put him in uneasiness. At the same time, Sting knew that Rogue would find out what happened sooner or later, so he would never lie to him. Maybe I'm overreacting.

"Okay, it's show time. Play your best. If Lucy castrates me, I'll castrate all of you." – He said.

His friends stared and gave him weird looks, but quickly brought their attention back to the game. Sabertooth's members formed a line and jogged to the court. The cheers and the shouts became like an earthquake wave when both guilds appeared on the basketball court.

"SABERTOOTH! SABERTOOTH! SABERTOOTH!" – The Tigers roared, but the Fairies were second to none. - "FAIRY TAIL! FAIRY TAIL! FAIRY TAIL!" – The temperature was rising and both teams, as well as their fans, were burning with anticipation. After a minute or so, the noise died down. Sabertooth and Fairy Tail were eyeing each other cautiously, trying to find out the rival's weakness so they could make the best out of the tactics. Both were silently waiting. Suddenly, the referee threw the ball in the air. The whistle was blown and the game started.

"Loke-sama, are you sure about this? I mean, you're presence there will surely bring a lot of reporters to Lucy-sama's school. It'll be chaotic." – Kira said, trying to persuade his master not to come to Fiore Academy.

"Sounds fun." – Loke smirked.

"Loke-sama!"

"Just kidding…" – He snickered. – "I have to come, Kira. I want to spend some time with her. Besides, it's fine if there are some reporters there. I could "accidentally" reveal the news that I'm about to engage to a girl studying in Fiore. I want to see what her two "best friends" will do if they find out." – He said, looking down at his Rolex watch.

Jude perhaps had forgotten to mention them, but it didn't affect his intention at all. He tried to find out some info about her friends last night, after they had had a dinner at the Heartfilia's mansion. Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney were the most standing out people among her friends. They grew up together.

Loke didn't have to ask much, only by looking at Sting, he could tell that the guy held some deep feelings for her. The way he frowned when Loke took her hand, the way he inched closer to her when he thought that Loke was invading her personal space… It was subtle, but it was surely there. His eyes shone blue, watching Loke's every movement like a hawk. And that was only one of them, he wondered what kind of trouble he would face when he met the other one.

"Loke-sama, can I ask you something personal?" – Kira questioned, Loke nodded. The limousine sped up as Kira chose his words carefully.

"Why are you so obsessed with that girl? You spent so much time and effort trying to find who she is while you could have tons of others. You and her barely know each other, why her?" – Kira hoped that Loke didn't feel offended by what he had said. Loke laughed lightly.

"You're talking about her like she is just a random girl. You now surely know who she is, right? She's Lucy Heartifilia – the daughter of the most wealthy man in this country, she's the first-rank student of Fiore – the most honorable Academy in this country, she has a kind heart and she's special. She saved my life, I owe her." – Loke gave his servant another smirk.

"But Loke-sama, it doesn't mean that you have to marry her to pay-"

"We're here." – He cut in and quickly got out of the car.

"Loke-sama." – Kira's voice was muffled by the noise outside. His bodyguards followed him closely, preventing the reporters from coming close to the male model. The light from cameras just kept flashing and Loke was bombed with hundreds of questions.

The news about Loke's appearance at Fiore Academy for a basketball match attracted a lot of attention. They said he was there because 'a girl' had asked him to, which was the origin of this fuss. People wondered who would be 'the lucky girl' this time? Who was the one making him break up with Suri – the famous pop singer just a while ago? The person who spread the news was of course his manager. That sly guy always knew how to keep his star staying at the center of the flash. He didn't reveal too much info though, just enough to arouse the curiosity.

Loke shrugged off all the questions. Jude wouldn't be pleased if he knew Loke answered the questions which involved his daughter. He walked pass the main gate, going straight to the court with the reporters trailed behind. The Sport Congress was happening and the parents of the students were allowed to come, so nobody stopped them.

"Hey, is that Loke?"

"Oh my God, it's him."

"Loke-sama, Loke-sama."

"Kyaaaa, it's Loke-sama."

The girls started to squeal and followed the guy when they recognized who he was. Not long after, Loke already had a long queue of people walking closely behind him and the bodyguards. When he was at the door leading to the basketball court, however, the bodyguards turned around to keep the reporters as well as the girls outside. Loke pushed the door open the cheers hit his ears loudly. Loke took off his jacket and held it with one arm, then pulled on a cap to cover his hair and face.

"FAIRY TAIL! FAIRY TAIL! FAIRY TAIL! – He walked to the rail and looked at the score board. Fairy Tail was in the lead by 27 goals to 26. There were only 3 minutes left before the ending of the third round. He looked around to find Lucy. The A stand, row 1... There she is. He hurriedly approached her, people were too engrossed to the match to even notice him. That's good. He didn't want to interrupt the match, that was why he came late.

"Stop him, stop him, STOP HIM, NATSU!" – He heard Lucy and other people shouted, before he could look back at the court, another loud cheers resounded, but this time, it was coming from B stand where Sabertooth's members were. C stand and D stand were for the others. Sabertooth was in the lead by 28 goals to 27 and the one who achieve a feat was Sting.

The blonde looked at the A stand, winking and blowing a kiss at Lucy as a challenging way. The Tigers cheered again while the Fairies booed. Lucy raised an eyebrow at him and stood up. She kissed her fingers, turning half way and slapping it slightly to her butt as a silent "Kiss my ass", then sat back down. The Fairies busted out laughing and lots of wolf whistle could be heard. Sting laughed and quickly got back to the game.

"That was quite a show." – Loke mumbled, smiling.

He sat on the vacancy place beside her without saying a word. She was watching the game intently, so she didn't see him. Fairy Tail and Sabertooth were almost equal in strength and talent, but, of course, Fairy Tail was still better. Loke took off his glasses to watch the game better. Sooner or later, he would be recognized and the attention would be focused on Lucy. He wondered what she would do.

"YEAHHHH!" – Another shout for joy resounded from Fairy Tail when their team earned a point. The game was getting hotter and hotter every minute, there was only one round left. It was just a friendly match and both teams had already brought out their best, Lucy wondered what would happen if it was the true competition. It was hard to tell who was gonna win.

The referee blew the whistle and the third round ended, they were going to take a 10 minutes break. The spectator started to discuss the game when two teams' members walked out of the court to the dressing room. Lucy pulled out her phone to check the time, Levy and Erza were talking to each other on her right side.

"This is a good match." – Someone commented near Lucy's ear. She stopped checking her phone to look at him.

"Loke? I thought you couldn't come." – Lucy smiled politely at him.

"Of course I had to come, how could I let go of the privilege to sit by your side?" – He remarked charmingly and Lucy mentally rolled her eyes. She didn't like the guy, but she didn't particular hate him or something. She just felt uncomfortable around him, she didn't feel like that around her true friends, even when she didn't remember them the first time she woke up. Lucy knew he was not one of them and that her father lied to her, therefore she wondered who he was beside a famous model.

"So who do you think is gonna win?" – She said, starting a friendly conversation.

"Fairy Tail, of course." – He said, leaning on, pretending that he was just trying to make her hear him clearer. Lucy folded her arms and crossed her legs, keeping a defensive pose.

"I'm gonna say Sabertooth." – Lucy said quietly, but loudly enough for him to hear. Her answer surprised him.

"Why? Fairy Tail is definitely gonna win, they're clearly better than Sabertooth. And isn't that your guild? It's strange when you want Sabertooth to be the winner."

"Don't twist my words, Loke. I never said I wanted Sabertooth to be the winner."

"Oh? And why is that?" – He asked.

"I'm loyal to Fairy Tail, that's my guild so of course I want them win. But, to be honest, I hope that Sabertooth will win. My friends always want to defeat them, even just once. It's a friendly match, it won't be a big deal if Fairy Tail just takes a step back." – Lucy said.

Loke stared at her for a minute. - "You really care about him, don't you? How close are you, anyway?" – Loke questioned, referring to Sting.

"That's not something my friend would ask, would he?" – Lucy replied, still looking straight at the court. She knew she had his attention the moment she said those words.

"All my friends know about my relationship with Sting and Rogue. You don't know Rogue and you don't know that they're my friends either. Therefore, it means we're barely talking to each other and that's why I didn't mention them to you. I don't consider someone I barely talk to as my friend…." – Lucy turned her head to stare at him. Loke tried to keep eyes-contact, he forced a smile. She knew?

"But I could be wrong, a lot of my friends still didn't know about them until they met them." – Lucy grinned. Don't let the game over so soon, Lucy.

Loke laughed lightly. She knew. He thought, but well, he didn't have any explanation to her earlier statement, so he would take what she gave him. She was really smart.

"Yeah…" – He said uncomfortable. Lucy broke the eyes-contact, looking down the court again, trying to hide her smirk.

"Anyway…" – He cleared his throat to regain his composure. - "Don't keep your hope too high, Lucy. You might be disappointed, because I still think Fairy Tail is gonna win." – Loke said smugly. Lucy just hummed in response. Loke looked at her for moment to contemplate his thought, then decided to bait.

"How about we make a bet?"

"A bet?" – Lucy blinked and tilted her head cutely to look at him. Loke smiled.

"Yeah, a bet."

"What's the condition?" – She asked.

"If Fairy Tail wins, you will kiss me in front all of your friends, then go on a date with me." – He said casually and Lucy's eyes widened.

"Wha… What? What kind of condition is that?" – She blushed slightly. He chuckled.

"It's okay if you don't want to take it. You don't rate them too high and you don't think that they can win, even though you hope so. Deep down inside, you know that Fairy Tail can't be defeated and Sting as well as his team won't stand a chance." – He provoked. Fairy Tail has to win. If they don't, well…I guess it's okay. Lucy's condition couldn't be that bad, right? He told himself.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at his remark. Two could play a game. She was calculating the result if she took the bet. The date can't be avoided, but it won't kill anyone. It's okay, but what about the kiss? Huhm… He didn't say that I have to kiss his lips. She inwardly smirked. I could kiss him anywhere, as long as it's a kiss.

"Fine…" – She nodded. Loke mentally cheered, he grinned from ear to ear, waiting for her condition.

"But if I win, you'll have to wear one of my bikini, standing at crossroads all morning while holding a board saying "I'm gay", how about that?" – She asked innocently and Loke's smile dropped, his face was horrified. Got cha. She snickered at his face. Oh poor Loke, falling into his own trap. Lucy folded her arms once again, looking at him rather smugly.

Loke gulped, he knew that would be humiliated, but he was the one who made the bet. There was no turning back. He took a deep breath. - "Okay, deal." – Then nodded reluctantly.

Oh please, Fairy Tail, please win this. Please, please, please. Loke prayed.

The voice of the announcer brought them back to the match. The break time is over and Lucy couldn't wait to see who would be the winner.

End of chapter 16

Well, not much in this chapter :D It's kinda boring, in my opinion. And it had been a pain in my ass, trust me -_-

I had to rewrite it several times, it was so frustrating -.- Anyway, tell me what you think!

Gotta go now, thank you for reading and... RoLu moment is on the way ^^~