Rated M.

M is for MATURE people.

If I can pretend to be, then you can too.

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING! *sob* However sometimes I wonder if Mashima-sama used to follow me around and take character ideas from my friends and I.

At least let a girl dream!

I really, really like pepsi. I need some... right now! T.T

Chapter 10

Just Another

Day in Fairytail

It was a beautiful day in the city of Magnolia. Birds were singing, and the sky was blue. Fall had been stubbornly warm, as though the powers that be regretted the loss of summer. It was in the crisp afternoon air that two weary wizards returned to their guild of Fairytail.

The pale woman with long blue hair held a halting hand to her partner as they approached the entry. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to pinpoint the script she had glimpsed for a moment. "A spell has been placed upon this place."

"Whaddya talkin about?" Her partner rubbed his head. "everyone knows not to mess with Fairytail! You're loosing your mind Juvia."

She shook her head, "It is there Gajeel, plain as day. Juvia needs a moment to read it."

"Read it? Like it's some kind of script magic?"

"Yes. Be patient, Juvia does not want us caught in a trap."

Gajeel groaned, and sat down crisscrossed right there in the middle of the walkway.

Juvia was not as skilled at rune script as Levy or Freed, but she could read it, if she bothered to take the time to decipher it as she did now. About ten minutes of studying, she began to read.

"Welcome back wizards of Fairytail... Rules have been set upon the guildhall in regards to the upcoming Gypsies and Thieves Ball. These rules will be set on you as well when you enter, so pay heed:

Rule 1. To attend the Ball, you must come dressed as a gypsy or a thief.

Rule 2. The Ball is ladies' choice.

Rule 3. A couple will not be able to enter the Hall without their partner the day of the Ball.

Rule 4. Ladies, be wary of who you ask, for they cannot refuse you."

As a huge smile appeared on Juvia's face, a groan and huge scowl came over Gajeel's. Without hesitation, Juvia barreled through the doors and called out, "Gray-sama? Gray-sama?" She glanced around and found him sitting at a table by himself. "Gray-sama! Juvia wants Gray-sama to join her for the Gypsies and Thieves Ball!"

The guild was quiet, nothing happened.

Gray frowned and lifted up his jacket to show her his wrist, a rune planted there. "Sorry Juvia, Someone already asked me."

And to a woman like Juvia... it was as though her entire world came crashing down.

Gajeel, still outside, stared holes into the guild. "I ain't goin in there. If Makarov wants his report, he can come out HERE."

^.^

I should've stayed with her. I should've said, 'To hell with Gramps, Lucy is too drunk, I'm stayin with her'!

Natsu stared up at the ceiling from his bed. It was past lunchtime but he was still right there, laying in his bed, and he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon.

As soon as I find out who she asked...

There was murder in his eyes. He kept trying to tell himself that Lucy was free to make her own choices, but if those choices were WRONG, wasn't he obligated to help fix it?

Stupid Mira... stupid Freed. This is all their fault.

He knew that wasn't true though. He'd had plenty of times to make his feelings known, but each and every time he'd flaked out. Natsu sighed in frustration, flipped over and buried his head in a pillow.

^.^

Mirajane, Levy, Lisanna and Kinana were all crowding around Gray and Juvia. They'd made him admit that Lucy had asked him.

"I dunno guys!" Gray groaned, "She'd said that she was scared to go with someone that wouldn't see it as 'platonic'." He glanced at each woman in turn, "She was drunk, and seemed to me that she was scared."

Levy frowned. "This isn't right. No, Lucy's nervous and she asked the wrong guy. That's just GOT to be it!"

Lisanna sighed, "She seems so happy when she's around Natsu, I thought for sure she'd ask him!"

"Well Juvia couldn't be more mad at Love Rival!" Juvia shook, her hands held in tight fists. "Juvia will fight for Gray-sama!"

Gray stared at Juvia's expression, a sweatdrop forming on his head.

Mirajane had a thoughtful look in her eyes, "We can still make this work." Her face suddenly lit up with a perfectly She-demonic idea. "Alright girls-"

"Hey!' Gray called out.

"-And Gray," she glanced down at him, disapproving his interruption. "There are a few things we need to do."

^.^

Happy had come home soon after Lucy woke him up. He sat on the foot of Natsu's bed, staring at a side of Natsu he'd never seen in all his life. Natsu just laid in bed, burying his head in his pillow, or changing to his back and staring at the ceiling. He wasn't interested in talking.

Then Natsu smelled someone coming. "Fuuuck! Happy, tell her I don't want company."

Happy frowned but rose to fly to the door, before he was halfway there though, the door flew open and Juvia stepped in, "Natsu Dragneel! You will join Juvia for the Gypsies and Thieves Ball!"

"WHAT?!" Natsu slapped a palm over his forehead, "Damnit Juvia! I'M NOT GOING!" Despite the words he spoke, matching runes appeared on both his and Juvia's wrists.

Juvia started walking toward him slowly, blue flames seemingly emiting from her form. "You will. Must Juvia explain to Natsu as to why?"

Natsu sat up and leaned his forearms on his knees, rolling his eyes. "Yes please. Explain to me why."

"Because Juvia knows you love Love Rival. And if Natsu loves Love Rival, he will FIGHT FOR HER."

Something occurred to the dragonslayer then.. If Juvia's here... making me go with her, then does that mean that... "DAMNIT GRAY!" Natsu ran past Juvia and out the door. Happy cheered, Natsu being more like himself, and sped after him.

The blunette however, had a sweatdrop forming on her head. "That did not go as Juvia planned..." She turned and ran after Natsu, "Wait! Juvia has more inspiring things to say! Don't hurt Gray-sama!"

^.^

Levy headed out of the guild shortly after Juvia. Mirajane had given her a simple task to start with, and Levy wanted it done before she started reading her new book. She started down the path before a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"So you were caught up in this Ball rule's thing too Shrimp?"

Levy turned around, spotting Gajeel leaning against the wall of the guild. She was holding a cat-sized plushie of a red dragon that caused him to raise a brow. She turned her chin up at him and turned back the way she had been headed. "Mira always finds new and exciting ways to use our powers. I think her twist on the Gypsies and Thieves Ball is intriguing! A brute like you just wouldn't understand." She smiled to herself, knowing that would get under his skin.

Just as she predicted, Gajeel got up and started to follow her, "A brute like me huh? Well, this brute just kept from getting caught by Mira's little games, more than we can say about you!"

"Humph." Levy feigned anger pretty well, "you were just lucky you had Juvia with you. I'm sure you wouldn't have even noticed Freed's spell if it weren't for her."

Gajeel's voice rose, annoyed that she still just kept walking away from him, "You trying to pick a fight with me Shrimp?" Then he grinned widely, "geheh, you're just mad that I didn't fall for it. You're mad that you can't ask me to go with you!"

That did it. She turned to look at him finally and she wasn't feigning her anger anymore. "For your information, I know exactly who I was going to ask." The solid script mage put emphasis on the word 'was,' but Gajeel didn't notice.

He paid heed to what he did notice when she said it though, and that was the red dragon plushie she hugged close to her chest. She's going to ask Salamander?!

Gajeel stopped and folded his arms. "Whatever Shrimp. I'm going back to the guild."

"Sure Gajeel," she spit her tongue out at him after he'd turned around, quickly retracting it when he glanced back over his shoulder. So she decided to tease him one more time. "Have fun sitting on the outside looking in!"

She continued on her way, hearing Gajeel mumbling under his breath as he started heading in the opposite direction. Levy couldn't help but feel a wide shy grin come on her face, he is soooo much fun to mess with!

^.^

Except once to go to the bathroom, stumbling into her chair that contained a sleeping exceed, Lucy didn't rise until well after lunch. She had opted to stay in bed with a headache she'd been trying to ignore. A wrapping at her door is what finally got her to shift from dead, to walking dead. Lucy shuffled down her stairs, yesterday's clothes wrinkled, hair a mess, and utterly uncaring about it. She opened the door and grunted when no one was there. The disheveled mage started to shut the door when she noticed a little red dragon on her front porch. She squatted down and picked it up. It sure was a cute little thing!

Lucy looked to the right, then to the left, no one here. She looked back at the little plushie and smiled softly, then retreated back into her home, holding her new favorite cuddle buddy to her chest.

^.^

Not only did Gajeel smell him, he could hear him too. Salamander was coming his way, and fast. He wasn't gonna let him get away! If Levy was heading towards Bunny girl's house to ask that weasel to go with her, then Gajeel would just incapacitate the chump until after she asks him. He wasn't gonna be no sloppy seconds. The iron dragon slayer positioned himself on the path, barring Natsu's way.

Sure as metal rusts, a raging fire dragon came racing down the path. Gajeel grinned and spoke up, "Hey Salamander! I got a bone to pick with you!"

"Not now Metal head!" Natsu yelled, running past him, straight into the guild.

"Wha?" Gajeel blinked. "since when does he pass up a fight?!"

^.^

"Yo BLIZZARD BREATH!" If it hadn't been that his guildmates already knew him, all they would have seen was a huge talking ball of flame, "I CAN SMELL YOUR STINK FROM HERE!"

Mirajane and Lisanna turned around to look at him in surprise, then Gray walked in front of them. "Natsu, I-"

The fire dragon immediately rushed him, slamming him against the wall. He then pulled him closer and socked him right in his jaw, sending Gray pummeling back into and through the wall. He propped himself up on an elbow and cursed, wiping blood from his lip.

"NATSU!" Mirajane and Lisanna yelled.

Makarov could have easily stopped this, but there he sat in his normal spot, unmoving.

Lisanna turned to him, "Master, can't you stop this?"

Without ever looking up, Makarov said, "Child, these are matters of the heart. They must come to terms with this for themselves."

Lisanna bit her lip, but said no more.

Natsu raced out the hole he'd made in the wall after Gray, but as soon as he breached the wall, a bar of iron struck him in the gut and pushed him far off course.

*Electric guitar music here*

"Geheheh," Gajeel approached. "Don't forget about me little Salamander. I SAID I got a bone to pick with you!"

Gray stood up, "This is stupid Flame head! If you'll just chill out and listen then maybe you wouldn't be so dumb!"

Natsu growled, "I've already got it out for you Snowman! Now you're just makin me wanna put you further under!"

Gajeel noticed the rune on Natsu's wrist and let out a growl himself, rushing Natsu in a tackle.

"DAMNIT GAJEEL! GET OFF!" Natsu leaped back to his feet and started a shoving match with the other slayer.

Juvia placed a hand on Gray's shoulder, "Is Gray-sama ok? Juvia tried to talk to Natsu, but he just-"

Gray turned and smiled at her, "I understand. This is Natsu after all, he's not just gonna stand and listen to someone when he's pissed." He threw his coat off with a smirk, and popped his knuckles. "He's always had to let out some steam before he could listen to reason."

Juvia eyed Gajeel after forcefully peeling her eyes away from Gray's toned chest, "Juvia is curious, what's gotten into Gajeel...?"

Gray shook his head, "There's no tellin, maybe it's a dragon thing." Gray raised an arm in an effort to shield Juvia from harm, "I'm glad your here," he smiled at her from over his shoulder. "I may need your help to settle these two down."

From the hearts in place of eyes on the blunette's face, she would be more than happy to help.

"Get outta here you damn Cattle prod! I need to teach Gray a lesson!" Natsu grunted as he struggled.

"You're gonna have to cancel that Flame brain, cuz I need you gone!" Gajeel grunted back.

"Ice make, CUBE!" Gray yelled out and before Gajeel and Natsu knew it, they were the main attraction in the world's largest ice cube.

"Now." Gray walked up to the cube bigger than an elephant, "use those dragon ears for once and listen!"

So this chapter changed channels like... A TON, but I still thought it was a gas!

BTW Luv, I'm not exactly sure how I feel about "Lick" as a nick name, but I couldn't ever argue about how I may have earned it! XD

Ty all for your continued love and support guys! I popped out two chapters at once this time so that I might be spared the vicious threats from last chapter's end. I may be a tad sadistic, but I'm not heartless! Hopefully this chapter eased your desire to end my life, though I must say, I'd make a GREAT zombie. *PS3 Black Ops zombie slayer & Resident Evil player speaking*

Much love

Stay naughty

Seri!