Author's Note: Hi guys! It's great to be back. I'm currently working on chapter 13, but i decided to hand chapter 11 to you guys. I might not post a chapter next week. I hope you guys can wait a little longer. Here's a key to school years/grades in American ways

freshman/9th grade

Sophomore/10th grade

Junior/11th grade

Senior/12th grade

I don't quite like covering characters during class. Natsu and Lucy have different schedules. Don't you guys prefer that we cover the couples' time -eyebrowi wiggle- I also had decided to take out the track event for this arc. My knowledge in sports are very limited and I don't know much about track.

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and all it's characters belong to Hiro Mashima.

Chapter Eleven

As his alarm blared for him to wake up, his hand groped the nightstand for the snooze button. Once that task was accomplished, he rolled out of bed and began his before school routines. Natsu threw some clothes on, jeans and a white t-shirt that said "POW!" in a bold, comic font. He was fixing up breakfast for him and his sister, when a half-asleep Wendy came out.

"Good morning, Natsu." She greeted.

"Morning, lil' girl." He replied while frying the egg. Wendy gasped and Natsu looked at her, worry etched on his features.

"What is it?"

"You're not wearing your crutches!" He looked down at his ankle and shrugged. "Walk around." And he did. There wasn't anymore pain when there was pressure applied to his ankle.

"You can go play at the games then!"

A smug little smirk burst from his lips.

Since Levy became his tutor, fourth period had suddenly become interesting to Gajeel. The studded teen had Study Hall for that period and the tutors come by. Levy, on the other hand, was apart of student council, but worked after school or at lunch, since she has been requested many times for tutoring. The two were whisper-talking about their friends while discussing Gajeel's grammar problems.

"Hey, Shrimp. Are you going to see the baseball match tonight?" He asked. Levy peered at him from behind her reading glasses. He knew she was cute, but she looked adorable with her hair messily tied and her glasses crooked. It's not liked he'd tell her though... She pushed her glasses up by the middle of her red rims as she replied.

"To see Lisanna and our team, yeah. Is Natsu not playing?" She replied.

"I don't know. If he's still on crutches, obviously not."

"Speaking of Natsu, what do you know about him?"

"He can't hold his liquor." She looked at him curiously. "We tried beer from his dad's secret fridge when we were sixteen and go drunk from the first couple of sips. No matter how stupid he is, he has a good heart and is willing to forgive. Wait, why am I telling you this?" Levy had a smile on her face as she replied.

"I just want to know about one of my best friend's future boyfriend."

The group were talking at their lunch table. It was a table located near the back of the quad and near the corner. In the four years of occupying that same table, they had vandalized a large part of the table. In freshman year, Natsu and Gray were being immature and drew a penis on the side the table in Sharpie. The rest of the group had tried to cover it up, by writing more junk on the table in Sharpie. It indeed covered up the small penis drawing, but several of the gang were caught. Cana, Gray, Natsu, and surprisingly Erza had lunch duty for the rest of that week.

The Heartfilia took her seat at the Sharpie covered table next to Natsu. She propped out two lunch containers and gave one to the boy beside her. She had gotten into the habit of bringing him lunch due to the fact he doesn't bring lunch and that the school lunch is utter crap. Seriously, who let the partially blind, nearly deaf lady ,whose hearing aid is clearly in need of new batteries, to cook? Suddenly her eyes flickered to Natsu's side. He was missing something.

"Food! Whatcha make this time, Luce?" He looked at her, smiling. She typed a reply.

Fried rice with leftover Hawaiian barbecue. Also where's your crutches?

"I don't need them." He pointed at his ankle. "Yeah, I'm good as new."

Cana slid over to interrupt the ongoing conversation. "You're gunna cheer him on to play right, Lucy?" The blonde grinned as she nodded.

"Lu, you should of joined the cheer team! Even though you can't say the cheers, you would do the routines nicely." Lisanna purred. An image of Lucy in her uniform as a cheerleader popped into his head and he couldn't stop the heat rising to his face.

"I'm pretty sure Natsu would like to see the uniform you~". The girls were all teasing the blonde while Natsu watched from near by. It feels like they completely forgot he was there... Unless they were doing it on purpose.

He looked down at his lunch. The fried rice was packed into an upside down bowl shape with little sticks of barbeque on the side. On the cover of the lunch container was a sticky note. Lucy liked to put messages or quotes on the paper to give to Natsu. Today the little message was. "Good luck today. I hope you can play!" A smile crept to his face and he looked at the girl beside him.

Everything about her seemed to be great. Even her flaws, well the ones he had discovered. To him, she's the most beautiful, kindness, and motivated person he had met before. He was proud of her. Even though she could be weird, whiny, or have a bad temper at times. He knew this is the girl he was falling for. Except he wasn't trying to convince himself otherwise, he was just letting himself fall in deeper.

The arena lights were blinding, but Lucy could still spot the pinkette on the field. Natsu was at the plate, up against Sabertooth. Fairy Tail and Sabertooth's scores were at a tie. However, if Natsu could score home run, Fairy Tail could win the baseball tournament once again.

Even though Fairy Tail had taken first in the Games for years, there had been more than one occasion they were at the merciless claws of Sabertooth. Fortunately, Fairy Tail would pull through and make first in the end. It's like it's Fairy Law or something.

The pitcher smirked and threw the fastest curveball she could muster. All Natsu's teammates bounced in anticipation. The ball met with the bat and he swung as hard as he could. The ball was sent flying and everyone was looking in awe. The pink haired male ran pass first-base, then second-base then third-base, and finally slid to home.

"The winner is Fairy Tail!" The announcer cheered. As the baseball team was praising Natsu, Lucy and the gang got out of the bleachers to congragulate the baseball team. Once the gang was in his view, he had moved over to greet his friends. His friends were jumping up and showed approval of his work, but Lucy stood there. She looked at him in his dirtied, white baseball uniform. The black on his cheeks were smudged and his hair askew from his helmet.

Yet, to her, he was as handsome as ever.

Lucy smiled and walked to him. He was grinning down at her and pink locks fell into his eyes. She tip-toed slightly to reach up and fix his hair. Then hugged him around his neck. It took awhile for him to register what was going on, but he returned the hug.

Inside the blonde's head, she was thinking. Really hard. Even though it's been years since she gave up, she never tried. Maybe she should. Trying to remember the sound and pronunciation, Lucy opened her mouth and gurgled out,

"I...p..p...rou...d."

Natsu released her from the hug and grabbed her arms. Levy, Juvia, and everyone else was looking at her with wide eyes. Lucy was smiling because she did try. And boy, she's glad she did.

"Luce, did you just say you're proud?" Natsu asked, his face was neutral, but happiness shone through his onyx eyes. Lucy smiled even more as she nodded. Juvia and Levy pushed the boy away to snatch their best friend in a hug. The two bluenettes were teary eyed as Lucy hugged them in return.

Natsu looked at the blonde girl who was only inches from his reach. This is the girl never ceased to amaze him. And this girl, who couldn't talk because she was mute, had tried to speak for him. Although her words were slurred, she had tried her best to gurgle out the smallest of syllables to say that tiny sentence.

"I'm proud." he repeated his friend's words.

Luce, I think I should be saying that to you.

Pride From Within

Next Chapter Preview:

After all the sports events were finished, the Magnolia School District makes the ending of the games more festive by holding an ending ceremony at Crocus Park. The ending ceremony itself wasn't really a ceremony. It was more of a carnival. There were rides and cotton candy booths and carnival food. Everyone was welcome to come, so little kids enjoyed themselves as well.

Nastu stood on his bed, up against the wall in his shirtless glory. He held is phone and banged his head slightly on the wall. Ruffling his pink hair, he sighed and flopped onto the mattress. Stupid. Just ask her out.