Chapter 4

"Lu-chan, you're so slow!" Orga said as he watched Lucy struggle with his luggage. Orga smiled in amusement as he watched the Celestial mage carry four huge bags in her hands. She looked like a helpless puppy, and Orga just knew how to irritate the blonde Celestial mage so much. The Lightning God Slayer whistled happily as he and his teammates headed to the train station.

It was finally the day before Grand Magic Games. The mages were super excited! They had trained for this event, and they were absolutely thrilled.

"You could just ask for help you know." Rogue appeared beside the Stellar mage and took two of the bags Lucy was holding. Sting and Rufus also followed and took the remaining bags she was holding, leaving her with nothing. Lucy sighed at their actions and walked beside Minerva, Yukino and the exceeds.

"Ahh! That's not fair! Lu-chan lost in our drinking match. I get to boss her for the whole day." Orga whined at his teammates actions.

Flashback:

It was the two days before the Grand Magic Games and the Sabertooth mages were busy cheering on the contestants this year. They had set up a party in order to boost the participants' confidence for the event. Everyone was now preparing a huge amount of alcohol for the drinking contest and Lucy was somehow dragged into this.

"You can do it Lucy-nee!" Minerva cheered as Lucy seated beside Orga, Rufus and other members of the guild.

"How did I get dragged into this?" Lucy sweatdropped and sighed as she looked at the alcohol that was in front of her. Orga had somehow convinced her that if she beat him in a drinking match, he would stop annoying her for a whole month. Lucy accepted his proposal, Orga was the king when it comes to teasing and annoying her. She obviously needed a break from him once in while you know.

"Ready .. and Go!" Yukino declared. As soon as they heard the signal, everyone had immediately started drinking. The white-haired mage laughed and cheered everyone on as soon as it started. A couple of drinks later, Lucy and Orga were the only ones left drinking.

"I am so not going to lose to you." Lucy said with a very flushed face. She was drunk, but she didn't stop drinking. Her determination to beat Orga didn't falter. The Stellar mage chugged her 43rd mug of alcohol, and so did the Lighting God Slayer.

"Lucy you're funny! Just give up!" Orga drowsily said as he obnoxiously patted Lucy's head. The drunk blonde tried her best to balance herself from drowsiness but was easily knocked out when Orga's massively huge hand landed on her head. She fell back from drowsiness and was easily caught by Minerva who was cheering behind her. Yukino was beside Minerva, the white-haired mage was busy aiding the passed out Rufus.

"See! I won! I am the greatest!" Orga said as he laughed at the unconscious Lucy.

BAM*

"Stupid Slayer." Sting and Rogue muttered as they whacked the Lighting God Slayer's head. The Twin Dragon Slayers were irritated at the fact that Orga just made their Lucy-nee drink alcohol.

"Let's go home." Rogue said as he dragged the unconscious Orga by the leg outside the guild. Sting on the other hand was carrying Rufus like a sack of potatoes and followed the Shadow Dragon Slayer behind. Yukino walked beside Minerva, who piggy-backed Lucy.

-End of Flashback-

Orga groaned when he noticed that his teammates just completely ignored him and boarded the train without him.

Crocus, Fiore

The Sabertooth mages had been strolling around Crocus for some time now. Sightseeing was their number one objective for the day before they had to check-in at the hotel they were assigned to. The mages were walking down the stone path way when they heard people talking.

"Really? I thought they were dead! They were missing for 7 years." Two middle-aged women chatted as they passed by in front of the Sabertooth mages. They noticed Lucy tense up immediately, she didn't want to remember any of what happened in Tenroujima. Zeref. Acnologia. They were just too painful.

"Look Lucy-nee! The clothes on that shop will surely suit you well!" Minerva nervously said trying her best to cheer up the blonde from painful memories. She pulled Lucy, Yukino and the two cats towards the shop and disappeared in an instant. The others sweatdropped, it was so obvious that Minerva wanted to cheer Lucy up but at the same time, everyone knew that the dango-haired mage was obsessed when it comes to dressing up the Celestial mage.

As Orga, Sting, Rogue, and Rufus entered the shop, they were greeting with pink curtains, frilly dresses and overly flowery walls. There was absolutely no freaking way they were staying at this shop! All four had now turned their backs and was ready to leave the girly store, when a white-haired Celestial mage suddenly blocked the exit. She had her arms spread out to indicate that they cannot leave the shop just yet. The four frowned at the white-haired mage. They love Lucy, but being in a shop like this hurts their pride so much. They wanted to get out as soon as possible.

All four of them looked behind them and saw Minerva's eyes sparkling. This could only mean one thing. 'Lucy.' They all thought and sweatdropped at Minerva. The Blonde Celestial mage was really amazing, she's the only one who can tame the dango-haired mage. Not only Minerva, but everyone else feels the same way. Lucy had changed their worlds for the better. Losing her once was all it took for them to realize how much she means a lot to them.

"She's just too adorable!" Minerva said as she tried her best to calm down. Yukino nodded in agreement as she and the purple-haired mage had chosen the cutest outfit for the blonde Stellar mage to wear.

As if on cue, Lector and Frosch dragged a blushing Lucy out of the changing room. The blonde Celestial mage was struggling from the two exceeds' grasp. She was too embarrassed to let anyone see her like that. Before she could say anything to the two cats, she was already in front of her teammates. Oh Dear!

Everyone gasped in awe when they saw the blonde Stellar mage. She was not adorable, she was beautiful! Yukino had picked a pink frilly sundress for the blonde mage; it had white linings that went down to her knees. Minerva had matched the dress with a pink sun hat and a beautiful star necklace. All blushed at how captivating she truly was.

The blonde Celestial mage shifted her head to look at her teammates, they were staring at her. Their piercing gaze made her feel more embarrassed. She blushed and immediately squatted down like a child and hid her face using her hat. She didn't know what those stares meant, she was so confused. She wanted to run away from them.

Before Lucy could even stand up and run back to the changing room, a hand had adjusted her hat making her face visible to everyone. She looked up and saw that Sting was the owner of the hand. The Light Dragon Slayer was smiling at her. She looked behind him and saw everyone else was also smiling at her.

"Lucy-nee. You once told Rufus that it's not nice to hide your face, you're doing it right now. You look absolutely pretty." Sting pouted as he pulled Lucy up.

"I agree with Sting. Lucy-nee is pretty. This shall be recorded in my memory." Rufus said with a smile.

"Fro thinks Fairy-san is beautiful!" Frosch chirped happily.
"I agree with Frosch." Lector goofily smiled.

"Lucy-nee is really beautiful." Rogue smiled as he patted Frosch's head.

"Lucy-sama should not hide her face." Yukino happily implied.
"Yeah. You look cute." Orga continued.

"See? It isn't that bad Lucy-nee. C'mon, we already paid for that." Minerva smiled as she held her hand out to Lucy. How she loved these guys so much. She accepted the dango-haired mage's hand as they went out the shop.

"I love you guys." The blonde chuckled.

"We love you too." Everyone happily replied as they led her out of the shop.

After checking in at the assigned hotel, the Sabertooth mages still had plenty of time to spare. All decided to go separate ways and meet up at the hotel later that night. Yukino and Minerva had decided to hit every clothing shop in Crocus, planning on buying more clothes to dress Lucy in. Orga had decided to go relax in a café dragging Rufus with him as company. The Twin Dragon Slayers roamed around Crocus to search for the other GMG competitors, they wanted to be prepared for anything. And lastly, Lucy was with the Twin Dragon's exceeds and was strolling around the area.

"Fro really thinks that Fairy-san is pretty." Frosch stated. The green exceed looked that the blonde Stellar mage who seems to be lost in her thoughts. She was looking down at the ground, hiding her face behind her hat and avoiding everyone's gaze. The blonde was really happy at what happened at the shop, receiving such complements from them made her feel warm and fuzzy, but also embarrassed at the same time. A pink blush crept up from her face as she smiled at the thoughts.

Snapping back to reality, Lucy noticed that two certain exceeds weren't walking beside her anymore. When did she lose them? Oh dear. Sting and Rogue are going to be mad at her if anything happens to any of the two. How on earthland does she lose two cats in just a matter of seconds? Instead of panicking she was calm; she carefully looked through the crowd and saw a tint of pink and red. She saw a happily distracted Frosch chasing a harmless butterfly, Lector following behind the green exceed.

As the Celestial mage was slowly gradually catching up to the two exceeds, someone had accidentally bumped into her causing her to lose sight of the two. Trying her best to find a way through the massive crowds, she found herself a few meters away from a huge fountain in the middle of town. She figured that the exceeds were probably waiting for her near the fountain.

As the Stellar mage examined the fountain, she did indeed saw two exceeds sitting near the fountain talking to someone.

"We'll wait for Lushi here. Don't cry." As the red exceed tried to calm the crying green exceed down, a white-haired mage had seated beside them.

"What's the problem?" The white-haired mage said as he patted the crying Frosch. The two cats looked up at him confused, and the mage smiled in return.

"We are waiting for our partner. We wandered off and she lost track of us." Lector said at the white-haired mage.

"That's a very irresponsible thing to do. Your partner must be so worried!" The white haired mage chuckled at the two exceeds.

"Fro is sorry Lector-kun." Frosch said with a teary-eyed expression. The white-haired mage smiled at the sight of the two caring exceed.

"So you are Fro and Lector? Nice to meet you. I am Lyon Vastia." The two exceeds nodded at his question and acknowledge his name.

"So, how long did you know your partner? What does your partner look like?" Lyon asked out of curiosity seeing as the two cats were waiting patiently for their partner.

"More than 7 years. She rescued us with our Dragon Slayer partners. She is super nice and we love her so much!" Lector happily started. 'He sure gets talkative when it comes to their partner.' Lyon smiled at his thoughts.

"She has a White Sabertooth guild mark on the back of her right hand; she has long golden hair and brown eyes. Right now, she's wearing a pink frilly dress, a pink sun hat and a star necklace around her neck. Her name is L-" Before Lector could even finished his sentence, a girl that matched the red exceed's description ran towards them and hugged both exceeds.

Lyon watched with fascination in his eyes as he saw the two exceeds cheer up instantly. The girl sure was a great person.

"You shouldn't wander off like that. What if something bad happens to you?" Lyon heard the girl said, he chuckled and noticed the White Sabertooth guild mark on the back of the girl's right hand while she was patting the two cats in front of her.

"Fro is sorry." Frosch said to the girl. Lyon couldn't see the girl's face but knew she was smiling from under that hat. As the girl laughed, it was like music to the ice mage's ear. An uncontrollable smile appeared on his lips, just the sound of her voice made his heart race. Why is his heart racing? Heck, the ice mage hasn't even saw her face yet, yet she made her feel this way.

Lyon was a little surprised when he noticed the blonde had already picked up the two exceeds and was now face to face with him. He still couldn't see her whole face, half of it was covered by her pink hat, only the lower part of her face was visible.

"Thank you so much mister." Lyon noticed the star shaped necklace that dangled around her neck as she bowed to him as a sign of thanks. A blush tinted his cheeks, but luckily the girl couldn't see his face at all. She was really nice. Just like how Lector described her. She sounds familiar though. He swore he knew that voice.

Before the white-haired ice mage could even ask for her name, she already left without him noticing. His eyes searched carefully through the crowds, but no blonde in sight. He clenched his fist and looked sadly at the ground. A tint of silver captured his eyes, it was the blonde's star necklace.

"Who are you?" He whispered as he picked up the necklace from the ground.

Hotel,

"Where could she have gone?" Rogue impatiently said as he paced back and forth in front of the door waiting for a certain Celestial mage. Everyone was feeling the same, they were worried at the Stellar mage. It was already late and everyone except Lucy and the exceeds were already gathered at the hotel. Lucy is strong, but they just can't help but worry about her and the two exceeds.

Silence filled the room as they intently watch the door. A couple of minutes passed by and finally! She arrived with two exceeds following her. Large plastic bags were being carried by the Stellar mage as she smiled.

"I'm back! Sorry it took a while, but I bought us dinner." Lucy bowed down to her teammates as an apology for being late. Everyone was touched by her actions, whoever marries her will be the luckiest person on earth.

Minerva intently watched the blonde Stellar mage as she placed the plastic bags in a small table. The blonde-haired mage looked different somehow. Is there something missing? But what is it? The dango-haired mage ignored her thoughts and brushed it off as she unpacked the food from the plastic bags.

"Lucy-sama isn't wearing her necklace." Yukino commented as she noticed Lucy's bare neck.

Minerva shifted her gaze towards Lucy's neck. She knew she felt something was missing from the blonde. So it was the necklace!

"Necklace?" Lucy questioned as she placed her hand on her neck. Nothing was there. Her eyes widen from sudden realization. Her necklace was gone. Did she lose it somewhere? Maybe it fell in town? The Stellar mage ran towards the door, she was about to grab the door knob when a hand stopped her. She looked up at the owner of the hand, it was Minerva. The purple-mage shook her head. It was already late, retracing her steps could take all night. Everyone needed to rest.

"But it was a gift from all of you. I have to find it." Lucy looked at her with pleading eyes. Minerva shook her head and smiled.

"It's okay. Let's buy a new one when the Grand Magic Games finishes. We'll get matching pairs for everyone. Sounds good?" The purple-haired mage replied. The blonde sadly nodded as they proceeded to where the others were eating.

Lucy soaked herself in the tub as she remembered every moment that had happened this day. She remembered thanking a person who the exceeds were talking to. She sadly didn't see the person's face due to the freakishly huge hat that obstructed her eyesight from everyone. She smiled when she remembered how the exceeds kept talking about their new friend.

Too preoccupied with her thoughts, she didn't notice the commotion that was happening outside the bathroom.

A huge Sky Labyrinth had appeared in the sky, it was humungous. Everyone stared at the thing, they were all confused. What was its purpose? Bright lights turned on and a projection of a pumpkin mascot attracted everyone's attention.

The pumpkin wore a striped red and white shirt with a dark green cape. He also wore a pair of black trousers, navy blue boots, white gloves and a green wizard's hat. He introduced himself as Mato. He explained to everyone that only the first 8 guilds who complete the Labyrinth can officially participate in the Grand Magic Games tomorrow. He then started to tell everyone about the rules and mechanics of the Preliminary Event.

After explaining everything, he was ready to start the event. Sudden realization had hit the Sabertooth mages! This is bad!

"Ready? In 5…" Mato slowly started counting backwards.

"Sting! Rogue! Rufus!" Minerva shouted out as she jolted towards the bathroom. The three mages knew what this meant, they had exactly a couple of seconds to get everything ready for her.

"4…"

The Light Dragon Slayer sprinted towards the closet and grabbed a black cloak. The Memory-Make mage snatched Lucy's keys and whip from the table they were placed on. And the Shadow Dragon Slayer had rummaged through the blonde-haired mage's bag and took the closest thing he could acquire, which was the Celestial mage's bikini, the same bikini she used at Mt. Hakobe.

"3…"

BANG*

Lucy jolted up from surprise! She shifted her gaze towards the source of sound and saw Minerva holding a towel in her hands standing on top of a broken door that was now on the floor. She was confused at the purple-haired mage's action, what was happening? Before she could even ask, Minerva abruptly wrapped her in a towel and carried her like a sack of potatoes heading out of the bathroom.

"2…"

Minerva arrived with a toweled up Lucy in her hands, the guys blushed at the sight of the Celestial mage. The moment the dango-haired mage snatched the bikini from Rogue's hand, every male had turned their backs at the scene. Yukino and Minerva immediately stripped Lucy out of her towel and quickly changed her into her bikini.

"1…"

"GO!" Minerva and the pumpkin shouted simultaneously.

As soon as everyone heard their purple-haired teammate yell, they had sprinted into action heading towards the Sky Labyrinth. Sting had immediately carried the confused Lucy in his arms, the moment the signal was declared.

"Good luck everyone!" Orga, Yukino and the exceeds cheered as they watch their teammates step on the platform heading towards the huge Labyrinth.

The Light Dragon Slayer ran beside Rogue, Rufus and Minerva. Everyone laughed as they saw Lucy tighten her grip around Sting's neck. The Stellar mage's face had clearly shown that she was utterly confused at what was happening right now. Everything was in chaos. Mages from different guilds were fighting each other, some ran for their lives, while some were thrown out of the Labyrinth.

Within seconds, they had reached the inside of the Labyrinth and Sting placed the blonde Stellar mage down on the ground. Eventually, Minerva explained everything to Lucy about the Preliminary Events.

Rufus, Minerva and Lucy followed the two Dragon Slayers as they lead them to the finish line. Sting and Rogue somehow managed to acquire the Pumpkin's scent and was now heading towards it. Every step they take, the scent grew stronger and stronger.

"Do I really have to wear this cloak?" Lucy whined at her teammates. She peeked from the hood of her cloak and saw her teammates nod at her pitifully. She pouted at them and let out a small 'hmmph.

Master Jiemma clearly instructed that the Stellar mage shall not reveal her face until the end of the Games, much to Lucy's disappointment. The Celestial mage definitely understood Master Jiemma's reasoning. She knew that the master and her teammates would have less time to spend with her if the fairies knew that she was participating as a Sabertooth member. How clingy of them. Well, she was gone for 7 years. She can't blame them from missing her too much.

Lucy chuckled at her thoughts. Man, she really loved both Fairies and Sabers. Her grin widen as she saw the finish line.

"Here are the results for the Preliminary Rounds Kabo~!" Mato announced as a cheers from thousands of people were heard everywhere.

"At the last place! We have Fairy Tail!" He fist started. Both cheers and boos were heard from the crowd as Natsu, Gray, Erza, Elfman and Wendy entered the arena.

"At 7th place! Quatro Cerberus!" he continued.

"6th place! Mermaid Heel!"

"5th place! Blue Pegasus!"

"4th place! Lamia Scale!"

"3rd place! Raven Tail!"

"At 2nd! What a surprise! Fairy Tail B Team!" Mato said with a smile. Everyone was so confused at why there was a B team. The pumpkin then explained that guilds were allowed to enter two teams this year, that was the reason why there were so many participants, and that they had to arrange a preliminary round.

"Lastly! At first place, we have Sabertooth yet again!" The pumpkin announced as the Sabertooth participants made their way to the arena. Everyone was smiling as the crowds cheered from all around.

"Yaay! Sting-kun!" Lector shouted from the crowds. The exceeds together with Yukino and Orga were sitting with Master Jiemma and the rest of Sabertooth. They were cheering them on, and was really hyped that they received the first place yet again.

Mavis smiled as she saw that a certain Stellar mage had become a participant for the games. All Sabertooth members were hugging the certain mage from happiness. She was obviously loved by the Sabers. Makarov had noticed the first's smile and followed her gaze. He stared at the scene, why was she smiling at the mages from Sabertooth? Wait, Sabertooth? Could it be? He looked at the first master with hope in his eyes.

"Yes. It's her." Mavis said figuring out Makarov's inner thoughts. Makarov smiled, he was happy that she was having fun, that she was safe. Any parent would be glad seeing their child happy.

A certain white-haired mage from Lamia Scale had been searching through the crowds for a certain blonde-haired mage. He had ignored everyone ever since they had entered the arena, he was so busy searching for the Sabertooth girl that his eyes never noticed a certain water mage that was fawning over the so called 'Gray-sama'. As his eyes searched for the girl, his gaze landed at the two exceeds who were cheering for the Sabertooth mages. She wasn't with them. He smiled at the sight of the two cats as he and everyone returned to their guilds' assigned stations.

The five happily returned to the Sabertooth station as they watch Jiemma happily nod in satisfaction. The master was happy that they were number 1, but it really didn't matter anymore because Lucy was already reunited with them. He smiled as he watched Yukino, Orga and the two exceeds hug the five participants and happily chatted with them.

As everyone broke from the hug, Lucy excused herself from everyone. Before anyone could even ask, she and two certain exceeds were already gone.

"Where is she going?" Minerva said annoyed as she together with everyone watched the blonde's retreating figure. Obviously the purple-haired mage didn't want her to wander around who knows where.

"Let her be." Jiemma chuckled earning him a pout from her cute dango-haired daughter.

"Ne.. Lushi~ Are you sure everyone will like this?" The red exceed asked as he carried two plastic bags in his hands. Lucy smiled at the red exceed. The two cats had accompanied her in buying refreshments and snacks for everyone in the guild. The Stellar mage was really happy for everyone's support and wanted to thank them by buying snacks. All three smiled as they headed back to their station.

The two exceeds had already reached their stations with the bags in their hands while Lucy was still so far away from them. The Celestial mage certainly lagged behind due to the fact that she was carrying three heavy plastic bags in each of her hands, trying her best not to damage the delicate plastic bags.

Lucy's cloak dangled behind her back revealing her white bikini with pink floral patterns. Her hands were busy carrying six heavy bags as it swayed back and forth every time she took a step. She stopped walking the moment she felt the bags about to rip. The Stellar mage sighed and placed the bags on the ground.

"Onee-san. Would you like some help?" Lucy turned around at the sound and saw the pink-haired girl from Lamia Scale. Before the Stellar mage could even reply, the Sky God Slayer had already picked up two of the bags on the ground and supported its base knowing that the bags were about to rip.

"There you are Sherria! I've been looking everywhere for you." A familiar voice ringed through Lucy's ear.

"Lyon-sama! Great timing. Let's help Saber nee-san! The bags are about rip." Sherria happily said to Lyon. The Ice mage's ears perked up the mention of Sabertooth. Was it destiny? He quickly picked up the two bags and followed Sherria closely behind. He clearly remembered the events from yesterday, he wanted to see her. There was something about her that was beyond amazing. Without even realizing it, a grin had formed from his lips.

Lucy smiled at Sherria and Lyon as they headed to Sabertooth's station.

As soon as the three mages arrived with the bags, everyone started thanking her.

"Lu! Thanks so much for the snacks."
"Lu! You don't know how much this means."
"You're too kind."

Lyon and Sherria looked at each other when they heard the blonde's kindness towards her guild mates. They were amazed at how she loved her guild, and how everyone also loved her back. As soon as they saw the girl being engulfed in hugs from everyone, they placed the bags on the bench and started walking away. Lyon glanced one last time and saw two exceeds waving at him from happiness. He smiled in return and proceeded walking back.

A pair of hands stopped the two Lamia Scale members from walking away. It was the Saber girl they had helped. She stepped forward and stood in front of the Sky God Slayer. Lyon saw the hooded Saber thanking Sherria and giving her a bottle of soda and some snacks.

"Thank you Lu-nee!" Sherria chirped as she hugged the mage. The blonde mage patted Sherria's head in return.

Lu-nee, as Sherria would call her, approached the Ice mage and held out her hand. Lyon's eyes widen in shock at the sight of her hand. He saw the White Sabertooth guild mark located at the back of her right hand. He found her, it was really her.

The Ice mage's hand trembled as he accepted the bottle of soda and snack from her. He wanted to see her face, to tell him who she was. He wanted to scream at her for making him feel this way about her! But not a single word came out, he just stared at her hoping to catch a glimpse of her face.

"Thank you for helping me Lyon-san." The celestial mage said. And with that Lyon saw her lips turn into a smile. That smile again. Why did his heart beat faster after hearing her say his name? Wait- his name? Does he know her?

Lyon reached for the necklace in his pocket, he had kept the necklace just in case he met her again. It was definitely fate! There she was in front of him. It was his chance. But before he could even pull out the necklace; Sherria had already said goodbye to the blonde, and dragged him with her.

"Wait Sherria!" Lyon said with a panicked voice as he was being dragged back to their stations. He saw the hooded Saber wave goodbye to them.

"She's really pretty Lyon-sama." Sherria smiled happily while she dragged the Ice mage with her. Apparently, due to the Sky God's Slayer's height, she saw the mage's face very clearly from under the hood. Lucy didn't really mind, in fact she was happy that someone other than Sabertooth had seen her face.

Lyon sighed in defeat. Sherria's so lucky to have seen her face. He'll just return the necklace when she sees her again.

After those events, the First day of the Grand Magic Games has officially started!

-Chapter 4 Fin-

Omake:

Minerva arrived with a toweled up Lucy in her hands and immediately snatched the bikini from Rogue's hand. Yukino and Minerva immediately stripped Lucy out of her towel and quickly changed her into her bikini.

"1…"

Everybody was frozen at the scene. They didn't have enough time to turn around, Minerva and Yukino were too fast. Blood had rushed out of everybody's noses as they watch the naked Lucy blush from embarrassment.

"Min-chan! You idiot!" Lucy shouted and whacked Minerva in the head.

"GO!" Mato shouted excitedly while the Saberooth participants watched the dango-haired mage lay on the ground with a huge bump in her head. Poor Min-chan.

-Omake Fin-

A/N: In the original series, Lyon first met Juvia in the GMG games and claimed that it was love at first sight. But in my version, he never noticed her because he was too busy searching for the mage who owns the necklace.