Hello fellow fairy tail fans:) This is my first fan fic posted so it would be awesome if you left a review or a suggestion:) Thank you and have a wonderful day:) Enjoy:)

Chapter 1—Reunion of Old Friends

Magnolia.

I never thought I'd return here. After what went down between me and that wizard. The wizard who had so much unbelievable power that I had cowered in his wake. Me, Akira Bellfront, cowered in front of a wizard. It was almost unheard of where I was from. But that wasn't why I was here. I was here to see an old friend. Who knew this wizard and my old friend, Gray Fullbuster, lived in the same town and in the same guild.

The town was as lively as ever and people walked by me with uplifting expressions. A young man tipped his hat to me and continued to walk on. You would think people would look at me different with my black clothes and my blue highlighted hair. I guess they have a lot of weirdos in this town. Not that I'm surprised. I mean, it is home to the Fairy Tail guild.

I turned my head to see some kind of festival happening in the plaza in the center of the city. I took a step towards it but paused, reminding myself why I was here. I needed to see Gray Fullbuster. I can't get distracted by a stupid festival. I turned away and walked in the opposite direction. I walked by a river and turned to look at myself in the water. My hair was just as unruly as ever. It was naturally blond but a freak accident had turned some strands a bright blue color that ironically matched my eyes.

I sighed and continued down the sidewalk. I stared at my black boots as they walked on one in front of the other. I still didn't know why I was so nervous to see him again. I guess it's natural when you haven't seen someone in almost a decade to feel nervous to see them again. When I heard he was alive I almost started sobbing. I was just hoping I would run into that wizard again. Apparently he's always out on jobs so hopefully he won't be there.

"Hey little lady! You shouldn't be walking around on your own out here!" I turned to see two men in a small dingy in the river. Instead of answering them with a witty response, I turned back to stare at my feet some more.

"Aw! No need to be shy! We won't bite!" they yelled out at me. I rolled my eyes and picked up the pace. I rounded the corner away from them. I don't know why I didn't answer. I guess I was still trying to wrap my head around the fact that Gray was alive and well and living in this town.

I took a few more steps and looked up to face a huge building with a flag waving in front of grand double doors. The flag had a symbol on it that I could only assume to be the guild mark. In big bold letters above the flag were the words FAIRY TAIL. Yep, this was the right place. I took a deep breath and stepped up to the doors. I opened the door and stepped inside with more confidence than I thought I had.

I stood in the doorway a little surprised with what I saw. People were everywhere left and right, sitting at tables on couches at a bar and even on a second floor with tables at more couches. A huge bulletin board on the right had a huge crown gathered around it with people talking and arguing with each other. It was so energetic and lively that I almost lost my composure.

I shook my head and wiped all shock from my face. I stepped inside and let the door close behind me. No one gave me any notice as a group of people shoved by me yelling at each other. Two middle aged men sitting at the table closest to me eyed me suspiciously but other than that, I could have been invisible.

"Hello." I blinked and looked up at the voice. A beautiful woman in a long red dress was smiling up at me carrying a tray with drinks. She had long white hair and dark blue eyes. She was probably one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen before.

"My name is Mirajane. Welcome to Fairy Tail. Is there something we could help you with?" She asked kindly. I immediately took a liking to her even though her perky attitude could get old really fast.

"Um, yeah. I'm here to see Gary Fullbuster. He's a member here isn't he?" she led me inside and had me sit at a table.

"Gray? Yes of course! I believe he's on a job right now." She said, placing two drinks on the table with the two men. One of them had a long white trench coat and dark blue hair gelled back. He looked like he used to be a really good-looking person when he was younger. The other had tan hair styled up on the top of his head with a pipe hanging out of his mouth.

"You're looking for Gray, huh? Mind my asking what you want with him?" the one with the pipe asked.

"I prefer to keep my business to myself. You understand." I replied smoothly. The other one grinned at me. Both of them stood up and joined me at my table. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"Don't you worry. Gray and the others will be back soon. They're usually pretty good about getting back in time for dinner, what, with Natsu with them. I'm Macao. This is Wakaba. You're welcome to wait here until he gets back." The one with the trench coat said.

"I was planning on it, thanks." I said shortly. I still hadn't made full eye contact with either of them yet and I honestly didn't plan to. It was annoying that Gray was out right now. I was hoping to get this over with quickly.

"Would you like anything to drink while you wait?" I looked up to see Mirajane smiling politely at me. I returned her warm smile with a stiff one and nodded. She walked away as people started to notice I was there. A young girl about my age with dark brown hair sat down next to Macao with a barrel full of some type of booze.

"So you're looking for Gray. What's he done this time? Not too much I hope." I gave her a small shake of the head but nothing more.

"Even if he did do something, Erza would have gotten to him about it. You know how she is with the guild's reputation." Macao said matter-of-factly. The girl nodded in agreement. I frowned. Why all this sudden attention? I was perfectly happy with waiting in a corner for him to return.

"I'm Cana by the way. I never got your name." The girl said. She took a swig of her barrel.

"That's because I never gave it to you." I snapped. The others paused and looked at each other in shock. God, why didn't they get the hint? I just wanted to be left alone.

"Ok… well in that case, what is your name?" Cana asked cautiously. A low growl worked its way up my throat and I almost started yelling before Mirajane saved me by interrupting with my drink. I took one long drink of the warm, sweet beverage. I downed it all in one go and the three at my table stared at me in shock and admiration.

"You realize that was a Fairy Cocktail?" Wakaba said, his mouth slightly parted but his pipe still firmly implanted in his mouth. I shrugged. Alcohol had never really bothered me even when I was a child. I never got drunk easy. Come to think of it, I've never even been slightly tipsy.

"It has six different types of alcoholic beverages and a splash of soda. Most of us can barely get through a single sip." Cana said in disbelief. I put the mug back on the table.

"Why would you give me this then?" I asked, my eyes narrowing. Mirajane appeared next to me.

"I wanted to give a true Fairy Tail welcome. I'm sorry if it was too much. Uh—" she paused as she stared at my empty mug. "Sh-Shall I get you another one?" I shrugged and she took the mug away, looking like she was in a daze. Cana closed her eyes and reopened them, grinning.

"I don't know who you are, but I like you. You're straight with people and you can handle the worst of alcohol. You're my kind of girl." She said smirking. I made eye contact with her and scanned her face for any sign of mockery in her features. There was nothing. She genuinely liked me.

"Thanks…" I said, not sure how to reply to that. Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal a boy with pink hair and a white scarf in the doorway with a huge grin on his face.

"We're back! Did you miss us?" he yelled out obnoxiously. He grabbed a chair and flung himself in to, knocking over a little girl with long blue hair. "Sorry, Wendy. I'm just really tired, you know?" She sighed and brushed herself off but gave him a soft affectionate smile.

"Natsu! What do you think you're doing? You can't just barge in and knock Wendy over like that!" A pretty blond girl followed the boy in and hit him upside the head. He grunted in pain and rubbed where she had hit him.

"Jeez, relax, Lucy. I didn't mean to knock her over."

"No, It's really fine, Lucy. It's my fault, I didn't see him coming." The little girl said, blushing in embarrassment.

"You mustn't try and save him, child. You need to stand up for yourself." A white cat was standing next to her with her paws on her hips. Wait, did I see that right? A talking cat was standing on two feet and talking to the girl with an extraordinary amount of maturity in her voice. I rubbed my eyes.

"Natsu, is that any way to return to your guild?" a new authoritative voice came from the doorway. I turned to look to see who was and saw a tall woman with deep crimson hair and armor on her body. She took one step towards the pink-haired boy and he seemed to cower in fear.

"Sorry, Erza. I didn't mean it like that." He said frantically trying to please her. She obviously scared the living crap out of him. Another cat appeared on his head. This one was blue. I blinked, not sure if I was seeing things or if this was real.

"We'll give you fish if you promise not to kill us." It said, trembling. The woman rolled her eyes and walked passed them and up the stairs to the second floor.

"Messing things up again, are you bone-head? It hasn't been five minutes since we got back." My heart nearly stopped at his voice. It was deeper and firmer than I remember but he was only a boy back then. My eyes connected with his face and I felt my heart rise to my throat. His jet black hair was still as unruly as ever like mine. His features had broadened and sharpened and had lost its baby fat but it was certain. Gray Fullbuster stood in the doorway.

"Who are you calling a bone-head, you icy freak?" the pink-haired boy stood up and turned to him in a fighting stance.

"You, of course, you got a problem with that?" he yelled back. They were head to head, yelling at each other. It seemed like they were going to started fighting.

"I have a problem with you and your icy face!"

"What's wrong with having an icy face? It's better than being a flaming bone-head who burned his own brains!"

"That's it, let's throw down!"

"Bring it on!"

I stared at the fight just about to unravel. The pink-haired boy's fist lit with fire and Gray took a stance that could only be used for Ice Maker Magic. So he had found a master. I had wondered if he finally learned the magic that he loved. But no one seemed concerned about this at all. The fire wizard and Gray seemed pretty serious but everyone was acting like it was normal.

"Oh, Gray! So glad you're back. There's a young lady who came looking for you." Mirajane said happily, seeming oblivious to the fight that was about to unfold. The two boys paused and stepped away from each other. They shot daggers at each other before Gray walked down the stairs towards Mirajane. She ushered him over to me and I stood up taking two large deep breaths.

Thoughts started to run through my head like a whirlwind. What if he didn't recognize me? What if he didn't care? What if he decided he no longer liked me? When we were kids, he was always the one that protected me from bullies. I was no longer that whimpering blond bimbo who always clung to Gray in a desperate attempt to have protection. What if he rejected me? Too late to have doubts now, I suppose.

I turned to him and gave him a neutral stare as he walked up to me. His eyes held no sign of recognition as he searched my eyes.

"Did you need me for something?" he asked politely. I parted my mouth slightly but no words came out. He knitted his eyebrows in confusion. Then his eyes showed a wave of recognition.

"Wait, are you the person who's been following me around everywhere?" I heard a squeak and a whimper from beside us. I turned my head to see a woman with dark blue hair and a look of affection and admiration on her face staring at Gray.

"No…" I said quietly, drawing my attention back to Gray. His shoulders sagged.

"Oh. I was hoping to find out who it was. They're getting really creepy." The girl let out another whimper after he finished. She looked hurt and sad now. I think I just solved his mystery.

"I guess, I thought you were somebody that I used to know." I said quietly, realizing that he wasn't going to recognize me. He shrugged and turned around as I let out a frustrated sigh. He took one step forward and froze. He turned around to face me again his eyes as big as saucers.

"I know that sigh." He said softly. He took three long strides to end up right in front of me. When did he get to be so tall? He was almost a foot over me staring down at me with his intense black eyes.

"Akira? Is that you?" he whispered. My breath hitched in my throat. So he had remembered me. I felt my spirits rise and sharpen all at once. It was like someone had punched me hard in the gut.

"Hey Graybie. Long time no see." I managed to let out.

I was about to say something else but I couldn't get another word out because he suddenly pulled me into a long embrace. I froze, my eyes wide as his arms dug into my back creating a sense of warmth down my spine. I stood rigid and stiff as his hold tightened. I didn't return the hug. I refused to let him in. I didn't come here to break down in front of him. I came here to… Why was I even here?

He released me and stepped back, his hands still on my shoulders. I looked up into his eyes and was surprised to see a pool of tears residing beneath them. His lips were trembling. It looked like he was looking at an angel. I was no angel. He needed to snap out of it before I started bawling too.

"How did you find me? I can't believe you're here! I thought you were dead. What have you been doing? Where have you been living?" my heart started pumping faster as his questions bombarded me. I wasn't prepared for this. I didn't want to tell him what happened to me. I should have known this would happen. I blinked and looked down, and away trying to find something to keep him from asking more questions. I blinked again and noticed the crowd forming around us.

"Um… I think you might want to introduce me to your inquiring friends, Graybie. We'll catch up later." I said quietly, feeling slightly self-conscious with all these people staring at me. He cleared his throat.

"Oh, yeah right." He turned around and faced the crowd "Guys, this is my friend, Akira. We were friends in my village." He explained. I felt my cheeks warming as the inquiring eyes turned into ones of pity.

"Wait, I thought your village was destroyed by Deliora." My heart clenched and I snapped my head in the direction of the voice that came from the boy with the pink hair. I clenched my fists.

"We both had a life before Deliora, you insensitive jerk." I hissed. I took a single step towards him but felt Gray's hand on my chest, holding me back. I narrowed my eyes and started shooting daggers at the boy. He blinked, a look of confusion passing over his face. I gritted my teeth. Man, he was asking for a beat down.

"The pink-haired pyromaniac over there is Natsu. You get used to his stupidity." Gray snarled through bared teeth. Natsu's face changed to one of anger and annoyance.

"You got a problem with my hair, you icy freak?" he retorted. Gray rolled his eyes and passed over him. He pointed to the blond girl standing next to Natsu.

"That's Lucy. She's a pretty new member of our guild but is already like family to us." She smiled uneasily and waved. I dipped my head in acknowledgement. He turned to the three people I already met.

"You already know Macao, Wakaba, and Cana. You'll usually see them here with some type of booze." Cana rolled her eyes and drank more from her barrel while the men smirked at me. Gray turned to three people standing next to Lucy. Two men and one girl. The girl was short with blue hair and a kind face. One of the men had brown hair and the other orange with a brown hat.

"That's Levy, Jet and Droy. They're a three-person team. They call themselves Team Shadow Gear." Levy smiled and waved politely. I gave them a short smile. Gray pointed to a big ripped man behind Levy. He had a lot of black hair that fell down his back like a porcupine. He had a black tattoo on his shoulder and an aggressive nature and stance.

"That's Gajeel. He's also pretty new here too. That's Wendy, and Carla." The little girl with blue hair smiled up at me with the white cat giving me a judging once-over look. "That's Elfman and Mirajane. They're siblings. And that's their little sister, Lisanna." I looked at a man with overwhelming stature/ he had a scar on his eye and the same white hair as Mirajane. The girl next to him had shorter hair and brighter blue eyes but the same hair. I could see the resemblance.

"That's pretty much everyone for now. You haven't met Erza, Laxus and the Thunder Legion or Gildarts yet but most of them are out on jobs. And Erza's upstairs in the S Class area." I froze at the name I knew.

"Gildarts?" I whispered. This was the wizard I faced off with. He had almost killed me and I only just managed to escape.

"Yeah, he's Cana's dad." My jaw dropped as I stared at her. Yes, I could see some resemblance. The same eyes. The same intense stare.

"You know my dad?" she asked, eyeing my face. I gulped and felt my cheeks warming.

"I've only heard of him. How do you forget the most powerful wizard in Fairy Tail." I said trying to cover up for my mistake of letting out too much.

"True that." She said, drinking some more. Suddenly, the woman with dark blue hair and a wild look in her eyes stepped forward holding out her hand.

"You seem to have forgotten me, Gray my love." She said her head tilting as she stared me down. She did not like me at all. I could tell immediately. Her other hand was clenched to a fist and her back was tense and rigid like she was trying to hold herself back. My love?

"Oh right, sorry. Akira, this is Juvia. She's fairly new as well." She grabbed my hand and shook it, her grip a little tighter than necessary.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll be best friends. Any friend of Gray's is a friend of mine." She said a little crazily. I pulled my hand away and stepped backwards. I think this girl liked Gray. Like, a lot. Luckily, she wouldn't have to deal with me for much longer.

"Um… well, it was great meeting you all. It's great that I got to see you again, Gray. But I have to get home. I only dropped by to… I don't even know why. I'll see you… later, I guess." I pushed past him and started walking towards the door. Someone grabbed my forearm before I had the chance to escape.

"Hold on, Akira. You can't just expect me to let you go already. You just got here! I haven't seen you in ten years!" Gray exclaimed.

"Seven, actually." I corrected softly. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever the number. Point is, I just got you back. I thought you were dead along with everyone else in my village. I'm not letting you go so soon. Why did you come if you were just going to leave?"

"I really don't know. Coming here wasn't even a part of the plan. I guess I had to see if what the people told me was true. I needed to see you again. So now I have. And now I need to get back to my life. This wasn't supposed to be a heart to heart. I don't know what it was supposed to be, but there you have it. I need to leave." I pulled my arm out of his grasp and started for the door again.

"Wait, please." This time, he grabbed my shoulder. "Please don't go yet. Stay for a few days. We need to do something. Just the two of us like old times. I want to know how you've been getting on. And I'm sure you want to know what I've been up to. Please stay for a few days." His voice was pleading and imploring. I felt my throat tighten. I did want to know how he was doing. A few days wouldn't hurt, right? Albian could wait a few more days.

"Ok…" I said finally. "I'll stay a few days. But that's it. I leave right after, okay? I really do need to get back." He grinned at me and pulled me into another hug.

"Of course. I'm just so happy I have you back." I sighed into his shoulder. He didn't know me anymore. I wasn't the same girl I was seven years ago. Gray had changed too, but not as much as me. I didn't know if he would accept me for who I was now.