Chapter 11

I can't apologize enough. I'm sorry to the people that have actually been reading this story and have waited for an update. My life is kind of in shambles right now. I've been through a lot of shit, and I'm still going through a lot right now. Updates won't be regular anymore. At least once a month. I forgot where I was going with this story, but remembered. I'm thinking of starting another one, at the same time as this one. But this time I'll plan it out before starting. Gomen ^_^"

Oh, and one more thing. If you are reading this, Conflicting Chaos, I really hope you're alright and will return soon. I can't wait for your update.

A lot of great writers that were my inspiration to start writing have disappeared in the middle of their stories, with not a single thing said.

Enjoy, guys!

Don't own anything, by the way.

-(^_^)-

"Party!" A huge roar was given by our favorite pink-haired male. Everyone cheered with him, raising their glasses filled with beer.

"To Laxus' return!" He roared.

"TO LAXUS' RETURN!" Everyone cheered with him.

They were outside, at a small clearing in a forest, surrounded by cherry blossom trees. Natsu came up with the idea of organizing a party for Laxus' return, and everyone agreed without protest. Everyone they knew was invited to the party, and could bring along as many people as they saw fit. But only if everyone brought something to snack on, otherwise it'd be no good.

Our blond, spiky-haired hero tried to stay away from the others for most of the time, but found out that wasn't so easy when you were the guest of honor. However, he did enjoy seeing everyone's happy faces, even though he would never admit it. So he sat on the lighted up grass, staying in the shadows of one of the famous pink trees, wearing his usual coat over his shoulders. He found the bandages around his chest more than enough to cover his upper body, so didn't bother with a shirt that morning. Wearing his favorite black, leather pants, paired with his light, metal greaves, he stared off into space. He still had bandages wrapped around his forehead.

"Oi, Sparky!" A feminine voice approached him.

"What is it, Cana?" The blond replied, taking another swig of his beer.

"A guest of honor shouldn't be sitting here, now should he?" The brunette asked, taking a seat beside him, wearing her usual blue bikini-top, her Capri pants and her high heels.

"Who cares?" Laxus asked, watching everyone either dancing, eating or talking.

"Clearly I do, you big dumbass. Now pass me the drink, I want a sip."

Laxus simply obliged, handing her his mug. She returned it to him immediately afterwards. As soon as Laxus took it, he already knew the contents of the beverage had been drained, so he put the mug aside, letting it go with a "Should've figured…"

Cana simply giggled in response. "How are your injuries?"

"They're fine, I don't even need the bandages anymore." Laxus simply shrugged in reply.

"Just take care of yourself more often."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

-(^_^)-

"Hey, Luce! Look!"

"What is it, Natsu?" The blonde, wearing a striped, pink tank top and shorts, turned around to look at her pink-haired friend, and fell over almost immediately. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Being a ninja!" He replied, having his scarf cover his face, except for his eyes. His hands had their fingers balled into fists, except for his index finger and middle finger on both hands, placing one a little higher above the other, while balancing on one leg.

"You are so childish…" Lucy sighed, planting the palm of her hand on half of her face.

"Happy likes it…" Natsu murmured.

"Happy is over there, playing with Lily, Carla, Lector and Frosch." Lucy argued. "And besides, he's a cat."

"So what?"

"So, he can't understand things like we do."

"Can too!"

"Cannot!"

"Watch him! Happy, come here!" Natsu called his cat, shooting Lucy a challenging look. Meanwhile, Happy had been trying to get Carla to share a fish with him. He gave up as soon as Natsu called, though, and trotted over to him.

"Happy! You like ninja's too, right?" Natsu asked, pointing a finger at the blue-furred cat. The simple, black eyes of the creature stared at Natsu up and down, then his head gave a small nod.

Lucy's mouth opened, and she tried to think of a logical explanation. "There's no way he understood that!"

"Oh yeah?" Natsu challenged again, then took on his ninja pose. Strangely enough, Happy imitated him, standing on his hind legs and placing his hands like Natsu's.

Lucy was dumbfounded, and stared at the duo. "H-How?!"

"Natsu taught him some tricks. The two have been together ever since they were kids, after all." Erza joined the conversation, wearing a black dress.

"Erza, why are you wearing a dress?" Lucy questioned, forgetting about her pink-haired friend and his cat for a moment.

"N-No r-r-reason…" Erza blushed, awkwardly looking around.

"You've always been a terrible liar, you know." Gray chuckled, joining the conversation. Lucy instantly felt a glare on her back, sending shivers down her spine. She glanced around, meeting the eyes of a jealous bluenette, hiding behind a tree. Lucy released a light sigh, then walked over to her shy friend. "Juvia, just go and talk to him."

"What if Lucy-san is trying to give Juvia fake confidence, so Gray-sama would turn her down and she can hog Juvia's precious Gray-sama all to herself?" Juvia imagined.

"How do you even come up with these things? I'm not interested in Gray!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Are you saying that Gray-sama isn't good enough?" Juvia concluded somehow.

"Of course not, Juvia! Stop saying such things! Just go and talk to him, or you'll lose your chance!" Lucy groaned exasperatedly.

"B-But, Juvia isn't ready-" However, she never got to finish her sentence as Lucy pulled her to the group.

-(^_^)-

Four cloaked figures were standing next to each other, a bit away from the clearing, each waiting for something. Or someone, to be precise. Another person appeared. The figures raised their bowed heads lightly, blending in with the background. The person approached, and upon closer look it turned out to be a girl. White, short hair, a white blouse and skirt with boots, a cloak with feathers at the chest, where it was bound with a blue star. A blue ornament in her hair, she glanced around. "Sting?" She half-whispered.

Donned with a dragon's hearing, the blond fighter removed his cloak, appearing in the sunlight. "Hey, Yuki."

"Sting!" She jumped into his arms, hugging him closely as if he would just disappear into the sunlight if she didn't.

"She doesn't think you're a criminal?" A voice spoke up. Yukino glanced around in fear, only to find three more people wearing cloaks.

"No, I… ehm… might have… accidentally… told her everything…?" Sting stated, choosing his words carefully.

"You did what?!" The same voice almost yelled, while the other chuckled. The third remained silent.

"Relax, Jellal-san, we can trust her!" Sting protested almost immediately.

"How are you so sure? Did you even discuss this with Laxus?!" The voice yelled once again.

"We trusted Kinana and Meredy, didn't we?! Why is Yukino any different?" Sting asked, trying to protect his friend.

"Leave Kinana out of this!" The other voice growled threateningly.

"What the hell is happening here?! Wait, could it be… Sting?" A new voice appeared. Everyone was so busy in the argument, no one had noticed a fifth person approaching the small group.

"Erza…" Jellal spoke her name softly, barely audible, yet the red-head caught it and stared at the cloaked figure.

"Jellal." She acknowledged.

"You told Erza-san?!" Sting asked.

"At least I've known her for almost all my life!" Jellal retorted, discarding his own cloak.

"I-Is that… Jellal Fernandes… the serial killer?" Yukino asked, her eyes widening in fear.

"Yeah, but he's a good guy now." Sting tried to calm her down. "Do you guys mind if I take her somewhere else?" He asked the group. Jellal released a small sigh, then nodded. "Yeah, sure."

And with that, Sting and Yukino headed to another part of the forest.

"You can come out now, Kinana." Cobra spoke up, tossing his cloak on the pile. The barmaid appeared from behind the tree, smiling shyly. She walked over to the group, making a beeline towards Jellal. As soon as she reached him, she held out her hand for him to shake. "I'm Kinana. I wanted to thank you for helping Erik out."

Jellal glanced at his maroon-haired friend, showing Kinana a small grin. "It was you he was doing it for." Jellal replied, shaking her hand politely. Meredy kept her cloak on, smiling at the sight. "I'm going to check on the rest of the party." She informed the group. Jellal nodded, and with that, she left.

-(^_^)-

Levy, not bothering too much with the others, was sitting at the side, reading her book silently in the sunlight. Her sunlight disappeared, however, as a huge shadow was cast over her. She glanced up at the shadow, immediately falling from table she had occupied. In front of her stood the one man she feared, the man that had hurt her and picked on her when they were both younger. She tried calling Jet and Droy, but no sound left her lips.

"Shrimp." The gruff voice of Gajeel said hesitantly. He could see the fear in her eyes, and he hated it. Had he really gone this far? He had to apologize, no matter what. "I… I'm-"

"What do you think you're doing, you metal-faced freak?!" Two voices spoke up behind him. Gajeel's eyes widened in anger, but he had to control himself. He had to apologize. He ignored the guys behind him.

"Look, McGarden, I just wanted-" Gajeel tried again, but was cut off yet again.

"Why don't you take that ugly excuse of a mutt of yours somewhere else, Gajeel?!"

"Would you two idiots shut up for a moment?!" Gajeel roared angrily, turning to face Levy's childhood friends. That's when Jet sent a kick to Gajeel's stomach, and Droy drove his knee into Gajeel's face. Gajeel fell to the ground, his nose bleeding lightly. Then a thought occurred to him. Retribution. This was punishment for what he had done to them. He deserved this. The two guys continued beating Gajeel, and he offered no resistance. Levy seemed to notice, but then Jet and Droy were shoved aside. Laxus towered over Gajeel, Cana not far behind. Laxus lifted Gajeel up with one arm, since the other arm was still wounded. What he did next was totally unexpected: He punched Gajeel in the stomach. The black-haired man spit out blood on the ground, coughing maniacally to catch his breath. Laxus' face remained expressionless, and he swung Gajeel around before throwing him into a tree. "Laxus, what are you doing?!" Cana tried to stop him, but Laxus kicked Gajeel while he was on the ground.

"L-Laxus, I think you're going a bit too far…" Jet stuttered.

Laxus placed his foot on top of Gajeel's head, ignoring Jet fully. "What is it you wanted to say, fuck-face?"

Gajeel looked up at Levy staring in shock, spitting out some blood again. "I… I just wanted… to apologize…" Gajeel whispered, his voice a bare whisper. Laxus removed his foot, then left without another word while Cana was trying to beat some answers out of him.

"Gajeel! Guys, what are you doing?! Help him!" Levy shrieked. Gajeel was losing consciousness, but before everything went black, he thanked Laxus silently from the bottom of his heart.

-(^_^)-

"What the fucking hell was that all about, Laxus?!" Cana asked in a yell. Laxus walked over to the table with drinks and grabbed a bottle of cola, before heading back to his spot at the tree.

"Will you answer me or not?!" Cana followed him, punching his wounded arm. Laxus sat down before answering.

"Look over there." He said, opening the bottle and taking a sip. Cana did as he commanded, and saw Wendy working on Gajeel's wounds ferociously, while Levy was petting Gajeel's cat, Lily, absentmindedly, staring at Gajeel. Jet and Droy were staring at the grass, clearly ashamed. "If I hadn't done anything, that stupid fool would've allowed himself to get beaten up by those two other idiots. That'd be a disgrace for Gajeel. But that's not the reason. I did it, because Gajeel wanted to be punished for his earlier crimes. If those two were to beat him up, nothing would change between him and Levy. But now, those two are ashamed, and Levy feels sorry for him. Simple." Laxus finished his explanation, sipping his drink again.

Cana stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth. Did he really think that far ahead? It would've never occurred to her.

"What?" Laxus asked noticing her stare.

Cana snapped out of it. "Sorry. I never knew you were so smart, Sparky." She sat down beside him again, grinning playfully.

"That hurts…" He answered. When she checked his face to see whether he was serious or not, she noticed his lips were unnoticeably quirked. She smiled, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.

-(^_^)-

'"Juvia, the truth is… I have always loved you! Let's get married and have 54 children!"

"Gray-sama! My dream has come true!"'

"Ehm… Is she alright?" Gray scratched the back of his head, looking at the blue-haired girl that was cupping her blazing cheeks and shaking her head around. He'd seen her around before, but just got properly introduced. "I mean, all I said was hi…"

"Oh, don't worry! She gets like that at times!" Lucy waved off his concern. "Hey, Juvia, why don't you say hi to Gray?" Lucy jabbed Juvia with her elbow. This seemed to bring Juvia back to her senses, and her eyes opened, blinking twice, still wondering where the wedding party went. That's when she realized where she was, and blushed from embarrassment.

"Juvia… Juvia is very sorry, but she must leave now." Juvia apologized and bowed quickly before leaving. Or at least, trying to. Gray grabbed her wrist before she could.

"Why don't you stick around and have a drink with us?" He offered. Juvia blushed at the contact, then gave a quick nod. "I'll get you something to drink." He offered, excusing himself to go and grab a coke.

-(^_^)-

"Parties are manly!"

"You said it! They're wild alright!"

"Yes, they are!"

"They most certainly are enjoyable."

Elfman, Bacchus, Bickslow and Freed were gathered around a table, clinking their drinks together. Elfman was drinking a bottle Mountain Dew, Bickslow settled for a glass bottle of ice cold coke, Bacchus was drinking wine from his regular wine bottle, and Freed was sipping some water from a wine glass. They shared a grin, emptying everything in one go.

"I was first!" Bickslow yelled, his tongue wagging out of his mouth.

"No way, I was being wild!" Bacchus retorted.

"Only real men finish first, so I win!" Elfman roared.

"I don't really care." Freed muttered.

-(^_^)-

"Guys are so weird…" Evergreen sat by herself, sipping her apple juice, while staring at the group of men drinking and laughing together one moment, fighting and roaring then next. Wearing her green dress, she had her hair in a ponytail, and her fan lay beside her.

"Hi Evergreen, do you mind if we sit here?"

Evergreen looked at the owner of the voice. "It's a free country."

Mirajane and her sister sat down at the table, smiling. "How are you, Ever?" Lisanna asked, wearing her shorts and a simple t-shirt, while Mirajane wore her red dress.

Evergreen was about to tell her that only her friends could call her that, but then let it slide. It was a happy day, after all. "I'm fine, I guess… Hey, who is that guy?" She replied, pointing to Bacchus.

"Oh, you mean Bacchus? He goes to Quattro Cerberus. He's an alcoholic, but practices a special kind of martial arts with it. He got into a fight with Elf once, when he insulted our pride, but Elfman beat him." Mirajane told her.

"They look like they're childhood friends…" Evergreen mumbled.

"After Elf-nii-chan beat him, Bacchus called him a man, which caused them to be friends." Lisanna explained.

"I see…" Evergreen replied. "What did he say to insult your pride?"

Mirajane and Lisanna shared a look, then Mirajane looked at Evergreen. "He said… He said he'd have fun with both of us at the same time… in his bed…" She gulped, not comfortable with the subject.

"That's horrible…" Evergreen looked shocked.

"It's alright, Elf-nii-chan stood up for us and beat him." Lisanna told her.

"That big lug, huh?" Evergreen glanced at the white-haired male, drinking with delight and bursting out with laughter occasionally.

-(^_^)-

Rogue went unnoticed by everyone, yet he didn't mind. Sting would've been caught if he'd have come, so Rogue stared at his cat, Frosch, while eating an apple absent-mindedly.

"Mind if I sit here?" A kind, yet stern voice asked. Rogue glanced up, and was just able to push back his shock. It was the same girl he saw in the alley the other day, the girt with the headband and bow.

"Sure." He replied casually, recovering from his surprise. If she was here, then that meant she knew someone at the party.

"I'm Kagura Mikazuchi. Pleased to meet your acquaintance." She introduced herself. Kagura, huh?

"Rogue." He answered. "Rogue Cheney."

"Why are you sitting here by yourself?" She asked, looking him in the eye. 'Red… Such an original color…' She thought to herself.

"There's people like me that nobody sees, so nobody cares." Rogue answered simply, reciting some lyrics.

"Three Days Grace, Someone Who Cares." Kagura identified with a gentle smile. Rogue raised a brow, impressed.

"You listen to them?" He asked curiously, interested in her.

"Yes, they're one of my favorite bands."

"Mine too."

"What a coincidence."

"Yes, indeed." Or was it?

-(^_^)-

Meredy walked through the forest, heading into the direction of the sound. As soon as she reached the exit, she stopped and looked at the scene in front of her. But her eyes fell on a particular man, one she had seen before, but not as happy as this at the time. He had his black hair tied in a knot, wearing a purple, armor type of shirt, with baggy pants and black shoes. His name was Bacchus Groh.

-(^_^)-

That's that, I suppose. I hope you enjoyed! The action will come back soon! I wanted to write something else, but forgot… ^_^"

Anyway, I'll be going to England the day after tomorrow. So I'll upload a story for the challenge when I get back.

See ya!

-Sirev